Looking up, I glanced over to where Julius had been, but he had moved. He was now tipped back in a chair against the wall next to the window. His face was obscured by his own rune’s mist projection.

An exasperated sigh overcame me.

I needed to give some serious thought about what we’re going to do once we’ve reached the outpost. I should be able to take command well enough.

Julius’ face may not be recognized as easily, but I was the daughter of the Regent Lord—and a decorated Commander to boot! Any officer at that post should be able to vouch for us.

The trouble was getting to that officer. That is going to be the hard part. It was likely that they've received news of the coup in Axio. Maybe even some of the survivors made it there already.

It would be our luck that some nerve racked Initiate keeping watch sees us and decides asking questions aren't on the table. We're probably going to have a really bad time.

"Ugh!" I cried out to nobody in particular.

Urrrggrll.

My stomach growled, shattering my thoughts of frustration. By the Celestials, I haven’t eaten almost all day. I got up to head out of our room, but stopped and looked over at Julius. He was passed out in his chair, mist projection still active.

That was fast. Well, I don’t want to wake him up. I’ll grab something simple from the kitchen on my way back for him.

I left the room and headed down the hall to the staircase, stopping to listen before heading down. All quiet. It must be close to midnight. There would hopefully be nobody down in the tavern and I could get some food in peace.

I walked down the stairs. My hand trailed across the banisters, making a soft ‘thump, thump, thump’ as I descended.

As I rounded a corner into the hall, a short haired woman emerged from a doorway. She was carrying a platter piled with dirty dishes and glassware.

Her sudden appearance surprised me. My heart skipped and I clutched my chest as I jumped backwards out of her way.

Her head whipped to me and her eyes flashed with surprise.

"Oh—Miss, you startled me!" The soft clank of glass hitting against glass rang down the halls as she steadied herself. "If you’re looking for the tavern it is just through here," she indicated behind her with a nod, "I’ll be back in a minute to get you settled in. Feel free to sit anywhere!"

"U-Uhm… thank you." I let her pass by and headed into the tavern.

The main bar hall of the tavern was spacious and open, with exposed rafters. The bartop was positioned near the center of the room. A short flight of stairs to the right of the bar led up to a single large table. Four smaller tables were lined along the wall from there to the end of the room.

Behind the bar was a tall, slender man. Golden curls cascaded down his narrow face. Long, sharp ears broke through the curls.

He’s an elf!

There were very few elves in Axio, and even fewer in the small remote towns in the outskirts of the Commonlands. Seeing an elf here was a rare sight.

Next to him along the bar top slept a curled up cat with striking brown and black markings.

In the middle of the room was a somber group that looked like they were fairly well armed, maybe mercenaries. They had two tables pushed together and we're drinking quietly. I made a mental note to avoid them at all costs. And along the back wall, at one of the smaller tables, was a cowled figure, picking at a plate of food.

I took a seat on a stool at the bar next to the cat. Its ears perked up as I took my seat. One eye slowly crept open to see who had caused the disturbance. The expression wasn’t quite one of annoyance… maybe apathy would be the best description.

The bartender looked over to me with a glass in his hands.

"That's Meko, he's good company. I’ll let you in on a secret, if you want to get on his good side. Scratch his ears a bit. He loves it." He shook the glass and gave me a 'what will you have' look.

"Ease me in, barkeep. Uh… nothing too strong, I haven't eaten all day."

He thought for a moment and filled the glass from a large keg on the back wall.

"Here, give this one a try."

The glass was warm. I thought about declining the drink. But I couldn’t be so picky this far out from Axio. There wouldn’t be any ice chilled glasses and cold brews this far from civilization.

He gave me a simple wave as he stepped away, "I'm Nyle, by the way. Just holler if you need anything else. Amelia should be back any minute and can take your food order."

"Thanks, Nyle."

I sipped the drink and was surprised that even though it was warm, it was incredible. The flavor, mainly a sweet fruity one, had a sharp tartness to it. Blackberries and apples.

"Delicious." I let out a content sigh.

Meko, now eyes fully open, stared at me expectantly. I gave his ears a little scratch. He purred and leaned his head into my hand.

"Good kitty."

The tavern door opened, and in bounced the woman from the hall. She glanced over at the mercenary table but came straight to me.

"Hello again! I'm Amelia. My shift just started so you'll be stuck with me all night!" She said with a laugh.

Whoa. That's a lot of energy for midnight, lady.

She continued, "Are you hungry? I can get something put together for you from the kitchen." She glanced down to my drink and before I even had a chance to answer, "Oh! I know just the thing to go with that, I'll be right back."

She took off towards the kitchen.

I don't even know what I want… So I guess this is fine?

I continued scratching Meko absentmindedly and turned my attention to the mercenary-like group. It was odd for a party this big to be this far from the city. Anyone out here either had a disdain for people, or they had some sort of agenda.

I hope they weren't here for Julius and I.

Taking an opportunity to eavesdrop on their conversation, I sipped at my sweet and tart drink and tried to focus on what they were saying. I could only make out partial sentences.

"…Big group… Divisionals…"

"…Red uniforms… some little woman leading them…"

"…Think they might hire us?"

"…Doubtful they… with people like us…"

Red uniformed Divisionals!?

It sounded like more of us did make it out of Axio. I pondered at who they were referring to leading them. If it was who I thought it was, this whole ‘suicide mission’ wouldn’t actually be suicide.

The conversation trailed off and the words became less interesting. They were likely members of Axio’s Adventurer’s Guild and were out here looking for work. I relaxed and focused back to something much more important…

I doubled my efforts scratching Meko, to the reward of deep content purring.

Amelia returned with a plate, steam billowed up. Glistening brisket covered in sauce was laid between two braided wheat buns. Cheese dripped down the edges, mixing around the sandwich in a pool of juice. She placed the plate down in front of me and waved her arms, presenting me with my glorious feast.

"Your dinner, miss. I hope you like it."

"This looks and smells amazing!"

I took a bite and my taste buds exploded as the sandwich practically melted in my mouth.

"Celestials above, this is the best thing I've had since—in a while." I caught myself.

"Glad you like it, miss… what was your name? I don't think I caught it earlier"

I froze in a slight panic, but only for a moment. Nobody out here is going to be big into Axio city politics. And even then, unless they have a military background they wouldn’t know who I am… Nonetheless I needed to be careful.

"O-Oh. Uhm..." I stammered, "My name’s Airis."

Great job. Super inconspicuous. You’re doing wonderful at being careful, Airis. That awkward pause wasn’t long at all.

Amelia squinted at me. A seriousness took form on her face and she leaned in close. In a hushed voice that could barely be considered a whisper, she spoke into my ear.

"Like, the Airis? Airis Vanixi?"

I was absolutely wrong. You’re doing terrible at being careful, Airis. Time to panic!

My nerves plummeted. The hairs on the back of my neck raised as a natural fight-or-flight emotion rushed through my body.

What the heck does she mean by ‘the Airis’? Like I’m some sort of wanted criminal out here!

I could run upstairs and force Julius awake. We’d flee in the middle of the night like the fugitives we were. Or I could try to keep calm and hope for the best—No, there was no way I could play it off and pretend that I wasn’t the person she insinuated.

She connected my name to my family’s house instantly. There was no way she doesn’t know who I am.

Amelia must have seen the panic spread across my face like wildfire because her reaction was quick. In the time I fumbled to come up with a plan of escape she gripped my forearms and started reassuring me,

"No-no-no it's okay!" She pulled a stool out beside me, "Your secret is safe with me."

More hushed words. But there was a sincerity in her voice that pulled at me to trust her.

She continued in a whisper, "It was about six days ago. A giant army came through here and set up camp on the village border. A small group came in here for rooms, probably officers or other fancy titles. The one in charge was a joyful lady, full of smiles and laughs. She was on the shorter side and I think she said her name was Hailey. They had a few drinks here, naturally I asked them what they were doing out here…" she sighed deeply.

My nerves had settled during her brief pause and I took another bite of my sandwich. The juicy meat had soaked the bread and some sauce dripped down the corner of my mouth. I grasped around frantically for a napkin but there was no hope for me. Thankfully, Amelia handed me a cloth from her waist and I wiped my messiness away.

With my dramatic antics resolved, Amelia continued on, "They told me about the coup in Axio. That the Renault and Maarin forces had attacked and the Vanixian government was in shambles."

She gave me a soft look accompanied with a smile. Her voice no longer hushed, she kept on, "They said that there was a commander, named Airis Vanixi, who gave the order for the rest of them to retreat. Is that true? That you stayed behind to give people a chance to escape?"

I had to take a moment to absorb the whole story. While it was true that I had stayed behind after giving orders to flee the city. It wasn’t just me. A small group of us, including Julius, stayed behind. Though it wasn’t nearly as heroic as Amelia’s story made it out to be. It wasn’t like we were making some grand last stand, screaming into the night that we’d never surrender. Instead we gave up with no resistance. I knew that if they had captured me, interest in those retreating would vanish.

Hailey Brooks, Commander of the Third Divisionals. She made it out of Axio, and managed to get a 'giant army' this far south. As far as bad plans go, ours seemed to work out.

Lost in thought, my glance drifted over to Amelia, who was looking at me expectantly. I nodded my head, "Yeah, it was. But, it wasn't just me that stayed behind. I was captured—but escaped during a second attack. The Maarin Republic launched an attack on the Renaultians that same night…"

Amelia turned to the bar and called out, "Hey Nyle, can we get a few more of these Tartapple ciders?"

A silent nod and a moment later two new glasses of the sweet and tart drink I had been served earlier were set down in front of us.

For the next hour Amelia told me everything she had heard from Axio. Information from other refugees or passing travelers.

Eventually my eyes started to become heavy. Amelia must have been able to tell that I was tired. She stood from her place at the bar and started to clear the glassware.

"I'll let you get some sleep. I should probably clean up these other tables."

Meko had curled up in my lap. I gave him a final scratch and he leapt up to his perch on the counter.

I tried to stifle a yawn but failed and was overtaken with intense exhaustion, "I do need to get to bed. I've got an early morning coming. Hey, could you grab me something simple from the kitchen? I have a friend upstairs who hasn't eaten either, but I didn't want to wake him."

"Of course!" She ran back to the kitchen and in a flash was back with a cloth wrapped bundle. "Stop by in the morning and you can settle up your bill."

I opened the door to my room slowly to avoid making any noise. Julius was sound asleep in the chair where I left him. The bundle from Amelia found a home on the table. And I found a home on the edge of my bed.

I tied my hair up with a strip of linen, and laid my head down on a soft feathered pillow. I fidgeted my feet around and managed to kick both of my boots off. I glanced over at Julius once more, to confirm he was sleeping, and peeled off my shirt and pants. I wrapped myself in the sheets of the bed and let my mind drift into the aether…