Chapter 8 (Part 2)

Quadect 29^th, 1258

              Sook and Zenebe walked together through the roads of Ydalia on their way back to the inn, doing their best to hide their identities under cloaked hoods. The afternoon sky was overcast but still bright. Sook carried a large bag of medical supplies while Zenebe looked up at the sky. “Do you think it will rain, Zenebe?” 

             The hydrosophist looked up at the sky and clutched the bag of medical supplies tightly against his chest, “Oh yes, I can feel it. It’ll be heavy too. We should probably wait to escape until tomorrow.” 

             “Yeah, you’re probably right. Pirouz is in no condition to travel in a storm and we’ll look more suspicious trying to leave in the middle of a downpour.” The two arrived at the inn and made it to their shared room where Pirouz lay in bed and Dulani stood at the window. 

              “Thank the heavens you two finally came back, I need to take care of my task in the city tonight. We can’t leave yet.”

              Sook smiled, “I don’t know… the Ydalian military will probably be looking for us after tearing up one of their garrison headquarters. Maybe you just need to let it go.”

             Dulani quickly turned with indignation but when she saw the look on Sook’s face, she realized she was being teased. “I’ll take care of it tonight. If we really want, we can leave early in the morning, before the brink of dawn. Besides, are we sure that angel-boy here even wants to leave with us?” 

             Zenebe and Sook looked over at Pirouz who sat up in bed, nursing his shoulder. “Ah yes, let me take care of that immediately,” Zenebe set the slightly wet bag of medical supplies on the bed and opened it up. He then produced a sling and began wrapping it around the angel’s left shoulder. “I truly am sorry that your helping us ended up leading to your banishment. I understand if it is impertinent, but we would be more than happy to have you join us on our journey.”

             Pirouz looked around at the trio in the room, “I would love nothing more than to travel the world with you three. But there is one thing I have to do before we leave.”

             A fair distance across the city sprawl, after trekking through the damp city streets, Dulani sat against a wall in the darkness of the night and slowly leaned her head in front of the window, peering inside. A dinner party was underway in a well-lit and extravagant dining room, adorned with marble floors, a massive glimmering chandelier and animal rugs spread out before her. 

             “Ugh, how tacky can you be?” She noted the dinner attendees and climbed up onto the balcony; her shoulder wound hurting significantly. She just had to get caught on her shoulder, of all things. Still, she supposed it could be worse. Once on the balcony, she rushed over and used her katar to slowly flip the latch. “For rich snobs with a lot to lose, they sure have light security.” Dulani carefully opened the door, moving out of the rain, and making as little noise as possible. She peered down a dim hallway. The only light came from the dining room chandelier through the break in the wall at the landing. Dulani crept slowly, focusing on not making any sound. She overheard some dinner conversation. 

              “-believe those creatures made it so far into our beloved city!” 

              “Agreed, our military is underfunded and it leaves us vulnerable to attack.” 

               “Lucky for the chancellor our property was unharmed or else he’d really have a problem on his hands.” 

                Dulani approached the exposed part of the hallway. “Unbelievable, their religious figurehead is kidnapped, innocents were killed, and these hogs can only think about themselves.” Dulani peeked around the corner of the landing. Everyone was sitting close enough to the wall they wouldn’t see her. Dulani slinked across the illuminated hallway until she reached the far end of the hallway. She slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Her heart dropped when it let out a loud creak. She froze, listening for any movement in the dining room.

                  “I will need safe passage on my business trip to Eeztraulis in the coming…” The voice trailed off as Dulani slipped through the doorway and left it ajar so it wouldn’t creak again. 

                  Dulani’s eyes lit up when she spotted her target; a gold-trimmed chest box sitting on the desk. She practically hovered over the floorboards on her way to the prize. The lock looked robust. She picked it up and shook it lightly, hearing the contents move around. “I’ll just have to take the whole thing with me I suppose.”

              Pirouz walked through the familiar streets of his old neighborhood. Even in the rain, he was filled with nostalgia as he saw the little market his dad would get him meat. He stepped around the large puddle in the middle of the path that would always form in the same spot. He used to love splashing around in it. The closer Pirouz got to his home, the more his heart broke. He didn’t want to leave all this behind. It’s ironic he wanted to travel for so long and now that it’s happening, he’s afraid. This is different, however, he always knew he had a home to come back after a campaign. Now, he was an outcast; a traitor. Babak was sitting alone in the living room, reading a holy scripture when there was a knock on the  door. Worried by the sudden intrusion, he hastily got up and approached. 

               “Father, it’s me, Pirouz!” Pirouz shouted over the sound of the rain. 

               Babak threw open the door to find his son in a hood, his arm in a sling, and his clothes soaked to the bone. “Son! Come in from the rain, quickly.” He ushered Pirouz inside. The angel obliged and thanked his father as he walked into the living room. “I’m so glad you’re safe! When those things attacked the East side of the city yesterday, I assumed you had fought them off. I always worry about you, you know”, he stated with his index finger pointed accusingly in his son’s face. 

               “I am glad you’re safe as well, father. I didn’t hear any reports of attacks near this neighborhood, but I still worry all the same.” Pirouz looked his father in the eye.

                Babak could tell something was wrong. “I know you hate being assigned to the garrison. But I appreciate you being close to home and able to visit regularly.” 

               “I hated it at first, but in reality, it was good fortune. If I had not been assigned to the garrison, I might not have been able to see mother at the end…” 

                “I know it meant the world to her that you two were able to spend time together before she passed.”

                “Father I…” Pirouz choked up. His father silently embraced him. “I’m so sorry, dad, I want to… I want to stay here with you.” 

                 His father continued to hold him, shutting his own eyes tightly, “You’re being sent out on a campaign to deal with those things, aren’t you?”

                Pirouz and Babak let go of the hug and faced each other solemnly. “No father I… I met travelers over a week ago and my commander said one of them was from an outlawed race. He was going to have her, and her companions, executed and I just… I couldn’t accept that. I’m so sorry father, I brought shame on you.”

               Babak looked his son dead in the eyes, “You have done no such thing. If you had stood idly by while an innocent person was persecuted and killed, then I would have been ashamed. But thanks to you, I am a proud father. And anybody who says otherwise can be damned.” The two sat together in silence for a minute, just enjoying the presence of each other for what could be the last time. “These travelers that you met, are you leaving with them?”

                “Yes.” 

                “Are they good people?” Babak watched as Pirouz’ face brightened. 

                “Absolutely, all three of them are accomplished fighters. They stepped in to save complete strangers and refused to leave me behind to save themselves even when I told them to!” 

                 Babak smiled as he looked Pirouz in the eyes again, “They sound like true friends. Please give them my thanks for looking after you in my stead.” The two men embraced yet again, “Now, tell me all about your journey so far. I want to hear every last detail.”

              Pirouz returned to the inn to find Sook sprawled out over the bed, snoring loudly. Zenebe was seated in a chair by the window, watching the rain run down the glass as he painted the scene by lamplight. “Is she always so loud when she sleeps?”

               Zenebe chuckled as he put his brushes down, “Oh yes, the white noise helps me relax when I paint, and it actually doesn’t get in the way of sleeping as much as you might think.” 

               “Dulani still isn’t back yet I see.”

               “Typically, when we’re about to leave a town, she performs a heist to help fund our travels until we make it to the next town.”

                “Wait a minute, she’s a thief?! I thought you three were righteous adventurers who upheld a moral order!” Dulani suddenly came into the room, brushing past Pirouz and hopping on top of Sook’s  bed. Sook didn’t even break rhythm as she continued to snore.

                “Oh, what’s wrong angel-boy? Afraid of a little larceny?”

                Zenebe laughed and looked over at Pirouz, “It sounds to me like you’re going to have your hands full during this journey, my friend.”