The Grapevine [Rip]

[Obelisk]

It was a gnawing need in his chest, one that compelled Emery to seek out those of his own kind. The forest held its virtues and Emery coveted his solitude, but he understood the merit of keeping in touch with the outside world. He removed his mask, his cloak, his costume and the persona that went with them. The creature that emerged from the woodwork was an ordinary man dressed in ordinary clothes. He was of no consequence and nothing about him would strike others as strange or noticeable.

Emery melted into the streets of Red Axe, disappearing into the everyday traffic of merchants and traders. It was his intention to catch wind of the political climate and fish for any news that might be of importance. Information flowed freely in the form of arguments and gossip, and Emery knew just where to find those two types of conversation.

Either a pub or the outdoor market. Pirates and foul-mouthed criminals flocked to the pub and taking this into mind, Emery decided to try the market. The smell of salt air and fish grew stronger as the path lead him closer to the docks. Those that did business directly on the port tended to be the freshest source of information. Traders kept tabs on everything, looking for any chance or opportunity that might allow them to expand their business.

There was a good gathering of people, namely merchants, shouting bids for goods sold directly off of the docks. There were covered cages and Emery could hear the distinct sound of claws grating over the metal floors. Beasts from the Grey Wastes and from deep inside Brumeveil often sold for high profit. He had heard stories of tents set up outside of cities that boasted they showcased oddities never before seen in the world. Animals and beasts from far off lands, the fliers read, and people came to gawk and stare; he did not understand the fascination.

Emery had a distinct hatred of cages.

He pulled down the hood of the brown cloak that served to shadow his features and approached the man near the cages. The merchant was short and stocky, with thick arms covered in traditional tattoos that denoted a life at sea.

“What is that you have in there?” Emery gestured to the shoulder-high cage that had a tarp thrown over it.

“Sorry, sah, you’ll have to speak up.”

“I asked what it is that you have in there, that cage.” He pointed and whatever was inside the cage hissed in response.

“Ah! This is something you’ve rightly never seen before, sah, something from across the Wailing Seas. Might dangerous it is. You in the trade?” Whether he meant the trade of poaching or the trade of side shows, Emery was not sure. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t interested. This was not why he had left Brumeveil.

“No, just curious. “ Curiosity insisted he look at what lay behind the tarp but for all Emery knew, the creature spit flesh-melting acid. “I’m afraid I’ve been… traveling for so long, I’ve lost touch. Have you any news of Silvereye?” He was specifically hoping for information on the Redway family. He had no recent knowledge of his adoptive father or mother. Time dulled the strength of his fondness, but Emery still cared. He always would.

The stocky merchant paid Emery no heed; he’d lost interest in Emery the instant he had said he had no intention of doing business. A complacent sigh escaped him and Emery turned his attention elsewhere.

Above, the clouds rumbled and he smiled almost affectionately. Silvereye’s weather would soon pay Red Axe a visit. To Emery, the thunder felt like a greeting from an old friend.

[Rip]

Tai understood the appeal of masks. They’re comfortable, like wrapping up in a security blanket while daddy shoos away the boogeyman. He doubted hard edged fellows would appreciate that kind of metaphor, but he figured it applied anyway, whether or not they approved of the wording.

He wasn’t wearing a mask today or any other day. The appeal was nice but Tai always walked like Tai, and Tai always acted like Tai. It just so happened that Tai had sticky fingers, and it would be a downright shame to lie to himself by pretending he didn’t.

The young man who walked down the sidewalk certainly didn’t look the ruffian type. He didn’t wear ripped up sleeves or the heads of his victims on his belt, and he certainly didn’t swing a gun around like those hooligans back in Carden. No sir. Not him. Not with that huge smile spread across his boyish face and wild curiosity running rampant in those amber eyes. He nodded to girls while he passed them, dipping his head and spreading the grin just tug more, and they’d giggled while hurrying away, hands over their mouths or rolling their eyes with that pretend annoyance all but an irritated twinkle in their body language.

Bullshit! That was a mask if he ever knew one. They were flattered and they knew it.

Half the time, when he passed those pretty girls and gave them his handsome smile, he walked away with a few extra coins. As he headed down the market, the deep pockets of his pants and extra pouches dangling off his belt felt just a little heavier. Fruit and pastries and who knew what else lined them until he was forced (absolutely, positively forced) to eat a few. Had to lighten the load, after all, and he was sure thin enough that a few extra snacks wouldn’t hurt.

How strange that the sidewalks were whole! In Carden, Tai had to constantly watch his step. Even he, with bizarre balance, was often tripped up by the roots and vines and thick thorny plants that sprouted from nowhere. Some of them were poisonous. Some were carnivorous.

Also how strange that no one in Red Axe thought to secure their belongings. You’d think they’d care at least a little bit if they came up short on cash due to someone who didn’t wear any masks but had sticky fingers all the same.

Something sqwaked and another thing squealed, and Tai tugged on the red bandana hanging loose around his neck before meandering over towards the cages. The salesmen, a bulldoggish man with a face just begging to suck on a cigar, took one look at his tape wrapped boots and barked him away. Shoo away boogeyman, better get out that security blanket.

Hardly daunted, he was about to turn away and find the nearest pub when he heard someone ask about Silvereye. Tai turned, eyes searching the crowd before he laid them on a very odd looking guy (like someone who’d just walked right out of the goddamn woods). Who in the world didn’t know about Silvereye? Even Carden had frequent (and often cursed, beaten and molested) criers who spewed the local news every week.

“Oy, Silvereye’s a bust.” Said the young man with the nice smile, sitting himself up on a wall lining the market. He looked down at the blonde haired guy and rubbed his chin. “Not worth thinking about, really.”

[Obelisk]

Emery was ready to move on when someone addressed him. Blue eyes moved from the odd cages and fell onto a young man with a bright smile. Emery was instantly on guard. Not judging a book by its cover was a nice sentiment, but not one that Emery often followed. He took stock of Tai’s dress and Emery’s eyes narrowed marginally and for only an instant. It was a quick succession of thought; he had read what he could from Tai’s supposedly open expression and came to the conclusion that perhaps the lad wasn’t bluffing and actually possessed information. Enough so to deem Silvereye a ‘bust’ at the very least.

He offered a polite smile that was nothing more than a twitch at the corners of his mouth. “So you say.” Emery wondered if Tai was a street ear, someone who kept their fingers on the pulse of society, gleaning and storing information that they could sell for profit later on. It was a lucrative business, or so Emery had heard, especially within Silvereye where conspiracies bred like rabbits. “But some may feel differently.” He spoke softly but with measured grace, taking his time to negotiate his words.

“I feel differently.” A roar above their heads signified the arrival of an air ship. Emery glanced up and watched it pass over the city, heading directly towards the air dome. He returned his attention to the young man who had felt his opinion on Silvereye was important enough to be shared. “ I’ve need of information.” A pause, a drop of his eyes in consideration. “Specific information.” He rectified, once again falling into his odd, observing silence. Emery was no mind reader but with the way he watched Tai, it appeared as if he was trying. Trust was a commodity in short supply. Another souvenir of the Halfsun Bomb and an ever downward-spiraling society.

“I can pay you for your trouble.” The life of a hermit provided little means in which to make money, but Emery’s coin purse was full. He had scavenged coin and other items from the bodies of dead adventurers and travelers that had made the mistake of underestimating Brumeveil. The clothes he was wearing now were recent acquisitions.

[Rip]

Tai shrugged, rolling his shoulders and setting his hands on his knees. His finger drummed the rim of his high boots, toying with the tattered tape holding them together. It wasn’t boredom- he just had a hard time keeping his hands still. “To each his own.”

Yeah, sure. Silvereye with its endless rain and its endless bombs. Sometimes he had a hard time telling the two apart. That city was well protected though; lots ‘o barriers and force fields or whatever the hell they called them keeping the real nasty stuff out. Barriers and force fields that required too many resources to extend over the other citizens. Red Axe had some protection. Carden didn’t.

To each his own, right.

In Tai’s experience, the only people who liked Silvereye were wide eyed kids (which he, himself, was often categorized as) or people who lived there. He’d sat still while Emery looked him over, something he was endlessly used to and not bothered by anymore, and now it was his turn. His head inclined, just a touch, like a curious kitten, Tai took in what he saw.

The guy didn’t look like a royal. Or at least not like a royal who wanted people to know he was a royal. It was possible this stranger was from a well off family or something. Or maybe he was hired to take a hit on someone. The Witch Hunters were especially slimy like that. But this one didn’t look especially slimy at all. In fact, the way he asked for information made Tai picture a badly acted play. He couldn’t help smiling at the image.

“You should tell me what you’re after before we set a price, don’t you think?” He replied, already figuring that, whether or not he actually had any facts to feed Emery was irrelevant. Tai intended to leave this conversation just a little bit richer.

[Obelisk]

Emery was oblivious to how ridiculously cryptic he had come off as. Though conspiracy was standard fare in Silvereye, Emery had never partaken in the sport. It was not within his ability to present a solid front of lies and deceit. Certainly there was no sense of absolute morality that guided him towards the truth; Emery simply had no skills in lying and was often too late in realizing his shared thoughts may have revealed too much.

The boy tilted his head and Emery began to feel like a curiosity, a beast in a cage meant for public viewing and extortion. A twinge at the back of his neck signified an instinctual caution that threw the ex-knight into another bout of thoughtful silence. Revealing the exact nature of his query would risk exposing his identity; Emery was not prepared to deal with the fallout should that occur. Last he heard, there was still a bounty placed on his head. Though no one besides the mother witch and her child had witnessed Emery’s murder of the hunter, suspicions were there and had escalated upon Emery’s sudden disappearance.

His silence stretched on long enough to appear as if he had checked out of the conversation entirely. Blue eyes rose from where they were dropped in contemplation. He fixed Tai with a flat state, gaze humorless and guarded. “What I’m after is –“An awkward breath, “Information on the Lovegod, Smithson, and Redway family.” Emery cared nothing for the state of affairs within the Lovegod and Smithson household, but was willing to pay the extra price for the off chance Tai knew anything of his adoptive family. Emery missed his mother; he had thought to write her and send the mail from Carden, but had opted against it.

He did not want to break her heart any more than he had when leaving Silvereye became his only option.

“Well, have we an agreement, then?” A sliver of impatience sullied his calm voice.

[Rip]

Tai leaned forwards just a little while the blue eyed wonder was off with his own thoughts. What kind of information could a spacey guy like this want? Maybe looking for someone. Or something. Treasure hunting? Nah, not in Silvereye, land of rain and who-the-fuck-cares-if-you-don’t-like-it. Unless he has some wild idea that there’s something ancient hidden underneath the city. Maybe he was planning to raid the castle! Dig up the garden and purge through the labyrinth! What a trip that’d be!
“-after is-“

He looked up, shaken out of his little dream.

“Information on the Lovegod, Smithson, and Redway family”

He just barely stopped his shoulders from slumping. That was hardly an adventurous ambition. Easy enough though.

“Umm, give me a second to think,” Tai said and sat back, his hands behind his back as he gazed up at the orange sky. The sun burned like an open sour- red and bubbling. It cast long shadows across the street. It must be close to mid morning. He wondered if it was true what they said- that before the halfsun bomb, the sun was much brighter.

Lovegod, Smithson, Redway. He tasted the names in his brain. They sounded familiar. Noble families, no doubt. Lot of loot hiding in their houses, oh yes.

“Ah,” He looked back at Emery. He’d remembered. “The lord of the Redways is marrying some girl from the Lovegod side. I’m not sure if that’s the kind of information you’re looking for or not. Kinda weird that you’d ask someone in Red Axe about someone else in Silvereye, though.”

After a slight pause, waiting for whatever reaction the stranger might have, Tai slid from the wall. Behind him, his tail- a long, thin brown monkey’s tail- coiled in the air. He circled Emery with his knuckles on his hips, the smile still there. Then it widened. “I get it. You can’t go to Silvereye to ask about these people, isn’t that right? For some reason, you can’t get near the City of Rain.” He beamed. “What if I said, ‘hey stranger, I can get you there no problem’? What would you say to that?”

[Obelisk]

Emery’s face looked stricken for the briefest of moments. It was a flash of dark emotion; clouds passing over a peaceful valley before the sun broke through again. “You’re certain of this?” Emery tried to keep his voice even but it betrayed his concern and disbelief. Reginald and Genevieve’s marriage, though arranged, had been a loving one. He could not fathom why Reginald would remarry unless…

No, that couldn’t be possible.

Genevieve had been in perfect health when Emery had left, and his mother was someone who often suffered from illness. Perhaps she and Reginald had a falling out that eventually resulted in a divorce. The thought of his mother alone and without support twisted at Emery’s gut. He did not think Tai’s offer through. He had to see his mother. He had to check the state of affairs in person. Only then would be able to understand. Only then would he be able to accept Tai’s words as truth.

Tai began to circle and Emery turned his head from side to side, watching the youth with a growing wariness that he chose to neglect. “Then I’d have to accept.” He had avoided Silvereye for far too long. Over a decade had passed since Emery had last walked his beloved city’s streets. Perhaps his appearance had changed enough to render him unrecognizable to all those but the ones who had known him best. Tai gave no indication that he knew Emery as the traitor knight.

“It’s in my best interest to go in undetected. Unnoticed. I cannot risk being seen.” He was jumping into this far too fast, he knew, but over thinking would see him second-guessing his decision and retreating back into the woodland. He paused then added with measured words --

“It could get very dangerous. For you.”

[Rip]

Swish swish went the dark brown monkey tail. Tai’s hands clasped together behind his back as he circled, wondering what to do about this. He’d done many things as a kid, and a good chunk of those things tip toed on the line of legality. The other chunk was in the realm of OH MY ARCHITECT YOU’RE GOING TO JAIL.

He snuck into Silvereye only once before, and that had mostly been an accident. It might’ve been raining, but Tai didn’t think so. There was just so much rain once he actually got to Silvereye that all other weather was pushed out of his mind. For all he knew, the sun was out full blast, like everyone says it used to be before the bomb.

It was during an air raid. The sirens went on, loud, whining screams that vibrated the smog in the air. Everyone dropped what they were doing, no matter what it was, and darted for cover. He remembered seeing some people forget their kids in the car. He might’ve opened the door for them on his way, but he couldn’t remember. That was probably just wishful thinking.

To the left, he remembered that part very well, there was a cargo ship. It’s hold was opened wide, a great big dark hole. Like a mouth. He ran in. The raid continued forever. He fell asleep at some point.

When he woke up, it was raining.

You’re certain of this?

“Huh?” Tai blinked, then smiled. Ah, should stop this zoning out thing. “Yeah, sure as I can be. I’m no prime source though, buddy.”

Didn’t matter what else Emery said though; the thief was delighted he’d agreed to the adventure.

“Incognito runs in my family. Don’t worry about it. We’ll find you something less inconspicuous to wear. At least a hood,” He said, then tilted his head. It was a reoccurring thing with him, apparently. Habit, maybe.

“Danger? Well then I guess you’d better up my pay then.” Without missing a beat, he stepped a few feet away and pulled a small coin purse from his pocket. It should look familiar to Emery. It’d been in his possession up until about a minute ago. Before a very quick and agile tail took it, of course.

“This should cover it,” said Tai, pocketing a handful of money. Unless, of course, the ex-knight lunged at him.

[Obelisk]

“I know something of costumes.” He gave an obtuse little smile but the knowing look of amusement faded upon seeing his purse held snugly within Tai’s hand. His eyes turned hard and his mouth drew into a tight line. Emery held out his hand expectantly. “Now that you’ve negotiated your own pay,” The words were flat and Emery twitched his fingers, indicating that the thief should return his belonging. “We can work out the details.” Sneaking around cities was not the ex-knights forte. The ability to vanish into the woodwork did not translate into the open streets and impenetrable walls of buildings.

“And should I find your proposed solution…unsatisfactory,” Another one of his awkward pauses followed before Emery concluded with, “I’ll be expecting a full refund.” The bulldog-faced man had taken an interest in the exchange occurring near his place of business. Emery sent the merchant a quick look before moving forward, attempting to grab Tai by his bicep and steer him to a less open location. Red Axe was full of prying eyes and ears and Emery did not want to give up the game before it even began.

Stationed near an alcove, Emery sent an assessing look around before settling his attention back onto Tai. “You’ve proven yourself quick and possibly clever—“ Or Emery’s awareness had dulled greatly during his time in the forest, “—but you’ve yet to convince me.” He was never afraid to speak his mind; it came naturally and the results were often offensive. “You could be a simple con-artist looking for an easy mark. Should you attempt to betray me, I offer you this--” Perhaps he was too soft-spoken to come off as sinister, but Emery’s presence had a certain hardened experience to it.

“—I will end you. This is no trifling matter, boy. Be mindful of that.” Whatever darkness that reared its head receded and Emery was once again placid, like the eerily still face of the ocean that followed a storm. “Convince me. Do well by me and you’ll see yourself rewarded with a sum that will make that coin purse look like chicken feed.” He was earnest and honest; Emery was not a liar by any means-- a trait from his days spent serving the order.

[Rip]

Tai glanced over his shoulder towards Emery and grinned. He held the purse out and dropped it politely within the ex-knight’s hand. Was it a show of skill? Certainly. He was a thief, and while this guy obviously had a problem with it he seemed to need the skills of said thief to accomplish whatever he wanted to do. Might as well test the waters before they got in too deep and started dodging the sharks.

“Why, of course.” He piped, allowing Emery to lead him to conversation spot #2. Tai smiled at the bulldog man as they past him and gave a little wave. No use in leaving on sour notes.

The stranger tugged him and then faced him, and the first thing Tai noticed were the lines under his eyes. He supposed they must’ve been there in the first place, but now they stuck out like cuts in the clouds. Angry cuts, ready to rip him a new one. He half anticipated a lecture as he stood with his hands in his pockets, tail floundering the air, waiting for the man to talk.

He did get a lecture. Of sorts. Stealing the coin purse didn’t get the desired results after all, apparently. Not with the stranger in his face telling him these things that he could or couldn’t be. A con man? In a way, maybe. He smiled and he charmed and then he stole things. That was a type of con, wasn’t it? Getting people to let their guard down?

But that wasn’t the type of con Emery was getting at. Tai found himself intrigued, but all the while, his smile faltered. Just a little twitch at the corners. Curiouser and curiouser. What was this guy hiding that he didn’t want ‘betrayed’? Enough to threaten Tai’s life in the chance of failure? Enough to miff him?

“If I was that easy to kill, I wouldn’t be much use to you.” The smile was back in full force. It spread out across his face, smooth and sincere. “Anyway, I’ve been dying to break in somewhere, so this is as much for me as it is for you. I’m a thief, not a rat. I don’t turn people in. I just snitch their stuff sometimes.”

That was true. He was the last person to collect money on bounties.

He rolled his shoulders, tilted his head and turned away. “My name’s Tai, by the way. Follow me to our first destination of hope and wonder.” The streets of Red Axe turned to gravel and smooth pebbles the way Tai walked. He crunched them under his boots, whistling occasionally.

If Emery followed without any snags in the non-disclosed plan, he’d soon see the stretches of cargo air ships- huge, bulky things with rusty gears and chipped propellers.

[Obelisk]

Nothing in Emery’s life was ever done casually, not since the day he had murdered the Witch Hunter. He approached every scenario and every chosen course of action with a single-minded determination that spoke of obsession. It was a fierce unwillingness to fail; Emery’s tenacity was both his greatest asset and weakness. He had dedicated himself to the idea of infiltrating Silvereye and the Redway Manor, and he would see this idea through to fruition.

“Let’s hope those words prove true, for your sake.” Getting someone else, especially one so young, involved in what was to be a dangerous mission did not sit well with Emery. He did not want the young man’s blood on his hands but to shun help so freely offered would be a mistake. It was not often Emery met a person so quick to offer assistance in questionable circumstances and this should have made him suspicious, and it did, but he was determined. Determined enough to take additional risks for the benefits they might offer.

Emery followed three steps to Tai’s right and committed himself to looking as normal as possible. He came off a might disgruntled, however, as he was unable to disguise the warring emotions of concern for his mother and trepidation in the daunting task ahead. “You may call me ‘Em’.” He offered and then said little else until they arrived at the airship bay.

“Let me posit a guess,” His voice was sardonic, “You aim to get us, somehow undetected, onto one of those ships wherein we will stowaway. Then, once we arrive in Silvereye, we will somehow get off the ship undetected and be on our marry way?” Emery did not sound impressed, quite the opposite really. “What about the guards who check for stowaways? This plan is hardly fool-proof.” The ex-knight scoffed.

“I believe you were rather too generous when divvying out your payment.” Perhaps he wasn’t being fair but this was a taste of a Knight’s personality. All duty, all business. No room for error.

[Rip]

“Boy you catch on fast!” he replied, an extra bounce in his step. Even his voice smiled. The disbelief in Em’s monotone voice made this whole thing so much more delightful. Tai heard of a theory that everyone had a high in life. He supposed one of his (and there were many) was proving people wrong. “Are you sure you’re not a seerer?”

Should he reveal his brilliant plan to Em before he set it in motion? Hmmm. It would be bad if the guy started freaking out while they were in a close, contained area though, so maybe a little taste sample wouldn’t hurt. Horrible luck if Em was squeamish towards magic.

I believe you were rather too generous when divvying out your payment.

“Aw!” He moaned. “That’s harsh, guy. Here, I’ll do a little demonstration. You won’t find many people this side of the line with this little trick up their sleeves. Don’t’ go nowhere, now. I need to check something.”

Just a little now, he thought. Don’t push the limit to what’s normal magic for normal people.

Tai held out his hand for Em to stop and stay where he was. If he did, good boy, Tai walked a head. The bounce was gone, replaced by a deliberate step with acute balance. He walked toe for heel, as if walking an imaginary tight rope. All the while, he maneuvered his hands at his sides, fingers twitching at their tips. His tail coiled around his ankle, like a snake, quiet and out of the way. He walked and walked until he came between two boatmen. As he approached, closer and closer, the lines defining his shape blurred, like heat in the road. Tai walked into the light, and only a few flashes of red from his bandana showed through the illusion. In the dim light of the new day sun, he was all but invisible. People walked by him, making no movements to avoid him. Sometimes he sped up to avoid running into anyone.

They couldn’t see him.

He grinned in spite of himself, trying to avoid spoiling the spell.

Em didn’t say which part of Silvereye he wanted to go, but he guessed that it wasn’t the market. Closer to the castel then. Harder security, but a quicker in and out time. He didn’t intend to stay in the rainy city for long.

They needed something big enough to hide them both to avoid running the risk of splitting up. Something big and something smelly so they wouldn’t catch the human odor drifting out from the air holes. They needed something…

Ahead, something snarled and brayed and cried to the workmen loading it’s enormous wooden box in the airship. Tai inched closer. Careful, careful. People walked by him too quickly, blew away some of the spell, and for one horrible moment he made eye contact with a man and thought the whole thing was out the water, but then the man looked away, scratched his nose and left.

He sighed through his nose and approached the crates. There were the snarling ones that smelled like oil and sludge and wet ash. Waste beasts. Some of the boxes were silent. No air holes. He glanced over his shoulder, made sure no one loomed nearby, and unsheathed a dagger. Painfully slow to keep quiet, he pried the box just enough to peer inside. Just enough for a ray of sun to lick the contents.

It was filled with Nivali fur.

Tai almost laughed, and then closed the lid.

------

“HEY!” He barked, coming besides Em. “Hotel ala Silvereye is all set with our reservations. Ready to go park the car?” Another grin, like a cat. The dark tail thrashed back and forth.

[Obelisk]

“Yes.” Tai’s question regarding Emery’s position as a seer had likely been rhetorical but it was these kinds of subtleties that the ex-knight always managed to overlook. Nuances of conversation were beyond his ability; the true meaning and intent of certain phrases and words often sailed right over his head. Actions were another matter entirely. Emery could not mistake the meaning behind a hand held out flat (stay, wait) or the intent in each of Tai’s measured steps. He did the only thing he could do and that was to watch with baited interest as Tai weaved air and light, wrapping a blanket of illusion around his form.

Magic. There was no mistaking it.

There were points where Emery was certain Tai had been spotted but the thief escaped notice. When he returned, Emery fixed Tai with a decidedly unreadable expression. He gave nothing away, no hint as to what exactly he thought over this little magical revelation. “Car?” An honest look of confusion shadowed his features but Emery caught on soon after. “Ah. You’re trying to be funny,” He spoke with the certainty of a scientist observing a specimen’s behavior. “Fine. Let’s see if your magic can work for two.” He had his doubts but that was to be expected; Emery was a realist, not an optimist.

With Tai cloaking their movements, the pair slowly negotiated their way to various crates and cages. Emery’s nose wrinkled at the prospect of spending hours in the same hold with smelly and cantankerous beasts, but he chose to keep mum on the matter. Tucked in the relative safety of large crates that obscured them from view, Emery was confident enough to make movements that might disrupt the spell. He pushed the lid of the crate that Tai had indicated, looked inside, then turned a raised brow to Tai.

Before he could put in a word, the voice of the foreman boomed through the docks. “Alright you sorry lot! Time to get this ship packed up, right? Best be working quick. We’re behind schedule as it is.”

No time for second-guessing. Emery slipped inside the container and grunted when Tai’s elbow met square against his jaw. He maneuvered around the young man, boot crushing against a prehensile tail and if Tai made any noise, Emery followed with an admonishing shush. Pushing his hands against the container’s lid, he was able to move it back into place moments before the dock workers surrounded the crate. There were a series of bangs that were amplified inside the container, causing Emery to flinch each time.

They lurched forward, stopped, lurched again, stopped. This continued for quite some time. Emery was starting to feel nauseas but a reprieve came at last when the crate was deposited inside an airship’s hold. He made a silent prayer to the Architect that nothing was stacked on top of their crate. The air was hot, he was hopelessly uncomfortable, and he really didn’t even want to think about what that smell was. These complaints went unvoiced and he waited for the tell-tale sound of mechanized doors shutting.

Gears whirred, there was a distinct metallic whine followed by the sound of an air-pressurized lock setting. With care not to make a sound, Emery slowly maneuvered the lid so he could peek outside. Light shone dimly from thin cracks where the top and bottom doors of the cargo bay aligned. Emery drew in a deep breath and released it, trying to maneuver his way out. The fur proved too pliant and he had difficulty finding sure footing. Too quickly he gave up and gripped the sides of the container, head hung.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Something bleated as if in agreement.

[Rip]

[rp fin, will continue in Silvereye]