Passer hung between Aquila and Aureum. Even walking like this, Passer sweated. Not that it was an easy way. Neither Aquila or Aureum were suited. Aquila was a little too tall for Passer's height, and Aureum a little too short.
Vitreum trailed behind at first.
"Vitreum, you walk ahead of us," Aureum said.
"Why?" Vitreum did not want to.
"So I don't lose you."
Aureum could sense where Vitreum was behind her, but grabbing her away from anything sudden wasn't an option right now.
Vitreum complied.
"But whyyyyy."
She did still whine about it.
After moving Passer out of the shopping district, they took a break.
Aureum wiped her forehead with her sleeve. It shouldn't have been that difficult, but she wasn't fully healed yet. As it was, she just stood and tried her best to ignore her pain.
"Ahhh."
It wasn't working. It still wasn't as bad as it was the first few days, but she was pushing it.
"We need to find a ship," Aquila said.
"You're leaving when she can barely walk?" Aureum asked.
"We can't stay," was his measured reply.
Fair.
"Well, the docks should be—
"No," Passer interjected. "Leave without me," She took a few slow breaths. "I would just slow you down."
"I already sent the rest ahead. You wouldn't be slowing anyone down."
"I won't be responsible—
Passer was cut off by her own coughing.
Really? Aureum thought. Was this the time for it?
It was not an argument that could wait.
Aureum sighed and felt a stab in her side. She leaned against the wall.
The other two continued their argument.
"I won't let you die here!"
"I have no intention of dying! There's more chance I would die at sea!"
Aquila stopped and thought about it, a hand going to stroke the air. He'd shaved to look more decent. Aureum closed her eyes.
"Is that why you want to stay? You just want to heal?"
"I'm not that selfish," she said. "If it would help you then I would go. But it won't."
"Then perhaps…" Aquila let his words die, frowning as he thought.
Clear, clean solutions were hard to come by.
"Is that Benedic? He looks terrible."
Aureum's eyes snapped open. Vitreum had wandered away again, looking off into the distance.
"Benedic! You look like you got chewed by a dog and spat out!"
"Vitreum!" Aureum hissed as she reached her arm out to pull the girl away.
Too late. She saw Vitreum's eyes widen as she saw Aureum's expression. She knew she had done something wrong, but not what.
"Vitreum?!" A snobbish voice said. "I was looking for you!"
Aureum's face winced.
Benedic came around the corner.
Aureum stepped forward.
Maybe he won't recognize these two, maybe we'll get past this as well.
She tried to scratch together some kind of reasonable and normal explanation.
"You're really here playing on the streets like usual. I should have guessed."
His tone spoke volumes of his thoughts on that. He ignored Aureum, stepping by her as if she wasn't worthy of his notice.
Aureum found herself almost defending Vitreum, even though a kid wandering the streets alone wasn't anything to protect in her mind. Besides, she needed this conversation to go a specific way. She needed the right words.
"It's never hurt me," Vitreum said, while Aureum was still thinking.
The kid puffed herself up and crossed her arms.
Benedic waved a hand as if to brush off something bothersome.
"Nevermind that! I hear you left with that troublesome woman. The one that gave you the cat. Tell me about her!"
Aureum tried not to freeze.
"Why would I tell you?" Vitreum said.
To her credit, she didn't glance tellingly at Aureum.
Benedic shrugged.
If I can back away slowly. Maybe. Maybe this will be fine.
She already stood right next to Vitreum.
"Right, why would you help your brother anyways? Oh, wait, you wouldn't. You'd rather be an annoying waste like always."
Vitreum flushed, her fists clenched, but her head was lowered. She didn't scream or shout. If anyone else had done that to her, most people's ears within range wouldn't have survived.
Benedic moved his attention off of Vitreum. He gave a lazy smile as he spotted Aureum, finally.
"I guess you can be good. I presume this is the woman who you ran off with? Didn't she escape with the slaves? Is that them, beside her?"
Oh, we never had a chance, did we?
Aureum had no needles. She wasn't in her best condition. She still didn't have anywhere close to enough mana layered into her pearl to compete with the aura of a lordling close to her age.
"Hey, you lot. Give me what you stole from the auction house, and I might let you go."
Still, she had to do something. Waiting for the perfect solution was just letting things slip out of control.
Remembering the ending to her last major stunt, she gritted her teeth.
"I didn't realize Vitreum's brother was such a piece of excrement." She said. "Should I call you a dung beetle? It's like you're hoarding its qualities!"
She felt like Vitreum, giving insults without reason. All she remembered was that Benedic had a short temper. With luck, she could use it to her advantage.
The man gave a kicking motion. A piece of the cobblestone road shot past her face.
"Next one won't miss, so watch your words!"
She hadn't even had the chance to move. If she wasn't so shocked, she might have cursed. She didn't have time to spiral into despair.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement.
Aquila and Passer had quietly spent their time productively in the corner. Benedic focused his attention on her still.
At least she wasn't fighting alone, but she still didn't have a clue what they were planning.
One shot told me enough.
She broke out into a cold sweat as she gave a tight grin.
"Ah, I should have guessed you had less patience than a dung beetle! You're nothing but a buzzing fly! An annoyance, if you didn't get that!"
Her head was already moving before she finished speaking. The second he moved she moved.
Even if he was fast, his aim wasn't equal to it. The cobblestone targeted where her face had been. He didn't even try to control it to change its trajectory.
She was lucky he aimed for where he had last time.
Aquila, who had been gently forming a puddle on the dry street lifted it all at once. Passer used two pieces of flint.
The clicking noise was all that there was before steam flooded between them.
Still, it did little but startle Benedic.
We can't run.
That was the clear thought Aureum had before she charged him. She took a swing, her best but still a terrible punch.
It hit.
What stopped him more was that Aureum didn't. She toppled into him and continued trying to punch him even while they fell.
She hit him as he landed, over and over in his face.
The second he regathered himself she was done for. So she didn't stop.
She truly felt her diminutive stature in times like these. Also her lack of knowledge in it. It seemed that Benedic split himself between infusing mana inside his body and controlling it outside. Doing both ways wasn't recommended to young sorcerers, but it made him a bit more durable.
He was yelping, but it truly didn't feel like she was doing anything too damaging.
CRACK.
"AHHH!"
She did hit his nose. Mostly by mistake. A puddle started forming around Aureum. It seemed Aquila was trying to break Benedic's connection to the ground by condensing the steam back onto him.
"Use this!"
Passer threw her sash at Aureum.
"What?"
"Tie him up!" Aquila said.
Benedic used her distraction to try to regain control. He didn't punch her in the face, but put his palms to the ground.
His control must have been sloppy to begin with. The thin layer of water was enough to mess with it. A few mounds of dirt jutted up at her. They pinned her body, but the intent was probably to pierce her.
This was why young sorcerers were directed into either infusing mana into their bodies or controlling their elements. Early on, the split focus meant being worthless at both.
Aureum shoved his back into the cobbled road.
"Urgh!"
He grunted. She wriggled her way out of the reformed cobblestones.
"Help me tie him!" Aureum said to Aquila.
Vitreum grabbed the sash and tied his hands over his head as Aureum held him down.
"Viti, you don't have to," Aureum said.
"I want to," Vitreum said.
"This isn't a game!"
Vitreum nodded. Aureum sighed.
"You'll never get away with this Vitreum—
Aquila came over and shoved a piece of trash into Benedic's mouth. It must have been on hand.
Benedic gagged.
"Should we dump him in the river?" Aquila said.
"No!" Aureum and Vitreum said at the same time.
Benedic gave a frightened moan.
"Aquila, there is a child," Passer said.
"That's her brother," Aureum said.
Aquila looked hatefully at Benedic.
"We'll tie his legs and leave him in an alleyway."
"Will he starve?" Aureum said.
"Not if I make the knots loose."
Aureum watched Vitreum. The child's face scrunched up as she looked down at her brother. She didn't know if she was about to cry or scream.
Whatever was going on it was best for them to be far from Benedic when it happened.
"Forget the alley, just tie him up and let's go."
"Yes, good idea."
Aquila tied his legs with Passer's sash and turned Benedic to lie on his side away from them.
Aureum and Aquila got back to carrying Passer. They stumbled away as Benedic flailed in the puddle behind him. The road rolled as the earth sorcerer tried to free himself.
If he had any sense, even with his lack of control he could roll himself out somewhere. As it was, all that came from him were muffled cries. The three turned a corner, step by step hobbling away.
If he hadn't given a warning shot…
There were many ways Benedic could have won this scuffle. Aquila and Passer might be older than him, but they weren't sorcerers at all, and their skills were only enough to get by for their daily tasks.
Or maybe not.
They might not have had as many layers, but what they did have they used far more competently.
At least he was alone.
"What was he talking about? What did you guys steal?"
"Who cares what some lordling fool thinks?" Aquila replied. "We must have stolen ourselves."
"Pearls," Passer said. "Beast pearls. I'll give you some if you take us somewhere safe."
"Passer…"
She coughed, but Aureum felt like this one was forced.
"I guess I have a place I can take you," she said.
She felt too tired to give them anything more than that.
I wonder how Mendax will react to this.
She could see his expression of subtle horror in her mind's eye now. At least that might be amusing.
———————————————————
Mendax saw Caenum burst from the auction house. A man ran down the streets, only to enter the building but five minutes ago. Now Caenum was leaving. Whatever was happening had Mendax's full attention.
He followed behind. Caenum was speaking with his subordinates, but Mendax didn't dare get too close.
At first, Mendax was excited. He hadn't come close to being as prepared as he wanted to be, but this was an open opportunity. If Caenum fell, all he needed was to slip in and burn the office in his absence.
Besides drawing Caenum out, his plan was simple. Simple was usually for the best.
Unease rose inside him as Caenum headed to Fluentem's market street. It smelled of fish.
Didn't Aureum say she was heading out to do some shopping today?
She hadn't asked for permission, just notifying him of where she was if she was late. Mendax hadn't tried to keep her inside. He had seen her growing frustrated. Besides, it had been a few weeks. No one had bothered Vitreum when he'd gone out with her. The city was big. Many women had brown hair. Many girls had blonde locks.
He had warned her to stay away from the auction house and the Dragon's Burned Hoard. She'd snorted in response.
She should be fine.
Even his thought felt like a weak whisper. He took faster steps, a little closer to Caenum.
"The tail saw them here?" Caenum said.
"Yes, boss, but they should be up ahead with Benedic."
"So he was of use after all," Caenum said.
Mendax felt a bit of hope. They passed stalls closing up. It was early afternoon, but things closed early on the weekly holiday. It was odd but cheerful to Mendax when he first saw it.
Now he jostled by people, following Caenum and hoping not to see two faces in passing. It didn't mean he didn't scour the crowd for them.
He relaxed as they left the street.
"Who is that?"
"It's the lordling himself."
"It looks like he wet himself."
Mendax stopped, unable to clearly see with Caenum's thugs surrounding whatever they were looking at.
"Well? Help him already!" Caenum yelled.
One bent over.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou—
A slap rang out.
"Get yourself together and tell us what happened!"
"That wretch of a thing, Aureum! She did this to me! Alongside those slaves!"
Mendax's shoulders ached as they tightened once more.
"The slaves? How many of them? Where did they go?"
"I couldn't tell—
Another slap rang out.
"You're an earth sorcerer! Tell me which direction they went!"
"You think all earth sorcerers can feel the trembles of footsteps? Why not just call all water sorcerers rain callers!"
"Useless!" Caenum spat. "I want you lot to spread out."
Mendax stilled. He hadn't brought his sword today. It made him stand out, which was already an issue.
I should have brought it anyway.
He would have to deal with them quickly, before they saw her and called out to them.
I suppose the marks won't match those of a blade.
As Caenum's men spread out into different streets, Mendax readied himself. Nothing left to do but to begin.