“Are you sure you feel well, Sir Auric?”
The redhead cast a rather perplexed look down at the boy he’d come to view as the younger brother he’d never had – of the time he could remember anyway. Fiedad looked up at him quietly, worry evident in his eyes.
Auric gave him a reassuring smile. “Worry not Fiedad, I have been worse and recovered just as quickly.” He dodged the question as he always had; not admitting weakness but not dismissing it either. He knew Fiedad would read between the lines and he knew he’d seen the exhaustion in his eyes but the boy would trust him to admit if there was an urgent problem that needed their attention. Foolish boy; even Virridus knew him better than that but then Virridus had been his life long partner for four years – if he didn’t know him better by now then he never would.
“Fiedad, mount your horse; we’re leaving.” The dark haired man called, casting Auric another assessing look as he did. Auric had to roll his eyes before urging his faithful chestnut mare, Syrian, onwards to take the lead. Fiedad did as he was told and followed Auric’s horse as the man set an easy pace up the track. Virridus took the rear where he could keep an eye on his two charges and also keep an eye on the road ahead and behind them.
It had only been two days since Auric had woken but Virridus couldn’t sit still. He felt antsy and paranoid over something but he wouldn’t share his bothersome thoughts. Besides, with Auric up and about a few hours after he’d left him to sleep a bit, he really had no reason to stay any longer. Though Fiedad’s new friends still got their very quick fighting lesson before they were due to leave.
Auric had been annoyed with him (and still was) for cutting their stay short with no real reason, but Virridus had insisted they leave. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to worry his friend, quite the opposite actually; he wanted Auric to know what he felt might be coming their way, just so they could better account for it. The problem was that he couldn’t explain the feeling he had rationally. Everything he thought of saying just sounded so insubstantial… baseless. It felt as though someone was watching their every move but he had yet to find the culprit. Maybe he was losing his mind? Maybe all those assassination jobs he’d embarked on, before he was teamed with Auric, were finally wearing him down? He didn’t know but he knew that if they kept moving, they had little chance to be ambushed by whoever was stalking them, especially with Virridus watching for one.
He cast his eyes up ahead to judge the path before them but his gaze was blocked by Auric’s back swaying to the rhythm of his horse’s step. Virridus turned thoughtful for a second, pondering the man in front. Auric was as mysterious to himself as he was to everyone around him, even within the segregation of Gatekeepers. One could never read his emotions or tell if he was joking or being deadly serious, unless you knew him like Virridus did. Even in the most skilled of Gatekeepers there was always a sign to read from but Auric had mastered the mask; he would have made an unimaginable assassin had he been that way inclined. But alas, he did not like death. It was understandable but to Auric, it was unforgivable; his reason? “I never know if could be slaying my past family and friends…” That had put a new light in Virridus’ eyes but that just brought him back to Auric’s obsession. His past.
Auric longed to remember who he was and what happened, but he was afraid of what it might reveal. He had admitted to Virridus, one overly moonshine induced night, that he had a feeling something awful had happened in his past life and that whatever it was, was trying to worm its way back into this life he had now. He could have asked the Guild to investigate this claim but his faith in the investigative department had dwindled; they usually came up empty handed anyway which always irked Virridus to some extent. The Guild could find out exactly what you had for breakfast two months ago but couldn’t seem to trace back who you were before you became a Gatekeeper.
It amazed him how the Guild was still running half the time. If he didn’t know any better he’d say they were purposefully hiding their pasts from them but he knew for a fact that wasn’t the case. He once had a sister, they discovered, but she died two years after he was found and became a Gatekeeper. The information had been given to him in his fourth year of service. There had also been no records of his parents or any other relative after that, it was suspected that they’d all burned in a natural Gate explosion, quite possibly the gate that had created him. It didn’t affect him now; he couldn’t remember them anyway, but it was proof enough for him to put his faith in the Guild.
Auric on the other hand, didn’t seem too particularly faithful in the Guild at all…
He snapped out of his thoughts suddenly when his horse stumbled a little, he’d forgotten about this damned road and its potholes. He refocused on the track guiding his mare around a rather nasty group of small craters but dropped his gaze a little, letting his eyes fall upon the youngest member of their party; Fiedad. Who seemed to be sitting a little awkwardly in his saddle?
The boy didn’t know it yet but one day he’d be a great Gatekeeper too. How great? He wasn’t sure, it was hard to tell. He had a lot of potential and being such a young age he’d have plenty of time to hone his skills and progress to a more advanced level… but he couldn’t see the boy working that hard, he was a submissive type of lad who’d rather be of service to those he respected and admired, like Auric for one.
Well he’d have to change that if Fiedad was to travel with them from now on. The boy would have to grow into his own person, Virridus wouldn’t settle for any less and he was sure Auric would agree with him on this one.
“Yaaah!” His thoughts were suddenly scattered by a harsh cry that seemed far too familiar for comfort. His head whipped up to check his two ‘charges’ but his sharp gaze was only met with a bare back horse skittering to the left and an amused looking Auric up ahead. Looking a little bewildered at that sight he let his gaze wander to the floor where he found Fiedad sat on the hard caked earth, rubbing his rump. He heard Auric try to suppress a snort of laughter but he failed miserably.
Virridus just sighed in irritation as he guided his horse to one side of the track and dismounted. He saw Auric catch the boy’s horse in his peripheral view so he strode over to the boy and crouched down inspecting the damage in silence. Oh yes, Fiedad knew he was annoyed. “Sorry, Sir Virridus, I was sure I did her up nice and tight.” He apologised as he stood, patting the dust from his travelling cloak. Virridus just grunted catching Auric’s eye as the younger man tried to look serious.
“I’m sure you did.” He replied stonily as he turned to inspect the saddle that now sat on the floor in a heap. He could tell something was off immediately. It hadn’t been an accident. The girth belt had been deliberately cut and the stirrups were notably damaged too, though the last bit could have been caused by the fall. “Auric! Come here, I need you to take a look at something.” Auric moved slowly, guiding Syrian and Asha - Fiedad’s horse - back towards the boy and himself.
Virridus wasn’t sure how much of that lazy gait was because of his friend’s stubborn spitefulness or if his friend was really that tired. Regardless, we have saboteur to catch and a saddle to fix. He paused on that thought, unless...
“What’s wrong?” The redhead asked, passing Fiedad the reins as he turned to peer over Virridus’ shoulder. Virridus presented the sabotaged leather to him with a stern frown.
“You wouldn’t have anything to do with this would you?” Auric took the leather in his hands but looked up sharply at his partner’s accusation.
“Me? Why would I sabotage Fiedad’s saddle?” He asked, not bothering to hide his shock at Virridus’ suspicions. “If I was that set against going, I’d have argued it loudly. Heaven and Hell wouldn’t have moved me from my spot, Fate be damned. You know that Vi.” The older man had the sense to look sheepish but this turn of events just seemed to confirm Virridus’ growing paranoia. Feeling those unseen eyes on the back of his neck again he quickly cast his eyes up the track. Nothing… not even a rabbit or a fox, and they were not uncommon in this area. It was an assassin’s move; force the victim into the next town then do the deed where no one could see him but everyone would find the results of his work. It was a flashy show of power on simple assassination jobs and forcing their targets into a corner was just part of the fun.
“Vi, what’s going on with you? You’re acting as though we’re about to be attacked from all directions…” Auric’s voice brought him back to where they stood and he turned to face his partner only to glance right past him and look down the track, back towards the village they’d just recently left.
“I don’t know Auric; I just have this foreboding feeling, like we’re about to walk into a trap.” He sighed, holding the broken saddle in his arms. “Maybe I am getting paranoid…” Auric studied his friend who seemed to be hunting the horizon for this unseen enemy of his. He didn’t look ill or tired but then neither would Auric if he tried hard enough. Over the past four years he’d learned to trust his friend’s instincts seeing as his seemed to go off unannounced and unnecessarily sometimes. He’d nicknamed it his ‘spook sense’ due to a conversation two years before where Virridus had teased the man of sensing ghosts instead of ambushers lying in wait.
He placed a friendly hand on his friend’s shoulder and patted it a few times. “I’m sure it’s nothing Vi. And if it is, we’ll just have to make sure we win.” He smiled turning back to Fiedad and taking Syrian’s reins. “Come Fiedad, you can ride with me. Give Virridus your reins; he can lead Asha from Kellie.” He said as he climbed up onto his horse.
Virridus nodded his agreement and gave the horizon one last sweeping look before handing the broken saddle back to the boy and taking Asha’s reins. Fiedad fastened the saddle onto his mares back with a length of rope and then made his way over to Auric. Virridus followed suit and watched as Fiedad had to grasp Auric’s outstretched hand to help him climb up. He tied the rider-less horse’s reins to his own saddle and spurred Keltek, nick-named ‘Kellie’ by Auric earlier, to move forward up the track to where Auric and Fiedad were waiting.
Auric gave him an optimistic smile and started forward again but Virridus just couldn’t shake the feeling of doom that seemed to have surrounded him.
***
They travelled for days, crossing barren lands of dust and cracked mud, stopping a few times to barter some water or food from travellers passing by. The heat was blistering but it was nothing they weren’t used to. Amyre was, after all, a hot country in the summer.
But all in all, it was a calm journey; meaning there was no trouble. They’d arrived at a small town situated three days away from their destination. The Guild was in the heart of the central city of Fieroh, named after the first Grand Guild-Master who’d founded the Guild almost four hundred years ago. It’d take an entire day to travel through the Outer City to reach the Inner City and from there it was just under half a day’s trek to the Guild itself, seeing as the place was so vast.
Virridus sighed; he had about four days travelling ahead of them to plan for but only three days in the wilderness but despite that fact, he was going to stock up for four days anyway. It was common sense after all, especially when you know your partner is a hungry man most of the time with an implosive gate for a stomach. It wasn’t like they were running low on funds or anything but he’d rather not spend money needlessly if he didn’t have to. That and he also had to find a new saddle for Fiedad, the old one was just not repairable anymore, not after the wear and tear it’d gotten from being improperly secured to the horse’s back and the damage it took when it fell. Virridus sighed, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to…
But, again, they hadn’t had any trouble; he was thankful for that at least. Virridus was starting to think he had just imagined the foreboding feelings from earlier. Lords knew it hadn’t been the first time he’d felt uneasy and nothing had happened.
Crash!
He turned curiously as a rather clumsy looking drunk lost his balance and toppled over into a fruit stand. The dark haired Gatekeeper stepped back casually, out of the way as the stand collapsed dramatically and sent the seller’s wares across the market floor. Several people slipped and fell and he found Fiedad laughing unashamedly while Auric was holding back a smirk. But as he glanced past Auric his gaze shifted to the hunched cloaked person next to his partner who seemed to be watching the young redhead with a scrutinising eye from under his hood.
Virridus frowned, not trusting the cloaked figure immediately. Being an ex-assassin he knew the signs of danger, having acted them out himself too many times for comfort. And it wasn’t before he saw the glint of a well-looked-after blade from beneath the stranger’s robes that he knew they were in trouble. Questions instantly popped into his mind; why in Amyre’s name was someone trying to hurt Auric? Who was behind this? What could anyone possibly achieve by assassinating his friend?
He didn’t have time to think on it. He knew that moments like this were crucial; the killer had to depend on the target to stay within range long enough to carry out the deed before disappearing quietly. The commotion with the drunk could have been a diversion or simply a well placed coincidence but the time to act was now.
He made it look casual but as he sauntered up to Auric, placing himself between the would-be assassin and his friend and leading both his charges away to another stall, he could tell Auric had sensed he was up to something. He shook his head minutely; he didn’t want to scare Fiedad. Auric gave a brief nod and continued to peruse the seller’s wares, bantering a few moments with the seller; trusting Virridus to watch his back. Virridus kept his eyes open for the cloaked figure but for now it seemed the stranger had given up, the mission having been successfully hampered. Virridus allowed himself a small smile of victory but it was gone a second later because now he had to figure out why his partner was being targeted, who by and whether or not they’d strike again.
“Thank you, have a safe journey.” The loud voice brought his attention back to the food stand and away from the crowds around them. Auric was handling several bags of fruit while Fiedad seemed to be struggling with several bags of dried meats and some strange delicacy Auric had grown a fetish for known only as Queren. It was a spicy sort of bread but only half baked giving it a crispy crust and a soft doughy middle. Virridus couldn’t stand the stuff but then he didn’t have to eat it.
He gave the crowd another accusing sweep before nodding his approval and headed back to their horses. He’d been right, and he was damned if he was going to let this chance slip by. He was going to find out who’d been trailing them since Dar’iro tonight. Auric would disagree but what he doesn’t know will keep him out of the way. Besides, the man was still exhausted, he’d be out like a log in no time and if he isn’t; a little chelondrah tea would be all he’d need to knock his partner out for the next few hours.
With his decision made, he started scoping out possible inns for them to stay in for the night. If his impromptu plan was going to work, he’d need an inn that wasn’t too crowded or open; one an assassin could deem penetrable. For a moment he felt bad about using Auric as bait but the redhead would do the same to him in a heartbeat. ‘Such is the foundation of our friendship…’ He thought wryly.
There were many inns offering warm beds and hot broth for fair prices but they were too open and too friendly. He needed somewhere small and quiet but not suspicious looking or completely dead.
He found what he was looking for a while later. It was almost on the edge of the village, two roads away in fact and was called The Dillberry Inn. It was perfect; small and quaint with only a few customers, not too shabby but not too intimidating to a thief either. It looked like it used to be a cottage when it was first built but it seemed the owner had thought it would be put to better use as an inn. He stepped off the road, leaving the two bottomless stomachs to banter among themselves, and headed for the door where a small list of vacancies was legible.
‘Two rooms available, pull out bed on request. 230 rugels a night or other trade considered. ‘
He nodded, 230 rugels were peanuts to a Gatekeeper but was a fair price to the ordinary worker too. He turned back to his two companions who seemed to be digging in to their early dinners and harrumphed loudly, interrupting their carefree conversation.
“We’ll stay here for the night; I don’t feel like camping out.” He said loudly, snatching an oval-shaped, orange fruit – a tozer fruit – from Auric’s bag and taking a quick bite. He savoured the taste for a moment; juicy and bitter, just how he liked it. He stopped chewing suddenly when an uneasy feeling washed over him. Those watchful eyes were back again but he still couldn’t pinpoint them. Good, they were here.
“What about the horses?” Fiedad asked; mouth half full of something red and sticky looking; popperdoses perhaps?
“We’ll go back after we’ve booked ourselves in. I don’t want someone else taking the last rooms before we do.” He replied, taking another bite of his tozer fruit. Auric nodded and all three headed toward the cottage intent on finding a warm bed to sleep in that night.
***
Amyre was a beautiful country in the right season. Especially spring where it could be as green as a flourishing tropical valley with a cool wind whistling in from the north. The air would feel fresh, the sun would be warm and the Aires would be singing loud and clear. The nights wouldn’t be hot and humid and they certainly wouldn’t be heavy with thick air or putrid rotting smells…
That was why Virridus preferred spring to summer. He couldn’t sleep in humid conditions like these… not that he was planning on sleeping just yet anyway.
Fiedad seemed to have no problem with the weather seeing as he was practically falling asleep where he stood and it took a very amused Auric to pull the boy out of his dream long enough to get into bed. The boy was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. Lucky sod.
Auric however seemed to be enjoying his evening by reading a book; one on alchemy of all things. Last time he’d bought a book it’d been an occult one from the witch’s country; Kasseri. He’d had to pry it out of his partner’s hands before entering the Guild and had to tell the man not to read such books in the open. It wasn’t just illegal, it was downright rude to read witchcraft and wizarding books especially when considering the circumstances.
“Auric, why do you insist on reading such rubbish?” He finally asked, growing irritatingly bored with the plaguing silence in the room and trying to distract his thoughts about the betrayal he was about to commit.
Auric lifted his eyebrow in that ‘holier-than-thou’ manner and without looking up from his book, asked, “Have you read this rubbish?” His knowing smile irked the older man to no end and Virridus just couldn’t hold back his response.
“We’re at war with those people, why would I read their rubbish?” He watched as Auric lifted his gaze from the book and smiled at him. Virridus narrowed his eyes already knowing he wasn’t going to like the retort.
“We’re not at war with their culture and way of life. Nor are we at war with their beliefs and practices. We are at war because the Wizards believe we killed their version of a Guild Master. I forget what they call him.” Virridus sighed, damn Auric and his perception. He really couldn’t argue with it. “Besides, wouldn’t it be beneficial to understand their ways? Who knows, you could find something to use against them.” Auric finished, returning his attention to the illegal book.
“Maybe… you realise that’s the only reason I haven’t riddled you out to Guild-Member Gorin yet don’t you?” Virridus asked, making sure that Auric knew what trouble he’d be in if he was ever caught. The man just grinned while reading the strange runes and phrases, his eyes never leaving the page.
Virridus looked up at the clock out of habit but smirked when he realised what the time was. Just late enough to send Auric off to dream world with out any suspicions from either party. He stood and stretched quickly before heading to the door with a tired sigh. Auric didn’t even twitch; he just kept reading that damned book. Virridus turned and left the room, intent on finding the kitchen, and allowed himself a victory smirk once he was out of sight.
Auric may be a mastermind Gatekeeper with a sharp eye for trouble and detail… but he also had his faults; for one he was way too trusting for his own good, especially with Virridus. The older man could probably get away with murder and Auric wouldn’t even think twice about it. In fact, he’d defend him adamantly until he was blue in the face. His loyalty to the older man was unshakable.
And that thought only made it harder to do what he had to do…