A/N - Just thought I'd mention that updates will be fast. I'm happy with pretty well the entire story except the last 6 or 7 chapters so I'll probably post 2-3 chapters a day until it's finished.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVx6bnDTbCA
5. Strange Favours
Luke
“Luke!” a voice beckoned, “Pst! Luke!” I winced in my bed and buried myself further under my covers before I jerked awake, startled from my sleep by the mysterious voice. “Luke!”
“Wah’?” I groaned groggily, as my defensive reflexes kicked in. I looked wildly around the tent for the source of the sound and stopped suddenly. A ghostly figure dominated a corner of the tent. Dark hair, pixie-like features... It was the warrior princess, Rory. Her bright green eyes were wide and full of terror. She looked as if she was going to drop dead from exhaustion any moment. “What?” I asked alarmed by her appearance, “What’s wrong?”
She ignored me, “Where’s Rowan?” she asked frantically, hysteria breaking through, “I need him now, and I can’t break through his mental barrier! Can you find him for me?”
I gaped at her as I quickly surveyed her appearance. Her face was gaunt with exhaustion and she seemed to be trembling uncontrollably – barely able to stay on her feet. As far as I could tell – I couldn’t see any of her surroundings – she was bracing herself against a wall, or pole, or something of that nature. Her pupils were dilated so that they seemed to swallow the green in the irises of her eyes. Tears streaked her face uncontrollably. “Like now!” she wailed.
“I don’t know where he would be though!” I sputtered, “I’ve only been here a few hours!”
“Ask for the way to the Conference Tent,” she said, “And go quickly! I can’t hold this Phantasm much longer!”
I rushed from the tent puzzling over what could be so important that she needed Rowan now – and why in the world she had contacted me instead of him. I barely noticed the dimming light as I navigated the haphazard streets. People stuck their faces out of their tents as they heard my thundering footsteps and stared – openly curious about what I was doing.
I asked for directions to the Conference Tent. “Turn right down there, and then enter the black tent on the left side of the street there. You can’t miss it,” a bemused pedestrian instructed me. I darted along the street and turned right. They were right. A huge black, ornately decorated tent took up much of the left side of the road. I entered with relief only to have two heavily armed men confront me.
They drew their swords with grim faces and asked me my business. “I’m looking for Rowan” I panted, “It’s a matter of great urgency.”
“Hah!” one of them said, “Why wouldn’t o’they asked fer one o’the Trustees?”
“I don’t know!” I snapped, “I’m just following instructions!”
“Really now,” the other said, “You really think that we’ll fall for that one after six years of service? I ain’t ever seen you ‘round here afore.”
“Me neither,” the first guard growled, “I think he’s tryin’ to trick us.”
They advanced on me threateningly, almost ready to grab me. “No,” I insisted, “It’s true!”
“What’s true?” a voice asked behind us and we all turned to see it was Rowan. He was glaring at us so fiercely the guards quailed, “And what’s all this commotion?”
“Nothin’,” one of the guards stammered, “Jus’ this trickster we were gonna throw out.”
“Oh,” he said contemptuously, barely glancing in my direction, “You mean Luke. Carry on.”
“Rowan! Wait! Ro—” I yelled as the two burly guards dragged me toward the door.
Rowan cut me off abruptly, shooting me a warning glance. “I’m tired of your games,” he snapped, “Guards just help him to the door and be done with him.” He fixed me with a meaningful stare. I hesitated and stretched my consciousness to brush against his. < Rory? > I inclined my head slightly. < I’ll meet you outside. >
“It’s fine,” I snarled back, glaring at Rowan, “I’m leaving. I don’t need help.” I shook the men off and stalked to the door. I flung the tent flap wide open and stepped into twilight. I started to trudge back toward my tent miserably when I saw someone beckoning me from a side street.
“What’s up with Rory?” Rowan whispered when I followed him a ways further down the alley. I merely scowled at him. He rolled his eyes, exasperated, “You don’t understand what’s going on here. You’ve managed to get yourself mixed up in a massive power struggle. If Rory wanted to see me and not the Trustees then there’s a good reason and—”
“Fine,” I hissed, “I believe you. She’s in my tent waiting.” He nodded, his face grim and began walking back toward the main street. I followed behind him and a minute later, we were entering my tent.
The first thing I thought when I saw her again was that she looked ready to collapse. Her eyes were shut and her breathing came in a sharp rasp. “Rory!” Rowan exclaimed, “What’s wrong?” He walked toward her like he was going to touch her but thought better of it at the last second. Her eyes flew open and she greeted him weakly.
“Francesca knew,” she revealed weakly, almost in tears, “She knew what I was and started to question me while I was at work today. I tried to bluff my way past her accusations but she’d done her homework. She checked to see what records I had and when she found none she was suspicious. I had to use a Teleport to escape her house. I tried to cover my tracks but you know how easy it is to make mistakes when you’re exhausted…” her voice trailed off desperately. I abruptly remembered the furtive conversation from the night before with the flickering figure. She hadn’t wanted to return to her undercover position then – and it seemed it was for good reason!
“Ror, why didn’t you inform one of the Trustees?” Rowan asked soothingly, “They’ll want to know and I can insist on being the one to help you—”
“No!” she replied, suddenly fierce, “Don’t! I found something in Elaina’s study. I don’t know what it means but it implicates them as traitors.”
Rowan looked taken aback by her outburst. He gaped at her disconcertedly. “Ror, think about what you’re saying! You’re sounding like J—”
“Don’t you dare say that name!” Rory snarled, pacing like a caged animal, “I am nothing like him! And I never will be!” I wondered what this person could have done to evoke such an intense reaction from her.
“But Rory,” Rowan beseeched, “They’re our leaders! They are the driving force behind our cause!”
“No,” she breathed, looking defeated, “They aren’t. We were better off before they wrested control from me.”
Now Rowan looked more alarmed than ever. “You gave them reason to – I thought you agreed that was for the best!”
She shook her head. “I never said that. I let you think that because Elements know we can’t afford to have divided loyalties.”
Rowan shook his head in disbelief. Rory’s eyes searched his face desperately and seemed to be disappointed with what she found. “I told you my suspicions,” she whispered, “Ages ago. You agreed with me then. What’s changed?” Rowan looked anguished. His mouth opened and closed.
“Nothing,” he said finally, “It’s just harder to accept when you have concrete evidence.”
“I can’t go back Rowan,” she said quietly, “You know that as well as I do. I used magic in front of Francesca. She knows what I am. If I go back I’m signing away any freedom I’ve gained over the past seven years.”
Rowan sighed and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. He suddenly looked completely drained of energy. “I know,” he whispered, “You can’t stay Saffron. They’ll hunt you down like a pack of wolves chasing a deer.”
“Well I can’t return to the Tent City either,” she snapped, “They’d just follow my energy signature and—” I glanced at both of their faces. Set jaws, crossed arms. Neither of them was about to budge and it was obvious Rory couldn’t keep this up much longer. Her trembling had gotten worse and her image had faded to the point where she was almost transparent.
“I know,” I said, and they turned to look at me with surprise. They had obviously forgotten I was there. “Rory, inform the Trustees that you’ve completed your mission. You have haven’t you?” She nodded. “Ask for a re-assignment that sends you somewhere that won’t endanger the bulk of the Liberation and ask that Rowan and a few others be assigned to your command as well. You get out of danger, and away from the Trustees – plus you’re off the hook for another reconnaissance mission because there’s too great a risk to start at a different house for the time being.”
They exchanged glances as the implications of my plan settled in. My plan had the added benefit of allowing the Trustees think it was business as usual. Rory and Rowan smiled. “That’s actually a great idea!”
“Yeah. But I can’t perform anything nearly as powerful as this for at least a couple of days – not after last night’s escape from the Slavery and today’s debacle at the Medici’s manor,” Rory agreed, “Rowan, you’ll have to tell the Trustees what’s happened. Get my re-assignment as well – ask for Jess and the others if they’re back from their various missions.”
“Fine.”
“I’m getting too weak to hold the Phantasm any longer,” she said, her voice and image dwindling away. “See you…” I watched Rowan stare wistfully at her image as it disintegrated.
“Good thinking” Rowan commended me when her image had disappeared. He glanced at me curiously. “How did you know she didn’t want to do another undercover mission?”
“I heard your conversation with your Trustees the other night,” I said, smiling slightly, “I can come right?”
His smile faded. “No.”
“You’d still be here arguing with her if not for me.” I reminded him.
He glared at me, “Fine. I’ll see if I can get the Trustee’s to let you come.”
I smiled broadly, as he slipped out of the tent. Score one for me. I collapsed on my bed contemplating which questions I would ask first when I finally saw Rory in person again. I was only alone for a few moments before I heard footsteps approaching my tent. I ignored them, assuming they belonged to someone living nearby, until they stopped right outside my quarters. I snapped upright as something rustled the flap of my tent and a woman emerged. She looked at me in surprise.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Luke,” I responded curtly.
She looked at me suspiciously, “What are you doing in Jesse and David’s tent?”
“I moved in.”
“Really,” she said, looking over me critically, “You’re a bit scrawny to be a recruit.”
“Who said I was?” I asked. I waited while she worked it out. If I wasn’t a recruit, there were very few other things I could be. She examined me carefully, her gaze landing finally on the tattoo just above my eye, partially hidden by my eyebrow. Her mouth made an O of understanding and comprehension dawned on her face.
She stepped forward. She shook her head slowly sending wisps of short black hair flying across her face. She had deep blue eyes that shone in the evening light. “Sorry about that,” she said, “It’s just you can’t trust anyone nowadays – even here. I’m Bridget by the way.”
“It’s ok,” I laughed, “I understand.”
“So the Residence Director put you in here, huh?” Bridget remarked, “He must have a lot of confidence you won’t fall in with Jesse and David’s bad habits.”
“I dunno,” I replied, “I didn’t talk to him. Rowan did.”
“You mean you didn’t talk to him yourself after your briefing?” she asked curiously.
“I didn’t get a briefing,” I answered my brow furrowing in confusion.
“Hmm,” she mused, “I wonder what’s gotten into Rowan… He’s normally more… by the book… than that. Did you do anything to upset him?”
“No,” I replied smirking, “He just hates my guts.”
“Really?” she said. Her eyebrows arched in surprise as she appraised me more closely. “Generally Rowan gives newcomers at least half a chance before he decides whether or not he likes them. How long have you been here?”
“I don’t know. I think we arrived around lunch but I’ve slept since then. What time is it?”
“Late afternoon,” she replied, “The sun’s almost set. That’s why I’m here.” She suddenly looked embarrassed. “We were going to go out… Tonight’s the first chance we’ve had to relax in a while.”
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“On assignment,” she replied, “The Trustees wanted us to travel out to Bania – way out near Central Aeirien – to raid some of the Slaveries and to initiate a branch of the Liberation there. Supporters of our cause are hard to find – not because they aren’t out there but because they’re afraid of speaking out against the Magicians. Even when they do admit it they’re not willing to pick up the fight.”
“Who went with you?” I asked curiously.
“Jesse and David – your tent mates – Carla, myself and several others. It was only a few of the top ranking officers in the organization. Two of our group stayed to help maintain the base we established.”
“Why did you come back?” I asked.
“The Trustees needed me here,” she shrugged. “Who kno—” Something rustled at the door and she stopped mid-sentence. “Who’s th—” Two men stepped through the doorway and she grinned.
“Jesse! David!” she exclaimed. “I was looking for you everywhere!”
“No you weren’t!” the taller man laughed. “You were too busy flirting with…” He broke off abruptly as she glared at him.
“It might be wise to remember that I’m your commanding officer,” she warned menacingly, blood rushing to her face as she blushed.
“One of our commanding officers,” the shorter of the two corrected her.
“Howdy, I’ll introduce myself because it seems that our dear commander here has lost her head and forgotten her manners.” This caused Bridget to blush an even deeper red and throw a pillow at his head. “My name is Jesse and this short guy over here is David,” the taller man continued. David, the shorter of the two shoved him in good-natured indignation. I watched in surprise. These seemed to be the barracks for the Liberation’s soldiers, yet they didn’t act like any soldiers I had ever met.
“Hi. Nice to meet you,” I nodded at them in acknowledgement, “My name’s Luke.”
“Are you the reason Rowan just ranted to us about our new bunk mate for half an hour?” David asked in mock annoyance.
“I guess,” I replied sheepishly, “He doesn’t really like me that much and I sort of forced him to agree to take me on an expedition in a couple days.”
“So that’s it!” they laughed, “I wondered why old Rowan looked so steamed when we reported in today!”
“Yeah, that would be me,” I asserted.
They burst out laughing. “Good old Rowan. Great Saern, what would we do without him!”
When their chortling finally subsided, Jesse asked “How long have you been here?”
“Now? Um… Probably… about 7 or 8 hours but I spent at least six of that sleeping, another hour washing and the past hour bothering Rowan and talking to Bridget.” I said.
“Only 7 hours,” David said, “Not nearly enough time for a good tour of the Tent City. Do you want us to show you around?” He glanced slyly at Bridget. “Or maybe Bridget would like to do it herself.”
“Sure. We’ll all go,” Bridget burst out, glaring at them.
As we wandered the city, it was easy to see why David and Jesse were best friends. I laughed as they teased Bridget mercilessly for trying to flirt with me and blushed when they finally turned on me. They called greetings to almost every person we met on the streets, joking easily with old friends. We finally ended up at a small pub where they met up with Rowan and a girl they introduced as Carla. Rowan studiously ignored me and parted with our group a few minutes later – taking Bridget with him, no doubt to inform her of the recent developments with Rory. Sure enough, Bridget returned a moment later shaking her head in disbelief. She nodded at something Jesse asked her and then turned to appraise me for several minutes. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and tried to focus on the conversation I was having with David about the inner workings of the Liberation but my eyes kept dragging my attention back to her and David abandoned our conversation a moment later.
I spent the rest of the evening making comparisons between Jesse and David. They had the same sense of humour, the same tastes, the same personalities and they fit together like two adjoining puzzle pieces. Both of them were huge jokers. If there was something to be made fun of they would find it and flaunt it everywhere. That, however, was where their similarities ended. Jesse was tall, had dark skin; long, shoulder length, wavy pitch-black hair; and twinkling, sapphire blue eyes. David on the other hand was fairly short (at least a head shorter than Jesse did); had pale, lightly browned skin; short, bristly, brown-gold hair; and bright brown eyes.
They were totally different from Bridget who was serious and down to earth. It was obvious why Jesse and David were under her command, as she knew how to handle their comical personalities in a way that lifted the spirits of everyone around them. She was bright, cheerful, pretty, and didn’t let David or Jesse’s teasing get to her too often.
Later, since Rowan had not given me a briefing they took me to a tent that handled newcomers to the tent city. There newcomers were classified as residents, soldiers, or a trade workers. I desperately wanted to help fight for the cause so I was told I would remain in Bridget and Rowan’s company. Then the three friends took it upon themselves to give me a detailed tour of the city.
I found out that the headquarters of the Liberation wasn’t actually the whole city. True it was the largest gathering of Liberation recruits but in reality, the “headquarters” was quite small. It really just consisted of a few tents crowded into the center of Tent City. But it was where all the plan-making for the Liberation took place. The rest of the city consisted of living quarters for people displaced by the corruption of the Magicians and former slaves like me.
Most of the citizens supported “the cause,” as they called it, but not all. There were those among them that would give up the city in a heartbeat – if they could get an audience with the Magicians without being killed on sight. Others only stayed with the Liberation because they had nowhere else to go. In truth it was like a regular, motley crew city, with good, honest people, bad ones and the in between ones. There were bakers, carpenters, actors, soldiers, spies - any trade imaginable. This is truly a good place, I thought.
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