The old woman brought out of her sack, a pressed flower and
a wooden box with a crystal panel. Chloe tried to avoid her probing questions;
the who, what and when. She was able to dodge a few before the truth came out at least parts of it.
Chloe produced the wooden box that Melvile had given her, making sure that his
notes were safely out of sight. She old
woman nodded, mentioning that she recognised Melvile's work. Lily, trying to
keep Chloe safe, well a happy by product, asked the old woman what she knew.
The old woman before answering, closed the door, removed the any plants to the
back room, turned the paintings around and
placed a hairpin that held an adornment on her hair into a bottle and covered
it with water. She did this in silence, leaving Lily to wonder if she was more
delusional that Chloe. When she sat back down she had changed, her face was
more sullen than stern, her shoulders were relaxed and her gaze fell to the
candle's flame.
I used to work with
Melvile and by that I mean I was his Entwined and he my Marionette. He never
knew who I really was or why I would come past his place of study every day.
Eventually he divulged what I needed to know but a complication arose, two in fact.
The first was his apprentice, Saifu , to which he had never divulged before nor
had kept correspondence that I could find. Secondly a set of manuscripts of unseen
theories and workings had been sequestered, or most likely stolen by the Aeon
Priests. In fact we now have a pretty good idea who. A man we have continually
tried to recruit, Xera. I forced Melvile's hand into giving us the research by
threatening Saifu's life. We had already recruited him by now but Melvile
wasn't to know. He was left to rot by Uncle Silas my Masterminder but I suggested
he would perhaps be better suited to maintaining the application of his
research. He was imprisoned, where you had stumbled. I presume that he had
given you that box along with that flower. If you are wishing to keep it along
with your life, I would suggest putting something around the node and the
tangle of roots. Silas can and will do anything he deems necessary for the job
to get done, and for his secrets to remain his.
The old woman passed over the wooden box to Lily and told
her that she would only be able to use it when she was deemed capable, however
if a complication was to arise, at least she would have the box on her. She repeated the fact that she would be
getting a new assignment in the morning, and all updates were to be delivered
via the ring or through a relevant contact. She was now Lily's Masterminder.
She jumped down off the wooden seat, picked up her sack and shuffled out the
door in silence. Areanna carefully leaned out and quickly stepped in when she
had left. Areanna seemed astonished by the state of the room, and by the
hairpin in water. She asked Lily what she was talking about that made the old
woman do this. Lily turned with closed lips and dragged Chloe downstairs.
In the early hours of the next morning Eryn as stealthily as
he could crept out of the bedroom, out of the inn and into the early morning
light. His dawn activities however was not unobserved, Lily who had trouble sleeping all
night due to Chloe crying and once or
twice screaming in her sleep. With half an eye open she observed him leaving
and followed him upstairs. After he had shut the door Lily shouted for Areanna.
She soon shambled in; nightgown, dishevelled
hair and all. Lily demanded that Eryn was to be followed. Lily didn't really
know the terms of being an Entwined by hoped this was one of the perks. Areanna
sighed, her shoulders hunching over her
body. She left the bar and quickly returned and nodded before she
knocked her head against the doorframe out and went back to bed. Lily did the
same. She didn't believe in wasting any
time following him herself and she needed to at least sleep for a short while.
Eryn's morning was quiet, the city was not yet awake and the
window shutters were closed. He could hear Auspar sluggishly drifting into
life. The merchants with no real estate were always out first, causing more
bloodshed than most of the crimes in the city for a decent pitch. As he walked
further down the levels, taking advantage of the city's ample grappling
transport lines, with no shopping traffic. His peaceful decent was starting to
be signposted by the dead, the members of the Minotaur gang. In the distance he
could see a few members in green, trying to outrun two men, jumping around the
cattle lifts that ran up most of more pivotal spires in the city. Although he wished his morning did not have to
involve corpses, involving himself with the Silver Palm would mean this would
be an inevitability.
The first few dead seemed to be scouts or lookouts. As he progressed
further, following the trail of bodies, there were more, clumped and less
cleanly killed. It was at this point he realised that his plan had a flaw, he
was not prepared to fight a gang, nor would he be able to know what they could
and would do. The promenades ahead were deserted, but there where whispers. He backed quickly up against a wall and
carefully tried to observe what was going on around the corner. Out from one of
the shops stepped a woman accompanied by what presumably was her lieutenant.
She was dressed in a darker green, and her robe was the only one with a hood.
But under that were locks of pale gold and the broach of a bird on her collar.
She brushed her hair away from her face and almost seemed to stare directly
towards Eryn. His heart was now poisonous stone, the eyes that looked at him
were Rose's
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