ARC 3 - HALLOWED

CHAPTER 8 - SIMPLE STRATEGY

The lesson took a surprising amount of focus. Left foot long stride. Right brought to meet the heel. Stay on the toe. A sliding step so shoulders would meet. Hands high above her head so she could twirl beneath. Then a step in with the left.

“Ow,” Tera muttered.

It was supposed to be the right.

“For all the grace you have in your movements its a shame you’re daft given how many times we’ve repeated this same sequence. It’s the right foot after changing sides. Figure it out,” the old woman said with a light slap to the back of Raegn’s head.

Madam Vansantan was, in a word, candid. Raegn supposed someone of her age and position had little reason to muddle their words with niceties. The woman was slender with skin made solely of wrinkles hung from bone, yet the rest of her appearance was immaculate. Not a single gray hair was out of place in her tight bun and her dresses must have been sewn that morning for how crisp and clean they were.

“Again,” Madam Vansantan said with a wave of her hand.

Raegn sighed, but straightened his back. Tera’s hands were soft as they took his. She could move with fluid grace through each part of the dance while he struggled to remember which foot went where. He took a shallow breath to steady his nerves and prayed it would keep his palms from sweating.

Merced hadn’t even given them time to respond to his question, instead leading them directly to the Church’s Head of Decorum. After an introduction of no more than her name and position, the Madam had promptly begun criticizing their posture. Never could Raegn have imagined that the position of one’s arms when standing still could signify half a dozen states of mind.

Perfecting his bow and clasping of wrists as a greeting rather than the forearm had been quick enough. They’d moved on to dance immediately after and continued through the midday bell—and there they stayed. Madam Vansantan started humming the melody of a song before rhythmically stating the steps they were supposed to take like well-timed orders. The dance began again.

Hands above her head so she can twirl beneath, then step back in with the...right! He met Tera chest to chest, hands joined and arms spread wide. Another step back out to reset and they would start the sequence anew. Raegn grinned wildly and tightened his grip on Tera’s hands in excitement. A small smirk graced her lips but disappeared behind the focused stare she’d worn as a mask since they’d started over half a day ago.

“Good.” Madam Vansantan clapped her hands sharply. “You’ve now learned one dance out of five. I certainly hope you learn the others faster.”

The door at the rear of the chamber was thrown open with a bang that echoed through the room. Merced frowned as though he were surprised by his own intrusion.

“How are they doing?” the Inquisitor asked.

“You could’ve done worse in your selection, I suppose,” Madam Vansantan admitted.

Merced grinned. “Lovely. I’m taking them for a time. They look ridiculous traipsing around in those Templar rags.”

“Very well,” Madam Vansantan said. She didn’t roll her eyes, it would have been unbecoming of someone in her position, yet somehow the slow blink she gave Merced gave the same impression. “They’ll be back before the evening bell?”

“Of course, Madam.” Merced gave a deep bow. It would fit the Inquisitor’s demeanor if it were mocking, but Raegn doubted anyone would dare insult the old woman—even Merced. “Come on, you two.”

They each turned and paid their respects to Madam Vansantan, which she returned with dignity worthy of the royal court. Raegn let Tera take the lead in following Merced out of the Church and into the streets of Elysium. People bustled about, each wholly intent on fulfilling whatever task they had set out to that day, pressing and fussing their way through the crowd without realizing they were just an obstacle to someone else’s intent. In Raegn’s case, his task was to follow the instructions of a man he knew nothing about and try not to piss off the girl who wanted nothing to do with him. As it happened, this required him to follow both into a tailor shop a few streets over from the Church.

“Ah, Mister Merced,” the tailor said. “I had hoped I wouldn’t see you again...ever.”

Raegn’s eyes went wide and he shot a glance at the Inquisitor, hoping that his handler wouldn’t kill the presumptuous tailor outright for rudeness. Instead, the sly grin returned to Merced’s lips.

“Come now, Declan. Without the Order’s business I doubt you could afford to keep your store open.”

“Without your business my hair might not be turning gray! See?! You see?!” The tailor grasped at some of his long locks that had been slicked back along the side of his head. Raegn couldn’t be sure that the strands were in fact gray, but given the small display of the man’s temperament and shrill voice he doubted if it was entirely Merced’s fault.

“So what,” Declan said, busying himself behind the counter, “you need some fancy Shaktikan silk sewn into some…some…bedsheets?!”

Merced chuckled. “No, nothing so ridiculous, my friend. I simply need an outfit for each of them worthy of a noble’s party.”

“Oh.” The tailor stroked his chin and studied the two of them. “That’s quite...simple. Fine. Girls!” Declan clapped his hands and two girls who couldn’t have started their teen years scurried out from the back of the store. “Take her. The usual measurements.”

The girls grabbed Tera’s hands with soft giggles and drug her into the back of the store the way they had come. Tera glared at Merced and the Inquisitor gave a wave of his fingers that turned her face into an icy scowl.

“You, then. Come here.” The tailor waved his hand for Raegn to approach. The man was quick, laying a piece of string with colored lines at even spacing along every part of Raegn’s body. Chest, arms, legs, thickness of each limb, girth of his neck—after several minutes there was hardly a piece of Raegn that was left unmeasured. Each number was scrawled onto a small piece of paper while Merced wandered through the store, idly feeling the different fabrics.

“There,” Declan said, giving a small whip of the string before tucking it back into his coat pocket. “Now, Mister Merced, let us discuss the timeline and payment.”

Merced broke himself away from the doublet he’d been caressing and sauntered over to the counter. “I’m afraid the timeline is a bit...rigid. But as for payment, I’m more than willing to compensate you, as always.”

The tailor’s face turned to one of scorn. “I knew it. I knew it! Nothing with you is ever simple.” The man shook his head before letting it hang toward the floor. “What,” he said from under his brow. “Seven days? Six?”

“Three,” Merced said smoothly.

Raegn flinched before the tailor had even moved. The man’s face turned beet red and his cheeks puffed out until his entire head matched the shape of the vegetable.

“Three?! Have you lost your damned mind?!”

Merced stood, steadfast and unphased. The Inquisitor let the tailor storm around the shop muttering profanities interrupted by the occasional glower in his direction.

“Fine. Fine. It’s fine,” The tailor said, smoothing his shirts and running his fingers through his hair to set it back against his scalp. “But you will pay for it. I’ll have to push back all my other orders to get this done.”

“We’re in agreement then,” Merced replied.

Declan chewed his lip. “I get to choose the fabrics? The whole outfit?”

“But of course, my friend. Design to your heart’s content. I would never be so bold as to forgo your expertise.”

Raegn could’ve drowned in the amount of honey Merced used to sweeten his request, yet the tailor swallowed it easily. Declan began hurriedly scribbling notes on the piece of parchment. Tera was shuffled out from behind a doorway masked by a curtain and permitted to rejoin the group. Her face was flushed and she paused to finish fastening the belt around her waist while the girls placed their own piece of parchment on the counter.

The tailor studied the document momentarily, running his fingers down the line of numbers. “Very well. You can pick up your order the morning of the third day and pay for it then,” Declan declared.

“Wonderful,” Merced replied. He turned to face his companions. “You two are free for now. I imagine you have an hour or two before the evening bell. I wouldn’t keep the Madam waiting.” And with that the Inquisitor strode from the store, leaving the two of them behind.

“If you don’t intend on purchasing anything else, I’ll be closing for the day,” Declan declared. “Your friend’s business has, once again, ruined my schedule.”

The tailor shooed them out of his store and closed the wooden shutters, leaving them to stand on the street in awkward indecision. Raegn considered asking if Tera wanted to head back to the Church for additional practice; the extra time without the Madam’s scrutiny might do them both some good. Well, Raegn at least. Tera didn’t seem to need any practice. In fact, the suggestion of it might only deepen her resentment towards him.

“What do we do now?” he asked in hopes that letting her decide might assuage any hostility before it formed.

“I’m going to find something to eat,” Tera stated.

It didn’t seem like there was an invitation hidden in her words, but she didn’t turn immediately and leave him in the street, either. The consideration of asking if he could accompany her flickered across his mind, but the way she avoided looking at him wasn’t all that reassuring.

“Raegn?” The two turned to see a blonde woman heading towards them from across the street. Her blouse was frilly and open wide at the top but tucked neatly into blue skirts below. “It’s good to see you again! If I hadn’t just closed up shop I would’ve shown you around. And who’s this with you?”

The savior made her away across the cobblestones. This would be the third time that Joyce had saved him from misfortune and was a welcome interruption to his inability to interact with his partner. Raegn might have kept her around at all times if he could figure out a way to pay her for it.

“Good to see you, too!” he exclaimed. “This is Tera. She’s a friend of Kaikoa and Nalani. Tera, this is Joyce, the former leader of the caravan.”

“Still the leader, though I’ll admit I’ve taken a liking to the stability of a storefront.” Joyce beamed a broad smile in Tera’s direction. “And you’re lucky to be in good company! I always liked those two—very loyal. Has Nalani finally given in to Kai and given him her hand?”

“No. Not for his lack of trying, though,” Tera admitted.

“Some things never change, I suppose,” Joyce mused. “You two were getting new clothes?” she asked with a nod in the tailor’s direction.

“Oh, yes,” Raegn confirmed. This was good. Joyce was a natural conversationalist with years of practice in making a deal. All he had to do was get her involved somehow. “There’s a bit of a special event we were chosen to attend in a few days.”

“Well that’s good to hear!” Joyce exclaimed. “Shall we celebrate? There’s a good tavern nearby, on the main drag. The Sly Fox has the best lamb you’ll ever have.”

Thank the Light. The woman might as well have sprouted wings then and there. Raegn looked to Tera and the girl gave him a small shrug.

“That looks like agreement to me! Come on!” Joyce looped her arm through Raegn’s and pulled him close against her breast before leading him down the street. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Tera followed. “Wouldn’t have guessed you’d go for a brooding type,” Joyce whispered.

Raegn flashed a scowl at the woman. “We’re just working together in the Order,” he grumbled.

“Mmm.”

He clenched his jaw at Joyce’s amused hum. How quickly a savior could turn into a tormenter. If this was how a mother or sister acted he was glad he’d grown up without either. Embarrassment colored his cheeks and his stomach churned in fear that Joyce might presume too much the entire walk to the tavern.

Fortunately, he was permitted to eat without any troublesome conversation. It was easy enough to keep Joyce talking about the old days of the caravan when Kai and Nalani were still members. Tera even supplied her own share of amusing events between the two. Joyce won the night, however, with a tale of the two island lovers in the back of a wagon and how she had several members sneak up on them in a most joyous interruption. Apparently Nalani didn’t speak to her for days afterward.

Tera’s soft giggles turned to a warm laugh at the climax of the story. The rare display of glee caught him off guard and Raegn smiled in turn. It was delightful, the way she brought her hand to hide her smile before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He broke his stare the moment she looked back at him, stuffing another piece of lamb into his mouth to mask his wonderment.

With the meal finished and paid for by Joyce’s generosity, the three parted ways after the insistence on promises to stop by the store soon. The sun dipped behind buildings and the street was filled with shadow as they headed back towards the Church. Madam Vansantan’s instruction was much more palatable with a full stomach and they made their way through two more dances with little more than a few awkward bumps and knocked knees.

Merced returned to check on their progress, this time sneaking in through the door unheard. Raegn nearly missed a step, for one moment the wall was empty and the next a shadow of death lingered along its smooth surface. The grin never left the Inquisitor’s face as his two recruits moved about the large chamber. At the end of the dance Raegn gave a bow to which Tera answered with a delicate curtsy.

“No, dear. The toe points with only the heel the ground and your arms must be just so.” Madam Vansantan demonstrated the pinching of her own skirts between her fingers and limbs spread gracefully. Tera tried to emulate the movement. “No, that won’t do. Come, I have a spare skirt. Perhaps with the proper clothing it will be easier.”

The Madam glided her way from the room, Tera following with fists at her side behind the old woman. Raegn relaxed and gave his shoulders a roll. It was more tiring than he thought to hold one’s arms out all day, though still easier than hefting a shield or thrusting a spear for several hundred repetitions.

“While we’ve got the time, let’s talk, you and I.” The Inquisitor’s voice made Raegn’s skin crawl, but he suppressed the shiver that tried to climb his spine and turned toward the man. “You two weren’t chosen solely for noble blood. That only gets you in unnoticed. This…” Merced waved a hand loosely, “training keeps you that way throughout the event. I also needed someone of your respective talents.”

Raegn furrowed his brow. He had plenty of experience fighting the Void but, as he had learned from his training duels with Kai and the sequence of losses against Eligor, fighting another man was quite a different feat.

“I’ve heard you’re quite athletic—full of youthful energy and strength,” Merced said with mocking enthusiasm. “The way Crusader Swann described it one might think you could almost fly across the ground. At least when it comes to defending someone else, that is.”

“You read about my trial,” Raegn said, bewildered.

Merced sighed and leaned against the door. “Inquisitor’s have access to all of the Church’s collective knowledge. I’ve read things people don’t even know about themselves.”

Raegn fought off another shudder. Merced had an uncanny ability to sound undeniably honest while hiding his true intentions. Best to attack the opening presented rather than let the Inquisitor toy with him.

“What is it we’re expected to do?” he asked. “And wouldn’t it be prudent to wait for Tera to return?”

“I’m not worried about her,” the Inquisitor said. “She’s a known quantity. You’re the risk here.” The point of the finger felt more like an attack than the words that accompanied it.

Admittedly, Raegn hadn’t been a part of the Order than long, but why pick him if it was going to be an issue? “Still, I think it would be best if we both—” he began.

Merced pushed himself away from the door and paced a wide arc around the room. “She’s a Caloman, regardless of her familial issues. I only need her to protect Lord Caulmond long enough for you and I to intervene.”

“And she does that how exactly?” Raegn asked.

“She’s a bit of a prodigy with barriers, especially when it comes to blocking physical attacks. Most tire after absorbing a few hits, but not her. And not just a single arrow, mind you. We’re talking flat out swings of a warhammer.”

Raegn raised his brow. He wasn’t sure what to make of the comment on Tera’s bloodline, but if she did indeed have that level of affinity she was likely one of very few in the Realm. Someone like that would’ve been the focal point of Bastion’s planning for every Void incursion into the valley.

“Alright, so she protects and we intervene,” he summarized. “How so?”

“I incapacitate,” Merced said with a point at himself. Then the finger turned on Raegn. “You catch.” Raegn’s eyes narrowed and Merced offered a quick shrug. “You’ve got scars on your body. By the looks of the big one it should’ve killed you, so I know you have the resolve to take a hit and keep fighting. What I haven’t seen, and what I need, is your speed.”

Raegn wasn’t sure when Merced might have spied on him to see him shirtless, but he’d be sure to keep a closer eye out in the baths in the future. Still, it was a simple enough request.“You want me to chase down the assassin after Tera stops them,” he confirmed.

“Assassins are opportunists. I’m an opportunist. When the attack fails or I oust them before it happens, they’ll flee. If there happens to be more than one or they somehow avoid me you will pursue and slow them until I catch up.”

“And if they turn and fight?”

Merced grinned. “Try not to die.”

Tera pushed the last few grains of rice around the wooden plate. Nalani sat across from her, plucking grapes from a small bunch and happily chewing away. Tera had invited her friend to a late supper which the islander had mercifully accepted despite having already eaten. What came next would be the hard part—conversation was never one of her strengths.

“I met Joyce the other day,” Tera commented.

“Oh, finally!” Nalani choked out with a hand over her mouth as she struggled to swallow a half-finished grape. “I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to introduce you.”

“She was very kind. It must have been hard to leave the caravan.”

Nalani hummed in small amusement. “It wasn’t as hard as you might think. Just felt like it was time. I’m surprised it took Kai a full year to do the same.”

“Where is your little shadow?” Tera inquired. This is good, she thought. We’re headed in the right direction.

Nalani smirked. “Probably sparring with his closest friend—your little endeavor.”

Tera’s throat caught on food that wasn’t there. She coughed and grabbed for a nearby cloth to hide her face. “He told you?” she whispered once she felt she could breathe again.

“He told Kai, which is as good as telling me.”

Tera ground her jaw.

“Oh come now, you can’t fault him for it,” Nalani said with a smirk. “Men love to talk about conquests in all their forms.”

“I am not something to be conquered!” Tera hissed and then, after a deep huff, continued, “Besides, I’m the one that convinced him. Why can’t I be the conqueror?”

Nalani gave a deep laugh that shook her from her stomach to the curls atop her head and everything in between. Tera rolled her eyes, partially to dissuade her friend from laughing at her sincerity but also to break her gaze away from the flesh that so pleasantly filled out the islander's shirt. The world was so cruel with whom it gave its blessings.

“I admit, the story seemed a bit far-fetched, but now that you confirm it I must say, I’m proud of you.” White pearls split lips of deep honey and Tera matched the islanders smile, albeit a bit more faintly. “Although I imagine its a bit odd having to dance around with him now,” Nalani commented.

“A bit,” Tera conceded. “He’s surprisingly decent at it, though, considering he barely looks at me.”

Nalani frowned. “It might help if you apologized for hitting him, you know. I’m proud of you for going after what you want, but I think I side with him over the hidden identity bit.”

“Had I known who he was—”

“You wouldn’t have slept with him?” Nalani’s face was full of cold judgment. “Why? Because he’s some prince or heir? If anything that makes it easier for you, noble bloodlines and all.”

Tera scowled. “Fine. I don’t know if it would’ve changed things. But he still lied to all of us.”

“That doesn’t make you any less wrong,” Nalani scolded. “He’s been punished for his lie. Why is it so hard for you to apologize? Unless…” The islander’s eyes widened and she leaned back into her chair.

Tera hung her head and bit her lip. This was where the wanted the conversation she to lead, wasn’t it? She wasn’t sure why she had even bothered with the effort to disguise it. She loved Nalani for her friend’s innate ability to read people. It made the islander all but a sage on giving social advice, something Tera had sorely needed after growing up with the intent of putting as much distance between herself and everyone else as possible.

“Oh, Tera. Apologizing will make it easier on you even if that’s the case.” Nalani reached across the table and gently stroked Tera’s hand. “Are you sure they’re not leftover feelings from the night after the tavern?”

Tera shook her head. She’d tried to convince herself of the same, initially. She’d even gone so far as to try and be angry at his very presence, but every time she’d gotten a glimpse of him her heart betrayed her. At first, it was all she could do to avoid ogling him while he sparred with Kai in the training yard. Then she’d overheard him talking with that husky voice. He’d only been babbling about food and how amazed he was by it, yet still her knees had weakened. Why was it so enthralling, so endearing, to see someone who had lost everything smile and laugh? It was like no one had ever been so human as he had in those moments where she watched hidden from sight.

“So what is it?” Nalani asked. “You’re afraid he won’t forgive you?”

“I’m afraid he will,” Tera confessed. “And then what? What happens next? What if it doesn’t work out? What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, hmm? One thing at a time. First, you apologize.” Tera gave a series of shallow nods under Nalani’s firm gaze. “Then,” the islander continued, “you remember that you’re only attracted to him. Maybe it grows into something more, but for now it’s nothing more than a bit of yearning. Right?” Tera bobbed her head back and forth, unable to decide if she fully agreed with the statement. Nalani sighed. “These things are hard, Tera. And you’re right, sometimes they don’t work out. I start the Crusader trial in a few days and if I pass I can’t be seen with Kai given the difference in rank.”

“Maybe he’ll take the trial and pass, too,” Tera offered. “Then you could still be together.”

“Maybe. But for a time we probably won’t be. Being a Crusader was my goal when I left the caravan—my dream. So long as that happens, I’ll tolerate anything else. If Kaikoa rises to meet me, I’ll be overjoyed. If not, I’ll find a way to survive without his love. You should treat things the same. As long as loving him doesn’t interfere with your dream of becoming a Justicar, there’s no harm in entertaining the thought.”

Tera drew her lips into a line and gave a strong nod. Now if only Nalani would tell her what to say. Or when to say it. Or how. Weeping Heavens, this is going to be difficult.