Usurper of Fire

Cadivus’s group traveled deeper into the city, and found a pub to settle into and figure out a new plan. Even in the morning the pub was quite full. Several men sat at tables eating breakfast meats with ale.

Cadivus looked around and nodded, thinking this place wasn’t so bad afterall. He tapped Ekio’s shoulder to get her attention.

“I think you're the only one with money on you. buy us some food and ale, would you?”

She stared at him and sighed before waving a waiter over and ordering for the table. After the food and drinks came, he took a bite and a sip and came up with an idea.

“Okay. So here’s what we do,” He said through a full mouth. He took another long sip. “We’ll just get the other two codes while we wait for Sparks to get released. Then he can do his part.” He held up his hands and gauged everyone else’s reaction.

They all looked amenable to the idea.

“What happens if they don’t release him?” Ekio asked. “If we take two, and they sound the alarms…” She turned toward Hunter and Thermia, who mulled over the idea. She stared directly at Thermia. “What do you think?”

Thermia’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know. I don’t do this stuff.”

She glared at her until she found the confidence to speak.

“Well, if Sparkle doesn’t get out, we’re out of luck when they change the codes. So, it seems our only option is to get him back first. Then continue with the plan. I mean, we have to do all this at the same time for it to work, right?”

They all placed their hands on their chins and thought hard. Except Cadivus, who was too busy observing the waiter and the large trays of food he was carrying back and forth.

“She’s right,” Hunter said, which made Thermia smile. “First things first, we have to get him back.”

Cadivus finished his ale, he realized everyone else had only taken a few sips. He motioned for another to the waiter.

“Okay. We’ll finish breakfast first. Then I’ll go and get him out.” He burped into his hand.

Hunter shook his head.

“No. Me and Thermia will go get him out,” Hunter said. “You two can stay here and see if you can learn any information.”

“Why am I going with you?” she asked.

“Because you put people at ease. Could use a touch of that in this situation.”

Confidence swelled in her realizing she might serve a purpose after all.

They finished their meals. As the two left out the door. She shot Ekio a thumbs-up, which made Ekio smile.

“Well, well, well…It seems we find ourselves on a date,” Cadivus said.

Ekio rolled her eyes.

“How can it be a date if I am the one paying?”

He took another bite and sip, holding his finger up.

“I would have paid if you didn’t trick me the other day.”

She smiled at that.

“Besides, you're not some typical run-of-the-mill lady are you? I’d wager…” He looked at her and then leaned in as he spoke. “I’d wager, being the warrior that you are, you enjoy a certain amount of dare I say control over your romantic entanglements?”

She shook her head, Cadivus had come to expect it at this point.

“Let me be clear with you. I have not any time for these…entanglements.”

“What if I’m quick?”

She smiled and sighed.

“Look, I–”

“Cadivus?” a person in a dark red cloak and hood said.

“Who’s asking?” he said without looking up. When he finally did glance at their face, his eyes and smile widened. “Oh, it’s you!” He got up and hugged them.

Ekio stared at their hug, confused.

“What the heckles are you doing here?” he asked.

The cloaked person pulled up a chair and sat next to him. When they did so, Ekio got a glance at their face and realized it was a light-skinned woman. A beautiful one at that.

“Oh, I’ve been doing some work around here,” she said. “I’m trying to keep a low profile, so don’t bring too much attention to me if you please.”

Cadivus nodded. “I haven’t seen you since—”

“Yeah. About that. I’m—”

“Who is this person?” Ekio asked, pointing a finger toward the intruder.

Cadivus’s eyes widened, as he realized how rude he had been.

“This is…Well, her name is hard to say. Let’s just call her El.”

“I would know her full name.”

The cloaked woman shrugged.

“My full name is Elanthoriatelleborcalliobenatar. Or Elanthoriatellebor for short. Or El for super short.”

“See? It’s El-throat-collaborator.” he said.

El laughed at the jest, and touched his shoulder, causing Ekio to raise a singular eyebrow.

“Small world, it seems. Well it’s good to see you anyway.”

“Yes, you too. The owner of this place owes me a favor. I’ll tell him to comp your meal and bring more breakfast and ale for you.”

“Eh, a comp is great and all, but I think I’m at my limit for drinks. I’ve got work to do after all.”

“Oh Caddy. We haven’t seen each other in ages and you aren’t gonna have a drink with me?” She made a pouty face.

Ekio shook her head as she fell into her own seat.

Cadivus gave up a smile and playfully punched her shoulder.

“All right then! We’ll do a quick catch-up but then I’ve gotta get to work.”

El wiggled her shoulders and along with it, her impressive cleavage, motioning for the owner to bring over more drinks.

Ekio folded her arms, wondering where Thermia and Hunter were.

**********

As Thermia and Hunter walked through the city, she did her best to fit into the crowd and not arouse suspicion. She mimicked his walk, and avoided eye contact. She wasn’t sure how to act around Hunter though since they hadn’t spent anytime one-on-one before. A sense she could and should trust him lingered, yet the way he carried himself was so selfless and sure. Still, the long walk ravaged her feet in the oversized boots.

“I can’t walk anymore!” she shouted. “I feel like my feet are gonna fall off!”

“Hey, disguise your voice,” he snapped. “You saw how fast they throw people in jail here.”

“My bad, bro,” she said in a deep voice, which would only fool another fool. “Speaking of which bro, isn’t it weird they haven’t released him yet?”

“Stop saying bro so much. Have you heard any of us say bro this entire voyage?”

“Sorry, bro.” She held out her fist for a bump, and he reluctantly obliged.

“You’re not wrong. They should have figured it out by now.”

They asked a nearby guard to point them in the right direction and continued their journey. Upon arriving, they noticed the jail was as clean and proper as any other building in the city. They sat in a small waiting room that had a large marble desk dividing the room in half. Yet no one came to help them. After a short while, Hunter smacked the table with his fist to bring someone out. Dead silence. Yet after a few more moments, a voice called from out back.

“One momenta!” The voice had a far south accent, farther south than Hunter’s.

Soon a young man came around the corner. He had long dark hair, glasses and walked bent over with a cane. “Howa might I be of assistance to ya now?” He looked at them with his head tilted sideways.

“Our traveling companion was brought here a few hours ago,” Hunter said. “We were either hoping to bail him out or get some more information.” He tilted his head slightly to match the man’s.

“Oh, thatsa interesting. Indeed, thatsa interesting, because our cells be empty. No intake all dayo.” He stared at them, then down on the floor and then back up at them once more. “Ya should get movin’ on then, dontcha think?”

Thermia slammed her fist on the table and nearly lost her hat in the process. “That’s not possible, bro. We saw him get arrested earlier.”

Hunter gently placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her back.

“Can we just take a peek for ourselves, one lawman to the next?” He unfolded his jacket to show his bounty hunter badge.

“If I doa that, I be the one in dere. So, just go on with yaselves now.”

The strange man pulled a lever that dropped a gate over the desk. Dust and dirt filled the room, and he waddled off into the back. Hunter tried to lift the gate, but found it was locked in place, which seems fitting for a jail.

“What the hell was that exactly?” Hunter asked.

“I dunno, bro.”

He glared at her.

She sarcastically mouthed, “Sorry.”

He shook his head.

“Ugh, it’s fine. Talk however you want. For now, just stand back a bit. I’m going to see what’s back there.”

“But it’s too heavy to lift,” she said. “You can’t lift it, bro!”

“You ain’t wrong about that. Lucky for me…” He grabbed a hold of the gate once more and kicked the wood out from underneath the desk. Once he made a big enough hole, he motioned for her to stay behind and crawled through.

A corpse lay on the ground behind the desk. Fresh. He couldn’t use his sight on someone dead.

“I’ll be right back, if anything happens, run to the pub and find the others.”

Thermia nodded her hat toward him.

He grabbed a dagger off the corpse and carefully walked toward the cells. It was empty as promised–only six large cells and no other doors. Strangely, no sight of the strange man from before.

“Hello!” He yelled.

“Hi!” Thermia shouted from the front.

“Not you!”

“Kay!”

As he took a look around the room, something stood out in a dimly lit corner. As he walked closer the outline became more and more clear.

A pile of bodies.

He grabbed a torch from the wall and stuck his arm in the cage to see if he could make out anyone. The pile shifted, and he could see Sparklebutt’s body with a metal object sticking out of his chest. He panicked. He breathed heavily as he struggled to bend the bars to get inside but found them too thick to force apart.

He bowed his head and thought carefully. He walked back to the desk and checked for keys but found none. So, he punched the wall in frustration, cracking it.

“What’s the matter, bro?” Thermia asked.

“Sparklebutt…He’s dead.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“Something’s wrong here…very wrong.”

“Should we get back to them?” she asked through her tears.

“As quickly as possible.”

As they turned to leave, another guard walked in with a man in cuffs.

“Found this one pissing in the fountain,” The guard said, assuming the two worked there.

Thermia stood in front of the hole Hunter had kicked through the counter, trying to act inconspicuous.

“Alright then,” Hunter said. “Leave em here. I’ll take care of it.”

The guard eyed him suspiciously.

“Where’s the warden?”

“You know him,” he said. “Ran out to fill his flask for after lunch, I’d imagine.”

The guard stared at him for a moment before smiling.

“Ha! Sounds like the ole coot. Anyways, here ya go!” He handed the prisoner over to Hunter, who accepted him and waved the guard goodbye.

“Can’t a man mark what’s his anymore!” the prisoner slurred out.

He waited for the guard to leave before chopping the man in the back of the neck, causing him to pass out. He then placed him on a nearby bench.

“Whoa!” Thermia said. “That was a close one.”

“Let’s just get back to the others,” he said.

He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his senses were tingling. There was more to all of this than he originally thought.