Return of the Runebound Professor-Chapter 807: Short Hooded Figures

Seleth longed for home.

It had only been three days since she’d left, but a large part of her already wanted to return. Her pack hung heavy against her shoulders and her sides hurt something fierce. She blinked heavily, resisting the urge to rub at her dried eyes.

Never before had she traveled so far from Shimmerstone. Not, at least, entirely on her own. Her father had never allowed such a thing. Too dangerous, he had said. Not worth the risk. Everything she possibly could have needed was in Shimmerstone.

How long they had argued. Seleth could practically cite every single word each of them had said. She’d spent many sleepless nights trying to come up with an excuse that would defeat Far-sed.

Not a single one of them had ever worked.

The Tournament of Heaven’s Path had been the first time he’d ever even considered letting her roam free of Shimmerstone’s walls. She could still remember the day he’d told her she would be permitted to attend.

It had been the happiest night of her life. A chance to finally prove that she was more than some backwater mage who had spent her entire life sheltered in a town nobody had ever heard about.

Now, she was having second thoughts.

Seleth had seen dead men before. She was no stranger to death. To kill was to survive. Such was life at the edges of any Empire. But the events of three days’ past lodged themselves in her mind like a thorn.

That scene could not have been described as mere killing. Predators killed to hunt. Prey killed to survive. But that… it had been a slaughter. There had been no fight at all. One moment, there had been an entire group of bandits.

The next, there had been nothing at all.

Nothing but death.

Is this what I go toward? Is this what those who live in the center of the Empires are like? Monsters who can slaughter entire armies with nothing more than a brief thought? With no more care than squashing a bug?

Perhaps Far-sed had been right.

But it was far too late to take things back now. She’d begged him for years to have a chance to prove that she was more than just a fledgling. To prove that she was his daughter. And now she was left with no choice but to do just that.

He will not allow me to return. Not before the tournament is complete. No matter what reason he gives… it is because he believes Shimmerstone more dangerous than the tournament. Could the mere presence of a Hand truly be that dangerous? And if it really is… what will happen to—

“Hey! Are you just going to stand there? Move your ass!”

Seleth’s mind was jerked from her thoughts. The line she’d been standing in had evaporated. Everyone before her had already entered the looming walls of Evercrest — and the guard at the gate several feet in front of her didn’t look at all happy about the delay she was causing.

“Sorry,” Seleth said, hurrying forward and trying to hide the burning shame in her cheeks. “It’s been a long—”

“Purpose of visit?” the guard asked sharply, clearly uninterested in any excuses.

“Rest for the night. I’m heading—”

“To the Tournament,” the guard finished with a heavy sigh. “So you are. So half the other people in the line behind you are, girl. Our inns are filling up. We don’t have room for every single absent-minded fool that ambles through Evercrest. Especially not now. Why should we let you in?”

Oh. He wants a bribe.

Seleth’s eyes narrowed. Her father had told her of guards like this, but she hadn’t thought she’d find one so soon. She was still relatively close to the edges of the empire, albeit much deeper into it than she had been a few days ago.

I thought those who lived this far from Aqua Terra would still have more honor. If he’d tried this with my father—

“You slow?” the guard asked, his eyes going narrow behind his helm. “I asked if you had a reason I should let you through the gate, girl. Or would you prefer to travel through the night? The next city is a day’s trip as the bird flies.”

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Seleth’s sides twanged. The burning pain in her feet reminded her of just how little energy she had left, both physical and magical. Her jaw clenched. Far-sed would have beat the guard for his insolence. Better yet, no guard would have been stupid enough to challenge his honor in such a manner.

But she was not her father.

And if she got into a fight here… it would go poorly. She barely had the strength to maintain her composure as things were. The last thing she needed was to lose a fight before the tournament even begun.

Shame burned at her insides. She was a Rank 5 mage with combinations gathered by her family over hundreds and hundreds of years. Her duty as Far-sed’s daughter was to uphold the honor of their name.

What would he think if he saw me now, a few mere days after leaving home?

“Move,” the guard snapped. “We don’t have all night, girl.”

Seleth shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small blue crystal, lit from within by a faint shimmer of energy. It was worth far more than entrance to a town. Before she could even say anything, the guard grabbed it from her hand.

“On with you,” he barked, shoving the crystal into his own pocket.

Seleth’s teeth ground against each other.

Ducking her head, she strode into the town. What was done was done. There was no honor in a worthless fight. The only reason to draw a blade was to kill. This was the righteous path.

That, at least, was what she would tell herself.

Seleth didn’t let herself look over her shoulder as she strode down the dim streets of Evercrest. Her knuckles where white, fingers clenched so tightly around the hilt of her flying sword that she could feel the metal digging furrows into her palm.

Light flickered from imbued lanterns floating above, sending shadows dancing across the ground. She set a brisk pace for the nearest tavern. The less time she had to remain awake tonight, the better.

It didn’t take her long to come across one. She slipped inside only partially unsurprised to find it was nearly completely empty. A few people were scattered around the tables in the common room nursing rather unappetizing meals. Standing behind the bar was a portly woman with stern lines creased into her face by age and the sun.

The bartender’s eyes tracked Seleth on her way over.

“We have ale. That’s it,” the large woman said.

“I just want a room,” Seleth said wearily. “I’m not looking to—”

“You want to stay? You buy a drink,” the bartender said flatly.

Seleth stared at her.

The other woman’s features didn’t so much as twitch. Seleth’s jaw worked.

“How much for the night and a drink?”

“Half a low crystal.”

Robbery.

Seleth’s fingers twitched at her side. Then she blew out a sharp breath, pulling a tiny crystal from her pouch and slapping it onto the counter with a little more ire than she should have allowed to show through.

The large woman barely even reacted. She just took the crystal, replacing it with a dirty mug of ale with a heavy thud.

Seleth suppressed a grimace as she took the mug. Then she paused, glancing back up to the bartender. “Has anyone passed through town lately?”

“You’re going to have to be a lot more specific than that. Whole lot of people have passed through.”

“Anyone strange,” Seleth said. “Strong.”

The bartender grunted. She slapped a rusty key down on the counter. “No. Nobody powerful would ever bother coming here, girl. If you’re looking for trouble, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

I guess the Hand must have gone a different way.

Seleth wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Before she could ask anything else, the bartender turned away. It seemed their conversation was over. Seleth took the key and turned, heading for one of the empty wooden tables scattered around the room.

Her body was so weary that every step urged her to just abandon the worthless drink and retire to bed. But the idea of wasting food or drink, no matter how horrid it may have been, filled her with revulsion.

The gods did not bless those who wasted their gifts. No matter how little desire she had for anything but sleep, Seleth would drink. And then, gods willing, she would finally get the rest that she had come here for.

She only made it a few steps toward her table before she felt the weight of someone’s gaze burning into her side.

Seleth briefly considered ignoring it. But a threat left unchecked was far more dangerous than one acknowledged. And this was no mere gaze. She knew enough to recognize the attention of someone powerful… and she knew enough to realize that that the bartender had been wrong.

She turned.

Sitting at a table near the back of the tavern was a hooded figure so short that their legs didn’t even reach the ground from where they sat in their chair. A plate of untouched food sat on the table before them.

They didn’t say a word.

Seleth considered just sitting back down and ignoring the unwanted attention once again. But, against her better judgment, she quietly made her way across the room and over to the table.

“You seem to find me interesting,” Seleth said, thunking her mug down on the table between them.

“Interesting is a strong word. Sit down,” the figure replied. To Seleth’s surprise, the voice was young. Female, by her guess, and sharp. It was the tone of someone who was used to others obeying their commands.

“Why?” Seleth asked. “Whoever you are, I have no business with you. I am merely passing through.”

“Maybe so,” the figure replied. Her head raised slightly. Beneath the hood was an eyeless white mask. A blue eye had been painted across its center. And, though there was no place at all for the small figure to see out of, the painted eye seemed to stare right into Seleth’s soul. “But I have business with you. Sit down, Seleth.”