“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She reached over and gave me a warm hug, the unexpected act of admiration taking me off guard. I felt her breath along my neck as she leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Are you sure she’s safe?”
I froze for a second. “Who?”
“Alzera-Kar… You ought to make sure she’s safe, Silas…”
“She is…”
She peeled back an inch, looking into my eyes dotingly. “The secret safe box, untouchable by outsiders, right?”
“That’s what I was told.”
“Only operational by you? Have you ever considered the magic behind fae? They could easily put you in a curse and control your mind, making you give it to them.”
I snickered. “They’d have to know I have it first.”
“Simple reveal spell, and it works similarly to the crystal you have in your inventory, but stronger. More potent.”
“I understand your concerns, Trin, but the shard stays with me. Leaving it here is dangerous.”
“Mavriel is different than Guedmar. Bringing it to fae territory is dangerous.”
“I’ll manage.” As I walked away she grabbed my arm, her persistence strong.
“Just like you don’t want me to disappoint you, I don’t want you to disappoint us. Most nations don’t have their strongest weapon mobile.”
I smiled. “Well, we aren’t like most nations.”
“You be very careful out there, Silas.”
We parted ways, Trin leaving me with an odd taste in my mouth. I hadn’t thought about it then, but there was a lot of truth in what she was saying. The shard shields in each nation were guarded and stationary as far as we knew. Traveling with a piece of Alzera-Kar was dangerous, and seeing as Jezz was the only fae I’d had an encounter with, I was walking into it blind.
Well, besides the ones who had been in the prison cells of Lucyna’s lair.
Press on. It was all I could really do. If worse comes to worst, I’d head to Guedmar, and meet up with my drunk shaman pal as my last resort.
After the town meeting, I notified my scouting team about their temporary leader Trin, and then I packed my stuff, prepared to head out. Lyra, a seamstress living a few blocks from my unit, paid me a last minute visit and offered me new threads. Green—my preferred color of choice. Seemed like everyone knew I was a fan of the black and green combination given my gear specs. But this ensemble was different from anything I was used to wearing—it was the fashion of fae, from the adorned jacket, leather bronze gauntlets, and light metal shoulder armor, to the high-cut ottoman pants. It was a nice little upgrade, and I appreciated Lyra whipping it up for me so I could better blend in with the fae crowd.
Once I slipped it on, I said my goodbyes, my fellow Senterrians wishing me the best out there. They opened up a pathway showered with confetti, feathers, and roses, sounding horns and honoring my bravery as I prepared to trek in fae lands. A touch of anxiety and excitement brewed inside me. This would mark my first time heading into Mavriel, and the fae lands were known to be treacherous and unpredictable. But I had to do it. My people were suffering, and it was high time we reclaimed our territory topside.
“Sir Silas!” I heard a cry out from the crowd. Her voice was barely audible, but I saw Kassi shoving her way to me with a big youthful smile on her face. “Sir Silas!” she called out to me again, stopping in front of me abruptly. The little girl panted with her hands on her knees and her chest heaving. Once she caught her breath, she stood straight and reached into her dress pocket. “I know you say that I’m too young to help you, but I’m not too young to give you a super awesome gift that will help you in your journey!” She pulled out a small flower, an exotic white orchid. “It’s my lucky flower! It’s special. I’ve had it for a few weeks now and it hadn’t died.”
A snicker found my lips as I crouched down to her. “Is that why you call it your good luck flower?”
“No. I always have it with me, and I never go hungry!” She giggled. “Or cold, or tired. And when I get scared and miss mommy and big brother, I just pull out my special flower and feel all better again.”
“You’re right. That is one special flower,” I said, taking her offer and admiring its elegant beauty. “I’ll cherish this, Kassi.”
“It’s the best I could do for my hero.” She reached in and hugged me, and I held her tight. Suddenly I felt the little girl shaking, her soft voice pouring into a whisper in my ear, “I don’t want to die, Silas…”
She pulled the chords in my chest, my grip around her growing tighter. “Please, save us.”
“I’m sorry for wasting time. I promise, I’ll make it up to you. To all of you.”
The cheering and the music faded as I went deeper and deeper toward the entrance point of our underground camp. Elle, Zach and Madeem paid me a special farewell by the large steel door before I headed for the long tunnel that led to the hatch outside. As I left alone in the dark, the feeling of company suddenly nudged me. I heard the sound of scurrying footsteps down the path I left, looking over my shoulder to see no one.
Hmm, maybe I was getting paranoid…
CHAPTER FOUR
I left the hatched door and covered the rug over it again before leaving the thrift store. When the sun finally struck my head, I took in a breath of fresh air and saw the distant horizon in front of me. My squint sharpened, the hollow winds slicing along my face. I reached down in my pocket and took the last thing Elle gave me, a few pieces of beef jerky she was saving for my trip. I added the pack of meat in my inventory, as well as the flower Kassi gave me:
Name:
Silas Bruer
Race:
Human
Rank:
Hero
Occupation:
Overseer
Alignment:
