Elan Pt. 09 - Enchantress

"Talos!"

He turned towards his name, moaning audibly as he did. Can he not get one minute to think?

Markus stepped towards him with a grin, a none-worse-for-wear Sigismund sulking behind him. Markus tossed a coinpouch to Talos, which was pocketed immediately.

"Twelve gold to get his sorry ass out," Markus explained with a thumb pointed over his shoulder. Talos nodded.

"Half of what I thought it would be," Talos replied. He stepped towards Sigismund, giving him a half-hug when he'd arrived.

"Thanks, Talos," Sigismund said gruffly.

"Don't," Talos replied shaking his head. He released him and turned away to start walking down the street. Sigismund and Markus shared a quick glance, then walked with him after a shrug.

"I 'ate to be that guy. But what's your plan to catch her now? It's been days, and only Cass seems to wanna do anythin'," Markus asked with arms outstreched.

"We need Vex to figure that out. Go try her loft, tell her to come down here," Talos ordered with a nod, his words sounding far more serious than he'd intended them. Markus made half an attempt at a salute, then spun on his heel to leave and began to whistle as he sauntered away.

Sigismund continued walking with Talos, the pair coming up on a bustling market square just beside the hospital. The sun had nearly set behind the buildings to their west, and the normally grey city was bleached with a sunny, fantastic orange palette.

"How's Alanna getting along?" Sigismund asked after a minute of silence. Talos idly fished a silver from his coinpurse, flipping it towards a beggar on the side of the street with little fanfare. He didn't wait for the beggar to thank him.

"She's well. Pregnant. And she's conversing with Cass, even now," Talos said flatly.

"Uh oh."

"Yep. They're conspiring against me, Sigi."

"I told you not to get involved with sorceresses," Sigismund replied, a rare grin forming on his face.

"Oh, you meant that?" Talos replied sarcastically. He glanced at a couple market stalls he passed, wondering what food he'd get for Alanna. Probably two of everything to be on the safe side, he figured.

"So, how was prison?" Talos asked a minute later with a smirk and an exaggerated pat on the back.

--

Casiama leaned against the stone wall with arms crossed, impatiently watching the master restorer work on Alanna. Alanna now had half-a-dozen red fox furs atop herself, Casiama declaring them to be the most comfortable of all pelts just before summoning them for the pregnant sorceress.

Silvia rose from her crouch beside Alanna, the enchantress supporting herself on her elbows.

"Okay. Both of you will be just fine, I assure you," Silvia explained happily, glad that things had went her way at least once this week. "Although, I'd say you could use another day or two here to rest. A port to Catriona would be fine, then."

Alanna smiled, she too feeling impatient for the restorer to finish. She needed to talk to Casiama.

"Thanks. I'll take your advice," Alanna said softly.

Silvia nodded with a grin, but didn't turn to leave the room. "I'm so happy for you, Alanna. What you have is-"

"I know," Alanna interjected. "Do you mind, uhm..." she continued, her eyes flickering between the door and the standing sorceress. Silvia raised her brows in query.

The enchantress sighed, and charmed her instead. "Take care, restorer. Thank you again," Alanna said, commanding Silvia to believe the conversation finished.

"You're welcome! Glad to be of help," Silvia replied warmly as she hastily left the room. Casiama watched her with interest, knowing the abrupt change of behavior was performed via enchantment. This action did not make the elf nervous, however, even though she had been on the receiving end of a far more powerful enchantment two sunfalls ago. Alanna fell onto her back once more, pulling the red furs over her shoulders.

Alanna's eyes fluttered closed once more, and she gasped when the door shut. "Finally," she sighed. The enchantress had found it all too convenient that the restorer had arrived when she did, and figured Talos probably sent her to spy. Casiama swayed towards Alanna silently, her steps light as mist.

"That was Silvia. She has an inspiring heart, Alanna. She fixed all three of us," the princess smiled, nodding gently towards Alanna and biting her lower lip playfully. Casiama knelt beside the bed once more.

"Mmm," Alanna mumbled unreadably. She shifted to laying on her shoulder and furrowed her brow, reopening her eyes to lock on to Casiama. "Do you mind if I enter you?" she asked nonchalantly. Casiama's face swapped between expressions of confusion, concern, sympathy, and dread within the span of a moment.

"Okay..." she eventually affirmed, her voice barely higher than that of a whisper. "If you don't trust my delight over your child, Alanna, then I don't know what to say."

Alanna shook her head as they gazed into each other's eyes, then outstretched a small, soft hand towards the elf. Casiama took it in her own, lacing her rich tones with Alanna's ivory. Casiama did not feel her enter, but knew that she had when her eyes shut again.

"It's not that," the enchantress reassured softly. Alanna only wanted to know why she wasn't angry at the one who tore her life asunder. Why she couldn't find the heart to blame her. It only took half a moment for Alanna to realize that she hated the idea of Casiama, but not the one kneeling beside her holding a heartfelt gaze. She squeezed her hand, just enough for Casiama to sigh almost inaudibly with relief.

"Have you chosen a name?" Casiama asked her softly a moment later, genuine happiness written on her face. If only she could give her lover the same gift, she thought.

"Talos," she sighed happily. "Even though there are a thousand thousand better ones."

"Aw! Little Talos," Casiama whined. Alanna soon felt the elf's thoughts spiraling into sorrow, guilt, grief and shame at the name's mention, a spontaneous dismantling of her glee.

"Alanna I am... so... sorry. I'm an absolute monster," she uttered a minute later.

"No," Alanna refuted with a shake of her head. "You aren't, Casiama. And I will blame you for none of it."

I blame you, she instead thought idly to a man far away; a man who was no longer allowed to shut her out.

"But you two must be fated!" Casiama exclaimed tearfully. "A child rarer than a single star, more unique a single grain of sand on the shore? And I..."

"Stop that," the enchantress demanded of her without the use of magic. "Besides, it's not that rare." Casiama glanced up at Alanna's eyes, which were already gazing back at her. The girls shared a chortle and a squeeze of fingers, then a moment of silence.

"And if we were, then fate changed its mind," Alanna said as she rubbed her belly. "Because with this... I am only an anchor to him, and you are the sea."

--

I blame you.

Talos -- carrying an ark filled with two of every kind of fruit, bread, and cheese from the market square -- immediately stopped in his tracks and grimaced, realizing what Alanna had done. Sigismund, also holding a basket of food, turned towards him with perplexion.

"If I die today, Sigi, I want you to take all my coin, and hire an army to raze Catriona to the ground."

"Hah. Sure, Talos. Shall I invade the moon afterwards?" Sigismund replied gruffly.

Talos shrugged, then continued his relaxed pace towards the hospital. "Only if they flee there."

The pair of imposing men continued their stroll down the street in silence. A particularly depressing bard was trying his hand at playing a tune familiar to Talos, but doing a poor job at it. Many market stalls were closing down for the day, with the sun now falling behind the horizon. Talos had wanted to use the time to think, but was now suddenly worried that he was being read all the way from a hospital room.

"Talos," Sigismund said after a few minutes of silence. "Remember off the coast of Ferlo, when you attempted to serenade that mermaid? 'Nearyeah', or something like that?"

Talos quickly shook his head, his loose hair brushing against his face. "Niryaz. And it's not called an attempt if you succeed."

"Ah, that's right. Because you then came back and bragged to a thousand soldiers of your accomplishment. 'The fishiest womanhood', was it?" Sigismund asked rhetorically. Talos sighed as the veteran continued. "Then the following day, you broke her heart. You had only used her to locate the 'maid colony. She didn't have a use to you after you'd found it."

"That's what we'd been paid to do, Sigi."

Undeterred, Sigismund continued. "And after that, Niryaz screeched loud enough to be heard for a dozen miles around, declaring that you would be cursed for life. You didn't believe her, of course. You were too impetuous. Until a month later, anyway, when we were ambushed by 'maids at sea as we sailed to Santaria."

Talos sighed. "Why are you bringing this up, Sigi?"

Sigismund bored into his old mercenary captain with a squint of his good eye. "We lost almost a hundred of our best that day. I'm bringing this up to remind you that your actions have consequences, Talos. And that you should expect said consequences when breaking a strong woman's heart. I have been telling you to avoid sorceresses, have I not?"

"So you've lectured," Talos muttered indignantly. "Tell me, what's the fatherly advice today then?"

Sigismund raised his shoulders and removed his glare from him. "Look, Talos. I can see the appeal of Casiama, and not many men would blame you for falling for her. But in the end, she is an elf. You cannot marry an elf, you cannot have children with an elf, and you certainly cannot live safely in the Empire with an elf. By being with her, you're running away from a life that any other man would be happy with."

"You forget that the opposite also holds true," Talos shrugged. "Damned either way. Plus, she and I... have something. Something good, man."

Sigismund chuckled. "I know this. I see your smile when she enters the room. But I'm telling you that you're wrong. You need to take a step back and see that and, perhaps, not go with your gut for once in your life."

"Keep your advice, Sigi," Talos sneered. "If it's a choice between my past and my future, you damn well know what I'll choose. Fact is, I don't see it as a choice at all."

Sigismund didn't reply immediately. His one good eye was fixed on the rising moon as they stepped into the alleyway which held the hospital's side door.

"You'll grow old and alone thinkin' like that," Sigismund said gravely.

"Or old and happy with Cass, somewhere the fucks holding the spears don't mind that her ears look strange."

"Without child."

"Who said I wanted a child?" Talos asked in defiance.

"It doesn't matter what you want, you'll have one in a season. And you need to take responsibility of-"

"Oh go rail yourself, Sigi. Don't push your 'without child' shit onto me," Talos interjected angrily. Sigismund grunted, taking the slight admirably. Talos apologized after a minute with a low voice.

"Sorry. That was too far. But I had a child, man. And now she's turned into an undeniable psychopath, who's fucking and murdering and gods know what else with not a second thought to the contrary. I shouldn't be let near Alanna's kid. No way."

Sigismund grunted again and looked over towards the man. Talos looked positively shaken, no matter how harsh his words had been.

"Your kid. And you've made every mistake in the world, Talos. I'd wager you'd make a great father if you learned from them."

--

Sigismund and Talos found their way up the stairs of the Imperial Hospital, setting down what had to be a small town's worth of food on the floor. Casiama helped Alanna eat as she remained on the bed, and Alanna ate ravenously.

The rest of the party eventually arrived in the room late into the night, Markus having finally found Vex at one of her local haunts. They stood in a half-circle in the center of the room, while Casiama sat at the foot of the bed with Alanna.

Talos needed to get back to work. He spoke of the hunt.

"Cass, go ahead and share how your day went," he said first. Seemed a reasonable enough ask. Casiama cleared her throat and placed her hands on her lap.

"I didn't find anything, Talos. I would have brought it up if I did... but I didn't sense anything. I feel as if she's left."

"Okay. I'm still of a mind that she's heading for Catriona," Talos continued seriously, his eyes bouncing between each pair before him, "and she may have a few days head start. We can make that up on horseback, but tracking her will be challenging."

Alanna cleared her throat and raised her hand adorably, as if she was still at the College. Talos nodded towards her with a smile.

"Rayya mentioned she would go to Evorus, last we spoke of it."

"Would she still be going there after what happened here?" he asked, realizing too late that she wouldn't know. Alanna shrugged her shoulders.

Talos would have changed course, if it were him; and he had tought Rayya much. Choosing to go to Evorus instead would take them northwesterly, rather than southwesterly towards Catriona. If he picked wrong, they'd lose her for good.

She could be headed anywhere, even. Perhaps even choosing to lay low for a couple of weeks, just as they had when they traveled the Empire together years ago.

No easy answers. Talos turned his head towards Vex.

"Any ideas?" he asked with a shrug. She put a hand on her chin, and didn't respond to him just yet.

"I could probably detect her signature, Talos," Alanna said after a moment of silence. Talos smiled, but knew Alanna could not go with him.

"You cannot ride."

"Oh. Well, I can at least check around the city for you tomorrow. Before you leave." Talos nodded.

"Fair. Thank you, Alanna," he said with a warm smile. She blushed sweetly. "How did you get here, anyway?" he asked. She read the concern on his mind.

"Don't worry, I ported directly from Catriona. I can port back tomorrow," she answered succinctly. Vex spoke to break the silence that followed.

"I can't think of anything besides finding another farcaster, Talos. And that's purely theoretical. There may not be another."

Talos mulled over his options simply, as he had none. "Anything else?" he asked to the group. Shaken heads and silent lips drove him to act on what he had.

"Alright. We'll hit Evora next," he said, going with the only evidence he had. "Anyone who wants out, I get it. It's a long journey, it won't be comfortable, and Rayya is not a mage to be trifled with." He glanced to everyone in the room, getting more silence.

"I'm thinking two groups. One taking the northern route through Hayades, the other going through Taranto. We can meet in Limena in two week's time. There's a, uh, big cathedral in the center of town. We'll meet there. If we haven't had any luck by then, we'll make the final couple day's journey together to Evorus."

"Sounds good," Sigismund piped up, assuming his role as the agreeable lieutenant once more. Talos continued.

"Silvia's the best at... whatever you mages call sensing each other's spells..."

"Abjurative detection," Alanna answered quickly with a smile.

"Right, right. Detection. Sil, you'll take Sigismund and Markus with you on the northern route," Talos explained, getting a nod from the sorceress, "and Vex, Cass, and I will take the southern approach. We can leave on the 'morrow, and plan on meeting in Limena on the twenty-sixth."

--

The party called the meeting soon after that, most of them going their separate ways for the night. Vex and Markus regularly spent time together before this, and had wandered off to a tavern as they usually do. Sigismund pretended he was a saint and declared he would sleep early, while Silvia remained at the hospital.

Alanna found it a good enough time to get up from the bed and walk around the streets one last time. Her legs felt weak, and Talos lent her his shoulder for a few minutes as she adjusted. They and Casiama decided to scout around the city this night, traveling together as they walked through the many avenues of Imperia.

They weren't in any rush. It reminded Talos of a journey last year in the Borderlands, albeit with a noisy metropolis replacing the peaceful forests. Alanna's previous jealousy had been replaced with amicable conversation, while Casiama's once chill demeanor was replaced with receptivity. Talos had found all of this incredibly suspicious, but had a good time nonetheless. More than once that night did he admit to missing the dynamics of that trio. Not many serious things were discussed on their jaunt through the capital, although each of them had wanted to. Yet, each of them feared ruining the moment more.

Finding nothing, the trio settled at a decent inn near the center of the city. Alanna realized late that she had forgotten the original reason she came to Imperia, and demanded that Talos complete the task for her in the morning. He obliged her eagerly. Talos fell asleep early that night, having been up for most of the past two days.

Alanna and Casiama conversed with one another in the adjoining room, well into the following morning.

--

Most of the party decided to accompany Alanna to the teleportation square the following day, which was situated just outside of the third ring wall of Imperia. The capital of humanity had a giant, ever-present ward situated over the entirety of the city, making teleportation inside its walls impossible. The square was nothing special -- a small thirty-by-thirty foot square of checkered grey and black tiles -- and yet, hundreds of famous sorceresses had used it in the past.

Alanna herself was incapable of teleporting. She would be relying on the skill of a friend from five-hundred miles away in Catriona instead, a small crystal around Alanna's neck telling her friend where she was located on the square. Alanna had a small pouch tied to her belt, filled with ingredients she had asked Talos to find this morning to fulfill her original quest here.

Talos, Sigismund, and Markus stood with arms crossed outside the square; none of them were particularly fond of teleportation -- although each of them had experienced it in the past -- and staying outside of the square seemed the optimal location. Casiama and Alanna held each other on the far end of the square, talking endlessly and enthusiastically to each other.

Talos thought it suspicious.

"They're going to kill me, aren't they Sigi?"

Markus chuckled while Sigismund grinned at the ask. He shrugged his shoulders. "You know, I thought you were jesting yesterday. But that's definitely conspiracy I see."

The men watched Casiama whisper into Alanna's ear, the pair giggling wildly as the elf retreated from her. Talos found it somewhat endearing, and also perplexing that their relationship could have went from rivals to... whatever this was... in a day. Although, the pair of beautiful sorceresses had talked to each other for most of it, he reckoned. Alanna glanced in his direction, and Talos felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Another giggle, followed by Casiama glancing back towards him as well with a grin.

Markus whistled. "Damn cap'n, you are fucked. Dibs on your sword."

The enchantress hugged Casiama tightly, bending towards her to keep pressure off of her belly.

"You know... besides the temporary destruction of my consciousness, I'm really glad I came," Alanna said genuinely with a smile. "You have an amazing soul, Cass. Although, I guess I always knew that."