The Lashival Trilogy - Book 2- The Enigma

[riki]

This is just a placeholder for the second book. ^^

Unlike the first book, this one actually has a basic outline so I'm not going to wing it.

Anyway, I would recommend reading the first book first so you have a basic idea of what's going on. You can read it HERE or over at my blog.

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The Lashival has been reborn into the world of Samara. The Ilmarians are now determined to stop him before he awakens to his powers and destroys the world - and them. However, while others seek to kill him, some plans to use him. In order to gain advantage over their opponents, they are willing to use any means to get their ways.

Owain Tolbert is a member of the Bartheomos Tracker Division. One day, he and his team received a strange request; to find a certain man - and kill him. Meanwhile, a mysterious cult that promised eternal bliss has spread throughout the continents, causing chaos wherever they go. This same cult is also seeking something or someone and they won't rest until they get it. Nothing will stand in their way; not even Owain and his comrades.

Table of Contents

• Prologue: Another Death
• Ch. 01: Homecoming
• Ch. 02: A Proposition
• Ch. 03: Visiting Adalynn
• Ch. 04: The Crazy Old Man
• Ch. 05: Heading South
• Ch. 06: A Sense of Strangeness
• Ch. 07: Tristé
• Ch. 08: Duermons and Exorcists
• Ch. 09: Under Siege
• Ch. 10: Escape
• Ch. 11: Unsolicited Advice
• Ch. 12: The Kallia Forest
• Ch. 13: A Cup of Tea
• Ch. 14: A Misunderstanding
• Ch. 15: Meeting Lady Aundra
• Ch. 16: A Cure
• Ch. 17: Respite
• Ch. 18: Trouble in Ishara
• Ch. 19: The Immortal King
• Ch. 20: Revolt
• Ch. 21: The Next Step
• Ch. 22: The Loredan Desert
• Ch. 23: That Person
• Ch. 24: Ithani
• Ch. 25: Dalenthi
• Ch. 26: An Explanatoin
• Ch. 27: Pursuit
• Ch. 28: Sorrow and Joy
• Epilogue: Conclusion

[riki]

Prologue: Another Death

Rask 26, 2558

“Someone, help! He’s tryin’ to kill me!” Zyrakas Jaleon cried out as he dodged another bolt. He cursed his luck as he turned left haphazardly at the intersection. Why didn’t he listen to his wife? Unama has always nagged him about the evil of alcohol, but he turned a deaf ear whenever she went on her little tirade. Now he regretted not listening to her. If he hadn’t gone to the bar, none of this would have happened.

He just left the tavern around twenty minutes ago. It was past two o’clock in the morning when he decided that he better heads back home so his wife wouldn’t worry. Not to mention the fact that she was probably asleep by then, which meant that he wouldn’t hear her nagging voice. Since he was stumbling down the streets, Zyrakas tried his best to keep his balance because he didn’t want to cause any racket. The neighbors complained the last time he did; he accidentally fell into some metal trash cans. Besides he didn’t want to look like a bumbling idiot again. However, he was having trouble and leaned against the lamp post for support. “Zyrakas, you ol’ foo! You runk too much agin,” he said aloud with his slurred speech.

That was when he noticed someone was watching him from the dark alleyway. Irritated, he pumped up his chest and stood up straight. Walking toward the rude stranger, he demanded, “Oi! Whatcha lookin’ at?”

He was only a few meters away from him when Zyrakas noticed that the gawker was just a mere boy and appeared to be from Enkrum. Now he felt a little concerned. “Whatcha doin’ out ‘ere? Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Instead of answering, the boy pulled out his crossbow and aimed at Zyrakas’s chest. Thinking it was some kind of morbid joke, the middle-aged man laughed. “Now, now, now, we’re all friends ‘ere,” he chortled. “I don’t mean to offend ya. If ya wanna be out ‘ere, I won’t tell ya ma and pa.”

The boy just smiled. “Thanks for your concern, but I would worry about myself if I were you.”

“Huh? Why’s that?” he asked as he began to sway back and forth. Dammit, he knew he had too much to drink.

“Because you’re going to die today,” the child said simply and shot. Stunned, Zyrakas didn’t have time to react, but luckily for him, he stumbled and the bolt only nicked him in the arm. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but the cut in his arm told him that it was real.

“Hey, what’s the big deal?” he demanded angrily. The boy ignored his question and placed another bolt into his crossbow before pointing it at him again. Realizing that he was in danger, the drunkard yelped and scrambled away just as another bolt flew past him.

After several minutes of running, he was out of breaths. Looking back, he didn’t see his pursuer behind at all, which meant that he probably lost him. Relieved, he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. By golly, when Unama hears about this, she wouldn’t believe it at all! Chuckling, he looked up and his mouth dropped at what he saw. The shadow on the wall across from him was in a shape of that boy. He blinked and rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things; unfortunately, the silhouette was still there.

Suddenly, the shadow appeared to be pointing something at him and it only took him a second to comprehend what it was. Swearing an oath, Zyrakas hastily dashed away before he could get hit. By the All-Mother, he was right all along and wasn’t going crazy! The whole reason he was getting drunk was because he thought he saw shadows stalking him. But when he tried to tell his wife and friends, they just laughed and mocked him endlessly. Now he has the last laugh, but first, he needed to escape with his life still intact.

He didn’t pay any attention to where he was going until he realized that he didn’t recognize the streets. Unfortunately, he couldn’t turn back because his would-be killer was preventing him from backtracking so he kept moving forward. It felt like he was being herded somewhere to be honest. Before long, he found himself in an unfamiliar dark alley. Paranoid, he looked around cautiously at the shadows to see if that boy was lurking there. Zyrakas didn’t pay attention to where he was going until he almost bumped into a girl.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologized as he backed away. She looked at him innocently so he felt obliged to warn her of the incoming danger. “Ya betta leave. There’s some crazy ‘oy who’s tryin’ to kill me.”

She smiled at him, but the way she smiled sent warning bells ringing in his head. “Oh, I know,” she replied sweetly and pulled out two cutlasses from the shadow. “That’s my brother and he lured you here so I can kill you.”

Without any hesitation, she swung one of her swords at him. Luckily, he jumped out of the way and immediately ran the other direction… to find her brother standing in his way. “You’re not going anywhere,” he declared as he aimed his weapon at Zyrakas. Turning around, he saw the girl blocking the other exit.

Giving up, he collapsed onto his knees with despair. “Whatcha wan wit me?” he deplored. “Did ol’ Fankas sen ya? Tell him I’ll pay back his mooney I owe him, but I need mo time!”

“We’re not here because you owe someone a debt,” the boy sneered. “It’s because you’re the Lashival.”

He blinked and he looked at him in confusion. “The Lassie… wha?” he slurred. “Imma sorry but I ain’t a girl.”

Something pierced his shoulder and he let out a curse. The girl has stabbed him in the shoulder. “Learn to listen, idiot! It’s Lashival,” she corrected him as she twisted the sword, which caused him to cry out due to the excruciating pain. “You really are pissing me off right now. First of all, you reek of alcohol and the front of your shirt is covered with vomit, which is disgusting. Second of all, did you know that it took us forty-eight years to find you again? You know how irritating it is just to look all over the world to try to locate you!”

“I’ve no fuckin’ idea what ya talking about!” he cried and looked in horror at his wound. “I don’t eva kno ya!” The area around his wound was slowly deteriorating into ashes. What kind of bloody poison did she use? It hurt like hell and his arm was tingling with numbness. That was when it dawned on him that he was going to die and that thought terrified him. All of a sudden, his head became to pound like someone was pounding a sledgehammer on it repeatedly.

Groaning in pain, he heard the boy cussed. “Kill him now, Tory!” he shouted at his sister. “He’s about to be awakened!”

He felt something pierced through his heart and looked up to see that the girl has stabbed him with the other sword. “Farewell, Lashival,” she said softly. “I hope that you learn to stay dead this time or else the next time, your death will be more painful.”

Zyrakas tried to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gasped for air one last time before collapsing onto the filthy street.

Kejuta waited patiently for the twins to arrive at Welvaria. Based on their report a week ago, they finally found the Lashival and planned to observe him to determine the best time to kill him. Did they finally do it? Did they manage to kill the world’s biggest threat once and for all? Fidgeting with the Chains of Destinies in her hands, she prayed that they did. That person kept getting reincarnated no matter how many times they killed him. What a stubborn monster!

However, the thing that bothered her the most was the Lashival’s transparent Chain of Destiny. Resphyr has told her that she needed to chain him up in order to defeat it, but she still hasn’t figured out the riddle. She has consulted Aundra about it, but even the Ilmarian of Magic seemed stumped about the meaning of that message as well. “Even I can’t use my magic to make it tangible no matter how many times I try,” she has said.

Feeling anxious, she looked around the room. The other people in the room were Aundra, Brenton, Hessin, and Marika, who sat quietly as they waited for the Ilmarians of Judgment to come back. No one dared talk to each other as everyone was lost in thoughts. The eerie silence was starting to bother her when a portal appeared in the middle of the room. Torryn arrived in the room first and her brother followed right behind her. Both of them wore a serious expression on their face. “Well? How did it go?” the Ilmarian of Fate asked.

“He’s dead, but we’re not too sure if we finally killed him,” Weiss answered.

His twin sister nodded. “I used a high concentration of my special poison so hopefully it will work.”

“We shall see,” Hessin commented. “We just need to get Adia’s message to confirm whether or not he’s finally dead for real this time.”

Just as he said that, a messenger bird flew into view. It landed in the fountain, which was in the middle of the room, and lay down to display the message. Kejuta quickly recognized her daughter’s writing:

I have observed the Lashival’s soul and unfortunately, it has appeared to survive the latest attack. It seems to be recuperating for now as it waits to be reborn again.

- Adia

As soon as the twins read the message, they swore an oath. “Dammit, not again! We have to track him down. This is the ninth time we killed him and he refuses to give up!”

“Don’t feel too bad. I thought you said you enjoy the hunt,” Aundra said dryly. “Besides we have been able to figure out some information about him.”

Brenton nodded. “That’s true. We know that he’ll always be born on the Yuzema Festival, which is on Farth 26th. Second, he will always have the same appearance so we know what he will look like so that should make thing easier for you, right?”

“I guess so,” Torryn grumbled, “but it’s getting annoying to be honest.”

“I agree,” Marika said and turned to Kejuta. “What do you think, Kej? You’ve been awfully quiet after receiving that message.”

Taking a deep breath, she made her announcement. “I think we need to try another method,” she decided.

The other Ilmarians perked up. “What do you mean by that, Kej?” Hessin inquired. His summon stared at her curiously as well.

She regarded the Chains of Destinies in her hands before she turned her attention to her comrades. “Maybe we’re doing it all wrong,” she began. “What if…”

As she told them her plan, everyone slowly nodded their heads with agreement though the twins didn’t look thrilled. “Not a bad plan,” the Ilmarian of Time complimented. “It might work.”

“And if not, at least we tried,” Aundra agreed.

Only the twins objected. “But I thought the Lashival is supposed to be our target!” Torryn complained.

The Ilmarian of Justice gave them a stern look. “I thought you were getting tired of hunting him down.”

“Yeah, but no one else should touch him!” Weiss snapped.

“Quiet, you two,” the Ilmarian of Worlds said firmly. “Let’s just try out this plan and if it doesn’t work, you get your job back again. Does that sound fair?” The twins didn’t seem pleased, but they wisely assented. “Now that has been taken care of, have you decided who you want to complete the task?”

The Ilmarian of Fate nodded. “I have, but unfortunately, we need to wait for a little longer when they’re older. Most of them are too young currently to do anything yet, and I have to make sure that all of them meet at the right moment to ensure that the mission will go well.” She looked at the twins. “I know that you’re not happy about this, but there are other tasks that I need you to do. There are some people whose souls are so corrupt that I need you to get rid of. Understand?”

They nodded, but then they didn’t have a choice in the manner. Kejuta could be stubborn sometimes. “But what if the Lashival awakens to his power?” Weiss asked worriedly.

“Then it’s a risk that I’ll be willing to take,” Kejuta answered. “If it happens, then I will take responsibility. However, it seems that the Lashival hasn’t waked up his powers immediately after he is reborn so far so I think we’ll be safe for now. Now then let’s set the plan in motion, shall we?”

---------- Post added February 07, 2013 at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was January 31, 2013 at 10:36 PM ----------

Chapter 01: Homecoming

Ceza 4, 2583

Owain Tolbert glanced up at the sky and estimated that it was past noon. Just one more hour until we reach headquarters, he thought happily. After being on the road for almost two months, he was quite eager for a nice, warm bed. His horse, Fenric, tossed his head up as if he was sharing the exact sentiments. Amused, the young man patted his neck. Turning to his comrade, he asked, “How are our guests holding up?”

Armita Culao glanced back. “They seem to be fine,” she replied. “Ms. Ryllis Amaris seems to a bit tired but excited about going home while Mr. Kakuri Balascio appears to be very sullen. But then I would be if I was going to jail for kidnapping and extortion.”

He had to smile at that. “Is Talic okay guarding the rear? I can switch with him if it’s bothering him. After all, he’s the leader of our group so he should be the one leading us, right?”

“No, he should be fine. If he wasn’t, he would have asked by now. Besides, he probably enjoys walking with Cuzo. You know how he prefers walking on his own two legs over riding a horse.”

Looking back, Owain has to admit that she was right. Talic Nagamo seemed to be having fun with his dog. He kept tossing him a stick, which the animal would catch and return with his tail wagging eagerly for more. While the two appeared to be distracted, their prisoner didn’t dare try to make a move to escape. Even though Cuzo may seem like a typical tame dog, he was in fact a Kallian wolf, which was famous for its sharp teeth that could easily break human bones.

When Owain first met Talic’s dog, he was warned to approach the animal cautiously so not to alarm him. The dog was wary of him at first but slowly began to warm up to him. After playing with Cuzo for a few minutes, he later found out that he was actually playing with a tamed Kallian wolf, which floored him. He asked Talic how he came upon the dog and the Eireneridan told him three years ago, someone knocked on his dorm door and when he opened it, he noticed that the person left the Kallian pup at the doorstep. A note was attached to the curious pup and it stated, “He is yours. Please take good care of him.” To this day, he still hasn’t figured out why he was chosen and how the person managed to get a wild beast. The only clue he has was that someone witnessed a priest dropping off the dog at his doorstep before knocking and disappearing down the corner.

They rode silently for the rest of the time until they spotted the outline of buildings through the trees. “We’re almost there!” Owain announced with a smile. When they heard those words, everyone seemed to quicken their pace. Finally, after several months of travel, they were “home”.

As they approached the city of Savern, they noticed that a crowd was waiting outside the city gates as they waited to get in. Owain and the others stood patiently in line as the gatekeepers checked travelers’ papers. When it was their turn, one of the guards asked, “Papers?” Talic handed him the documents with their information. “What is your business here, Mr. Nagamo?”

“My comrades and I are members of the Bartheomos Tracker Division,” the Eireneridan explained. “We came to turn in a prisoner and return this young lady back home.”

The guard nodded. “I need to see proof that you’re members of the international police organization please.”

They showed him their Bartheomos pins, which depicted the famous bird that the organization was named after. The golden pin had a special glass bead placed in the middle of the bird’s chest; the special thing about it was that it changed based on the member’s ranking. Since Owain was a second year, his was a cloudy white while Armita was pale blue because this was her fifth year. As the oldest of the group, Talic’s was blood orange, which represented that this was his seventh year in the organization.

The soldier carefully inspected them to make sure that they were not counterfeits by using a fire elemental stone. The pins glowed with a strange light that was the color of the rainbow, which proved that they were made by Lady Aundra who made sure that they were hard to duplicate. To be honest, Owain still found it amazing the goddess herself offered her service. He would have never expected that she would be interested in something as mundane as pin making, but then he shouldn’t assume anything. Handing their pins back, the guard smiled and gestured that they could enter the city. “You can go through. Welcome to Savern and I hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”

As they entered the city, Owain looked around at the sights all around him. The Lycian city was bursting with activity as usual. Travelling traders passed by them on their loaded wagons to merchants who were waiting for their goods. Civilians flocked to stores as they browsed through the goods for the latest fashions or freshest products. But then Savern was also known as the Merchant City due to its wide variety of goods sold there. However, now wasn’t the time to shop. Instead they turned down a side street and traveled to a large brick mansion, which was enclosed by a brick wall. As they approached the tall, black, metal gate, they flashed their pins to the guards, who nodded and let them in. After placing their horses in the stables, they headed to the main entrance.

The building used to be home to a nobleman long ago, but he donated his home so it could be one of the local headquarters for the Bartheomos organization. When visitors and workers first arrived in the building, they would enter an impressive foyer, which has marble pillars and gold-gilded trimmings. A receptionist would greet them and direct any visitors on where to go. The west wing led to the workplace where government officials or citizens could inquire for help in international matters. Conference rooms were located on the first and second floors while the high-ranking officials’ offices were based on the third floor. The basement contained the prisons where criminals were held until they were transported back to the country where they were originally charged in order to stand trial.

The east wing contained the dormitory where Bartheomos members lived temporarily while they waited for their next assignment. The first floor was the lobby and recreational center where they could relax and mingle. The cafeteria was located at the end of the hallway; the aroma of foods permeated through the floor and caused many to salivate with anticipation. L-shaped stairways at each corner led to the bedrooms upstairs or the basement. Women stayed on the second floor while the men’s rooms were on the third floor. In the basement, people could train or store their belongings in one of the storage compartments if they couldn’t find any space in their rooms.

After they entered the building, Talic looked at his colleagues. “I’ll take care of them,” he offered as he gestured to Ms. Amaris and Mr. Balascio. “Why don’t you head back to your rooms and unpack? I’m sure both of you would enjoy a warm bath and a hot meal just about now.”

Owain had to wholeheartedly agree. He felt grimy from all the traveling and he sure his stomach was grumbling very loudly. “Thanks, Talic,” he said and extended his hand. “I’ll take your bag and place them in your room.”

“Will Cuzo be coming with you?” Armita eyed the wolf thoughtfully while their leader handed his bags to Owain. The Eireneridan nodded.

“Of course, he needs to help me keep an eye on things,” he chuckled. “Well then, I better get going; the sooner I finish the paperwork, the sooner I can relax. Come on, Cuzo.” He whistled and his dog followed after them. The other two watched as Talic and the others disappeared through the doors before Armita finally spoke.

“We should head back to our rooms to unpack,” she suggested as she shifted her bag on her shoulder. Owain nodded and they headed off to the opposite direction. As they reached the second floor, Armita took her leave. “See you later, Owain. I think I’ll enjoy my break,” she mused. “I’ve heard that there is a great deal going on right now for clothing so I’m going to take a look around the marketplace.”

“Have fun!” She smiled and went inside her room. Owain thought he heard her roommate say hello to her. If he remembered well, she was rooming with a Thyrcan. As a requirement, Bartheomos members were assigned rooms with a person of a different country and from a different division. It was so to build camaraderie from what he heard. Of course, there were a few exceptions; like if there were a married couples or someone requested a room for themselves. Talic had his own room, but then not a lot of people felt comfortable staying in a room with a Kallian wolf.

Looking wearily at the last flight of stairs, he started to climb up to the next floor.

“Welcome back, Owain!” his roommate greeted as soon as he opened the door. Fahren Opavanus was lying on his bed with an opened book on his chest. A pillow covered his head as if he was trying to fall asleep with the lights on. As usual, he was wearing gaudy colors, which was typical for Fravashians. It was even said that their buildings were painted in those colors as well. Once Owain asked him why they choose to wear such bright colors and he replied that it was because they wanted to have something to cheer them up during the dark and gloomy winter so wearing those colors always put a smile to their faces. He had to admit that it was true since Fahren always seemed to be in a jovial mood every time he saw him except today. He seemed to be exhausted for some reason.

“I guess the peace talk didn’t go so well, huh?” he asked as he started to unpack his belongings. Unlike him, Fahren was the member of the peacekeeping division. He usually dealt with government leaders and negotiated with them to try to find a compromise. In Owain’s opinion, that sounded very boring and too formal; however Fahren loved it since he got to meet very important leaders and felt like he was making a difference in the world. But then he didn’t understand why Owain didn’t mind sleeping out in the wilderness and traveling with little or no sleep sometimes. Oh well, to each his own, he supposed.

Fahren lifted the pillow off his head. “Obviously,” he grumbled. “That cult leader refused to meet with the Lycian king and sent one of his ‘representatives’ instead. ‘The Kasama isn’t feeling well today,’ she said. Bullshit! It’s because he didn’t want to risk getting arrested because of the outstanding warrants on him! It was simply a bloody waste of my time because they refused to budge.”

“What did they want anyway?” Owain asked curiously. He has heard about the Velscendus cult from his travel. No one really knew where the cult originated from, but suddenly people began to flock to follow the “Kasama”, who promised to bring them eternal happiness. At first, it started out small, but before long, there were over a million followers. Now they seemed to terrorize villages and cities wherever they go. They would attack anyone who opposed them and ransacked stores and homes for supplies. Luckily for Owain and his comrades, they haven’t bumped into one of them... yet. On the other hand, Armita would be eager to encounter one of them and she has a good reason why.

“They want the right to go freely wherever they want without any law enforcers stopping them,” he griped. “They actually believe that they’re above the laws and do whatever they please. When we pointed out that they were breaking the laws even the simplest ones, they complained that we were ‘persecuting’ them and ended the talk right then and there! Bloody aggravating little pricks!” He slowly let out a deep breath and gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that. I just wanted to get that off my chest before I have to go to another negotiation with them again. Anyway, I hope I didn’t ruin your mood with my rant.”

“Not at all. I’m just sorry that you have to deal with those people,” he commiserated. Fahren let out a boisterous laugh.

“You’re a good pal, Owain!” he said as he slapped his knees. “Maybe I should ask to join the Tracker Division. It’s probably less stressful compared to my work at the moment.”

He smiled amusingly. “You know that you wouldn’t survive. After one night sleeping on the cold, hard ground, you would hurry back to headquarters and beg for your position back.”

“True, true.” He nodded with agreement. “Anyway, I better you unpack and relax. How long is your break anyway?”

“Two weeks. After that, I’ll have a new assignment.”

“Well, enjoy your two weeks then. As for me, I think I’m going to get drunk tonight so I’ll forget that terrible peace talk. See you later tonight then. Toodles!” He waved farewell as he walked out the door.

Owain just shook his head. Hopefully his roommate doesn’t bring a girl back like the last time. He had to stay with Talic that night because Fahren was making out with another Bartheomos member whom he befriended. It wasn’t bad, but he had difficulty sleeping especially when Cuzo was staring at him with his bright yellow eyes. Apparently he liked to sleep on the unused bed and wasn’t happy when Owain was occupying it.

“Hmmm… what should I do next?” he muttered to himself while he continued unpacking. He was definitely going to take a bath, that’s for sure. Then he would head downstairs to get something to eat before exploring the city. Yep, that sounded like a good plan. Finished with his task, he put his bag away and got ready for his much-needed bath.

Feeling refreshed, Owain headed down to the cafeteria. As he strolled toward the end of the hallway, he started to salivate when he smelled the foods. He eagerly entered the room and headed straight to the kitchen to look for someone. Finding her, he nimbly snuck up behind her and surprised her. “Hello, Momma Aiema!” he said as he gave her a side hug. “How are you?”

Startled, she turned around and whacked him on his arm with her ladle. “Owain, for the gods’ sake, stop doing that!” she admonished as he laughed. “You should count your blessings that I didn’t have any hot soup or else you would be burned to death. Honestly!” She huffed but smiled. “However I’m glad that you’re safe. I assume you just come back from your mission?” He nodded. “That’s good to hear. Now grab something to eat. I bet you’re starving to death and I still believe that you need some more meat on you so make sure you grab a large amount of food, you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said obediently as he headed out. From the stories he heard about her, Momma Aiema used to be the chef for the royal family until she decided to quit so she could work at the Bartheomos organization. Apparently the reason was because her son joined and she felt that she could support him by feeding his colleagues and him with delicious foods. Due to her motherly attitude and scrumptious recipes, the other members viewed her dearly and fondly gave her the nickname, “Momma Aiema”.

After getting his meal of a slice of braised pot roast and roasted vegetables, Owain looked for a spot to sit. There weren’t a lot of people around and most seemed to be almost finished. Debating on what to do, he noticed Armita was sitting at the corner so he decided to sit with her. She nodded at him as she dipped her bread into her beef stew. He just sat down when she suddenly announced, “We may have a new assignment.”

Owain almost dropped his fork. “What!?” he finally blurted. “But I thought we’re supposed to have two weeks to relax?!”

She gave him a reproachful look, which reminded him of his older sister. “Not necessary. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that befall us. From what Talic told me, this client specifically requested us for some reason. She must be very persuasive because our superior agreed to let her speak with us directly. In fact, we’re supposed to meet her after dinner so we better hurry up. We don’t want to keep her waiting,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I guess you’re right,” he sighed. “I was just hoping that I can relax for a little bit.”

This time, Armita gave him a warm smile. “You know, we don’t have to accept the job,” she pointed out. “We just have to listen to her request and then decide whether or not to agree to help her. Maybe we can enjoy our respite a little longer.”

“That’s true. Whatever the job is, I hope it won’t take too long,” he mumbled wistfully as he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork. Later while thinking back to this instance, Owain ruefully realized how wrong he was mistaken.

[goldb]

Good first chapter. It was very descriptive to start with, I found it a bit slow and didn't really get into it until they reached the city, but I guess you need chapters like these; to build information on characters and set the scene for what is to come. I have some ideas as to who this "woman" who is hiring them is, but I'll wait until the second chapter is released to confirm it .

[riki]

The book is going to start out slow since they're going to do some information gathering. Expect some excitement in CH. 5.

Anyway, onward to CH. 2!

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Chapter 02: A Proposition

When they arrived at the assigned conference room, they found Talic and the client was waiting for them. It was a small windowless room with a wooden table and benches. A lantern was placed on the middle of the table. As soon as they entered the room, Talic stood up and immediately introduced them. “And these are my colleagues whom I was talking about,” he began. “This is Armita Culao and this is Owain Trestlin.”

“Nice to meet you,” the woman said as she shook their hands before everyone took their seats. Owain thought it was strange that she didn’t say who she was, but then she probably didn’t want anyone to know her identity. They had people like that before: secret lovers who didn’t want their spouses to know that they were cheating, high-ranking officials who didn’t want to risk having a scandal ruin their career, etc. But then, this woman didn’t seem like those types of people. But then looks could be deceiving. She has strawberry blonde hair tied in a loose braid, and she has a thoughtful expression on her face as she studied them. She wore a simple pale blue dress and dark blue slippers; he noticed that she subconsciously touched the red pendant on her necklace. It must have been a cherished gift from someone. What kind of job did she want them to do? Maybe she was looking for the person who gave her that necklace?

“I see that Cuzo took a great liking to you,” Armita noted, which cause him to stop his musing. Now that she mentioned it, she was right. Cuzo has placed his head on the woman’s feet and was dozing off to sleep. He could hear the animal snoring softly. Their client smiled at that comment.

“I guess you’re right. Your dog has a good sense of character then,” she commented.

Talic agreed. “Indeed. Anyway, what do you wish to discuss about?”

She didn’t answer at first. Instead she looked at each of them for a few seconds as if she was sizing them up to determine whether or not they were up to the task. Owain also observed that she kept fidgeting with her fingers. Nerves, perhaps? Finally, she said, “My people and I are having... difficulty with someone. Every time we try to get rid of him, he always comes back and we are at wit’s ends on how to stop him. I thought that maybe Bartheomos will probably have better luck with him then us.”

“Is that why you requested us?” Talic questioned.

“That’s right. After looking through all possibilities, I determined that you three would have the best of luck finding him.”

Now what did she mean by that statement? “So you want us to find him then?” Owain asked. She nodded. “Do you know his name and current whereabouts?”

“Unfortunately no,” she admitted. “He keeps changing his name and location so we don’t know where he is hiding. However, I do know that he’s somewhere in the south so you don’t have to worry about going to Fravashi. I apologize for the vague information, but that is all I have.”

They gave each other strange looks. How could she expect them to help if she couldn’t provide vital information? On the other hand, it’s a good thing that they didn’t need to head up north; the winters in Fravashi were brutal. “But I thought he is harassing you,” Armita pointed out.

“In a way. He hasn’t caused any trouble yet, but he will eventually especially if...” she stopped herself. “Let’s just say that he could become the most dangerous man in Samara and that I wish to stop him before that happens.”

“So you want us to hunt him down and arrest him before he causes any trouble?” Talic surmised.

“No, I want you to hunt him down and kill him,” she said firmly.

The room was in stunned silence until Talic finally spoke, “I’m sorry, but as members of the Bartheomos organization, we are forbidden to kill anyone unless our lives are in danger and based on what you’re telling us, that man you’re searching for is harmless right now. If you wish to kill him, you should have hired assassin instead. Therefore, we have to decline your offer.”

The woman didn’t seem upset at all. Instead, she just smiled. “I know that you were going to say that so I have something else to offer.” She turned her attention to Armita and continued, “I have information on where your sister is right now if you’re interested.”

The Isharan woman jumped out of her seat and stared at her, stunned. “Wait! How did you…”

“Know?” She finished and smiled gently. “It’s my business to know what’s going on in the world. I know the true reason why you decided to join the Bartheomos and specifically requested to join the Tracker Division. I know that you’re the eldest daughter of General Karis Culao and that you were a lieutenant in the Isharan army until you heard your little sister, Ithani, ran away from home with her lover. However, he came back home and informed your family that she suddenly left him to join the Velscendus cult. Before your family could retrieve her, she disappeared without a trace. Angry and disappointed, your father disowned her and refused to look for her.

“However, you disagreed with him and declared that you’re going to quit the army so you could look for her. In spite of your father’s threats of cutting you out of the family, you followed through and immediately enlisted. For the past five years, you have been looking for her and searching for clues on where she could be. Unfortunately you haven’t had any luck until now. I have some… sources that tell me on her current location right now. However, I won’t reveal it until you accept my job.”

“That’s blackmail!” Owain decried angrily. He has heard stories about Armita and her search for her younger sister but not the whole story. For one, he didn’t know that her father had disowned her for wanting to rescue her sister. “We won’t be coerced into accepting a job in which we have to kill someone! Right, everyone?”

The other two didn’t respond; instead they were looking at their would-be client with uncertainty. They’re wondering about how she knew about that and how much she knows about us, he realized. “And how do we know that you are telling the truth?” Talic finally asked. “We don’t want to be some wild goose chase.”

“Of course you don’t,” she agreed. “You’ll just have to decide whether or not you believe me. So what is it going to be?”

Owain glanced at Talic, who was looking at Armita. She wore a troubled expression on her face. No doubt she was tempted to accept the offer since this was her biggest lead to finding Ithani. During that time, he noticed that the lady was pinching her fingers like she was snapping something. Before he could ask her what she was doing, Talic suddenly announced, “We will accept your job. But we have one condition! We won’t kill him. That will be for the court to decide. Is that a fair compromise?”

He and Armita stared at their leader in surprise, but then he should know that he would do it. It was an open secret that Talic was in love with the Isharan, which was why he would do anything for her. The only question was if she was aware of it since she was too intent on her quest.

The woman nodded. “Fair enough,” she said as she shook his hand. “I recommend that you’ll begin immediately. The sooner you start the better chance that you will find him. And as promised, I will tell you Ithani’s current location. She was last seen in the southern part of Bisaha. However, it seems like she’s on the move and will be heading south.” Owain looked at her suspiciously. It couldn’t be coincidence that the person they’re looking for and Armita’s sister were both in the south. Nevertheless he wisely kept his mouth closed; he didn’t want to offend their new client after all.

“Understood,” Talic replied. As the woman was about to leave the room, he abruptly asked, “Oh, before I forget, what is your name? It would be rude if we don’t even know our new client’s name.”

Turning around, she smiled and said, “Call me Kejuta.”

When Fahren came back from his wild escapade, he was surprised to see Owain packing up again. “What are you doing?” he asked confusedly. “I thought you had two weeks off.”

“Change of plans.” he replied unhappily. “My team just got assigned a new mission and we have to begin it immediately.”

His roommate came over and patted him on the back consolably. “Tough break, man. What is the mission anyway?”

“It’s...” Owain hesitated. How could he tell Fahren that the All-Mother herself ask his team to find someone in order to kill him? It was a very bizarre case as it is. “...top secret. Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” he said understandably and whistled, impressed. “I have to say that you’re moving up in the world, Owain. Being assigned top secret missions even though you’re a fledging? The higher-ups must see great potential in you.”

In the organization, members had nicknames for those who have at most three years experiences. First-years were called “nestlings” while second-years and third-years were dubbed “fledglings”. “I doubt it. It’s probably because of Talic and Armita; they’re considered one of the best of the best. I’m just a tagalong, whom they’re supposed to be mentoring,” he pointed out as he stuffed another clean shirt into his bag. Thanks the gods that he decided to do his laundry.

“Oh, have more confidence in yourself!” Fahren admonished.

“I do, but I’m being realistic about it. By the way, I thought you were supposed to be getting drunk.”"

He gave Owain a goofy grin. “I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to change the topic,” he said, wagging his finger at him, “but I’ll let it slide just once. Yes, I was planning to get drunk, but those assholes were preaching in the bar. ‘Find true happiness with the Kasama!’ they declared. I was so annoyed that I hightailed out of there. I guess I have to change my plan for tonight.”
Fahren suddenly headed to the door. “Huh? Where are you going?” Owain wondered.

“Remember that girl from the last time? Well, I bumped into her while I was exploring the city so we decided to hook up. Since you probably have to leave early tomorrow, I thought I would be a good friend and let you sleep,” he replied with a sly grin.

“Oh, thanks, I guess.” At least he won’t have to stay over at Talic’s tonight though he felt sorry for that girl’s roommate.

His roommate just chuckled and waved goodbye as he walked out the door. “Have a good sleep, Owain! If I don’t see you tomorrow, I wish you good luck on your mission!”

“Night, Fahren!” Owain looked down at his bag and decided that he packed more than enough. Now he just needed to inspect his side of the room to make sure he didn’t forget anything. He checked his closet and under the bed. It looked like he got everything. After setting his bag at the end of his bed, he lay down. However, he couldn’t fall asleep because it was still early. What time was it anyway?

That was when he suddenly sat up from his bed. Shoot! He almost forgot about that. Owain quickly opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out his late father’s gold pocket watch. Lying back down, he opened it and stared at it for the longest time. He was only nine years old when his father died from a debilitating disease. Before he died, his father gave him his pocket watch and told him that it was in his family for several generations. He then told Owain that he wanted him to have it so he would always remember him and that no matter what his son decided to do with his life, he would always be proud of him.

Looking at his reflection, he mumbled to himself, “Are you proud of me, dad? I know that mom disapproved of what I’m doing right now, but I love it. I wish she would finally accept my decision. Maybe she’ll understand one day.” He then placed his father’s memento next to the lantern and turned off the light. After several minutes, he finally fell asleep.

“So how did it go, Kej?” Aundra asked as soon as the Ilmarian of Fate arrived back at Welvaria. Out of all of the Ilmarians, only ten were there waiting for her so they could start the meeting. Her children were busy with their tasks while Alethea was currently on a mission.

“They have agreed to the job though they are still reluctant about killing the Lashival,” she informed them.

The Ilmarian of Magic arched her eyebrows. “And you didn’t use your powers to convince them otherwise?”

She shook her head. “No, because that was the best option I have. Besides it would seem too obvious that something was off if their leader suddenly became more agreeable to my demands.”

“I don’t see why you should worry about what those mortals’ opinions,” Shintra mocked as he waved his hand indifferently. “Once you use your powers, there is nothing they can do about it anyway.”

Kejuta grinded her teeth and decided to ignore his snide remark. Instead she continued, “I have already sent them on their mission and I need you all to help out if possible. However, please don’t provide them with every fact about the Lashival. I don’t want them to be fully aware of who they are dealing with. Otherwise they might panic and be unwilling to do the job.”

Her colleagues nodded. “Sounds good to me,” Lanskas said. “Hopefully your plan will work.”

“I hope so too,” she agreed. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to Shintra. “Now in other news, you have proven yourself to be trustworthy after several centuries of observation. You were repentant about your past actions and worked to redeem yourself. According to Aundra, she noticed that you have been using your powers properly. Therefore we have decided that you can go freely around the world without any supervision. Congratulations, Ilmarian of Souls.”

She nodded at Marika, who then walked over and handed the Duermon his own needle ring. “Thank you,” Shintra said graciously and gave her an inquiringly look. “Does that mean the restriction on my power will be gone?”

“Yes, but if you decide to abuse your power again, we will seal it away and this time, it will be permanent,” Kejuta warned him. For the past two centuries, Aundra had lessened the limitation on his power so he could use it though not at its full potential.

“Rest assured, Kejuta, I won’t,” he promised and glanced around the room. “I notice that Alethea isn’t here to celebrate this momentous occasion.”

“She is currently working on an assignment and besides, you know that she wouldn’t come anyway,” she said dryly.

“What a pity. I was hoping to see her so I could apologize to her for what I did to her people. Oh well, perhaps another time. By the way, is she investigating the Velscendus cult? Surely she doesn’t still believe I’m involved with that crazy religion!”

The Ilmarian of Fate looked at him reproachfully. “That is none of your concern and you know that we determined that you weren’t involved since you were with us when the cult became prominent. If we didn’t trust you, we wouldn’t have given you your needle ring and title.” The other Ilmarians mumbled their assent though some still seemed unhappy that Shintra was free to do whatever he wanted.

“I’m relieved that you believe in me then.” For some reason, she sensed that he was taunting her.

“Do you have any more questions?” He shook his head so she declared, “Meeting is adjourned.”

Everyone immediately stood up and walked over to congratulate Shintra on his new position. Some were genuine with their congratulations while others were terse but polite. Walking over to Aundra and Marika, Kejuta muttered, “So far, so good.”

The two women nodded. “Hopefully everything will go according to plan,” the Ilmarian of Worlds said as she eyed the newly-named Ilmarian of Souls, who seemed to be enjoying the attention from the others, cautiously.

“When does that ever happen?” Aundra retorted. Kejuta hated to admit it, but the Ilmarian of Magic did have a point. They have to make sure everything will turn out the way they wanted. If not, they had to make adjustments as quickly as possible. Just to make sure, she touched the Chains of Destiny and checked for any signs of trouble. “Well? Did you see something, Kejuta?”

“A little bit,” she said with a grimace. “It seemed like that cult is going to cause Talic and the others trouble later in the future so their safety will have to be my top priority.”

“Any words from Alethea?” Marika asked. The Ilmarian of Fate shook her head.

“Unfortunately no. The last I’ve heard from her, she has arrived at her location and she would inform me if she notice anything to confirm our suspicions.”

Aundra gave them a reassuring look. “I’m sure she will be fine. She’s a big girl after all and she knows how to take care of herself. Now then, we should join the celebration; we don’t want to look like we’re party poopers, right?”

Kejuta and Marika just shook their heads but followed the Ilmarian of Magic to celebrate that the newest member has officially joined their group.

[goldb]

Shoot, my guess for who the woman was wrong; I thought it was the sister twin, as they hunted the Lashival in the prologue.

[riki]

You mean Torryn?

Nah, she wouldn't have asked them for help. She's too proud as an assassin to do that.

[goldb]

I guess so.

Shintra being a fully fledged member of the group now doesn't sit well with me. I've got a bad feeling about what he's planning. It seems its just a matter of time before he strikes back and reveals his plan.

[riki]

Oh, his plans won't be revealed for a while now. ^^

Are you curious about the others' plans?

[goldb]

What others? Aundra and Kej?

[riki]

Sure.

Remember that some Ilmarians secretly disapproved of Kejuta's plan.

[goldb]

Sure.

Remember that some Ilmarians secretly disapproved of Kejuta's plan.

The ones that Shintra had tried to win over in the prologue?

[riki]

Do you mean in the epilogue of the last book? Do you think he convince them? ^^

[goldb]

Do you mean in the epilogue of the last book? Do you think he convince them? ^^

Yeah, sorry the epilogue. I think he may have swayed 1 or 2, though I can't say which but besides that, there are those aren't happy with the way Kejuta is handling things. So I'm wondering, will Shintra use that confusion or eventual clash between those that are siding against Kej to put his plan in motion? as the group will be weakest then...

[riki]

I guess you'll have to read and find out.

Do you think the others will help Owain and co. like Kej requested?

[goldb]

I guess you'll have to read and find out.

Do you think the others will help Owain and co. like Kej requested?

Hmmmm I want to say it depends on who she sends to help.
Also I find it a tad strange that she'd get humans involved in Ilmarian missions; knowing how dangerous Lashival is. What hopes do humans have where Immortals have failed?