Heirs of Hyarch

As they approached the front of Syrkonel's house, Edeline wondered if stealth had even been needed at all. They had hurried their return, and even so they didn't draw any unwanted attention. Perhaps Myronel's plan of having their captive walk in front of them had worked in their favor, but it still seemed ridiculous given a moment of thought.

Regardless of that, they were back here now with Jylania safe. Edeline had wanted to question the girl further on what had happened while they had been separated, but Nela would likely object. The Elefae healer had been keeping no more than a pace away from her apprentice the entire time since. She was still probably worried they would lose Jylania again, a fear Edeline could understand.

"So you've returned." A different Elefae greeted them. Edeline was fairly certain this was the man who had been in discussion with Syrkonel earlier. He worse simple plain clothing, and looked a bit exhausted with his loose hair falling across his face. "Who's the guard though? One of ours?"

"No, but he's got something the boss will want to hear," Tayfel answered, "Very important, Cottusel, and this time I mean it."

"You said the same thing when you brought that swindler in from the west gate. If I hadn't caught him trying to break into-"

"Ask them then," Tayfel cut the other man off.

"I don't know if I trust them either," Cottusel answered, "Fine, go in, but I'm sticking close to you."

Edeline supposed she should not be too offended. Syrkonel was being very charitable with them, and they really had not done much to earn it. Bringing that boy back was a start, but the real test of their loyalty would be in the next few days. Nela and Myronel were probably eager to earn that trust, while Edeline...well, she was the problem here, being the one whose noble blood was known about. It would be worse if they knew Myronel was her brother.

"You want to try to wipe the boss's arse clean too?" Tayfel muttered, still loud enough that they all could hear.

"What was that?" Cottusel gave Tayfel an irritated look.

"Nothing," Tayfel answered. Edeline made a reminder for herself to not get involved in whatever was going on between these two. Hopefully they would not need to.

Cottusel led them into the house. Syrkonel was already there near the entrance, but Edeline doubted he had been waiting specifically for them. They must have returned with near perfect timing, which...no, it might not be for the best. Discussing what they had learned here, when anyone could just walk in, sounded worse the more she thought about it.

Syrkonel's gaze immediately went to the guard. "I hope you have a very good reason for bringing him here."

"Would you have preferred us to stay out in the street to question him further?" Myronel asked.

"Neither. What he knows had better be important."

Edeline hoped that Syrkonel had not already learned of Lord Melyn's death. That would turn their prisoner into too great a risk to be allowed to walk out of here free. Hopefully the captive guard himself recognized the danger, and submitted accordingly.

"I don't know that much about Lord Melyn getting killed, alright?" the guard blurted out, recoiling from Syrkonel. "I can just tell you-"

"He's dead?" Syrkonel's eyes widened slightly.

"Is that true?" Cottusel looked over at Syrkonel. "That would explain why they've shut themselves away, but..."

"Talk, now." Syrkonel moved forward to face the captive.

"Uh, we were told that someone got inside and cut the lord down. No sign of anyone getting in or leaving either, but...the servants apparently overheard an argument between Lady Hallowscroft and Lord Melyn, so she's very suspect. And then the other men were talking about how she betrayed the king, but I don't know much about that either."

"Lady...Hallowscroft?" Cottusel's gaze went to Edeline immediately. "You brought her here? Without...are you mad?"

"I might well be," Syrkonel said, despite the question being aimed at Tayfel. "If you must knew, I was aware of who she is. And we know she was not the one to kill the lord, since she was in that inn overnight."

"I guess so," Cottusel replied after a second of hesitation. "Anyway, does this change our plans?"

"It speeds matters up," Syrkonel confirmed, "You'll want to count over our supplies, and get ready to hand them out. Tayfel, you can...go find a room for our unexpected guest. Do not let him leave without my word."

"I'll take care of it, boss." Tayfel immediately took the guard by the shoulder, and started to lead him away. "Don't get angry, but we're going to lock you in..."

Cottusel shook his head as the other man's voice faded. "He doesn't take things seriously enough."

"Good," Syrkonel said, "In a better world, there wouldn't be as much a need for serious folk like us. Now get moving."

Without another word in response, Cottusel spun and strode right back out the house's front entrance. Syrkonel almost had the presence of a lord himself, something Edeline had to admit. If their efforts ended up with him taking leadership of the city, it might not be a bad thing. It did seem like it would be an improvement over Lord Melyn's rule, as far as Edeline could tell.

"I suppose this is where you'll ask me what our plans were," Syrkonel said.

"The thought did occur to me," Myronel replied.

"You may as well," Hamond added, "Although I bet it involved waiting for additional weapons and supplies first."

"For another month or two," Syrkonel confirmed, "We would need every advantage to overcome the royal knights and the lord's men."

"Then what changes?" Edeline did not understand Syrkonel's reasoning.

"The city watch and the knights were not working together. This was by order of Lord Melyn. Why he ordered this, I don't know, but it helped us smuggle in what we needed and recruit people to the cause. It probably has helped you too."

"You're worried that they'll start working together more closely with the Lord's death," Myronel said, expression tightening.

"Right." Syrkonel's answer was simple and direct.

Naturally, Edeline knew the reason it had happened. The lord had been trying to keep the knights' attention away from his plans to have Edeline bear a Pelagoin heir. If there were records of that, and the royal knights found them...it would force another war, this one between the plotting nobles and King Roderick's supporters. Add the Spellking, and Hyarch would be truly doomed.

"So that would make it a matter of days," Hamond noted.

"Indeed it is. We will begin mustering out men tomorrow. Now I just need to decide what role you will play."

"Making sure the Witch of Wrath doesn't cause problems," Nela said.

Syrkonel just looked at her emotionlessly. Wait, they hadn't mentioned their brief encounter with her here yet. From his view, what Nela was saying seemed like nothing more than random nonsense, even if it was a threat they could answer

"She's here in the city," Edeline quickly explained, "We saw her briefly, as she was fighting some of the knights on patrol."

"That doesn't sound like a problem," Syrkonel said.

"As we learned, the Witch of Wrath is only on the Witch of Wrath's side," Edeline continued, "And she will turn on anyone if she thinks they will contribute to further war or conflict. That is part of why we clashed."

"Whatever is happening between you and her, set it aside." Syrkonel's voice became sharp. "I know how you must feel, but you can't go tearing the city apart."

Edeline was about to suggest luring the Witch of Wrath outside the city, but then realized it only would increase Syrkonel's perception of this being some personal grievance between them. He would not be entirely wrong, either, at least where the Witch of Wrath was concerned. Honestly, maybe she was acting too obsessively over the matter as well. It was more that she was worried for Hamond, but that was not enough reason to push this further.

"Stupid Floire," Nela said, then rolled her shoulders as if to shake it off. "So where will you send us?"

Syrkonel froze, eyes going wide as he stared straight at Nela. "What was that name?"

"This again?" Nela said, "Yes, Floire is the name of the Witch of Wrath. Has she been helping you out too without you knowing?"

Syrkonel turned his back on them. Even with his face now hidden, Edeline could see his clenched fists just as much as everyone else could. Rage or fear, the fact that this Elefae man and the Witch of Wrath had encountered each other before was laid bare. Whatever had occurred could not have been pleasant.

"Looks like he's the one about to go tear the city apart," Sedat remarked.

"Not the time," Hamond warned. Edeline agreed with him, even though she thought Sedat had a point.

Long minutes passed while Syrkonel stood there, shaking with barely controlled emotion. Finally, he seemed to calm, and faced them again. "This...makes this so much harder."

"As my companion said, you can leave her to us." Edeline knew the offer had one significant flaw. If the Witch of Wrath was committed to avoiding her, it would be quite simple to do in a city this size while still causing problems for Syrkonel.

"It won't be that easy." Syrkonel crossed his arms, glancing away momentarily. It was almost fascinating, watching his gruff style of leadership combine with an obvious reluctance to discuss the matter. There was far more to Syrkonel than they had known, and he likely had quite a few stories he could tell.

Right now, they needed to know one of those stories. "Then tell us. It might give us an edge in the days ahead."

"I doubt it will help." Syrkonel paused. "But if you must know, this entire situation in Melyn is her doing."

It was a vague answer, but Edeline could remember one detail that fit all of this together. "You said when we first met that only one man deserved the title of Lord Melyn. Did the Witch of Wrath...did she kill that man?"

"She did," Syrkonel answered, "She killed my closest friend. With him went the hope of the Elefae."

Alright, now this was taking it a bit too far. A dramatic air worked well enough in books and ballads. This was neither though, and they needed simple straight answers. Not that Edeline wasn't sympathetic - she knew the pain of losing someone close to you very well - but it helped no one here to be vague about it, including Syrkonel himself.

"Perhaps we should continue this in another room," Hamond suggested.

"Would be nice to get off my feet," Nela added, "Maybe get some drinks too."

Syrkonel nodded, and then walked over to the nearby wall. Edeline only now noticed the small silvery bell mounted there, with a thin cord tied to it. Syrkonel gave it a tug, and it rang out a surprisingly loud call for its small size.

A petite Elefae woman hurried into the room a moment later. "Bring a bottle of wine to the dining hall," Syrkonel ordered. She nodded, and immediately hurried off. Still looking grim, the Elefae man silently beckoned them to follow him. Not needing to be told, Edeline did just that.