Chapter 108:Rest
The pen stopped. The man finally lifted his gaze. He started with Lilith’s assessment then moved to Athelines.
At that moment his instincts flared as though he was being stared at by something scary.
His gaze shifted back to her. He blinked, the feeling passed. The man didn’t fully understand it but his instincts did.
He trusted his instincts.
The grip around his pen hardened.
He glanced briefly towards the verification point.
"Central relay access is restricted," he said voice slightly off," priority lanes are... "
Another token was placed on the table. He swallowed. Relays were teleportation points around all three kingdoms.
Each kingdom managed its own teleportation relay.
A convenient but expensive mode of transport was in very high demand.
The fact that there weren’t too many points made it even harder.
"The priority lanes are assigned, " he finished smoothly," yes"
Another token joined. Money was something Lilith never lacked.
The man’s trembling eyes flickered down, then back up.
His posture adjusted, the lazy countenance gone replaced with a more attentive one.
Registration passed over his eyes.
He folded, quickly.
"Time sensitive?" The man asked.
"Yes."
Atheline watched it all in amusement. Giving out bribes was one of the easiest and non-violent ways to get past something troublesome.
He’d also done that, a couple of times.
"There is an opening, " the man replied, " unlisted transfer. Early in the morning."
That was good enough. Normally they would have waited till the afternoon since there are only two scheduled times.
Morning and afternoon, each booked days beforehand unless you had money of course.
"And the cost?"
"Three hundred gold, " he noticed her furrowed eyebrows, " it allows passage across all the kingdom relays... but you’ll only use it once."
’That’s a lot’
Atheline’s eyes widened slightly inwardly.
Lilith nodded a small smile gracing her lips.
"Done."
The seal was placed on the deal just like that.
The man nodded, already turning back to his ledger. Names were moved through the system as he registered them.
The officer at the verification desk noticed new names on their ledger. He glanced up, a satisfied smile on his face.
They had caught a big fish with broken pockets.
"Do not be late tomorrow at the relay station, it’s in the middle of the port," he said quietly.
Lilith nodded but didn’t move.
"Go through the central corridor," he pointed at a door, one small gate down," you will get the kingdom’s universal teleportation token, the officer will recognise the adjustment. "
The money token disappeared, so did the small tension that had built during negotiations.
"I’m impressed," Atheline said as they headed to the door.
Lilith chuckled, amused at his antics.
"Humans are naturally greedy," she explained," all three kingdoms have this system. We should be able to arrive the day, after tomorrow. We can rest in between."
Atheline nodded and smiled.
"That is faster than I have expected. "
She rolled her eyes.
"It will only be five days and the deadline is seven," he calmly said," what if the poison decides to react before we reach the third kingdom?"
The corridor became brighter the further they went. Shouts, laughter, and hurried footsteps reached them before they could reach their destination.
Up ahead, the corridor split again but this time, a gate became visible, and the walking crowd and traders outside were visible.
It was the full view of the well-protected port city itself.
A man stepped into view. This time, he had a uniform but the same ledger at hand.
"You must be our last patrons," he said in a comically cheerful tone.
Lilith nodded. " You are to give us the token. "
The man nodded and pulled out two small silver plaques. They were small enough to fit in their palm.
"Inject your aether to mark it since most of the careless get their stolen, " he said," there will be no second replacement without pay."
’Just how many ways do you plan to milk the wealthy. "
"Is there anything else?" Lilith asked.
The man’s eyes moved down then back up. Atheline sighed inwardly.
’This again. "
He placed ten gold coins on the small counter near the gate. The man smiled.
"There has been news of an oncoming beast tide," he whispered, " there is a chance the relay points might get closed, so you have to hurry."
Atheline felt a small shiver run down his spine.
’This could be a big problem."
Lilith nodded but her expression didn’t change nor did her body.
"Open the gates," the officer said.
The guards pulled the rolling gates open, welcoming them into the port city itself.
The smell of fish, sweat, dust, and money clung to the air.
A carriage rolled over the moment they stepped out of the gates.
"My lady," the driver jumped down from the carriage and bowed.
From the looks of it, he seemed familiar with Lilith. She nodded and got into the carriage.
Atheline followed right behind her.
"Our journey was spontaneous, " she explained calmly before he could ask," the teleportation requires a week’s prior booking. "
Atheline nodded.
"We’ll go from here then to the capital, " she calmly continued, " then to the border. We’ll be out of the kingdom after. This might affect you, that’s why I didn’t want us to carelessly teleport before we got to the human continent."
Atheline could see the worry in her eyes.
"Don’t worry about it, I’ll take an extra dose of suppressants before the teleportation, " he reassured her," it will only be for a moment, then we’ll be there."
He had organised for almost twice the dosage in case of emergencies like this. Teleportation was taxing to the body but it doesn’t mean he couldn’t teleport.
Lilith’s teleportation is aided by her dark aether, making it even harder but the human one is aided by Solar aether which is the type of aether he uses. The risk factor would be significantly reduced.
The carriage came to a slow trudge then a full stop in a much quieter environment.
It was clear they had travelled a little out of town.
"We have arrived my lady," the driver’s rough voice came.
Atheline and Lilith got off the carriage, each anticipating the thoughts of finally sleeping in a more stable environment.
The inn they chose was in a quieter stretch of the port, far from all the shouting dock hands and lit tarvens that housed noisy drunks.
The building itself was modest, its wood darkened with age and salt.
Their room was on the second floor, with narrow corridors with two exits. Their window overlooked the side alley, an unremarkable position and view.
Lilith made sure to check everything before she allowed him inside.
Atheline sat on the bed, a small sigh of relief escaping him. Lilith seemed to be lost in her thoughts since the matter of the teleportation.
It was clearly something that didn’t sit right with her but they had no choice if they wanted to arrive earlier.
They could travel by train but it would take, three days to reach the border.
"Stop worrying at the moment, " he calmly said and stood up," I’m quite famished. "
She glanced at him then nodded.
"You’re right, there is nothing to worry about at the moment. "
They left their room for the dining.