160. Of instincts, masks and a little bit of crimes

Cassandra Pendragon

"But most of the the things put on sale around here can be bought almost everywhere. I was told that Free Land is the place to go to purchase truly unique… objects. I was wondering if you could possibly point me in the direction of the more… exclusive sales." A nearly imperceptible shudder ran through his hunchbacked figure and his eyes focused on mine for the first time, curiosity sparkling in their depths.

"Is that so? And what makes you think I would know anything about that? Ol' Tom isn't a merchant, I'm not privy to the secrets of the guilds." My gaze travelled over the bustling activity around us, skipping from the huddled together beggars to the squirming street kids.

"I just thought someone as connected and in touch as yourself is bound to pick up a few things. Most of the… freelancers around here seem to take their cues from you."

"You've sharp eyes, Madame, sharper than most, almost… superhuman. I won't deny that I have plenty of friends in the right places, but why would I leave my spot in the sun? No offence, but my old bones ache quite a bit and I don't see why I should trouble myself with a fool's errant. If I knew what you were looking for, maybe I could find it in me to help you out, but as it is, I'm inclined to bid you a good day and hope you won't take it personally."

"Never, I fully understand where you're coming from, but maybe I can sweeten the deal." I gave Ahri a sign and she passed me a handful of coins. "Is that enough to compensate you for your troubles?" He greedily watched the shimmering metal but was still reluctant to take it, his hand hovering a few inches above mine.

"It definitely is, but I still don't know what you're actually looking for. Ol' Tom isn't known for buying a pig in a poke. I'm tempted but you'll have to either give me more information or more gold, simple as that." We stared at each other, him with a small smile on his face that made the wrinkles around his eyes stand out even more sharply and me… well, I was perplexed. Somehow his whole demeanour reminded me of a friend I had thought lost, he reminded me of Greta. The way he talked, the way he looked at me, half mocking superiority, half honest interest, I immediately felt like I was back beneath Boseiju, asking a stupid question she wasn't going to answer. Could I possibly risk confiding in him? And if I was wrong, was there a way to ensure his silence? Ah well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"How about both? Here's your coin and now, watch…" I was going to take a huge risk and simultaneously threw our well… mediocrely crafted plans out the window but a small voice inside my head kept on insisting that he could be trusted, to a degree at least. I knew very well that I could be wrong, hell, I had suffered enough for trusting the wrong people, but this wizened, scarred man didn't seem like a bad person. Quite the contrary, I didn't know why, but deep down I was convinced that he might genuinely turn out to be on our side. Besides, I had no intention of relying purely on chance. I still had a few tricks up my sleeve, after all.

I shuffled closer and made sure Ahri's broad back hid me from view before I allowed my wings to manifest for a split second and my power to shine through the carefully crafted illusions around me. Energy sizzled between us and a shadow of my true form appeared underneath the pudgy silhouette I was wearing like a coat. I heard Ahri's sharp intake of breath behind me but my focus didn't waver from the wide eyed man.

I brought up my second sight and reached for his thoughts, determined to end him then and there if I saw anything that would endanger our safety or that of my family. Surprisingly, it wasn't even necessary since he immediately verbalised his thoughts as soon as they fluttered through his mind. Well, not all of them. For instance, I directly learned that he wasn't yet old enough to ignore my true appearance. I blushed a deep red when I saw what his imagination came up with, the very instant he glimpse my face and figure. Luckily he didn't bother acting on it.

"Crap, should have seen that coming. You're Cassandra Pendragon, aren't you?"

"You know of me?" I asked as I retracted my wings and the shimmer in my eyes subsided.

"Hearsay, but I've been warned that you might come here, looking for your friends. It's just fitting that I'm the one who has to stumble across your path… well then, what's the deal? You're going to rip my soul from my body if I don't tell you what you want to know?"

"No, nothing quite as sinister. I might be tempted to break your legs, though, see where that leads us, since you seem to know what I'm looking for." He smiled toothily and shook his head.

"Nowhere, I can promise you that much. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to break me. You've put me in quite the pickle, you know that? Ever since I heard that you might be visiting, I've been asking myself what I would do if I met you. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Why don't you hand over those coins, nice and obvious, so all my little friends are convinced I'm getting paid and then… I guess we should go somewhere a little more private. Where are you staying?"

"Over there," I replied, indicating the Bloody Wolf while I handed over the money.

"Not the worst choice. Alright come with me, let's see if we can't come to an agreement that benefits us all." He rose, his joints creaking like an old oak in a winter storm and waddled off. We followed closely behind and as soon as we moved, Ahri muttered in the kitsune tongue:

"Are you out of your damned mind? What was that for? We could just as well have announced our arrival the minute we got here. Now we either have to kill him or bribe him with more gold than we have. What were you thinking?"

"I was taking a chance. Look at him, truly look. Do you think he'll rat us out?" Her eyes seemed to drill a hole into his back and I could practically smell the amount of energy she pushed form her core to sharpen her senses. Unfortunately, she came up blank.

"I… I just don't know. What makes you think he wouldn't?" A good question. I had hoped she would come up with an explanation all on her own. I could simply have nodded along, then.

"He fears me, fears what I might do if I became upset and I think he knows perfectly well that I can do more to him or maybe even for him than whoever it is we are looking for. Didn't you hear him? He thinks I might take his soul… not that I ever would but he doesn't have to know that. Also… I think he's desperate. I'm not sure what he's going to tell us, but mark my words, this city isn't in as tight a stranglehold as I first believed. He's looking for help and he believes we might be just the lucky break he has been looking for."

"And when did he tell you that?"

"He didn't, I saw it in his mind, as plainly as I see your hulking figure in front of me now." That wasn't strictly true, I was interpreting a great deal into the faintest whiffs of memories I had briefly glimpsed in his mind, but it wasn't a lie either. I'd call it… artistic freedom or maybe a small exaggeration. I didn't mean to deceive her, but I didn't want to have to explain how he had reminded me of Great from the beginning and how the quick peek into his thoughts had convinced me that he wasn't half as hardened as he appeared, either. I fervently hoped that I wasn't wrong. Otherwise Ahri wouldn't allow me to live it down, ever.

"And if you're mistaken, if he lied?" I shrugged.

"Then the party starts a few hours earlier than expected and we'll have a trail of underlings we can beat the living shit out of until someone spills the beans. Either that, or we'll be drugged in our sleep or from a distance and find out exactly what they did to Viyara and the others." She snorted.

"Great, perfect. Becoming the newest pleasure slave to one hidden overlord or the other sure sounds like fun. I repeat, what were you thinking? Did they put something in your wine?"

"Damn it Ahri, if you're that worried, go get Mephisto. He can alter Tom's memories if push comes to shove and no one will know about us. Heck, we should probably do that either way."

"He already knows somethings is up, he's tailing us. Still, could you maybe talk to me next time, before you go ahead and confront me with accomplished facts? It's starting to become a habit."

"I'll try, but no promises. You know me, I'm impulsive and more often than not it has served me well."

"And what about the times it didn't? Pain, mutilation, almost death to just name a few of your more recent accomplishments."

"We're still alive and in one piece, aren't we? And I can't imagine it'll turn out that badly, we're dealing with humans, after all."

"No, you aren't," Tom suddenly interjected over his shoulder. His pronunciation was terrible but never the less he was speaking our tongue.

"How, why…?" I stammered.

"That's a long story and the reason why I'm prepared to deal with you. For now, all you have to know is that quite a few people on the streets can understand your native language, even speak it brokenly. The captains might be human, but the guilds here all listen to one of your kind, even if you wouldn't know him to be a kitsune, should you ever meet him. He doesn't look the part, not anymore at least. If you want to know more, you'll have to buy me a drink, or several dozens. And maybe explain a little more in depth who in the nine hells you actually are. A small reassurance that I'm going to leave your side with my mind still intact would also be appreciated. Immensely."

My thoughts were reeling but before I could ask a single question, we had already passed through the doors of the Bloody Wolf. Gardan raised his head from the mugs he was filling and greeted us with a smile. As soon as he spotted Tom though, his eyes narrowed threateningly.

"What are you doing here? I already told you that I want none of you in my establishment. I don't care one bit for the Mask and if you know what's good for you, you'll be out of here before I lose my patience!"

"Calm down, Gardan. I'm not here on business, I just want to enjoy a glass or two of your fabulous wine and have a private chat with my new found friends. That's not too much to ask, now, is it?"

The barkeeper glowered at him but nodded curtly a second later. "As long as you're with them you can stay. But I'll keep an eye on you." Her turned to us and added: "it's none of my business but a word of advice: tread carefully. You don't want to get involved with the likes of him. There's nothing but suffering and pain in store for you."

"Wise words, we'll take them to heart," Mephisto's voice sounded from the door. "And I'll make sure my employer doesn't forget them, even though it might already be too late for that," he added in an undertone. "Thank you, for your concern, master Gardan." The Barkeeper waved away his thanks and returned to his tasks, humming tunelessly.

"I take it, you also think I've lost my marbles?" I said when the demon joined us.

"Not precisely. You definitely acted rashly when you revealed yourself, I could feel it even from where I stood, but we'll see how it turns out." He scrutinised Tom from head to toe before he continued: "this time, at least, there aren't that may lose ends, now, are there. Provided nobody else on a market famous for its magical gizmos was able to pick up on the storm of power you unleashed back there. It's not likely, since you probably fired every artefact within the radius that was directed at you, but it's still a distinct possibility." Damn, I hadn't even thought that far, but better lucky than good, as the saying went.

"You know, the lose end is standing right here," Tom interjected while his eyes travelled over the closed door and windows. "Could you at least pretend like I matter?" Mephisto focused on him with the brightest smile I had ever seen on his face and truth be told, I'd have been quivering in my boots if it had been directed at me.

"Sure, it doesn't change the fact that you're not going to leave this place without my say so, though. But that doesn't mean we can't be civil, just remember that you won't reach the street alive, should you decide to run. Now that we've established some ground rules, why don't we sit down? Your drinks are, of course, on us. After you, little human. Go ahead and pick your poison." The phrasing didn't sit well with Tom but he still ordered four glasses of wine and led us to an empty table in the corner. When we were seated, one of the girls brought our drinks alongside a bowl of roasted peanuts. They were glazed with honey and I quickly threw a handful into my mouth, savouring the crunchy nuts. I didn't strictly have to eat anymore, but I still enjoyed it very much. Besides, I had learned by now to take my treats whenever I could get them.

Tom sipped his wine and smacked his lips in appreciation, his eyes travelling from one of us to the next. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he realised that Ahri and Mephisto were mostly focused on him, trying to appear even more intimidating than their illusionary disguises made them out to be, while I was busy devouring the complementary snacks. "At least one of you has her priorities straight," he muttered.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Ahri replied. "Don't be fooled, she's not as oblivious as she appears. Now then, why don't you explain why you can speak our language. Adding two and two together, I assume there's a disfigured kitsune, known as the Mask, calling the shots around here. How come? And who is he?"

"You're pretty fast on the uptake… the first question is easy to answer. You already pieced together the most important bits. The thieves' guild in Free Land is run by one of the fox tribe, known as the Mask and he made us learn bits and pieces of your language so we could have a way to communicate that can't easily be overheard. As to who he is… I simply don't know. I neither know his name, nor do I know how he got here all those years ago but it's safe to assume that it wasn't entirely by choice. He's maimed, horribly. His ears and tails were cut off and rumour has it that he even bears a branding on his forehead, but I've never seen him without his mask, so I can't say if that's the case."

The peanuts fell from my numb fingers as a lump of ice cold fear formed in the pit of my stomach. Cut off tails and ears, a supposed branding on the forehead? That sounded awfully familiar. Traitors or criminals who had been deemed beyond redemption had been treated like that back on Boseiju, their bodies mutilated so every tribe they would encounter would know who they were dealing with. And the branding… I would be wearing one myself if my immunity hadn't protected me from Boseiju's wrath, back when I had interrupted Ahri's duel. Could it be? Had we stumbled across an exiled fox who had made a new home for himself among the humans, outcast from our society? By all the gods, I hoped not. But it would explain a damned lot of what had happened. Why anybody would risk trying to subdue a fey, a dragoness, two elves and my family. It hadn't been chance, or greed, or stupidity, maybe it had been revenge. Revenge against a member of one of the families who had sent the Mask away and scarred him for life.