Chapter 226: Barracks

Author’s note: Hey guys.

I hope you had a great weekend, I certainly had an interesting one.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 226: Barracks - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124548852

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Chapter 226: Barracks

Dawn crept in, but nothing changed. The only one who eventually came up to Ashe, who was waiting there by the Fallen's Cry patron all night, was Yonas. Despite his drifting and untethered temper, he was one of the most reliable of their group. When he saw her there alone, he just gave her a knowing look. 

"The others had their ears and eyes out, but they didn’t hear a word."

"Fuck!"

"Could mean anything, they might’ve just…"

"I know," Ashe cut him off. Zander and the others simply might not have made it through the gate - maybe they took one look at the risk and turned back. No way to know unless someone went out to find them.

"I told him we needed communication tools," he muttered. "Would’ve saved us from this mess. But no - waste of coin, he said. The others agreed. Not you, I know, still.."

Ashe let out a slow breath. "For as brilliant as he can be, he can be pretty short-sighted." She could still see it—standing beside Yonas and Simret, the latter now dead, fighting to make Zander see sense. Sure, such tools if they wanted to acquire them the honest way cost a fortune, but they would be damn useful now.

'If only I'd insisted harder that we go together. If we’d gone together, if we’d played the couple…'

"Some of us are staying at the Broken Mug, and so are you. Made an illusion of you, so Byron the innkeeper will swear you spent the night there."

"Good. At least someone’s thinking straight." The curse wasn’t for the others, too busy drowning in the city’s pleasures after a long journey. It was for herself. Too much feeling. Too little reason.

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Fourth District. Swallows Street. Right beside the Broken Heart brothel."

"Of course it is."

"Not my pick. Still, it’s a solid place. Not flashy, but clean. Tucked off the main street."

"And the innkeeper?"

"Byron Sture. Seemed a decent sort. Short, mustache, bald. Got a daughter - Tess. Works tables. Her Array’s a dancer’s, though."

"That’ll do," Ashe said, exhaling as she straightened, her back stiff from leaning too long against the statue. The weight in her chest hadn’t eased.

"I'll report to the barracks..."

"5th Main Street, that way." Yonas nodded toward one of the square’s exits. "All the way to the walls."

"... and when I get there, I’ll see what I can dig up. I'd bet my arse Zander would rather die than get caught, but…"

"Yeah, those enchantments on the walls are insane," Yonas cut in. "Imagine if they were actually maintained, running at full strength."

The spark in his eyes didn’t escape her notice. Ashe smirked. "Maybe if you ask nicely, they’ll let you take a peek."

"As if," Yonas snorted, but the want was obvious. "They’d have to be out of their minds to let an uncertified mage, with no previous experience with rune circles and enchanting in general, anywhere near those. No, I’ll make do with the stalls and shops. Plenty there to keep me entertained."

Truly one of the rare few who kept their head when it counted. “Still...”

“Yeah, yeah, work first. Relax - others are already sniffing out what they can on our target.”

“Good.” Ashe swallowed down her guilt. They were working, and she was wasting time, stuck waiting. “Here again at noon, or the inn?”

“The inn. The others should be there by then.”

"Then I'll see you there," she told him and without further hesitation, started for the barracks.

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'What's wrong with this place?'

Nothing in this city was like Munca. The fort there was impressive - towering walls, towers clawing at the sky, buildings built to endure. A city like this, with walls so grand, should have had barracks to match. Instead, she faced little more than a provincial outpost. Maybe it could fend off a stray beast or two, but it gave the impression they never expected a real threat to slip past the walls.

'I may have overestimated them.'

It happened a lot. Not her overestimating someone - no, that was rare. Someone living off of long-gone glory. Songs carried their names, stories painted them grand, but the truth rarely kept up.

'Still, best not to underestimate either.'

A slow, fake smile flickered across her lips as she met the eyes of the barracks guards. No weaker than those at the city gate, yet they didn’t let her pass without the prying questions. All they wanted to know was what her business inside the barracks was.

Ashe took her time, eyes sweeping the barracks as she searched for the right office. Not to cause trouble, but just to know the strength of the people to watch out for.

'But if they held Zander here...'

The thought twisted in her gut. No use thinking about it now. Her turn came, and she stepped through the door.

"Tate, take this stack to Officer Seaman," the man at the desk said, without looking up.

The young man sweeping the floor dropped his broom at once. "Yes, Boss."

The man groaned, rubbing his temple. "How many times, Tate? It’s Sergeant Danforth."

"Yes, Bo..."

"Just go."

The young man dipped his head, gathered the papers, and slipped out - though not before Ashe’s gaze lingered on him.

[Workhand: 86 sigils]

'Interesting.' 

Not the array that caught her attention, nor the number of his sigils. The collar did. A slave. No surprise there, not even far south. What did surprise her was how well-kept he was. Clean clothes. Freshly bathed. No signs of hunger in his frame. 

'What a lucky bastard.'

"Sorry about that. It's been a mess since the entry requirements were tightened," said the man, checking her out.

"Report your whereabouts, I presume, Miss..."

"Ashe Aken," she stated, continuing on with presenting her Citizen Card and a description of their inn that Yonas gave her. When he asked her purpose in Castiana, she kept her answer consistent with what she said at the main gate.

"All right, that’ll do - for now. But if your residence or work changes, you’re required to report it. Failure to do so could get you arrested."

"That happen often?"

"What does?"

"People getting arrested. For forgetting."

"Since the new measures? Every damn day. But stick to the rules, and you won’t have trouble. Now, if that’s all..."

"Pardon me. The ones you detain - do you keep them here?"

The man squinted. ‘Fuck. Too much.’

"I only ask because, when I entered the city, I saw a woman… well, the only way to describe it is losing herself."

"Ah, that. They go to our infirmary. Kept under care until they recover. Nothing to worry about. Few days, and they’re discharged."

Plenty of questions burned on her tongue, but pushing further would only draw the wrong kind of attention. Besides, she had already learned enough. The woman at the gate had been mind-touched - Ashe knew it. And this city? They knew how to handle such things. Had healers trained for it.

With that, Ashe turned and left.

Impressed, though still unsure about the whole mind mage thing, and frustrated at learning nothing about Zander, Ashe didn’t head for the gate. Instead, she pressed deeper into the barracks. Any scrap of information could be useful.

Then she reached the training grounds. And stopped cold.

The Lattice, boosted by her weaves to work beyond the usual range, fed details straight into her mind. Among the many training there, a man standing in the yard, training a young terr’den woman, caught her attention.

[Master Fighter: ₪ sigils]

'Fuck my arse!' A slow, cold dread settled in her gut. Even with her 245 sigils, even with the strength of her weaves, she couldn’t gauge the full measure of him. 

'Best to leave this one alone.' 

Ashe was ready to slip away when he turned. Their eyes met.

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