Hounds Rising

As they left the Athenaeum, Lyla’s mind raced. She tried to piece everything together but was overwhelmed with information and couldn’t find the right way to put everything into one space. Ramona planned to bring back the Dark Crow. The Dark Crow was part of a series of generals in a military force operated by Asmodeus, a devil with immense power. All of this information was put into the Book of Io, which was kept secret by the Monastery of Gildenfire. The Dark Order was on their way to the monastery to retrieve the book and possibly kill her.

Was Ramona connected to the Dark Order?

She knew little of the Dark Order except from what Rhokhishi had told them. They were a mysterious group, secretly run by The Eternal Pillars in some way, enacting evil. At the same time, The Eternal Pillars put on a front of being an organized religious force for good. Their only other information was on The Justifiable, but there still needed to be more. Further, who was The Curator? What was his agenda through this, and what did he mean in his hidden note in the Book of Io?

She didn’t even realize they had traveled so far, but they were already across the district. She heard her sister’s voice in her mind and realized they must be close. She stopped, which caused Leaf to pause and look at her quizzically.

“Myla is nearby. There must be a tavern close by.”

They searched through the streets and were greeted by loud voices and music. Leaf pointed in the direction of the sound and quickly made their way to The Jaded Tavern. Lyla saw Myla sitting at a table near the window, arm-wrestling a goliath. It didn’t look like her sister would be strong enough, but in their drunken states, she kept up and even overtook the goliath’s strength.

Lyla made her way inside with Leaf and took in the view. To the left of her, a series of locked cabinets were placed against the wall. She assumed they were used by patrons who didn’t want to keep their items on hand. To her right, she could see tables full of people and a bar at the other end where a male water genasi served from three large barrels of ale. The party was near the bar, clearly drunk, loud, and making a scene.

Lyla saw two female half-elves working. They dressed in tiny skirts that left little to the imagination and low-cut tops that barely held their chests from view. Lyla saw that the bar patrons would drop gold and platinum coins into the women’s coin purses, which would start the transaction of keeping the women there longer.

Lyla could see down the hall where two bathrooms were. One of the half-elves walked through a third doorway, and she saw clothes just inside, similar to the ones they were wearing. Her mind had already forgotten their time at the Athenaeum, and money became her subsequent fixation.

She looked at Leaf, who saw what her focus was on, then started to walk down the hallway. Lyla could hear Leaf mutter something, and the colder air hit her back as she realized that Leaf walked back out the door. The half-elf walked out and passed her, giving her a smile and wink, then went back onto the main area to serve and make more money.

She listened carefully and couldn’t hear anyone else, so she turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. Quickly, Lyla hopped into the room and closed the door behind her. What she didn’t expect was for it to be completely dark.

Lyla reached into her pouch and rummaged around for a moment. She felt the item and pulled out a small torch. While not helpful in cave-dwelling or seeing far away, it would provide precisely the amount of light she needed without being too much of a problem. She lit the torch with her tinderbox and lifted it up to look around her.

Inside the room, she saw a mixture of different things. Multiple boxes were stacked near the window to her left and in the far right corner. A small desk filled with paperwork and ledgers of transactions was in the far left corner. Next to her, though, she found a rod with various types of clothes hanging. Looking at the different items, she chose one she thought would fit her best.

Careful not to start a fire, she set the torch halfway off a box and changed clothes. The place was too busy, and she doubted they would notice someone else helping. The amount of money she could make, and maybe even get some free drinks out of it, would be great.

She finished changing and set her satchel aside so that she could return for it quickly, but without it being noticed immediately by anyone who worked there. Walking toward the door, she remembered the torch and grabbed it.

I gotta put this out! She thought, frantically realizing a flaw in her plan.

She looked around and couldn’t find any water or a place to put it. She then realized that she did have one way! She focused her ki, thinking back on her time in the monastery and the first time she learned this ability. Carefully, she moved to punch at the torch and released her ki outward. In a flash, the cold energy erupted from her chest, up her shoulder, down her arm, and out through her palm. The blast hit the torch, which started to grow frost immediately.

CRASH!

Behind the torch, a box was pushed off another and crashed into the window before opening and spilling its contents all over the floor. Lyla’s heart raced, and her ears became hot immediately. She tried to listen, but her heartbeat seemed louder than any other sound. She took a deep breath, then realized that the music should still be going.

The music stopped!