2412 Strilaxis 2, Daleth

Reeca resisted the urge to roll her eyes as June caught up to her at the edge of the pavement. The sun bore down on them, making Reeca regret ever agreeing to Vikara's plan of dressing them up as human Nobles. Sweat beaded on her forehead and poured down her back and she couldn't do anything to wipe them away.

June's leather shoes clacked against the cobblestones as he shifted his weight from one foot to another. He muttered a string of curses. Reeca sighed. She felt like cursing too. With her toes jammed into flat, leather shoes notches smaller, pain throbbed in her ankles and shins every time she took a step. An irrational part of her feared that she wouldn't have toes after this whole endeavor was done.

"When would that ride get here?" June pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. Vikara had insisted that he dye his hair a more human-like color to avoid being noticed. After a period of whining and cursing, June chose black.

It took Reeca a long time before she could get used to her companion. If anything, she could misplace him in a crowd of bustling humans and she wouldn't bother finding him.

"Vikara did say the carriage will get here some time soon," Reeca glanced at the timeteller Vikara gave her. It didn't possess the normal quarters. Instead, the hands simply ticked closer and closer to a set groove pointing north. That's how much time they have left.

June tugged at his suit's sleeves, cursing everything from the length, the color, and the cloth it was made from. "Have you seen this material?" he waved his arm in Reeca's face. "I could weave something better than this!"

"Then why did you not weave it yourself, hmm?" Reeca snapped, slapping June's arm away. It was a hassle speaking in Ylanenla, too. Such a simple language for a simple set of people. Sadly, they have to do everything they could to not stick out of the crowd if they were to make it inside the Royalty region.

June crossed his arms and muttered under his breath something about graspel in Noble's clothing. Reeca rolled her eyes for real.

The plan was simple enough. Ride a carriage towards the Palace in the guise of attending a delegation meeting, sneak inside the Palace and into the dungeons. Hopefully, if the Draswists were still there, sneak them back out, and be done with it. Everybody won if everyone was happy.

Dread curled in her gut. Anything could go wrong from here. Planning has its joys but Reeca wasn't thrilled now that she was in the middle of enacting it. She clasped her clammy hands in front of her. They itched for the pommel of her trusty sword.

A four-legged animal with a brown coat brayed as it cantered to where Reeca and June stood. Having spent some time in Cardina, Reeca learned its name to be dagrine. Kind of like the ones they use in Narfalk but with lesser horns and tamer disposition.

A stout man seated at the coach dropped to the ground, the twin tails of his suit flapping with the motion. He tipped his rimmed, black hat at them.

"Royalty region?" the man scratched his dark beard and jerked his head towards the waiting carriage.

"As intended," Reeca answered, abiding by the protocol Vikara had grilled into her mind before sending them off. She liked how the woman was looking at her to lead this mission into completion and not relying on June. That must mean that she got the woman's trust, somehow.

All according to plan.

Reeca accepted the coach's hand, placed her foot in the carriage's small steps, and ducked inside. Her slippers clamped at the hem of her dress and she almost toppled forward. Her arm shot out and braced the carriage's window. Ugh. Stupid gown. How could anyone wear this and feel superior?

When all of her fabrics were bunched up inside, June climbed in and sat on the cushioned seat opposite her. She glared at him. "What are you doing?" she slapped the textile that's supposed to be her skirts away from the space next to her. "We need to sit together!"

The coach's hum floated in the air while he slammed the carriage's door shut and strode back to his place by the dagrine's reins. June snorted. "Damn, someone is excited," he muttered as he stood and lumbered his way towards Reeca's side.

"Shut it, witch," Reeca snapped.

June plopped next to her and tousled his hair out of his forehead. He frowned when the dye stained his fingers. The reins cracked, dagrine neighed, and the carriage lurched forward. Wooden wheels slapped the cobblestones in a systematic pattern as the scenery outside the window moved forward in a slow crawl.

Reeca reached out and drew the curtains close. They didn't need anyone spying at them from the outside. The velvet cloth muffled the sunlight and gave the entire carriage a sort of a dim, crimson tinge. Hot, sticky air slapped Reeca's face and tortured her lungs as the carriage lumbered towards the Palace.

Ugh. Why was it so hot in Cardina? Why couldn't the Virtakios be in a mountainous territory or in the middle of a forest?

Reeca pursed her lips. Of course, that's why she was here in the first place. Her brother assigned her to Cardina against her wishes. She hated this place since she had heard of its existence. But, after spending years going nowhere with their plan, the circumstances finally aligned and Reeca knew her brother wouldn't want to miss the chance to take it.

Whatever it took, wherever it led them, they swore to each other that they would see to it that their plan succeeded.

She glanced at the sloping ceiling padded with soft, gray lining then at June. He sat with his arms crossed against his chest. His eyes were closed. He's sleeping at a time like this? She shook her head. Unbelievable.

Reeca reached out and parted the curtains slightly. Outside, the Nobility bled into a moving scenery of carriages, paved roads, chattering Nobles followed around by servants bearing crates of goods, and platoons of Civil Guards strolling the city with their net-guns hooked and loaded.

Her nose wrinkled and she let the curtain back down. If there was one thing she learned by being in Cardina, it's that she was never going to go back here. Humans, if possible, were the most obnoxious race around and that's coming from her as a varichria. Her race wasn't popular among fairies, either, but compared to Humans, the sentiment against varichriais weren't that scathing or derogatory.

Humans got one thing right, though. Fairies look down on them. However, unlike what a majority of the human population knew, fairies didn't wish to eradicate humans. They didn't even want to step foot anywhere in Cardina unless, like Reeca, they have other reasons to be here.

Reeca blew a breath as she tucked her arms beneath her chest. Her bell-sleeves itched at her wrists. The dress's bodice bit at her stomach and the skirt turned her legs into an oven. Without anyone watching, Reeca wiped at the beads of sweat dripping down her neck and proceeded to wipe her hand on her skirt. Ew.

For now, though, she would have to stick to their present plan. Sneak into the Palace disguised as a Noble, go to the dungeon, and if they're lucky and the Draswists were still inside, bust them out and leave the fighting to Vikara and the others.

She swallowed against the growing scratchy feeling on her throat. Vikara. Now, that's a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit in into the big picture. Working for an organization called Synketros and fighting an unknown enemy called Cardovia. Reeca couldn't wrap her head around it. Her brother, Rhys, did mention that there were strange forces in the shadows but none ever showed up in their faces like this one did.

It was, at its core, harder to unravel than Reeca had anticipated. For one, why would Vikara want to end the purges when she's human as well? Why would she want Xanthy to stay behind if it's her friends that the rest of them were trying to save, anyway? Finally, why would Vikara attack Kym's hovel in Asopus for trading flintlocks?

Probably one of the bigger questions was—how did Reeca, Xanthy, and June fit into this bigger puzzle?

Reeca clicked her tongue. She hated it when she couldn't figure something out. Something was going to happen judging from how Vikara was so eager to storm the Palace. Really? Two hours to bust prisoners out of one of the most guarded places in Cardina? Who gives out that kind of timeframe?

She pinched the bridge of her nose. Alright. Calm down. Focus on the task at hand. Do this for Xanthy to get her trust. Worry about the details later.

Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a stop. Reeca braced the window sill to avoid being thrown forward. What's going on?

"Business?" a deep, masculine voice echoed from the front. Reeca's blood ran cold. Civil Guards?

"Count and Countess Sandiega have an appointment with the Queen," the coach answered. His reedy voice slurred. Was he smoking oshella? "I think both parties would never want to be late."

"Understood," the Civil Guard said. Metal clinked and footsteps shuffled. Reeca heard them closer to the window. "Permission to draw the curtains for checking?"

"There is no need, Officer," the coach called from the front. "The Countess is extremely averse to bright lights. I can assure you that it is the Count and Countess inside. May we pass now?"

"Alright," the Civil Guard conceded. "You may pass."

"Thank you, Officer," the coach said. Reeca imagined him tipping his hat to the Civil Guard. "Have a great day ahead."

The carriage lurched before Reeca could hear the Civil Guard's reply. Reeca elbowed June awake and drew the curtain a small fraction away to show him where they were now. Merchant carts, other noble carriages, and some servants dressed in plain garbs on foot travelled on a long bridge.

Beyond it was a huge moat that seemed to have been dug around the whole Palace. Colorful lilies growing on thick clumps of padded leaves waved at Reeca from the moat's murky waters. A damp smell reached Reeca's nose and it took everything in her to not retch. Ugh.

After a few minutes, the carriage stopped again. This time, a gray, stone wall of great height towered over them. Reeca lifted the curtains a fraction of an inch to see that the bridge had ended in front of another gate. What now?

"Appointment to the Queen," the coach said as if it was a set of magical words. Well, in this part of Cardina, maybe they were. "We are running late."

Heavy footsteps thumped against the ground. "Who is inside? Why are the curtains drawn?" a feminine voice said, this time.

Reeca's breath hitched.

"The Countess Sandiega has an aversion to bright lights," the coach answered.

"We still need to confirm," the Civil Guard insisted. "Jer, draw the curtains."

"I told you—"

"Shut it, old man," the woman snapped. Metal clicked. "This is Palace security."

Reeca cursed. She squeezed her eyes shut and called for her synnavaim. Warmth tickled her skin as her magic rose from her soul to her fingertips. Outside, the coach continued on arguing the Civil Guards about the curtain. Come on. Come on.

She flexed her ring finger on her left hand and her index finger on her right, signalling the start of the weaving process. Blue weaving energy danced around the carriage's interior, gathering light and air and wrapping them together to form one sheet of camouflage.

She cursed when her woven strands kept slipping from her grasp. Damn! Intangible trails weren't her strong suit. Even now, that flaw has found a way to make her life harder. How annoying.

June's sharp breath intake told her enough. Sweat beaded on her forehead in a renewed torrent as the coach and the Civil Guards' voice rose into a debate crescendo. Come on. Just a bit more.

Her fingers flexed and wove in the movements Reeca had long memorized. Weaving was a delicate art and one mistake in a stitch could make everything go wrong. Now, weaving magic into things she can see was one thing . Weaving magic into the air to make people see what Reeca wanted them to see was another thing entirely.

The curtains were yanked away just as Reeca snapped her fingers to complete the spell. A woman dressed in a more regal version of the Civil Guard uniform poked her head inside the window. Reeca didn't dare breathe in keeping her spell active. If she got the illusion right, the Civil Guard must be seeing Vikara and Count Travis sitting on the cushions instead of June and Reeca.

If she got it right.

Reeca, along with June, watched the Civil Guard nod at them and let the curtain drop. The interior dimmed again. A relieved exhale escaped Reeca's chest. Oh, that was close.

"Pass," the Civil Guard called to the coach.

Oh, dear gods.