The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Ah, the mysterious panther." Stila said with a smile as she stood up and turned towards Qira. "The queen's whore."

"Da..." Shani called out, immediately stopping as the dragon huffed his hot breath across her face, his teeth back with the threat of death.

"I told you, hija. This is between your father and me. Be a good girl and be silent." Stila called over her shoulder to the downed assassin. "Show me your hands. Slowly."

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira lifted his hands from the cover of his cloak slowly as Stila ordered. Nothing was at the ready in his hands, but she could see his bandolier and blades at his hips. He stared at Stila with no emotion, not even betraying the shock at learning she knew intimate details about him and his loves.

"You are well-informed. I take it either Royer is paying you very well to care about the High Throne, or your obsession with Zaufberg has driven you to obsession with all of us," Qira said in a neutral tone. "Now... The question remains as to what you want with me. If you were only meant to kill me, you would've done it already."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I’m paid very well to know things. Royer is simply one of many.” Stila said with a shrug of her shoulders. “There is a bounty on the head of Royer’s grandchild. From Royer himself and…foreign thrones.”

“My message is simple. You will bring to me which whore is carrying the grandchild. If it is Jane Oarkney, she will be brought straight to Royer and kept as a prisoner. If it is the French mistress, she will be taken abroad to her fate. I will give you four days to comply.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Then perhaps not quite as well-informed as I thought," Qira murmured. "Very well, then. Four days, and she will arrive here in Wick. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a lot to do." He glanced briefly at Shani, keeping his tone and expression cold. The less he let on, the better. "And I would rather not have this one bleed out. Agents are expensive to train."

 

[heartofcourage]

Shani was barely hanging on to consciousness as both Stila and her father regarded her. She took in slow breaths to keep herself calm as the dragon loomed over her, still waiting for the final world to end her.

“Not so much an agent that you are concerned with, but a daughter that would rip your heart out of your chest.” Stila murmured, considering what her next move would be. “She’s worth quite a lot to Royer, not only for what happened to Hess but also the great dragon.”

Stila turned her gaze towards Qira, a small smile on her face as she spoke in Erygonian so that he would understand completely. “Her time is coming. You won’t save her when it does.”

“Altair.” Stila called as she moved to mount her dragon.

Ever so slowly, the pressure over Shani’s body relaxed as the dragon retreated and then took to the sky with a loud screech. Shani watched as the other mercenary soon joined and the entire world spun in a sickening way as relief crept over her.

“Da…”

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira stayed where he was until Stila and the other Rider were a distance away. Then he suddenly snapped into action and knelt at Shani's side, pulling her mask and hood down and loosening her chest piece to make it a little easier to breathe.

"Hold on, little cub," he murmured, surveying the two bolts briefly. "We need to move, but these need special care." He reached into a pouch on his belt, withdrawing a pair of wire cutters. They were just wide enough to get around the bolt shafts, and he gave Shani her own glove to bite down on while he pinned her leg down and carefully but quickly snapped the bolt off so it would be less likely to catch on anything. He repeated the action with her shoulder, moving quickly so she wouldn't suffer much more.

The instant the bolts were cut, Qira scooped Shani up and darted away. "Stay awake for me, love," he murmured as they went. He knew she wasn't likely to bleed out and she'd been through worse before, but he worried pain would make her pass out and leave her unable to do anything if another complication arose.

 

[heartofcourage]

Shani whimpered as Qira sprang into action, stripping away her face covers and loosening her armor to allow her to breathe.

“Da, I’m sorry.” She murmured. “I didn’t see him…”

He was focused on his task and soon she was biting on her glove to muffle her cries of pain as he made short work of the bolts.

Then they were running, Shani safe in his arms as he hurried away from the keep. “I can’t feel my arm.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll take care of that in a moment," Qira assured her calmly despite their rush to escape. He had several routes in mind, but had to backtrack a few times to avoid patrols out hunting escaped prisoners. When he finally got to the cover of the nearby woods, he turned southward. Once they were good and lost, Qira finally slowed down a bit. He was panting heavily at that point. Even if he was strong and Shani was small, carrying anyone at a near-sprint for such a long distance was taxing. When he finally came to a halt, he slowly lowered Shani to the ground and propped her up against an oak tree. Glancing up at the sky and back toward where they'd come from, he paused only a moment to think before kneeling by Shani to examine her wounds.

Finally away from imminent danger, Qira's cold mask fell and he leaned in to kiss Shani's cheek before pressing his forehead to hers. "We'll figure this out, little heart," he whispered in Erygonian to comfort her. "I've got you. I've always got you." He drew back and looked to her shoulder, having her lean forward against him so he could see both sides. Finding the awful barb protruding from the back of her shoulder, he forced himself to keep a straight face. He had basic medical training, but dealing with such deep wounds was beyond his expertise. "It's not too bad, as long as you keep this shoulder as still as you can," he murmured, pulling back to take off his cloak. He didn't hesitate to shred it apart with a knife, fashioning a makeshift sling for her useless arm, and a wrap for her thigh to protect the remainder of the bolt from getting caught on anything. With the bolts still embedded, there was very little blood. Extracting them would spell death by bloodloss without a doctor, so Qira knew he had to get Shani home immediately.

When he let Shani rest back against the tree, he lifted a hand to her cheek. "Stay still for me, little cub. I'm going to signal our Riders in to get us. We'll be home in no time."

 

[heartofcourage]

Shani was freezing, shaking uncontrollably as she tried to stop the chattering of her teeth. She was in shock, but she forced herself to remain calm. As Qira leaned down to speak to her, Shani gripped the front of his armor with her good arm. The pain was immense, but she focused on his gaze to calm down.

“I didn’t see him.” She murmured again. “I fucked up.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"You're still a new agent up against far greater enemies than you have the experience for," Qira told her softly. "We will discuss mistakes and further training when you're on the mend." He leaned in once more to nuzzle against her. Deciding it was too risky to go far from her, he reached into his belt and withdrew a small handful of smoke bombs. Selecting a white one meant to mimic a normal campfire so it wasn't so obvious, Qira lit the fuse with a flint and steel, and tossed it away. The line of smoke would signal in the Riders when they made a sweep. And even if someone else saw it, Qira knew he could hold his own as long as it wasn't Altair.

Qira carefully drew Shani in, feeling how cold she was. "Deep breaths," he encouraged, positioning her leg so it wouldn't strain or have pressure on it. "You'll be just fine..."

It was nearly a half-hour before a Rider came in to get them, the dragon taking Shani and Qira both in his hands so Shani could ride somewhat comfortably. At high speed, the group would arrive back at Edinburgh around noon. But around eleven o'clock, an unfamiliar dragon arrived first and was allowed to land outside the city when his Rider displayed a white cloth for peace. Kate was among the first to hear when the Rider handed over his passenger, none other than her sickly Uncle Abel. A Northern scout Rider arrived as well, warning of the approach of Shani and Qira.

"Kate! Rissa!" Rho's voice bellowed from down the hall as he hurried toward her newly-organized office. He came into the office doorway with a deeply anxious expression. "Kate. Shani turned one of the Dyne Riders. He just arrived with Abel in bad condition. And a scout just came in saying Qira and Shani are on the way, and they may be wounded. There's no sign of Cahal."

Kell was in the office with his two loves, going over correspondence that needed Kate's personal attention. The rest was handled by assistants lent by Soma. He immediately stood at the mention of a new Dyne Rider and Abel's arrival, and looked to Rissa when it was reported that her husband or daughter might be hurt. "Go meet them, eldere. I'll get Jan and Luna." He slipped past Rho and took off at a sprint.

Out in the courtyard, Xiang had submitted to temporary arrest til his story could be corroborated, and Abel was carefully lifted from his dragon's hands to be taken to the newly set up castle infirmary. Alex, Yasmine, and Loren were still en route to the city, so Jan and Luna were running things for the moment with their assistants and a few new additions in the form of local werefolk who'd come to offer service with Kate's return. Abel was pale and trembling, barely able to wake for longer than a few minutes at a time as fever held him in a vice grip. Tall as he was, he had grown so thin that he seemed more fragile than glass.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate immediately sent Rissa to the courtyard to wait for Qira and Shani, choosing to see to her uncle and witness his condition firsthand. Luna was already at work, assessing the situation with a gentle ease that marked her care. They would control his fever and give him back his strength, but he had gone without for so long that there would always be deficiencies. Kate stood a respectful distance away to give them privacy, but she shook in silent anger in seeing her uncle to badly abused.

"He simply needs better medications and foods than what they could give him." Luna reported to Kate when she was finished and left Jan to get Abel settled.

"He'll have it here. Anything that he needs, you're to give him." Kate murmured, looking to Luna. "And I want a full report on his condition, written in your own words. I'll report on it to the council."

"I'll see to the other two first and then get it to you first thing." Luna said with a nod, stepping aside so that Kate could see her uncle.

"Uncle." Kate said softly as she came to his side, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it gently. "You're safe now."

 

[KieranSoares]

Once settled in the infirmary, Jan and Luna had managed to at least get Abel to drink a bit. While medicine wouldn't sit comfortably with an empty stomach, they hoped plenty of water would tide him over til a rich broth could finish warming. When Kate came to Abel's side, Jan was there to gently prop Abel up with extra pillows. The old man could barely hold his head up longer than a few seconds, perhaps even worse than Andre's condition after imprisonment in Vienna. But once Kate took his hand, Abel gripped her hand weakly as if he was afraid to let go. He visibly began to tremble and tears gathered in his eyes.

"Kate..." He choked out, his free hand rising to lay over hers as well. His relief and sorrow were heavy, as if all the suffering of Wick had centered on him. "They took him north. He's sick..." All he could think of despite his own condition was his little brother.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And we will find him. I promise." Kate said softly as she took a seat next to his bed, gently reaching out to touch his cheek. "You'll stay here as my guest until you are well enough to return to Wick. Then I will help you with whatever you need to make it whole again. You won't want for anything anymore, I swear."

Kate leaned her head down until she rested it against his hands, her forehead against his skin as she sealed that promise between them. 'You need to rest and eat something. Jan will bring you a hot broth in a few moments and then some medication to help you relax."

 

[KieranSoares]

Abel managed to lift a hand to Kate's cheek briefly, but he soon drifted off as the simple act of being awake completely drained him.

Out in the courtyard, a Northern dragon landed near to Rissa. Already, a few tribal healers were waiting to tend to Qira and Shani if needed. As the dark dragon opened his hands, he revealed a wounded Shani curled up with her father. Qira had made sure to protect her wounds during flight, and was quickly up to get out of the healers' way. Two Wolves and a Lioness surrounded Shani, taking stock of her state briefly to see what was most urgent.

"Two bolts, and she was nearly crushed by a dragon," Qira reported quickly before the healers gathered Shani up on a stretcher. One turned to check on Qira but he waved her away. "Go to her. I wasn't hurt." Once they left him be, Qira turned toward Rissa. A hard ball of guilt settled into his stomach, knowing this was the third time Shani had come home hurt. While Darkwood had been mostly mild cuts and these new wounds weren't as bad as what Shani had suffered in London, Qira was keenly aware of just how difficult it was for Rissa to watch her only blood family suffer for the crown.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rissa was silent as she watched the healers gather around Shani. Her girl looked pale, jaw chattering as her eyes were narrowed in pain. Her brave daughter didn't even wince as they laid her out on a stretcher and hurried off for the infirmary where Luna would start the process of putting Shani back together again. When it was quiet again in the courtyard, Rissa turned towards Qira and let out a long sigh.

"She chose this." She said softly. "This is the life she wants."

It wasn't a cold comment, but one full of resignation. Her little girl, the only relation living that shared her blood, was a warrior. She had known it since Shani had taken her first steps. She was content only when she followed in Qira's shadow, doing what her father did. Shani was a tough woman, one that would do what she felt she needed to do when confronted with an issue. Rissa simply moved to take her husband's arm, knowing that he was just as disturbed by seeing their girl injured.

By the time they had made it to the infirmary, Luna had assessed the situation and met them outside the door. "The leg wound is a simple fix, embedded in muscle that will heal with time and rest. The shoulder...it's gone through completely, but I'm concerned about the numbness that she has. If it were me, I would leave it for Alex to assess. I would never want to injure her permanently."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Alex should be here tonight with the last of the wounded," Qira murmured, giving a nod to Luna. "I trust your advice to wait for him. Either way, she's discharged from duty completely until further notice regardless of wounds." He then looked down at Rissa, his normally-stoic expression now full of grave worry. "I have to speak to Kell immediately. As soon as everyone is here, we need to have a meeting."

He didn't want to leave his wife and daughter, but he knew he had limited time to get a plan in place. He leaned down to kiss Shani's cheek and then kissed Rissa. In friendly quarters, his stoic demeanor was cracking under heavy guilt both for Shani being hurt again, and for bringing a new problem to the North. He hurried out to find their Lord Protector, and soon had agents sent off to any leaders and major officers whose input they would need.

By dusk, Alex arrived leading the last train of wagons. Sam was carried in, his surgery still too fresh to even risk him walking around with crutches. He and Fiona were set up in a guest room on the first floor as Sam no longer needed to be in the infirmary as long as he was just resting. Jani and Ezra, however, still needed to be constantly monitored as Ezra couldn't move much at all, and Jani was dealing with a head injury. As soon as everyone was settled and stable, Alex turned his focus to Shani.

After a late dinner, Kell called a meeting of all active major officers and leaders, including those standing in for others. He chose to leave Sam and Fiona be for the moment. As such, Riley was brought in and Andre followed. Soma came as not only the strategist, but to help Kate as stand-ins for Sam. Kell offered Rissa the option to join if she could stand to be away from Shani for a moment, and also called in Blair and Finn.

Once all officers, leaders, scribes, and any necessary additions had gathered in the main dining hall, all the entrances and windows were shut and put under heavy guard. Kell and Qira stood at the head of the table with grave expressions.

"Thank you for gathering so quickly, everyone," Kell spoke up to quiet what little side-talk there was. "Everything we say here stays between us only. If anyone else needs to be brought in on this information, I will attend to that personally. None of this will be discussed outside this room." His eyes swept over every person in attendance, making his seriousness very clear despite how he trusted them.

"First of all, some context. Qira and Shani left last knight to infiltrate Wick, which has been completely taken over by Brennan Royer's Dyne Riders. Cahal and Abel were taken prisoner and, we now know, abused and neglected badly. Thanks to Shani's efforts, we now have another former Dyne Rider here who's turned coat." He glanced at Riley and Blair. "We will discuss this separately. He says Blair can vouch for him." Looking back over the whole group, he continued. "After turning this Rider to our side, Shani was able to convince him to bring Abel to us. He's thankfully alive and slowly stabilizing. Shani also met two other Dyne Riders and convinced them to go after Cahal... But as of an hour ago, a messenger brought us a gruesome message in the form of both those Riders' heads in a box. Cahal is being moved north to Royer's home islands, out of our reach. We believe these Riders were murdered by the same person who apprehended Shani and Qira."

Qira took over then, rarely ever addressing large groups. "Stila Oliveras was in Wick, and she and a cohort and that monstrous dragon pinned Shani down. They tortured Shani to make me come out and submit... Oliveras said that Royer knew he had an unborn grandchild, and there is a bounty out for the capture of its mother. But he doesn't know if it's Ramsey's mistress or wife. Either way, Stila commanded I bring the lady in question to her in four days. Given Stila's track record, I know that if I fail to produce results, she will enact some horrific punishment on our family. And considering she has been able to break in unseen and kill a dozen agents without a sound before..." Qira paused and shook his head. "She also made it clear that Royer has his eyes on Shani... Her identity has been completely compromised. So has mine. Stila knows very intimate, personal details that we have never shared outside close family, and she knows Shani's previous operations in far too much detail. She even knows that Shani met with Hesperus and freed Royer's wife."

As Qira spoke, Blair was growing more and more nervous and agitated beside Riley. She was visibly tense, gripping the table edge and unsure whether she was about to get into a fight over Jane's freedom, send Delphine to a terrible fate, or do something drastic to fend off Stila. Andre was faring little better, a deep-seated fear and hatred welling up for the woman who'd done such horrible things to him and those he loved.

"All of this is to say... we have a very limited time to come up with a plan," Kell summed up. "Being Blair's partner, Jane is as good as family. And we certainly can't handle Miss Delphine over as a scapegoat after we've promised her safety and earned Finn's trust and aid. We still have to deal with the Ferngills before we can turn to the Orkneys and Shetland islands. And regardless of all of that, Stila is a mercenary who will continue to operate even if Royer falls, ready to inflict pain and take people til she forces us to our knees and gets what she wants." His golden gaze flicked to Andre. "Given what she's done to us already... I'm not afraid to admit that she scares me. She always seems to be ten steps ahead. I fear that there's someone among us feeding her information that we haven't been able to root out in all this time, or she's working with a Caller who can gather that information themself."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Why fear her?" Riley asked, perhaps the most calm among those gathered in the great hall. "Why give her that power? Simply because she has a reputation? She's a mercenary and she can be bought. She's not loyal to Royer. She's loyal to coin."

"Be that as it may, she poses a threat." Kate answered back. "A threat that we cannot afford to confront right now. We have only just dug in here in Edinburgh."

"So, then we sweep through our trusted ranks and find who is giving her information. If you do not wish to have a confrontation head on, there's little that any of us can do. She can disappear back into Spain and we would be left wondering when she will next appear." Riley countered.

 

[KieranSoares]

"As much as I would love to simply buy Stila away from Royer, I fear the price she'll demand is something we won't be able to pay," Kell spoke up, glancing to Andre. "And even if she didn't ask the impossible, having her close to us would give her ample opportunity to take Andre and strike at you, Riley. I wouldn't put it past her to twist any deal we made."

"Then we fucking kill her," Blair snarled. "You've all told me everything she's done. I say we deal with her the way we dealt with Hesperus: we gather all the Riders we can, pin her down, and finish her off. Why haven't we just done that with Royer, for that matter?"

"Because these enemies are cunning and have defenses and strategies in place for just such attempts," Kell scolded Blair, knowing it was her youth and fire that made her so reckless. If there was any doubt left that she was a Blackstone, it had just been crushed. "Royer might be on the back foot, but his resources are incredibly formidable. There are still dozens of professional Riders on his side, a massive cache of advanced weapons, and then he has the support of Clan Ferngill, who are fearsome in their own right. Even if Orkney is no longer on Royer's side, he's still resisting too, adding to the threat up north. Whatever we choose to do, we have to be careful or we risk losing major players on our side for good."

 

[heartofcourage]

“We have lost too much to confront her head on.” Came a voice from the back of the room.

Every eye turned to find Fiona standing at the doors, pain etched into her features but standing under her own power.

“That is the sad reality of our position. We have fought as long as we could, but without the strength of seasoned veterans, we are at a stalemate.”

She walked towards the table, a few of her riders rising to offer her a chair which she waved away with her hand.

“In war, we must calculate what we might be willing to lose. Life. Land. Love. We know this as warriors, but we detest it all the same. Mercenaries like Stila are willing to lose it all. That is what makes us so vulnerable.”

“What we do have…is time. Seven months by my calculations. The terms have been set clearly. They want the child to live and to be put on the throne of Scotland.”

Fiona paused next to Kate and looked over each of those gathered, her blue gaze suddenly turning fierce. "If the one who is trading secrets is a rider, they better hope that I never find them. I will make crucifixion look like a better option than what I will do to you."

 

[KieranSoares]

In the silence that followed Fiona's declaration, Blair stood to face her sister. "... Then what do we do in the next four days?" she asked quietly after a long moment. "Oliveras won't just wait longer because we said so."

Ever since Jane had learned she was pregnant, Blair had become even more protective and she worried easily. And as she cast her gaze around the group gathered, she suddenly felt very unsafe knowing someone close to them all was feeding Stila information. "And if the person who's talking to Stila is here now, she's about to know for sure that Jane is her target."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Sit down, Blair." Fiona said softly. "The person who is trading secrets isn't here."

Glancing to Kell, Fiona already had her suspicions on who might have been the one to inform Stila of the situation. "A healer would be the only other one that knew the information. Someone that can pass unnoticed and travel without suspicion."

 

[KieranSoares]

"My greatest fear is that family has betrayed us," Kell murmured. "And knowing they could be close to someone vulnerable..." His mind immediately went to Shani, but he refused to panic or grow angry in the moment. "I can begin sweeping through our ranks right away. Quietly. I'll start with Alex. He's the least suspicious in my mind, and once he's cleared, he can give me an inside look to everyone else."

"That doesn't answer my question," Blair insisted. "What are we doing in the next four days? Stila will wreak havoc unless we have a plan."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You will have your question answered when there is an answer." Fiona snapped to Blair, looking at her with a firm gaze. "And let it be a lesson to you that you would sell Jane out by having an outburst like this in a less secure location."

Riley reached out an placed a hand on her aunt's shoulder to calm her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Blair's temper flared, her fists clenching and her gaze nearly mutinous, but she held her panic and rage as Riley took her shoulder. "I'm... sorry," she muttered. "I'm just scared..."

"You have every right to be. Betrayal from the inside is one of the worst possible scenarios," Kell sympathized calmly. "But I believe that among current company... We are with allies. This kind of panic and distrust is exactly how men like Royer prevail against their much larger enemies. It was part of how we prevailed against the Empire til the Council could be replaced."

Blair settled back into her seat in silence, and Kell looked to Fiona. "I will, of course, have our wounded and vulnerable carefully protected. And I think it would be of great use to get our Callers all together to consider how to deal with this dragon, Altair. Tanya has the most experience with him from her days in training, and I won't pretend I know anything about dealing with dragons like that. And as I said, I'll begin quietly sweeping through our medical staff. Lastly... Soma."

Kell turned toward the young strategist, finding Soma was already writing his own notes in code. Soma gave Kell a nod. "If I can find any way to negotiate with Royer or hold Stila off, you'll be the first to know," he promised. "Until then, I recommend a curfew order and careful tracking of correspondence. No one will like it, but it may help us figure out who's sneaking around."

 

[heartofcourage]

"So be it." Kate nodded. "A curfew will be in effect from 10pm each evening until dawn the next morning. Anyone caught breaking curfew will be held at my leisure."

As the meeting was dismissed and people began to disperse, Fiona leaned against the table and let out a sigh. "Sam was the one who had suspicions. He's noticed a number of new faces in and out of the infirmary while he's been healing."