Sort of.
Chapter 10
July, 27, 1949, Outskirts of Leacon
The bruised and battered Hoverer landed off to one side of the gate in the outer wall of Leacon. Bag gripped in one hand, Jarro dropped onto the sand and stood for a second breathing deeply. A distance away the sister craft had arrived sometime earlier, Rosie the Captain sprawled on the wing. She pushed herself off onto the sand and started toward them.
A shove to the small of his back sent him sprawling forward, “You make a better wall then a door.” Retin stepped down behind him.
“Now was there any need for that?” He gave her a hurt look.
To his surprise the assassin sighed, “Not really, sorry. I just think that I would rather spend a year on a boat then go on that hoverer again.”
“This time I agree heartily with you.” Edward sighed following after.
As soon as Beladine was with ear shot she called out, “What happened? One moment you were chuffing along behind us then, Poof!” She gestured wildly with her arms, “You weren't!”
“You did not see the fire?”
She looked blank, “What fire?”
“You didn't see it.” Jarro started laughing, the danger that his majesty had been so concerned about had happened and the guards never even noticed. Oh the fun he would have when they got back. No one else look particularly amused however.
“Why did you think we were not there? Sightseeing maybe?” Edward stood, arms folded, glaring at the sheepish Captain.
“No! We circled for an hour around the area we last spotted you, but we saw nothing.”
“Well, the mage did cast a glamour to hide us. That the only explanation I can think of.” Edward stated, puzzled.
“Lets just get to the citadel.” Lunarious walked over, a shuffling Ellen behind her.
“We're not allowed to go there until morning, but I found a high class inn, The Roast Hog, and it is not too far.” Beladine cheerfully announced, relieved that no one was blaming her.
Loony groaned, “I hope my poor legs can make it.”
“They will!” Beladine slapped her back almost sending the Loony to her knees.
It was a quarter of an hour before they reached the aforementioned inn. It was everything he hoped for, a slab of rock for a bed and food a chemist couldn't have identified.
Loony glanced at the food and announce she was not hungry, Retin and Edward ate without comment. Jarro gloomily stared at the stuff on his spoon, maybe that bit of orange could be carrot? The only thing that stopped him from throwing it out was the smell, it wafted promising and sweet. Maybe if he closed his eyes...
Eyes squeezed shut Jarro felt someone slide opposite him. He ignored them and kept spooning the creamy goo into his mouth.
“So your the new recruit. Younger than I imagined.” Still blind to the world Jarro creased his forehead, the voice was melodic, and a heavy with a Grycite accent. “High in the Brilsion government too or so I hear.”
“Huh?” Recruit? What for? He decided to plead ignorance for now and try to find out what is going on.
“I do not think so, six foot tall, hair looks like you crawled though a shrubbery, part of the retinue from Brilsion I assume? your eyes are brown too, sounds like you does it not?”
“Apart from my position you could have described any one of a hundred people.” Oh great, so she knew about him but he knew nothing about her, this was not fair.
“But you are him. Stop playing dumb, and open your eyes.”
“Shelia? What are you doing?” Edward voice conveyed no small mount of alarm.
“Ahh, Edward nice to see you too, your friend is playing hard to get.” She knew Edward, who is part of the Reformers, and she kept on about him being a recruit. Jarro almost felt a light switch on.
He opened his eyes, Edward looking pale, stood stunned. Jarro took the initiative - if he played along Edward would have no choice but to let him in on his plans, or so he hoped anyway, the mage played his cards very close to his chest.
“Oh - is she a friend?” Jarro turned back to the woman, she wore an red evening dress, with gold trim at neck, wrists and waist, and her near-black skin shone, “Are you our contact? Sorry about not answering before - I did not want to risk it if you were one of 'them'.” he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper at the last word.
She blinked and her eyes flicked to the mage who was standing one hand over his face, “One of 'them'?”
“Oh yes, it would give the whole game away, and nasty people would hunt me down and cut my throat.” This really was the most fun he'd had in days, both Edward and the Grycite woman looked like people who had just stepped into a paddling pool, and ended up in over their heads.
The Grycite woman turned to Edward, “You really recruited him?”
“No, he's having you on,” Edward took a deep breath, “She's a friend, you can drop the act. I told the reformers in Merka that I recruited you so they wouldn't kill you, the story must have spread, but not that many people could have heard of you.”
“Good luck with that, everyone was talking about it down at the base.”
Jarro blinked, and Edward sunk, his head buried in his hands, Shelia paused, “Either let him join for real or be ready to find a dead body.”
“In that case I'll join now if it is all the same to you I would like to live to see tomorrow.” Jarro folded his arms, determined.
“I don't like this, what happens when he slips up?” Jarro felt this was a little insulting, but given his track record , a reputation for messing things up was to be expected.
“Slips up what? So long as he doesn't go about announcing that he became a member by accident he'll be fine.” Shelia waver aside Edwards worries.
“But...” Edward, hovered, uncertain.
“It will be fine,” Shelia reassured him, from across the bar a man waved at her, “Got to go, listen out for me! You tell him whatever you think he needs to know.” She bounded across the crowded room, whirled before exiting through a side door, winked and disappeared.
Jarro stared at the door for a moment before asking Edward, “What did she mean, listen out?”
“She's a singer.” The mage vaguely replied, his eyes focused on table.
“Oh, okay.” Jarro shifted, uncomfortable. “So um, are you going to tell me what this mission of your about?”
“I am just debating how best to explain it.” He push his hair back, “Alright, now this is by no means all that is happening but it is the basis. The Reformers are made up of multiple factions, each one has it's own leader, and it's own rules. Now this treaty between Brilsion and the Ignatumlands is causing a lot of controversy among us, some are for it, nevertheless there are a lot who are against it.” He stopped, pondering how to continue.
Jarro asked carefully, uncertain as to whether he would be answered, “Do they want us to go to war, or stay the way we are?”
“Some want war, others don't, really everyone has there own view of this treaty.”
“So... any chance you could tell me why Retin hates you quite so much?”
“I am as far as everyone else knows, so far against this treaty that I would rather start a world war that would last another twenty years than let this it be passed. It was the only way to get in contact with the Reformers here - if I was for the treaty they wouldn't tell me anything.”
“That would do it, um, so do I need to do anything special so I won't get shot?”
“Huh?”
Jarro clarified, “To join the Reformers.”
Edward sighed, defeated. “This is going to end badly. No, there is nothing you have to do, I'll inform my friends in Brilsion about you and they will do the rest.”
“Can I tell Retin?”
“No.”
The lights dimmed and a spotlight highlighted Shelia standing, her delicate wings unfurled. A hush filled the room, and her voice rose, haunting and dark. Jarro excused himself leaving Edward slouched at the table alone. He walked past four of Rosie's guards sat in the outer room, mugs of beer and cards on the table. They barely glanced up as he rambled past. Outside on the streets the only visible life were moths bouncing off the windows, vainly trying to get to the light inside.
Jarro started down between the stone houses that lined that road, the dark rarely bothered him, however there was something off about the night, he ignored the sensation, putting it down to nerves. He just wanted to walk, he often did when thinking, it helped to have the scenery go by, it cleared away the unnecessary thoughts.
Jarro finally halted a couple of blocks away from the inn, contemplating whether or not to turn back, when a hand covered his mouth. Panicking he bit down and the bitter taste of leather made him gag.
From somewhere close a female voice drawled, “Now what do we have here?”
A guttural voice next to his ear said something in Grycition and sniggered, then a light blinded him, an exclamation followed.
“Human eh?” the voice came closer, Jarro found his self staring up into a pair of yellow-grey eyes in a ivory face, a wisp of pale blond hair caressing her cheek. As their eyes met she let out a slight out take of breath. “You! How can you possibly be here?”
“Hi to you too.” Jarro answered coldly, “Though you'd seen to us good and proper with the slavers?”
Therry smiled, “How did you know I took part?”
“I listened, you were hardly quiet.” he shifted, “Are...are you going to kill me now?” he avoided her eyes, clenching his fists to stop the shacking.
She ignored his question, “Did you tell Edward about me?”
Jarro laughed shortly, “Oh yeah, I did, he didn't believe me though.”
“Really?”
“Don't worry, I'll talk him round, seeing you here, and your reaction to such should help tremendously.” Jarro knew provoking her was borderline insane, but he could not help himself.
“You won't say a thing. A simple spell will see to that.”
A vibrant glow lite up the street, Jarro squinted at her, last time someone cast a spell on him he ended up with wings; and Edward didn't want him dead.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Doing a simple memory wipe to see that your tongue doesn't flap, you'll lose ten minutes at most.”
Yellow-grey eyes met his, “Sleep.” the command sunk into his subconscious, “You'll wake up tomorrow without a memory of me. Won't that be nice?”
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