Chapter 29

"What happened after all that then?" Bromyr's lips quivered as tears leaked from his beady eyes. Talia rubbed away her own tears as her body shook. She shook her head, most of what happened after that was nothing but a blur.

"Nazir was pissed. Midnight managed to drug Talia into oblivion after a bit of a fight but by then Amber had... Passed on. When he got us home he set himself to task teaching us who was in charge. He put Talia into a machine made of a very rare metal. It was designed to hurt giants until their minds melted with the agony. It had hundreds of little needles he could screw into her skin over time. She spent two years in that thing. He starved her the entire time. Her mind broke about a year and a half in.

"He made me watch every time he'd dig those little needles in. She'd scream for hours and hours, her body would quiver. If she moved she'd blind herself again for a few days. If she twisted her bones would break again. So she'd just... Sit there and take it. Every so often Midnight would sneak in to hand feed her but if Nazir caught her he'd whip her until her skin was hanging off her bones... It was a really bad time for all of us." They both shuddered with glassy eyes.

She could remember some of the time she spent in the cage Nazir had built for her. She had tried so hard to keep Amber's name on her lips, to remember what it was like to be loved. To be held. To be treated like a child. But the more he would dig the metal needles into her skin the more her mind would swim with madness. Ever twist would melt her thoughts and fill her mind with the sounds of her own screams. And every time he would ask her who she served. Her answer had always been 'Hephatus' until the very last day. The last time he ever carved her apart, the last time he ever choked her until she passed out.

"Who do you serve?" He had asked as he tightened the collar on her throat. She was already gasping for air. She couldn't move unless she wanted to hurt herself more, unless she wanted to feel the sting of the metal in her bones. The sharp tips were already so close to piercing her bones. She choked as the darkness consumed her vision again. The roof of the caves were always so bland and brown but she didn't want to stop seeing them as he pushed her back into unconsciousness. She didn't want to live like this anymore. She didn't want to live anymore.

"You." She managed to croak after her eyelids could no longer stay open. In an instant the pressure released and she was free to gasp at the luxurious air. She kept her eyes closed as Nazir's laughter filled the cave.

"After everything he did you gave in?" Lotus sounded incredulous. Talia snapped back to reality with a snarl,

"What did you expect? Did you think I could win? I was fourteen. I barely even had a grasp on who I was, let alone my abilities. He knew just how to break me down. I couldn't last forever." She wanted to be angry at the girl for her obvious disbelief. But Lotus had never known the sort of torture that Talia had to survive. She didn't know what true agony was. What true suffering was.

"Quiet you incredulous girl. Have you ever been chained? Have you ever been so broken your soul could not recover? Unless you could survive two years in those conditions I'd stay silent." Floki snapped at Lotus. Talia had never been so thankful for the older dwarf.

"He's right. I doubt any of us could have lived, let alone survived. You're very well put together for having survived that." Bromyr remarked quietly. Talia had never seen him so subdued in his life. He hid his gaze from her as he watched the road ahead instead.

"I never lost faith in Hephatus... Even though I'm sure she couldn't have faulted me if I did. I always told myself she would save me, she would heal me, she would guide me. I don't know if she couldn't see what he was doing or if she couldn't stop it. In the end I realized I had to save myself if I wanted to live. Amber isn't here anymore but I still have Nico, I still have Jax, and I still have her name. We didn't find out until several years after we were granted our freedom that Amber left us everything in her will. Her servants have kept it running for us since that day we lost her." Talia visited on occasion just to make sure it was still standing, that it was still Amber's home. Just the way she loved it.

"What happens when all this is over? When you get us to the kingdom safely?" Bromyr looked back to her. She could see genuine concern swirling in his eyes. She could tell from the start he had too big a heart for his tiny frame.

"I don't know. This dragon changes things. I can't let him take control of me with her. If he controls me he controls her." She reached up and stroked Reezara's small head with her fingers. How could she allow Nazir to control them now? She feared the pain he could inflict but more than that she feared what he would do with the power Reezara could offer.

"You can always stay in the kingdom for a time. Not as a tool or a weapon, but as... A friend. You saved all of our lives we owe you that much. I could offer you a title and a room, maybe even some land. I know it isn't much and maybe he'll still find you again..." Bromyr stroked his beard thoughtfully as he quieted. Talia made a face, she wasn't sure if she was flattered or insulted. The feeling was usually synonymous for her.

"I'll... Think about it. Thank you." She nodded at them before looking back to the road, they still had a long ways to go. She couldn't think about titles, land, or living until her job was finished. As the miles melted away she instead chose to consider their next destination, Arboros.

XXXXXX

Weeks passed as they picked their way through perilous mountains, deep marshes, steep valleys, and along lakeshores. The roads to the city were sometimes worn well and full of traffic but Nico ensured that for the most part they stuck to the back-trails. It would end up taking them nearly a weeks more time but in the end Talia was sure it would save them unimaginable trouble.

Finally they arrived on the main road that would lead straight to the city gates. The moons were high as they made camp. Talia looked out over the plains with a twisting feeling in her guts. She could see the glittering white city nearly a days ride out. To the west was a small mountain range with three jagged peaks that pierced into the heavens as if to stab the stars from the skies themselves. The Boar's-Teeth mountains, home to her family. Home to Nazir. She wondered if he was staring out at that moment impatiently awaiting her return.

To the east was where Bromyr's mountains lie, his kingdom was still several weeks hard riding away but she was assured somewhat at how close they were finally getting. At their pace she hoped that there would be minimal incidents. They would stop in Arboros for a few days to rest and recover the horses and supplies then move on once more. Though that alone brought a wide array of risks, the worst of which was to herself and Reezara.

Arboros was a city of intolerance. The humans that lived within hated anything and anyone who wasn't also a clear human. The only people who would be truly welcomed would likely be Lotus and Nico. They would have to sneak the dwarves in and hope that they could hide long enough to get what they needed done. She would also have to hide Reezara and herself well enough to avoid problems. They would have to rely on Lotus and Nico entirely. She trusted one, the other was still unclear to her. She eyed Lotus as the woman laid out her sleeping-mat.

"Do you think she's capable of this? If we are discovered she may have to kill." Talia stroked Reezara's back slowly as she pondered the chances they had of avoiding problems. Lotus didn't stand out in Amethyst Cove but they were much farther inland now, her bronzed skin made her an outcast.

"If not you certainly are." Reezara blinked slowly as she stretched her wings out. She was bigger than Talia's lap now, her head was nearly as big as Talia's hand too. Talia pinched Reezara's horn with a snort,

"I know that silly. But we have to hide remember? Even my height could give me away, so there will be no helping her unless absolutely necessary. If she needs to kill a person to keep us hidden I wonder if she could do it. She'd have to strike fast, I wonder if she even knows how to kill silently? To keep them from screaming." She tickled under Reezara's chin as she imagined all the ways to kill a man without him making a sound. Piercing a lung, slashing his throat, breaking his neck, so many different ways. But she was seasoned at it, of course she could name a dozen methods. Lotus was a scrub, a wet-behind-the-ears baby.

"She's got a lot more strength to her than you know. She's dedicated, determined, and willing to give everything to make this work. I've seen it in her heart, she won't disappoint if you give her the chance." Reezara's words caught Talia off guard. She peered down at the dragon with a soft smile, if she was so certain perhaps she wouldn't have to be so worried. Even so she was going to make sure Lotus knew the risks. And the cost of failure.

"Be nice to her, she just wants to feel useful. Not to mention repay you for freeing her." Reezara offered Talia a toothy sneer before she leapt off of her lap and ran over to Nico's. Nico smiled before picking her up like a cat and tossing her into the air. Talia grumbled, what an odd little serpent. She enjoyed getting as much attention as possible from everyone, especially Nico.

"Lotus!" She called as she got to her feet to walk over to the woman's camp spot. Lotus rose quickly with a rigid spine before brushing herself off and bowing deeply. Talia was getting a little tired of her stiff formality. They'd been getting to know each other for weeks, hadn't they gotten past the formal rigidity?

"Yes, my Lady?" Her greeting was quick and terse as always. Talia slapped the back of Lotus's head with a frown,

"Stop that! And stop bowing, I told you I don't care about titles. Anyway I was just checking in to make sure you're ready for tomorrow. You'll have to check the horses into the stables, buy their food, buy our supplies, all of it. The dwarves and myself will hide in the southern district while you and Nico reside in the upper-quarter. Any decent Inn will do, just don't draw attention to yourself.

After you get set up in the Inn make sure you get everything we need. Dried meats and fruits will probably be best. Check in with the dwarves and see if they need anything special. Oh and if you are discovered to be harboring dwarves or myself you'll probably have to kill people. You're down for that right?" She waited with a cool expression on her face as she waited for Lotus's reaction. Lotus rubbed the back of her head as she pinched her eyes shut.

"Uhg... Yeah? I mean, right." Talia raised a brow at her as she continued to rub her head. Had she accidentally given her a concussion? She absentmindedly tucked her hands behind her back just in case she felt the need to chastise the woman again.

"I'll check in with them tomorrow morning. As for the killing bit I'll do anything to keep you, Reezara, and the dwarves safe. I've sworn to do this on my life and my honor. If it means drawing the blood of man so be it." Talia had to admit she was slightly impressed but saying it was one thing, doing it was another.

"You'll have to be very quiet if you do end up killing someone. Remember to hide the body. I recommend going for the throat for a kill shot, but the lungs will do just as fine. If it comes to a large crowd of people send out a signal so that we can all work on getting out, though I don't anticipate such a situation. Or I hope we don't have one, I'm not really down for drawing a lot of attention to myself here. Other than that Nico will help you and show you how this sort of thing is done. Get a good nights sleep, it very well could be your last for a while." She turned back to her own bedroll with a casual wave. Lotus gulped audibly but said nothing as Talia left her to her devices.

"I'll be running the show, I doubt she'll need to do anything more than smile and look nice." Nico's thoughts penetrated Talia's mind softly. She rubbed her temple as she curled onto her bed for the night.

"Can't you ever knock? Or... I don't know... Warn me?" She rubbed at her left eye gingerly. It was all but healed now, though the scars had sealed the eyelids shut. She should have tried to pry them open long before the skin healed but she never really thought about it.

"You've been getting bad headaches a lot lately haven't you?" She closed her eye and sighed wishing she could just fall asleep on command. His concern wasn't what she was after in that moment. Not to mention her annoyance had gone unheeded.

"It'll be fine in the morning. Let's just get some sleep. I hate this gods forsaken city." She didn't anticipate gazing upon its bleach white walls once again. It was sort of like a skeleton, especially considering the huge wave of poverty that had decimated its working and middle class. The city had once been a booming metropolis for trade and worship, it hosted a temple to nearly every god and goddess, though some were more hole-in-the-wall temples while others resembled fine cathedrals. Now they were all abandoned and homes for the rats.

"You and me both. But we won't be here long. Hopefully we'll make it to the hotsprings in the north in a weeks time. I know how much you've been looking forward to that." His voice was soft, she could tell he was drifting to sleep. She was too. As her mind slowed and her thoughts drifted she felt Reezara curl up against her. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around her.

"I will miss this when you're bigger than me." She mumbled before finally relinquishing to sleep. Reezara nuzzled Talia's chin affectionately,

"Don't worry, it'll just mean it's my turn to wrap you up safely."