Chapter 20

Screams suddenly resounded in the air. Disrupting the darkness of the night, was the reddish glow of light from within the property.

"Fire!" the shouts continued.

"What's all the ruckus for." Rick Worley said groggily, still not quite awake from the night's venture in liquor and pleasantries.

"Sir, I believe there's a fire."

"Yes, I know that. But, can they at least quiet down a little. Just get the water and put it out." His temples were really starting to throb. The aged grape wine of fifty years was quite rare to begin with, it was more than reason enough to overindulge on such occasion not to mention that considering his lifestyle, there seldom needed to be such a reason for one's full enjoyment of the world's offerings.

"Sir, I'll let them know of your suggestions once they get back. It shouldn't take long, since its west of us, which is close to the water pump."

"Ahh… That's good. Help me inside and someone get me something to snack on."

"West." The man with the six foxgloves tattooed on his arm immediately changed his demeanor. "You, take everyone to the west as fast as you can."

"Mr. Jihan?" The guard voiced his confusion respectfully.

"It's in the direction of the greenhouse."

Worleys face paled immediately. "Hurry up and go!" Now his temples were really starting to throb.

The thudding of footsteps, soon rang out as they ran off into the distance.

From the confines of the shadow, Vye and Kara watched on. Al's mission had been a success, now it was their turn.

Inside the manor, Worley was helped teetering back to his room by Jihan and another guard. His room was situated next to an elegant courtyard with a clean swept path surrounded by lush bushes and bright flowers. The greenery alone was a testament to the financial ease the owner found himself in. Its most eye-catching feature however, was none other than the twisting Sheraelyn tree that stretched quite a bit above the two story manor. There were few spectacular specimens such as the old tree. With its long degree of excellence that lead to nothing but admiration. So much so that the manor itself was built around the Sheraelyn tree. Otherwise, there was an unlikely chance that a member of the Falcon clan would find themselves in such an isolated area, quite a distance away from the city center. First came the tree, then the manor which brought wealth, and money brings the people seeking opportunity. Slowly but surely, the outskirts of the city sitting next to the forest had its own community. The aged tree never changed through all of this, remaining undisturbed, watching over the little community developing near the manor.

Walking into his courtyard seemed to calm Worley's nerves a bit as he slowly relaxed his shoulders. The door of his room was held open for him.

"Jihan, massage my temples. I'm afraid I drank a bit much."

"Yes, Sir." Jihan obediently followed inside.

The other guard remained outside stoically. It was easy to get bored on a night like this if not for the glow of the fire from off in the distance. Likely, it was nothing much. The guard contemplated as he stared in the general direction.

Suddenly, he felt a slight discomfort on his neck. A gust of wind blew gently, spreading a iron tang. Many battles and perils had long taught the guard what it was - blood. And then it hit him, the agonizing pain. He looked down. Blood was seeping down the front of his shirt presumably from his neck. A rough hand covered his mouth, gently lowering his swaying body to the ground. The guards eyesight was blurring, as his consciousness slowly slipped away, not ever having the opportunity to do so much as shout. From the corner of his eyes, his assailant stood up quietly and made a hand signal.

Kara nodded to Vye, and began making her way up the tree a bit away. Her ungainly actions covered by the sound of its branches swishing back and forth.

From her vantage point, She could clearly see Vye carrying the body to the side, before approaching the window of the room. Off in the distance, the clump of buildings making up the surrounding communities could be seen, including the inn, the one with a light hung aesthetically on the second floor. The light seemed to be changing colors at random every couple of minutes, but not even once had it turned red so far.

-----

The wall of the house caved out with a loud crack. Kara whipped her head around to find Vye masked up, in close combat with the man decorated by the six flowers. Behind them, hiding behind the window that was somehow still intact was Rick Worley, their target for tonight.

Vye was still locked into a deadlock with the other man, taking no notice of the actions of Worely who was with quivering hands, slowly taking out a whistle. Perched atop the tree, there was no way Kara would be able to reach him in time. She instinctively took out the dagger on her waist and hurled with all her might, trying to stop him from signaling for help. The jarring sound of stone against the metal resounded. She missed her target by a long shot. Startled for but a moment, Worley lifted the whistle and blew in it with all his might. To Kara's relief, it seemed to be broken as not a single sound was produced.

Jihan focused his attention on his opponent. No scream after the clanging sound meant his liege was safe. Still precautions needed to be made. There had to be another intruder in the garden. He immediately lifted his crossbow with his other hand, already preloaded with the bolt and pulled the trigger.

Kara hastily leaned to the side as the bolt came soaring toward the tree. Cold sweat dripped from her forehead mixed with a fresh wound on her cheek brought a stinging sensation. She tottered back, her sense of balance loss. Air whooshed by as Kara plummeted from the tree. She closed her eyes tight wondering if she were to die here, whether or not she would wake up back in the empire. The world around her stilled as the clashing of blades continued. Kara opened her eyes, to find herself suspended a bit above the ground by the rope she had tied when first climbing.

A little smile escaped as she hastily untied the knot, hands quivering, and steadied herself on the ground of the courtyard.

The tree watching over the community took it all in. Far off, the light on the inn flashed red and stayed that color, unbeknownst to the intruders of the manor

---.

"Why's it not changing colors?" A curious customer asked

"Broken." The innkeeper replied evenly. "There are some people taking a look at it right now. It should be fixed soon. We really do apologize for any inconvenience it may bring."

The customer nodded, but the child who had wholeheartedly attached himself to the man's arm pouted. "It's red, father. You lied. You and mother said it would change to be the colors of the rainbow."

"Hush, Arin. It will be tomorrow. Just you wait. But for today, the lamp has decided to put on a special showcase just for you?" To placate the child, the man had long since mastered the skill of telling a couple white lies with a well oiled ease.

"Really?" The child asked.

"Of course."

"Ohhh that's why. Next time we come though, father, can you tell the innkeeper that I like yellow? Red is nice, but I want a yellow light."

"Uh, sure." The man nodded, mentally making a note that this would be the last trip they made here for a while.

The innkeeper walked up behind the bar, letting the bartender go out on a little walk to freshen up. Not long after, a man sat down and ordered an ale.

"I have a friend who wants to come here too, I'm just here to test out if the drinks are any good."

"That Mr., I promise they are." The innkeeper assured me.

"Oh yes, quite well indeed. Though, I think the environment is quite offsetting really." he huffed.

"How so, may I ask? We'll definitely see what we can do about it."

"Well, the way here I heard quite a bit of song birds screeching. Don't remember what kind they are but if I had to give a name to them, I think Night Lark would be a fitting name with the amount they sing."

"If that's the issue, there's no need to worry. I already had someone go to chase them out."

"Ah, that's good. As long as they know they should leave." The man burst out into laughter. "You know, I knew this was an inn with the proper attitude of service from the first moment I tasted your drinks. After all, how could anyone with such delicious drinks be so tasteless in the other factors affecting business? Well then, I'll leave now and fetch my friend."

The man never came back that night with his so-called friend, but the innkeeper did not seem to be worried or angered in the least of ways.