Heirs of Hyarch

Chapter 133: The Two Welcomes

Now that the gates of Melyn were in sight, Nela was convinced this was a bad idea.

Unlike at Kelshir, where things had been so lax that they'd left a boarded up gate unguarded, here there was a full group of two hex armed men. They weren't the usual guards either, with their uniforms marking just who they were. She'd seen Ronny in similar garb, the outfit announcing to the world that these were the royal knights of Hyarch.

That was not taking into account the small group of roughly equal numbers waiting to enter the city. They looked to mostly be farmers, a couple with small handcarts loaded with sacks. Business as usual, the like of which Nela hadn't seen in a good long while. As familiar as it was, it also meant even more eyes that would be upon the others if they approached.

Forget trying to get Sedat past that. Getting Edeline through there would be impossible without a disguise. Shit, some of them might even recognize Ronny. The other gates were probably just as guarded. They would need to find another way in.

Nela drew back and away, trying her best not to stand out. They'd decided that of all of them, she was the most plain and unremarkable. All she had to do was leave her crossbow and its bolts behind, and she could pass as just another Elefae who lived nearby. It was funny, given her work as a healer left more of an impression than her companions usually did.

Either way, it worked, and she was soon back with the others, behind the stand of trees where they had hidden themselves. "Please tell me I was wrong and those aren't the royal knights," Ronny said on seeing her, almost pleading.

It was tempting to answer with sarcasm, but Nela held it back. "Sorry. Don't think we're walking past them."

"Should've guessed," Edeline hissed, still staring towards the gate. It was a good thing she hadn't figured out how to channel magic through her eyes. If she had, that gate and everyone in front of it would be nothing but dust.

"We could try to circle the city to one of the other gates, but that just increases the chance we'll be noticed." Hamond kept calm, even though he looked disappointed himself. "Also, one of them will spot us if we remain here."

"Problem with that," Sedat spoke up.

"Don't tell me you're hungry already," Hamond said.

"No. The problem is him." Sedat extended one wing in the direction of the man who stood across the road, about two hex paces away, clearly studying their group.

Not just any man, either, Nela realized. His clothing, while not the finery of nobility, was clean and well-cut, with rich colors of blue and purple. A merchant, likely, because there was no other reason for someone with that kind of coin to be out here in the middle of the morning. Neatly brushed long dark hair with just a hint of gray fell about his face, further supporting Nela's guess.

Most importantly of all, he noticed that they saw him, and began to approach.

"You all seem lost," the man said, "Or do you want to pass through the gates of Melyn? I can help with either."

"Who are you?" Edeline asked.

"Call me Syrkonel. I am...a trader, one who deals in a variety of things."

"A fellow elf, then?" It wasn't guaranteed, but with a name like that, Nela thought it was very likely.

"Yes." He reached up in a sharp motion and pulled his hair aside, revealing his ears. He had the feel of a naturally gruff man trying to put on polite airs.

"I appreciate the offer," Ronny told Syrkonel, "But we are low on coin, so we could not hope to pay you for it."

"Don't worry about it," the man quickly said, "It wouldn't be the first time. Follow me." He strode off without waiting for a response.

"He going to sneak us in?" Sedat started to chatter as they hurried to catch up. "Don't think I can fit into too small a tunnel, if that's where were going. Would mess up my feathers, and...wait, can't be that we're walking straight through the gates."

"Why wouldn't we?" Syrkonel paused for a moment, then kept moving. Shit, were they really doing this? It was a little late to stop now, since they had come out into the open. Maybe they could still make a run for it.

The first of the guards spotted Syrkonel, and made a gesture with spread hands to his fellows, saying something in a low voice that Nela couldn't make out. To her complete surprise, every man there immediate turned and faced away from their group. The message could not be clearer: they did not officially see the Elefae man pass by.

Just...just who was Syrkonel?

"Come on," Ronny said, grabbing Nela by the hand and pulling her out of her astonishment. Hurrying along as fast as they could, their group followed the older elf past the staring onlookers. As they'd come to expect, Sedat struggled to keep up, and Hamond slowed his pace down to make sure she was not behind them all.

Somehow, they all got through without any of the knights saying a word to them. Nela wasn't about to count on it lasting. By tomorrow, these same knights would be searching for them. Between all of them, they wouldn't be hard to find either, so they needed to find a place to hide away for a couple of days before anything else.

"That was quite the risk," Edeline remarked to Syrkonel with a frown. "How did you know that would...wait. Are you Lord Melyn?"

"No." The answer was sharp and immediate. "That title belongs to only one man."

From the sound of it, it might be a good idea not to ask any more about that. "Thank you," Ronny said, clearly thinking the same.

"Again, it's no problem." Syrkonel turned away. "Hopefully, if we meet again, you will not be as lost. May the grace and glory of the Fae be with you." He didn't even wait for a response, but strode off.

"May the grace and glory of the Fae go with you as well," Ronny called aftter Syrkonel, but he showed no signs of stopping or acknowledging them further.

Nela guessed, or rather hoped, that it was more that Syrkonel had urgent business elsewhere. If Edeline's question had angered the man...well, someone who the royal knights answered to wasn't someone they wanted in a bad mood. They did not need to be waist-deep in shit mere moments after getting in the city.

"Seems rude, walking off like that." Sedat was unimpressed. "Hope the other people are more friendly. Would make this place really bad if everyone was so cold to us."

"It's my fault," Edeline said, "I did not think my question would offend him that much. He must despise Lord Melyn fiercely."

"It wouldn't be the first time we met an elf hating the city lord," Nela pointed out.

"Let us hope that isn't the situation here," Ronny replied, "We have enough problems as it is. Furthermore, it would be tiresome if every city we went to faced this same problem."

Another Kelshir? At least here it didn't seem like the Elefae had been forced outside the city walls. That still didn't mean the city was safe for elves though. Nela could imagine any number of foul things that could befall them if they stayed out on the streets.

"So where are we going to stay?" she asked, looking around. It would make sense if there was an inn or such on this street, but there didn't appear to be one.

"The inn I stayed at when I was here is on the other side of Melyn," Hamond admitted, "Sorry, but I don't remember much about places here on the east side. It's been a while."

"Are you kidding?" Nela said with a sigh. She couldn't really argue, since he'd entered Melyn from the opposite direction they were traveling. Hamond had probably just gone for the first inn he found.

"There has to be a place nearby," Edeline declared, "We just have to search for it."

"Let me help." Sedat started to spread her wings, only for Hamond to grab her.

"I told you, you can't do that in Melyn." His voice was tense. "Stay on the ground."

"Would be faster," Sedat complained, but she did what Hamond asked. Nela let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. If Hamond had been a bit slower, it would bring all the knights on them faster than...well, something very fast. Wordplay was more Edeline's strong point, not Nela's.

"That was too close," Ronny murmured to her, leaning down.

"Don't need to tell me that," she said back, making sure no one had noticed. Of course, a few people were staring, but that didn't necessarily mean anything with Sedat there. The winged girl may not notice, but Nela sure did, and it only made her want to get to safety that much sooner.

"Over this way, perhaps." Edeline indicated a narrow side street before walking towards it. It didn't look like it would have any kind of big inn, but standing here wasn't getting anything done.

They were in luck though, because halfway down the street was just what they were looking for. It was a little small, but they could manage as long as they were able to get a pair of rooms. The way they'd agreed to divide up was that Hamond, Edeline, and Sedat would take one room, and the rest would take the other. There ought to be enough beds, although Sedat might require some planning to fit in.

"The Rider's Rest," Ronny read out loud. Sure enough, next to it was a shed for horses, with spaces for three. Probably indicated that no one was staying there, which worked out just fine for them.

Without hesitating, Edeline opened the door. "Greetings...wait. There's no one here."

They all went in after her. Sure enough, the place was dark and empty. No fire in the hearth, no food at the bar, no sign of any life. But most disturbingly of all, a handful of chairs lay broken or toppled on the floor alongside the tables they once sat beside.

"What in Aether's name happened here?" Ronny asked in disbelief.

"A fight of some kind," Hamond answered, "We may have to go find another place to-"

The creak of wood interrupted him. Nela glanced over to the stairs to see, for just a second, the figure of a young boy starting down at them. Then he turned and fled back out of sight.

"Think we need to talk to him?" Nela frowned, knowing if they went running after it would only scare him more.

"We might want to," Edeline replied, "I think...I think that was an elven child."

Nela and Ronny traded looks of shared understanding. "Right, me and Nela will go up. You stay here with our weapons." Detaching the sword from his belt, Ronny laid it on a table. Nela unhooked her crossbow and did the same before heading for the stairs.

This was certainly quite the first day in Melyn.