Tales of Cadence/Chapter VIII

Raven spent the remainder of the evening sitting at the table, absentmindedly turning the coins over in his hand. Each large gold coin was emblazoned was several unfamiliar words as well as a silhouette of a woman’s head. The slightly smaller silver coins had the same strange text, but a different silhouette. Raven began to wonder where Elsynne had gotten the coins – maybe this ‘Lavinia’ really did exist.

*‘She definitely isn’t human, or elven, or even dragonling,’* he thought, looking over his shoulder.  Elsynne was sitting on the edge of the bed, dozing off as Felix and Skylar talked. *‘I wonder how she made these coins....’*

“Hey, Felix,” he called, still holding the coins in his hand. “If you’re Penna, then how come you don’t have a weird hair color?”

Felix smiled and pulled at his messy hair. “I’m only half-Penna,” he replied cheerfully. “My mom was a human.”

“But...”

“My dad was one of the few Penna to actually leave Lavinia. He went to some other continent...I think it was called Libra or something?” Felix tilted his head to the side as he thought aloud. “Anyway, that’s where he met my mom.”

“Did he stay on the mainland?”

“Yeah, for a while, at least until I was born. Around that time his business on the mainland was done – he was doing some work for Elsynne’s mother when she was the Heir – but my mom wouldn’t come back to Lavinia with him because...of certain circumstances. My dad brought me back with him after she passed away.”

Raven fell silent, awkwardly averting Felix’s still bright eyes. “Eh...well...”

“It’s all right, I never really had a chance to know her, so I can’t miss her, right?” Felix chirped, adding a mysterious edge to his voice. “And you know how I look younger than seventeen?”

Raven rolled his eyes at Felix’s tone before the boy continued. “The combination of human and Penna blood stunts growth for some reason, so I’ll always look a few years younger. It might not be good now, but it’ll probably be useful when I get old!”

“What’s a Penna’s life span supposed to be?”

“About one hundred years...only a few decades more than a human,” Elsynne said quietly. She looked exhausted and was fighting to keep her eyes open. “Maybe a half-Penna’s growth is stunted because of that gap.”

Skylar frowned. “You look tired, Elsynne. Get some sleep.”

“I thought we were going to leave at nightfall...”

“*I* was going to leave,” Raven corrected, “but that was before you hired me.”

Elsynne nodded and leaned forward, rubbing her eyes with one hand. “I guess I’ll go to sleep, then. I am getting tired.”

“But we only rented one room because Raven said we weren’t going to sleep here!” Felix protested. “There are only two beds!”

“Raven and I will be the gentlemen and allow the two of you to use them,” Skylar offered, smirking as he heard Raven’s disgruntled groan. “The floor will do.”

Felix smiled and turned to Elsynne. “You shouldn’t use that kind of magic unless you really have to. You know your body can’t handle it.”

“I’ll be all right,” she murmured, lying her head down on the uncomfortable pillow. “I just need rest.”

“Come to think of it, you were kind of messed up after that fight with the dragonlings the other day,” Raven said, remembering their trip to Estershore. “Does that happen every time you use light magic?”

Elsynne nodded faintly, closing her eyes. “I don’t have clean blood and my body can’t heal properly... That’s why I’m so tired after I use that many healing artes and magic.”

“Wait...what do you mean by ‘clean blood’?”

Felix frowned. “She’ll explain later, Raven. Elsynne needs sleep now.”

“Stop pestering her with your questions for a while,” Skylar added as he pulled some thick blankets from his pack.

Raven rolled his eyes. “Fine, I get it. You don’t all have to gang up on me at once,” he said sarcastically, taking a few of Skylar’s blankets.

“We haven’t been a complete group for a full day and you’re already picking fights,” Skylar said teasingly, shaking his head. “But then again, I suppose I shouldn’t expect much of a spoiled human.”

“I’m not spoiled!”

Reo hissed loudly as Raven raised his voice. The cat was curled up on the edge of Elsynne’s bed, watching him with her glowing eyes. Raven could have sworn he heard an edge of malice in her hiss.

When Raven woke up the next morning, the sun had already risen and it was nearly midday. He sat up stiffly, sore from having slept on the hard wooden floor. When he looked around, he noticed that only Elsynne was left in the room.

“You had that dream again,” she said simply.

“What do you mean by that?” Raven asked, still too groggy to argue.

“On some nights you mutter a lot in your sleep, and then you don’t wake up until almost noon,” she replied, tracing the pattern of the bed’s quilt with her forefinger. “I don’t know, it’s just an assumption since you’ve never told me...”

Raven feigned indifference as he gathered up the blankets and folded them to fit back in his pack. She was right; he had had the same nightmare that he often experienced when he was forced to remember what made him leave Itona. Recently he had been mulling over that day more frequently than he was comfortable with.

“Where are the others?” he asked, trying gracelessly to change the subject.

“Skylar and Felix went out to see how things are going. We made the decision to visit the cathedral in the southern district today,” Elsynne replied, pushing herself off her bed so that she was standing. “They suggested traveling in smaller groups so that no one will think we look too suspicious.”

“*Everyone* recognizes me by now,” Raven complained as he picked up his sheathe. He muttered a curse when he realized it was empty and remembered when it finally shattered the day before.

Elsynne smiled. “We can always stop by the weaponry shop, if you’d like.”

Raven pulled out the small bag of gald in his pocket and counted the coins inside. There was just enough money left that he could use to buy a standard sword. “Won’t the shopkeeper recognize me?”

Elsynne motioned towards the cloak sticking out from his pack. Raven it out and pulled it over his shoulders, wishing that he still had Felix’s hat to help disguise him from the people in the city; hopefully the hood of the garment would be enough at the time being.

 “I told them we wouldn’t meet them until after noon,” Elsynne replied as they left the inn. “I had a feeling that you would probably oversleep today.”

Although the sun shone brightly overhead in the city, the air was not as hot and humid as it was out on the open plains. The tall buildings of the west district blocked out most of the sky and shaded the silent streets.

“Everyone must still be in the plaza trying to sort things out,” Elsynne said quietly.

“After the little fiasco yesterday, I’m not surprised,” Raven replied as they walked up the street towards one of Itona’s many weapon shops. “What was that kind of magic, anyway?”

“It wasn’t *advanced* light magic,” Elsynne began, lowering her voice as they entered the store. Although the shopkeeper looked sleepy and bored, he seemed to perk up at the sight of two potential customers. To Raven’s dismay, they were almost completely alone in the store so their words could be overheard.

“Then what was it?” he questioned when Elsynne did not continue. She looked over her shoulder nervously as the shopkeeper pretended to busy himself with a nearby display.

“It was probably intermediate level magic,” she said in a low whisper as Raven looked over the various swords displayed on the walls.

“*Intermediate?!*” he repeated, his tone rising. Elsynne quickly put her finger to her lips as the shopkeeper looked up again.

“You mean there’s stronger stuff than that?” Raven continued, lowering his voice again.

Elsynne nodded. “Yes. I know about them, but I haven’t bothered to learn them yet.” She said. “You saw what that magic did to me yesterday. Even low level magic – like that spell I used on the dragonlings when we were traveling to Estershore – effects my body negatively.”

“Why?”

“I told you last night, didn’t I? Bad blood.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense...”

“It will once we go to Lavinia,” Elsynne said firmly as Raven picked out a sword to pay for. Once they were outside again, he threw his old scabbard away and readjusted the new one to his belt.

“How can I even be sure you’re telling the truth?” he demanded as they walked down the tight streets.

Elsynne gave him a questioning glance. “Why would I lie?”

Raven fell silent again and decided not to answer her right away. He busied himself with trying to remember where the city’s cathedral was; he had only been there a few times as a child and stopped going altogether when he almost completely lost his faith in his final years living in Itona. He had never truly believed in the stories about Baldur and the Gemini Gods; after all, stories were only stories.

“What does it feel like for you to be home again?” Elsynne asked, interrupting his reverie. They had left the west district and were walking down the road to the south district where Skylar and Felix were supposedly waiting for them.

“Well, yesterday should sum up my feelings for this place,” he replied bitterly. “I’m not even in the city for a full hour and already my brother was bothering me.”

Elsynne swallowed nervously before replying. “Your...brother was there?”

“Yeah, he was the one leading the guards. The one with the noble’s clothes on,” Raven said, shrugging.

Elsynne suddenly stopped and grabbed him by the arm. “I’m sorry! I used that magic on your brother, and I probably really hurt him... If I had known, I wouldn’t have-“

“Ow, ow, ow!” Raven yanked his arm out of her grasp and flinched away, putting his hand to the spot where she had touched him. “Don’t do that!”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, bowing her head. “About your brother-“

“Listen, it’s all right. Besides, he deserves to be beaten around a little bit,” Raven replied, still rubbing his arm. It did not hurt anymore, but he still felt the uncomfortable burning sensation beneath his skin. “Does it hurt when you touch people because you’re the Heir and all that?”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t seem to affect others...I think. This is one of the first times I’ve been surrounded by so many humans.”

“Huh...weird.”

Elsynne looked around them cautiously and whispered again. “Don’t talk about those kind of things so loudly. The people here don’t support the same god I do – they’re against Albasta and the Heir.”

“I know, I know.” Raven replied as they began walking again. He could see the cathedral’s tall spire ahead; they were getting closer to their destination. “But how many people really believe in myths like that?”

“You’d be surprised,” she responded, smiling again.

Raven rolled his eyes. “I don’t put much stock into fairy tales and stuff like that.”

“But what if the stories aren’t just fairy tales?” Elsynne questioned. “My existence and the existence of the Messenger prove that there may be something more.”

“I don’t see any proof,” Raven muttered coldly. He fell silent, losing himself to his thoughts again as they approached the cathedral. He could not see Skylar or Felix and guessed that they were both inside, waiting for them.

The two massive, dark wood doors of the cathedral were closed when they stopped at the entrance. Raven threw himself against the doors and pushed, surprised that they were not nearly as heavy as they looked. The doors swung open easily and slammed against the walls with a reverberating bang.

Raven and Elsynne could see Skylar sitting in a pew in the back of the cathedral. He turned to face them, a smirk crossing his face as he spoke. “I should have known that Raven wouldn’t enter without a performance,” he said teasingly.

“Where’s Felix?” Elsynne asked as Raven quickly pulled the doors closed, trying not to slam them again.

“He’s looking around,” Skylar replied, making a sweeping motion with his arm as he pointed towards the front of the cathedral. “He’s up near the altar, I think.”

Elsynne moved quickly up the main aisle as Raven and Skylar followed her at a much slower pace.

“Overslept again?” Skylar asked when Elsynne was far enough away.

Raven shrugged and looked away, pretending to admire the stained glass windows on the dark walls. Each window depicted a different religious figure or scenes from the stories and myths he had heard as a child. Although all the windows along the sides of the cathedral were magnificent, none compared to the oversized window behind the altar. The beautiful window took up nearly the entire wall and showed a god standing over a continent, posing triumphantly as a much lesser god seemed to call to him from a small, insignificant tower in the corner of the window.

“I haven’t seen that in a while,” Raven said, gesturing towards the window. “My mom loved it. He had the window replicated so she could put it in the castle’s library.”

“A much smaller version, I’m guessing?”

Raven nodded. “Yeah, a *lot* smaller.”

Elsynne had already reached the altar and was standing beneath the window, staring at it with wide, fearful eyes. Felix was nearby, leafing through the heavy book on the priest’s podium.

“Wow, your scriptures are a lot different from ours!” he was saying as he flipped through the pages, stopping at random sections of text to read them.

“Felix!” Elsynne suddenly hissed, throwing a cautious glance over her shoulder. “Be careful!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly, letting the book shut with a loud thud. “I was just saying...”

“I take it that your depiction of the Gemini Gods’ war is different from ours?” Skylar asked as he stood beside Elsynne. She had returned her attention to the massive stained glass window.

“Yes... Ours shows Baldur in a much different light,” she responded nervously, clasping her hands together. “He is the evil being, casting the Penna aside into exile as Albasta is sealed the ruins.”

“Why do you keep calling Her ‘Albasta’?” Felix suddenly demanded, frowning. “That’s such a derogatory term.”

“Sorry, it’s become a habit,” Elsynne said uneasily. “I’ve had to change the way I refer to some things in order to keep a low profile.”

“You don’t have to call Her...*that name* around us,” he said disgustedly.

“If I stop saying ‘Albasta’, I’ll fall out of the habit.”

Raven cleared his throat loudly, trying to get their attention again. “What do the Penna call Albasta, then?” he asked sarcastically, deciding to pretend that these ‘Penna’ truly interested him.

“We c-“ Elsynne stopped herself as they heard footsteps. A priest was walking up the main aisle, holding a few unlit candles in his hands.

“I wasn’t expecting many visitors after what happened in the northern district yesterday,” he said, giving no indication that he had overheard their conversation. The priest placed the candles on the altar. “Are the four of you on a pilgrimage, perhaps?”

“We just...had a few questions we wanted to ask,” Elsynne said anxiously, lowering her gaze to the floor.

The priest touched the wick of the candle and moved his hand away as a small flame lit. “That’s a surprise...” he murmured.

Felix cocked his head to the side. “What is?”

“It’s not every day that a group of kids your age come down here to ask questions,” the priest replied with a lighthearted chuckle. “Especially when they’re not on a pilgrimage of sorts.”

“I...we just wanted to know a little more about the Heir and the Messenger,” Elsynne said, keeping her eyes on the floor, “about the legends and stories...”

The priest nodded and thoughtfully put a finger to his chin. “The stories about the Heir and the Messenger...no one’s asked me about those two for years. The legends aren’t told as commonly as they were a long time ago.”

“Why is that?” Skylar asked.

“People don’t really believe the stories like they used to. Part of the legend is that the Heir is a member of that supposedly extinct race, and no one believes that they exist anymore.”

Felix frowned again. “Because they haven’t been seen in so long.”

“That’s right. And people don’t want to believe that there’s some other race out there, tucked away in some unknown corner of the world. Humans like to believe that they’re safe where they are without any opposing threats. The Heir and their race are an underlying danger – this dangerous race of beings created by Albasta to oppose and destroy the humans and elves.”

“And what about the Messenger?” Elsynne asked, finally looking up to meet the priest’s eyes.

“The Messenger is supposedly human – it’s said that Baldur preferred the humans. Now, I’m not sure that it’s completely true or not,” the priest added quickly, turning to Skylar.

The elf only shook his head. “No offense taken.”

The priest nodded uneasily and continued. “The line of Messengers was said to be created by Baldur in response to Albasta’s Heir. It’s the Messenger’s job to stop the Heir from completing the journey to help bring about Albasta’s revival into our world, hence the name ‘Messenger’ – the bringer of Baldur’s good wishes.”

“Have you heard anything about the Scale?” Elsynne urged.

“The...Scale?” the priest asked, scratching his head. “No, not a thing.”

“O-Oh...”

“In any case, the Heir and the Messenger stories stopped being actively told only a decade or so ago. Since the Heir hasn’t shown up in so many years, the need for a Messenger declined, and eventually the stories became myths, and some people stopped believing.” He continued. “It’s said that there is really only one recorded meeting of an Heir and a Messenger, although not many people know about it.”

*‘If there isn’t a need for them anymore, then why does the Heir supposedly still exist?’* Raven asked himself, glancing sideways at Elsynne as she asked the priest yet another question. *‘Then again, these are just stupid stories...’*

“How would one go about identifying the Messenger?” Skylar asked.

The priest paused for a moment, thinking. “Well...as I mentioned before, the Messenger is always human. And-“

“That was all I needed to know,” Elsynne interrupted quickly, bowing her head. “Thank you so much for helping me out.”

The priest stopped, blinking a few times. “A...All right. You’re welcome,” he said, slightly flustered by her abrupt interruption. Elsynne turned, motioning for the others to follow as she walked quickly down the aisle.

“Edward,” the priest murmured as Raven turned to leave. Raven froze, his back becoming a rigid line as he stopped in midstep.

“You shouldn’t be hanging around Itona for much longer. Your brother’s probably looking for you,” the priest said.

“He was hurt yesterday, wasn’t he?” Raven asked. “By that weird magic.”

“He isn’t fully recovered, but he’s still searching. He’s fiercely determined to find you.”

“...Why are you helping me?”

The priest raised his hands, as if in defense. “No particular reason. I was just curious as to why you’re still in Itona...and why you’re traveling with such a strange group.”

“Raven!” Felix called. Elsynne and Skylar had already left the cathedral. “Come on!”

Raven nodded to the priest. “Thanks,” he said before running down the aisle to meet up with the others.

“Now where to?” Skylar was asking Elsynne. “There isn’t anything left that we can do here in the city. Besides, it’s dangerous for us to be hanging around like this.”

“The priest didn’t know anything about the Scale,” Felix said, “why was that?”

“I don’t know. I thought it was weird, too.” Elsynne replied. “I was hoping that he would have some sort of information for us.”

“Hey, even that priest admitted that all the Heir and Messenger stories are myths and legends.” Raven pointed out. “You’re sure this is all real?”

Elsynne nodded determinedly. “I know what I’m talking about, Raven. I was raised with these ideals, and I can assure you that they’re the truth.”

“It’s Elsynne’s job to eliminate the Messenger and revive the Gemini God,” Felix added excitedly. “That is, if we can even *find* the Messenger in the first place...”

“I’m just in this for the money...” Raven delicately reminded him, shaking his head with disbelief.

“Maybe we should return to Lavinia,” Elsynne suggested, ignoring Raven’s tone. “We can ask the others there about the Scale.”

“But if we go back there, they might try to keep you at home,” Felix said, frowning. “Then there’s no chance of getting away to look for the Scale.”

“I thought you were supposed to be bringing Elsynne home,” Skylar pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Felix grinned nervously. “Yeah, I am...but Elsynne’s been my friend since we were really little. I can’t just go back and turn her in like that! She has a job to take care of!”

“You must be a strong supporter of the Heir.”

“Of course I am! I’m going to help Elsynne revive the Gemini God, no matter what it takes!”

“Let’s focus on getting out of here for now,” Raven said, uneasily casting a glance over his shoulder. “Then you can decide what you need to do, right?”

“Right,” Elsynne agreed, “let’s go.”

To Raven’s dismay, the city was already bustling with midday activity. The streets were becoming even more crowded as they traveled towards the entrance of Itona; he shuddered when he remembered that soldiers were constantly guarding the gates.

“Uh, maybe we should take a different way out...” he suggested.

Elsynne paused when they reached the gates. She looked up and saw the guards standing at the watchtowers and patrolling the entrance. “Oh, that’s right... I completely forgot about them.”

“There weren’t any guards at the gates when we first came here, thanks to you,” Skylar said, turning to Raven. “You saved us a lot of trouble.”

“Great,” Raven replied sarcastically. “I’m glad my pain could-“

He was cut off by an all-too-familiar voice. “Edward!”

“Damn it all!” Raven cursed, clenching his fists. He turned and saw his brother, closely followed by several soldiers. “How the hell did he find me?”

“Someone saw you and reported you, didn’t they?” Felix asked nervously. “And the priest stopped you when we were leaving! What did he say? What if it was him?”

Elsynne shrunk back. “That’s your older brother, isn’t it?” she asked quietly.

Raven nodded. “Yeah, that’s him, all right.”

Lukas motioned for the soldiers around him to circle the group, cutting off whatever chance of escape they had. He approached them slowly; Raven noticed that he was limping and a makeshift sling held up his arm. He couldn’t help but smile to himself at the pitiful sight of his once-proud brother.

“This time, you can’t escape,” Lukas said eagerly, holding up his sword awkwardly with his unharmed hand. “Edw-“

“Would you stop using that name?”

“Raven. Come back to the castle with me peacefully, or you’ll be arrested.”

“What, you’re not going to threaten the lives of the others in my group?”

Lukas frowned at Raven’s joke. “This isn’t the time to fool around. Come with me; our mother and father have been waiting to speak with you for years.”

“I don’t care.”

“Raven-“

“I told you, I don’t care how badly they want to talk to me. I meant it when I said I wasn’t going back to see them,” Raven protested bitterly. “Besides, as far as they’re concerned, you’re the only son they need. *You’re* the heir to the throne. I’m completely useless in their eyes.”

“That’s not true,” Lukas said hesitantly.

“It’s the truth; even you know it,” Raven snapped in reply. “Come on, Lukas. It was a painfully obvious fact three years ago, and it still is today. I can’t go back there.”

“Raven, what happened to our mother wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”

“What does he mean?” Felix asked in undertone.

Raven ignored him. “I can’t go back there. There’s no way.”

“I’ve no other choice then,” Lukas said, sheathing his sword. He gestured to the soldiers, who took a few steps forward. “I’ll have to arrest you.”

Raven drew his sword and faced the guards, staring each in the eyes. “I’m not going back!”

“Please, you sound like a spoiled child.”

“Look who’s talking!”

Lukas winced. “Edward, please...”

“Raven,” Skylar said, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. “Go with your brother...for now. We’ll figure things out.”

“What the hell does that mean?! I’m not going to just give up and go with him.” Raven protested. “There’s no way-“

“Elsynne, you’re his employer. Convince him.”

“No!”

Elsynne looked at Raven hesitantly, biting her lip. “We...can’t be separated,” she said after a long pause. “And if Raven doesn’t want to go to his parents, he doesn’t have to.”

The gap between the group and the guards was closing slowly. Already they were close enough to grab Raven, but each stayed wary of his newly sharpened sword.

“Elsynne...” Felix murmured, giving her a meaningful glance.

“I can explain things later,” she whispered in reply.

Raven rounded on her. “What kind of secrets are you keeping now?” he demanded, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword.

Skylar suddenly smiled. “I see now...” he murmured.

 Raven turned to him as well, glaring at him questioningly. Suddenly, a guard knocked him off balance, causing him to drop his sword.

“Damn...” Raven muttered. In his haste he had completely forgotten about and neglected the guards; he didn’t think that they were as close as they were. He winced as one of them grabbed him roughly by the arms and pulled him to his feet, securing his wrists with iron manacles.

Lukas smirked, obviously pleased. “Let’s get going,” he said, motioning to the guards again.

“Traitors,” Raven muttered, glaring darkly at Skylar, who continued to grin. Both Elsynne and Felix looked horrified, but neither made any move to stop the guards; they were outnumbered.

Raven looked ahead, wishing that the saying ‘if looks could kill’ were true as he continued to glower. His brother turned to look back at him.

“Our father and mother will be pleased,” he promised. “Don’t worry, Edward.”

Raven sighed, lowering his head as he was led back to the castle. *‘How can I not worry?’* he wondered, trying not to look back at Elsynne and the others.