Chapter 29: Convergence

  The room they found themselves in was narrow and long. Corin could walk the width of it in three paces, but it would take him about twelve paces to cover the length. Corin saw their equipment in the back.

  “Simeon, how did you end up here?” Corin asked.

  “We have our friend here to thank,” he looked at Daum.

  Daum looked out the door, closed it, and fastened several locks on it. He then sat near the center of the room. He had set various light fruits around the room to keep the darkness at bay. The walls were bare and were mostly dirt.

  “It did not take long to hear about the scene you all caused in the front gate,” Daum said. “Once I heard the descriptions of three humans accompanied by an ape-man and a dragoor, I knew it had to be you. But you were not the only ones who have come here recently. Throk also arrived.”

  “But how? How are Throk and his allies still alive? Baltro should have destroyed them all!” Corin responded.

  “Whatever you did left him with some scars,” Daum said. “Throk and two other dragoors were the only survivors of his squad to arrive at the city. And Throk and one other dragoor were severely injured.”

  “No humans survived from his party?” Livia asked. “But what of the ones we saw earlier at the establishment?”

  “It's simple. Tonatiuh loyalists in Yranto,” Daum replied.

  “What?” Corin shouted in disbelief. “How is that possible? They were not stopped by the gate guards?”

  “Of course not. These loyalists don't come en masse to the city. They trickle in. Their role is to collect information and keep their respective titan lords apprised of what is occurring in the domains of other titans. They come here because they know furtives from all over are here, and they all bring something valuable with them,” Daum replied.

  “Information,” Livia said.

  “Exactly, and it's not only Tonatiuh who has eyes and ears in this city. There are informants for other dragons, giants, and even leviathans.”

  The revelation left Corin shocked and angry. For a second, he truly hoped Yranto was a bastion free from the clutches of any titan.

  “So no place is truly safe from the reach of the Titans?” Corin said.

  “Well…” Daum paused for a second. “Their ability to control events in Yranto is limited. These informants are here to gather information, nothing more. Although there have been cases where the informants have killed furtives.,”

  “And nothing happens to those who kill other furtives here?” Corin asked.

  “Some are able to escape before being caught, but it is generally accepted that once an informant stains their hands with blood they either abandon the city or they are captured and killed. It is not a common occurrence,” Daum replied.

  Corin’s anger boiled. He could not think straight. The only thing he wanted to do was go back onto the streets, find Throk and his informants, and put them to death.

  “Damn it!” Corin shouted. “We walked right into a trap by coming to this damned city!”

  “There was no way you could have known,” Daum replied calmly. “The existence of these informants is a closely held secret. I myself only learned about them as one was preparing to part my head from my body. It was pure luck that I survived. You think I would have walked into this city as a former Zifor had I known it was crawling with informants?”

  The information did nothing to stave off Corin's rising temper. He started to get up. He would go out and find these informants and gut them himself.

  “We need to warn Nanaua and Zhi,” Livia said.

  Corin looked at her and stopped. The rage that had been boiling over subsided. She was right. If Tonatiuh's informants found out where exactly Zhi was, there was no telling what could happen.

  Corin looked at Daum. If he had been searching for him and Livia, then he must have been aware of Zhi and Nanaua as well. Livia also looked at him.

  “I don't know where they are,” Daum replied weakly.

  “They went to meet the Oixia!” Corin shot back almost instantly.

  “I informed him of that,” Simeon spoke up.

  Corin looked at Simeon but then turned back to Daum.

  “Most furtives in Yranto only know of the Oixia,” Daum replied. “Few have ever met her in person, and from what little details I gather, every story about her has different details.”

  Corin looked at him, expecting him to say more.

  “I don't know where the Oixia resides,” Daum finally said. “I myself haven't been in Yranto long enough. And unlike the Onsiel, a former Zifor is not going to attract the attention of one such as her. But if the Oixia demands your presence, it is not due to curiosity.”

  Corin began to feel despair.

  “But it's Zhi and Nanaua. Even if the Oixia were to be dangerous, she should know that Zhi and Nanaua are formidable themselves.”

  “That is true,” Daum said. “But the Oixia is an enigma. Who knows what she wants? Perhaps she wanted to warn your friends of Throk and his kin. Perhaps she wanted to see a furtive who could wield magic. Who knows?”

  “We ought to do something,” Corin replied. “When Zhi and Nanaua go to the camp, they will be looking for us. We can't stay here!”

  “I spoke to those other ape-men near our spot. I gave them some more of the dried meat on the condition that they tell Nanaua and Zhi to come to the central market tomorrow at midday," Simeon replied.

  “And you trust them?” Corin asked.

  “Corin!” Simeon shouted. “Do you think I'm an idiot? Of course I don't! They probably informed everyone who came asking about us!”

  “I didn't mean it like that,” Corin replied quickly. “I didn't mean to insult you. It was just a question.”

  Corin could see that Simeon was still unhappy.

  “So why the market?” Livia asked.

  “If they're looking for you, then they already know you're here,” Daum replied. “But their encounter with Baltro left them severely weakened. Their only chance of making any meaningful strike was to attack as soon as you arrived. This is why they were searching for you today. They might be desperate and try to attack, but the market is always busy with traffic. Any attempt at an attack there would fail and be suicidal.”

  “But we don't even know if they'll show. All we have is a hope that they get this message and somehow get there on time,” Corin replied.

  “We're in a bad situation,” Daum replied. “Hope is all we'll get.”

  ***

  Corin and Daum made their way to the market. It had been a long walk from their hideout to the camp.

  Daum had followed a dizzying path to the surface. For a while, Corin wasn't sure if Daum even knew where he was going.

  “I'm pretty sure it's this way,” Daum muttered to himself at one point.

  Once on the surface, Daum and Corin quickly blended into the crowds of people and made their way to the market.

  It is very hot!

  Corin wore a heavy cloak Daum gave him. It was uncomfortably large for Corin and had to be altered to fit him. Still, it bothered Corin more than he would like to admit. It was heavy, the fabric was thick and warm, the hood would come down and cover his eyes more often than not, but worst of all the fabric was rough and made his skin itchy.

  “I hate this stupid thing,” Corin muttered to Daum.

  “You have no one to blame but yourselves. You are always loud and attract all sorts of unwanted attention,” he replied without looking at Corin.

  Corin scratched at his arm.

  “Some solidarity would be nice,” Corin replied.

  “Your wife cut up one of my favorite traveling robes to fit your small stature,” he shot back. “Solidarity will have to wait.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “I didn’t think that would bother you so much,” Corin muttered.

  Daum looked back now. “You thought wrong.” He stopped walking and looked ahead.

  In front of them, the road ended and a large open area lay ahead.

  “We’re at the market now. When you see them, I need you to do something for me,” Daum said.

  “Which is?” Corin replied.

  “The two of them will have some of Tonatiuh's agents following them When you see them, approach them from behind. Make sure they do not see you before you approach. When you are within earshot, tell them to come down this road and to not look back, but do not follow them directly,” Daum said.

  “You mean to kill the agents?” Corin replied, aghast.

  Daum paused.

  “Corin if they knew yesterday who you were, they would have slit your throat right on the spot,” Daum replied.

  “I know…”

  Corin was not above killing others. He had done that plenty of times. But in those occasions they were life or death moments. It was kill or be killed. But he had never planned ahead to kill someone. Even if Daum was right, it still did not sit well with Corin.

  “I will take care of it. The lesser their numbers the lower the likelihood they discover where we hide,” Daum said trying to ease Corin’s mind.

  Still, the doubt within Corin persisted. Something within him could not let go of the feeling that somehow this was wrong.

  “Do you know where their hideout is?” Corin asked. “Where Throk is hiding?”

  Daum was confused by the question. It seemed to have no bearing on their current situation.

  “I do not, but even if I did, it's not like we can go there and attack them,” Daum replied.

  “Perhaps not, but wouldn't it make sense to know their location? Know their numbers? Know exactly who it is that is looking for us?” Corin began. “Right now you're about to execute some of them with the hope that it will avert the likelihood of our discovery. But if we're able to find their hideout, perhaps we can be smarter about our movements, not only hope that we don't get discovered but actively avoid and perhaps even take out those who pursue us.”

  Daum was silent. He muttered something under his breath, and then spoke aloud.

  “So what? We capture whoever is following your friends and torture them until they give us the information?

  We would still have to kill them afterward.”

  “No, that's not what I was thinking,” Corin replied. “I wasn’t thinking about torture at all!”

  “No?” Daum said, confused. He wore a thin look of disappointment on his face.

  “If I lead Nanaua and Zhi here and they follow you, the informant will follow along. Once they do, I will be right behind them. Once you lead Nanaua and Zhi down the underground path, there is a high chance that the agent won't follow. After, I can follow the agent to their hideout.”

  “But why don't I follow the agent?” Daum asked.

  Corin felt ashamed saying this. “Because I don't know how to get to the hideout or any of the buildings that would lead to the underground path.”

  “So what is your plan after you are done following them?” Daum asked.

  “What if I came back here to the market after I found the location of their hideout? I should be able to make my way back here. It is just in the center of the city. I come back here and meet with you, and we go back to our hideout and plot our next move,” Corin said.

  Daum was quiet. He contemplated the plan.

  “Fine, but you're putting yourself in a lot of danger.”

  “I know, but I'll be—”

  “Understood,” Daum cut him off, “then let's move ahead. I'll be here. Tell your friends to follow me, but know there will be those who are observing. Now go.”

  Corin turned around and headed into a busy market alleyway.

  The market was a new experience for Corin. The air was thick with a smattering of spices; he could smell so many scents he had never tasted before.

  This smells like something that would go great with deer.

  The crowds bustled and moved around, and furtives moved around at a furious pace, all with a goal in mind. Corin felt that if he were to stay still even for a second, he would get swallowed by the crowds and carried off. In order for Corin to move, he had to maneuver around five people to take even one step forward. On top of the massive crowds around him and the heavy cloak he wore, Corin had a hard time seeing over the furtives who surrounded him. Even though there were other short furtives around him, the majority of the furtives were taller than him. Whether they were other humans, dragoors, wood elves, sparrowlings, or sirens, they all made it hard for Corin to look across and search for his friends.

  Corin continued down the market alleys, unsure of where exactly he might find Nanaua or Zhi. Worse yet, how was he supposed to instruct them to follow Daum without making it obvious?

  As he walked through the market, he saw something that might be of use to him. A vendor specializing in cloths painted with a variety of decorations.

  Corin walked up behind the vendor, grabbed a piece of cloth, and a brush.

  In dragon script, he wrote,

  “Follow me, but do not call out my name. You are being followed. I shall guide you to someone you know. They will take you to the rest of our allies. I shall join you later. - Corin”

  Corin waited for the ink to dry, stuffed the message in his pocket, and continued navigating the dense alleys. The stalls around him sold foods, spices, clothing, weapons, pottery, and all sorts of items that Corin did not even know how to describe. Corin desperately wanted to stand around and look at each vendor and what their wares were, but he was here for a specific reason.

  After more turns, he saw Nanaua and Zhi. They were scanning the marketplace looking for him. Corin put his hood over his head and went to them. He had not seen any indication of Tonatiuh’s agents, but he was sure they were looking.

  From behind them, Corin bumped into Zhi and placed the piece of cloth in her hand.

  “Hey!” Zhi said out loud and then went quiet.

  I hope they got the message.

  Corin walked toward his intended location now, heading to Daum. At one turn, he took a quick peek to the side and could confirm that both Nanaua and Zhi were behind him.

  He found Daum and continued walking.

  “Ladies,” Daum said.

  Corin turned down an alley and hid in the corner away from view. His heart raced.

  “You’re the one,” Nanaua said. Corin could hear the anger in her tone.

  “That’s right,” Daum said, “I understand your hesitation, but you are being followed, we need to leave!”

  Nanaua, now is not the time to argue!

  “We will-“

  “Nanaua now is not the time!” Zhi implored her. “We have to move!”

  Shortly afterwards Corin saw the three move along. From his vantage point, he looked to see if anyone followed them. He saw a face move in and out of the crowd looking to where Daum had gone. A clean-shaven face he could recognize. One of the men from the previous night, Riccus. He followed behind Daum and the others.

  That bastard.

  Corin's heart beat with even more intensity as he saw him. He did not know this man, but Corin could tell he was dangerous. Corin saw him heading towards him, and he put his head over his head.

  As soon as Riccus moved past him, Corin fell in behind him, following in his footsteps. Daum was moving along at a quick pace, and Riccus matched his cadence. Corin had to adjust. He did not want to lose sight of him, but he did not want to give away his position.

  Riccus and Corin followed Daum through a confusing trek of the city. Twists and turns through various alleys, which ended in front of a red brick building indistinguishable from those around it. It looked a bit older than others around it, but that was the only thing Corin could point out. Daum quickly opened the door and went in, followed by Zhi and Nanaua.

  Riccus stopped across the street from a hidden vantage point. Corin waited to see what happened, and it seemed that so did Riccus.

  Corin did not know what exactly Riccus was thinking or what he thought might happen, but Riccus did not move. Corin leaned against a wall and peeked around conversing furtives to keep an eye on Riccus.

  Eventually, the furtives who shielded Corin moved out of the way. Almost simultaneously, Riccus got up from his perch and moved. Riccus went in the same direction that Corin was in.

  Oh damn!

  Corin panicked. Riccus would see him. As he scrambled, a large, shiny black dragoor stepped in front of him, looking around as if lost.

  The large dragoor turned to Corin.

  “Do you know where the market is?” the dragoor asked in a kind tone.

  Riccus walked past Corin. The large dragoor blocked Corin from his view.

  “That way,” Corin said in a low voice as he guided the lost furtive.

  Corin looked past and saw Riccus farther down the street, seemingly unaware of his presence.

  “Ah, that’s what I thought,” the large dragoor said. “Thank you, stranger.”

  The large dragoor smiled and walked away. Corin felt a strange sense of calm wash over him.

  How odd. It feels so familiar.

  After the draqoor left, Corin continued his pursuit of Riccus, who moved through the crowd swiftly and effortlessly. It was hard for Corin to keep up with him. The one thing that helped Corin was his size. Being small made it easy for him to squeeze into small openings between furtives and keep his head below the general level of chaos of Yranto.

  As Riccus sifted through the crowd, Corin squeezed, pushed, and nudged his way through any opening he saw in the swarm of furtives. This state of affair lasted for far longer than Corin would like.

  Where is this guy going?!

  Eventually Riccus traversed down paths with thinning crowds. Corin could not rely on sheer numbers to hide himself. Now he had to be careful as he followed him.

  Riccus stopped in the middle of a quiet street and walked into a large stone building. The buildings in this street were all ornate and grandiose. The smallest one was at least three times the size of Corin’s house. The one Riccus had gone into was one of the largest in the street.

  Must be nice.

  The large building had only one distinguishing feature. It would have seemed like random etchings to most, but Corin understood it. Engraved into the metal door were markings in Dragon script. They read “Tonatiuh.”

  So much for subtleness.

  Corin hurried back to the market.

  ***

  “The building they're hiding in simply says ‘Tonatiuh’ on the front door?” Daum asked.

  “That's right,” Corin replied.

  The others were surprised at the revelation.

  “It's not like most furtives would know what it even said,” Livia said.

  “That is true,” Daum replied. “I have never met any other furtives who knew how to read dragon script.”

  “But that is not the only bit of news we have to share,” Simeon said.

  “Zhi, can you tell Corin what you and Nanaua learned?”

  “Right,” Zhi began. “Our meeting with the Oixia was quite the event. We were blindfolded and led about the city. They brought us to a building. Inside, they kept leading us deeper until we were told to sit. Then we were able to remove our blindfolds. In front of us was a young gesherin.”

  “A gesherin?” Corin asked.

  “Yes, they are the ones with the gray skin, the long skinny arms and legs, and the large eyes,” Daum replied. “You normally do not see them on the surface. Their skin is sensitive to the sunlight. They normally wander around Yranto at night. A sizable portion of this city’s population is made up of gesherin, but most would not know that.”

  “So was this the Oixia?” Corin asked.

  “That's what she claimed,” Zhi said.

  “Doubtful,” Daum said. “The Oixia is known to have other female gesherin stand in for her to conduct business with people she has never met. No doubt the real Oixia was nearby.”

  “But did she know about Belaran?” Corin asked.

  “If she did, she did not share that information with us. All she said was that she would ask around the city and find a furtive who might know of him,” Zhi said.

  “And did she ask anything of you?” Corin asked.

  “Many things about the internal workings of Tonatiuh's palace. Names of other Lord's Protectorates, other Zifor Yorens, what their likes are, who they dislike. Every minute detail we could think of she wanted to know,” Zhi replied.

  “At one point, I was discussing how Throk had been following us with the other members of his failed plot, and I mentioned Narsil. It was a slip of the tongue, Narsil was not implicated in Throk’s crimes. But the Oixia quickly asked me who this Narsil was, since I had only mentioned Noro, Nureilla, Traillo, and Nerua along with Throk in his failed assassination attempt,” Nanaua said.

  “It seems that she did not reach her position solely due to her secrecy,” Simeon said.

  “Once her questions about Tonatiuh's palace ceased, we thought that was the end of it. We were wrong. Then she wanted a full accounting of our time since we landed near Trinixo,” Zhi added.

  “So you shared all that with her and all you got in return was the potential to receive information?” Corin asked.

  “Yes,” Zhi said. “She warned us that agents of Tonatiuh were within the city and that our safety could not be guaranteed. She said we should wait in hiding and that when they get information they would reach out and let us know.”

  The room was quiet. The group considered their options, whatever those might be.

  “I don't think the Oixia is to be trusted,” Daum said, breaking the silence.

  They all looked at him in surprise.

  “What makes you say that?” Zhi replied.

  “I can't say exactly what it is,” Daum said. “I feel as if we should be wary of the Oixia and what she promises us.”

  “Don't you think you're being paranoid? If she had wanted to harm us, then she could have done so already,” Zhi said.

  “There are other things out there that we have to watch out beyond being attacked. And you're asking a former Zifor if he is being paranoid? Of course I am!” Daum replied.

  “Right now, we are in a position of weakness. We are told that for your group’s safety we should hide and wait for them to arrive with this crucial information. We are powerless to do anything without their help. What is in it for them?”

  “Did you not listen to what I said? We gave them information on Tonatiuh's palace, on all the places we have been through. What more could the Oixia want?” Zhi replied, frustrated at Daum’s distrust.

  “Ah that?” Daum said as he waved his hand. “I'm sure they know his palace better than you do. I've seen other escapees from Tonatiuh's palace here during my time. None of them have been summoned by the Oixia, including me, mind you. They wanted you to believe you were being helpful.”

  Zhi gave Daum a cold stare. She did not want believe she had been fooled.

  “You have all these grand ideas floating out there, but you have yet to tell us why they would go to these lengths. What exactly are they hoping to gain that they already have not achieved?” Zhi replied.

  Daum was silent.

  “Well?”

  “That is what I have been trying to figure out,” Daum said.

  “So you don't even know?” Zhi asked.

  “I don't need to know every detail to see the most important thing. You cannot trust the Oixia,” Daum replied.

  “You know what your problem is? You think everyone is as untrustworthy as you,” Zhi shot back, her temper rising.

  Daum said nothing. It was clear that Zhi’s comment struck him.

  “If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here,” Simeon interjected. “He warned Corin, Livia, and myself about Tonatiuh's agents. Had he not done so, we probably would be dead. And you two would be much closer to being caught.”

  Zhi’s face reddened.

  “I'm sorry,” she said.

  Daum looked at her direction and smiled weakly.

  “But we should listen to what Daum has to say. Perhaps he is wrong, and perhaps the Oixia will come through and deliver the information. But that does not mean we should not try ourselves to find Belaran's possible whereabouts. We know that Tonatiuh's agents are in this city, and they know that Zhi and Nanaua are here. They know our hiding spot is underground. If we wait too long, Throk will have regained his strength and our position will be precarious,” Simeon said.

  “We know where Throk hides! We should go there and take the fight to them!” Nanaua said.

  “I don't think that would be a wise choice,” Simeon countered.

  “First off, we don't know how many agents reside in the house. You are a very skilled warrior, but we should assume we will be outnumbered.”

  “Any fight of that size will attract the attention of the city guard. If they get involved, their instinct is to assume everyone involved is working for one titan or another and leave no survivors,” Daum said.

  “Now that we know where they hide we can be smart about this. Daum and I can go and watch their movements. We can determine how many enemies we are dealing with and if the opportunity arises perhaps thin their numbers,” Simeon said.

  “Livia and I will ask for information about Belaran,” Corin said.

  Livia looked at him and nodded.

  “Well, what does that leave for us?” Zhi asked.

  Nobody answered her.

  “Really?” Zhi stated.

  “They are looking for you!” Corin finally said. “We don't want to make their job easier!”

  “Well what if they find me here?” Zhi said.

  “I'll be here!” Nanaua said. “None will take even a single step into this room before I cut them in half!”

  “Ugh,” Zhi said.

  “My love?” Nanaua sounded hurt.

  “It's not you, dear,” Zhi replied, turning toward Nanaua. “I'm tired of having to stay behind, but I understand. We are so close to the end of our journey.”

  Zhi turned to Simeon and Daum.

  “If you can get rid of those agents quickly, I would appreciate it, and you…” She turned to Corin and Livia.

  “You better find information on Belaran soon! I am already done with this city!”