The Lilliad chp 18

This is how rich people live,’ Lilli thought bitterly. She looked around, marveling at the unnaturally level grass, the rich greenery in between tall stone buildings. Cheery sunlight caught glittering details, like a colored glass window over what had to be an important room.

“It would be so difficult to burn this down,” Elathor mused. 

Knight Alcuin shifted uncomfortably. “Yes.” They paused. “Please do not try. And please do not mention flammability to my patron. It may cause unease.”

The taller guard, Lorit, huffed a sigh. “I can try to do more of the talking for our group,” he suggested. 

His companion, Benk, of the family with poor vision, barely reacted. He seemed to be going through some kind of internal personal crisis and silently metamorphosing at his own pace. 

Lilli herself had a growing sense of unease that crept up and breathed on the back of her neck as they walked into the grand estate. She didn’t know why until the main building came into view.

‘Oh, shit. It looks different in the day.’ 

She patted her sides subtly, making sure that the magical daggers she had stolen from this particular mansion were totally covered. They were. 

‘Anyone who has bags of jewels and magical weapons lying around is not a good enemy to have.’

Feeling hysteria rise up, she fell to the back of the ground and tried to make meaningful eye contact with Elathor. They were focused on the path, walking some ritualistic pattern over only stones with blue chips in them. 

Lilli did not consider herself a particularly wise or accomplished criminal by any means. She was, however, crushingly aware that it was not in good taste to return to a crime scene and ask your victim for favors. 

“Please wait here,” Alcuin said. “I will go ahead and report, and ask for succor.”

“Yes, please do,” Lilli blurted, seeing an opportunity. “We could really use some succor.”

The knight gave her a slightly odd look and a half bow as he went ahead. She waited, tense as a drawn bow, until the door shut. 

Then she wheeled on Elathor. “I’ve been here before,” she hissed. She grabbed at his sleeve. “I- I stole from this house, this is where I got my daggers.” 

Elathor finally looked at her and slowly raised one brow. “Yesssss?” He prompted, languidly.

“So, don’t you think that could be an issue?” Lilli glanced nervously ahead. The door was still closed, they were still alone. “I stole- other things, too,” she whispered. “Expensive things. What if someone recognizes the daggers?”

Benk sighed again, mournful at the situation he found himself in.

Elathor let out a long, impatient hiss. “I am shocked,” they said, bored. “Shocked and dismayed to find out that you, a shoeless ruffian, came by goods through illicit means. Surely this can mean that the linen bag full of sapphires that you paid me with was not your rightful possession? I am very surprised.”

“Bag of sapphires?” Lorit gave Lilli a disapproving look. 

Benk rubbed at his temples.

...She felt her shoulders hunch up a bit. “Yes...” Lilli fidgeted. “That’s not the point now, though. What if-“

“Young lady,” Elethor cut her off sternly. The second eyelid covering their vivid green pupils fully slid open for once. “Please have some tact and grace. It is not very becoming to boast. I, too, have committed various and amusing crimes on personal property. However, I find it distasteful to brag and draw attention to one’s successes. Your accomplishments should speak for themselves, or not at all.”

That was when a boom sounded some distance behind them, followed by a shriek.  She found herself rushing over to see the problem, hands itching to pull out her beloved daggers. 

The problem was at the gate, and the problem was Igni.

For reasons known only to Igni, there was a gash torn out of the wooden gate. It was perhaps 6 inches across, and did not fully break through the door. Pertinently, the door was still open, so Igni had probably not been trying to open it.

Elethor, who had been taking the trek at a much more leisurely stroll, gave Igni a loose wave. “Oh, hello,” they said, flicking their gaze to the lone guard at the gatehouse. “No worries, that’s a friend of ours.” 

“It- the gate!” Lord Wintra’s beleaguered staff was bravely and futilely standing in front of Igni, as if her fragile flesh body was going to fare any better than the oaken gate had.

“I am entirely sympathetic,” Lorit said, raising his gloved hands to show calm. “However, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Friend Igni, please apologize for damaging the gate.”

Lilli gave him an incredulous look.

“I am sorry,” Igni said, genuinely sounding penitent. “I am merely a tool of my magical master, and am compelled to reach them by any means necessary. So Elathor will pay for your gate, of course.”

Elathor swished their tail unhappily. When the guard looked over, Elathor put on a very obviously fake smile, showing more teeth than Lilli knew Elathor had. “Of course.”

Igni stretched their face into a ghastly smile. 

“Al-Alright,” the guard said, clearly not having the best day of her career. “Mr. Sorcerer, please speak to Lord Wintra or his administrative aid Mistress Wap to arrange compensation.”

“I will do that,” Elethor said, in the smooth tone of a lie. They began to saunter away. Igni followed immediately, pretending to be an obedient tool. 

This still did not address why Igni had damaged the gate. It had been open. Lilli fell in line, frowning. She glanced up at their stone companion.

Lilli shuddered. Igni still had that horrible smile stretching halfway across their whole head. 

When they were far enough away from the guard at the gate, Igni relaxed and gave a stretch. “No one thought to give me any directions,” Igni announced.

...that was true.

“How did you find us?” Lilli asked. 

“I asked about where the rich people live. Then I checked each entrance. If it was the wrong place, I made a subtle change to the gate, so that I knew where I had already been.” Igni glanced around the estate disapprovingly. “These places all look the same.” 

“And what would that subtle change be?” Benk asked, sounding tired. “Is that what we heard?”

Igni considered him for a moment. Then Igni hummed and opened an enormous hand to reveal several objects. They were made of various shiny metals, accented with gems. They all appears to have writing on them. 

Benk squinted. “These are family crests. You took the family crests off the gates to mark which ones you’d checked?” 

“Quite,” Igni said modestly. 

“Could you not have simply read them and recalled if you had been to that gate?” Lorit asked reasonably.

“I am illiterate,” Igni said in a soft, embarrassed tone. 

Benk gave Igni a comforting look. “I see. Well, what’s done is done. Elathor here has neglected your education. I’m sure that this kind of thing won’t happen again. It was a clever solution.”

Lilli, who knew that Igni read at least 4 languages, made eye contract with Elathor. Elathor mouthed, “So modest. Be more like Igni,” at her. 

“Companions,” a familiar voice called. Alcuin was standing at the top of a set of stairs, with an older man dressed in rich burgundy. “Please join us.”

“Coming,” Elathor said cheerfully. They bounded up the stairs with surprising grace and speed. “Lord Wintra, I presume?”

“Indeed,” said the rich man. He looked over them all curiously. “Oh, I see you’ve come with the city guard. Very good. The situation deserves the focus and cooperation of all capable parties.”

“The guard extends their appreciation for your assistance,“ said Lorit, who was a surprisingly good liar. “I’d like to ask what you know and what you recommend.”

“Oh, I know a good deal,” said the rich man. He smoothed down his cravat. “I assume you’ve been studying the ktharysis and found a way to combat them.” 

Elathor gave a full body jerk and focused the force of their piercing attention on Lord Wintra.

“We can kill them, but they reproduce at a troubling rate,“ Lorit acknowledged. 

“Cutting off what‘s feeding them is the only way to end the plague,” Lord Wintra agreed solemnly. He walked down the stairs with a sense of gravity and dignity. “That’s why I ask that you and your party accompany my Knight to the blighted Wastes, the seek out the source of the corruption.”

“The wastes?” Elathor said, surprised.

”Sounds lovely,” Igni sing-songed.