Honorine's Run to Save The World - Chapter Ten

My mind is going a mile a minute. Why did I leave Alessia unattended for so long? Why didn’t I take her with me? How did the Rail Office even find us? I went out of my way to find an out-of-the-way inn they’d just skip over... But every second I spend musing over my slip-up is one I could--and very much should--be spending getting her back. I step forward, reach for my sword...

“No, don’t.” It’s Sabrina, gently gripping my shoulder. “This isn’t a fight you’ll win.”

I’m not having that. “You don’t know that. I can take them. Let me go. Or better yet, help out. These guys are nothing to us.”

“You’re not wrong, we can take them, but think about our goals: To avoid getting overwhelmed we have to take down all of them. They, on the other hand, only need to get her--” She points to Alessia. “--far enough away that we can’t give chase. Their objective is much easier than ours, so our odds of victory are slimmer than they initially look.”

“So what’s it you want me to do then, just let them go?” The question is more rhetorical than anything, but Sabrina actually nods. What?

“Let them go, and then catch up with them later, at a time when we can dictate the terms of the encounter.”

“But how’ll we know where they’ve gone? They could be heading anywhere! It’s not like--” Wait. I want to say it’s not like asking the townspeople later would be a viable approach, but... Is it?

“It’s not like what?” Sabrina’s evidently come to the same conclusion as I have, or maybe she’s known all along. I can feel my cheeks heating up.

“I was going to say we can’t just ask around but... Alessia’s captors are from the Rail Office... Not to mention they’re carrying an unconscious woman... Oh, they’re not going to be that hard to find, are they?”

“Yes, rail officers are quite distinctive on their own, but you wouldn’t even have to ask about the men.” She chuckles, gesturing to her sleeve. “Their jackets, if you hadn’t noticed, are regulator ones.”

Now that she brings it up, the officers’ jackets did have the signature blue-piped waistcoats of the Rail Office’s lawkeepers. So, if they’re regulators, and we just saw a squad of ten pass by... “So all we need to do is inquire about where the regulator train went?”

“Exactly. For this plan to work, however, the train has to have actually left the station. Moreover, they don’t seem to have noticed us.” Her grip on my shoulder loosens, but she doesn’t take her hand back. “Let’s fall back for now and regroup. We can tackle this situation with fresh minds tomorrow.”

She does have a point; it finally sinks in just how tired I am from all the traveling I’d been doing. The weight hits me like a train, and it’s honestly a wonder I’m even able to stand up. “...Fine, you’re right. We’ll go after them tomorrow... What time do we meet up, and where?”

“Ah, about that.” She laughs. Not a mirthful one, though; more like the ones I used to laugh when I’d try to make a request I knew my mothers would find unreasonable. “I... I wonder if you’d be alright with taking me home tonight?”

Oh. That explains the nervous laugh. Her face turns red.

“N-not like that!” She continues, clearly aware of how awkwardly she’d phrased the initial offer. “I just think it would be better if we continued this conversation tonight, somewhere more private--ah, I am really not helping my case, am I?”

“No, no.” I get what she means. “You want to head to my inn room so we can make our plan tonight instead of wasting time tomorrow, right?”

“Yes! It’s fine if you have reservations; after all, I’ve been your enemy for most of the time we’ve known each other, and--”

“--I have no reason to believe you won’t stab me once everyone’s asleep or something?”

“Well, yes. You have my word, of course, but again: I am, or at least was, your enemy, so I doubt it would be worth much.”

“Alright, let’s put the bit about enemies aside; why my inn, and not yours? After all, Alessia was taken from the room I’d rented, so it’s obviously not safe.”

“Was not safe.” There’s a certain... Smugness? Excitement? In her voice now. What it’s supposed to indicate is beyond me. “Remember, your pursuers have what they want now. There’s no reason for them to continue looking for you; you’ve served your purpose, and are now completely irrelevant. As far as they are concerned, that is. There should be no harm in returning there. Besides, we do have a chance of finding something that might help us plan there. Despite its reputation, the Regulations Department has not exactly been recruiting the country’s most disciplined prospects recently.”

That last part’s a bit suspicious--how does she know what the Regulations Department has been up to?--but ultimately, she’s right. “My room it is, then, but just so we’re clear: This is just for the planning. I’m not going to let you stay the night.”

“I don’t mind; I have no intention to do so. Now, lead the way, if you don’t mind?”

--

The inn really isn’t that far from the market district, but it certainly feels much farther on the way back. Yet, miraculously, I find it in me to stay vertical until we get there and the first hitch in our plan appears.

The inn is guarded. Not heavily, or even significantly so, but there’s a very conspicuous pair of regulators waiting outside the doors. Unlike the ones we saw earlier, though, they’re silent and stoic; evidently some of the more refined members of the force.

It’s a relief, to be sure--between Otto’s men on the train and the bantering idiots who’d got Alessia, I was starting to have some serious doubts about the state of the Rail Office--but also presents a new problem. How are we going to get past them?

“...This is going to sound strange, but I promise there’s a point to it: Do you mind sticking close to me?”

What? Did the heat of the forges get to her head or something? “I’m going to need some more elaboration before I give you an answer to that.”

“I think we can avoid those guards by pretending to be a party, or that one of us is escorting the other.” It sounds like an effective plan, and it’s certainly better than anything I could think of... “But until I have your consent, I can’t take this approach in good conscience.”

“Yeah, I can do that. What’s our story?”

“Er...” She blinks, clearly trying to come up with something. Lucky for her, making up a story is one of my strong suits.

“You can be...” I look Sabrina up and down... What role would she be fit to play? She’s very well-groomed, for one, and her mien is that of a noble. Her outfit straddles that line between form and function that a military general’s formalwear does. It’s certainly formal in its design, too... With the shasqua in its baldric under her left arm, she looks like a member of some military family. Perhaps the Heikkis, or House Gelens? “...you can be an heiress of some noble house...”

Okay, what house? The Heikkis are far too well-known, and House Gelens is so closely linked to the Rail Office that any officer worth their salt would be able to identify a pretender... But there is one noble house we can invoke here. “...Maybe a Hiemal? Nobody knows anything about them so they can’t call our bluff...”

Sabrina giggles in response, like I’ve just told a particularly amusing joke. “Fine. I’ll be an heiress of House Hiemal, and you can be my wife from House--”

“--Fay,” I respond before she’s done talking. “They’re known for silverworking, and I know a thing or two about silver.” More like a hundred things, or even a thousand, but that’s besides the point.

“Alright, Fay it is. Is there a first name you would like to go by?”

“Mmm...” I’m not really sure. I like my name--I chose it myself, after all--but at the same time, it’s quite a distinctive one... Ah, I’m sure my mom won’t mind if I borrow hers just this once. “...How does ‘Nabra’ sound?”

“Nabra Fay-Hiemal... I do like the sound of that. The problem is, you look rather... Not raggedy, I wouldn’t say, but definitely worse for wear than an aristocrat would allow themselves to look. Though, admittedly, the house’s etiquette does encourage...” She trails off, then shakes her head. “No, we can make the ruse work even with your current attire.” Now she reaches out as if to wrap her arm around my shoulder. "May I?"

I'm certainly not going to stop her, but something tells me that's not what she's looking for, so I nod. This prompts her to actually place her arm around me, and we make our way to the inn's entrance.

“Ah, excuse me, please.” Sure enough, one of the guards intercepts us as soon as they spot us. Despite their stonefaced demeanor and the way they constantly stand at attention, they’re surprisingly polite. “I am quite sorry to interrupt you so rudely, but I would like to question your companion here.” They gesture to me. “There’s been a disturbance here earlier today, and they match the description of the culprit.”

Sabrina shakes her head. “With all due respect, officer, I doubt your questions are necessary; I can vouch for my wife having been with me all evening, at the downtown market. Isn’t that right, darling?” My cheeks start to heat up, and the idea of pretending to be Sabrina’s wife suddenly doesn’t seem quite as good as it did in my head.

“That is understandable, but I must ask her these questions regardless; if nothing, then to confirm her innocence.”

In response, Sabrina holds me closer. “If it changes anything, I wish to inform you that you are accusing a member of House Fay of disturbing the peace.”

The guard’s eyes widen slightly at the mention of House Fay, then a smile plays across their face. Their professional veneer drops, but they’re still as polite as ever. “Is that so? In that case, I will have to verify your claim.” They take off the intricately decorated silver bracelet on their wrist, and offer it to me. “I purchased this magic-absorbing amulet from a merchant in Kaiserhofn about a month or so ago, but I’m not entirely sure as to its provenance. What can you tell me about this, Lady Fay?”

“That it's fake, for one. Obviously fake, at that.” The lack of scratches on the surface confirmed that even before I’d taken it into my hands. It’s lighter than a silver bracelet, even a pure unreinforced one, ought to be, and the more I inspect it the more signs I find.

“I’ll grant you that it’s not immediately obvious--the repoussage is impressive, for one, and there was certainly no shortage of care put into emulating the processes used for silver to try and sell it as such--but this bracelet here is undoubtedly just iron, possibly with a coating of palladium leaf.”

The guard looks... Surprised? Upset? I can’t quite put a pin on it. I should probably tell them the good news. “Don’t worry, you weren’t entirely fleeced; this will definitely protect you from magic. It just won’t protect an area any bigger than your wrist, because it doesn’t absorb it.”

“I see, I see... Thank you, Lady Fay.” They take the bracelet back with a respectful nod. “And which house, if I may ask, is your spouse from?”

“Hiemal.” Sabrina replies, her voice taking on a steeliness that wasn’t there before. She takes off one of her earrings and shows it to the guard. “And, of course, the proof.” The guard’s face blanches at the sight of the earring, and I feel mine following suit once my not-wife’s response properly sinks in. Sabrina’s actually a Hiemal?

“A-Ah. You have my sincerest apologies, Ladies Fay and Hiemal. You may enter.” The guard bows, and signals to their companion as we breeze past them.

--

The next sign that something’s wrong appears once we get to my corridor. The door to my room is guarded, too, but not by normal regulators the way the inn’s was. These guards don’t even look like rail officers; they’re certainly not dressed the part, with their black-and-purple jackets and the golden armor over their joints. The strange swords at their sides--boasting split blades, with a crystal orb resting between them where they meet the crossguard--certainly don’t help, and neither does their conversation in the aristocratic cant.

“Is this really necessary?” One asks, leaning against the wall with their arms crossed. They don’t seem to have noticed us, so we quickly hide behind the wall we just rounded. “We have what we came for, so what is the point in waiting? If anything it harms our mission.”

“I understand your complaint, Amadou, but you’re not a greenhorn anymore. You’ve seen just how much he likes to gloat.” The other guard snorts. “At this point trying and failing to get Monsieur Pelargonia to do something that makes sense is basically a requirement to call yourself a praetor.”

Next to me, Sabrina tenses up. I understand just how she feels; the Praetorian Guard were the last people I expected, much less wanted, to see. At best, it means Otto is operating with King Léonel’s blessing. At worst, it means the king is personally involved with... Whatever it is Otto intends to do with Alessia. Regardless, the effect is the same: This situation has escalated far more quickly than either of us would like, and our job just got ten times harder.

For one, before we can do anything, we have to get past the two praetors at the door. There’s no other way into the room, and the trick we used on the regulators in front of the inn is almost guaranteed to fail here. I can’t think of any other options, so... “We’ll have to fight them, won’t we?”

She nods. “I doubt it’s going to be as hard as it looks, though; look. They’re bored out of their minds. We have the element of surprise, so let’s use it.” Now she unmounts the shasqua from the baldric, gripping it by the scabbard, and makes her way toward the guards.

“Ah, good evening, miss.” The guard nearest to us--not Amadou, the other one--turns to Sabrina, no doubt to explain to her that this room is off-limits. They don’t get that far. As soon as she can see their face, Sabrina lunges forward and hits them upside the head with the shasqua’s pommel. They crumple to the floor, out cold but otherwise unharmed.

“Hey! Stop right there!” When Amadou reaches for their sword, I quickly step in and catch them across the face with my longsword’s pommel. They fall to their knees, still conscious, but a follow-up uppercut takes care of that. With the praetors taken care of, we open the door to my room…

...and find ourselves face to face with Otto Pelargonia. There are two more praetors in the room with him, and there's a wicked smirk on his face.

Gods, I want to punch that smirk off so badly it's unbelievable.

The praetors draw their swords,but Otto signals for them to stand down. "Well, well, well. Look who's finally arrived. As much as I hate—" He punctuated this with a laugh, as though his voice wasn't dripping with sarcasm already—"to tell you this, you are far too late. An hour too late, in fact. The girl is well on her way to Eleurini now, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Maybe next time you'll consider keeping a closer eye on your charges, not that it would be of any use against an opponent as intelligent and possessed of tactical acumen as I.

"You would be surprised at the amount of effort that went into this, I had to track the trail of magic you left behind all the way to this room. Not an easy task on its own, but then I had to arrange a diversion, not that it was necessary, but I simply had to because these clowns, having greatly overestimated you, insisted that I do so, and…"

Gods, does he ever shut up? I’ve half a heart to just draw my sword and scare him off or something, but I can’t do that with the praetors in the room. I certainly must have reached for it, though, because they quickly draw their swords.

Before they can do anything more than that, Otto signals for them to stand down, having evidently reached the end of his speech. "No, leave them. I want them to revel in their inferiority, and to understand the forces they have tried to oppose. We, on the other hand, have places to be. Very high places. So let us be off; I don't want to keep our train waiting." With that, he sweeps past us, and out of the room. The praetors wait for a second, sigh, and then follow him.

The ensuing silence lasts for barely a second before Sabrina starts to giggle, though she quickly catches herself and settles for a broad grin. “Well, that takes care of that particular problem. Now we know where they’ve taken her, and we didn’t even have to ask. So, with that information at our disposal, what is our plan now?”

“Well... Rest, first of all.” I don’t intend for it to, but the massive yawn that follows that sentence illustrates my point perfectly. “I haven’t had a break all day. Then tomorrow, we meet up at the station, head to Eleurini, and ask around there if anybody’s seen Alessia. Or, better yet, see if we can find Otto and get him to spill his entire plan again.”

“Ah, about that...” She giggles again, but it’s a nervous one this time. “I was wondering if I could stay the night here? I-I know, I know. This is not what we agreed on, but it would save us the hassle of coordinating a meet-up at the station.” Her expression changes, falling a little. There are also some... People I would like to avoid, and I think my odds of doing that are greater if I have someone spotting with me.”

She sounds... sincere? Desperate? I can’t quite place the emotion in her voice as she says that last bit, and I’m too tired to try and figure it out. I definitely feel like I ought to humor her, at least as a way of acknowledging the help she’s been so far. Besides, I rented a room for two people, there is no reason for me not to get my money’s worth. “Fine, you can stay the night. I owe you that much, at least.”

“Thank you,” comes her reply. She says something afterwards, but I don’t catch it; I’m under the covers by then, and sleep is quick to take me.

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