Price of Power

Caduka took them back to the apartment they temporarily 'rented' to take their stuff. Lariska with relief could take off contact lenses, dress, wash off makeup, be herself. She dressed up, checked if she left everything the way as it was when she came there and wanted to give her mentor a sign that she is ready. She found her sitting on the double bed in the bedroom, still in a blazer, lost in thoughts. She hadn’t idea what was the matter, but the thing was although Caduka herself was once a Cleric, she was a Cleric of a different sort. She has never seen before someone being killed. As it was all over, it started to leave a mark on her.

"Sorry, I’m just tired, it was a long night." She said after she has shaken off. "Listen, maybe we will stay here? I don’t have any more energy for anything, especially to think about another place where we could rest."

"Are you sure? Are they not going to find us?"

"I doubt it, I think we can stay here unless you have something against it."

Actually, she had, she felt that sleeping in someone’s bed wasn’t right, but she herself was tired.

"Fine, since we are going to abuse hospitality anyway, I will make some supper."

"No thanks, I got stuffed at the buffet."

She probably just said that to irritate her.

In the morning Caduka was surprised with hot breakfast and she fell asleep just like she was lying, fully dressed hoping that one of them is wrong. Lariska woke her so she would finally scramble out of bed and go to the dining room (there was no way she would bring hTer breakfast to the bed). She made pancakes with syrup and butter, not much, but for Caduka more than enough.

"And you were picking on me that I was drinking wine out of their bar."

"Since you were already sleeping in their bed anyway, let’s sit."

"And where you were sleeping?"

"On the couch."

"Well, you know, there was enough space for you as well, I think." This fact made her sad a little.

"Not after you smashed up on the whole bed."

Caduka snorted with laughter.

"Better tell me who is our next target." Lariska demanded.

"Yes," She said with already full mouth. "wait."

When she came back she brought a newspaper and threw it on the table.

"Things in this city are not going well. Riots are being provoked and some are successfully making sure that nobody undesirable by them will find out about the situation, and what’s going on? The city is being isolated, trade is sabotaged, the citizens are starving and what happens to get delivered is incredibly expensive, and they are making sure that Sister is blamed for all of this. However, responsible for this is Azure Cloud and whatever she is trying to accomplish chaos is her way to go. I didn’t say anything about it to Sister, she would immediately intervene, but she wouldn’t be able to catch her and she would only scare her away. Anyway, at this moment she’s probably seen there as a tyrant."

"Are you afraid that she would do something to them?"

"And do you think why she’s still trying to tolerate you? She wouldn’t want to harm her subjects under any circumstances, only that ...she can be forced to do so." She said and they finished the meal in silence.

The town was looking worse than Caduka remembered it. It wasn’t too big. Small blocks and houses were making an impression of neglected or just abandoned. The ubiquitous fog and clouded sky definitely took care of that and winding, asymmetric streets were indicating that the town was expanding fast yet unevenly. Furthermore, there was also a square marketplace, it definitely was far away from being abandoned. She and Lariska were observing a crowd before the town hall, the food was distributed to the starving citizens and no one was asking from where they’ve taken it.

"Pff, Azure is making herself a hero of incoming revolution even though because of her the town is preying on itself, disgusting."

"I do not see her."

"Me neither, but she must be close."

"Let’s get down, maybe civilians will know something."

Lariska left for her interactions with strangers. The majority of inhabitants were gaunt and you almost could feel a misery from them, they both were rather standing out of the crowd. Everyone Caduka asked didn’t know where Azure could’ve been. However, most of them responded positively when they heard her name. She finally gave up, but when she was coming back someone grabbed her sleeve. She turned and saw a teenager, he looked way more starved than the rest of the citizens.

"Be careful, you might draw someone’s attention with your sniffing."

He pointed her a group of individuals in violet coats who were shady-looking.

"Thanks, I guess, who are you?"

"You can call me Relay, what do you and your friend want from Azure? You’re not from here."

"We want to help you, who are they?"

"Civic guard, but they can be worse than so-called 'criminals', they appeared not so long after the town has been isolated. Find that other and come, the crowd will soon disperse."

"Do you know where we can find her?"

"Yeah."

They quickly found each other and followed a youngster. For almost all way they were whispering between each other yet he was hearing them anyway. Lariska finally shut it down after she has got in response „For me, he is not much younger than you.”

The town was full of tight alleys, more or less narrow, so much that they eventually stopped realizing that they were in one. Shortly, when they were going through one, both ways were covered by groups of kids around the same age as Relay. Lariska once she noticed that immediately pulled out her musket and aimed at him. Before she took a shot, Caduka shouting for her not to do it pushed her and crimson projectile hit the wall, the atmosphere froze.

"What the hell was that?" Relay asked uncovering his head.

"Azure’s minions have similar weapon, they must be with her!" Large boy called Stemhead pointed at them.

"No wait, we’re here to stop her." Caduka said in their defense.

"Stop? The only person who gets food for us so we won’t starve to death?" The red hair was covering half of Sundance’s face.

"You’re talkin’ like she’s not behind all of this." Cut in Stemhead.

"Who knows? Even if then what? Without her, we will stay only with self-proclaimed guard, big lady in the palace doesn’t give a shit about us." Sundance gave a piece of her mind.

"Yes, she’s the one blocking the trading, I’m Caduka and this is Lariska."

"And can we trust you? This other one got some sinister eyes." Stated Relay, Lariska wanted to say the same about him.

"Not mentioning that she already tried to kill you." Sundance said.

"Don’t you think that if they were with her they would not ask the citizens? Or just go straight to the guards." Asked rhetorically Brisk, his tall figure was standing out from the rest.

" Well…" Quiet voice mumbled between them.

"Are you going to help us or are you standing on our way?!" Lariska shouted, everyone went silent.

"Lari…" Caduka murmured.

"No, she’s right, this town had enough, if there is an occasion to at least take revenge on Azure, I’ll take it." Relay declared to everyone.

"But then what?" Few rolled their eyes thinking that Sundance just couldn’t shut up.

"Then 'Lady in a palace' as you defined it will clean up this mess, first we have to make sure that Azure will take responsibility for her actions." Caduka responded.

"So revenge on her is more important than us?" Contended Brisk.

"Stakes are higher than you can imagine." Now Lariska’s mentor rolled her eyes as a response to her dramatization.

"Higher than life?" Asked boy with blue eyes, Frost used to not talk too much.

"No, listen, we have our part to play and others have their own. Will you help us now?"

You could feel a begging note in last Caduka’s words, kids looked at each other, some with more some with less conviction.

"I just hope you won’t be worse plague than her."

Relay nodded and roughly fifteen figures scattered out. Caduka and Lariska at the beginning didn’t know this, but few of them were following them from above.

They keep followed him through the winding streets taking care to stay as far as possible from the Violetcoats, yet still, they had an occasion to witness how hard they could abuse their privileges towards the inhabitants. The longer they were walking, the town was more and more making an impression of less damaged. Finally, the winding and tight alleys were replaced by wide sidewalks and decorative blocks. Although there too you could feel poverty, lawlessness, and hunger. And even though lampposts were on they barely could break through fog and dust.

"Are you some kind of association, or maybe just a group of friends?" Asked Caduka out of curiosity.

"In hard times better to stick together."

"Don’t you have any police or anyone who would keep the peace?"

"Some of them threw away uniforms, some joined the Violets, the rest has been killed by them."

"And major?"

"Fuck if I know."

"Your friend said that this Watch have weapon similar to mine." Stated Lariska.

"Only those with higher rank, not this rabble on the streets."

"It would mean that Azure called them."

"It would explain a lot." He mumbled.

They reached the destination, Relay pointed them a huge building seemingly not standing out of the rest in that part of the town, maybe outside that it looked more neatly. Pointed roof, two floors and the ground one, also some guards were wandering around, not all of them had violet colors on them.

"Here she resides, not hard to guess anyway, I don’t know how do you plan to get inside, but good luck. When you will be done and want something more have this address."

He gave them a small card and after that, he waved quick goodbye and departed. After he disappeared behind the corner they went closer to the building.

"So what do you see?" She asked her mate with a mechanical eye.

"The ground floor is full of guards, but others probably not."

"Any entry?"

"Windows, you can pry them, too bad guards are not standing only by two of them. Teleportation is too risky, you know, there can be protective spells or just noise itself can…" She interrupted once she got sight from Lariska saying 'You talk too much'.

They immediately went to the building. Making sure nobody was seeing them Lariska took a dagger to pry open the window. Around they couldn’t see anybody, yet you still could hear a lively conversation. Corridor itself was shining through with brown color, but at least it wasn’t stinking rot. The stairs were nearby and on the floor only one door was closed, and undoubtedly it was the door to Velvet’s room.

"Wait, there’s nobody inside." Said Caduka squinting eyes.

"What?"

Lariska quickly opened the door, indeed, nobody was there, only a desk, bed with curtains, wardrobe, and other old fashioned furniture.

"Turd lied to us." Lariska said angrily.

"No, it is her room, we just missed her."

"What now? Do we wait?"

"No, we don’t even know if she will come back anytime soon. Come, maybe something here will hint us where could she go."

They were searching in wardrobes, notes, taking care not to make too much noise nor turn everything upside down, Azure was making the impression of being a goody-two-shoes. Caduka was checking from time to time if someone was coming, but she has finally found something.

"Lari, can you?"

"Do you have something?"

"Yes, look, a list of bribed, intimidated, or just killed traders. The second one, of the officers of the Violetcoats ...the orders, everything in her writing, even with signatures this and there, if the citizens see it, she will be done for good.

"Supposing they would not jump to her throat, what do you want to do with this?"

"Spread of course, when she loses her support she will be an easier target, we will show this to Relay, he will know how."

"Good, take us from here."

"Good, come."

Unmoved by anything she hid the papers to the pocket, opened the door and walked down the stairs with a malicious smirk. Since they had what they needed and there was nothing that would indicate the presence of counterspells she knew that Lariska rather had something different in mind.

Caduka knocked on the wooden door, every window in the building was closed and covered and even though it had a small terrace before it didn’t have on it even a bench. She knocked once more, yet there was still no answer, at least for a moment. Just after a curtain in the window has waved they heard a sound of locks being unlatched and when the door opened they saw inside Relay. He was surprised a bit by their view, just a bit.

"Took you fast enough, come in."

They found themselves in the former from appearance restaurant, the tables and chairs were still on their place. The room once filled with guests was nothing but empty, although on a standing hanger there still was a hat someone has forgot.

"What is this place?" Caduka asked.

"Tearoom of my parents, or rather what is left from it, we sometimes come here."

"And where are they now? Your parents."

"Never better." He said dryly.

He led them to the back room which was arranged fairly cozy, all lumber was hidden, except the kettle and few blankets, but rather not for them. He sat in the armchair and they were pointed a sofa.

"So?"

"She wasn’t there, but we found this, you maybe want to look at it." Caduka responded, then she pulled out the papers and put on the table, he took them and began to read. "Do you know maybe how to spread this?

He stood up, reading he was walking around the room, finally, he scratched his head and said.

"I somehow knew yet…" He looked at them and asked: "Why?"

Caduka couldn’t find the proper words, so Lariska answered for her.

"Idea, stupid idea, we do not know exactly which."

"That’s why everyone must see it, do you maybe know the way?" Caduka inquired.

"Yes, I know a printer, if he agrees tomorrow will be about it in every newspaper."

"The one who is writing all this rubbish?"

"Yes, this one."

"We are going with you." Lariska declared.

"No, you did enough, I will go alone, stay here if you want, I will come back soon."

"But…"

"I trusted you, now let yourselves trust me."

She looked at Caduka who nodded her head as a sign that they would better listen to him. After he came out of the back door Caduka put the kettle on and asked if she maybe wants tea or coffee. She herself craved for second, but Lariska for none. She started to wonder if the printer would even want to cooperate. This and other questions were going through her head, Caduka knew what she had in it, but she also knew that it is better to leave her alone than 'provoke'.