The Lead Crown: Ch 1a, Flintlocked and Loaded (pt 4)
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 1-4, Flintlocked and Loaded
Kesst pulled his cloak tighter around himself; it wouldn't be effective in the least the moment he was searched but it was a defense mechanism he'd developed over the past several years and it usually made him feel a little more at ease... 'usually' being the operative word. Being stuck in a jail surrounded by guards, however, had a way of decreasing the level of comfort... not to mention being in a cell right next to the men who had tried to mug him.
"Damn dragon's nothin' but bad luck, eh, Grange?" the large elephant noted, glaring at Kesst through the open bars, the only thing separating the two cells, "Got mah boys all knocked 'round fer nuthin..." and the thug began tactlessly rubbing his groin, "Curse it... they still fuckin' 'urt..."
"I'm more worried 'bout my head than yer balls, Suros." the rat replied flatly, leaning back against the stone wall of the far side of the cell, "Newport's been crazy..."
"With that 'party' down at tha docks they're prolly gonna run us straight to th'gallows." the mongrel dog sitting at the far side of the cell noted, rubbing the large bump on the back of his head where he had been clobbered by Tobias.
As if on cue, the antelope called, "Kesst?"
The dragon looked back to the rest of the group, who were huddled on the other side of the cell talking in quiet voices. He had spaced himself evenly in the middle of the cell, equidistant from those with him and the criminals on the other side of the bars. He didn't feel particularly communal at that moment, but he also wasn't about to alienate his only companions, "I'm sorry, Tobias... I... was--"
"He's just a little shaken up." Sanmer, the white fox announced, standing up to move beside him.
Kesst's first inclination was to step away from the close proximity, "It's alright, Kesst... I remember the first time I got put into a place like this..."
"A regular occurrence, I take it?" Nicholas the sailor inquired flatly.
"Me? No..." the fox shook his head, smiling ingratiatingly, "...of course not. Just that once..." and he leaned closer to Kesst, whispering, "You don't get sentenced if you don't get caught..." and his voice dropped even lower, just loud enough for the young traveler to hear him breathe, "...kinda like winged dragons."
Kesst went rigid, missing the rest of the conversation, though he did not miss the fox's eyes continue to drift their way back to him. The dragon had no idea what Sanmer meant by that, but the one thing he DID know for certain was that the fox wasn't just making an idle comparison, "He knows..." Kesst murmured to himself, once again pulling his cloak tighter-- it wasn't even helping a little at that point.
"Watch him!" a mercenary's loud shout was the first thing to catch Kesst's attention, and he hadn't been keeping track of how much time had passed, "Through the door... slow." the mercenary further directed. Although Kesst wanted to keep track of the strange white fox, the commotion at the doorway ultimately drew his attention when the sunlight streaming in was completely blocked... by an enormous bear. Preceded by a mercenary, and followed by two more, the brown furred ursine was easily seven and a half feet tall and everything about him screamed 'tribal'.
"There." noted one of the soldiers behind the newest prisoner, "The open door on the right. The right. Do you know 'right'?" he moved around to the front and the enormous bear motioned to one of the few empty cells in the prison. "Yes..." the mercenary acknowledged, nodding theatrically, "Riiiiight." he sounded out the word.
"I know 'right'." the tribal spoke in a quiet, but tired-sounding voice... yet there was enough of a deep-chested rumble in it that he may as well have spoken at a shout. The guards stepped back at the sound, which vibrated more like a growl than words, "I can speak with your tongue." and he stepped into the cell, turned around, and sat down on the stone floor. The mercenaries left without another word.
"Hey... hey, stag." Kesst's scales went on end when he heard the rat trying to get the attention of Tobias, who was otherwise talking quietly with Nicholas.
"I am a buck... sir." the antelope responded with perfect, though strained manners.
"Yea... whatever... and I'm a rat." Grange stated simply, waving toward Tobias, "Anyway... you an' me should talk."
"I cannot imagine what would be worth talking about." the scholar replied simply.
"Listen... listen listen listen listen..." the rodent's voice picked up in tempo quickly; Kesst had spent enough time on the street to know that some figurative fast talking was about to accompany it, "So the way I see it is that these guys ain't got a reason t'hold us at all... right?"
"Other than you assaulting us in the alleyway, you mean?" Nicholas was quick to chime in. Kesst would have had plenty to say as well, but he wasn't about to try and get anyone else's attention; he already noticed that Sanmer was looking at him again.
"That's before we got t'know ya... you're all good folks... am I right? I'm right-- I know I am. We're good folks too." the rat motioned to himself and those around him, "Just a misunderstandin'... see... so the way I figger it, we'll tell the guards it's nothin', and you'll tell the guards it's nothin'... and then they just let us all get outta here like nothin's happened... can't have a crime without a victim... am I right? I'm right... am I right?" he looked around to his fellows, all of whom were nodding quite vigorously.
"Scum like you should be taken off the street." Nicholas spat on the floor in their cell through the bars, "We don't have any reason to worry about them... once they sort all this out we'll be on our way, and you all can keep right on rotting."
"Indeed." Tobias added, "Honest men have nothing to fear from the city watch."
"If ya ain't noticed..." the rat twirled his whiskers between two fingers, "This ain't the watch... these guys are swords fer hire."
The strange diplomacy continued on without Kesst; his attention was once again focused on the enormous bear sitting quietly in the cell across the way. The dragon pulled at his cloak again, looking at the tribal who was staring right at him. The brown bear was dressed like the few tribals Kesst had seen: loincloth and leather straps but, at the same time, the dragon had never recalled seeing any of the wild men with pouches attached to the leather straps... and the majority of the bear's scars did not seem to have been made by accident.
The quiet Tribal sat where he was, legs curled beneath him, staring straight across the room at the dragon; Kesst didn't know if it was coincidence because he happened to be in the way of the gaze, or if the bear really was looking at him... but the dark-blue-almost-black eyes held him frozen in place, almost like a snake staring down a bird. He felt curious and frightened all at once, and his cloak was already pulled as tightly to him as was possible.
"He is a merchant." Tobias' words finally pulled Kesst out of the strange trance that had befallen him, "Most unfortunate that these mercenaries chose to arrest him."
"H-" the dragon's eyes migrated again to the bear for a moment but he quickly looked back to the prong horn, "How can you tell?"
"Merchants among the tribesmen do not carry satchels or packs or lead wagons... what they carry they spread about their person in pouches." the scholar motioned a hand toward the bear, "From the lack of weight to them, I'd say he was getting ready to return home."
"Why do you think--" Kesst began, but he was interrupted as the outer door opened and one of the mercenaries returned. The dragon bit his tongue, slinking further back into the cell to avoid attracting attention.
"Tobias Severna?" the wolfhound jailor questioned, looking in at the group.
"That is I, sir." replied the antelope.
"You're free to go." the mercenary stated, pulling out a pair of keys, "University's covered your bail and you're out of here."
"School bribed em, more like." Grange murmured off to the side.
"Indeed." Tobias responded to the solider, nodding his head courteously, "Then if there is nothing else, we shall be off." he looked back to the rest of the group, "Come, gentlemen... this detour has already--" but he stopped when the wolfhound held up a paw, silencing him.
"Not everyone... just you." the mercenary stated, "And Professor Milhoy also wanted you to know you're expected back at the University directly after leaving here." he stepped aside, one paw on the hilt of his sword and the other on the metal bars of the door.
"And what of my team?" the prong horn inquired with indignation-- if Tobias was faking it then Kesst was unable to tell the difference.
"Not them." the wolfhound responded flatly, closing the door after the antelope was out, "Just you."
The scholar's indignation disappeared immediately as he lowered his ears and placed both of his hands together in supplication "Good sir... you must understand, I couldn't possibly--"
"Not my problem." the mercenary cut him off immediately.
"Then..." the prong horn's eyes fidgeted this-way-and-that for a split second; Kesst had not known Tobias long, but he already recognized it as the sign of a plan forming within the antelope's head, "...then I shall wait here."
"The Professor--"
"You said Professor Milhoy told me to return to the university once I left here... but if I am not REQUIRED to leave--" and Tobias trailed off, providing a pleasant smile to the dog.
"Whatever." the mercenary shrugged, "If you mess with the locks or cause a problem I'll throw you right back in." and, with that lazy threat, he exited the building.
"You shoulda gone." Nicholas said the moment the door closed, "No reason for you to stay with us when you got all your important tests to do."
"Sometimes the University is about more than locking oneself away in a library, Mr Poole." the prong horn stated, and moved to collect his belongings from the counter near the door. "I, for example, prefer a little more adventure in my day." and, with that, the scholar went to stand by the bear's cell, and immediately began to talk in a strange language.
The bear's ears went up, and he immediately responded, his voice much more vibrant when talking in what must have been his native tongue; Kesst felt the tribesman's deep bass vowels in his bones. "Hmph... 'e speaks like dey do." Suros the elephant pointed out.
The discussion continued for several minutes until Tobias finally stuck his arm through the cell. The bear reached out his own, and they clasped one another's forearms. The scholar turned around to face the group, "He killed a man."
"Always wanted to clasp wrists with a murderer, Toby?" inquired Sanmer, leaning against the bars on the side of the cell opposite the rat and his group.
"He's not a murderer." Tobias responded; the scholar didn't comment on the pet-name, but Kesst did see a distinct scowl, "Enarork was protecting his livelihood."
"Hmm..." Nicholas grunted, "fighting to protect himself...sounds familiar." and he released another *hock-ptui*.
"En... ena... ena what?" Kesst asked, despite himself.
"You may say 'Rork'..." the bear rumbled, "it is easier for you."
"Enarork means 'Gift of the Earth' in the tribal tongue... it is what's called a common name."
Tobias explained, "Their people have names they give to outsiders, and they have names known only to other members of their tribe."
"Heh..." Sanmer chuckled a single, humored bark, "And to think, the tribals I've known always seemed to have trouble understanding the difference between a name and a surname, and all this time they've been holding out on me."
"So what's with the name, Gift of Earth?" Nicholas asked.
"Enarork makes and sells jewelery." Tobias responded, "In fact, that probably explains why the thief--" but the discussion was cut short by an enormous explosion.
Everyone in the jail was thrown off their feet, and Kesst fell down in a tumble of cloak and his own limbs, carefully hurtling himself away from the rest of the party.
"Darkone's dick sleeve!" cursed Grange, "What in the fiery depths of-?" but his exclamation was likewise terminated by a follow-up explosion. It was not quite as powerful, but a blast of super-heated air stole the breath out of everyone... except Kesst.
The dragon stood up even as the rest of the prisoners tried to breathe. He quickly took stock of the situation, realizing that the wooden roof of the building had caught fire. He then helped Nicholas to his feet. Turning to glance at Sanmer, Kesst realized that the fox was already up, and was fiddling with the lock on the metal door; seconds later it popped open. The fox glanced back at him and grinned, "Whether you're a law abiding sucker or not, we gotta get going." and made a beeline for the door.
"Wait!" Tobias objected, coughing as he waved away the smoke from his face, "We... we can't leave yet."
"Right! Right!" the rat shouted, hitting the bars of his cage with his claws, "Come on! Get us out, quick!"
Kesst glanced around to the rest of the party, eyes going first to the frantic rat and his companions, and then to the bear, who calmly remained where he was, the reflection of flames flickering in his eyes, eerily calm through the whole affair. He looked next to Sanmer, whose eyes were on the door leading out of the burning building.
"Move it, Kid!" shouted Nicholas, giving him a little shove as a burning beam fell where the dragon had been standing. Kesst gasped, pulling his cloak free from the blazing timbers and quickly stamped out the smoldering end. They didn't have a lot of time, so he realized that no matter what they did they'd have to act fast.