Author's Note: Fair warning, this and the next chapter are not sexy. At all.
Shattered
--
The sun was already setting over the Imperial city, the tall stone towers and encircling walls causing the darkness to set in earlier than outside. Sigismund and Silvia were continuing their search through the city, but as of yet finding nothing of importance.
They had been led on several wild goose chases today; with so many citizens residing in the vast metropolis, a few were guaranteed to be sorceresses. Silvia had led them to one practicing her transmutation skills, hopelessly attempting to reconfigure iron bars into gold. After several apologies from Sigismund, they were later led in the direction of an Illusionist performing street theatre for a couple dozen laughing children. Sigismund found the ghostly, dancing apparations that the Illusionist cast to be quite the distraction, but obviously not what they sought today. And so they continued onwards.
"Silvia, I'm going to be perfectly honest here. I met Rayya several weeks ago and I find it very hard to believe that she is behind all of this," Sigismund explained morosely, eyes dancing over the crowd ahead. Silvia didn't respond for a moment, diligently scanning their surroundings. She reopened her eyes two moments later.
"So you don't believe him, then?" Silvia asked softly.
"I believe that he believes it. But Talos usually forms his opinions on gut instinct, and in my experience relying on that alone is dangerous."
"Hmm," Silvia replied wordlessly, reading the clock tower in the distance to ensure they had enough time to reach the western gate for sundown. "I, on the other hand, think gut feelings are correct more often than not. I've saved more than a dozen people who were suffering ailments I didn't have evidence of. Sometimes the back of your mind is just cognizant of things that you aren't."
Silvia returned Sigismund's smile before continuing. "Besides, when has Talos been wrong anyway?"
Sigismund raised a finger, opening his mouth before realizing he didn't have a rebuttal on hand. Silvia whistled a tune he didn't recognize for a couple seconds until he responded.
"He gets involved with sorceresses too often," he shrugged.
"
I'm
a sorceress, Sigismund. Try again."
"Well, one time in Santaria he-" Sigismund's train of thought halted abruptly as he recognized two garishly-dressed women in the small square before them. Sigismund grabbed Silvia's shoulder and hopped around the corner.
"What?!" Silvia whispered nervously.
He poked his head around the stone pillar, Silvia following suit. "That's her! And she's with... Alanna, I think was her name. Another enchantress."
"That's... not ideal," Silvia replied.
"No, it's fine. Alanna's a nice girl."
"Then why are we
hiding
?" Silvia whispered apprehensively.
Sigismund didn't respond immediately. The girls he spied on didn't appear to be making a scene, besides attracting the attention of every man in the square with their provocative clothing.
"Let's just follow them," Sigismund nodded in their direction. He left the safety of the pillar, trying to act as nonchalant as he could as he and Silvia stalked them, tailing the sorceresses into an alleyway with stall vendors on either side.
Everything was as normal as could be. Rayya and Alanna appeared to just be strolling down the street, Alanna even checking out the wares of the shopkeepers they passed. Sigismund's heart had stopped racing and was yet again drawn into a sense of security. Just when he decided he should greet the pair, Silvia tugged on his sleeve.
"They're casting something. Big," Silvia warned ominously.
-
Rayya had noticed her shadow.
The man she had met back in Oak's Crossing was now following her, accompanied by another Rayya didn't recognize. She needed to read them, but found she couldn't through the din of the many people nearby. They were just out of range.
Rayya came up with another idea. She didn't need to read them to get away; she merely needed a distraction. She shut her eyes as she reached out to the crowd.
"Rayya, what's up?" Alanna asked nervously, sensing her enchantment. She didn't respond. Alanna swept their perimeter, trying to locate Rayya's target, but found nothing. A dozen or two people were now turning around and walking past them, in the direction that the sorceresses had just come from.
Rayya opened her eyes. "We have to go," she muttered under her breath.
"What's going on?" Alanna asked again, briskly tailing the now-jogging sorceress.
"We're being followed. Not sure by who."
-
Sigismund found himself shoving through a suddenly-present crowd, men and women seemingly unaware of the troubles they were causing him and Silvia. He held onto Silvia's hand as he unsuccessfully tried to make his way through the mass of bodies.
"Get out of the way!" he roared, receiving not a glance in response. A burly man in a long coat jabbed an elbow into Sigismund's ribs, causing him to wince reflexively.
"They're enchanted, Sigi!" Silvia exclaimed, finding more and more souls converging on them.
Enchanted?
Sigismund thought quickly, pushing one woman to the ground who had been reaching towards him with both hands. If this crowd were enchanted, then Rayya or Alanna were absolutely aware of his presence.
Which meant that there was no sense in holding onto his secret weapon.
"Ears!" Sigismund shouted, reaching into his pocket for the bead Vex had offered at the tavern. He punched a portly man wearing merchant clothing in the jaw before he could do the same to Sigismund, causing the man to collapse to the floor. Sigismund didn't have a spare cycle of awareness to notice the steel footsteps closing on him from behind.
He covered an ear and threw the bead at the street, hearing a quick snap when gem met stone. Then he heard nothing.
-
Alanna pressed her hands against her ears instinctively, a loud ringing emanating through her to the core. Rayya was shouting at her, pointing angrily in front of them.
"What in the gods names was that?!" Alanna shouted.
At least, that's what she hoped to shout. She couldn't hear her own voice, but Alanna realized Rayya was telling her to keep running with her hurried hand movements. So she did.
The pair ran as quickly as their heels would allow them to, racing through a market square and onto the main street headed towards the western gate. Alanna noticed that most everyone around them were also clutching their ears and wearing a pained grimace on their mouths. She followed Rayya into a side street off the main road, huffing for air as Rayya knelt on the ground. The ringing in Alanna's ears was slowly receding over time. Perhaps it was her hearing.
"What... the hell... was that?" Alanna asked again through stunted breaths, relieved she could hear herself that time. Rayya shook her head.
"I don't know," she admitted, drained. Alanna took another two steps towards her, looming over the sorceress as Rayya continued to kneel on the ground.
"And who were you enchanting, Rayya?!"
"I... the crowd. I enchanted the crowd so we could escape," Rayya said, looking up into Alanna's rigid stare. "But I don't know what the noise was!" she exclaimed.
"The entire crowd?!"
"Alanna, get away from her."
Alanna spun on her heels, startled by the exclamation of her name. She hadn't heard anyone approach her.
"Casiama? What are... you..." Alanna choked out in surprise, her words falling away when she noticed the elf had her bow drawn and aimed at Rayya on the ground. Casiama glanced to Alanna's belly with surprise before returning to the task at hand.
"It's over, Rayya. Admit to the blood you've spilled and I swear I'll be merciful," Casiama declared coldly, eyes fixed on the blonde sorceress on her knees. Rayya quivered, but slowly rose to her feet with hands raised.
"I don't know
what
you're talking about," she replied weakly.
"Cass, what are
you
talking about? Where's Talos?" Alanna asked. Rayya glanced in Alanna's direction before scowling at the elf and closing her eyes. Alanna felt the magical tremor again. She saw Casiama lower her bow.
"Rayya... don't..."
"Answer the question, Casiama. Where's Talos?" Rayya asked sternly, her eyes still shut as her mouth settled on a mischevious smirk.
"Havelthorn, to the west. Talos is searching for you there," Casiama answered calmly, her eyebrows rising in worry as her mouth moved on its own.
Rayya had already pierced Casiama's thoughts and emotions, finding deep concern when she thought of Talos. Thoughts which appeared often. Rayya determined that she was the elf Alanna had mentioned earlier.
"Rayya!" Alanna screamed, jumping at the sorceress. Rayya shoved her away easily, Alanna's grace being severely impacted by her body's recent changes. "Stop this now!" she declared, raising a fist in anger before running at her again.
"She stole Talos from you! From us!" Rayya exclaimed as she brought both hands to Alanna's chest. Alanna brought her fist down to Rayya's cheek, landing a weak punch in hopes of breaking her connection to Casiama.
