Firebrand

Chapter 457: Six Gems and a Pearl

Chapter 457: Six Gems and a Pearl

Six Gems and a Pearl

The knot appeared in Martel's stomach as soon as he woke. Not that he feared going into combat, even against odds or with unfavourable terms. He had training and experience to counter most situations, and should the worst happen, he stood a better chance than most of making an escape. Instead, the anxiety came at the thought of the Undercroft itself.

Martel would not describe himself as pious; he followed the Faith as others did, but thought little of it on most days. Yet entering the Undercroft felt like sacrilege of sorts. Even if it was not like the catacombs where the dead themselves would rise up to punish trespassers, he felt that something like that could happen.

And while it might be easy to dismiss this eerie feeling as simply nerves, he knew by now that magic was more complicated than Asterian wizardry seemed to acknowledge. The relic he had chased, the Hand of Saint Laurentius, it had possessed power he could not quite describe or fathom; yet it affected him and his emotions, his state of mind.

The Undercroft struck him as similar, just on a different scale. Less powerful than the relic, but more pervasive, spread out across an entire city. Something had happened to make all of its inhabitants leave; it did not feel like something mortals should tangle with, not even wizards. Perhaps especially not wizards.

Yet that was exactly what Martel would do tonight. It seemed telling of his situation that facing an ambush by brigands and steel seemed the lesser of possible evils.

***

Martel went through his day without paying much attention to others. He only concerned himself with preparations for tonight. Ideally, he would take a chain shirt from the school's armoury, but different groups of mageknights exercised through the day, making it hard to get hold of one outside his own class, let alone leave the school grounds while wearing it. He would have to trust in his leather armour.

He had his fire pots in his belt, though things would truly be dire if he exhausted his spellpower to the point of resorting to those. Unfortunately, he had no potions that seemed useful; he knew how to heal a variety of diseases, but nothing that helped in combat. A good staff might serve him well, though; the school had plenty of those, at least, and borrowing one should not be an issue. Perhaps, he should buy his own; they would not be costly. Something to consider if – when he returned from this subterranean sojourn.

Other than that, it seemed best to eat and drink plenty beforehand. As he recalled, it was a long walk, all in all.

***

As the sun set, Martel made his way to the bridge district. He kept his hood up, walking with a staff in hand; a cloak covered him, making his red robe less obvious. As he approached The River Pearl, he went around the back to enter its yard.

A servant appeared, emptying a bucket of food scraps into a small pen, where a single pig eagerly dug in. "You'll want to go around, good master. This here's the back entrance to the kitchens."

"I'm not here as a customer. I'm waiting for Ruby to accompany her."

"Oh, yeah, she and the other ladies are all getting ready to leave. I'll let her know you're here, if you wish?"

Martel gave a quick nod. "Certainly."

He waited a while, idly glancing around until Ruby appeared. She wore sensible clothing for travelling, including a leather jerkin. A long dagger and several throwing knives were stuck into her belt. The only frivolous part of her appearance would be the thin cloth tied as a fashionable scarf around her neck, and her lips painted red. "You're here. Good."

"Against my better judgement, I am. How many are going?"

"Six of us will accompany Lady Pearl. And you."

He glanced over her attire. While it might serve in a brawl, she still seemed vulnerable. Although Martel also only wore leather, he had his magic to protect him as well. "Will that be enough? If someone is planning trouble, I doubt they'll only bring half a dozen."

"Given where we are going, more is not necessarily better. My sisters are swift and quiet. They can scout ahead to search out any hint of betrayal, and we can make a quick retreat with barely a noise. Stealth rather than brute force will get us to our destination and back."

"That's the problem. Once we're all gathered, we can't really hide if someone decides to start a fight."

"We are not entirely unarmed in that case either," she retorted. She tapped her fingers against her own leather armour. "Enchanted to be strong as steel. This will stop any arrow or blade."

With a frown, Martel placed a fingertip against her jerkin. He felt it, skilfully woven into the material. A strong enchantment that did as Ruby had claimed. "That's something, at least."

She talked on the fabric tied around her neck. "This has a shield spell on it as well." Martel moved up his hand without thinking, though he arrested the movement before actually grabbing on to her scarf. She gave him a mischievous smile. "You can touch."

He did so, feeling the enchantment as described. "Alright, that'll stop steel. It won't help much against spells."

"We've kept eyes on all mages in the city that could possibly become involved. None of them have made any move. You're likely to be the only wizard at the gathering," she told him.

"Alright. Just be ready to leave if all Nether breaks loose."

"Of course. That's why we are bringing you along, with those useful walls of giant flames you conjure up." She winked at him.

"An earthmage would be better, given the terrain down there. Another reason it should be Flora and her Knives going, not you."

"She has her task tonight. Her and all her little daggers are patrolling the district, keeping an eye on everything." Ruby's expression grew serious. "Just keep your mind on yours, and we'll be back here soon enough. I know you're not doing this for coin, but I'll find a way to thank you for your help."

Martel blew out his breath. Nothing further he could do but keep his eyes open and stay alert. "Alright."

She reached out and squeezed his hand; at the same time, the doors to the Pearl opened. The eponymous proprietress appeared, as ostentatiously dressed as she was bald, accompanied by five other women, all clad like Ruby. Martel awakened his sense of magic and felt the flashes of power from them; each wore magical protection of one or the other kind. That included their mistress; her dress underneath her furs had a faint shimmer to it, offering some kind of protection.

Lady Pearl looked from her attendants to Martel with a smirk. "Let's be on our way."