Feliar Chapter Two
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@mad-elia
“Mother?” The young Feliar cried.
The fire burned around her swallowing the only place she had ever called home. A piece of her heart shattered with every crackle of the flames. Her whole world was getting engulfed by the embers.
“Mother!” She cried, “Please!”
A tall, horned Being turned toward her. She locked eyes with it. Its footsteps were heavy, it breathed loud, and it was stalking right toward her-
“NO!” Tibby awoke in a cold sweat breathing heavily.
Her breathing calmed when she realized it was just a nightmare. The nightmare. Her anxiety spiked again, though, when she realized that she had no idea where she was. She reached to grab for her dagger but was met with nothing but cloth. She looked down at herself and realized she was wearing someone else’s clothes. A white, long-sleeved, oversized garment covered her. Upon first inspection, it appeared very common, but looking more closely she noticed the gold embroidery on the cuff and the neat, careful stitches. It belonged to someone of a much higher status than any Being in Kirie. She raised it to her nose and sniffed it. It was well-worn. It smelled of smoke and vegetation, with a hint of cleanliness that could only belong to someone regal. No, not someone. She took another sniff and cursed when she realized what the wearer was.
A Castor.
Realizing that she was caught up in something far bigger than she’d imagined, she jumped up from the soft bed and made to flee. The room was medium-sized and mostly stone. It was windowless with an arched wooden door. There was a dresser in the corner that had three, chipped drawers. She quickly searched the drawers in hopes of finding her clothes, but all she saw were bed sheets.
After deciding that her inspection was thorough enough, she crept towards the door and tried the handle, to her surprise, it budged. She slowly opened the door hoping that the squeaky hinges wouldn’t alert her captors.
“Welcome, Tabitha,” A silky voice beckoned, “Come on in, I’m not the one who bites.”
Curiosity caught the cat, and she stepped into the room. The mysterious Being from the tavern was sitting at a circular table, feet resting on it, drinking from a glass.
He turned his head and looked her up in down. In response, she did the same.
He had tan skin and black hair and his eyes were hazel, leaning towards brown. He was tall and built well. His sleeves were pulled back revealing the runes on his arms, indicating that he was the Castor she had smelled.
“You look like you’ve been through hell,” he mused, “Have a drink, I promise I didn’t put any of your medicinal herbs in it.”
“Where am I?” She spat. Words were failing hers as she scoped the room for possible exits.
“Fiesty, are we?” He chuckled, “No need to get your panties in a bunch, you aren’t being held captive here. I merely have a proposal for you.”
Tibby tightly grasped the doorknob, attempting to steady her breathing. She was, to say, caught off guard. She didn’t want to reveal her hand. Taking slow, deep breaths, she realized that she wasn’t going to get out of this with knives and claws, she had to be diplomatic. Learn what this Being wanted.
Reminding herself who she was and what she was capable of, she put on her trademarked smirk, strutted into the kitchen, sat across from the Castor, and set her feet on the table, mimicking him.
He raised his eyebrows, he had lost the element of surprise. All he had left was the offer he claimed to hold, and his questionable wit.
He took his legs off the table and looked at Tibby, “I guess introductions are in order. I’m-”
“You’re a Castor. A powerful one… or maybe just a privileged one,” she also removed her legs and leaned to look directly into his eyes.
He leaned forward mimicking her, “Don’t sound too self-righteous. You’re a Feliar, you’re supposed to be able to figure out more than what’s right in front of you.”
Tibby’s pride caught up with her, “You are of the Night Order, but your runes show great mastery in all of them. By the looks of this shirt you’ve forced me to wear, you’ve ventured here from your humble palace in Caplet on some cute mission your daddy’s given you to save his investments.”
“I-”
“Stars, you sound like you’ve never seen a peck of trouble in your privileged life.”
Tibby’s rage grew as she took in the Castor. He was sitting across from her with an eyebrow raised. One eyebrow raised. Tibby had never met anyone this infuriating.
“Well?” Tibby stared him down.
He smirked, “Well.”
“Okay, what? I still have no idea why I’m here, do you think everyone will bend to your petty desires?” Tibby stood up, “I may not be armed, but your little magic isn’t going to scare me. I want answers.”
“I’m Kiv.”
“What?”
“My name is Kiv, is what I was going to say before you felt the need to interject. You are Tabitha Mourn. You have quite the reputation, little assassin. I didn’t bring you here to be chummy, so don’t worry about that, I need your services.”
Tibby looked at him deadpan for a minute, then let out a boisterous laugh, “You went through all of this bullshit just because you want me to do your dirty work? Stars, you should’ve just said. Mighty Castor needs help from a dirty Feliar. You must be in deep shit, huh?”
“Not that service.” Kiv sighed dramatically, “We need you. You will be heavily compensated, which I know is what your kind is most concerned with.”
“Who’s we?”
“I’m going to have to begin with some background,” Kiv continues on like he didn’t even hear her, “If your patience can handle that.”
Tibby scoffed but kept quiet. Kiv made a show of standing up and pacing,
“As I’m sure you know, Hoart’s haven’t always been under the jurisdiction of the Caplet.”
“Yeah, they were once sovereign Beings, before the almighty Caplet sunk their claws into them.”
Tibby expected this to get a rise out of Kiv, but he stopped pacing and looked at her, deep in thought, “Yes, before that, though, they were under the control of many Beings that needed an armed force. The dark age was a blur in history books. Many different groups rose at once with the pretense of controlling Twigspire. In the end, the Caplet won, and all nations emerged into one united state. Caplet scholars tend to brush over the dark age, the chip in Caplet’s perfect utopia, but we have reason to believe that there is far more to the story.”
Kiv looked Tibby dead in the eyes with such a solemn look that Tibby almost laughed out loud, “Ok…?”
“I trust that you know who Morgana is.”
This almost got a reaction out of Tibby, but not the one he seemed to be expecting.
“Morgan The Witch? The story you tell Castor children to teach them a lesson?” Tibby shook her head, getting more impatient by the minute, “Yes, I know who Morgana is.”
“Well if you seem to know it so well, why don’t you tell it?”
Kiv rested his hands on the chair and leaned into the chair, looking at her expectingly. Tibby could swear he was flexing his biceps.
“Morgana was, supposedly, a Castor during the dark ages,” Tibby began with a look at Kiv, “She was born into a wealthy merchant family. Growing up, she was given everything she requested. Toys, food… runes. She quickly advanced ahead of all her classmates. Her prestige grew with her power. She was offered seats in every important council, every guild wanted her to join. She had so much power, yet she craved more. She decided that she didn’t want to be drained of her powers, she wanted Castors to be able to tap into their magic all the time. She wanted a new, faultless generation of Castors, and she wanted to be in the center of it. In her search for all of the greedy things that inherently greedy people seek, she lost herself. She turned completely to dark magic and cursed all of Twigspire. It’s a cute story, explains why you guys ended up the way you did, now that I think of it.”
“Stars, you are far more insufferable than she said you’d be,” Kiv began, “We have reason to believe that it’s more than a story.”
Tibby laughed, “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I absolutely am serious,” He sighed, “Tabitha, Morgana was real.”
The Castor stared her dead in the eyes. Tibby met his glare, but she did so with amusement in her eyes. Tibby was a realist. She knew of her place in the world. She knew what she was, what she’d been through to gain autonomy, and what she would do to protect herself. And she especially knew of the kind of trouble she was currently in.
“Look.” Tibby began, “I could listen to you ramble about faery tails all night, but you know I’m only interested in one thing; what will I be getting out of this? I am an assassin, Kiveron. I am the lowest of Beings. I not only kill, but I am a mercenary. I will do any and all dirty work… for a price.
Kiv sneered at her, “I `assure you you will be compensated lavishly.”
“Lavishly? That is not a number.”
“Feliar,” He stood up from his chair, “I assure you, money is not a problem.”
“Well, Castor,” Tibby walked closer to him, “If you are interested in my service, I have a few rules, and they are non-negotiable.”
Kiv took a step closer. “Stab.”
“Firstly.” Tibby started, “If you pay in coins, you will deposit 25% upfront. It will go directly to Gideon, no questions asked. If the payment is… something else, I will be holding something important to you. Collateral. Second, I do not work well with others-”
He laughed. “Oh, I’m sure.”
Tibby sneered at him, reaching for her missing dagger.
“I will not be expected to play nicely. I will tolerate… I will try. Third, no politics. I understand that most of my deals involve politics, but I do not involve myself. I have worked under the crown and the rebels. The Guild and The Imperial. I am neutral, a sword for hire. And finally-”
“This one ought to be good.” He teased. Tibby resisted the urge to stab him.
“And finally, most importantly, no personal connections. I am not your friend, Castor.”
He laughed. “That won’t be a problem.
Kiv stared at her deadpan. He hovered over her in height, but Tibby did not back down. He seemed intimidating, but he had yet to prove anything. His runes were impressive, but Tibby had no idea what his reaction would be in a life-or-death situation. Tibby knew that the Assignment involved a team, and she would… deal with it. However, only if it was a competent one.
“Well, personally, I’m offended.” A female’s voice came from behind Tibby.
Tibby turned around swiftly, she was very aware that her back was to the Castor.
“I’m Nakano,” Explained the fairy behind Tibby.
Nakano was tall, with long, black hair and black eyes. Her hooked nose accentuated her striking features. Most important, though, were her wings. They were iridescent, a blue-green color like that of the ocean. Tibby had no idea if she had any fighting skills were like, but she immediately felt more confident in the presence of a fairy.
Nakano smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, Tabitha. Stars, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. You’re a hard Being to find. I suppose it’s worth it, though. Kiv, I took care of the Hoarts.
“The Hoarts?” Tibby looked up at Kiv.
“The rogue Hoarn,” Nakano began, “Er, did you not tell her, Kiv?”
Kiv put his head in his hands, “She was incredibly difficult. I doubt she believed a single thing that came out of my mouth. Not to mention, I doubt she cared.”
“Ugh, Kiv. You had one job. I knew I should’ve done it.”
“Tell me what?” Tibby demanded them.
“It’s Morgana,” Kiv explained reluctantly, “She’s stirring them. Her numbers gain by the day.”
Tibby pondered over this for a minute. Although she did not pick a side, she was very aware of the state of her world. Especially the economic state. Tibby knew of the rogue Hoart’s. Ever since The Raid, the spirits of the beings Twigspire were crumbling. Loyalties shifted with the tide. The Hoart’s were a mercenary group, like Feliars, but they worked together. They naturally gravitated into a chain of command. Their loyalties were to whoever or whatever was the most powerful, and the crown’s power had been dwindling for quite some time.
“Tabitha, I’m so sorry for Kiv’s incompetence,” Nakano began, “Morgana doesn’t exist under her real name. We have cause to believe that she is Kow Orien, the leader of the Saviors.
Tibby blinked. Orien was certainly not a faery tale. Her sermons grew more popular by the day. Tibby’s loyalties were certainly not to the crown, but she was no Hiver. The Saviors were a cult. In the tumultuous times, Beings flocked to the Saviors. At first, they were harmless, low in numbers, and often ridiculed. Orien preached salvation from poverty and inferiority… if one proclaimed their undying loyalty to her.
“Orien’s sermons are only a front. She is creating an empire. Whatever hell we are under because of the crown, I promise you Morgana is so much worst,” Nakano bit her lip in concern.
Tibby knew the power of Hive Minds. She also knew of the state of the crown. Although parliament was generally incompetent, their lack of decision-making skills did not often harm anyone… aside from The Raid, of course.
“Orien is using her powers to influence her followers,” Nakano explained, “She is a Seductress, and a powerful one.”
“Not all-powerful, though,” Kiv interjected from behind Tibby. “That is where we come in. Morgana’s goal is the same as it was in the dark ages. She wishes to have unlimited powers. She wants to create a world where a Castor’s powers never run dry, never strain. Starting with herself.”
“That’s impossible.” Tibby raised her eyebrow at Kiv.
“Yes, it is… unless you have the Leaflet.”
Tibby gawked at Kiv. The Leaflet. Another faery tale. Tibby could not take any more of this.
She made for the door. Nakano and Kiv exchanged a look. Before they could stop her though, she opened the door to a big, ugly Hoart with a club in the air aimed directly at her.
***
The Hoart was abnormally large, and Tibby was abnormally short and unarmed. Her choices were to try to get past it, or turn around and accept the support of her “new friends.”
Tibby had already made a decision before the Hoart had even raised his club.
As the Hoart swung at her, Tibby ducked and jumped on his club, kicking him in the lower regions. The Hoart recoiled and Tibby took it as a chance to pry the club from his hands. Just as she jumped off the club and it fell to the floor, a beam of purple dust and magic pushed the Hoart backward. Tibby glared at Kiv. He shrugged.
“Shit!” Nakano cursed. “Guys, the pig isn’t our biggest problem right now.”
Tibby turned around to see a human adorned in Savior's robes. He smirked at the group as he jumped out the window with some sort of scroll in his hands.
“Fuck.” Kiv and Nakano darted to the window.
Tibby took this as her initiating. She was very doubtful of the plan and the group's skill set, but she knew she was in from the moment she saw the expensive clothes that someone put on her back.
She grabbed her daggers from the bag she had noticed in the corner way earlier and jumped out the window landing gracefully on her feet.
Hell, she may even have some fun.
