Back at the inn, the night had already claimed the city. Telamon and Herodotos were on the second story of the building, within a decently sized room. Within it were two beds, a small cupboard, a large chest for storage, a chair, and a table. The window closed with a wooden shutter was proof of how wealthy the inn owner truly was. Upon the table was a shallow bowl filled with water. In the corner stood a bucket with a rag draped over it. The two brothers were resting within the chamber, yet only one was sleeping. Herodotos watched Telamon's regular breaths as he sat across Telamon's bed upon his own. Telamon's body was covered by a blanket made of something called wool harvested from an animal in the north. The room was buried in darkness, yet Herodotos could still make out his surroundings by relying upon his powers. Of course, he didn't dare use too much of his powers, for fear of being detected by another descended of Minsol.
Herodotos looked at his and his brother's travel package placed next to the door, ready to leave at any time, recalling their conversation earlier that evening. Telamon spoke with his brother about his doubts on their way back from the palace. They agreed to prepare everything in case they needed to leave quickly and had set up a night watch as well. Herodotos sighed, mulling over the experiences he had collected over the past few days. The last few days had been anything but pleasant. First, he had messed up, leading to them being discovered and requiring them to flee. Second, they were repeatedly attacked by wild beasts. Then, they met... that merchant, and now they were playing mind games with the city lord Zander, who may or may not be their ally. Telamon had summarized what had happened within the lord's study for Herodotos, as most of it had unfortunately gone over his head.
Herodotos sighed and shook his head. He wondered whether his life would ever be the same, whether he could once more spend his days farming with his father and brother, whether the distant peace could once more return. Another sigh escaped his lips. Just as he was deeply lost in thought, a noise piqued his attention. It was a faint creak, as the door's handle slowly turned. Herodotos jumped to his feet and silently tapped Telamon's shoulder. His brother wildly flailed his limbs in the bed for half a second, before grabbing something from below his pillow and stabbing a knife at Herodotos. Herodotos in turn, grabbed the knife with his powers and whispered to his brother. "Calm down, it's me, but there is someone else here." Telamon stilled and listened.
Just as he held his breath, he heard the low creaking of the door swinging open. Telamon peered into the darkness, but couldn't make out anything. The two brothers were crouched around their bed, one still on his back, muscles tensed and ready to spring. Straining to hear even the smallest sound. Silence never sounded as loud as it did now. Telamon felt the beating of his heart thumping within his chest. Ever faintly he could hear the soft creaking of the wood underneath the intruder. Telamon's muscles shivered with anticipation, he dared not move, lest he make a noise and alert the invader. His grip around the hilt of the obsidian weapon tightened, his palms wet with sweat. Suddenly, Telamon felt Herodotos move and heard a loud crash as the intruder slammed into the wall opposite their beds.
Telamon jumped out of bed and dashed to where he heard the sound come from, knife at the ready. Suddenly, something pushed him, making him fall backward onto his bed. Telamon heard the air whistle, as Herodotos sent their father's bronze blade at the enemy. A metallic ding reverberated within the room, as Herodotos's blade was deflected, sending small sparks flying, and before Telamon could get up to aid his brother, he felt a sharp blade press to his throat. Telamon stilled. Looking to his left, he could vaguely make out the shape of his brother, similarly frozen with his hands in the air. Telamon could see the metallic glint of a blade pressed to his neck.
From in front of him, he heard a female voice. "Calm down, both of you. I'm not your enemy." Heavy breathing came from in front of the brothers. Telamon called out into the darkness. "Who are you? Why did you intrude into our room?" Telamon heard shuffling from in front, as the person adjusted herself. "Who I am isn't important right now, what is important, is that the two of you leave the city as quickly as possible." Telamon furrowed his brows, though in the dark room it was impossible to make out his expression. "Why? And how can we trust you?" A tired groan came from the darkness. "Look, we don't have the time, Aster might come here any moment. Leave the city and head west. Hide there for the next few months and keep a look out for the expedition. They'll bring you supplies and more details on when you can come back, alright?" Telamon felt the blade leave his throat and float back to the owner, still hidden within the darkness.
"As for why you should trust me, take this as a token of trust." Feeling something pressing into his hands, Telamon grabbed the item and noticed it to be a stone tablet. He couldn't make out what was written upon it in the darkness, yet he could make a certain guess. "What about our father? We are supposed to wait for him here." Herodotos's voice rang out from beside him. A silence descended upon the room, only interrupted by the shifting of clothes. Due to the cloaking darkness, it was impossible to make out the facial expression that their invader wore. Just when Telamon adjusted his grip upon his knife's handle and tensed his leg muscles, the girl spoke once more. "He has been... captured. Aster, the son of the bloody queen, came here to give us the news. Your father said the two of you were in the east, but Feidi didn't believe him. I'm sorry." Telamon's jaw tensed, and he clenched his teeth. He felt the taste of iron in his mouth.
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The girl across from them drew in her breath suddenly and turned to the window. "He's here. You must hide." Before any of the brothers could say anything, she flung the window open and dashed out of the room and into the open street. Outside the inn, bathed beneath the moonlight, the intruder could finally be seen for the first time. She was a young girl, a few summers older than Herodotos, and wearing the noble garbs of the city lord's family. Beside her a dozen enchanted needles floated in the air before they quickly flew over to her side and nestled themselves within the folds of her garments, entirely hiding themselves from view. The girl crossed her arms, while striking a casual pose.
Without needing to wait for more than a few heartbeats, a streak streak came from the city lord's mansion, before landing before the girl. The streak revealed itself to be a young man quite a few summers younger than the girl. If He were here, He would recognize the young man to have a similar countenance to Stella. The two people stood opposite each other, bathed in the light of the moon and the ring over the planet's horizon. Finally, Aster, the Queen's firstborn, was the first to break the silence. "Lexia, what brings you out here all alone on such a cold night? Shouldn't you be in the palace where it's nice and warm?" While the words of the question seemed innocent enough, there was a sinister undertone only those well-versed in reading people would be able to pick up.
Lexia, the eldest daughter of city lord Zander, scoffed, turning her head away. "I could ask you the same. Isn't the entertainers provided in the palace enough for you?" Aster spread his hands in a grand gesture. "Come on now, Lexia, don't be like that. You know how boring I find those toys. Isn't it much more exciting to go running into the night, exploring this little town you've built?" At the mention of toys, Lexia gritted her teeth. How Aster could possibly be a descendant of the Son of God, Minsol, escaped her. Aster's expression did a complete turn and his playful attitude instantly dissipated. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Lexia, a dust trail appearing where he stood. Lexia flinched, taking half a step backward. Her eyes widened and she instinctively readied her hidden needles. Aster fixated on her with his gaze, even her most minute movement not escaping his scrutiny. "So tell me, my dearest Lexia, why oh why do I detect somebody using Minsol's gift within your city, out here without good reason? From the amount used, it would almost seem like a battle happened here." Lexia, now on guard, clenched her teeth and replied in a low growl. "Does the Zander family not have the right to do within the city as they please?" Even as the words escaped her mouth, Lexia couldn't feel any confidence in them. With a dangerous glint in his eyes, Aster leaned close to Lexia's ear. "As traitors, the Zander family is subordinate to the royal family. What the likes of you can and can not do is entirely dependent on the royal family."
Cold sweat traveled down Lexia's back, the pressure she felt coming off from Aster overwhelming her. Suddenly, just as quickly as the pressure appeared, it dissipated. Aster took a step back and flashed a chipper smile, all previous traces of enmity vanished. "Well, it's not like your family has been managing the city poorly in the Queen's name, so I guess I can't be too harsh on you?" Lexia exhaled a pent-up breath she didn't even know she was holding. However, just as she was starting to calm down, her heart skipped another beat when Aster spoke once more. "That being said, why did I detect someone using Minsol's gift here? It came from that house over there." Saying so, Aster turned to the in, in which the brothers had slept.
With sweaty palms and a slight shake in her voice, Lexia answered Aster. "I was just-" Before she could finish her sentence, Aster held out an outstretched arm in her direction, making her cease her explanation midway through. Wordlessly, Aster floated up to the open window on the second story of the building and peered into the dark room. Where his mortal eyes failed to peer through the darkness, his gifts made up for it. Scanning the dark room, Aster noticed various furniture and disturbed bedsheets, but nothing out of the ordinary. Narrowing his eyes, he scanned the room once more, just to make sure. His eyes darted to the disturbed beds, clearly left in a hurry. He turned his head and gazed at Lexia, who was anxiously waiting below.
At the other side of the city, Herodotos and Telamon were dashing between makeshift tents, heading away from the city. They were on the western edge of the town, where a group of makeshift tents had been set up to house the incoming immigrants. Their breaths were heavy and their hearts beat fast, yet they didn't slow their pace at all. Finally, they passed the last tent and the boundless world west of humanity's territories opened before them. With conflicted hearts and clouded minds, the two brothers escaped under cover of darkness into the western wilderness.
