Heirs of Hyarch

"Are you ready?" Hamond asked, watching as the Lady Hallowscroft adjusted her boots.

"Just a moment." She continued to tug at the left boot, trying to get it to fit over her pants leg. It had likely been designed to fit better over her regular attire, but those were probably personally tailored for her. He hadn't the time or the pikers to spend equaling that, and had settled on clothing that looked to fit just well enough.

At least they were in no great hurry. Finding a watchman on patrol should be easy enough, regardless of the hour of day. Although, Hamond had to admit, there was still the oddity of him not having seen one two nights ago. Now that he thought about it, she had likely not seen one either, discounting the men that had attacked her.

"Alright, this will have to do. Let's go." She stood up straight and flexed her leg one last time, still seemingly uncomfortable. Hamond opened the door, and the two stepped out into the street.

As expected for midday, the street was quite bustling. Spotting a watchman in this crowd would be tricky. Hamond hadn't really noticed it before, but he was actually slightly shorter than his companion. Edeline would probably spot the city watch before he did.

Honestly, he knew he shouldn't regard her so informally, but after she poured her heart out yesterday, he couldn't avoid it. While it wasn't the first person under his care who had talked at length to him, none of them were nobility. It left him feeling oddly awkward, even though Hamond knew he should have no problems with how to address her.

It was a problem he would have to think about later, after tonight.

"Over there," Edeline suddenly said, pointing down the street. Hamond, turning, was just able to catch a glimpse of a man in a watch uniform crossing the street down a ways. Edeline immediately started to weave her way through the crowd, leaving him to try to keep up.

How in Aether's name did she move so quickly?

He managed to not fall too far behind, although twice he just barely avoided crashing right into people. Feeling quite annoyed, he closed the distance as she began speaking to the guard.

"...fully recovered. I will need to speak to one of your captains immediately," she was saying as he trotted up.

"Captain Linos should be over this way, my lady," the man said. He was stout, with a thin strip of belly showing his uniform was too small. A regular problem, to be sure, Hamond thought as he glanced at Edeline's boots again.

"Right, and this is the healer who assisted me." Edeline gestured in Hamond's direction without looking, apparently having heard him. "He will be accompanying us for now." He wasn't all that surprised about her dismissive manner. Royalty and nobility tended to act that way to those they thought of as lesser. However, it stung him a little, and Hamond was not sure why.

The man led them down the road, and then they turned down a narrow side street. Hamond was a little put off by this, as he'd have thought that a watch captain would be out in the open, so people could approach them as needed. Something didn't seem right about this.

He apparently wasn't the only one who was suspicious, as Edeline reached over and grabbed his wrist. "Get ready," she said, barely more than a whisper. The watchman paid them no heed, just leading them on.

What he was supposed to get ready to do, Hamond had no idea. He did have options, yes, but they involved the kind of spells he preferred never having to use again. It wasn't like the Lady Hallowscroft had any idea that he knew those spells anyway...right? Then again, given she herself knew something of spellcraft, he supposed she could have figured it out on her own.

Another turn down a different side street, and Hamond could now see the captain standing there in the shadow of a building, recognizable with a distinctive helm. Another of the watch stood there with him.

"What's going on?" Captain Linos was large and muscular, quite imposing with his thick beard and hard gaze. With him towering over the two of them, Hamond could see how someone like this got to his rank.

"Captain, this woman claims to be Lady Hallowscroft," the watchman who brought them there said.

"I am Lady Hallowscroft!" Edeline proclaimed, "You ought to know my face well, Captain Linos."

The captain studied her for a moment. "Yes, it is you, isn't it, my lady. We feared the worse after we found the bodies of those two men and your maid."

"I was wounded in the attack, but managed to get away and find a healer," she said, "I have spent the time since resting to recover." Hamond noted she wasn't mentioning the identity of her attackers yet. Presumably, she planned to handle that matter more privately.

"Aether must've blessed you," Captain Linos said, nodding. Hamond irreverently wondered if he should change his own name to Aether.

"At any rate, I plan to return home later this evening. So you can call off the search. Tomorrow, I will meet with you to discuss looking into who was responsible." Edeline's gaze was fixed on the captain.

"I'd love to, but I have my orders. Lord Hallowscroft needs to know you're safe first."

Hamond could practically hear the bells tolling out an alarm. This was exactly the same strategy the men at Edeline's home had supposedly attempted. If this was part of the same overarching plan, what in Aether's name were they thinking? Unless...

"Very well," Edeline spoke up, interrupting Hamond's thoughts. "However, in order to back up my account, the healer who treated me, Hamond, will come with me."

"It will be a private meeting," said the watch captain, "On my lord's behalf, I decline."

"I was not aware you had the authority to countermand me," Edeline stated icily. The two stood there, both staring, unyielding.

"Uh, captain, I think she has a point." The watchman who had brought them here broke the silence. "Just let her bring him along. It can't hurt, right?

The captain turned to face his man, expression rock hard. "Good men follow orders."

"Then follow my orders, captain," Edeline said, "In fact, these two men can escort me to meet my father. Your charge is now informing the other captains and the rest of the watch. Is this clear?"

"Captain, we'll take care of it, if that's what you're worried about. We'll keep her safe." The other watchman nodded his agreement. The captain simply scowled, dropping one hand to the hilt of his sword.

"Captain, stand down." Edeline's voice wavered slightly, showing she was frightened in her own right. Hamond was too, although for a likely different reason. The captain couldn't possibly be under that enchantment...not here...right?

Setting his fear aside, Hamond decided to take a chance. "Teleios horama," he spoke, focusing his gaze on the captain as he pulled his sword from the man's body. The waves and eddies of mystic energy floated there, now visible to him. And among them, emanating from Captain Linos was an all-too familiar pattern of pulsating energy.

And then, wreathed in that energy, the captain drew his sword and lunged at Hamond.

Hamond found himself leaping away from the blade's arc, feeling the rush of air as it just missed him. "Stop him!" Edeline shouted. One of the watchmen, already moving, put himself between the captain and Hamond, while the other stood ready in front of Edeline.

"Good men follow orders," the captain repeated. All of the telltale signs were there. The stubborn focus on a single specific goal, the refusal to consider alternative approaches or solutions, and the limited responses to what people were saying. The mystic sight had only confirmed what should have been already blatantly clear to Hamond.

He just hadn't wanted to believe it.

"Kill the healer," Captain Linos commanded, "Now."

"What is wrong with you?" the watchman yelled, pulling out his own blade. "Why are you doing this?"

"Good men follow orders!" With that shout, the captain flung himself at his own man, slashing wildly. Unable to react in time, the man went down hard under a flurry of sword strikes.

The other watchman slowly advanced on the frenzied Linos, his own blade held in a rough fighting stance. Linos seemed to hear the man coming, and spun rapidly, leading with his sword. The watchman just barely got his blade in position to deflect it, only for the backswing to immediately come around and cut deep.

Down went the second watchman, leaving Hamond and Edeline standing there, facing down Linos. The captain, bloodstained and breathing heavy, was the most intimidating man Hamond had seen in a long while. Against most regular men-at-arms, the odds would have been very much against them.

It was a good thing Hamond was more than just a simple healer.

The first step would be to buy himself some time. "Hydropidax," he uttered, aiming his hand directly at Linos's face. The jet of water surged out, splashing into the man's eyes. Snarling and shaking his head, he rushed forward anyway, slicing blindly in the direction of where Hamond was.

Startled by the man's aggressiveness, Hamond stumbled out of the way. He needed time to think of a strategy, a combination of spells that would bring this fight to an end. A moment more, and he'd have it, and it would just be a matter of speaking the words, willing the power into reality.

Linos was not about to give him that moment. The captain was already moving again, seeing through water-blurred vision exactly where Hamond had dodged to. The blade descended, gleaming in the sun, ready to run him through.

Another blade deflected it.

Edeline stepped between the two of them. She had to have retrieved one of the fallen men's swords, Hamond realized. If she had hesitated even a little, it would have been the end for him.

"Thank you," he panted, keeping his gaze fixed on Linos. His earlier enchantment still flowed through his eyes, still showing the painful reminder of the spell the captain was under. Linos would not stop, not as long as he drew breath.

"You should run for it," Edeline said, keeping herself between the now-circling Linos and Hamond.

Hamond shook his head. Even if she had sword training, even if she employed her own spells, he doubted she could hold up for too long against the likes of this man. "I can stop him, if you keep him busy for a moment longer."

She glanced at him, a strange expression on her face, one Hamond could not read before she turned away. "I'm sorry," she said, "I had one more thing I did not tell you."

Before Hamond could reply, he saw it. The loose flows of magical energy, faintly misting through the air, suddenly started flowing in a torrent, drawing together faster than he had ever seen before.

It was being drawn towards Edeline, gathering in her body.

And then, just a moment later, as the magical energies began to shine as bright enough to rival the sun itself, she spoke.

"Corpus volt!"

Bright flashing lights, weaving bolts of pure magical energy, began to flow and buzz around Edeline. To most people, it would have looked like sparks from a distant lightning strike, but with his enchantment active, Hamond could see the sheer magical force present, more than any other enchantment he knew of. That shouldn't be possible, he thought, despite the direct evidence that Edeline, somehow, in some way, had made it possible.

And then she darted forward, towards the looming figure of Captain Linos, a figure of blinding light in contrast to her opponent. Avoiding the first swing, she stepped inside his reach to make a quick strike. Hamond let his enchantment drop, just so he could keep watching without being blinded.

Linos barely managed to deflect it and stepped back. Edeline, still glowing with sparks of magic, sidestepped his next swing. She countered with a blow of her own, which he knocked away, forcing her to the side. Even with whatever benefits the enchantment gave her, Linos was still physically stronger.

However, Edeline had the speed advantage, and was making use of it. She pivoted around in a blur, blade whirling through the air at Linos's flank. While he was able to twist to dodge the worst of it, she still managed to slice his leg. Still moving, Edeline weaved in and out, aiming for a stab.

Somehow, though, Linos had anticipated Edeline's move, and swept his free arm around to grab at Edeline, pinning her in his grasp and stopping her attack. Hamond winced, realizing that the sword fight was now over. He'd have to bail Edeline out.

A crackling noise stopped him before he could do anything, though. Staring, Hamond realized the energy of whatever spell Edeline had cast was now flowing up and into Linos, dancing around him as his body started spasming. Just what in the name of Aether was this spell?

Without pause, Edeline forced herself free of Linos's grip. Still stunned, he could do nothing in the brief instant it took Edeline to spin and drive her sword right through Linos. After a moment she pulled the weapon out, just standing there as the once-mighty captain fell.

After another moment, the spell on Edeline faded.