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Chapter 1

Nessa - The Beginning

The wind had shifted, it was a rare moment to catch but when they entered the warn coast, Nessa could smell it before they even felt the warmth. Surana, a beautiful tropical city, was infamous to the masses for varying things, but what everyone reminisced about was the fragrant scent in the air. A scent that came from the nations flower, Jasmine Lilies. How she loathed that smell. Those little buds that were nestled in leaves and lily pads would settle along the banks of Surana, where the wind from the water would catch their pedals and send that sweetness to travel with the breeze. They played as a reminder to locals and visitors alike that you were so close to Surana herself and what she could offer you.

And when you didn’t want to be there? They reminded you that you were, and just what Surana could also take from you, instead.

The dread that settled in her gut was almost enough to cause a stir in her so she reigned herself in. The last thing she needed was to wake up Phya and have them yapping in her ear while she had to be cautiously aware.

It has been six years away from this place, hard labor, simple meals, a small room to live in, all worth it for the relief to not be under the thumb of Surana and it’s people, to be away from most people actually. There was a part of her that had hoped that would have quieted Phya but it couldn’t and she was getting more used to the voice that plagued her. Coming back from her thoughts Nessa stood there on the deck of the ship watching the massive docks of Surana get bigger and bigger on the horizon. This was a bad idea, but she didn’t have much of a choice. They didn’t have much of a choice.

Holding onto the railing with both hands, she let her body lean back, stretching her arms, she needed to be physically relaxed if she was going to push through this. Being tense meant mistakes and possible injury if she was stupid enough. There was a small amount of time for her to cross Surana and get out of the city before someone recognized her. With just a few coins in her pocket, she wasn’t sure how she was going to swing it but she was going to have to. Getting caught was not an option.

“Off boarding Sixoeus Docks, all must depart.” A voice from the helm boomed out and the many people around her began to make sure everything they had was gathered close. Catching a passenger ship was lucky, it was easier to slip into the crowd then if she had been on a cargo ship, so she would hold onto that as a good sign for her fate. Finally letting go, she stepped away from the railing, moving to where many were gathered in the middle of the deck, letting the tall figures tower over her to stay out of sight. If she had the energy she would just shift, but she hadn’t eaten more then a few nutritional crackers the last few days and if she tried to shift she would collapse.

Just get to the boarding district. The amount of travelers in the Boarding district gave her hope, there she could swipe a few pockets, maybe snag some discarded meals. The sooner she had the energy the sooner she could shift and walk right out of the city. Just get to the boarding district. She told herself again as she watched the ship get closer to the dock.

Everyone shuffled from the deck once the planks were put down by the crew. Sticking close to a group of people following what had to be a rich baron of some kind, she shuffled her way down the planks that took them from the ship to the dock. Once she was able to step from the wooden dock to the warn cobblestone she broke off and began to push herself through the crowds of people. If Teresha’s was still there that would be her first stop. It was close, a little dangerous, but it was an institution. In a city like Surana the businesses would come and go in a blink of an eye, but places like Teresha’s stood still, the city built and fell around them. Nessa just needed to get to Teresha’s and she would then be able to map out the best route out of the city.

Weaving through the people she gripped the cowled cloth around her neck and pulled it up over her head. Tucking herself in a bit more, she moved quickly down the streets trying to move in and out of groups to stay out of sight as she walked. If it got dodgy she could pivot and move into Dailgo Village, but that would bring her out towards the middle of the Eldrel Sand’s and she wanted to head in Vasrah’s direction, which meant doubling back, and she did not have the energy for that. Hell she barely understood that herself. Passing stalls and stores she moved quietly, only wavering when the tavern she had been looking for came into view.

Dark rust colored stones made the building, it went straight up, with a short flat front, the walls angling out to get wider as the building went further down the street. At the top held a large iron circle that twisted with the winds, the symbol was that of a Jasmine Lily made of iron. Further down was a wooden sign with bold lettering that read “Teresha”. She made it, sooner then she anticipated, perhaps she was in better shape then she thought? Standing to the left of the building she eyed the already bustling streets, people moving in and out of the neighboring taverns. It was still mid-day, should she wait just a few hours the crowds would double up and she would be safer. Looking around her she shifted her pack and made her way towards an alley, pushing through a few people and slipping between the buildings out of sight from those on the street.

Walking past unhitched, open caravans, she could smell the trash that came from them as they sat outside their corresponding doors. It was good, if it smelled she was less likely to run into someone around here so she could bide her time until the crowds grew. Finally, she was towards the back of the alley, out of sight of even the closest door to one of the tavern kitchens. Dropping her bag behind one of the caravans she slid down the wall and closed her eyes as she took in a slow breath. Her heart was racing, when did that happen? She needed to calm down, just be patient for her own sake.

“You’re being loud little one.” Came the deep voice, it soothed her this time letting her catch her breath as she closed her eyes. “There, that’s better. Now take a breath, oh...” Phya broke off before clearing their throat. “You could have sat a little further from the trash.”

Rolling her eyes she held back her comment and let out a slow breath. In truth, she had been half expecting to be grabbed the moment she stepped off the ship, and now she felt almost ridiculous. Honestly, she must have be over reacting. Perhaps she had been gone enough that everything was forgotten. Maybe she was wrong and Her Wei didn’t have the kind of eyes on the city that she thought he did.

“No little one, you just got lucky.”

⁠

Stark - Wake Up

Mother help him, if he didn’t find a way to power through this hang over he was going to be late. He told to meet Cyn at. . . Stark stopped tightening his boot and looked around to try and get a gauge of the time. Well whenever he was supposed to meet him likely had passed now. It was Cyn’s own fault, sending the messenger so early, of course he was going to roll over and go back to sleep. Now he was rushing, he just had to get out of his place before Cyn got there, so he could at least say he was on his way. The strap was tight enough and finally snapped into place allowing him to drop his foot and grab his jacket before flinging himself to the door to head out.

Well damn, looked like a couple ships had come in that morning, seeing so many on the streets would have annoyed him a little had he not found it an excellent addition to his reasoning for being late. Pushing himself out to the road he began to weave through people to head in the direction of his friend. His mind was on the possibility of food when he recognized one of the men that Cyn worked with, he passed by not seeing him in the crowd.

That wasn’t odd, they did have their routes they would walk regularly, but when he saw another one of the men he took notice. Suddenly he was seeing more of them, those snake tattoos peppered in amongst the crowd. What were they looking for? As his eyes followed a redhead with the neck tattoo his body ran into what he would think was a damn wall. Large hands grabbed his arm and he looked up to see Cyn’s annoyed face.

“The hell is going on?” he asked with mild amusement, getting him the gift of an annoyed look before his friend before he turned and began to walk. Stark had to pick up the pace to keep up with the others effortless stride, he wasn’t a short man by any means, but given that he was only human he would have to put in effort to keep up with his Gnurl counterpart. Sorry, half Gnurl.

“The men are looking for someone that came off the ships. We are going to speak with my father, figure out who it is.” he explained as they moved into the heart of the city. “What do you need me for?” “That’s what I asked, must be something because my father said to bring you.” A scoff came from Stark as the other continued at an annoying pace, Adreas was not a man that liked him, he wasn’t so self obsessed that he couldn’t see that, so if Stark was asked to be there it must have been important.

As they turned the corner he could see the black marred bricks that moved up the building and creating a snake design. A bit gaudy if you were to as him, but not everyone could have natural taste. Cyn threw open the door and Stark followed him into the darkened walkway and to the stairs. A few minutes later his heart beat was a tad quicker as they got to the third floor where Adreas was already waiting for them.

Adreas was big. And for some reason he always forgot that, Stark always thought his friend was massive, but when he would see Adreas he would be reminded very quickly that Cyn was only a half-blooded Gnurl. With at least a half a foot on Cyn and twice as broad he could make any room seem too small. “Looks like we were able to raise you from your beauty sleep.” The deep voice drawled out, dark eyes looking at Stark with mild annoyance.

“I’m not on your payroll.” he eased back, and because he wasn’t on the others roster he could get away with comments like that, comments none of the men would dare even think in his presence. Cyn sighed and shoved Stark into a chair before crossing his arms and looked at his father. “What is going on?” he asked simply.

Stark lounged back in the large chair and watched the two of them, their dynamic had always fascinated him. Sure, he could understand what Adreas didn’t like about himself, he was a bit flamboyant, lavish, he lived to have a good time, and more often then not he could skirt the rules. But not Cyn. Not only did he follow the rules, he was the damn poster child that Hor Wei always wanted, though he personally wondered other things about Hor Wei’s possible children, but that was a thought he kept to himself. Given Hor Wei’s preference to Cyn over any other members irritated Adreas, he saw his son as a threat, and Stark was fairly certain that was a correct response. Cyn, whether he liked it or not was a better leader then his father could hope to be, and everyone knew it.

If Adreas wasn’t in the way Cyn would likely be in Goldspire’s Edge, much to Stark’s boredom, because Mother knew without his friend he would be very bored. So, there they are, Adreas loathed Stark but he helped keep his son from Hor Wei and allowed him a bit more time in charge. Socio economical chess always got Stark so bricked up. There was a flaw in this game though, because he was already bored, and lately, lately he had been considering a change in sceneries, something maybe exactly like Goldspire.

“...And so we have the men searching.” Adreas finished his sentence as Stark realized he had indeed not been paying attention to them. “I don’t get it, it’s been 6 years? How does he know it’s her?” Cyn asked as he picked up a parchment from the desk. Her? Suddenly this was interesting to Stark, so he shifted in the chair and leaned forward to look at the portrait in his friend’s hand. No, portrait was much too generous. “How the hell are we supposed to find her when we don’t know what she looks like?” Cyn asked now as he tossed the parchment to Stark. “I doubt you will. Between you and me she’s either out of Sohemi or dead.” he said with a shrug. “but we make a point of looking, because that is what Hor Wei wants.”

Shifting the parchment around in his hands, Stark looked at the silhouette of the woman, but tilted his head as he saw the red on the left hand. Running his finger over the ink on the parchment he found himself wondering just how many out there could be born with a similar marking. “I am going to the Halls later, I can ask around.” he volunteered it before he realized what he was saying, but he just stood and smoothed out his tunic before finally looking to Adreas and Cyn.

“Why not, he might prove himself useful.” Adreas grumbled making Cyn roll his eyes slightly and nudge the smaller male. “Let’s go.” he said finally. “I have to take care of some things.” he rumbled out with the same curt energy his father had, and before Stark or Adreas could ask what he could possibly be doing, they were out of the room and down the stairs. Stark bid his time until they were on the street and finally asked, “What are you so busy with?” he carefully adjusted their path as they walked, his sights now on a bakery to help with this headache that was growing from his hangover.

“Hor Wei has requested me.” he said finally, making Stark stop for a step or two before starting back up, causing Cyn to slow a bit. “It isn’t to join him yet.” he added, confirming his friend’s unspoken question. “But he needs me to meet him in Goldspire.”

“What am I gonna do while you are off doing Mother knows what in Goldspire?” Stark whined as he led the way around the corner already smelling the foods that filled the streets.

“Figured you’d come with me.” Cyn answered and before he knew it Stark was grinning as he stopped some feet from the bakery. Mother always gifted him the easy road.

“Now that, is not a bad idea.” he said grinning. “The gambling game out there is top tier. And the women, from all over the Realms, delicious.” he smirked at the thought of what he could do in just a few days in Goldspire. “Alright, so how are you going to see him and your father not getting in the way?” he asked now and Cyn sighed.

“That I’m still working on.”

Stark thought about it for a moment before sighing, “I am too hung over to scheme.” Cyn rolled his eyes and started with the other to the bakery.

“Then get some food and be useful.” he mumbled making his friend laugh and step into the line leading to the counter.

⁠

Nessa - Find Food

As much as Nessa didn’t like Surana, there was something she had missed, the sunsets. As she walked down the sidewalk through the crowds her eyes fell on the horizon over the water. There was a sweet spot in the evenings, when the sun starts dipping down behind the water and the colors spread like a prism. It was as if some passionate painter swung at the sky with a paintbrush filled with warm oranges, cherry reds and the softest purple hues from the West that every said came from the Cyr Cliffs.

“Ah it is good to be home.” Phya broke through her thoughts, “How could you not miss the sun on your skin and the smell in the air.”

Stepping to the side of a group of travelers, she slowed as she saw the port and water, it was a beautiful night. Perhaps, if it was to be her last night this was her gift, her favorite sight, Surana sunsets. It was fitting, her first memory was sitting on the balcony of the little apartment she was put in, with about a dozen other kids ranging her age, on a night just like tonight. She sat cross legged eating a salty piece of bread with nut butter spread over it, she could hear the other kids but she was just staring at the same sky she was looking at now. Perhaps Surana wasn’t all that bad?

“It’s really not, little one. I have been telling you you’d feel better when you were back on your home soil.”

Rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger she sighed, she needed to eat, she needed to get moving, Phya just sighed at the dismissal but quieted down. Heading downhill she made her way into the food district and walked past the carts and vendors. It was crowded as others looked for what they wanted, but she had to be smart and not just go for anything. There were rules of stealing food in Surana, and the first one was to never go after the carts, go after restaurants. Those that run carts understood this rule and would often look the other way if someone was suspicious. Second, don’t pick pocket those in line, that is also stealing from the carts, again go for restaurant patrons they are likely to have more coin, anyways. Third and final, you don’t make it obvious.

So she moved through the people with a place in mind, keeping her movement confident to give no indication of how badly she wanted to stop and just drool at the smells. Just get the to Halls idiot, you have dealt with worse.

“But I’m so hungry.” Phya chimed in making her more agitated with herself.

Nessa moved through the patrons forcing herself to look forward. Her stomach growled again acting as if it was going to eat itself, but she pushed her feet to go onward, she was going to get her food, she never failed at the Halls.

A tall building stood nestled between small antiquated shops, if it weren’t so much taller then it’s neighboring structures it could easily had have been hidden out of sight. It was what made it such an ideal place for the gambling that took place there, an add arrangement for such a fancy restaurant, but it brought in the wealthy. Tall, sandy stoned built up the walls, with a large dark wooden door, it was designed to come off unwelcoming, to look luxurious and unattainable. There was hundreds of gambling facilities in Surana and thousands of restaurants, but only the upper crust of the port city could and would step foot into the Halls.

It was what made it so ideal for skimming off that top. “I still say it’s a bad idea. Why do we need to steal?”

Of course the other would say that when they didn’t have to actually find the food. Stepping towards the building, Nessa let her eyes roam over the large infrastructure the same way a man with low scruples might a beautiful woman. The Halls, like Teresha’s, was an icon. If you doubted the money that hid away in the port city, you would immediately be reminded by this very building and who you just might catch going in and out of it.

All Nessa needed was a coin purse and she would be set, but she had to be smart. You couldn’t get to greedy with these people, if you went for the big fish that would be a long game to play, and if she wanted to get out of Surana she didn’t have time for that. Stepping towards the building she had set her sights on the ally way beside the Halls, where she could already see the kitchen door propped open for the workers. In the back were a few people in white, crouching as cigarette and pipe smoke billowed out from them.

Perhaps she could try her hand at a game before she resorted to stealing, the last thing she needed was someone else besides Hor Wei trying to hunt her down.

She had only made it a few steps when she felt something hit her, no not quite hit. It was almost as if she threw herself into a wall and was bouncing off when she lost her balance. The unevenness of the cobblestone caught her foot as she stumbled to the side, trying to do what she could to keep from hitting the ground.

A large hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her up before she went down and she was turned to see who the hell got in her way.

“Well,” the voice said with more amusement then she would have expected, and when her eyes lifted she tensed.

“Stark?” she managed out and it pulled a wider grin from the large man that confidently was looking down at her.

“Little Nessa, still very. . . little.” he teased her but didn’t let go of her arm when she tried pulled back.

Shit, this wasn’t part of the plan.

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