Chapter II
Rule #2: You must not betray another Crooked Member to the soldiers of the Law.
“So it really didn’t make much of a difference,” Susan sighed. The tavern was only a smidgen less chaotic, as Bry’s underlings were gone.
“Not really,” Came Ati’s cheerful, horribly unsympathetic reply. This only got her a glare in response, of course, but she didn’t care.
“Oi.” A sharp tug on her sleeve made Ati look down. “Th’ King wants t’ see you.” The speaker was a dirty young boy, who didn’t seem to like his job as messenger. “An’ you.” He jerked his chin in Susan’s direction, then disappeared into the crowd without caring to stick around.
Susan glanced at Ati, then stood, scraping her chair legs back against the wooden floor. With Ati not far behind, she pushed her way through the crowd to the King’s table at the head of the room.
“What’s up, Bry?” Susan asked, scanning the others at his table for any clue to what he wanted. None of them were paying much attention to her or Ati, except for one man sitting on Bry’s right. He was studying her, and simply smiled when he noticed she was looking.
“I need you two to do something for me.” Bry’s voice pulled Susan’s attention back to the reason she was up there. “It’s… a little dangerous.”
That piqued Susan’s interest, and put her on guard at the same time. “Dangerous how?”
He grinned at her, but it did nothing to make her relax. “I just want you to contact my sources in the palace.”
“…You want us to infiltrate the palace.” Susan wasn’t quite sure she heard him right, and doubt was written all over her face.
Bry shook his head. “Oh no, I’ve already infiltrated the palace. I just need you to deliver a message for me.”
Now Ati voiced her doubts. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Bry. We aren’t the most inconspicuous choices.”
“Well now, that’s where you’re wrong.” Bry leaned back in his chair. “You see two young women with very distinct features. I see a Ciarian able to blend in with any group of slaves, and a mage who can shape shift into a cat. The palace has large amounts of both cats and slaves. One more of each won’t be noticed.”
Susan and Ati glanced at each other, each silently turning his plan over in their minds.
“Fine.” They agreed simultaneously. Bry grinned and began to lay out the details of his plan.
~*~
“Ew, Marie, this is horrid,” Ati complained, eyeing her reflection with disgust.
“Well yes, dear, of course it is. You are supposed to look like a slave.” Marie, a plump, motherly young woman, tugged at Ati’s skirt to straighten it. Not that much could make the outfit look better. Marie had dressed her in a calf-length, drab, brown skirt and a loose, undyed cotton blouse. The sleeves of said blouse couldn’t quite decide if they were supposed to be long or short, and had stopped somewhere in the middle. Whoever made the garments seemed to have gotten lazy and hadn’t bothered hemming them, leaving plenty of stray threads to scratch at Ati’s skin.
“But it shouldn’t have to be so uncomfortable,” Ati grumbled.
“Oh, you’re just upset because you can only carry five daggers.” Marie shot a pointed look over at the rest of Ati’s weapons, piled on the dresser.
“I like carrying weapons. It makes me feel safer. And I’m going to need plenty of protection in the palace.” Ati pointed out, fidgeting with her sleeves.
“Perhaps. Now, what are we going to do with your hair…” Marie fussed with Ati’s hair, pulling it this way and that, until she got it pulled up into a messy up-do, that really wasn’t a ponytail or a bun, but an unattractive combination of the two.
“…Great. It just completes the whole ‘filthy and unkempt’ look I’m apparently going for.” Ati clearly wasn’t thrilled about her assignment.
“Exactly!” Marie patted her back enthusiastically.
“You ready?” A small tabby cat trotted into the room and stopped short when it saw Ati. It regarded her for a moment, then let out an odd noise that sounded like a mix between a yowl and a laugh. Ati winced and turned around to study the cat. It looked like a normal cat, except for it’s muzzle, which resembled a weird mix between a cat’s normal snout, and a human’s mouth.
“Mess up the shift, Susan?” Ati asked dryly. Susan rolled her eyes—Ati knew very well that Susan couldn’t actually talk with a normal cat’s mouth. She had to shift her form’s jaw and voice box to be able to form words.
“Anyway,” Susan said purposefully. “Are we going?”
“I guess so,” Ati shrugged, sliding on a pair of sturdy, worn boots.
“Then let’s go!” Susan declared, turning. Without waiting for Ati, the cat trotted out with her tail held high. Ati shook her head and started after her.
~*~
The two took to the alleys and side streets, preferring to avoid the bustling main roads in the city. Once they were clear of the biggest buildings, Susan had shifted her mouth back into a cat’s muzzle. Ati hadn’t been able to keep from staring. No matter how often she saw it, it was always fascinating to see how Susan’s mouth elongated into a cat’s snout. Susan had just glanced at Ati curiously and continued on.
So now they were silently slipping through the narrow backstreets, skirting the worst of the filth and ignoring the rest. They could feel eyes following them, but no one was visible. Regardless, both kept a wary eye out.
“We should be close.” Ati’s voice was hushed, as though their invisible stalkers would be listening. And most likely, they were.
Susan nodded, jerking her chin forward when they rounded the corner. There at the end of the street was a large, stone wall. The stone was tough and foreboding, stretching far down both ways on the street they had come to. Not far from where they stood was a narrow wooden door, the path to it heavily worn down: The palace’s slave entrance.
Ati tried the handle and got just the answer she expected: It was locked. Just as she was trying to decided if she should scale the way or not, the door swung open, nearly hitting her in the face. A dark skinned man stepped out, pulling a cart after him.
Ati reached out and grabbed the edge of the door before he could close it. When he glanced at her, she grinned sheepishly and ducked her head as though she was embarrassed. He nodded in understanding, taking her to be a fellow slave who had accidently gotten herself locked out. He didn’t take notice the now-dirty tabby crouching in the shadows and simply continued on his way. Ati took a deep breath and slipped through the doorway, Susan darting past her as they stepped onto the palace grounds.
“So it really didn’t make much of a difference,” Susan sighed. The tavern was only a smidgen less chaotic, as Bry’s underlings were gone.
“Not really,” Came Ati’s cheerful, horribly unsympathetic reply. This only got her a glare in response, of course, but she didn’t care.
“Oi.” A sharp tug on her sleeve made Ati look down. “Th’ King wants t’ see you.” The speaker was a dirty young boy, who didn’t seem to like his job as messenger. “An’ you.” He jerked his chin in Susan’s direction, then disappeared into the crowd without caring to stick around.
Susan glanced at Ati, then stood, scraping her chair legs back against the wooden floor. With Ati not far behind, she pushed her way through the crowd to the King’s table at the head of the room.
“What’s up, Bry?” Susan asked, scanning the others at his table for any clue to what he wanted. None of them were paying much attention to her or Ati, except for one man sitting on Bry’s right. He was studying her, and simply smiled when he noticed she was looking.
“I need you two to do something for me.” Bry’s voice pulled Susan’s attention back to the reason she was up there. “It’s… a little dangerous.”
That piqued Susan’s interest, and put her on guard at the same time. “Dangerous how?”
He grinned at her, but it did nothing to make her relax. “I just want you to contact my sources in the palace.”
“…You want us to infiltrate the palace.” Susan wasn’t quite sure she heard him right, and doubt was written all over her face.
Bry shook his head. “Oh no, I’ve already infiltrated the palace. I just need you to deliver a message for me.”
Now Ati voiced her doubts. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, Bry. We aren’t the most inconspicuous choices.”
“Well now, that’s where you’re wrong.” Bry leaned back in his chair. “You see two young women with very distinct features. I see a Ciarian able to blend in with any group of slaves, and a mage who can shape shift into a cat. The palace has large amounts of both cats and slaves. One more of each won’t be noticed.”
Susan and Ati glanced at each other, each silently turning his plan over in their minds.
“Fine.” They agreed simultaneously. Bry grinned and began to lay out the details of his plan.
~*~
“Ew, Marie, this is horrid,” Ati complained, eyeing her reflection with disgust.
“Well yes, dear, of course it is. You are supposed to look like a slave.” Marie, a plump, motherly young woman, tugged at Ati’s skirt to straighten it. Not that much could make the outfit look better. Marie had dressed her in a calf-length, drab, brown skirt and a loose, undyed cotton blouse. The sleeves of said blouse couldn’t quite decide if they were supposed to be long or short, and had stopped somewhere in the middle. Whoever made the garments seemed to have gotten lazy and hadn’t bothered hemming them, leaving plenty of stray threads to scratch at Ati’s skin.
“But it shouldn’t have to be so uncomfortable,” Ati grumbled.
“Oh, you’re just upset because you can only carry five daggers.” Marie shot a pointed look over at the rest of Ati’s weapons, piled on the dresser.
“I like carrying weapons. It makes me feel safer. And I’m going to need plenty of protection in the palace.” Ati pointed out, fidgeting with her sleeves.
“Perhaps. Now, what are we going to do with your hair…” Marie fussed with Ati’s hair, pulling it this way and that, until she got it pulled up into a messy up-do, that really wasn’t a ponytail or a bun, but an unattractive combination of the two.
“…Great. It just completes the whole ‘filthy and unkempt’ look I’m apparently going for.” Ati clearly wasn’t thrilled about her assignment.
“Exactly!” Marie patted her back enthusiastically.
“You ready?” A small tabby cat trotted into the room and stopped short when it saw Ati. It regarded her for a moment, then let out an odd noise that sounded like a mix between a yowl and a laugh. Ati winced and turned around to study the cat. It looked like a normal cat, except for it’s muzzle, which resembled a weird mix between a cat’s normal snout, and a human’s mouth.
“Mess up the shift, Susan?” Ati asked dryly. Susan rolled her eyes—Ati knew very well that Susan couldn’t actually talk with a normal cat’s mouth. She had to shift her form’s jaw and voice box to be able to form words.
“Anyway,” Susan said purposefully. “Are we going?”
“I guess so,” Ati shrugged, sliding on a pair of sturdy, worn boots.
“Then let’s go!” Susan declared, turning. Without waiting for Ati, the cat trotted out with her tail held high. Ati shook her head and started after her.
~*~
The two took to the alleys and side streets, preferring to avoid the bustling main roads in the city. Once they were clear of the biggest buildings, Susan had shifted her mouth back into a cat’s muzzle. Ati hadn’t been able to keep from staring. No matter how often she saw it, it was always fascinating to see how Susan’s mouth elongated into a cat’s snout. Susan had just glanced at Ati curiously and continued on.
So now they were silently slipping through the narrow backstreets, skirting the worst of the filth and ignoring the rest. They could feel eyes following them, but no one was visible. Regardless, both kept a wary eye out.
“We should be close.” Ati’s voice was hushed, as though their invisible stalkers would be listening. And most likely, they were.
Susan nodded, jerking her chin forward when they rounded the corner. There at the end of the street was a large, stone wall. The stone was tough and foreboding, stretching far down both ways on the street they had come to. Not far from where they stood was a narrow wooden door, the path to it heavily worn down: The palace’s slave entrance.
Ati tried the handle and got just the answer she expected: It was locked. Just as she was trying to decided if she should scale the way or not, the door swung open, nearly hitting her in the face. A dark skinned man stepped out, pulling a cart after him.
Ati reached out and grabbed the edge of the door before he could close it. When he glanced at her, she grinned sheepishly and ducked her head as though she was embarrassed. He nodded in understanding, taking her to be a fellow slave who had accidently gotten herself locked out. He didn’t take notice the now-dirty tabby crouching in the shadows and simply continued on his way. Ati took a deep breath and slipped through the doorway, Susan darting past her as they stepped onto the palace grounds.