The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 230: The Glossy Swallow

Chapter 230: The Glossy Swallow

The sun had fallen well below the horizon by the time we made it before the city gates. The thick stone wall loomed above us like black curtains, obscuring any of the beautiful, twinkling lights that had been visible from above the city. The ironbound wooden gates towered thirty feet high, tightly closed against the wanderers of the night.

Sorrin strode up to a smaller access portal to the right of the gate. His knuckles struck the heavy oak with enough force to shake the door to the point I feared it might split.

A rectangular viewport swung open, and a flat, warty face appeared. Light streamed through the crack, providing just enough illumination to show the irritation on the guard’s face. "Scram, we closed the gates an hour ago."

Sorrin leaned forward, letting the light shine on his features. The guard froze, his expression morphing to panic.

"S-sorrin! I wasn’t aware you were returning tonight! Give me just a moment, and I’ll have this door open, and-"

"Just shut up," Sorrin muttered, sighing. "It’s been a long journey, and I’d hate to have my last memory of it be your sniveling complaints."

The guard’s mouth clicked shut, leaving the only sound the mechanical whirring on whatever contraption held the door. I stared at Sorrin, my tail twitching uncertainly. He was always cool and collected, never taking anything remotely similar to that tone even with Rasce or Dyson. And why did the guard seem to fear him? Sorrin was serious, but not scary, right?

The door swung open, bathing us in the magical light of a bright crystal, and I blinked, shielding my eyes against the glare. Demonkin eyes were far more sensitive than human’s, allowing us to see in the dark. But it made it all the more difficult to adjust to sudden changes of illumination.

"Come in, my good adventurers," the guard said, giving a slight bow and gesturing grandly. "I take it you’re here on guild business?"

"Record what you wish. We’ll be heading to the Glossy Sparrow," Sorrin replied bruskly.

"Of course." The guard nodded and made some notes on a clipboard.

The side entrance to the city took us through a small guard room with a few desks and a weapon rack. The spears were stacked neatly, but a thin layer of dust took the sheen from their polished steel heads. Raucous laughter came from one of two doors, accompanied by the bitter stench of alcohol and tobacco. A flushed, bleary-eyed guard stuck his head through the doorway, holding out a hand of cards to the door guard. He wore a curious silver badge on his armor, polished to a shine.

"This hand’s all yours," the man cackled, before suddenly noticing us.

He stiffened, the cards spilling free of his fingers. "The G-Glory Chasers! You’re back!"

Sorrin rolled his eyes. "Captain Robin...why am I not surprised? As I’m sure you’re aware, drinking on duty is a major breach of conduct. You’d better sober up before the commander makes his rounds."

The captain’s lips cracked in a carefree smile. "The commander’s been ’round already. Nothing but fun for the rest o’the night. If you see any lasses who want a good time, send them round. Plenty of boys here to keep them happy."

His eyes fell on Tana, and he grinned, but after a glance at Sorrin, he looked elsewhere, eventually settling on me. I took an instinctive step back, shivering as his gaze crawled over my slender frame. I let out a soft whimper as he winked and leaned forward, clutching my staff tightly.

"How bout you, lass? Ya must be from the villages. Want to know how we do things in the-ach!"

The captain sputtered, weakly struggling as Sorrin’s hand closed around his neck. He grasped at the wolfkin’s hands, his feet kicking as he was lifted off the ground.

"You’re drunk," Sorrin stated calmly. "Perhaps you should lie down for a bit."

Before the captain could protest, he threw him through the door into the barracks. Surprised, angry, shouts filled the room as he slammed into the card table, snapping it in half. But after one look at who the perpetrator was, they quickly turned their anger on the captain, who lay slumped over the ruins of the game.

Dusting his hands, Sorrin turned and glared at the door guard, who was suddenly very interested in studying the visitor log. With a sharp nod, he strode through the door and out into the city.

Tearing my eyes away from the blubbering captain, I quickly followed the other Glory Chasers. For some reason, they treated this as though it were completely normal. Dyson even had his arms up, his hands behind his head, humming a cheerful tune.

I jumped as Tana appeared beside me, her amused voice tickling my ear. "You get used to it. As you can see, the guards aren’t exactly upstanding, and the city’s pretty lawless. The only thing the rougher folk understand is power. Fortunately, most of them recognize us by now as someone not to mess with, but until they know you’re in the party, it might be best to stick close to one of us."

I nodded, hugging myself tightly in an effort to suppress my anxious trembling. The captain hadn’t been any stronger than third-level, and even had he tried something, I would have been able to stop him with ease. But the shadow golem’s cores had flown this way, and the Circle of Chains seemed to have a presence here.

At that thought, the black buildings and shadowy alleys felt far more sinister, hiding countless threats. Countless shapes and silhouettes rose out of the blackness, and even though I could make them out through the darkness, it was a relief when they crossed the small bubbles of light cast by the street lamp crystals and were revealed to be no more than passers-by, merchants, and beggars.

As we progressed deeper into the city, the whispered conversations around us twisted into unfamiliar words. Fable had remained close by the entire journey from Westfall, stalking us from a distance, but it would be impossible for him to follow me into the city. Even if I never saw him, his presence had been comforting. Denied that, I grew nervous again, walking faster, sticking as close to the others as I could, and looking around with wide, terrified eyes.

By the time we arrived at the Glossy Sparrow, I was practically shivering as badly as in the guardhouse. The inn was an oasis of light and warmth, with a blazing hearth and welcoming atmosphere. The hour was late, and the inn far from packed, but something about the familiar buzz of conversation in the common room put me at ease. It felt so much like the Westfall inn I could almost forget about the terrors of the city outside.

As we threaded through the forest of tables and chairs, something else caught my attention. Almost everyone here was a beastkin. They came in all shapes in sizes, from petite rabbitkin to massive bearkin whose seats looked like they’d give out at any time. Even among those who weren’t beastkin, a few were half-elves, like Tana, with hardly any being human. Most incredible was that they all spoke the Beastkin language, surrounding me with coherence once more.

The bartender was a hulking boarkin, with large, serrated tusks and dark leathery skin. He stood as most bartenders do, idly polishing a mug and listening to the nearby tables. He glanced up as we entered, eyes glinting in recognition.

"Ya made it," he greeted, his voice hardly more than a low grunt.

"Evening, Tarson," Sorrin replied politely. "We’ll be in town for a while now, probably upwards of a week. We’ll be needing three rooms."

"Three?" the boarkin raised an eyebrow. His gaze settled on me, and I shrunk behind Tana, intimidated by the sheer weight of his gaze. "Got some new blood, eh? A demonkin too, by the looks of it. Been a while since I’ve seen one of those. I assume the little lady will be having her own room?"

Sorrin nodded. "I would be grateful if you put her between the other two."

"Aye, I can do that," Tarson grunted. He reached under the counter and procured three keys, each numbered.

Sorrin swiped them off the table, slipping one in his pocket and handing the other two to Dyson. "We’ve got to check in with the guild master, so I’ll leave her in your hands," he told the thief.

Dyson nodded and flashed me a smile. "It’ll be my pleasure."

Rasce frowned, leaning against the counter and folding his arms. "Tonight? By guild rules, our report should come tomorrow, after we’ve had a chance to rest the night."

Sorrin shifted uneasily, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "TO be honest, I’m inclined to do so myself. But I’ve got a feeling our most recent discoveries need to be heard. The Circle of Chains might go to drastic measures to ensure their organization remains in the shadows, and unless we tell someone else, we’ll remain high-priority targets."

The ranger was silent for a moment before nodding. "I hadn’t thought of that. It might be best if I accompanied you, then. If things get hairy, I can support Tana on the back line."

"Thank you," Sorrin said, patting the ranger’s shoulder. "That’s a load off my mind."

Tana laid a hand over my own, causing me to meet her gaze. "Starlight, stay close to Dyson. I don’t know why, but that bastard gave me the impression he was particularly interested in you."

The innkeeper folded his meaty arms and grunted, the only verbal expression he ever seemed to make. "I don’t know what ya problems are, but if trouble comes, it’ll find the Glossy Sparrow no easy target. We Beastkin got to stick together, and that includes ya, lass."

"Thank you," I whispered, bowing my head. Perhaps there was a reason this place felt like home to me.

Tana gave my hand a final squeeze before the three slipped out into the night, leaving me alone with Dyson. After sitting silently for a few moments, he took a long drought of his mug and set it down heavily.

"So, uh, want to order some food?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you. If it’s alright with you, I think I’d like to turn in. It’s been a long day."

He laughed and reached across the table, ruffling my hair. "It certainly has. You know, I think you’re pretty incredible. Not everyone can do what you did."

I shied away from his touch, flinching as his hand fell between my horns. He was soft and gentle, but a shiver of unease went through me. "Please don’t."

Withdrawing his hand, he got to his feet and smiled broadly. "Why don’t we turn in for the night? You’ve had a long day, and I think you’ll feel better in the morning."

He offered his hand, which I reluctantly took. The night was still relatively young, but I was exhausted. The past week of endless walking and the final descent down the cliffs left me feeling mentally and physically drained. But I hadn’t realized just how tired I was until I stumbled on the stairs, falling into Dyson’s waiting arms.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got you," he murmured. His grip was firm, and though my inner worries tried to keep me awake, my eyes closed before we topped the stairs. The last thing I saw was his gentle smile, devoid of any sort of guile or malice. For the first time in recent memory, I fell asleep in the arms of a man without feeling afraid.