Narda wasn’t thrilled to be back at Lithilote, but she knew it was much better than the horror they had just gone through. If they were going to be stranded somewhere, at least it was at the elven court. Given that it was Zeke who had their way in, she let him do the talking, all the while worried about where the others were, and how they were faring. Knowing Kire, she was probably tearing through the seven hells by now trying to find them. As Zeke spoke to their new guide and then, later, narrated to Aera the events leading up to their return visit, Narda kept quiet, wishing hard that she was back at the [i]Wench.[/i] Or smoking with Envy. “We’re mostly unhurt, but the care is appreciated,” she said in response.” Really, she understood how Aera felt at the moment. Her warrior’s façade allowed Narda to ignore the horror around them as they were amongst the twisted forms of the woods, but now that they here, the thought of the woods gave her a shudder. “If you don’t mind, Lady Aera, I’d be up for a conversation once I’ve rested after the baths.” She bent slightly in a bow in thanks. Narda was glad to clean off the filth from their fight earlier; she scrubbed her skin almost raw. Satisfied, she rose and dried off, and once led to the guest chambers, the giantess crawled onto the bed. That wasn’t a battlefield, but somehow that fight drained her. Was it blood magic, or just the mental exhaustion of fighting the unknown? At least in a war, things were mostly straightforward. No portals, no bloody wolves, no twisting mutated trees. She slept soundly until late afternoon, woken by hunger, after which she left her chambers to prowl and ask for something to fill her belly, resolved to eat first before she’d be up for any kind of conversation. -- As the elf gripped him tight with all her limbs, Ed could feel just how tense she was while riding. It made riding uncomfortable, but better that than risk her falling off. “[i]Deep breaths, Ysaryn,[/i]” he said gently. “[i]I will make a note of it, then. No horses during the tour.”[/i] At her remark about not talking, Ed smirked. “[i]Now you’re the one underestimating me[/i],” he chided gently, “[i]though I suppose that’s only fair.[/i]” He lapsed back into silence nevertheless, watching the road as their party picked their way through the mounds and rocky earth. Soon enough, they sighted the flatter, more even main road just beyond their current path. “How much farther?” Ed asked. “Not long, my lord. A quarter hour at wor—” They heard the blast of horns from afar, answered by another. Their escorts slowed down, speaking to each other in Taakalon. “Are we expecting company?” Ed asked. “Yes, my lord, but we were expecting them to come from the other direction.” The knight grunted. “We’d best hurry, my lord.” “[i]Only a little further,[/i]” he whispered to Ysaryn apologetically, before he spurred his horse forward. He was quiet for the last leg of their journey, focusing on keeping their pace. It didn’t look like they were being chased, but there certainly was another group on horseback coming their way. After what would have felt like an eternity for the elf, Ed could see the Wyvern banners flying ahead, a battalion already stationed along the road, Wyvern soldiers lining the way. Their standard—a twisting golden Wyvern on a field of jade—fluttered as if the legendary creature was giving life to the banners. On the other end of the line, flanked by knights, was Kire on her own steed. Though she still wore her travelling clothes, around her shoulders was a regal cloak, a deep green embroidered with gold thread. There was a shadow of worry on her face, but the moment she saw Ed and Ysaryn, she broke into a smile. “Thank the gods, you brigands,” she said, urging her horse forward to meet theirs. The moment they were close enough, she all but jumped off her horse to embrace Ed. A murmur arose around them; many had heard by now that the long-missing Edward was one of the people they were searching for, and seeing him now, in strange company, and now held in a hug by the Empress herself, was like stepping into a storybook or fairytale. Ed returned the embrace. “Sorry for worrying you,” he murmured, patting his cousin’s back before letting her go. “Can’t kill us that easily.” “It’s not just you,” Kire said back. Before answering his silent query, she turned to Ysaryn and hugged her too. “I know you don’t like horserides. Sorry you had to go through that.” She spoke to the knights who had escorted Ed, thanking them for their work, before the worry worked its way back into her expression. “We haven’t found Ruli, Narda, or Zeke yet. And—we have guests.” She didn’t look thrilled at that last detail. “Be ready. They’ve come to [i]parley[/i].” Some ten minutes after Ed and Ysaryn had arrived, a small armed group appeared on the road from where they had just come. First came the Wyvern escorts, joining their fellows as they lined the road. Behind them, a group that carried two banners: a simple flag of white and blue, indicating that they came in peace; and a black banner, with two pale faces in profile, woven with silver thread, save for the deep ruby red eyes. “You are coming into the presence of Her Majesty Akire, the one, true Empress of Amria,” the Wyvern herald announced. Then, turning to Kire, “Your Majesty, the emissaries of the Gemini.” -- [i]Rulitus.[/i] The women shifted. “Myka,” one of them said, but the pirate captain put a finger to her lips. Kire had told the story of her hunt for Ikegai and how she had spent her days in the other world to Myka and Narda, and the others heard another version of the Empress’s tale when they had gotten Kire drunk enough to be much more loose-lipped. It made some sense, then, that this was Kire’s friend. His appearance, the sword being a gift, his ability similar to Kire’s, and his personality. Even those who had voted to have him killed changed their expressions, brows raised in both surprise and anxiety at the possibility of almost killing one of Kire’s allies. Ring or no Ring, the Empress’s anger wasn’t one to be taken lightly. Myka, however, kept her cool. He was tight-lipped, wary of them as they were of him, even if both parties knew they were allied to the same person. “Well, we would, if we knew where she was. Till then, you’d understand if we still have questions for you. And here we thought you’d be chattier now that you were out of the pit.” She clicked her tongue. “There should be another member of our party that came along with the Empress when she left us last. Have you seen her?” Myka turned to her comrades, spoke softly in Taakalon. The others nodded, and the signal went up. [i]Time to go back.[/i]. Someone tapped Rulitus on the shoulder, telling him to stop. The ground began to slope slightly downwards; they were on the other side of the hill from where they had first seen Rulitus and the spies earlier. They made their way down the gentle incline as fast as they could with their captive. Someone held onto the back of Ruli’s shirt as they picked their way down. Once they were on level ground, they continued after hearing the signal from their scouts that the coast was clear. Myka unsheathed the saber and practicing some drills with it, silently wishing Kire would give her another blade this fancy. “You know what,” Myka said as she played with the saber, her tone flat, “the Empress would only give these blades to two kinds of people: old friends, and the person she thinks is worthy of marriage. She’s picky with her men, you see.” She pressed her finger to her lips again before anyone could question or laugh at her ridiculous inquiry. “Seeing as we haven’t met you before, when’s the wedding?” More bird calls—but these sounded different from before. “They’ve spotted something,” Myka remarked, and they called for a halt. It didn’t take long for their scouts to come back; they seemed to have hurried full speed. “Gemini, or something else?” “Something else,” one scout answered. “Looked like one of Kire’s portals from a distance, only bigger.” Myka’s eyes widened. “Where exactly?” After the scout answered, pointing to the direction they were heading for, she turned to Ruli, chewing her lip, as if debating something, then with a growl she reached up and pulled off his blindfold. “We’re running back to rejoin the others. You better tell me if you know anything about that portal or not.”