Bacorium Legacy (32 page)

“Indeed,” Selphie agreed, looking at the map over her guard's shoulder. “If the Acarians are going to go right back to Acaria, they will travel east from the temple. This is good, as it will put us out of their path.”

“But still, Pri-,” Jared began to say, before catching himself. “I mean - Selphie... The attack on the temple was aimed at capturing you, was it not? It seems unlikely they will leave without completing that objective.”

“Yes, so we will be extra careful,” Selphie said. She took a step away from the small huddle and clapped her hands. “Listen everyone. When we reach this town, don't trust anyone. Though we likely will not see any more Acarian soldiers, there could be people who have been promised rewards for turning us in. Be sparse with any details you must give, and if possible, do not even tell them your names.”

Everyone nodded.

“And don't forget what I said just a moment ago. Do not call me princess under any circumstances, even if there is no one but us around. Understood?”

The five of them muttered replies of varying enthusiasm.

“Good,” Selphie said with a bright smile. “Now there isn't a moment to lose. Let's get moving!”

And with that, they started off, with Selphie leading the procession. With his navigation skills no longer needed, Ash rolled up his map and put it away, and sullenly went over to the back of the group, lingering behind.

Luca glanced at his brother as they walked. Ash did not look up from the ground.

“Odd,” he muttered. “He was so excited just a moment ago...”

Brand looked but said nothing.

<> <> <>

Now that they had their bearings, they made their way southwest towards where the road should be. After about an hour, they managed to make it out of the forest, and onto the road. According to Ash, it would take them half a day to get to said town.

The morning gradually turned to noon, and the air grew a bit warmer, though the wind still remained cold. They made conversation amongst themselves as they walked, with the girls contributing the majority of it. Even Ash and Jared joined in from time to time, and as the day went on, it was easy to forget what they had escaped from.

Still, Luca kept his eyes open for any sign of their enemies. He did not spot a single Acarian, nor any bandits or monsters, of which he was both relieved and disappointed. The familiar weight of
Siora
's sheath rested on his belt, and as he looked on the blade he swore he would not lose it again.
 

As the afternoon drew closer, and they drew closer to town, the woods began to thin, and they started passing farms. As they had skipped lunch, and had an already small breakfast to begin with, the temptation to steal a few turnips or a carrot was hard to resist. But Selphie continued to promise them a large supper when they got to town, so they let the farmers be.

While they were all used to travel, it was still an immense relief when the town finally appeared on the horizon. They arrived just as the sun was beginning to set.

This town, whose name turned out to be Kasma, was sparsely populated and just a bit seedy. But it had all the essentials - an inn, a blacksmith, a general store, etc.

“Here,” Selphie said, handing Luca a small purse of coins. “Could you go and reserve our rooms? You two can get something to eat while you're there. I know you and Emila are really hungry, so please help yourself. Jared and I will go stock up on supplies, and there are letters that need sent. We will meet up with you once we are done.”

Luca nodded, and took the coins.

“I'll go with you, if that's okay,” Brand said to the princess. “I've got some shopping of my own I'd like to do.”

“That's fine with me,” Selphie said. “We should be back in less than an hour.”

“Be careful,” Emila said.

“Well as long as there's no Acarians around, we should be okay,” Brand said with a slightly nervous laugh. He, Selphie, and Jared then disappeared down the streets.

<> <> <>

Ash, Emila, and Luca went to the inn. They walked in, finding it mostly empty. There were only a few people there - a man and woman who were dining in private, a bearded man who drank at the counter and looked like he was about to pass out, and a man seated by himself at a dark table in the back, smoking from a pipe.

They went over to the innkeeper. He was a portly man, which according to everything Luca had learnt from books meant he was trustworthy (skinny innkeepers were the ones you had to watch out for, especially if they had moustaches - every adventurer knew this).

The inn turned out to be as empty as it looked, so Luca was able to get three adjacent rooms as a very reasonable price. Two men, Two men, and two women. He wasn't sure if that was how they would be divided up, though. Jared would certainly want to be near the princess, and he and Emila were used to sleeping in the same room. But he doubted Brand would want to share a room with Ash.

Ah well, he figured. They would sort that out once the others were back.

In any case, he ordered their food, and they found a table and broke their fast with vigour.

With the exception of Ash, that is, who did not taken a bite.

“What is it?” Luca asked him.

After a long moment, Ash said, “Master Dori probably did not survive that, did he?”

Luca and Emila exchanged a glance. “No, he almost certainly didn't,” Luca said as gently as he could. “He was riding the dragon when it fell, right? If the fall didn't kill him, there were still Acarians everywhere. And he was old.”

After another long pause, Luca added, “In fact I doubt anyone who was still within the walls made it. Only the few that fled through that hole with Tranom. Everyone else...”

Emila looked at Luca for a moment like she wanted to hit him. She said to Ash, in a soft voice, “I'm sorry, Ash. He was like a father to you, wasn't he?”

Ash didn't answer that. He just stared into the untouched meal on his plate.

“I know it's tough, losing your home, and the only people close to you,” she continued. “Believe me, I know. If there's anything you want to talk about-”

“That man in the corner,” Ash said suddenly, without looking away from his plate. “He hasn't looked at a single thing in this room but us since we walked in.”

Emila's eyes widened in surprise, but she was smart enough not to look over at the guy. Instead she looked over at Luca.

“Do you think he's an Acarian?” she said quietly.

“He's not dressed the part,” Ash replied. “A spy perhaps, but I can't imagine what could have given us away. None of us are wearing anything of Allma.”

Indeed, Ash was still dressed in the tattered rags that he had been wearing while imprisoned. Selphie had promised many times during the day's travel that she would get him fresh garb in town. As for Luca and Emila, they simply had on the same travel clothes as always. The only person in the whole group who wore Allma robes was Brand, and even those were beneath leather armour.

“Of course, it's also possible he's just a drunk ogling Emila,” Ash muttered.

After a few moments had passed, Luca slowly looked over out of the corner of his eye. Whoever he was, he was dressed in a cloak, and he had the hood up. He had stopped smoking his pipe some time ago, and was now very clearly watching them with his arms crossed. He looked almost expectant.

“He doesn't look drunk,” Luca said. “I think he knows that we're aware of his staring. But he's not doing anything. He's just sitting there... I'll go talk to him.”

“Luca, are you insane?” Emila hissed.

“We can't just ignore him,” he said. “If he's just eyeing you up, I'll tell him to keep away from you. If he's an Acarian, or a spy, we'll need to know so we can get out of here.”

Emila reluctantly accepted this. “Alright, just be careful.”

Luca nodded, and rose. He strode towards the hooded man, keeping
Siora
sheathed and hidden under his coat. As he drew near, the man kept his eyes on him the entire time.
 

“Is there something you want?” Luca asked him.

“I was wondering if you were gonna come say hi to me,” he said. His voice was immediately familiar.

“Who are you?”

He threw back the hood of his cloak, revealing his face.

“You failed the test,” Tranom said. “Were I an enemy, you could be in serious trouble right now.”

<> <> <>

The three of them found themselves over at Tranom's table, finishing their meal with him and talking.

“I managed to escape with as many students as I could,” Tranom told them. “We fled through the woods, but the Acarians came after us. I stayed back and held them off, while the students escaped. I don't know where they went, but hopefully they were able to get to safety. I was slightly wounded after the fight, so I was unable to catch up with them. I managed to limp my way to this town, and I rested here for the remainder of the night, and most of the day. I had just gotten up, and finished eating my breakfast when I spotted you entering.”

“It's fantastic that you're okay,” Emila said. “Brand will be happy, when he gets here.”

“Ah, Brand is with you,” Tranom said, nodding. “That's very good.” He leaned in closer, and asked them in a hushed voice, “And the princess? Is she with you as well?”

Emila nodded.

Tranom smiled, a relieved look on his face. “That's great. Things would be very bad if anything were to happen to her. Will she be here soon?”

“She had some shopping to do,” Emila said. “Her, Brand, and Jared will be here in about an hour. That's what she said.”

“Jared?”

“Her last remaining escort,” Luca reminded him. “The halberd guy?”

“Ah, of course. I'd forgotten him.”

Ash was simply stirring at his food with his fork, as quiet as usual. Luca still hadn't seen him take a bite.

“Were there any others that were with you?” Tranom asked.

“Just the six of us,” Luca said.

“I see,” Tranom muttered, looking despondent. “It's a shame we weren't able to save more. So many died in that attack. I should have ordered a retreat sooner. Those Acarians - we underestimated how powerful they are.”

“The temple has fallen,” Luca agreed. “But it was Allma's scheming that brought its end. Had he been a more honourable man, this could have been avoided. But still, that bastard Zinoro will pay for the lives he has taken. I guarantee it.”

Tranom slowly nodded.

“What happened back there?” Emila asked. “When the dragon was guarding the gate, the Acarians were not able to get through. How were they able to kill him?”

Tranom frowned, and shook his head. “I don't know. Their leader, that Dreevius - he had some kind of orb that made the dragon fall out of the sky. After it was dead, there was nothing to stop them from entering the temple. They just had far superior numbers.”

He sounded very troubled, like he was having trouble finding the right words. Doubtlessly, he was even now reliving the carnage and bloodshed in his mind. He probably felt responsible for all the Allman students who had died.

“This goes without saying, but tell no one about the princess,” Tranom said to them. “Those Acarians are still out there. Watch what you say, and trust no one at all.”

“Are there any Acarians here in this town?” Luca asked.

“There could be,” Tranom said. “But the Acarians themselves are not what you should worry about. There are many spies for them - people who would sell you out in a second for a few pieces of gold. Anyone you see could be one, even the people here in this inn. Be extremely careful.”

Ash sat up suddenly, leaving his untouched plate behind. “I will go find Selphie and the others, and tell them we found you.” He walked away without another word, before anyone could stop him. Tranom frowned at his hasty departure.

Luca watched him go, thinking of the conversation earlier. His brother, much like Luca himself, did not seem to be the kind of person who was able to discuss the things that troubled him. Ash had looked profoundly uncomfortable through the whole conversation with Tranom.

“So where are you going to go?” Tranom asked Luca and Emila.

“Selphie needs to get back to T'Saw,” Emila said. “She fears that if she does not hurry and tell King Zaow what happened, that war might break out between Torachi and Acaria, and Sono would be dragged into the conflict.”

“Ah, that is a real possibility,” Tranom said. “Sono has long tried to avoid war, while Torachi never backs down from it. What Saeticia decides will determine whether the full Alliance is brought in, or if it remains an affair between Torachi and Acaria.”

Alliance matters were always decided on a two-out-of-three vote. If two of the countries sought war, then all three were required to be part of it. If only one of them wanted the war, then it simply became their problem alone. In this case, if Torachi wanted war with Acaria and Sono did not, then Saeticia would be the deciding vote.

“The princess will be sending a letter to the king of Torachi,” Luca told Tranom, “telling him about Allma's treachery, and urging him not to declare war on Acaria.”

“Her plan is to convince King Edmund that the Acarian attack on the temple was part of some scheme of Allma's, and not an act of war against his land?” Tranom muttered, scratching his chin and thinking. “While the temple itself was technically a neutral entity, the Acarians still needed to cross Torachian land to get to it, right? I doubt he will be swayed by such a thing.”

Emila rested on her hand for a moment, looking rather tired. “Let us hope that war is not the result of this.”

“If it is, then Zinoro will fall, just as his father did,” Luca said. “He cannot win against the entire Alliance. His way is schemes and plotting, which is how the temple fell. In an open battlefield, his army would be crushed.”

Tranom said nothing, merely turning over the pipe in his hands.

Luca heard a thump from across the room. The couple dining together had collapsed onto their table.

“What the-?”

“You are wrong, my friend,” Tranom said in a low voice.

“Wrong? What are-”