Jadlin Hayes
9th day of Winter, 514
"And to think I thought last season had been grimly eventful..." Jad said quietly to himself as he watched townspeople, on the verge of panic, rushing about, shouting for aid, information, or accusations.
It was not as if Fall had been dull or anything. A new race of snake people, the Iyvess, had emerged from the depths to announce their existence, and he'd been selected as a representative of the city to make diplomatic strides with them.
Not everyone had extended a warm welcome even then. But Jad wondered how much worse things would be for them this season. He'd already heard some folks spout nonsense about the rise of these strange obelisks in the bay being triggered by their arrival. The representatives he'd met with had been exotic and intimidating, yes, but hardly diabolical.
He'd also learned that his bondmate, Black, was not only pregnant, but had been heinously assaulted by thugs from East Street. Thus far he'd been prevented from taking any reciprocal action against them, due to her watchful concerns for his welfare should he try. She was constantly checking on him, certain he was going to get himself killed seeking justice, or vengeance, whichever you chose to call it. There were times he felt they were one and the same. The effect they'd had on her in this way was one of the very reasons he burned to punish them.
On the plus side, he'd made some strides developing his Shielding ability. Nothing to earn an award or anything, but he'd improved his activation speed, while learning to divert his focus from automatically tasking it to repel water. The two had gone hand in hand for a long time, due to the way he'd been taught. Old habits died hard, but he was slowly managing to kill this one, thanks to aid from his half brother, Ricky.
He also had reason to believe he'd helped break up a smuggling ring. He wondered absently if that system had been used to smuggle food, and if it had been smuggled in or out. Both seemed possible. Food was always pretty scarce in Zeltiva. He could see this as being either caused by smuggling food out, or a cause for smuggling it in.
He shrugged, thinking it was unlikely he'd ever really find out if the suspect had been found guilty. He hadn't been called to testify at any rate. There was little reason for it though. He'd had no pertinent knowledge, prior to the pair of Wave Guard soldiers arriving to direct a search of the warehouse's client's storage zones. And their testimony would be more readily accepted than his. He'd been arrested practically the day he'd arrived, and he figured a legal stigma may yet hang over his head.
But his boss, the leather worker, Mr. Tronus Pelthes, had been cleared of the smuggling. And he himself had been cleared of being the Mage Silencer. Perhaps he had not been called because the council figured he deserved a break. He shrugged again, but his air of disinterest waned as he noted the tone of unrest change slightly down the street.
He saw what the cause of this change was, and his mood took a cautious downturn. it appeared he was about to receive that follow-up visit from the Wave Guard after all. His eyes narrowed instinctively as he saw the two soldiers, once again, divert their path to approach the steps to the broad double doors of the warehouse, locked though they were.
Jad peered through the window. They were not the same two men, but they wore the same garb; blue coloring with the emblems of waves on livery and shield, swords strapped down unthreateningly in rest mode. The one with two waves on his uniform caught Jad's eyes and made a motion for him to open the doors.
Jad slid the bar aside, resting it on one end inside the entry as he stepped out on the porch to confront them. "A good evening to you sirs. Do you have verifiable business with this company, or has martial law been declared? If you are seeking entry, it will need to be one or the other."
It was not as if Fall had been dull or anything. A new race of snake people, the Iyvess, had emerged from the depths to announce their existence, and he'd been selected as a representative of the city to make diplomatic strides with them.
Not everyone had extended a warm welcome even then. But Jad wondered how much worse things would be for them this season. He'd already heard some folks spout nonsense about the rise of these strange obelisks in the bay being triggered by their arrival. The representatives he'd met with had been exotic and intimidating, yes, but hardly diabolical.
He'd also learned that his bondmate, Black, was not only pregnant, but had been heinously assaulted by thugs from East Street. Thus far he'd been prevented from taking any reciprocal action against them, due to her watchful concerns for his welfare should he try. She was constantly checking on him, certain he was going to get himself killed seeking justice, or vengeance, whichever you chose to call it. There were times he felt they were one and the same. The effect they'd had on her in this way was one of the very reasons he burned to punish them.
On the plus side, he'd made some strides developing his Shielding ability. Nothing to earn an award or anything, but he'd improved his activation speed, while learning to divert his focus from automatically tasking it to repel water. The two had gone hand in hand for a long time, due to the way he'd been taught. Old habits died hard, but he was slowly managing to kill this one, thanks to aid from his half brother, Ricky.
He also had reason to believe he'd helped break up a smuggling ring. He wondered absently if that system had been used to smuggle food, and if it had been smuggled in or out. Both seemed possible. Food was always pretty scarce in Zeltiva. He could see this as being either caused by smuggling food out, or a cause for smuggling it in.
He shrugged, thinking it was unlikely he'd ever really find out if the suspect had been found guilty. He hadn't been called to testify at any rate. There was little reason for it though. He'd had no pertinent knowledge, prior to the pair of Wave Guard soldiers arriving to direct a search of the warehouse's client's storage zones. And their testimony would be more readily accepted than his. He'd been arrested practically the day he'd arrived, and he figured a legal stigma may yet hang over his head.
But his boss, the leather worker, Mr. Tronus Pelthes, had been cleared of the smuggling. And he himself had been cleared of being the Mage Silencer. Perhaps he had not been called because the council figured he deserved a break. He shrugged again, but his air of disinterest waned as he noted the tone of unrest change slightly down the street.
He saw what the cause of this change was, and his mood took a cautious downturn. it appeared he was about to receive that follow-up visit from the Wave Guard after all. His eyes narrowed instinctively as he saw the two soldiers, once again, divert their path to approach the steps to the broad double doors of the warehouse, locked though they were.
Jad peered through the window. They were not the same two men, but they wore the same garb; blue coloring with the emblems of waves on livery and shield, swords strapped down unthreateningly in rest mode. The one with two waves on his uniform caught Jad's eyes and made a motion for him to open the doors.
Jad slid the bar aside, resting it on one end inside the entry as he stepped out on the porch to confront them. "A good evening to you sirs. Do you have verifiable business with this company, or has martial law been declared? If you are seeking entry, it will need to be one or the other."
x
