The Enchantress

Chapter Six

“We need to get some sleep as we just arrived, and it would be best for you to just go about your normal routine. We’ll hide in another part of the house that Flit can show us where we won’t be discovered.” The swordsman replied, keeping an eye on the door. Daniella nodded in agreement, though to her surprise, one of the party members was a tinker gnome. Daniella hoped that nothing would explode or be set on fire, given the reputation tinker gnomes had for experimenting with their gadgets. Daniella finished bathing after the men left and quietly closed the door. “I’m Kalia, by the way. May I get your name?” Kalia asked as she introduced herself, hoping to make the situation less awkward. “Daniella, and may I ask what your party is doing here?” Daniella inquired curiously, wondering why Flit had led them here. “To rescue you and to see if anyone from Mordia is funding the bandits that are harassing Beriloa,” Flit replied, settling down for the night. “Well, there is a ball being held in a month, you might be able to get information during that by either breaking into houses or eavesdropping on conversations the nobles are having at the ball, and with that, I am going to bed goodnight,” Daniella informed them, giving them a warm smile.

Before the sun rose, everyone in the attic woke up and got ready for the day. Flit went to where the rest of the party had settled and gave them the information Daniella had provided, so they could work on a plan to efficiently gather the necessary information. Due to the attitude of the townsfolk towards foreigners, Constantine would stay at the house to ensure Daniella’s safety, given how it would be easier for him to hide, given how there were plenty of large pieces of furniture for him to hide behind, which was a good thing given his height and build. He also started to pack the supplies Daniella had gathered. What she could reasonably carry had been put into her bags; he put the rest into his and the other party members' bags, since she had overestimated how much she could carry. Flit spied on Daniella’s stepfamily and helped Constantine find places where he could remain hidden, yet be able to rush in and defend Daniella. Zorina carefully moved from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a sharp eye out to ensure no one saw her and staying behind the decorations as much as possible. Zorina also found opportunities to steal documents, though she forged the handwriting to avoid the owner suspecting they had been taken. She always made sure there was no trace of her presence. As she exited the room, she knew that any mistake would jeopardize the mission. She continued scouting as much as possible before she had to return to the attic. After she arrived, she sat down and waited for the others, hoping that they had good fortune in their endeavors as well.

Kalia had brought a machine that quietly washed and dried clothes, hidden in a corner to keep their presence from being revealed by the extra-dirty garments lying around. They collected the information they had gathered and gave it to Flit, who had a bag that could hold anything of any size, to be the carrier between them and Leta, as well as the representative Markus had sent to receive the information. Given her small size and knowledge of the best ways to avoid detection, Flit was the obvious choice, though everyone remained concerned about her safety. It took a week for Flit to return, given the increased patrols on the roads due to the upcoming ball. Even though winter was fast approaching, the group decided to leave as soon as possible, as staying any longer would be too risky. They made plans to leave the next night, as Daniella’s stepfamily had arranged to attend a dinner party, providing the group with a window of opportunity to sneak out of the house without being seen by the stepmother or stepsisters. Daniella managed to fool her stepfamily on the last day she would serve them fully, and when they left, her traveling party stayed in the alleys, crouching when a guard passed by and generally staying in the shadows. They quickly left the town behind, making it to a small cave that had an entrance that made Aldo and Kalia duck their heads.

The one who had the most trouble getting through it was Constitine, who wiped the mud and dirt from his face before he wedged a rock in the entrance as a precaution. “I never would have suspected that you would be able to get into such tight spaces, given your build.” Zorina was impressed that he had managed to get into the cave fully. “I’ve had to get into tight spaces before; granted, this was the tightest opening yet,” Constatine replied, preparing his bedroll, trying not to think about how Daniella would feel in his arms. He had no idea why he could not get her out of his head. He had bedded women who were more endowed, but he never stayed with them long, as they left him for the first wealthy noble he introduced them to. After the second time that happened, he swore off courting until he met Daniella. Something about her made him want to wrap his arms around her and protect her. A noise outside the cave made Constantine decide that the best way to keep Daniella safe was to pull her close to him and use his body as a shield to protect her from harm. The rest of the party hid themselves in any nook they could find. Daniella blushed when Constantine pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. “If anyone asks, just say your family gave you to me as a bride for payment of a debt, and we’re going to my place in the nearby village.” Constantine quietly told her as he pulled a throwing dagger from one of his boots, just in case.

“We don’t have a marriage certificate, and if it’s a priest, he’ll threaten to throw us both in prison unless we agree to be married on the spot and pay a fine,” Daniella explained, figuring that none of her traveling companions knew the laws. Though even if she were forced to marry Constantine, it would probably be a lighter workload than what her stepfamily put on her. “Let’s just hope we don’t come across a priest then, not sure you realize that marriage is more than doing domestic chores,” Constantine remarked, taking note of Daniella’s clueless look while the others were trying not to laugh. Flit carefully went to Daniella’s ear and whispered an explanation, which caused her to blush bright red. Someone tapping on the rock made the room tense, though after a few tries, whoever tried to move the rock gave up. “Captain, the rock won’t budge. What do we do?” A man asked, causing Daniella to move closer to Constantine. “We wait; whoever is in that cave has to come out at some point for water.” A cold female voice responded, though Daniella pulled out a waterskin that she had enchanted to never run out of water. “I have a gadget that’ll help us relieve ourselves without embarrassing anyone,” Kalia replied, carefully pulling out a box that had collapsible panels on it. “Do you have a bag of holding?” Daniella asked Kalia, thinking to herself that the tinker gnome could probably use one. “Nope, though if you can make one for Aldo and me, I’ll build you any gadgets you want,” Kaila whispered back, thinking to herself that she had just struck gold as bags of holdings were hard to get, even with the connections Azan and Markus possessed. “Deal,” Daniella whispered back, making both Kaila and Aldo smile.