Night and Day

Plan of Attack

“There is a lot of smoke like something was on fire. The room, yes I’m sure I’m in an enclosed space, is filled with the smell of singed wood and burnt carpet. The heat of the place is mixed with a humidity that leaves my hair sweaty and stuck to my forehead and the back of my neck.  The sunlight beat down on me through an opening above. Painstakingly beautiful winged creatures with red lips, are poking at a cage. Clawing, biting and hanging on to…”  I bring up the vision again, willing my mind to show me more. Who is being held captive? What is on fire? Is this a threat to me, us or something else altogether? I am brought out of my thoughts by Malacity’s voice.  “Who’s being taken?”  Signaling for Nocturnus who has taken a break from drumming to hold one of his babies by the fire, Aldfalric answers before I can. “She’s seen enemies attacking Harbour.” Wild blue eyes turn towards me. “You see visions like my woman does? I didn’t know that.” Nocturnus watches me with more interest now. The visions have never been my own.  I didn’t start having them till I found and nursed a hurt Augury back to health. “Yes, Nsia is full of secrets. I wonder when we will start learning them all?”  I look at Malacity. There is no malice in her words but they put me on edge anyway. 

Always calm and collected, Aldfalric turns the conversation to a plan of action.  “Can you tell us anything more? What are we going up against? How long do we have to prepare maybe? Or where will the fight be?” I strain to bring back up the images from the vision. The air smelled salty, but clean. But where did the fire come from?  “I think I was on a boat. And there was fire or it had been on fire before or maybe going to be on fire.  Either way, a charred or on fire boat would be easy to spot from the docks, which is where I assume the fight will happen.  As to when, I cannot say exactly, sometime after noon because the sun is shining on the top of the ship.”  The men share a confused look and I realize that I am rambling.  “Sorry. Sometimes it helps me figure stuff out if I say what I see out loud. Anyway we should head to the Town Center and find Luna and Garrett.”  Aldfalric nods.  “Great, nothing better than a fight to make a celebration great.” I can’t tell if Nocturnus is kidding or not. 

I stop on the steps of the Town Center, not looking forward to explaining my vision or the fact that I have them.  My mind can’t help wondering why or how Luna and Garrett would be working when such a celebration is going on, but then I guess politics don’t stop for parties. Inside the Baron turned King’s office, Garrett is kneeling beside Luna, who seems to have passed out. “Lu, having a vision of her own it seems.” Not the least bit phased by the state his woman is in, Nocturnus sits on the floor and puts her head in his lap.  “These visions seem like more of a burden than a gift.”  I laugh at Malacity’s comment.  My mom always saw my “gift” as a tool that could be used to win wars and keep her people safe. The rest of the tribe saw me as anyen, a witch, and thought I was dangerous to them. “Most times they are both.”  Before anyone could reply Luna opens her eyes and mumbles something I couldn’t hear from where I was standing in the room.  “Repeat that. Did you say succubi?” The alarm on Garrett’s face shows he is hoping that he heard her wrong.  Sitting up Luna notices that it’s not just her and Garrett anymore. “Why aren’t you guys enjoying the festivities?” I look from Aldfalric to Nocturnus. “You should tell us what you saw first.”  Business as always Aldfalric grabs two chairs and offers a hand to help Luna off the floor.  After getting Luna settled into a chair, Luna tells us about her vision.  “It is almost the same vision I had.” Wide brown eyes stare back at me. “You have visions too? I didn’t know that.  What do you think this means? Wait, “almost” the same? What was different?” I look at her thoughtfully.  “Same winged things. The place is not the same. I was surrounded by smoke. As to what this all means, I have no idea and without more information…” I leave the thought hanging.  What would I do if I had more information on the situation? Research the information? Scout out the docks? “We should have Nsia and Luna scout the docks in the morning.  Maybe they will find something more we can use.” The others nod at Aldfalric’s suggestion. I watch him suspiciously. “Are you a mind reader?” He chuckles. “No, I am a strategist.  We can’t know what we are up against without more information. So checking out the docks is our best bet. You and Luna are great at scouting so...” I nod. Luna, the village’s Regent and my mentor, and I share many qualities. Between the visions, the scouting abilities and the wanting to fix everything we have a tendency to have the same ideas, push for the same goals.  With her being way more battle ready than I am, it makes sense that we would get paired together.  Not that I haven’t fought battles before. I have had more than my fair share; they just don’t usually involve a sword.  My mind has always been my weapon of choice. How I am going to rest my mind enough to sleep until tomorrow is beyond me?  Looking around the room, I see everyone seems to be having the same thought I am.

 Luna and I gear up after a rather paltry sleep and head to the docks. Looking at the docks now, I put my seasoned weapon to work on sorting out what is before me, which is little to say the least.  The usually busy docks are quiet and abandoned, which is odd even at such an early hour.  There are no workers moving cargo, no ships in the bay. No movement, no sound. Even the ocean waves look calm and untouched. It is unsettling. “Something smells off here.”  It takes me a few seconds to register what Luna said. The smell is different.  No, not different… “There is no smell at all. Usually the docks are inundated with scents. “How could one scrub this place so clean of everything?” Luna’s eyes widened.  “Magic.” Crap.  Someone is already here and preparing things to their favor.  “Step 1, Look for other traps that we can disarm or mark so that others don’t get caught in them. Step 2, See if we can get one of the casters out here to counter whatever magic has been done.  Step 3,…”  Looking at Luna who’s already formulating a plan to keep her town and family safe, I shake my head. I know what step three is. Battle!  

Taking a look around the docks and the areas surrounding it I found several more traps.  Worry furrows my brow.  How long would it take me to set up traps like these?  “Augury, I need your help with something. Please make your way back to me.”  The mental link that I have with her makes it easy to commute when she decides to go on a fly-about.  Looking back at the oil trap in front of me, I decide to leave it for now. I grab a handful of red carnations that have grown wild here and mark the four corners of the trap then I head off to do the same to the other traps that I found.  Looking around some more, bend down to touch a small bead of blood on the ground. Tasting the blood I get a feeling of familiarity. I know the owner of this blood.  I scoop the rest of the blood into a vial and go back up the beach. Meeting Luna back at the docks, I notice that she is holding carnations as well.  “Great minds it would seem.” I hold out my own carnations.  She laughs.  It doesn’t reach her eyes.  Her worry is still prominent behind the smile as it should be.  We have little to no idea what we are up against and finding out that our attackers are already here make that lack of information dangerous.  “Hey Luna, how many new people have come through town recently? Time passes as she thinks about my question.  “We would have to look at the books in the Town Center.  But I can’t imagine that any of the people that we have taken in are capable of this.”  There’s the optimism that Luna is known for. We have guest books for traveling merchants, cargo ships and anyone that makes their way to the village proper. Do we keep tabs on the ships and people in them that just stay around the docks? Who would be the one to talk to about dock security? Luna is staring at me. I can feel the weight of her eyes and her curiosity. “You have thought of something.” Iis my face really that easy to read?’ The laugh is light and unapologetic. “Yes, which is good because people would not be able to figure you out otherwise. Now spill.” I tell her my musings. “We could talk to Rath and Rose. They know more about the docks than anyone else. But I really don’t think it would be anyone that docks regularly.”  I find myself hoping that her optimism is right. “Yeah, we should head back anyway to let the guys know what we have found.”

We are met on the steps of the Town Center by Dax and Augury, who has decided that Dax’s shoulder looks like a safe resting place. Either he really likes birds or she has no fear of him. “Bout time you got here. Your bird is about 5 seconds away from being dinner.”  Augury squawks and resettles herself on his shoulder.  I cover a chuckle as I make my way into Garrett’s office.  “We found traps and some kind of magic. I think the battle is happening today and we need to prepare. Also we need to talk to Rath about who has come into the docks in the past week.” Luna rushes into the office and starts grabbing books off the shelf behind Garrett’s desk.  Augury settles herself on my shoulder.  I opened my mind up to her fully. “Show me, who is setting the traps, Augury?”  I am gently led to the water under the docks. The reflection in the water shows the profile of La Zorra.  She’s talking to someone that has decided to stay in the shadows. I hear nothing although I see her lips moving. They seem to be saying the same thing over and over again. The reflection turns its head towards the water and I can finally see her lips well enough to read them.  “Death will come to you!”  Her words are met with laughter.  The voice is soft, feminine, but deep.  “Death will come to us all someday. Today it is here for you.” Out of the shadow comes a slice of silver. La Zorra falls into the water and is washed away by the waves.”  

The office is loud. Okay not the office itself but someone inside. “Seriously there were already traps placed down!” That thundering voice seems much louder with my head in Nocturnus’ lap.  Garret, Deraxal, Nomad, Luna, Aldfalric, Malacity and Dax are all looking at me expectantly.  I still have no clue what we are up against. And if we are fighting succubi then we need La Zorra and any other female fighters here and alive. “I still don’t know what we are up against fully, but I know we are dealing with someone that uses some form of magic and that La Zorra may already be dead.”