Shadowguard

As soon as her mother closed the door, Everna began rummaging through the chests. Cobwebs and dust filled the first. A half-finished manuscript, and a half-eaten loaf of bread sat at the bottom of another. In the third, she found a set of lock picks and an odd-looking metal rod. Forged of silver and set with a ruby in the ends, it radiated magic so powerful it numbed her hands. Shoving it into the leather belt wrapped around her waist, she went through the last two chests. In one she found a set of robes, from which she took the mask and pulled it over her face. The final chest contained a poor healing potion, the shimmer of the amber liquid not as vibrant as the ones Leah brewed, and a Shadowguard badge.

Frowning, Everna took the badge into her hands, her fingers tracing the outline of the sword embossed over the shield. Was there a mole in Shadowguard? Or had Shroud taken out one of their agents and kept it as a keepsake? Regardless, Everna pulled aside the top of her armor and pinned it to the underside, as she'd seen Lisette do. It sat flush against the top of her breast, warm with the gentle touch of magic.

Peeking beneath the pillows, as her mother once claimed there were many things hid beneath them, she found nothing but an unenchanted dagger and a meager coin purse. She took the dagger. There was nowhere to put the coin purse, and she didn't need the racket it would make.

With nothing else to rifle through, she pulled the rod free once more and inspected it. The bottom ruby shifted beneath her finger. It wasn't loose, per se, but meant to move. Curious, she pressed her thumb against it. A bolt of white-hot fire shot from the other end, startling her. It struck the thin pillow on the nearest bunk. In a flash of white light, and with a burst of charred feathers, the pillow vanished.

Eying the pillow warily, she removed her thumb from the ruby and kept the opposite end of the rod pointed away from her. She knew what it was now; her mother had a similar rod, though more ornate and adorned with sapphires, perched on a rack above her vanity along with several others she had collected over the years. Disintegration. How convenient.

The magic emulating from the rod wasn't as strong as when she first picked it up. Unsure of how long it might take to replenish, Everna decided not to test it further. She may yet need what magic remained.

Deciding enough time had passed, Everna placed her thumb over her ring, which wasn't as easy with a dagger clutched in her hand, and started for the door. Just as she reached for the handle, the lock clicked. Cursing under her breath, she spun the ring on her finger and took several careful but hasty steps back as the door swung open.

Her heart sputtered to a halt as Landen stepped into the bunk room, fuming. Another agent strode in behind him, dark robes swirling as they passed. They paid the bodies, still lying in a careless heap on the floor, no mind.

As she inched towards the door, Landen flung a chest open. "Someone's been in here."

"I still cannot believe a lowly tavern wench outsmarted you," the other agent said, her voice tight with contempt. She spoke with an Anwellian accent, though far more refined than Vina's. "I should have left you in your cell and at Godwin's mercy for your incompetence. This is twice now you've failed to secure her."

"Because your agents in Windhollow did so much better.” Landen slammed the lid of the chest closed and moved onto the next. "How did your Enforcer get their head taken off by a lowly tavern wench, hm?"

"Even a blind troglodyte finds a gem every once in a while," the woman said. "'Twas but a fluke, and nothing more."

Everna took a step towards the door. Then another.

Landen scoffed. "Was it a fluke when she evaded the Courts? When she escaped Windmore? She's smarter than you idiots gave her credit for. I warned you about that."

"You call others foolish, yet you went into her cell, fully armed and with the keys. And where do I find you? Locked in that same cell with your legs bound in shackles."

"You—"

On the third step, her heel caught on a body, and she stumbled. Her hand shot out, reaching for something to steady herself. The blade of her dagger struck the stone. Landen and the agent whirled.

"Perhaps she's not so bright after all," the woman said, chuckling. "Hello, dear. We've been looking for you."

"Well, you found me," Everna said as she flung the rod out in front of her and pushed her thumb into the ruby once more. "How unfortunate."

Landen shoved the agent into the magical bolt and dove for cover behind a nearby bunk. The agent shrieked, the sound echoing off the stone walls before coming to an abrupt halt. With a burst of embers, and the stench of burnt flesh, the tattered remains of her empty robes fluttered to the floor.

"A fluke, my ass," Landen snorted. He peered at Everna from beneath the lowest bunk, his face half hidden by the wooden frame. "You're going to kill me too, aren’t you?"

"Perhaps, if you quit being such a coward and give me a clear shot at your head," she said, her voice laced with false delight.

He laughed. "You should've run by now, sweetheart."

The rod went cold in her hands, its magic depleted. She bit back a curse. Damn her curiosity; if she hadn't wasted the first shot on a pillow, she'd have one left.

"If it's so safe, why are you still hiding?"

"Because you missed something when you pilfered my belongings."

A flash of metal appeared beneath the bed. Then, a bolt of blinding white, the color very similar to the glow that encased her dagger, leapt out at her from beneath the bed. She ducked out of the way, her foot once again catching on the corpse, and stumbled. The bolt sailed past her face, a glancing blow, and struck the far wall.

Landen lunged.