Finally! This part proved to be so much more complex to write than expected... (Besides, it's longer than usual I think...) There'll be a little more lore/story than usual at some moments, as I needed it to get to the situation I wanted, but hopefully you'll still enjoy it. 
Chapter 4: The Shapeshifter and the New Horizons
Chapter 4: Part 1
**************
Most of the accesses to the main trails of the Yr Widdfa in the Vassal Kingdoms were guarded by an order of knights called the Order of Siblings of the House of Saint Merida of Emain Macha. Commonly called the 'Order of the Thorn' for short. In the Vassal Kingdoms, the Order of the Thorn was something akin to a State within a State. It was transcending boundaries, and owned lands in almost all of the Vassal Kingdoms, mostly along the Yr Widdfa.
The Order of the Thorn was known for its knights who were among the best fighters of the kingdoms, its strong distrust towards magic, and its immeasurable rapacity and greed. Its first grandmasters built commanderies on the roads leading to the main mines of the mountains, which allowed the Order to collect toll fees in exchange of the right of passage to access the mines. In a short time, the knight order built a colossal fortune, which they used to buy lands across all the Vassal Kingdoms, in order to get even more money through agriculture and trade.
And the cycle was continuing to this day...
**************
Carlott was a squire.
However, she didn't enter the Order of the Thorn by choice. It was more like her parents entrusted her to them when she was a child. In exchange, her folks received a small sum of money.
While the elite knights were recruited among the nobility, the Order needed a lot of manpower. Peasants to cultivate their fields. Miners to work in their mines. Servants to tend their commanderies and cook for their soldiers. Craftsmen and blacksmiths. Administrators. Foot soldiers to back up their knights.
Among more classic ways of recruiting people, the Order of the Thorn was also offering to take in and to raise children of poor families, giving the parents a chance to be rid of one mouth to feed while insuring that their offspring would still have a roof over their head. The children and teenagers taken in by the Order received an education, and would work for it once they grew up. Their exact job depended on the skills they displayed during their education.
The most promising ones were even given a chance to become squires.
Ultimately, during her entire life, Carlott never had a choice in the matter.
Still, her life could have been worst. The Order of the Thorn had taken her in. They were her family now. And, if she kept on working hard, she would one day be allowed to become a low-ranked knight, helping the Order extort always more money and lands. Sure, it wasn't a glorious dream, but it was one that would allow her to eat three times per day.
Carlott had short neck-long roughly cut straw-coloured hair and blue eyes. Her skin was white and her facial features were sharp and rough, a testimony of her peasant background. She was a tall young woman with broad shoulders and thick thighs, who therefore looked older than she truly was.
She was wearing the outfit that most squires were wearing when performing their everyday duties: a brownish red tabard with a big hood worn over a long-sleeved padded beige tunic (that was perfect to protect from the wooden weapons they used during training) and over beige padded trousers. She was walking in thick calf-long leather boots. A black leather belt was tied around her waist.
Today, Carlott was the one who had to clean the stables and take care of the horses that weren't used for the patrol. The squire whistled while she was putting hay into the horses' mangers. Among all the things squires had to do, taking care of the horses was her favorite. It reminded her of her parents' farm.
Eleanor will probably arrive any minute now, asking me to spar with her... Carlott sighed. Eleanor was her friend, but Carlott didn't share her enthusiasm for everything that was related to war.
Suddenly, she heard the whistling of a blade.
Carlott frowned. “Eleanor? Is that you?” she asked.
The squire turned to face the person who was making the noise.
Everything happened too fast for her.
Carlott barely had the time to notice the shiny metallic glimmer of two blades thrown in her direction.
The next second, the collar of her tabard was pinned to a nearby wooden beam by two throwing knives, restraining her movements.
Dumbfounded, Carlott stared at the woman with a tanned skin who had thrown the knives. She had brown eyes, dark brown hair tied into a thick high braid that was reaching up to her collarbone, an oval face with a sharp chin, and a tall soft nose
“Wh... What?” the squire stuttered.
The woman winked and put a finger on her lips. Then, she grabbed a blowpipe.
Carlott reflexively tried to move, but the fabric of her tabard was sturdy and she couldn't tear it easily. The knives were embedded deep enough to pin her to the beam. She was immobilized during the few seconds she would have needed to dodge.
The woman blew a small dart into a precise spot of Carlott's body, between the throat and the left shoulder.
The squire still had a hard time understanding what was going on. Her mouth was suddenly feeling dry and she couldn't help but blink.
“What?” she said a second time.
Her vision became blurry and her mind became foggy. Her eyelids were feeling so heavy all of the sudden... Carlott let out a long sight. Her head fell forward. Her eyelids closed, and her breathing became slow and regular.
Carlott fell into a deep sleep. Her body went limp, but remained pinned by the collar to the wooden beam.
**************
Azeneth removed her knives to release Carlott's unconscious body, holding her as she was about to fall. Very satisfied of herself, the metis was smiling.
“Will you one day stop trying to always outbid yourself? You're showing off again.” Jinora commented.
Azeneth took down the unconscious squire. Carlott was deeply asleep. “Showing off is the point.” the metis commented with a bright smile.
She dragged the young woman in a corner of the stable.
“Anyway. We should hurry up. I wouldn't want to be caught with my pants down by another knight.”
She unclipped the squire's belt.
**************
Eleanor was a squire.
For as long as she could remember, she had wanted to enter the Order of the Thorn. Her parents were wealthy nobles who had a lot of ties with the Order. Their younger daughter grew up hearing the tales of these elite fighters of the kingdoms. Besides, as the younger sibling, she wasn't going to inherit the familiy domain and title. Therefore, joining the Order was a perfect way to secure her future without having to resort to marriage.
While talent was a selection criteria when recruiting future knights, money and social status were just as important. The Order was in constant search of wealth and influence. Accepting sons and daughters of rich powerful noble families, in exchange of a fee of course, was granting It both.
Some of these rich new recruits didn't have any talent besides their money, and were therefore stuck working as clerks or high-ranked administrators. The ones that had potential, like Eleanor, were trained to become knights.
The young woman now only needed to work hard and, in a few years, she would become a full-fledged knight, defending the Order's prerogatives in all the kingdoms.
Eleanor had braided neck-long light chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She was a tall slim white-skinned young woman. Her facial features were soft and thin, a testimony of her noble background, but she had the strong callous hands of someone who practiced a lot with her sword and the well-toned legs of someone who rode a lot.
She was wearing the same squire outfit as Carlott, though on her belt she was also currently carrying her sword.
Eleanor entered the stables.
Carlott should be done now. She needed a sparring partner. She wanted to try the new technique that instructor Beatrix showed them.
The squire was about to call her friend, but the spectacle she witnessed prevented her from speaking.
Carlott wasn't alone. In fact, she wasn't even conscious anymore. She was lying in a corner of the stable, with half of her clothes lying in a small bundle nearby.
Next to her, there were two women, who were probably the ones who took Carlott out. They were removing her clothes. Two intruders! Two enemies!
Eleanor's blood boiled. Her friend was in danger. Sure, Carlott was a commoner, but she was first-and-foremost a fellow squire.
Eleanor drew her trusty sword. One of the women, who had a high braid cut, had spotted her, but the squire didn't care. She was going to fight her head-on, like a real woman!
“Tallyho!” the squire shouted.
She charged.
The woman with the high braid frowned.
Then, she nonchanlantly dodged the squire's assault. In the same swift motion, she grabbed Eleanor's arm, and twisted it in her back, forcing the young woman to drop her sword.
It was a little humiliating.
“Unhand me, you peasant!” Eleanor indignantly barked.
Another woman, with copper-coloured skin, clamped an odorous piece of cloth over Eleanor's mouth and nose, and pressed it against her face.
“Mpphhh?! Mpphhh! MMMMHHHH!” she indignantly shouted.
However, the indignant muffled shouts soon became indignant muffled groans, then indignant muffled mumbles.
And then silence, with only a soft peaceful breathing. Though Eleanor was still frowning in her sleep, therefore it was an indignant soft peaceful breathing.
**************
Azeneth dragged the unconscious Eleanor and laid her next to her friend.
“Tallyho? What kind of strange war cry is that?” Azeneth couldn't help but comment.
“Don't question it. It's a cultural thing.” Jinora answered.
“You're right.”
The metis looked at the two young women and grimaced.
“Actually, I'm feeling a little bad. I mean, there's no glory in defeating young inexperienced knights-in-training...”
“You can take solace in the fact that she was insulting you. She called you a peasant.” Jinora said.
“You know what? It actually kind of works.” The metis shrugged. “Though I won't blame her too much for that either. I'd insult people too if I was mugged.”
“We'll leave them on the haystacks.” Jinora proposed. “At least, they will be a little more comfortable and warmer than on the floor.”
“Good idea.”
The two intruders removed the squires' clothes one by one. Carlott was already half-stripped before the interruption. They only needed to remove her boots and trousers. Then, they unclipped Eleanor's belt, pulled her tabard over her head before doing the same with her tunic. Finally, they took off the boots and shimmied down the trousers. Carlott and Eleanor were wearing white long-johns and socks as undergarments.
Azeneth grabbed a few ropes in the stable. She and Jinora used them to restrain the two young women. While they made sure that the squires couldn't free themselves, they didn't use complicated bondage techniques. Hog-tying them would have been overkill, and mean. They merely bound the two squires' hands behind their back, their shoulders, their thighs, and their calves.
Thick brownish red scarves were hung on a few hooks. They were probably put on by riders to protect their lower faces from the cold. They also proved to be perfect gags. A first one was shoved into the mouth, and another was tied over the mouth to secure it.
Azeneth and Jinora dragged the two squires, and hid them in a corner of the stable, lying next to each other on some haystacks. They covered their bodies with hay to conceal them, though they didn't put it on their faces and noses to allow them to breathe fine without inhaling strands of hay.
Finally, the two friends took off the travelling merchants' clothes they were currently wearing, and disguised themselves with Carlott's and Eleanor's discarded squire clothes. While their victims were younger than them, the average inhabitant of Danann was taller than the average inhabitant of the southern realms. Therefore, the clothes were a decent fit.
They used the large hoods of the tabards to conceal their faces, hiding their dark skins, which were a clear giveaway that they weren't from the Vassal Kingdoms.
"I just hope that the others are also doing fine..." Jinora commented. She was a little nervous.
"Don't fret. Yuka could fool them with her eyes closed. and Yisüi's made a lot of progress during her trainings." Azeneth reassured her friend.
**************
In the main courtyard of the commandery, Yisüi was confidently leading the horses dragging the wooden cart carrying barrels. Given how shy and meek she could be when interacting with people, Yuka was still a little surprised to see how at ease the blonde was feeling with these creatures. The shapeshifter was walking nearby, and Coulter was sulking while seated on the cart.
Yuka certainly wasn't as comfortable as Yisüi when dealing with horses... In general, shapeshifters rarely got along very well with horses, dogs, and other domestic animals.
“Yisü', you're very good at it.” the shapeshifter couldn't help but comment, using Azeneth's nickname for the blonde.
Yisüi blushed a little. “I come from a people of riders.” she explained. “Even in sedentary coastal settlements such as my village, we have a strong affinity with horses.” The blonde stroked the side of one of the horses and smiled. “You know, being able to interact with horses again... It feels a little like home.”
Yuka didn't answer. She was feeling a little bad for the blonde. Yisüi wasn't showing it, but it was clear that she missed her home. While she had genuinely befriended Yuka, Azeneth and Jinora, and while of course her life with them was better than the life as a slave she used to live, the shapeshifter also knew that they were partly the reason why Yisüi couldn't go home. After all, while they rescued her from her execution, they also didn't give her much choice when it came to stay with them or leave, as they couldn't transport her to Gengis easily.
I'll have to think of something.
“Anyway.” she changed the subject. “We won't be able to thank these merchants enough for providing us with a cart and a set of clothes to enter this commandery...”
Indeed, Yuka and her friends were currently wearing clothes that weren't theirs. They were clad in thick but comfortable travelling clothes, the kind that was used by merchants for instance: brown hooded leather cloaks to protect themselves from the wind and the rain, grey woolen tunics with a brown leather belt tied around the waist, brown comfortable trousers, thick leather boots, and brown wide-brimmed hats to protect themselves from the rain.
The six real merchants, and true owners of the clothes, were currently taking a long (and unwanted) nap inside some of the barrels on the cart. Barrels in which Yuka and her friends took the time to saw off some holes to allow their inoccupant to breathe fine. Each woman was stripped down to her underclothes. They were all wearing the same kind of underwear: sturdy grey undertunics and matching knee-long underpants tied around the waist with a string. Once again, clothes suited for travels. While Yuka and her friends only needed five sets of clothes, they had to strip the sixth woman as well because they needed extra makeshift ropes and gags: they they fell short of Coulter's sticky ribbons after binding the fifth woman.
Indeed, the first five merchants, two auburn-haired women and three brunettes, were restrained with the ribbons crafted by the mage-woman. The devices were wrapped around the women's calves and thighs, and were pinning their arms to their sides. A light piece of cloth soaked with sleeping potion was clamped over their mouth and nose, and sticky ribbons were wrapped around the lower face to keep the small rag pressed against their mouth and nose, making sure they would keep on breathing the narcotic fumes. The sixth merchant was a blond-haired fair-skinned pudgy woman, who was bound and gagged with strips of her own clothes. A veil soaked with sleeping potion was tied over her mouth and nose.
Each of the six women was seated inside a barrel, with her knees pressed against her chest. The fit was rather tight, but outside of a few cramps – and a bruised ego – they wouldn't be harmed.
Yuka, Azeneth, Jinora, Yisüi, and Coulter ambushed the six merchants while they were on their way to the commandery. Between Yuka's shapeshifter touch and Azeneth's fighting capacities, the women didn't stand a chance. The road they were taking was devoid of brigands, and besides no band of thieves would be foolish enough to steal goods belonging to the Order of the Thorn. Therefore, the merchants didn't hire guards. They were armed with daggers and thick staves, the kind of blunt weapons that could bash a skull, but they weren't professional fighters.
Yuka's and her friends' guise proved to be the perfect excuse to enter the commandery, in which they would find the disguises needed to pass the blockade on the road leading to the mountains. The Order of the Thorn was watching the access to the Yr Widdfa the five companions needed to use, and while the knights weren't exactly fond of the Mages, they still had to obey their orders to look for Yuka, Coulter, and the others.
Azeneth and Jinora were already 'borrowing' the clothes of the squires in the stable. Yuka, Coulter, and Yisüi were supposed to deal with the knights guarding the main courtyard, and to relieve them of their clothes. They knew that, today, the commandery was mostly empty. A good chunk of the knights were patrolling outside and wouldn't be back until the evening.
It was the perfect occasion to strike.
**************
Beatrix was a tall, slender, and curvy woman with collarbone-long chestnut brown hair, a white skin, and brown eyes. She wore a silver eye patch over her right eye, as she was wounded during a past skirmish. Her arms were muscular and her legs were well-toned.
Beatrix was a veteran of several campaigns, even though she was only in her thirties. She joined the Order when she was still a kid, and rose through its ranks until she was knighted.
The veteran was now an instructor, in charge of two promising squires. One day, she would probably succeed to the master of her commandery.
Beatrix was clad in the clothes that knights of the Order of the Thorn were wearing when on-duty, but not in combat. Indeed, knights weren't wearing their plate armours outside of ranged battles. Performing day-to-day tasks while wearing heavy metal protections was impossible. Therefore, Beatrix was wearing brown calf-long boots, black trousers, a beige padded tunic, a light chainmail designed to offer good protection without being too heavy, and a light grey tabard with a hood. A black swan surrounded by four stylized scarlet red roses was adorning the front of the tabard. A black belt was tied around her waist, and her sword was strapped onto it.
Ulrike and Katherine entered her office. They were two fellow knights, albeit at a lower rank in the hierarchy of the commandery. They were, however, wearing the same clothes as Beatrix. The only difference was that there were only two sylized red roses on their tabards. “Captain. The merchants have arrived.”
Beatrix sighed. Dealing with the Order's paperwork certainly was the most boring part of her duties. Beatrix was an instructor first-and-foremost. She should be training her new recruits instead of handling boring administrative tasks. However, the instructor was also a high-ranked knight. As a consequence, she had to help administrate the commandery. And since many of the other knights were currently on patrol, she had to take their workload.
A part of her wished there was some action...
"I'm coming."
**************
Yuka raised her head when she heard a door.
The knight in charge of the watch of the courtyard exited from her office the main building to meet up with the 'merchants'.
“Greetings.” she said. “My name is Beatrix. My two women and I will supervise the unloading of your merchandises.”
She looked right and left. Coulter's or Yisüi's physical appearances didn't shock her. Charioteers and Gengis weren't an unnusual sight among merchants in the Vassal Kingdoms. However, she noticed Azeneth's and Jinora's absence.
“Where are your two other friends?” the leader of the trio of knights asked Yuka.
“They went to... uhm...” Yuka pretended to be a little embarassed. “... relieve themselves.”
Beatrix's face didn't betray any emotion. “I see.” She made a gesture of the hand. Her two knights deployed. “I'm going to have to ask you to follow me and sign some papers. Ulrike and Katherine will search your cargo.”
Yuka hid her reaction of fear.
Yusüi and Coulter were the two people whom she was afraid to leave on their own during an infiltration. Yisüi was still a novice infiltrator, and Coulter... Well, she was Coulter. Hard-headed and unpredictable.
The shapeshifter mentally shook her head.
No. We've trained Yisüi ever since we rescued her. She thinks that she's ready. And Azeneth also says that she's ready. I have to trust their judgement. As for Coulter... Well, the redhead wasn't stupid. She knew that the success of the mission was more important than to spite someone. Besides, Yuka had made some progress with her.
The shapeshifter was going to trust them.
"I'll follow you." she said with her most charming and polite smile.
**************
Yisüi hid her nervosity when she saw Yuka enter with Beatrix in the main building.
“I'll check a few of these barrels.” the first knight, Katherine, politely informed she and Coulter. The woman had a fair skin, short ponytailed blond hair, and grey eyes. She was rather bulky, with a square jaw, a bulbous nose and thick arms. She was smiling. For her, it was nothing but a routine check.
“Suit yourself.” Yisüi said. Just like Jinora and Yuka, she spoke Danann's language, as her parents used to trade here sometimes.
Coulter groaned something.
“By Saint Merida! I've never met a merchant as unpleasant as your friend...” the second knight, Ulrike, commented while inspecting the underside of the cart. She was thinner than her partner, with brown hair tied into a small ponytail and hazel green eyes. Her skin was white. She had sunken cheeks, sharp facial features, and a thin pointy nose.
Yisüi made an apologetic nervous smile. The woman was joking, but the blonde couldn't help but worry that she was going to expose them.
Stay calm. You're playing the part of an innocent merchant. They have no reason to be wary of you. She was going to prove to Yuka, Jinora and Azeneth that they were right to trust her!
While pretending to rummage through her belongings in her haversack, the blonde was pouring a generous dose of sleeping potion on a rag.
On the cart, Coulter was still sulking. She was hating every second of this infiltration with a passion.
Katherine opened one of the barrels.
She saw the deeply-asleep bound-and-gagged auburn-haired merchant woman only dressed in her underclothes who was stashed inside. Her smile faded. She tried to warn her partner:
“Ulri-”
Coulter made a gesture of the hand.
The blond knight's warning cry was cut short, and turned into a weak grunt of pain. Katherine bent double, breathless, as if she had received a punch in the stomach. She gasped.
That's true... Coulter is wearing the concealing catalyst that allows her to use minor spells without being noticed by the Mages... Yisüi remembered, while seeing the necklace around Coulter's neck.
Ulrike was still bent forward to make sure that no hidden cargo was hung under the cart. “You're saying something, Katherine?” the brown-haired knight asked, unaware of the predicament of her friend.
Yisüi knew that it was her cue.
She clamped the rag soaked with sleeping potion over the knight's face while the later was still bent forward, and was therefore at a disadventageous position.
Ulrike tried to rise up. However, Yisüi wrapped her other arm around her waist and arms, then pressed with all the weight of her body. Bent forward, the brown-haired knight was already unbalanced. She fell forward, with Yisüi lying on her back and using her entire bodymass to immobilize her. On her stomach, the knight tried to struggle. She let out cries for help, unfortunately muffled by the thick rag, and flailed her legs, the only part of her body that weren't pinned to the ground by Yisüi. However, the brunette could only uselessly kick the ground. Yisüi held tight. She was using her victim's kicks on the ground as points of reference.
The kicks weakened. Ulrike's legs were feeling heavier and heavier.
Then, the kicks stopped. Yisüi kept the rag pressed against the brown-haired knight's face a few more instants, until she was sure that the woman was truly deeply asleep.
She stood up.
On the cart, Katherine was also lying unconscious next to Coulter, though Yisüi couldn't tell if the redhead used the sleeping potion or another spell. And she certainly wasn't going to dare to ask her. Magic was a touchy subject to tackle with the redhead.
“Let's... Let's hide them in the cart quickly...” Yisüi said. “Yuka and Beatrix can come back any moment.”
Coulter groaned something.
**************
Beatrix showed Yuka a few sheets of paper, that the shapeshifter signed with a forged signature.
“You seem to be low on men today...” Yuka innocently remarked. Internally, she could only beg the gods that Yisüi and Coulter were doing fine.
“Most of our knights are patrolling outside.” Beatrix explained. “They are looking for a group of fugitives. The rest are watching the walls of the commandery. To take care of things in the courtyard, there are only the three of us.”
Perfect. I just hope that Yisüi didn't get into any trouble...
“Everything is in order.” Beatrix said once Yuka had finished signing the papers. “I think that Ulrike and Katherine are also probably done. We can regroup with them and your colleagues.”
Yuka hid her nervosity. “Of course.”
They exited the building. The shapeshifter felt relieved when she saw Yisüi and Coulter seated on the cart. Ulrike and Katherine were nowhere in sight.
This time, Yuka hid a sigh of relief.
Her friends had succeeded.
Beatrix wasn't sharing her happiness though. She frowned when she noticed that her two knights had seemingly vanished.
“Where are Ulrike and Katherine?” she asked.
The only answer she received was a swift hit of the edge of the hand on the neck, courtesy of Yuka. Since the latter's hand was imbued with the shapeshifter's power, Beatrix was knocked out instantly. The shapeshifter caught her mid-fall, and dragged her. She put her on the cart, with Ulrike and Katherine who were concealed between the barrels.
Yisüi led the horses of the cart in front of the stables and tied their lead to a post, therefore parking the cart out of the way. And out of sight.
She and Yuka methodically stripped the three knights. Coulter was sulking in her corner. While she had no choice but help them knock out one knight, something that was already making her feel sour, she refused to help them strip someone.
Under their outer clothes, Beatrix, Ulrike, and Katherine were wearing similar beige undertunics and matching underpants.
Yuka and Yisüi bound the three knights with ropes that were on the cart. They didn't bother with complex knots: they only tied the wrists and the ankles. The tightness of the barrels was going to restrain their movements fine. They gagged them with rags.
During the process, Yuka appreciated Yisüi's progress. The blonde's training during their travels on boat truly paid off...
Finally, they loaded each half-naked woman into an empty barrel in which they had previously sawed off a few small holes to allow air to enter. Most of the knights of the commandery were on patrol, and the ones that were the most likely to come near the stables were actually stashed inside the barrels. Therefore, Beatrix and her women, as well as the real merchants, wouldn't be found before a few hours. By that point, Yuka and her friends would already be far in the mountains.
Yuka smiled when she saw Jinora and Azeneth exit the stables, wearing squires' outfits.
“Things went well?”
Azeneth winked. “Without a hitch.”
Coulter muttered something under her breath.
“Use your magic to change your face's appearance instead of complaining, then get dressed.” Yuka intervened. "We don't have all day." She and Yisüi also started to disguise themselves.
**************
They took a few horses. They would use them to ride on the main mountain road until they would be near the secret path indicated by the tome they stole in Ce-Tochtli's palace. Then, they would release the horses to allow them to return to their masters.
“Now remember, we are a group of knights sent by another commandery, and we're here to take our two squires to a trip to the mountains in order to train them.” Yuka said to her friends as they were approaching the guards watching the access of the road leading to the mountains. “Let me do the talking.”
**************
And the talking was enough to fool the guards, along with the clothes of course.
Their trip in the mountains proved to be uneventful. Maybe the Order of the Thorn tried to search for them. Or maybe they just decided to consider that the latest event was nothing but a bad dream, and swept it under the rug. After all, nobody was truly hurt. (Except in their self-esteem.)
Yuka and her friends kepts their disguises as long as they were on the main road, then hid them behind some rocks to put on warm mountain clothes that were more suited for their trek when they left it.
Thanks to the translation of Ce-Tochtli's book made by Rashid's scholars, they were able to find lost mountain trails allowing them to roam the Yr Widdfa while avoiding the main paths. Each woman was carrying a bag of supplies, and they were all wearing warm clothes.
Yuka proved to be good at mountain survival. She knew about the dangers of the fissures and the strong wind. She knew how to climb. She knew how to make a fire that wouldn't be spotted from a distance.
After a week of mountain climbing, they were now nearing their destination – at least according to the tome's informations.
Huddled together around a fire, the five companions were discussing their next course of action.
Jinora was boiling water. She gave everyone a cup of infusion. They all eagerly accepted, and used the beverage to warm themselves up.
Azeneth was seated near Jinora. With a smile, she briefly squeezed her friend's shoulder. Jinora smiled lightly.
Yuka and Yisüi were sitting in front of them. Coulter was remaining aloof in a corner of the fire.
“Well, you can certainly say that our adventures are making us see more of the world...” Azeneth finally intervened. “Pakal's different provinces. Ghazan. Danann. We discover new places, new customs, new people...”
“... new outfits.” Yuka added as a joke.
Azeneth, Yisüi, and Jinora chuckled.
"What can I say if the women are always eager to help us by lending their clothes..." Azeneth said.
Her three friends laughed.
Coulter scoffed and rolled her eyes in annoyance, but they ignored her.
Jinora took a sip of her infusion, then said: “You know, I never would have thought I'd climb a mountain one day. When I was young, I thought I'd live my entire life in the city of Millhaco.” She looked around her. “The stars are beautiful and the air feels so pure here... When we're sitting together, I almost forget that we're on a mission. I just enjoy being with you.”
Jinora was usually quiet and reserved. She was rarely sharing her emotions so openly. Yuka and Azeneth appreciated her comment at its fair value. Yisüi smiled. Coulter drank her infusion in silence.
"The pleasure is shared." Yuka said. "After all, Az' and I wouldn't go very far without someone more down-to-earth and reasonable to keep us in check." She added, as a joke: "Especially Az'. I mean, she's good with her knives and her fists, but she needs someone to point her the right direction where she has to throw them."
The metis smiled and shrugged. "Some people think, other people act."
Jinora intervened. "Maybe we shouldn't become complacent so soon. We haven't found the artifacts yet."
Azeneth rolled her eyes. "Mood ruiner..." she teased her friend.
“Though she's not entirely wrong." Yuka said "I've spotted a spring nearby. Tomorrow, we'll fill up our gourds before we go.”
“You know so many things about mountain survival, Yuka.” Yisüi commented. “It's impressive, and-” She stopped talking when she noticed Yuka's expression had changed.
There was a moment of silence.
“Even with the maps we found, Tsuki and I had to spend several months in the Yr Widdfa before we found the Black Star.” Yuka finally confessed. “That's how I learned.”
Another moment of silence.
“I think we're getting close to our goal.” Coulter suddenly intervened.
Her interventions were so rare during group meetings that it took everyone by surprise. A part of Yuka briefly wondered if she had done it on purpose to change the subject, and prevent the shapeshifter from having to talk about her past again, bailing her out from an awkward situation.
“There's something emitting a magical aura nearby.” the red-haired mage-woman added. “I think I will be able to locate it now that we're close enough.”
“Now, that's good news!” Azeneth exclaimed. “It's only a matter of days before we reach our goal, at most!”
She happily shook Jinora's shoulder who, while she was more reserved, was also smiling.
Yuka noticed that Yisüi was still looking embarassed.
“You know, Yisü'... We've never been so close to Gengis. Wouldn't you want to go home? Maybe we could find a way after we've found the artifacts...”
Yisüi raised her head. “Truly?”
Yuka smiled. At least, she had managed to lift her friend's spirit... “If you want to. I'm sure we can find a boat.”
The blonde hesitated. “I won't deny that I miss home... But when I return, I'd like to go there with you.” She blushed a little, then added: “You're my friends. You've taught me many things. How to defend myself. How to read. You've helped me assert myself. I want to show you my home.”
Azeneth chuckled. Yuka punched her lightly and playfully in the shoulder. Jinora simply smiled.
Coulter remained impassible.
**************
Tsuki was bored.
So bored...
This expedition was so monotonous. Only riding from city to city, from village to village. All day. Plus, she didn't like horses.
To occupy her mind, she remembered the time she had with the sailor...
The tall sailor had looked tough, but she was mewling rather pitifully in her gag, with a pleading expression. She was stuff-gagged with a thick rag, and the shapeshifter added a cleave-gag and a cloth-gag over the mouth just for fun. Tsuki had used so many ropes to bind the ashen-blond sailor that it looked like she was cocooned in brown ropes from the collarbone to the toes. At first, after knocking her out with her touch, the shapeshifter merely bound her victim's ankles and wrists. Then she found it funnier to wrap ropes around her feet, calves, thighs, and upper-arms. Then, she found other coils of rope and cose to add them as well. And, one thing leading to another... At least, the ropes were protecting the sailor's modesty: As underwear, she was wearing a light grey chemise so thin that Tsuki had been able to see her nipples, and tight faded blue underdrawers that left little to the imaginations.
Some other sailors, and Safiye, were probably suspecting what was going on in this part of the hold, but none dared interrupt the unhinged shapeshifter.
Tsuki blindfolded the woman, trying to see if she could still find some enjoyment, but binding this specific woman wasn't funny anymore.
The shapeshifter lost interest in the slightly wriggling cocooned woman, who was letting out muffled cries.
Tsuki was a little disappointed. She thought that she'd enjoy herself longer. Indeed, the woman had an exotic appearance: ashen blond hair, green eyes, and a light skin. She had been hired by the Mages from beyond the ocean. However, now that she had aquired her appearance, the shapeshifter had lost all interest in the sailor.
No matter how many women she mugged, she always craved for more. She was never satisfied. Never satiated.
Even taking the sailor's clothes in order to wear them, to do things Yuka's way, merely brought her a brief moment pleasure. One that was quicly gone away.
Only finding the Black Star would quell her thirst.
However, until that Frabjous day, there would always be another woman...
The shapeshifter had set her sights on someone else.
The soldier was a tall muscular almost manish-looking woman, with a rough copper-coloured skin, braided coarse black hair, dark eyes, and two nose rings.
Tsuki wanted to take her appearance. Ever since she had her fun with the sailor woman, she hadn't been able to steal someone's appearance, as the Mages wouldn't have approved her antics. However, they were now in the Vassal Kingdoms, far away from their gaze...
Safiye was warily looking at her partner, but the shapeshifter didn't care. Safiye wasn't going to say anything. Probably. And even if she did, it would only make things more interesting. Tsuki craved for constant changing and constant amusement, not for staying in her comfort zone. Though Safiye wouldn't probably say anything. After all, if a soldier disappeared during a halt, who would care? The success of the mission was more important. Everyone would simply believe that she was a deserter.
The Mages sent Safiye and Tsuki to the Vassal Kingdoms for a special mission. To try to find Yuka and her new friends.
They were escorted by a small contingent of elite soldiers of the Empire, led by a captain who was as boring as he was competent.
As part of their little squad, there was also an initiate called Itzel, a former novice recently promoted, who was communicating their progress to the Mages with her powers. She was a tanned young woman who had brown eyes and ebony black hair tied up into a high braid. Itzel had a score to settle with Azeneth, one of Yuka's companions, who ambushed and humiliated her while she still was a novice.
To guide them, a knight called Astrid offered her services in the port city of Dun Merida.She had mid-back-long blond hair styled in a braid down her back, with fringes that covered her forehead. Her eyes were light blue and her skin was light. She was of average size, with a fit body and a round face. She was wearing a metallic chaimail over a white tunic. Over the chainmail, she was wearing a red and golden tabard adorned with a black tower in the middle. She was also wearing gloves reinforced with metal, a thick brown large leather belt around her waist to carry the sheaths of her weapons, metallic leg-protections over a black hose, shoes reinforced with metal, and some kind of armored skirt. She had a metal-studded kransen that went across her forehead. She was armed with an impressive-looking double-edged battle axe and a dagger, and was carrying her metallic helmet in a bag slumped over her shoulder. Yuka actually mugged Astrid shortly after she disembarked, forcing the knight-errant to spend a good chunk of her family's money to buy a new gear. She wanted to help them catch the 'dangerous criminals'.
Tsuki was finding her ingenuousness hilarious.
Currently, their little group was on their way to the Yr Widdfa. Mages had informants everywhere in the Vassal Kingdoms, who were communicating with them in real time through magic means. And one of them heard the rumour that an entire commadery of the Order of the Thorn had been mugged...
**************
With Coulter's powers, they managed to locate the entry of the ruins they were looking for.
"So... This is what the architecture from before the death of the gods looks like?" Azeneth commented. "It's a little... dull."
The passageways and caverns weren't natural. Their walls were smooth, as if someone had patiently polished them, and black.
Coulter used her magic to light up their path. The other four women were walking behind her.
The five women carefully walked across the underground corridors and caverns, wary for hidden traps. There were none though. In fact, they were empty.
"I'm starting to fear that we've done this journey for nothing..." Yuka commented. "I hope not!"
However, she would soon regret those words...
They arrived in a circular cavern.
Yisüi let out a small exclamation of surprise.
"Look!"
Contrary to the other parts of the ruins, this room wasn't empty.
In the middle of the room, a jade green slightly glowing sphere was on a pedestal. Around it, there were big mirrors made of silver and glass. In the back of the room, on mrarble tables, there were stones vaguely looking like catalysts.
Yuka exchanged a perplexed look with her friends.
"What's this?"
The mirrors were indeed strange. They were showing images of them, but they weren't showing reflections. The images of them were looking different than them, with other clothes. Sometimes, with other people.
There was a strange atmosphere in this room.
"I have a bad feeling about this place..." Yisüi commented, not trying to hide her fear.
Jinora was nervously rubbing her hands. "Me too."
Azeneth nodded and stayed close to them.
Coulter warily approached the images shown in the mirrors.
“Why aren't they showing our reflections? What are they for?”
“Don't ask me! You're the magic expert!” Yuka exclaimed.
The red-haired mage-woman observed the devices.
“I guess they are showing... potentialities.” Coulter finally said. “They show what our lives would look like today, if we had chosen different paths in the past...”
Out of curiosity, Yuka tried to look at one of the mirrors showing an image of her. There was an image of Tsuki and Hinata standing with her, Azeneth, Jinora, Rashid and Yisüi – and Coulter in a corner. Tsuki and Hinata part of their team fighting against the Mages. Looking happy and, in Tsuki's case, sane. This scene was what could have happened had Yuka managed to save Hinata from the burning house. A potentiality where she therefore never tried to foolishly harness the power of the Black Star while bringing Tsuki with her...
Yuka looked away. She couldn't bare witnessing that potentiality.
Azeneth was looking at another mirror, one showing her father. She was unusually glum. Jinora and Yisüi were comforting her.
Yuka looked at the sphere on the pedestal in the middle of the room.
“Coulter. Do you think we can touch the sphere?” the shapeshifter asked.
She was still carrying an inhibitor given to her by Rashid. She was wondering if it would work on an artifact...
No answer.
“Coulter?”
The red-haired mage-woman was looking at a mirror. In it, there was another version of her. A Coulter who was dressed with Pakal clothes. Her red hair were braided. She looked like a merchant or the assistant of a merchant. Next to her, there was an older woman with coarse black hair. Also a merchant, and some kind of mentor for the redehead.
Guess this is a potentiality where Coulter chose to stay with Eztli. Yuka thought.
The shapeshifter was however surprised by the expression she saw on Coulter's face. The red-haired mage-woman was looking at her double in the mirror with envy. A deep envy that she could barely conceal.
“Coulter...?”
The redhead was broken out of her trance.
“Don't you dare look at that mirror!” she angrily shouted.
Coulter quickly approached the shapeshifter and pushed her away.
“Hey! No need to get physical!” Yuka retorted.
“I said don't look!”
“Uh... Girls...” Jinora suddenly intervened. “I think we have a huge problem...”
The sphere on its pedestal had started glowing, as if it was reacting to Coulter's anger and powers.
Frightened, Yisüi took a step back. Azeneth moved to protect she and Jinora.
Yuka turned to the mage-woman.
“Coulter! Stop it!”
But Coulter was taken by surprise. She couldn't unleash her power in time.
The light spread.
“I... I can't!”
The light engulfed them all.
I must admit I felt a little bit sorry for Carlott after hearing a bit of her background and then I got a little bit fearful when she got pinned to the wall, I thought "wow, life really hasn't given her break has it", but thankfully I was delighted to know that it was Azeneth who had only knocked her out, phew maybe Carlott can catch a break after all.