Chapter 12: Caden

　　Over the past week, Caden had accomplished many of his goals. He trained more in Pyromancy by sparring with Elite Kieran. She taught him how to blast flames out in front of him. However, he had to be careful because using too much Heat blasts him backward.

　　Mia had taught him a few words and phrases in Belasy, but the grammar was impossible - it was like speaking backward. It would take him forever to learn enough to read that book - perhaps he`ll just ask her to do it for him. But, judging from what Jasmine said - the book was forbidden.

　　And now, Caden sat next to Luna in Goran`s Tavern; they had just come in from trying to kill each other in the alleyway. She had attacked him for some unknown reason, but it was a respectable battle. Fun even. He was promised power beyond his imagination and just got a taste of it. He easily would have won if he had that kind of power for the duel with Vance.

　　What a strange girl, Caden thought. It was like she knew what I would do before I did it. She had her hands on her cheeks and

　　elbows on the table to hold her head. She was hunched over, and her mask was lopsided.

　　Was she. . . asleep? No. She was awake, always. He could tell - something about her - she was always on edge, as if she could be attacked at any moment. That was . . . admirable, even for a malevolent vagrant.

　　The meeting was supposed to begin soon. However, nobody else was there. He pulled out a pocket watch to check the time, then pulled out the address paper and compared the two. They matched.

　　"When is the meeting supposed to start?" Caden broke the silence.

　　"Soon."

　　Luna was no help. He wondered for a moment if coming here was the right choice. . . would he really be able to defeat Vance by helping Elena? Although she was Isabel`s friend. . . perhaps she knew more about his sister and what she did with her life.

　　And Luna did promise she would be there for the day of the duel. . .

　　The door shook briefly, then burst open to reveal a single man. He held a spear out in front of him. Perplexed, Caden almost jumped to his feet to fight him, but Luna`s stillness showed he wasn`t a threat. If she wasn`t vigilant, Caden didn`t have to worry.

　　This newcomer waltzed into the tavern, closed the door, inspected it, reopened it, and finally closed it again. What was he doing? He went over to a nearby table, placed his spear on the wood, and began to pace the room. His eyes flicked back and forth between all the windows and doors before landing on Caden and Luna. He stopped in front of their table.

　　He was tall, with long white hair that was tied back. He had a thick beard, and a bright red sickle-like scar ran across his lip; his entire face wrinkled in vexation. His eyes were fierce and calculative. He looked aggressive. In fact, he looked like Vance, and Caden hated him for it.

　　"Vigilante," the man said, stuttering over his words, "is your boss here?"

　　He`s afraid of her. Caden snickered under his breath.

　　Luna tilted her head, then poked her mask to stick it back in place. "She`s in the back, just sit."

　　He nodded, then looked at Caden and narrowed his eyes.

　　The newcomer pointed at him, "Who`s the kid?"

　　"Informant," Luna said.

　　"For the Knights?"

　　"Yes."

　　"How do you get your information?" He took a step closer.

　　Caden opened his mouth to speak, but again, Luna spoke for him: "He has a man on the inside and just repeats what he`s told."

　　"And how does that help us for the raid on the palace? Is he going to steal some kind of. . . floor plan?"

　　Raid on the Palace? Is that the proposition Elena was talking about?

　　"Don`t know."

　　"And the rest of my payment? I broke that guy out of jail for you."

　　Luna sighed, then rolled her head around to look at the man directly. "Sit, Erodan. I don`t have the answers for you."

　　The man curled his lip in disgust, "Your boss seems quite unorganized."

　　"Yup."

　　"It`s as if she has no idea what she`s doing. How much of this plan does she intend to tell us?"

　　"Dunno."

　　The man clenched his fist. "When does the meeting begin?"

　　"Does it look like everyone is here?" Luna said, "Why isn`t Solaris with you?"

　　"He`s freed, but I cannot force that madman to be here."

　　Luna said nothing more.

　　The man grunted and turned away - walking back over to his spear-topped table and slumping into the seat. He slouched over with his arms crossed, a permanent scowl on his face, and waited.

　　"Who is that?" Caden whispered.

　　Luna tilted her head toward him, "Erodan Windsor. Leader of the Vagrant Militia."

　　Another vagrant. Caden sighed. They were all crazed in some way.

　　A few moments passed, and the door opened again. The next person who entered was someone Caden had not expected: Princess Felisha of Talvira. She entered with her back to the door and spoke in hushed whispers. As she pushed the door open further, Caden got a better glimpse of her.

　　Her outfit was completely different. She wore a leather vest with a long purple cloak that traveled to her legs, baggy wool pants, and large leather boots. She looked nothing like she did in the palace.

　　She hovered at the door for a long moment, not coming in. She raised her voice, "Please, I`ll only be a minute. Just stay out here and guard the door or whatever you knights do. You won`t go crazed; it`ll only be a small meeting."

　　"With all due respect, Your Majesty," an eerily familiar voice said, "I cannot leave you unsupervised. Talvira and Belmire are at quite the impasse right now, so I was ordered to keep you safe and watch over you until my shift ends."

　　That voice. . . Caden thought. It was Kaelea.

　　"Nobody will find out! Please, just stay out here! I`m not doing anything I`m not supposed to."

　　"I`m sorry, but I must insist. I`ll come in with you. I won`t cause a ruckus and will not say a word. But I cannot let you enter alone," Kealea said.

　　Felisha grumbled, then turned her back to scan the tavern quickly. She turned back around and began to whisper shout at her guard outside.

　　"That`s not good," Caden mumbled.

　　The entry to the side room flew open, and Elena stepped out and briskly approached the princess. Erodan opened his mouth to speak as she passed through the room, but she didn`t even give him a second glance. She paused behind Felisha and put a hand on her shoulder.

　　"What seems to be the problem?"

　　Felisha jumped at Elena`s touch and spun to face her. She relaxed immediately. "Oh, Elena, please, you`re from here, so maybe she will listen to you. Please tell this girl that she can stay outside and tell her that we are just meeting to discuss the wine trade once more. Right?"

　　"Yes, that is why I invited you. But that won`t be necessary. She can come inside," Elena said. She pulled out a pocket watch to check the time, spun it in her hand, and placed it back in her pocket.

　　Felisha looked horrified, "I really don`t think that`s a good idea."

　　"Don`t worry," Elena said, smiling, "Everything is under control." She winked, then moved away and back into the tavern. Felisha entered with Kaelea trailing her.

　　Caden pulled his hood down further over his face. The cloak Luna had given him was suddenly a gift from the heavens. "That`s Kaelea, she`s on my squad. Why is she here?" Caden`s leg began to bounce. His eyes were glued to Kaelea as she moved into the room and sat next to Felisha at a table.

　　Luna yawned, "Don`t know. Elena has a plan or something, I guess. Maybe she met with Kaelea and didn`t tell us."

　　"That`s stupid! Why would she do that?"

　　"She always does things without telling us," Luna sounded highly distressed when she spoke.

　　Does Kaelea already know about what we are discussing here? Caden wondered. Perhaps Elena bribed her with something she wanted. Luna could be right. Maybe she had more darkness than he thought.

　　She met his gaze and gave him the most confused expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

　　"Are you sure this is alright?" Felisha asked. Her hands shook as she sat in her seat awkwardly. "I`m worried that -"

　　"Oh, it`s quite alright," Elena interrupted her, "I`ve got plans to deal with situations like this. It happens quite often. A person will fix this issue, as they always do." She looked over at Luna and winked. "Now then, what`s your name, child?"

　　The knight shifted in her seat. "Kaelea."

　　"Surname?"

　　"Delwara."

　　Elena grinned, but not the kind of smile people use when they are happy - one that was prideful, as if she just won a game of chess.

　　"Well, Kaelea Delwara," Elena said, "It`s very nice to meet you. I want you to know that this meeting is confidential. So, it`s important that when you leave here tonight, you forget everything said in this room. Okay?"

　　"Okay," Kaelea said. "But. . ." she trailed off, her eyes relaxed, she suddenly looked overwhelmed with exhaustion. "Why is he here?" She pointed at Caden, "He`s on my squad."

　　"That`s two Crown Knights! I thought he was an informant!" Erodan exclaimed. He got up from his seat and placed his hands on the table, offering Elena a sharp glance. "Elena, explain your purpose. I`m a wanted man. These oppressive and arrogant knights cause people like me to starve and die in the street - or worse, go crazed! Why do you have knights here? I just broke out a man from the Spires for you! They will have my head!"

　　Elena pulled a pouch of Flint Marks out of her satchel and threw it to Erodan. The man caught it, and Elena said: "Relax. I have everything handled. Just sit down, okay?"

　　He listened.

　　"That is the rest of your payment. Sorry, it`s late. Don`t stress. Nobody will look for you or arrest you. You`re fine." Elena waved her hand to calm him down, then returned to Kaelea. "Now, Kaelea. Caden is here to help us with a job. No more questions, okay? Just be quiet and focus on guarding Felisha."

　　Kaelea nodded in reply and said nothing more.

　　Time passed, and Caden waited patiently.

　　"Are we gonna start?" He broke the silence.

　　Luna jolted up as soon as Caden spoke. She was now completely upright and glanced around the room multiple times. "Huh?"

　　"What is taking Elena so long?"

　　"Huh? What? Oh. Dimling. We are waiting for Solaris. He`s the last member to arrive. He used to be on Isabel`s original crew. She ran this same job years ago."

　　"What?"

　　Luna rolled her head around, practically falling out of her chair. She moved her hands to her lap and sat up straight. "Isabel had a crew that attempted the same job. Solaris and Elena were both part of it."

　　"Wait, so you know what the job is?"

　　Is it really a raid on the palace?

　　"You ask a lot of questions," Luna said, then she put her head back down.

　　Elena pulled together two of the wooden tables into the center of the room.

　　"All right, let`s begin," she said.

　　As if fate twisted at just the right time to mess with Elena`s day, the door opened to reveal a man. He walked in with all the charisma of a performer. His arms were held out wide, and he pranced forward, kicking the door shut behind him. A broad smile rippled over his face.

　　"Greetings! Members of my new crew!"

　　He wore all black, with large leather boots and chains around his wrists. His medium-length hair matched his clothes, but his eyes were a deep green. He had this permanent smirk on his face, and Caden had to admit he looked quite. . . pretty. He put a hand on his chin and began to pace around the room, looking at each member at the meeting.

　　"Let`s see, who have we got here today? We`ll probably need an assassin, a sharpshooter - oh, I have a bow somewhere," He checked his pockets - supposedly for a bow - before resuming to speak, "Ah, it`s not here. Oh well. Oooo, hello, who do we have here?" He stopped in front of Erodan`s table. "Ah, makes sense. Militia force is very helpful good. Not very pretty, though. . . Ah, but that`s okay. Prettiness can sometimes be useful in these sorts of heists, I`d know." He winked, then joined Elena in the center of the room. "Hey, El, can I call you El?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

　　"No."

　　"Well, El, it`s nice to be back on your crew again. You`re probably what, the Mastermind? That makes sense. Thank you for having me back. You look as dashing as always, well, of course, not gorgeous like me, but. . ." He placed his foot on one of the chairs and leaned towards Elena.

　　"Solaris, please shut up for once," Elena snapped.

　　Solaris put a finger on Elena`s lips, and Caden cracked a smile. "Shush now, mastermind. It`s my turn to talk. I want to see what you pulled together for me."

　　"For you?" Elena grumbled, "This is my crew."

　　"Izzy said the same thing," he sighed, "But it`s my crew if I`m in it."

　　"Izzy`s not here. Sit. Now." Elena`s tone darkened.

　　The man`s face dropped, "Of course," he said, meeting that same tone. It`s as if talking to Elena killed all his joy and left him empty. He walked away, his gaze traveling from Erodan to Felisha to Luna to. . . he completely paused as if he was frozen in mid-air when he looked at Caden.

　　"Okay, everyone, thank you for coming," Elena said.

　　"You. . ." Solaris whispered. Elena continued to talk, but Caden only focused on Solaris`s impeccable gaze.

　　"Do I know you?" Caden asked.

　　"Izzy`s brother."

　　"Yes."

　　"And you. . ." He pointed to Luna, who was still lying face down on the table, her mask loose on her face. Her mouth was wide open. Did she fall asleep again?

　　Solaris laughed, then punched the table.

　　Luna jolted awake and sprung to her feet, landing on the backrest of her chair. She sat with her tiptoes on the thin edge. Her hands were placed carefully, and her knees were up to her chest as she balanced her stance. Caden heard Elena sigh.

　　"Wow, that`s some skill you got, kid," Solaris said, "What are you supposed to be?" He looked at her up and down. Luna`s stance was perfect; she was completely balanced on a chair that would have toppled over by now. She took a deep breath and sat back down normally - still saying nothing to the man.

　　"You`re the kid, aren`t you?" Solaris asked, "Luna."

　　Luna growled, "What do you want, Solaris?"

　　"Ah! I knew it was you. I recognize that squeaky voice anywhere. Looks like you`ve recovered, that`s good! So, what do you do?"

　　"What she says," Luna said, teeth clenched. She pointed at Elena, who continued lecturing in the middle of the room.

　　She said a few more things to Felisha and Erodan, glaring over at the other three members only once. Caden couldn`t listen. He was too interested in knowing Izzy`s old comrade. The man sat down next to Caden, leaving him in the middle.

　　"You knew Isabel," Caden said.

　　"I did. She was a lovely woman."

　　Caden had a million more questions but didn`t get to ask any of them before Elena approached.

　　"Solaris, what are you doing?" she said, her hand rubbing the bridge of her nose.

　　"El," he said, "You have your sister here? And Izzy`s brother? Why?"

　　Elena sighed, "They`re helping."

　　"They`re kids."

　　"They are adults now," she snapped, "You were gone a long time. He`s a knight, she`s an assassin. Informant, killer. Whatever you want to call them. Just. . . look," she leaned in, "I didn`t get Isabel`s magic, Luna did. She didn`t recover. It cured her. You`ve missed a lot. And Izzy`s kid brother has the other magic. They are helpful. Please, let me talk."

　　Solaris relented, sitting next to Caden and Luna and not saying another word.

　　"Okay, it`s time to start for real this time," Elena said. She returned to the center of the room and put her hands on the large table, "We have six crew members. Each of you will have tasks. But first, let me tell you what the job is.

　　"Eight years ago, my best friend hired me to help her with a particularly difficult job. She failed and was killed because of it. I`m here now to do it better." Elena nodded, then gestured for everyone to join her in the center of the room. They listened.

　　Kaelea sat in her seat, immobile, and didn`t even speak.

　　"If this job failed eight years ago, how will we be successful now?" Erodan asked.

　　"The job failed because Isabel went in on her own without the help of her comrades. We won`t make that mistake," Elena said, clenching her jaw. "Because I`ve promised each of you something."

　　Yeah, revenge.

　　"But first, let me tell you what I want," she paused, "Our goal is to get to the top of the palace, the very pinnacle of creation - the only manmade structure that stretches past the blood-red clouds."

　　Caden swallowed. Only the Crusaders were allowed up there.

　　"Is that where the Forlorn Library is?" Felisha asked. She glanced back at Kaelea, who still sat in her seat, expressionless and immobile. She spoke again, in a whisper: "Is that where the books on Cryomancy are?"

　　"Books on Cryomancy? What about the vagrants?" Erodan asked, "How will that room help us secure our freedom?"

　　"And the money? Where are the vaults?" Solaris asked.

　　"We need that money too!" Erodan exclaimed. "To pay for every unmarked hovel."

　　"You want that money to pay taxes?" Solaris threw his head back and laughed.

　　Elena clapped loudly, getting everyone`s attention. "I`m not done yet. All of you will have the chance to get what you want. I`m telling you now what it is I want. Do you think I`d plan this job without getting anything for myself? I want to get into this room. If we can agree on a way to do that, I`ll get everyone what they want."

　　"So, you`re not even sure how to begin your plan to help the vagrants?" Erodan snapped, his stance wide and his arms gesturing as she spoke.

　　"What of the knowledge?"

　　"Screw that! What of the money!"

　　The trio looked at Caden and Luna as if they were also supposed to complain. Silence.

　　"I`m done with this, waste of my time." Erodan spun around from the table and began to leave.

　　Felisha followed, waving at Kaelea to rise. The knight didn`t move. "I`m sorry, Elena, you`re very sweet, but if you don`t have anything, then I am leaving too."

　　Solaris was already at the door, tugging it open; it wouldn`t budge. "Ah, I figured this would happen."

　　"Sorcery. . ." Erodan muttered.

　　"All of you, please take a seat," Elena said, flashing a smile. "Let me talk. If you still wish to leave by the time I`m done, you can."

　　The world stood still. One by one, Erodan, Felisha, and Solaris sat around the table. Each of them stayed silent and waited for her to speak.

　　"You," she said, pointing at Erodan. "I have a plan for you. It involves my favorite thing. Lying. Sure, it might cause a ruckus, but that`s what we`re here for. I was thinking perhaps to spread some propaganda about an attack from Talvira and -"

　　"That`s insane!" Felisha interrupted. "If that happens, Belmire will attack us first!"

　　"Which will be the perfect time to get into the palace."

　　"No," Caden said. All eyes fell on him.

　　"What?" Elena asked.

　　"We can`t start a war, especially with Talvira. The Crusaders are just waiting for a chance to attack that city. That`s why Felisha was invited here in the first place. In fact, nobody can ever find out she was at this meeting. That alone could be terrible. We have to find another way. I know how the knights work. If you start a war with Belmire, it will be a massacre," Caden said. He silently wondered if the knights were all evil - and he had been on the wrong side this whole time.

　　"What do you propose we do then?" Elena asked, "How could we make life better for the vagrants? Remember, Caden, we must accommodate everyone. Felisha wants her books, Solaris wants his money, Erodan wants his people safe."

　　Is she. . . testing me? Caden thought.

　　"The Sanctuary Spires -"

　　Solaris cackled, "That place is a prison," he snapped, holding up his shackled arms, "I was there for eight years. I know how it works inside and out." The man rose, approaching Caden, "Are you going to tell me that place is safe for us?"

　　"Safe for you," Caden said. "I`m not a vagrant. The place is there to protect -"

　　"It`s a slave camp!" Solaris raised his voice, causing Caden to sharpen his gaze. He calmed himself with a deep breath, "Sorry. I didn`t mean to yell, not at you. But the knights who work there are not kind; they hurt us." He got really close to Caden`s face, "That`s why the vagrants scream when you uncover them. That`s why they fight you. That place is hell on earth. How do you not know this?"

　　Caden swallowed harshly. "You`re wrong. It`s forbidden to kill vagrants."

　　Is he, though? Caden thought. Are the knights. . . truly evil? Has he been fighting for the wrong side this entire time? He had wondered why the vagrants screamed.

　　He didn`t belong to the First Quadrant, which dealt with the sanctuary, but Caden knew that if the knights were doing something like that - he would know about it.

　　The vagrants are all crazed. . . right? That`s why we put them in the sanctuary.

　　"Oh, they don`t kill the vagrants. It`s worse to keep them alive. You really are Izzy`s brother, just as stubborn," he laughed, then lost his smile. "How about we take a little trip to see for yourself?"

　　"Enough, Solaris. Sit. You can take him later," Elena said. "Arkell, finish your statement. What else do you propose?"

　　Caden sat. He felt like he was back at the academy again - with all eyes on him. He had just been asked a question he had only some answers to: What were the odds?

　　"Look, I was not given enough information here. If I make the assumption that Erodan`s goal is to mark all the hovels in the city by paying tax. . . We`d need an enormous amount of flint marks for that, and from what I understand, you plan to raid the palace vaults, which is where the treason comes in."

　　Elena nodded.

　　"Then, how about we just make the knights afraid of the vagrants? Spread some kind of propaganda involving them. . . I`m not sure what it could be, but we need some kind of secret or dedicated information that could tear the Order apart if the Crusaders found out. This would make the knights afraid they would be tattled` on."

　　Erodan laughed, "How could we possibly do that?"

　　Luna piped up, "They are already scared of me and the Crusaders. Why not spread more stories like mine?"

　　"That`s true," Caden continued. "Everyone was already afraid of going out at night because of you." Caden snapped his fingers. "Perhaps something to do with the reason the royals fled?"

　　"It would need to hold some truth," said Erodan.

　　"I think I have an idea," Elena said, "We can spread stories about not only Luna and her antics but Caden too," she pointed at him, "We have you start taking on her jobs, make the knights think there are two of you. So, looks like you`ll have to kill your own knights, anything for revenge. . . right?"

　　Caden froze. He glanced at Kaelea. The girl looked away, off into a corner, where a rat scurried underneath the wooden floorboards.

　　Am I. . . willing to do that? He had already concluded that evil knights exist in the Order, so he should be able to, right? He slowly nodded, then said: "Only the bad ones."

　　"But what about dawn patrols?" Erodan asked.

　　"We don`t want to stop all patrols," said Caden, "just patrols for vagrants."

　　Elena nodded. "And I was getting to that," she snapped, "We can spread this message to everyone, but make sure we note the vagrants are the ones spreading it. The Elite of Belmire slaughtered the Royals to get a higher position in the city."

　　"That rumor alone should scare the knights. Not only will they fear the Elite more, but also the Crusaders, who may reprimand the entire Order for the crime. On top of that, we can propagate a story of the Elite attempting to overthrow the Crusaders by assassinating them."

　　That insane plan might actually work, but it`ll just throw the Order into chaos. . . not make them fear vagrants.

　　"This will take a few months to propagate. By then, most of the city will be riled up. We`ll need to cause some rioting from the vagrants and have them try to revolt against the Order. If the knights already fear them, it`ll cause serious damage. Perhaps then we can set up a meeting for Erodan to create some kind of treaty between the Order and the vagrants. That will distract the Crusaders long enough for us to get into the palace."

　　That makes more sense. Rioting will definitely scare some of the knights.

　　Elena continued, "Next, Felisha`s job will be to get a detailed map of the palace. I want to know every single possible thing that happens in there, and we both know you have enough time to do that," she smiled at the princess, "If there are too many knights around, I have a plan to deal with them." She looked up and winked at Caden.

　　"So, armed with the palace map and Erodan`s distraction, Solaris, Caden, Luna, and I will enter the palace. We`ll meet up with Felisha, and she will guide Solaris to the vaults," she snapped her fingers and pointed to Solaris. "Try bringing as many members of your old division as possible."

　　He nodded solemnly.

　　"Then, we`ll get Felisha`s books on Cryomancy on the way up."

　　"How do you know where they are?" she demanded.

　　"I know they are up there, trust me," she said, silencing Felisha with a gesture, "After that, it leaves Caden, Luna, and I to enter the top room."

　　"How will you get past all the knights in the palace?" Erodan asked. "There will be hundreds crawling through!"

　　"Erodan, that doesn`t concern your part of the plan," she said. "Now then, let`s review. Erodan, propaganda. Felisha, map of the palace. Solaris, thieving crew to steal from the vaults." She turned her back on all of them and now stood in front of Caden and Luna.

　　"Caden, Luna, I need a list of every Crown Knight in the Order. Figure out how you`re going to do that."

　　His first instinct was to deny the request to steal from the Order. But, if he was going to use Luna to get stronger. . . if he was going to defeat Vance, he must help Elena.

　　"Can`t Luna just steal the book with her invisibility?" Caden asked.

　　"A registry exists?" Elena asked.

　　"Sure, every Crown Knight is registered. What kind of information do you need?"

　　"Anything, I just need them all."

　　"Sure. Luna?"

　　The girl sighed. Was she even paying attention?

　　"I could if I knew where it was and you were around to fuel me."

　　"Perfect, it seems you two have a plan."

　　Everyone broke off into small groups. Felisha and Erodan began chatting or well. . . arguing. Solaris and Elena began to whisper, and Luna sat in her seat, half asleep.

　　This was a job Isabel had tried before. But she had failed, why? What was she hiding? She always had her secrets. . .

　　Caden tuned in to Solaris`s conversation upon hearing his sister`s name: "Isabel wouldn`t make this plan so dangerous. She wanted everyone to live. That`s why. . ." he paused, "That`s why she left me that day. She entered the palace on her own, thinking of only you. Because of the situation you put her in."

　　"I am not Isabel. If you have a problem with how I do things, I don`t care. Just shut up and listen to what I say." Elena snapped back; her arms were crossed, and she leaned on one leg - gazing up at Solaris with fiery eyes.

　　"Do not threaten me, or you will soon see you are not the only one with power." Solaris put his hands behind his back and stood up straight.

　　"This is the right way," Elena snapped back, "everything is accounted for. This is what Isabel wanted. What she needed. I`m going to tell them about the Sun now."

　　The Sun?

　　"Wait -"

　　"I`d like to let you all know something," Elena said to everyone. "The reason I`ve been so adamant about this top room." She pulled out a few papers from her satchel and placed them on the table.

　　Caden glanced at them, weird, strange shapes and symbols with drawings of fire and ice.

　　"These are papers noted from the palace. They detail what we want within that top room. While everyone does their job, I will be here with these two," she pointed to Caden and Luna. "And there," she gestured skyward, "I will be undoing the curse upon the land, obliterating the blood-red clouds, destroying the edge of the world, and bringing back the Sun for everyone."

　　Silence. It was the eerie kind of silence where you were waiting for someone to laugh at a joke that didn`t quite land.

　　Elena spoke with so much charisma that Caden almost believed her. Isabel always talked about the legends of the Sun and how, one day, the world will see heat and light once more.

　　Erodan was the first to break. "The Sun? How ridiculous! That is a legend passed down to children who need something to believe in. . . or the words of those cult members!"

　　"Shrine Clerics," Felisha glared daggers at him, crossing her arms. "I find them to be quite insightful."

　　"I believe her," said Caden.

　　"You do?" Felisha, Erodan, and Solaris all said simultaneously.

　　"Yes. I think she`s right. She worked with Isabel, and my sister would always say stuff like that."

　　Elena smiled. "Fantastic."

　　"I think she`s a crazy slag," Erodan said, rolling his eyes.

　　Luna flinched in her seat.

　　"I think you`re a rude old man," Felisha said, "Leave us. You have your task. Go now, shoo, shoo." She waved her hand away, and Caden laughed.

　　"Bah! I don`t want to be around you anyway! Blasted woman!"

　　Erodan got up from his seat and headed for the door.

　　Luna waved her hand, causing the door to open.

　　"Wait, Erodan," Elena said.

　　The man stood frozen and said nothing.

　　"I want you to come back here in two days. Bring no men with you. Tell them that the information you found out here today is true. They must believe it for the story to spread. Find out how to propagate it organically and give speeches explaining what happened. I will give you all the juicy details of this propaganda when you return. Stay underground, stay hidden. If you are arrested, I will not come for you. I will not help you. Do you understand?"

　　"I understand."

　　"Then you may go."

　　He did not hesitate. The door swung shut. Elena faced everyone else now. "Felisha, you may go too. Take your pet with you."

　　"She`s a knight," Felisha said.

　　"Yes, yes, I was only joking."

　　"And you`re sure she`s okay knowing all of this?"

　　Elena walked over to Felisha, grabbed her by the hand, and whispered in her ear.

　　Felisha left soon after with no complaints.

　　Caden worried about the task he was given. If he was going to steal that book for Elena, he needed a plan. More than that, he needed not to get caught.

　　"Solaris," Elena said. "Come here. You need to know about these two. You`ll be helping them." She gestured to Caden and Luna.

　　Solaris left his corner, entered the center of the room, and sat beside her. "Fine, you got me, Elena. What the hell do you want now?"

　　"Luna here wants her freedom from me. She claims I keep her as a servant and make her do things she wishes not to. So, she will get her freedom, and in replace of that, Caden will help me break into the highest room in the palace. Luna isn`t going to be there at all. The truth is, they give each other infinite Heat and Moonlight."

　　This was her plan? Caden thought. Why not bring Luna, too?

　　"Interesting. . ." Solaris put a hand to his chin.

　　"I need you to oversee them a couple of times while I am away to progress in their training. After all, you were trained by Isabel."

　　Caden raised an eyebrow at that statement. Really?

　　"So, I`m a babysitter of two kids with the power of gods? Great."

　　Elena laughed.

　　"Power of gods?" Caden asked.

　　Elena`s smile broadened, "Yes, Caden, you don`t just have Pyromancy - you have Heliomancy. You are Luna`s opposite. She has the magic of the Moon, and you have the magic of the Sun. You are perfect." She got awfully close to him, then touched his head and lightly patted his hair.

　　Caden didn`t know how to reply, "So, I can learn more spells?"

　　"Sort of," Elena said. "I will explain it when we begin training, okay?"

　　"Okay."

　　"Good." She took her hand off his head, "Luna, you can meet up with him later and hatch out a plan for the registry?"

　　She said nothing.

　　"Fantastic, you are all dismissed then. I`ll have Solaris meet back with us in a few days. Caden, bring the book and your sword."

　　"What about the duel?" Caden asked. "That`s why I came here to begin with. What the training is for!"

　　"Duel?"

　　"With Isabel`s killer! I need Luna to be there to provide me with power."

　　Elena nodded, "Very well."

　　Good. That`s all I cared about.

　　"And don`t worry about your little friend Kaelea," Elena said, "She won`t spill."

　　Caden raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

　　"Do you trust me?"

　　"Yes," Caden said. He was telling the truth, too. Elena had secrets, but she reminded him of Isabel.

　　"Then yes, I`m sure," she said. "You`re free to go, Caden Arkell. Thank you, truly."

　　Caden got to his feet and left. As soon as the door shut, he heard Solaris shouting. The sound muffled and faded as he strode through the alleyways.

　　He had three tasks: Become an Elite. Defeat Vance. Steal the Registry. He decided it for sure right then, and there, if he was going to obtain enough power to kill Vance, he would need to be a thief. What a small price to pay to bring justice.