Published at 22nd of October 2023 9:41 am

Book 2: Chapter 21

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When Ryn woke up, her first action was to groan. Not because of the pounding headache, or even because of the tight ropes that dug into her skin, but because she couldn’t believe that she had been kidnapped. Her mind had been so full of having awakened and the exciting new products she had been discussing with Carraway, that she had completely missed the Black Raven assassins sneaking up on her. By the time she had seen them, they had executed a textbook distract and grab maneuver, and now she was tied up in their base.

“Ugh. I can’t believe I fell for that. How lame.”

Her voice was hoarse, but it still rang loudly in the small stone chamber. Gray stone walls, a gray stone ceiling, and a hard, gray stone floor were hemming her in, with the only light leaking in from the rough wooden door that stood to her right. Hearing the shuffle of feet, she knew that she had alerted her captors and a moment later, a pair of eyes appeared in the small hole that had been hacked in the door. A sense of familiarity washed over her as she saw the callous indifference in her captor’s gaze, and she was instantly transported back to the torturous days of her childhood.

“She’s up.”

“Open the door.”

Listening to the voices outside the door, Ryn tried to identify anyone she recognized but they were too muffled. After the click of a bolt being thrown back, the door squeaked open and a large figure filled the doorway, blocking most of Ryn’s light and making it harder for her to see the man’s face. He was dressed in the same casual clothing that you would find on almost any working class citizen of the city, and if it were not for that same cold, calloused indifference common to all of the Black Raven assassins, Ryn would have assumed that he was just another honest working man.

“Who—”

“Shut up,” the man said, interrupting Ryn. “Don’t pretend you don’t know who we are. We’ve already checked your mark and we know that you are Telryn of the Black Raven, the one we’re looking for.”

Sighing, Ryn didn’t see any reason to hide it so she nodded.

“I am. Report your name and rank.”

Surprise infused the man’s face, partially due to her calm request, but even more because the raven tattoo on his arm began to sting, indicating that he had an obligation to answer her.

“I am Patolov, First Claw of the Second Wing.”

“Impressive,” Ryn said, her eyebrows rising. “Is the First Wing here as well? I’d assume so, since there are two groups, and the Black Raven would only send their best to kill a king.”

“Enough. You will come with us back to Port Reverie and face judgment for your betrayal in the Temple of the Raven.”

“Betrayal?” Ryn spat, laughing harshly. “Is that what you were told? I guess they’re still up to their old tricks. I’ve got a better deal for you. Let me go and pretend you’ve never seen me, and I’ll make sure that you get out of here alive.”

Shaking his head, Patolov stepped back and closed the door with a bang, not speaking another word to Ryn. The sound of shuffling feet announced the departure of those watching and a moment later the light winked out as well, plunging the small room into complete darkness. Holding her breath for a count of thirty, Ryn let it out and groaned softly again. The bindings were quite uncomfortable, but she still lay down and closed her eyes. She knew that her best chance at escape lay with coordinating with Garrett through the dream flowers and the dream, but that required that she fall asleep first. In the darkness, with her skin pressed against the cold, hard stone, she tried to relax as much as her bindings would allow.

Though it was impossible for her to know, it was not yet evening, and across the city, Garrett was sitting in his office, double checking his details. He had already gotten confirmation from Obe that the plan was progressing as he wanted, so it was now a matter of moving to the next step. There were fifteen of the assassins in the city, or close to it, and they were incredibly careful. All of their communication was done through notes left in various dead drops around the city, and even then, they encrypted their messages.

Still, they were desperate to get out of the city, and when Garrett had ordered Carraway to let them know that he had a method, they had jumped at it. Of course, he had not identified himself as the one who would be providing transportation as they would undoubtedly make the connection between him and Ryn, putting up their guard. Instead, he had, through the merchant, arranged for them to meet with Viper in the sewers. Now, it was simply a matter of waiting for the time to come.

As soon as night fell, he entered the dream and cast out his perception, looking for Ryn. It was nearly two hours of fruitless work before a tiny glimmer, like a star shrouded in mist, appeared in his perception, located in the northern part of the city. It immediately made sense to him why he had not been able to sense Ryn, as he examined the mist that covered her flowers. Not only was she located near the adventurer’s guild, which produced all sorts of interference, but she was wrapped in a veil that isolated her and the dream flower she carried almost completely.

Focusing his mind on her star, he could see that it was struggling against the mist so he unleashed his own energy, trying to pierce a hole in the veil from the outside. It was tough work, but slowly, surely, he pressed through, working on making a small opening rather than just destroying the whole thing. The mist he destroyed was constantly replenished, forcing him to pour his energy into not only digging his way through, but also maintaining the hole he had already made. Thankfully Garrett was sitting on the Dreamer’s Throne and the constant stream of warm energy radiating from it entered his body, replacing the energy he was burning.

After another hour, he finally felt his energy connecting with the weak energy that Ryn was projecting, and relief trickled through his mind. While he was confident in running his plan even without her involvement, it would be much easier to have her cooperation. With a thought, he projected himself into the prison where she had appeared, donning his white mask as the door to the cell she was using opened. There he found her sitting on her cushion, looking around at the gray walls with an amused expression.

“You know, if I was still tied up, I might think that I was still in the real world,” she said, waving her hand at Garrett.

“This is the real world,” Garrett replied lightly, “they both are. Currently, we are in the dream, and you speak of the waking world. But they are both real.”

“Ah, right. The waking world. The spot I’m in looks a lot like this. Hey, I assume you know that I’ve been kidnapped, right? Can you make sure that Garrett knows? I think they are going to transport me out of the city to try and take me back to Port Reverie. It would be great if he could do something about it.”

“He is aware, though he is curious why you don’t do something about it.”

“Because I don’t want to die,” she retorted, rolling her eyes as she stood up. “Currently, I’m in the care of Patolov, the leader of the Second Wing, which is the second highest ranked assassin team. Chances are, the first and third wings are present as well, which means that there are assassins who will use any excuse I give them to kill me, because they are under the control of the lieutenant who wanted me dead. I can’t risk that they have different orders from the first and second wing. So, yeah, it would be great if you could let Garrett know he needs to lend me a hand.”

“Do they know that you’re awakened?”

“That, I’m not sure about,” Ryn replied, shaking her head. “If they examined me closely, they would know, but it’s just as likely they simply tied me up and threw me in the room without doing so. They’re using rope to bind me, so chances are good that they think I’m harmless. Otherwise, they’d use chain.”

Nodding, Garrett gestured to the door, inviting Ryn through.

“Come, let me bring you somewhere. Garrett is aware of your plight, and is actively working through a solution as we speak. You will have to wait another twenty hours or so until the plan is put into motion, but for now, let me take you to Dreamer’s Rest and introduce you to some people. Oh, before that, here.”

Holding out his hand, Garrett shaped his energy into a dark mask, spending a few experience points to create a black version of his white mask. The flower motif on it was subtle, and the colorful petals were hidden unless the mask was turned at certain angles, but otherwise, the mask functioned the same way as the other awakened dreamers’ masks. Watching as Ryn took it and put it on, Garrett nodded.

“Allow me to welcome you to the Family.”

Leading the way out of the cell, Garrett opened a door that had appeared at the other end of the hall that linked all the cells together, and he and Ryn walked into Dreamer’s Rest. The bar was in full swing, and there were patrons everywhere, gathered around small tables or bellied up to the large, U shaped bar. Barman was still the only bartender, but somehow he managed to take care of everyone in the lower bar without trouble. In the corner, the quartet had added two more instruments and a full time vocalist, and Ryn stood transfixed as she listened to the quiet jazz they were playing. Tapping Ryn on the shoulder, Garrett pointed at the stairs that led up to the table where the awakened dreamers sat.

“There is an area for awakened up there.”

Hesitating for a moment, Ryn nodded and began walking in that direction, Garrett trailing her. It was clear that she was nervous, but that nervousness eased when she realized who was sitting around the table. Estel and Pax were both there, chatting quietly, as Kinsley played darts nearby. It was impossible to miss Pax, and Estele was wearing the same tunic she normally wore, so Ryn was able to recognize them even with the masks they wore, and she had seen Kinsley throw his flaming darts in the real world so it was obvious who he was. Seeing the ladies stop and look over when Ryn got to the top of the stairs, Garrett waved his hand toward Ryn to introduce her.

“This is Ryn. Ryn, you know Estele, Pax, and Kinsley.”

“Congratulations on your awakening,” Estele said, standing up and bowing slightly.

Thrilled, Ryn hurried to bow in return.

“Thank you!”

“Whoa, you awakened? That’s awesome. Wait, aren’t you kidnapped?” Kinsley asked, strolling over to the table and picking up his half empty glass.

Eyeing the flaming darts that hung from his fingers, Ryn nodded.

“Yes. I’m currently tied up in a small room. Huh, that sounds weird to say.”

“Hah, it does. I mean, I’m currently drooling on my pillow in my room,” Kinsley said with a grin as he took off his mask to take a long drink from his beer. “Anyway, welcome.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s with the black mask?” Pax asked, looking between Ryn and Garrett. “I’ve seen red, and we have white, but I’ve never seen a black one.”

“It helps me identify which part of the organization someone belongs to,” Garrett said, sitting down at the table and gesturing for Ryn to sit as well.

“Oooh, let me guess,” Kinsley said, taking his own seat. “White is for those who adventure in the dream.”

“And red is for those who crawl around under the city, stabbing people,” Pax added with a nod. “I’d guess that black is for people who sneak around.”

“Close,” Garrett said, accepting the drink that Barman brought over.

Waiting while he took a drink, the others soon realized that he wasn’t going to explain it further and let out annoyed sighs, causing Garrett to chuckle.

“Don’t worry about the masks for now. Instead, why don’t you give Ryn a rundown of how Dreamer’s Rest and the dream work?”

“Sure,” Estele nodded. “We have formed a team, much like a team you would find in the adventurer’s guild, and we go out into the city to complete requests that we find over on the quest board.”

Ryn’s eyes widened as she looked over and saw the quest board with the map of the city next to it.

“The dream extends to the whole city?”

“It does,” Pax nodded, “at least we think so. Maybe Geller here can let us know.”

Once again, Garrett just sipped his drink, somehow managing to drink it even though his mask never moved from over his mouth. Shrugging, Pax pointed at the area of the map that had been cleared of the fog.

“It’s pretty dangerous out there, but as long as you stay in the areas where we have already planted flowers, it’s not so bad. Ever seen a nightmare before? Well, they’re everywhere out there, and they come in all sorts of nasty shapes and sizes. Unless you’re handy with a blade, or you can breathe fire like Kinsley here, I would recommend being very careful when you leave Dreamer’s Rest. In fact, better to go with a party rather than by yourself. Currently Maren and Asher are out doing some scouting.”

“Hey, where is Viper?” Kinsley asked, putting his empty glass down and fixing his mask back in place. “He hasn’t been around much.”

This time, Garrett did answer, causing the others to look at him.

“Viper has been busy with some things in the real world. In fact, he should be about done by now, which means that we are all set up for our rescue. You’ll all be taking part in it, so now is probably a good time to talk about your roles. Within the next twenty-four hours, Ryn will be transported out of the city, and that will be our opportunity to strike. Currently, the location of the enemy is unknown, but as soon as they begin to move, we’ll have the chance we need. Our enemy is highly trained, infinitely suspicious, and very dangerous, so we are going to keep the plan simple. Divide and conquer. Here is what I want each of you to do.”

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