Snake, Scarab, & Sons: Purveyors of Fine T

Knowing that their target was just a floor below him, it took Henry all his willpower to act normal and unbothered. He wished he could listen in directly to whatever meeting Jahan Yazdan or Heikohbi, or whatever his name really was, was saying, but he could only wait until it was over and Raiju returned.

He silently prayed that Raiju paid attention and remembered all the key points to relay back to him.

He cut into the grilled conch he was served and brought it to his mouth. This was a northern deep-sea conch harvested off the northern coastal trenches of the Dragon Continent and was the special of the day. He could hardly concentrate on the sweetness and texture of the dish.

"And how did they get this mountain lamb?" Anhya asked the server who was assigned to standby in their room.

"The mountain plateau sheep are wild in the highlands, but they are also carefully farmed in the open plateau by orc shepherds specializing in this particular game," the server replied. "The mountain lamb is known for its fat content, which is more flavorful than regular lambs. We have been told by customers from the Iverias that the texture and taste is richer than common sheep, but without the same gaminess."

Anhya nodded after swallowing. She gently patted her lips with a napkin. "I wholeheartedly agree. Are these animals available for export?"

"No, I'm afraid not, miss. Their diet consists of plants endemic to our mountain plateaus."

"Not to mention that they're massive," Henry told her. "A full-grown mountain sheep is the size of a bison and requires a lot of feeding ground."

Anhya paused mid-bite and looked down at the slices of meat on her plate. Her eyes crinkled up. "And...how big was the lamb?"

"The size of an adult sheep that would be about...chest height," the server replied.

Anhya blinked. "It's amazing that it's so tender...." She put the food into her mouth and closed her eyes to savor it before nodding in satisfaction.

"Can we get some meals to be packed up?" Henry asked. "We'd like to bring some back to our companions still on the ship."

"Certainly, Young Master. Please let me know what dishes. Would you like to see the menu or hear the specials again?" the server asked.

Raiju hadn't returned yet, so they had time to waste. "Bring me a menu."

"Brother, dessert, too!" Anhya said as she perked up. Henry nodded.

"And the dessert menu."

The server nodded and rushed to retrieve the items. Henry took his time combing over the menu. Most fancy and expensive restaurants tended to have smaller menus, but since The Dragon Garden strived to display food from all over the Dragon Continent, its menu was extensive. Each dish also noted from what region its original version came from.

Anhya had a difficult time deciding. Henry told her she was limited to one dessert, so she poured over the dessert menu looking more concentrated than when he'd seen her study. She finally settled on a baked dessert with layers of crunchy sugar, lowland donkey milk cream, and eggs.

"Excellent choice, Miss. This is a signature dessert of the lowland elves. It will take a bit longer than usual, but it is worth the wait."

Anhya's eyes were wide as she nodded. "I look forward to it!"

Henry didn't stop her and said to take their time, as he was having a difficult time deciding what Ash and his aunt would want. In truth, he'd already decided to get Ash a beef dish over a rice pilaf, and Nera would get some seared fish.

However, Raiju was still missing. The meeting wasn't over yet, otherwise the spirit beast would've returned.

"Master! Master!"

The excited voice of the spirit beast exploded in his mind. It seemed he spoke too soon. Henry raised his hand and beckoned the server. "I'd like to put it in the order."

"Master! Pay attention!"

Give me a moment. Henry folded the menu and handed it to the server with a smile. "The beef over rice pilaf and seared swordfish with buns."

"I will put in the order immediately, young master!"

Henry gave him a nod and then looked back at Anhya. "Did you want to go see the courtyard garden while we're waiting?"

She perked up. "Can I?"

"Just don't take so long. Once we get the food, we'll return to the ship."

Anhya nodded and jumped up. "I'll be back soon, Brother!"

Henry watched her go before the amused expression on his face faded. He stood up and walked to the windows that looked out towards the port and the street below.

"What's going on?"

Raiju's voice was impatient, as if he couldn't hold back what he heard. "Master, there were five people in the room, three avianids and two humans. The humans were a man and his servant. The boss avianid called the man Mr. Heikohbi."

"What's the avianid's name?"

"He was called Master Kilter." As Henry stood by the window, he felt a bit of electric shock in the air as a creature appeared beside him. Even when he was seated, Raiju was taller than him.

Henry frowned as he went through all the avianids he knew. He hadn't heard of this one. If he was called Master, then he must've been the leader of his avianid group. Henry didn't know the leaders of the smaller groups, but this meant that at the very least, they were not dealing with the largest of them.

"What did they talk about?"

"Mr. Heikohbi assured him that the ship with Princess Anhya will be arriving by the end of the month. He says that there were some investigations happening in Suna and so they had to avoid some ports, which would delay their arrival."

Henry frowned more so. From Effie's reports, Jahan Yazdan should've left Suna before they arrived. They'd acted quickly to track, isolate, and imprison the involved parties and other suspects. How did he find out that there was an investigation happening?

He has someone monitoring Sarae, and perhaps even her brothers. That was the only reason he could think of. Jahan Yazdan didn't mention that they'd commandeered the ship and secured Anhya, so unless he was lying, which was risky considering he gave his partners a timeline, he didn't know.

Various scenarios went through his head, and he weighted the possibilities of each. He could only make an educated guess that Jahan Yazdan was unable to contact the arrested parties or discovered that they'd already found Anhya, as no one knew aside from them and the imperial family.

"Once the princess is handed over, the avianid will hand over two boatloads of weapons."

Henry frowned. "What kind of weapons? And how big is the boat?" Were they talking about a small ship like the Jatlok or a merchant trade vessel like the Sea Serpents?

"They didn't say how big the boat was, but the transaction will happen at pier thirty-one the night the princess arrives," Raiju reported. "The avianid told the merchant to bring both his ships there for loading."

"Did they mention the names of the ship?"

"Brentmore Waves and The Nadine."

It was possible that they were contracted cargo ships. Many smaller merchants who could not afford their own boats and crew, let alone their own fleets, would pay for space on a contracted cargo ship. A contract cargo ship could be used by dozens of merchants at once, or the entire ship could be rented for large cargo shipments.

Henry would have to either check its records or find the ship in person to get an idea of how much cargo it could hold.

"And what about the weapons?"

"Fire crystal spears, nets, and shard explosives."

Henry grit his teeth as he heard them, though it was to be expected. The avianids tended to fight from above. Nets were dropped on other avianids, which would entangle their wings and send them plummeting, unable to fly. Shard explosives were dropped and exploded upon impact, sending sharp metal and glass in all directions. It wouldn't kill people, but it could severely wound them.

Fire crystal spears were pointed staffs with a dark orange fire crystal on the blunt end. The spears would typically reach his shoulder. It worked fine as a staff, but the fire crystal could be used to shoot and to a degree, control nearby fire, without the need for the user to use magic energy.

In a fight against another person, fire would become a hassle to use, especially at the speed a fight was. However, it could be used to light things on fire.

Most structures in Suna were either wood or some sort of brick with wood beams. It also had a lot of agriculture. Most farmers grew rice, Suna's staple crop, which also kept its people, and most importantly, its army, well-fed. Cutting off resources from the army would both weaken and demoralize it.

Fire crystals that did not require the user to use magic were rare in the Iverias, so they weren't used as a weapon. If enough rebels had fire crystal spears, they could torch Suna into submission.

At least, in theory. Henry couldn't do much, but Ash would probably have a way to deal with it.

"Did they talk about soldiers?"

"The avianid will provide a hundred of his people."

"A hundred?" Henry frowned. Suna was an empire with an army to match such a title. What could a hundred avianid soldiers do against an imperial army? He paused for a moment and pursed his lips. "Never mind. I understand."

The avianids were excellent fighters and since they could fly, they could breach walls. The avianid soldiers needn't deal with a defending army. They just needed to breach the defenses, both structural and human, to get to the imperial family. They didn't even need to stay there; they could fly in and kidnap them, and then demand something for their safety.

On one hand, he didn't like that they were getting involved.

On the other, it was a good idea, especially if Suna was unprepared for such a force and their tactics.

Henry filed away the possible attack idea. If an Ashtari wanted to go this route, they could get involved at another time, if they wanted to revolt.

"The merchant was upset that it was only a hundred people. He said he was disappointed and thought more would be sent, but the boss avianid said that all he needs is a small elite team. Also, the plan is to have them come little by little, through different ports of entry, so as not to be obvious."

"Avianids almost never leave the Dragon Continent. They have too much to deal with here," Henry said with a frown. "Anyone who knows anything about them will find it suspicious."

"The merchant has promised that he will ensure their safety until they are needed," Raiju continued. "Master, tonight, the avianid invited the merchant to their nest to check the goods and meet some of the soldiers who will be sent."

Henry narrowed his eyes. "Where tonight?"

"The merchant is on a ship docked in pier twenty-seven." Henry raised a brow at that. They were docked at pier twenty-five, the last of the piers for small to mid-sized vessels. The piers following were for larger vessels. "The avianid will send a carriage to bring them out of the city. They will stay for a few days and the merchant will have a chance to see their fighting capabilities."

Henry nodded. "What else did they talk about?"

"Medical devices."

"What?" Henry jerked his head back.

"They want medical devices from the Iverias, Master. Specifically, the equipment for flesh wounds and bone alignment. They mentioned the suture pen."

Henry frowned. "For themselves?"

"Yes. The avianids are having territorial disputes, which are becoming more and more volatile as the avianid flocks restructure and carve out territory. The boss avianid wants to make sure his injured followers won't die. He wants the equipment instead of gold and gems as payment."

"What about Princess Anhya? Wasn't she being sold off?"

Raiju seemed to hesitate. "Master...the boss avianid looks down on Princess Anhya." The implication was that the princess wasn't kidnapped for marriage.

"Because she is a human? Then why did they bargain for her? Why are they waiting for her?" Henry was relieved, but confused. "Did they want to use her as a hostage?"

"They still want to marry her, but as a status symbol. Once her usefulness has been used up...." Raiju trailed off, but it didn't take Henry much to figure out what he meant.

"For someone unfamiliar with the Dragon Continent, there are hundreds of ways to die mysteriously, without anyone knowing," Henry muttered to himself. He put his hands on the window sill and restrained himself from creating indents in the wood as he looked out the window. "I'd like to go to their nest to see what we're up against."

"Master, there should be at least a thousand or so avianids in this flock," Raiju said.

"Are you not confident?" Henry asked with a slight chuckle. Though Simir was not with them, Naali and Raiju were enough to wreak a certain amount of havoc. They were top level spirit beasts. A thousand soldiers, especially if caught by surprise, was manageable.

"Master, are you forgetting that the Dragon Continent species can have elemental users? Avianids are particularly known for using wind. If they have a lightning user, they may actually put up a challenge."

Henry narrowed his eyes for a bit. "I suppose it also depends on where the nest is. I don't want to over use you in a densely populated area. I don't want to get more involved than we already are." Even if they controlled their actions and tried to keep damage to a minimum, it didn't guarantee that the opponent would do the same.

Anything they did would need to be controlled and concise.

He heard footsteps approaching, and next to him, Raijju disappeared.

"Brother!" Anhya rushed towards him, her face flushed and appearing flustered. She twisted her hands together in front of her and looked over her shoulder twice before she reached him, as if she were running away from something.

Henry raised a brow. "Something wrong?"

Anhya lowered her voice and leaned closer to him. "Brother, there are avianids here! Is it them?"

She must've been hyperaware of them after they told her. "There are avianids all over the Dragon Continent. Don't panic when you see one. Weren't there a few we saw at the market? The ones you see probably aren't the ones involved with your incident." Although, in this case, they were.

Anhya drew her lips inward and bit them before nodding, resigned. "I can't help but be nervous."

"Are you frightened?"

Anhya opened her mouth at once and Henry knew she wanted to deny it, but she closed her mouth and lowered her eyes. "Nervous," she said, trying to keep her voice firm. "I said, I'm nervous. Slightly."

Henry took a deep breath. He studied her tense shoulders and the way her eyes glanced around, as if suspecting she had been followed. He raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder. "Calm down," he said. "Even if they are the ones involved, I'm here. Ash isn't far away either. Your godbrothers will protect you, so you can walk right past them, and they won't touch a hair on your head."

Anhya lifted her head, met his eyes as if to convince herself, and then nodded. Anhya was the eldest child in her family. She was the children's default leader, and the responsible one. It was she who had to take care of others, be a good role model, and carry a lot of mental strain for her siblings.

Henry, as the eldest child himself, understood what that meant. If he could give support to someone in a similar position, he would.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Do you feel better now?" he asked. She nodded and smiled. "Good. Because those are the avianids who are plotting against you."

Anhya's face fell and immediately lost all color. "What?"

Henry grinned. "What are you afraid of? Aren't I here? I'll explain more when we get on the ship. There is some new information and since you're involved, I should get your opinion on what to do next."

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"I want to go!"

That was not the opinion Henry wanted to hear from her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. Anhya was on her feet, her face filled with determination, as if she were ready to jump into a fight.

"No, I'll go." Ash wiped his mouth with a napkin after finishing his beef. He gave Anhya a stern look. "It's my turn to get off the boat."

Nera frowned and rubbed her forehead, as if she were trying to come to terms with what was happening.

Henry had returned to the ship with Anhya and a few minutes later, Nera returned. Ash put a silence shield around the ship and ate the meal Henry had brought him while Henry explained what he'd heard.

"To think, I spent all day sending out animals and he was right under your nose," Nera said with a frown. She looked at Henry and gave him a satisfied nod. "Although, you did a good job listening in."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Henry cracked a small smile. "I learned from the best, Auntie."

Nera looked towards her goddaughter. "Anhya, do you understand the danger of going? You are going to literally walk into an enemy stronghold."

"My brothers are with me! I will be fine!" Anhya's eyes blazed and Henry looked away. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so encouraging earlier.

"My dear, you will be surrounded."

"I will stay with my brothers at all times!"

"Momma," Ash cut in and pushed his empty plate away. "One of us will stay with her at all times. We'll disguise her and keep our distance first. We'll survey the site. If we can get in and out safely, we'll proceed. If it's too risky, we'll observe from the outside. Have some animals follow us so they can do some reconnaissance and report back."

Nera's lips were in a thin line. She didn't speak and seemed to be mulling over the risks and rewards of Anhya going. Anhya really had no reason to go, but she'd come all this way. It would also be a good experience for her, as long as the danger was mitigated. She raised her head to look at Henry. "What do you think?"

Henry looked from her to Anhya and back. "It involves her." He didn't say whether he agreed to take Anhya or not, but the fact of the matter was that those people who were meeting up that night had conspired against her. This was personal, and if it were Henry, he'd want others to respect that.

Nera took another deep breath. "What are your plans if you are able to enter safely?"

"I want to take a look at the caliber of the soldiers they want to send. If they don't pose much of a threat, we'll let them get reasonably close to Suna before attacking and destroying them, so as to use the excuse of defense," Henry replied.

"And if they're a significant threat or more?" Nera asked.

"Then we'll have to find a chance to stop them before they leave the Dragon Continent," Henry answered. As of knowing what she'd ask next, he continued. "And if we have that chance tonight, we will take it."

Three sets of eyes looked at Nera, waiting for her decision. "For all their in-fighting, avianids are social and clannish. They will form temporary truces amongst themselves to work together against a common enemy or threat. At the same time, avianids are supposed to follow a strict code and not get involved in foreign matters, as that would be inviting foreign retaliation. And by foreign, I don't just mean outside the Dragon Continent, I mean other species and humanoid groups. They worry it will affect all of them when they're already low in number."

"So, they will gather together to fight us?" Anhya frowned.

"Theoretically, yes, but this specific group targeted you first. They voluntarily got themselves involved in a foreign matter. However, this needs to be explained to the larger group once your retaliation is discovered," Nera replied. "You must be careful who you deal with when you go."

Henry nodded.

"What about you, Ash?" Nera asked.

"I want to see the fire crystal spears. With any luck, they're stored in the same area. I can drain the fire crystals, making them regular staves," he replied. "If possible, preventing more complex weapons from reaching Iveria and accidentally getting into the hands of the wrong people."

"Assess the situation first before you decide to infiltrate," Nera said. "No matter what, keep Anhya safe. If she needs to return first, one of you must send her home personally."

"Yes, Momma."

"Yes, Auntie."

"Anhya," Nera turned to look at her excited goddaughter. "This is not a fun side quest. There are real dangers. I am only allowing you to go because Henry and Ash are with you. You can't leave their side, do you understand?"

Anhya's head bobbed up and down. "I understand, godmother!"

Nera took one more deep breath and exhaled slowly. "If you are not back by dawn, I will go after you."

"Don't worry, Momma," Ash said with a wide smile. "We'll be done well before then."

Henry nodded, but silently hoped 'done' didn't just mean recklessly destroy a nest. Ash brought Anhya below deck to disguise her. First, color her hair, then use eye drops to change her eye color, and finally, dress her to look like a young boy rather than a girl. The clothes were simple, but clean, and worn in a way that changed Anhya's outline.

By dusk, Anya had dark brown hair with a wavy texture she didn't have before. Her eyes had been turned green, and make-up had been used to change the shadows and highlights of her face to distort it and make her look less feminine. She was given eyedrops to help see at night as a final touch.

"Second Brother, where did you get these pencils and powders?" Anhya asked as she lifted it up.

"Hana helped me make them for disguises," Ash said. He gave her a haughty look. "I don't need makeup to make me look better. When you look like I do, there is no need."

Anhya squinted at him, but didn't reply.

When she stepped on to the main deck, she looked like a boy ready to take on a new job doing errands. She held out her arms as she stopped in front of Nera. "Godmother, what do you think?"

Nera didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned forward, craned her neck, and seemed to be looking Anhya up and down from behind her veil. "Who are you, and where is my goddaughter?"

"Pff!" Anhya laughed and gave her a toothy grin.

Nera smiled softly and reached out to cup the side of Anhya's head. "Stay with your brothers at all times. Follow their directions. Don't do anything risky."

"Godmother, I know," Anhya replied. She took Nera's hand in hers and squeezed it. "I won't take any risks and won't be exposed."

Nera was quiet and Henry turned his head away. He was certain his aunt didn't believe her.

"Momma, the prisoners below are asleep," Ash said. "They shouldn't wake up until tomorrow night." He ran his hand through this black-dyed hair, which matched Henry's.

Nera frowned. "Why did you put them to sleep for so long?"

"Didn't you say that if we're not back by dawn, you'd come after us. I added buffer time," Ash replied. He leaned forward and gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, Momma! We'll be fine!"

Nera let out a heavy sigh as she watched Anhya and Ash walk down the gangplank to the dock. Henry prepared to follow and heard Nera's voice behind them. "Safety is the priority, Henry. If it gets too dangerous, come back immediately."

"Yes, Auntie." He reached the two and gave them both a nod. He had briefed them on the plan earlier.

They would walk and then loiter by the walkway leading to pier twenty-seven. From there, they'd be able to see who was coming and going from that pier. The road was also just down the walkway and connected to the street.

To make their walk more believable, Henry bought some snacks from one of the shops across the way. Many stores sold items as gifts or souvenirs for travelers to bring home. The trio leaned against the low sea wall, slowly eating sea-salted crisps. The sun was almost completely below the horizon. Only a thin sliver of orange cut over the surface of the sea in the distance.

City workers had come to light the gas street lights. They weren't as bright as crystal illuminated street lights, but they were enough to keep the main street facing the port well lit. Large lights were also aimed over the ships, so that crews coming and going could see where they stepped and not fall into the water.

None of them mentioned the carriage that arrived and stopped just a few paces from them. The door opened and an avianid with his brown and tan wings neatly folded behind him stepped out. He kept his sharp eyes on the ships docked on the pier.

Henry had taken a look at the ships when they arrived. There were two docked there, both large vessels comparable to one of their older Sea Serpents, but only one of them had the name of the cargo ship Raiju had mentioned. Had the second cargo ship not yet arrived? Perhaps it was anchored out at shore and waiting? There was a fee for docking.

After a few moments, Ash let out a small cough. Henry didn't move and continued to lean against the seawall with his back to the path, so as not to attract attention.

"Mr. Yazdan," the avianid greeted the man that passed Henry from behind. The faint creaking of a carriage sounded as someone climbed in.

"There are only two of us tonight," a man spoke the local creole broken, and with a heavy accent.

Henry and Ash instinctively met each other's gaze and had a silent conversation on the voice they'd heard. That was an Ashtari accent from the way certain consonants were pronounced. If Sarae was right and her lover was a refugee, his accent wouldn't have sounded so deep, if he had an Ashtari accent at all after years of 'traveling' with a merchant caravan.

The door to the carriage closed. The driver appeared to be another avianid and snapped the reins to get the two horses to move.

The carriage turned around and began the way it came. Anhya dared to crane her head to look after it.

"Brothers, now what? Where are the horses?"

"At the end of the street. Momma arranged them," Ash said. He crushed the paper bag their crisps had come in and shoved it in his pocket before clapping his hands together to get off the remaining crumbs. "Let's go."

Anhya nodded and jogged a few steps ahead of them. She paused and looked over her shoulder at the two leisurely men following her. Her shoulders slumped forward. "What are you doing? We'll never catch up!"

"We don't have to," Henry said. He lifted a hand and pointed towards the sky. Anhya tilted her head and squinted.

"What am I looking at?"

"Oh, it's dark," Ash said, also looking up towards the sky. "The ravens will keep track and assist us. We don't need to rush."

Her brows rose and she nodded. "Oh...."

Henry cracked a smile and squeezed the top of her head as they passed. "Did you think we'd have to run after a carriage?"

Flustered, she scowled. "Well, not on foot!"

"At the very least they're taking a carriage. This means that there has to be a decent road nearby their nest," Ash said. "I was worried we'd have to go through a rough path to follow. Even with horses, it's troublesome to catch up at night."

Anhya nodded. "I hope the terrain where their nest is located is easy to get to."

Ash reassured her. "I'm sure it is, but the distance might be longer than expected."

"As long as I don't have to climb too many cliffs or mountains." Anhya continued walking ahead and the two brothers cocked their heads.

"Wait, wait," Ash said. "What do you think their nest looks like?"

Anhya looked over her shoulder and raised her brow. "Sort of like a camp where all of them sleep near each other?"

Henry could feel his lips twitching as he struggled to hold back a laugh. "You mean...like actual birds' nests...birds' nests in trees?"

Anhya seemed to sense their amusement and then frowned. "What? Isn't that where we're going? You said it was their nest."

Henry struggled to hold back a laugh. "You think that avianids sleep in actual nests? Anhya-"

"No, no!" Ash scrambled to the side and covered his mouth with his hand. "Don't tell her!" His eyes were filled with glee. "Don't! Let her see for herself!"

"What's so funny?" Anhya flushed. "You said they had a nest!"

Ash bit his lips, but his snort laugh could still be heard coming through. Anhya's face only grew redder.

Henry put his hand on Ash's head and gave him a little shake. "Okay, stop laughing. It's just a misunderstanding."

"What's a misunderstanding? You're the ones who told me!" Anhya choked out. "They live in nests!"

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Ash's shoulders shook as he sat on the back of a horse, desperately trying to muffle his laughter, as below them, they looked down at a massive multi-story structure. Though it was night, they could make out carved columns and intricate decorations just on the exterior alone.

On the horse next to him, Anhya's face was flushed red with embarrassment as they stopped halfway up a mountain road and moved against the trees lining it.

They were an hour's ride from the city, past the villages that dotted the main roads, and reaching a series of smooth hills. The hills appeared dense with vegetation, but there were many homes nestled around them. The fenced off areas usually had several single-story dwellings clustered together.

They were family units. Living this far in a remote area, but still close enough to a bustle port city, it was likely that the residents commuted. If the homes were not clustered together, then it was the exact opposite. Tall stone walls and iron gates hiding the entrances that led to sprawling mountainside homes.

When they reached the mid portion of the road, Ash suddenly stopped and turned his horse around. He looked up at the sky and seemed to be following one of the ravens flying overhead. When the three of them came to a stop, the raven noticed and began to descend.

It landed on the rooftop of one of the large homes. From the road, they couldn't see the front of the house, only the iron gates.

"So...," Ash said in between wheezes. "Is that the nest you had in mind?"

Anhya immediately whipped her head to face him and glared. "There could be nests inside the house!"

"Sure."

"You've never been here before! How did you know that they lived in a house?" Anhya seethed, as if she'd been tricked.

"Avianids are communal. In modern times, they live together in large compounds centered around one large house. The larger the flock, the more structures in the compound. Also, they're a species that enjoy shiny metals and gemstones. They use them to decorate their nests," Henry replied. "So, of course their modern homes would look extravagant and ornate."

"They're proud people, remember?" Ash said with a grin. "You think they're going to sleep outside on a cliffside with a few twigs and straw as a bed? They'd find it insulting."

Anhya's face remained red. "I'm not familiar with their likes and dislikes."

"Never mind that," Henry said. "Ash, go down and do a preliminary check of the perimeter. Anhya and I will tie the horses and wait for you here."

Ash nodded and slid off his saddle before reaching into his pocket for a slip. In front of them, they watched Ash's finger seem to disappear, starting with the hand that held the slip.

Henry also dismounted and gathered the reins of both his and Ash's horses before leading them into the forest.

Anhya kept trying to peer through the trees to see what was going on in the compound below.

"Do you think we'll be able to get in?" she asked.

Henry nodded once. "Getting in is easy. Remaining undetected is another thing. When we get in, we'll have to hide or sneak around. The last time we did something like this; we managed to enter as servers. I'm not sure if we'll have a chance to do that here, since there are many members of the flock and a strict hierarchy."

"Then, we'll have to become invisible to sneak around?"

"It'll work from a distance, but animal-humanoids tend to have better senses of smell. If they smell us, but don't see us, they'll think something is wrong and could become more alert. As of right now, we're just here to gather information."

Anhya nodded her head, but seemed a bit disappointed.

Henry kept his eyes on the raven still sitting on the peak for the rooftop. As long as it was perched there, Ash was nearby. When the bird flapped its wings and took off, it meant Ash was retreating.

They were quiet for some time longer before the sound of a paper being torn was heard. They saw a brief flicker of light, or a glow, from the invisibility strip as Ash ripped it in half.

"They only have a life span of half an hour," Ash said with a slight frown. "I thought I had better ones."

"Never mind that," Henry said. "What does the situation look like? Can we sneak in?"

Ash took a deep breath. "There are no outside workers. I checked the kitchen, and from what I could see, all avianids."

Henry frowned. "It'll be difficult to enter the nest then."

Ash grimaced. "Well...aside from that merchant, there are other humans."

"What didn't you start with that?" Anhya sighed. "We'll just pretend we're part of their group."

Ash squinted. "They're the entertainment."

Anhya frowned. "What instruments?"

"What kind of entertainment?" Henry said at the same time.

Ash swallowed hard and smiled. "Dancers." Anhya gasped and covered her chest. Ash rolled his eyes. "Not that kind of dancers. Honestly, what are you thinking? You're still a kid!"

"I'm a kid, not naive," Anhya replied. "Do the dancers have musicians with them?"

"There are three musicians and five dancers, but if we're going to pretend to be them, we'll need to knock all eight of them out," Ash told her.

"There are only three of us. How can three people pretend to be eight?" Henry said with a frown. He shook his head. "That won't work, we need to think of another way."

"Then, we'll just have to sneak in." Ash shrugged his shoulders, helpless.

Henry let out a heavy sigh and ran his hand down his face. Anhya looked at him. "Brother, perhaps we should just try to observe from afar."

"Afar isn't good enough," Ash said. "I ran around the house and couldn't find any stored weapons outside. They may be stored inside."

Henry grit his teeth. "All right. We can't leave without at least finding out what their arsenal is. Let's get close to the property and then use invisibility slips to get inside."

"Brother, they don't last long enough," Ash said. "I only have the ones for thirty minutes."

"What about your invisibility ring?"

"I left it with Effie. She said she might need it, so after I did some work on it, I let her borrow it to test."

"Why would she...never mind. Thirty minutes is enough. We won't go out of our way to avoid the crowds," Henry said. "That way if they smell us, they won't think anything of it as long as there are others around." He looked at Anhya seriously. "Stay close. You must do whatever we say, understand?"

Anhya's lips were in a tight line and her eyes were filled with both expectation and determination. "I understand."

Henry took a deep breath and gave Ash a nod. "Let's go."

Getting to the property was easy in the dark. They made a point of staying within the shadows. As they got closer, they saw light pouring from all the windows and entryways leading outside.

"Avianids have poor vision at night," Ash whispered as they sneaked closer to the building. "Everything is brightly lit." They hid behind a tree and some decorative bushes. Ash turned his back to the house and brought his hands close to his chest.

Henry almost couldn't see the faint glow of slips as they were activated. Ash then slapped his shoulder and Henry looked down. His body began to disappear from view.

"Wow...." He heard Anhya beside him and looked over just in time to see her head disappear with the rest of her body. However, he could make out a faint energy where she was standing. He turned his head and Ash vanished beside him.

"These are sister slips, so those using them can still see some residual energy from its sister slips," Ash said. "Can you both see the energy haze where I'm standing?"

"Yes."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, good. Remain close. Brother, once we get inside, send Raiju or Naali to search for weapons. Then, we'll follow you."

"Understood."

The plan was simple, and since they didn't need to duck and hide every time someone came, they moved about with ease. They only had to avoid bumping into anyone or anything that could be knocked over and alert the homeowners.

Raiju and Naali were quick to work and found the weapons across the house. The problem was, they needed to get through the maze of halls, which constantly had avianids walking around, and then through heavily guarded and locked doors.

"How much time do we have left on these slips?" Henry asked in a low voice as they stood with their backs pressed against the wall, in a hallway as bright as day, looking at the locked door with two guards posted on either side.

"Considering how long it took us to get here...not long."

Henry grit his teeth. "We need to find an empty room where we can wait for these slips to die out and then reapply."

"We also need to figure out how we're going to get in there," Ash said.

"Put the guards to sleep?" Anhya suggested.

"We'd need to move them so their bodies aren't laying in front of the door." Henry looked towards the hall junction. "Not many have passed here, but if they're lying there for long enough, they'll be seen."

"We also need to get through said door," Ash added.

Henry narrowed his eyes. "Naali, can you freeze the lock low enough that it'll shatter if we jostle the door?"

"Ohh...that's a good idea," Ash praised.

"Naali says she can, but the temperature will drop and it'll be noticeable," Henry said. "We'll knock out the guards, then Naali will freeze the locks and we'll break in and bring the guards with us."

"Good plan!" Anhya told them.

"Have her start. Leave the guards to me." Henry heard Ash beside him and as he ordered Naali to begin freezing the locks, the guards standing across from them fell one by one.

Cold air seemed to seep from the door and little lines of frost appeared on the surface. Henry waited until Naali gave him the word.

"Don't touch the lock with your skin, Master!"

Got it. Henry braced himself and slammed his shoulder against the door. He heard cracking and there was some give, but the door didn't open.

"On the count of three," he heard Ash's voice beside him. "One. Two. Three!"

The two brothers pushed against the door. Something that sounded like metal hitting the ground and shattering sounded. There was some resistance before the door gave way, and the bone-chilling cold that had been inside hit them.

"Naali! Restrain the cold!" Ash wasn't a summoner, but since Naali was there and could hear him, she reacted without Henry ordering her. Despite her efforts, it was still cold and the trio shivered as they stepped in.

He and Ash dragged the two guards inside and Anhya closed the door. Light slips appeared out of thin air and illuminated the room.

At once, Henry heard Anhya suck in a sharp, horrified breath. "There are so many of them...."

"How long did it take to produce all of this?" Ash muttered.

Henry stared at the rows and rows of carefully propped up fire crystal spears. The racks were nearly as tall as he was and they were neat rows, going far down the storage area. The contents of that storage area could easily fill up at least five or six large cargo ships.

"Ash," Henry said in a low voice. "Disable them."

"Already doing it!" From all sides, Henry heard the sound of crystal cracking and frowned.

"What is that?"

"When they lose energy rapidly, they crack." As he said it, the entire room seemed to echo with the constant wave of cracking minerals. "On the upside, this also means the crystal can't be used again." The sound faded further and further away.

Henry let out a heavy breath. "Brother," Anhya said behind him. "Were all of these going to be used against my people?"

Henry narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure. There are more than two cargo ships worth of weapons here, so perhaps some of these would've been used by the flock or put on sale for some other warlord."

The two fell into a contemplative silence as the cracking continued around them.

"Second Brother, how long will it take you to-"

"Done!" a voice shouted from the back of the storage area.

Henry heard Anhya choke. "What? Already? We just got here!"

"I have a clear view of all the crystals and all I have to do is draw out their energy. Fire crystals do a lot of damage, but they actually don't contain a lot of energy, so it takes a second," Ash replied, his voice getting closer. "It's just that I need to be close enough to do it. That's why I was running through the aisles."

"We can't see you running," Henry said in a dull voice.

"Well, I was."

Henry shook his head. "All right, let's wait for these invisibility slips to finish and then reapply."

"Hmm...." Ash let out a hum of agreement. Then, Henry heard him gasp. "Oh."

That didn't sound good. Henry frowned. "What 'oh'?"

"I'm out."

Henry clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. "Out of what, exactly?"

"Umm...invisibility slips."

Henry let out a low growl. "You-"

"Brother, let's go!" Anhya said. "Let's just go and get as far as we can before the slips run out!"

Henry grumbled. "Fine. I'll yell at you later."

"Yeah, I thought I had more...."

Henry pulled open the door and waited until the two energy fogs he could see got out before closing it behind him. Without hesitation, they backtracked to the nearest exit they could find.

As they cut through the halls, passing numerous avianids that tensed when they felt a slight breeze pass them, Henry seemed to subconsciously quicken his pace.

"Brother!" Anhya gasped behind him. He turned around and saw her starting to fade back into visibility. Her eyes were wide and horrified as she looked at him.

"Find a place to hide!" Henry said.

"Wait, there's a door there!" Ash pointed down a corridor and the trio turned in. As soon as they did, Henry saw that all three of them had become visible. Ash didn't seem to care as he rushed to the door and froze. "What in the lower gates of the underworld is this!"

"What?" Henry rushed forward and pulled him away. Henry's eyes widened. "A decorative door?

'Who paints a door at the end of a hallway?" Ash hissed as he waved his hand at the life-size painted-on illusion. Before anyone could answer him, he groaned. "Bad luck. They think it's bad luck to have dead ends! These stupid-"

"Hey!" A shadow fell over them from the entrance of the narrow hall they'd darted into. Henry whirled around and instinctively stepped forward as he saw two avianids at the entrance of the hall. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

Henry prepared to reach into his bag to take out his sword with one hand while moving Anhya behind him with another.

The two avianids narrowed their eyes as the trio. "I'll ask you again-"

"Where have you been!?" Ash stepped forward, back straight and eyes looking directly into theirs as Henry almost jumped in surprise at his brother's booming voice. "We have been lost in this maze of a building for at least fifteen minutes!" Ash threw his arms in the air dramatically as he stepped in front of the avianids with such speed that they took a step back to avoid him in case they collided. Ash scowled. "Didn't you hear us yelling?"

"What yelling? Who are you?" One of the avianids scowled at them and lifted his head, trying to meet Ash's irritated gaze.

Ash scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Who do you think we are?" he asked, almost mocking. The two avianids opened their mouths, but couldn't find an answer. Ash let out a groan and grasped his hair. "We're the musicians," he said, motioning to Henry and Anhya. He then pointed to himself and lifted his chin. "And the dancer!"