I was going to combine this with Chapter Twenty-eight, because without the rest this is just so blah, but -- Chapter Twenty-eight is a beast. It's huge. So, no combining -- bear with me. ^^
Map is attached, just in case you have some difficulty imagining where they're going.
~*~
As they passed Bano, a single rider merged with their group, a thin boy on a thin horse. The horse was tall and rangy, and its wide stride kept up easily with the rest of the group. It bounded up beside Tsuunai, and the boy gave Daeun the Resistance salute. “M’lord,” he said, by way of greeting. “The name’s Hal. I’ll show you the way.”
He led them west, around the mountains, then curved sharply east. By the time they arrived in Serrno, six days had passed, for while though they wished to move as quickly as possible, it simply wasn’t viable with a child in tow. Ianna never showed her frustration, and no one ever told Anae that she was the reason they moved so slowly—that is to say, why they simply moved quickly, and not at break-neck speeds—though it was clear that she knew. Daeun held a sneaking suspicion that Ianna had asked Anae to come, and that this was the reason Anae was not overly bothered by the frustrating speeds.
Serrno was not like Tvaar, or Genor—it was completely unlike anything Ianna had seen in Talon or J’engar. It was a small town, but spread flat over a wide distance, so that when they crested the foothills it appeared very large indeed. Clouds hung low over the rooftops, and mist clung to the streets, making it difficult to breathe, especially for the J’engar, who were used to the arid deserts and the moisture-wanting air of Genor.
Serrno rested directly on the coast, supporting a large fishing navy, but it was in a state of disrepair that spoke loudly of the king’s influence. Bodies lay in the streets, some dead, others simply too weak to move. The boats in the harbor were barely floating, though there were a few that still worked, and were out in the bay dragging in half-empty nets.
Daeun hissed softly, but seemed speechless, for he said nothing. Hal halted his horse, dismounting. “Anyone riding a horse is searched,” Hal explained in muted tones. “I can get them safely to a stable. Keep quiet; the fog makes things louder.”
Following his lead, they dismounted and led their mounts into Serrno, taking narrow back passages that twisted and turned back on itself many times. It was difficult to move quickly, for they had to avoid the trash and the bodies. The smell was horrible—it smelled like death, rotting and sickly.
They never once turned towards the ocean, but skimmed around the edge of the city until they crossed close to the mountains. Hidden betwixt two tall foothills was a stable and a large inn, around whom a dozen or so men lounged, looking bored and without purpose. It was immediately clear, however, that they were protection, in case the king took enough of an interest in the inn to burn it down.
“Hal,” the nearest man said quietly. “That him?”
“That’s him,” Hal replied, and every man present saluted Daeun with a brave, blatant flourish. Daeun looked mildly abashed at their fearlessness.
“Serrno is dying,” Hal said to Daeun, pushing open the stable door. “Those of us who live, we fight to stay that way, and there’s only one man who’s reached out to help us.” He looked at Daeun frankly. “You, m’lord. There’s not a man, woman, or child in Serrno who doesn’t pay you allegiance.”
“All the more reason for us to move quickly.” Daeun let Tsuunai go, and Tsuunai obediently walked himself into a nearby stall. Hal hesitated.
“About that,” Hal said nervously, fingering his horse’s bridle. “Guards change every twelve hours, and—well—it’s not exactly easy to get to.”
“Where is he?” Ianna said dangerously.
“Under there,” Hal replied, and pointed out to the bay. “There’s a tunnel that leads to the dungeons beneath the water. It’d be suicide to try to go that way, so—well—I swam. I swam to a cave on the coast that leads to a … crack … in the dungeon wall.”
“A crack,” Ianna said flatly. “In a wall.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Hal said defensively. “I barely fit, and I’m skinny.”
That was an understatement; he was little more than skin and bones. “Then how do you propose to get us in?” Daeun demanded.
“Um,” Hal said, sweat beginning to bead on his brow. “I thought maybe you could—I don’t know—break down the wall where the crack is, and get through.”
“Okay,” Daeun said, stalling Ianna with a hand. “We’ll go see this—crack—of yours, and see if it is at all possible to break through—”
“Don’t bother,” Ianna hissed. “I’ll get there myself.”
“But—you can’t go through the tunnel, they’ll—” Hal protested, shocked.
“I’m not going to,” Ianna said contemptuously, shedding her outer robes and taking a step backward. Her eyes seemed to glow white, and a moment later she’d vanished, with hardly a whisper to announce her departure.
“She—she’s gone!” Hal yelped incredulously, running shaking hands through his hair, making it stand on end.
“Show me the crack,” Daeun sighed, shooting a tired look at the sky.
