Chapter Eight

As a child Oridi had often walked the streets of many cities that most would consider, unseemly, but nevertheless proceed without worry. Changing ones form at will could do that to a person, and Oridi was certainly still a person. It didn’t matter what sort of experiments they’d done, or what visions had appeared and haunted their dreams, the mind still worked and the body still moved. Perhaps it was the thrill of danger with the knowledge of easy escape that made the prospect so appealing, like a touring Lord aboard a carriage being shown around a new property. Safe, secure in the knowledge that nothing could harm you.

Oridi had been wrong, of course, though that wouldn’t be until much later, and would be the start of a quiet thirst for danger that created the Changeling currently sitting at a table surrounded by strangers. They’d been warned once, during youth in a lower town in the north. The town hadn’t been anything special, known for mining and only just, but the occasional skirmishes from the Kamdu created a healthy stream of wounded veterans. The worst off ended up in that town as beggars. 

“Beware! A kij-vathee stalks you child, beware their offers of trickery for they are not but gold stained lies. Heed the den of wolves and their empty eyes.” One had shouted. It had been a line of note, one that Oridi had gone and recorded later in their journal. Oridi never knew why, but something about them always had seeming hauntingly stupid. 

Currently sitting in a den of wolves, staring down a youth with empty eyes betraying nothing, Oridi began to wonder if there had actually been something to the words. Kij-vathee were desert demons, the translation didn’t run right but Kamdu had never been of particular interest. It was a demon of desire that roamed the sands offering an Oasis to any willing to make a deal or fulfill a task. It wouldn’t usually be difficult, that was the appeal to it; easy work doing something you may have already needed to do in exchange for wealth beyond measure? Most would jump at the offer, only to discover that the demon had tricked their mind into doing something awful. Victims would be devoured not long after, their minds broken from the shock of their actions. In the legends were true. 

Yet Albert didn’t seem a Kij-vathee, nor really anything at all for that matter. A dock hand maybe, he had the build for it, but certainly not someone leading a six person crew to assassinate the Count. It would be foolish having someone so young lead; and the job for Nadriels sake! Assassinate the Count in his own city? Were they mad? It was suicide at the least.

“And its exactly what I was caught trying to do” Oridi thought. 

It had been a poorly thought out and irresponsible move, Oridi hadn’t even gone to the effort of trying to find anyone to work with. People were a liability, they couldn’t shift and were terrible at quick witted conversation, but they often made excellent offerings in the way of people to mimic and talents to exploit. Weak and useless unless you found a reason for them to die, and a way to prevent it. 

Oridi pushed the thought aside hurriedly “No.” They thought “Thats not what I am, not anymore.”

“So then who are you?” A voice asked. 

With a start Oridi realized that the question had been answered without delay and that the rest of the would-be-crew were beginning introductions. They had apparently avoided her awkward standing for long enough that the inevitable had happen. 

Oridi took a breathe to clear her mind. 

“Her,” She thought, slipping her own mind into the role this play demanded. “I’m her, a tsenian woman. I’m just a regular… er…” What had she promised? Something about those flashy Academys and her powers? The whirlwind of events, failures and confusion muddling into a miasma of oblique, made focusing on any one detail blurry. She’d already given her real name, or as real a name as a changeling could have, so that point was moot. The rest was just something she’d have to talk her way through, that was what she was good at right?

“I’m Oridi.” Oridi said. She took a seat before adding “I’m new in town.”

It was a new group, both to her and to each other from their looks, its best to start on a good foot. 

“Albert.” Albert said. He’d apparently been the one to address her. 

“Khokke, but we met. And that,” Khokke said pointing to the other valleyman “Is Ihugi, my Syetdu.” 

“I saved his life,” Ihugi’s voice was higher than Khokkes, but more controlled. When neither Ihugi nor Khokke offered any further details the woman in with the plague mask chirped up. 

“Tsep.” Tsep said curtly.
“I’m Mogti,” The Kamdu-re said. Her words seemed to bellow through the chamber with such little effort. “Can you fight? You look weak.”

“What?!” Oridi barked in frustration “What in the Goddesses does that mean?”

“Of course she can fight Mogti,” The Tsenian said. “Look at her, she wouldn’t have gotten very far if she didn’t.”

“Hmm,” Mogto crossed her arms and drew a hand to her chin. Evidently she didn’t seem to believe it.

“That one is Shosh,” Albert said “local nobleman.”

“There isn’t much noble about him.” Oridi said. Mogti, Khokke, and Albert seemed to perk up at that, though Shosh ignored her. 

“You alright?” Khokke asked “You seemed to be in a trance there for a minute.”

“I’m sorry…” Oridi said weakly, she raised a hand to her head “I must have been wandering there before. Being pulled into a secretive meeting discussing such extraordinary attempts at violence must have just thrown me.”

“Are you not pleased with the idea?” Albert asked “I understand that its quite the task but I promise the payment is worth it. Not to mention you can use the house for boarding, no one owns the shack, its just sat here for the past few months after reports of hauntings, so i’m sure no one will mind.”

“What a lovely tsusu that you have offered us.” Shosh mocked “Why, Viltran himself would commend your hospitality.”

“I’ll agree that i’m not exactly finding the place enjoyable either,” Tsep added “Will sleeping here be a requirement?”

Albert sighed, frown growing across his youthful face.

“No, it would make it safer but it isn’t required.”

“Okay, but why the Count?” Oridi asked. Something didn’t seem right to her, some piece was missing. 

“Hmm? Why? I should think you’re the only person in this room to ask that question Oridi.” Albert said. “I recruited the others knowing they disliked the Count, but I don’t know that I ever gave them a reason, come to think of it. Perhaps vengeance for a fallen friend, maybe a lost love the man stole. Truthfully i’m just following instructions. Find people with little to nothing to lose with a grudge against the Count and plan an assassination. Thats it.”

“It? That? Find expendable people and use them?” Oridi interrogated 

“Yes and No.” Albert remained frowning but his expression didn’t grow worse. Perhaps he had been expecting someone to ask. “I need people of little renown so as not to draw attention. I chose people with a grudge against the man to best hedge my bets on someone betraying us.”

“And what of me?” She continued “You don’t know me, didn’t recruit me, am i supposed to believe that you watched me sent Khokke to find me?”

“Ihugi,” The boy called “you still have your connection within the Counts personal guard?”

The silent valleyman nodded.

“And didn’t I hear you mention something about someone trying to break in this morning? Some woman or something. Beaten within an inch of her life I believe you said.” 

Another nod. Oridi grew tense, had he been watching her? Or was it all just a big coincidence? She tried to play with the idea of fate, but as soon as she introduced it the whole thought fell apart beneath her. 

“You sent Khokke.” Oridi whispered “You sent Khokke to find me… B-but how? That guard Hagges took me and was going to have his way with me, surely you didn’t plan that?”

“A fortunate, if not utterly repulsive, opportunity sadly. I DID send Khokke to the local jail, but he apparently got a tad lost.”

“Sun was going down, it was a good time to drink.” Khokke puffed out his chest as he said the words. “Seemed that Stone-father agreed.”

“Ah, so evening drinking instead of work is a common trait for you is it?” Shosh asked

“As much as it is for you, Shosh.” Tsep said

“And a plan?” Oridi was growing annoyed now. The banter, the deceit, the impossibility, the fact that it seemed too good to be true. “Or what if I walk away? I could tell the guards and this would all just being for nothing. Would you kill me to protect that?”

The room froze, apparently none of them had considered that. It seemed that they’d simply taken him at his word, but why? 

“Then you walk, I don’t stop you. I’ll inform my Master but likely the worst that will come is that you’ll be followed until the job is complete. Just as a precaution should you decide to do so.” Albert stated the words as if they were fact. As if everyone, everywhere had always conducted recruitment this way. 

“Master?” Oridi asked 

“It isn’t important right now, but suffice to say that she is a warrior of some renown.”

“Warrior, huh? So our boss is a squire for some uppity knight with too much money? Likely just bored and trying to take the land for himself, right?”

It was hard to tell, but it looked to Oridi that the words had almost hit. Alberts exposed fist was clenched and his frown was deepening, but he remained as he had ever been.

“That isn’t the case, I assure you. She is a woman of high honor and great respect. Do not insult her again.”

Oridi coughed a laugh and smiled. “Empty threats leave a girl wanting.”

“My words are as empty as yours.”

They held their glaring contest until Oridi eventually sighed and shook her head.

“No point in fighting over something you can’t control right? So, a plan?”

She didn’t like this. She didn’t like Albert. She didn’t trust Shosh, Tsep, Khokke, Ihugi, or Mogti, but distrust didn’t pay for food or boarding. She may be betrayed, but so what? That was how she got into this mess in the first place. She’d lost the only person she trusted because her “family” had found out about her “moonlighting”. Disowned and abandoned, that was their solution. She could distrust them all she wanted, watch them like scalehounds, but beyond that....

“You have a good head.” Mogti bellowed, it seemed her only volume was loud. “Better than Shosh at the least.”

“That is not a high cliff to climb.” Ihugi said

“We have a plan, of sorts.” Albert waved his hand to draw the attention of the others, surprisingly it worked and Shosh bit back what looked to be a scathing insult of the Silent man. “Everyone has a part to play in it. Ihugis a guard around the higher market district, gets to hear a good deal. Khokke and Ihugi are friends, like they said, and Khokke works for a smith nearby Ihugi’s main beat.”

“The Smith that the counts cheaper officers buy from.” Khokke supplied “Plenty of gossip there too.”

“Okay, that makes some sense. You said Shosh was a noble?” Oridi asked.

Shosh perked up slightly “Correct my dear. Second of his name, Shosh Tseyi, of Tseyi Goods.”

“My older tsenian is a bit rusty, but isn’t that just Wheel in the traditional?”

“Yes,” Shosh annoyance slowly crept back in “My grandfather was a genius in trade, always finding a good town or village; unfortunately that didn’t extend to his naming skills.”

“So why is a noble working to kill a Count.” 

“That is not something I wish to discuss. With anyone. Regardless, I wish to see my families name restored. I believe my best course of action is to take advantage of young Alberts betters and simply go along. For now.”

“That is bad reason.” Mogti said “I fight for home that the Counts family stole from us.”

“Like I said, everyone has reasons, whatever it may be.” Albert said stifly. Oridi swore she saw him shoot Shosh a glare, but the man didn’t react. 

“And should we survive? How much pay then?” Oridi asked

“Another Ninety-Seven each, that brings your totals individually to One Hundred Sen.”

“A hundred Sen to kill a Count? Doesnt that seem a little low with the possibility of starting a war on the table? Surely you don’t suspect that Viltran would do nothing as a trusted commander was executed in his own home?”

“Your fears are well founded.” Tsep said “But the two are quite further parted than their years on the front, rumor was that Viltran was considering having the man shipped out to the frontlines as punishment for the allegations of cult involvement.”

“The Count is the reason we are here, and I’ve been assured that it won’t cause a problem when we succeed. It will be a service to all of the Twelve Kingdoms, as well as to the surrounding lands owned by the Ugupmupians.”

“You seem to be very confident that this will all go as planned, whatever that plan is. How can you be so sure?”

“So you accept?” Albert asked.

Did she? The job was crazy, the people more-so for going along with it. These people were seriously considering killing the Count of Domina in his own city, under his own guard. It was incredibly risky and down right stupid.

“But if you don’t join then what will you?” Oridi thought “Try to sneak in again? Kill him yourself? If six is insane then how could she alone? Mimicry or no, that was asking for death. Or worse…” Oridi shuddered at the idea of experiments and torture, trying to break her apart so they could see how she worked. 

“I…” Here she was, sitting at a table of strangers with little to no chance of survival or success. She was likely going to die on another useless attempt at finding information, she’d die without killing her family, and yet all that still couldn’t beat down the smile slowly creeping across her face.

It was a challenge, a test, and it was one that Oridi only then realized she desperately wished to beat. The revenge, the theft, those could wait until the real test was over. They would be the prize for her to work towards. It would be a start, an intriguing start, but a start regardless; She’d help them kill the Count and use them to steal as much info as she could. 

“Here we go,” She thought “Cast the dice, say the words. Dive into the fray.”

With a nod of surety and a look of determination, Oridi met Alberts eyes and smiled. Smiled at the man who had given her basically nothing but his name and an impossible task. For some reason she loved him for that. The idea was foolhearty, the others were fools, but so was she and if a crazy plan was going to work, why not be with her help.

“I’m in Albert, lets kill a Count.”