Chapter 52, infiltration

(Trisha)

Trisha clutched at her empty stomach as she swayed on dry land. Her stomach tightened as bile rose in her throat. For days she had ridden the river barge north. With a fair wind, the barge had carried Trisha, her team, and the three mercenaries up the river in just under four days. Her vision swam as she steady herself on the pier, gazing over the Souren river to the distant bank. The river looked calm, but the boat had rocked side to side the entire journey.

" Thank the gods, I am never touching a boat again." Vowed Trisha breathing deep, quick breaths.

"It wasn't that bad. I mean seriously, Trisha, the ocean is far worse. We are only an hour by horse to the city of Hurst. That's three days off our trip." Said Greg happily.

Trisha glared at Greg as she slowly walked around, holding her stomach as she adjusted to the lack of swaying.

" Well, you can always ride back to the capitol on your horse after we finish our mission?" Said Eliya calmly, leading her horse down the gangplank.

" I would rather walk back home than get on that, that thing again! That was the worst three days of my life." Said Trisha, goose bumps rising on her skin as she eyed the slowly rocking barge disdainfully.

" Three days actually. And I thought you said the Bishops test before we left was the worst day of your life." Said Greg, grinning at her.

Trisha could see Eliya's expression change from the corner of her eye to disapproval.

"And what test are you talking about?" Asked Trisha. Greg's face paled as she directed her ill temper at him.

" Never mind, forget I said anything." Said Greg.

" What! Greg, you can't just give a teaser! Give us more details man." Said Roger cheerily, twirling the corner of his sparse blond mustache.

"It's nothing Roger, just a task the Bishop assigned me." Reply Trisha as she glared daggers at Greg. Trisha cringed to herself in remembrance of the night before they left.

Her dreams, those terrible nightmares, dragging her through a living hell. Somehow during the night, Victor had forced Trisha to experience being tied to a stake and then being torn apart by savage wolves. She bore the torcher as best she could, waking up screaming. The memories were still so fresh. She could see images, no doubt pulled from her memories. The first was of Reskeme, his white hair matted to his forehead as he screamed. His flickering green eyes stare at her, betrayal filling their depths. Trisha swallowed, her limbs trembling. Was this Trishas doing? Thick shackles bound him to a metal pole, the red fire swirling around him, charring and cracking his red skin, revealing flesh and bone until only chains remained. The metal clamping around the charred bone of his wrists and ankles.

Her heart broke as she experienced the next nightmare once again. Trisha felt tears stream down her face as she sat on a blood-soaked corpse, staring down into the cold, empty eyes of Eliya. Her friend's arms were shattered and vicious gouges cut across her throat, covering the cobbles in thick red blood.

And last, she watched Greg kneeling over the still dead Eliya. Trisha's heart couldn't bear the pain. The mans tear-stained face would haunt her, an image of as Greg staring down at Eliya's dead body burned into her mind. He was sobbing uncontrollably. Trisha could do nothing as images of death and despair flowed through her mind.

Trisha could still remember waking up sobbing as shadowy figures gutted Eliya in front of her. Her friend begging to be saved. And then there was Reskeme, oh Reskeme. Victor had showed her betrayal again and again. And then, as though knowing what was going to happen, Victor showed an image of Reskeme laying on the cold stone, a familiar curved dagger buried in his Back. Most foreboding of all was the look of utter surprise and betrayal on Reskeme's face as he bled across the cobblestones. By the time morning had come, Trisha's eyes felt raw. She rocked on her bed and sobbed, clasping her trembling knees. She rocked herself, unsure of how much more she could take. Her reprieve came when the Bishop had entered her room. Trisha lay there after that, her eyes welling with tears.

Trisha shudder again. She had stared at the Bishop's hand, knowing the woman wanted the time piece. Trisha grit her teeth and, used all of her anger, she ignored the demon's power. Anger welled in her and was that fear? Trisha smiled, still clutching her knees for support. She clutched onto that fear and, through a sheer effort of will, forced Victor back to the timepiece. Victor was a wall of hate and anger. At first he refused to leave, refused to budge. But after an entire night of torture, Trisha had her own anger. She threw her power at the demon, her veins burned as she threw an overwhelming river of her mana at Victor. The demon screamed in pain as Trisha unclasped the leather strap of the timepiece from her wrist.

That bastard, Victor. The fake memories flashed through her mind again and again. Trisha turned from her friends, using her silk blouse to wipe her welling tears. She breathed deeply, settling her nerves and her treacherous stomach. She wouldn't let that happen. They were just nightmares brought on by a demon.

Much to Trishas horror, the Bishop had only given her a two-hour break before the Bishop returned clasping the time piece back around Trishas wrist.

Trishas shook her head. Her senses came back to her abruptly. She glanced down at the timepiece. Trisha swallowed every night since was easier at least a little, each slightly less awful. She was learning to fight it. Perhaps that was why the Bishop forced this torture on her? She snapped out of her thoughts.

The leader of the three mercenaries was saying something.

" Once we get to the city of Hurst, we will split into two teams: Trisha, Greg, and I will meet our inside man. While Roger, Carl and Eliya will set up our base of operation in the city." Said Elliot, delivering the orders easily.

Trisha had already confirmed the plan with Elliot and so she just nodded her head. Elliot was the leader of the mercenary group and so Trisha allowed him to give them orders. Soo far that had worked just fine, and she would not change that now.

Groaning in discomfort, Trisha patter her chestnut mare on the neck. She led the horse around after saddling her until Trisha was sure the horse was used to stable ground again. From the horse's initial wobbling, her mare disliked boats just as much as she did.

" It's okay, girl, we can ride back home. I won't put you through that again." said Trisha, patting the mare's neck and swinging into the saddle. The horse nickered. Trisha could swear the horse actually answered? The leather creaked, and she swayed as her mare plodded from the dock towards the city of Hurst.

They rode from the docks through the small city built around the Sauren river. Trisha gaped at all the brightly painted buildings. The Bright clothing of the commoners made her smile, the colours brightening her day.

" Did you know they named the Sauren academy in the capitol after this river?" asked Roger from behind Trisha.

Trisha, her nerves frayed from lack of sleep, turned her head to the man.

" Why would anyone care about that?" Asked Trisha.

" Sheesh, no need to be such a stick in the mud, I was just making small talk." Reply, Roger leaning back in his saddle.

" I think that's interesting. Let him speak. Roger, why is the academy named after the river?" Asked Eliya.

" Well, get this. Long ago KIHR, the first king of Laurentia, had a daughter. It was said that her beauty rivaled that of the stars. One day, she went missing without a trace. The kingdom wept for their lost princess and the king broke down. The king put out a bounty to discover the captors. In the years to come, the king grew ever more desperate, tasking an elite group of knights to search for her. They roved the kingdoms along the vast inter kingdom river as that was the quickest way to travel. The years passed. The river became known as the Sauren river so the people could remember their lost princess. And the elite knights formed an academy to continue their search even after their deaths." Said Roger, his voice sonorous and dejected.

"That is sad. Did they ever find her?" Asked Trisha.

" I don't know." Reply Roger.

" I have to say Roger, you have the rhythm of a bard." Said Eliya.

" Thank you, I keep in practice. It helps my chances with the ladies." Said Roger, winking playfully at Trisha.

Eliya laughed, and Greg pretended he was busy as he fiddled with his saddle.

" I don't know Roger. Your story had potential. But then I look back and see you twirling that wispy cat's tail you call a mustache and I changed my mind." Said Trisha, miming twirling her finger.

" Oh, don't be like that. I'm a refined gentleman." Reply Roger laughing. Trisha rolled her eyes but cracked a smile. She had to give it to the man. He was persistent. Too bad he didn't stand a chance. She wasn't interested in that sort of thing. Well, not with Roger, at least.

They rode through the afternoon, reaching the city of Hurst just after dark. Trisha breathed deeply of the chilly night air, their path only lit by moonlight and the occasional torch. She shiver, for once regretting her purple silken blouse and comfortable blue silken pants. She pulled up her hood, the smooth fabric light and airy, doing little to block the light breeze.

She glanced over at Greg with envy. The man had his heavy black cloak opened, appearing completely relaxed as they rode along the empty city street. Trisha pulled on her mare's reins, turning the horse down a side street.

She glanced over torch lit signs as they rode by building after building. Perched on a corner and standing two stories high was an inn with the placard of a woman in a dark black dress holding up a glass of red wine.

" Is this it? I thought she would look more regale. It doesn't deserve the name, the noble lady. " Said Roger.

"Yes,thanks for your observation, Roger. And you should know this, Elliot went over the details ten minutes ago." Said Trisha, her fraying nerves making her snappy.

" Enough with your incessant yapping roger. Roger, Eliya and Carl get us lodgings for the next week. We are going to meet with our contact." Said Elliot in a no nonsense tone.

Trisha smiled and let Elliot lead the way. Their contact would meet them at a specific location. They rode around the city for nearly twenty minutes until they found the place in question. A sign post for a cozy tavern. The restaurant was closed, its windows shuddered. But after knocking and waiting only a few minutes, the door opened.

A portly middle-aged man swung the door open and gesture for them to enter. They tied their horses to the post outside and enter, the well-furnished room lit by lantern light.

" Please take a seat, and we will decide our next move." Said the portly spy.

" How many backup soldiers do we have?" Asked Trisha, getting straight to business.

" I reached out to the church here in Hurst. With the short notice, we can only expect twenty soldiers and two priests. They also follow the god Darentar, so don't go expecting much in terms of combat skills from the priests." Said the Spy, his tone unimpressed.

" Why no followers of Lytheria? We need good soldiers." Asked Trisha.

"Followers of the goddess of war are even harder to find than usual. All of those battle maniacs are either preparing to join the war or already on the front lines." Said the Spy.

" Alright, what can we expect from the two priests of Darentar?" Asked Trisha.

" One is a journeyman, the other is a novice mage. If things get rough, then don't expect them to stay calm. They are scholars more interested in the theory of magic than how to blow people up with it." Said the Spy.

"And the soldiers? Are they mercenary or church soldiers?" Asked Trisha, her mind whirling, trying to find a good course of action.

" They are church trained soldiers. They will follow the orders of their two priests. " Said the Spy scowling.

" I see. That means they will only do what I say until they decide they don't want to anymore." Said Trisha.

" Yes, they know some details of the mission. The soldiers and priest are on a warpath. If you want to take the relic in one piece, you will need to be careful. They might try to destroy it. I know for certain they are going to kill anyone they seem in collusion with the demons." Said the Spy.

" That alright. If we catch people working with the demons, then we must end the threat." Said Trisha. How was she going to pull this off? If she wanted to complete the mission and kill Reskeme, then that would be simple. The trouble was, she didn't want to kill him. Her thoughts drifted to the timepiece on her wrist. The primal skill used on the item was potent. She wonders if it would be enough to mask the fact that Reskeme was a demon?

" Delay talking to the church solders for now. Once we are ready to strike, I will send you a message." Said Trisha, standing.

" Very good. Will you be going to the auction tomorrow evening? If you can, you should go. The auction is open to all buyers, even nonmembers." Asked the spy, smiling at her. Trisha wonder for a moment what the man thought of her age? He was all business, so she pushed that aside.

" Yes, I'm exited to see what they have for sale. And I need to meet with our inside man." Reply Trisha.

They talked for a while longer, going over the specifics. Trisha needed to make sure the church of Hurst wouldn't blunder her plan. And then she wrote a letter to the city guard that they would conduct a covert raid in the city.

That last part was Elliot's idea. Trisha wrote out a letter with her Bishop's apprentice seal to prove it was authentic. She smiled as she sealed the document.

" So you know the plan?" asked Trisha.

" Yes, only alert the church an hour before the raid. And then alert the city guard to move into position to catch any stragglers. Thorough. With the guard and the church, we can hopefully catch any demons trying to flee." said the Spy.

Trisha forced a smile and nodded, anxiety welling in her chest. Reskeme was screwed. He would be caught, and it was all her fault. Trisha firmed her resolve. She couldn't allow anyone already infected by a talisman to escape. How many of the guild was carrying demons, talismans? She shuddered to think more monsters like Victor were out there.