'Can you tell me again why me coming along is a good idea?' Iris grumbled. They were walking along the main road towards the city gate. It was pretty crowded this early morning. Lots of local farmers were travelling to the market to sell their produce. Unfortunately, their carts and baskets looked rather poorly, as well as people – pale and skinny with a desperate look on their faces.

'Because there is not much risk that someone could recognise you,' Jayden said quietly. Together with Arlo, they were venturing to Amberguard to collect information about Inquisition's headquarters.

'I'm aware of it,' she said. 'But I'm not exactly an infiltration expert. I've never even been to a big city! Do you think I would be any help?'

'Actually, I was wondering about it too,' Arlo admitted, giving Jayden a side glance. 'With my old contacts, we could pretty much wrap it up between us two. Why did you insist for Iris to come?'

Jayden sighed and rolled his eyes. 'Look, I'm not the friendliest person, all right? And I don't have a whole lot of patience to deal with idiots until they finally give away something interesting. Multiple times, it was pointed out that I'm not the best choice when it involves talking to people.'

'Shocking.' Iris snorted.

Jayden glared at her. 'But you, Iris... You have just the right face.'

'What about my face?' she asked, narrowing her eyes.

'It has an innocence and naivety written all over it.'

'Excuse me?'

'Yeah, it's like when I look at you, I see an honest and kind girl, the one that would help someone in need. Not very smart, probably, but with a heart in the right place. The main thing is, you look  like you are incapable of any deception.' 

'Hey!' Iris protested, feeling her cheeks going red with rising anger. Arlo burst with laughter.

'What? It was a compliment!' Jayden smirked.

'That is the worst backhanded I've ever heard,' she hissed. 'It's no surprise you're bad at talking to people.'

'True.' He shrugged. 'Anyway, my point is, even if you have no idea what to do, it will still be easier for us to work together. Just follow my lead and don't get lost, all right?'

'Fine,' Iris grumbled. Even though she was annoyed with his condescending attitude, she was also grateful for the distraction. They were almost at the gate now, and thanks to his teasing, she wasn't trembling with anxiety.

The city walls loomed over them, intimidating and cold. Two Inquisitors guard the gate, scanning the crowd flowing inside, but fortunately, they looked rather bored. It seemed the Grand Inquisitor didn't expect any Mages to be foolish enough to come into his domain. Well, he was not wrong. This whole plan sounded somewhat crazy, but they didn't have any other options left. Iris straightened her back and tried to look inconspicuous.

Arlo was walking a few paces behind them. They agreed it would be better to enter Amberguard separately and not draw attention. They were almost through the gate when one of the knights perked up, his eyes picking Iris and Jayden.

'You two, stop!' he barked.

Iris' heartbeat stopped for a second. The knight recognised them. It was over before it even began. Before she could draw a breath, Jayden's firm hand grabbed her elbow.

He stopped and looked at the Inquisitor. 'Yes, sir?'

'What business do you have in the city?'

'We came to the market to buy some food. Our farm is not doing very well right now,' Jayden said in a small and desperate voice.

'Then where are your baskets? Your cart? You came to get supplies with your bare hands?' the man frowning at them.

'We don't have much money,' Jayden replied and fished out a couple of copper coins from his pocket. 'That's all we've got. All we can buy will fit in our hands, sir.'

'Fine,' the knight huffed, not even hiding his contempt. 'Move on. You're blocking the path.'

'Thank you, sir.' Jayden bowed his head and started walking again, dragging Iris with him.

She exhaled. 'That was close,' she muttered when they left the gate behind them.

Jayden shrugged and let go of her arm. 'It was easy. They usually check out people at random. Now, let's get to work.'

They made their way through the city towards the towering building of the church. The streets were busy with farmers and merchants putting up their stalls in the primary market area. But even though the place was bustling with activity, it felt somehow subdued. There was no laughter - all those people just seemed to go through the motions, shouting about their wares, haggling the prices and closing their deals. But it was all filled with the quiet desperation of people who were struggling to survive another day.

No one was joking. No one was gossiping. No one was talking just for the sake of having a conversation with a friendly neighbour. People only spoke when they needed to, and even then, their eyes were dim and lifeless. Iris frowned and looked up at the sky. Even though the Lord Sun started his journey through the sky hours ago, you couldn't see any traces of light down here. The dark swirling mass of clouds covered the firmament, casting everything in a dull grey.

'Is it just me, or this place is creepy?' Iris asked quietly.

'It is,' Jayden agreed. Iris looked at him. His face was tense and dour His dark eyes were scanning their surroundings constantly. 'Can you feel the Shadow Magic? It's all around us, almost suffocating.'

'Yes, I can feel it too,' she agreed. The moment Jayden said it, she understood what this ever-present weight pressing on her mind was. As if something tried to push its way to her mind, leaving her with a pounding headache. 'Isn't it dangerous? For us to be here? What if this Shadow Magic will brainwash us too?'

'We won't be staying here long enough,' Jayden replied. 'All the people here, they've been living here for years now that's why they are so affected. They breathed it in every day. This foul magic is working slowly but surely. Come on. We have to move. It's far too crowded here.'

***

They spent half of a day just watching the church and its surrounding. It was a massive building. Only part of it was the temple for the Lord Sun worships. Most of the structure served the Inquisition as headquarters, with administration, barracks for the knights, and dungeons. The building as big as this meant much staff needed to take care of it. They observed the servants coming in and going out from many different side entrances. That's where they were hoping to gather their intel.

Unfortunately, their task wasn't easy. Iris tried to chat up several women leaving the building, but they always just stared at her with hostility or ignored her completely and walked away.

'Ugh, I don't think this plan is working,' she said after another failure.

'Well, I didn't expect all the people here to be brainwashed.' Jayden sighed. 'I think we are wasting our time here. Let's try -'

'Wait!' Iris interjected. She just spotted another young woman leaving through the small side entrance. She was fumbling absentmindedly through pockets of her skirt, and while she fished out some coins, a small piece of fabric fell to the ground. The woman, unaware of her loss, kept on walking.

Iris quickly ran up to pick up the fabric. It was a surprisingly beautiful handkerchief. It was soft to touch with embroidered red flowers. In this grey and dull place, such an explosion of colour was something rare and incredibly precious.

'Hey! You dropped something!' Iris shouted, trotting after the woman.

After a few more calls, the servant finally stopped and turned to Iris. Her tired face was annoyed that someone was bothering her. But when Iris raised a hand with the handkerchief, it was like the angry mask had fallen off. The woman's eyes widened in surprise, and she instinctively patted her pocket as if she couldn't believe she had lost her little treasure. Then after realisation finally hit her, she sighed with relief, her face instantly lighting up.

'Oh, Lord Sun! Thank you so much!' The change in the woman's expression was so drastic and unexpected that Iris was just standing there, shocked for a second, unable to move or speak. It was as if the servant finally came back to life, the colour getting back to the pale cheeks, eyes no longer dull and lifeless, but shining with gratitude.

'Sure, here.' Iris finally shook off her initial shock. 'It's gorgeous. It would be a shame if you lost it.'

'Thank you!' the woman repeated, pressing the handkerchief to her chest. 'You have no idea how much this little thing means to me! I would never forgive myself if I lost it!'

'I'm glad I could help,' Iris replied with an honest smile. It was so refreshing to see actual emotion in this dreary place.

'Whatever can I do to repay you? I don't have many coins, but....' She looked at her hand, still holding a couple of coppers.

'Oh, no, I couldn't possibly accept your coins!' Iris protested right away. But she could not let this opportunity slip. 'Actually, there is something else you can help me with.'

***

They were sitting at a rickety table in a small inn. It wasn't crowded, but the locals occupied most of the tables. It was still less rowdy than Iris would have expected. Most people ate or drank in silence, eventually exchanging a few words in grumbling voices. Their table was in the corner of the room, so while they kept their tones low, no one should be able to overhear their conversation.

'You are both truly kind,' said the woman. 'Not only you return my handkerchief, but your brother paid for the meal.'

'Think nothing of it. I managed to sell all my wares in the morning, so it's a good day,' Jayden said with a smile.

'This handkerchief,' Iris said. 'It's so beautiful. Where did you get it, Callie?'

'It was a gift from my betrothed.'

'Good thing you got it back then. I bet he would be devastated if you lost it somewhere.'

'He... is no longer alive,' Callie said in a small voice, looking at her bowl. 'He was a Mage.'

'Oh. I am so sorry!' Iris gasped and gently squeezed the other woman's hand.

She looked startled at Iris, her expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief. 'I know he didn't deserve to live after what he and his Order have done to this world. They desecrated our holy Lord Sun! But I... just couldn't make myself get rid of this handkerchief,' she added, her voice shaking. She seemed conflicted.

Iris opened her mouth to comfort her. She wanted to tell her it was not true, that Callia shouldn't force herself to hate the man she loved But Jayden kicked her under the table. Iris gasped and looked at him, surprised and annoyed, but he only shook his head. Then she realised that they couldn't risk someone hearing them sympathising with the Mages. Not here, right under Inquisition nose.

'That's understandable,' Jayden said. 'At least if anything, you can always sell it for a good coin.'

The woman quickly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. 'Yes, that's true. That's exactly why I kept it.'

'Anyway, my sister is looking for a job here in the city. We heard that the most stable and well-paid jobs for servants are in the Inquisition headquarters?'

'Oh yes, they do pay their servants handsomely, compared to other nobles.'

'Does the job require anything special?' Iris asked. 'If they pay more, do they expect any additional... services?'

'No, it's nothing like that. Servants are treated well there. But there are certain special rules for us.'

'What special rules?' Jayden asked.

'There are areas in the building where none of the servants can enter.'

'Why is that?' Iris asked innocently. 'The whole place has to be cleaned at some point, right?'

'Yes, but that's not the case here. I think it's because the Inquisition keeps prisoners there. They don't want any of us to get in the way. Only some of the knights and the Grand Inquisitor had access to that part of the building.'

'And where exactly is this inaccessible part?' Jayden inquired.

The woman looked at him and hesitated. 'Why do you ask?'

'Well, it's a bit embarrassing.' Iris giggled nervously. 'I'm rather clumsy and terrible with directions.'

'Yeah, she can get lost on her way home from the neighbour,' Jayden added with a smirk.

'So, I would like to have a general idea what part of the building I should stay away from just in case I get lost. I assume the Inquisition would not look kindly to anyone trespassing where they shouldn't on their first day....'

The woman smiled politely. 'You're right. The whole East Wing is off-limits. But you don't have to worry. There is only one way leading there, through the main hall, and the knights always guard the entry. Even if you get lost and wander in that direction, they will send you back the right way.'

'Well, that's a relief,' Iris said. 'So, can you tell me what is it that you typically do?'

They listened as the servant was recollecting all her duties, looking for anything that could be helpful for their planned infiltration. It seemed there was not much to work with there. The building was an open structure. There were no secret servants' passages, and the side entrances were the only alternative ways into the building. And it was evident that they would have to get into the forbidden East Wing somehow.

When they ran out of questions they could inconspicuously ask, they said goodbye to Callie and left the inn. It was already sunset, with the sky coloured in the faintest orange shade.

'We should head to the meeting place now,' Jayden said. 'We learnt all we could for today. We ought to wait for the others and compare the information. Maybe Arlo learnt something useful.'

They made their way toward the city's outskirts, where they planned to meet with the rest of the company. The crowd grew thicker as they approached the central marketplace, up to the point they were no longer able to move any further.

'What's happening? Why is everyone just standing here?' Iris asked.

'The word is they are shipping more of those wretched Mages here,' the woman standing next to them explained, her face a grimace of anger and contempt. 'They will be here any moment!'

Iris frowned, not understanding why it made them all stand there and stare. But before she could inquire more, the other side of the crowd, closer to the main road, shouting angrily.

She felt the cold sweat covering her back when the memories of her hometown came back, flooding her mind. The furious and hateful mob cursed her and threw things at her, basking in her misery and despair.

Jayden grabbed her elbow and started slowly backing up away from the crowd that was getting more animated with every second. The roar of the mob was so loud that Iris couldn't even hear the hoofbeats, only saw the mounted knights appearing at the edge of the square, leading the wagon with a cage.

Iris' heart throbbed painfully when she looked at the huddled figures inside it. She knew exactly how it felt, and she would never wish this fate even for her worst enemy. Because being at the receiving end of this much hatred and contempt was soul-crushing.

Iris wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. She couldn't bear to look any longer. But with her last glance on the cage, she spotted a small shape, huddled among the prisoners. At this moment, a little head lifted, and the boy looked over in her direction. The face was pale and dirty, fair hair ruffled and filthy from mud, the green eyes wide. Iris stopped, frozen in shock. The eyes were looking exactly like hers.

Her mind went blank—all the reason vanished because of this one sight.

'CODY!' she screamed on top of her lungs and started to shove her way through the crowd, trying to get to him, calling his name constantly. When she was just a few rows from the main road, an arm grabbed her at the waist, and the other hand clasped on her mouth.

'What are you doing, you bloody idiot?!' Jayden hissed in her ear.

She hissed at him and thrashed, but his grip was surprisingly firm. He dragged her away from the crowd into the alley, and she lost sight of the caged wagon. Desperate to follow it, she bit the hand covering her mouth. Jayden cursed and finally let go of her. Iris jumped back toward the square, but the other Mage grabbed her shoulder and shoved her into the stone wall with enough force that all her breath suddenly went out of her lungs. She grimaced and still tried to move, but Jayden pinned her shoulders to the wall.

'The hell are you doing, Iris?!' he roared at her. Fortunately for them, the crowd's clamour was so loud no one paid any attention to them.

'It was Cody in that cage!' Iris cried, her voice breaking, tears streaming from her eyes. She stopped struggling. Suddenly all the strength left her body. Jayden saw how she deflated and let go of her, letting her sink to her knees.

'Who is Cody?' he asked.

'My little brother. They caught my little brother!'

Picture by jackmac34 from Pixabay