OOC: This thread takes place after
this one.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meet me by the seaside town of Cerenis before the full moon if you want your child back alive. We'll speak of our demands then. And come alone.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That was all the note had said. Aside from that, the day had started like any other day. The weather was warm, the sky, casting the world in a golden glow, and it seemed just about everyone was smiling. It was that time of year for Dylanna Swinden to head back out to sea to make more foreign purchases and to solidify those alliances on trade. She had already sent men ahead to prepare the ship, and made the arrangements to have her manor here taken care of in her absence.
But none of that mattered now, as she found herself staring down, wide eyed and open mouthed at the scrap of paper the words had been scribbled upon.
Her son..Her son had been kidnapped.
And it was only in a single piece of paper that held the words of her greatest known fear, and the truth that it was real.
He was taken.
Gone.
She had come home from her day of political banter as normal; a necessity at the game she had to play as a merchant. So when she came home to a completely empty house; no laughter, not a servant, not even the barking yips of the new pup... chills ran through her blood like ice. And upon finding and reading the piece of paper, she dropped to her knees ad began to sob.
She had to get him back..
She had to get to Cerenis.
~~~~~
"Miss Swinden, might I remind you, your island acquaintances might become upset if you delay this meeting any further. They know you have a life and business to run in Arca, but the letters have already been forwarded to them, your ship already ready to sail.."
"Yes, well my plans have been changed," Dylanna told him flatly, her green eyes broiling at his words. Her visor fumbled in his musings, and sighed with a shake of his head, fat fingers now curling around the list as he adjusted his spectacles to continue, but Dylanna stopped him, a hand gripping over the list.
"Just inform them of my sincerest apologies andthat my visit will merely be delayed, not cancelled. ANd hopefully for no less than a few weeks."
"Less than a few weeks!?" the man found himself sputtering over his own breath as his eyes went large as he stared after her. "And where, praytell, do you think you are going anyways? Some sort of mid-life vacation or-"
Dylanna turned to him, steeling her emotions and merely snapped, "I'd hardly call this a vacation. And my trip is of no concern to you. I can update you when I've returned to Arca." And she stepped into her carriage, the door slamming shut before she peered out and forced a smile to Goeffry, her visor, and patted him lightly upon the hand.
"Do not worry yourself, we have good relations with the islanders. And I'll be back long after the full moon!" And Dylanna waved him off and gestured to her valet. At her orders, he snapped the reins for the horses and the carriage lurched forward, barely making it halfway across town when her carriage came to a halt. Frowning, Dylanna peered forward.
"What's the matter? Why aren't we going?"
And her valet turned back to her, his face white as a ghost.
"There seems to be a fire m'am, and.. and a fight!"
Dylanna furrowed her brow. "What do you mean a -" and before she could even glance out the window, an arrow came sailing directly beside the carriage as her eyes widened, breath catching within her throat. And soon the smells of smoke were overwhelming her, and she tried calling up to her valet.. "Percy, Percy, please do find a way to go around it-"
but then an arrow sunk straight into his head, and the fight began to spill all around the cart, just as a dirty man grabbed onto the side of her passenger side door and grinned at her like the devil himself. His body was soot black in dirt, as blood remained splattered across his face. And the only thing htat split the dirt was that smile, and even his rotting teeth were whiter htan his filthy flesh.
"Oh, well ain't you a pretty catch?" the man purred, and even as Dylanna reared back from the open window, she coudl still smell the man's putrid, drunken breath.
Dylanna furrowed her brow. "What is the meaning of this? What do you think you are doing?"
"What do you mean what do I think? Just paying back the Soot Wolves a little ten fold, to let them know that we're marking this territory, and as far as I know, you've been off limits to them; and now I see why." His eyes roamed over her body as Dylanna grit her teeth. "Come along with me precious, lest you want to end up in pieces," he said, drawing out a bloodied blade, then gestured to his men and they all formed a wall around her.
"This turf's going to take a new claim. The Soot Wolves are history, they'll have nothing against the Mountain cats."
"Gods, what the hell do I care about some street war?" Dylanna spat, already growing impatient with this, and before the man knew it, she socked him hard across the face. and he stood there a second, blinking in surprise, then laughing at her reaction, before Dylanna moved forward, throwing the door open, and bashing him in the side.
She only had a few seconds before the other men would be upon her as she reached for her sword at her hip, only to find another already pointed at her face.
"Drop the blade, or I cut off your clothes,"t he man threatened crudely, laughing through his teeth. His beard appeared almost as if in wisps of smoke about his face, and his eyes, as pale green as the ocean as he looked down upon her. "And don't think I don't mean it. I've got a pack of hungry cats who would just love to get their dirty paws on such a lovely lady. Now.." he gestured, his expression growing more serious, even as his cheeks remaine da ripe, rosey red. "Keep your hands where I can see them."
But the dirty look Dylanna was giving him only made the man chuckle, that was, until she spat in his face, and while he was off guard, she smacked his blade away, though the man was quick to parry, and sooon she found herself dancing, sword to sword, across the fiery streets.
"Ah, pretty good swordsman ship," the man said with a wry grin, but pushed forward, with a force that felt like the man must've been built with iron, as Dylanna gasped, and receded back against another powerful swing that struck her across the shoulder, tearing open that side of her garb.
"Ah, Miss Swinden," he said, tsking, which also made it look as if he were wriggling his mutton chops. "It looks like i've marked not only your clothes, but your skin as well.. perhaps I'll strike a little less harshly next time?"
Dylanna felt her blood broil at his claims, and tore her sword off and against his, before strikin at him again and again, only to find herself with another sharp slash to her opposing shoulder, with a cut far deeper, and a mark much larger.
"Oh.. is that blood?" the man asked, toyingly.
Dylanna bared her teeth. "I haven't the time for this," and smacked his sword away, iron sparking to iron before she kicked him away, only to find his blade slashing across her skirt, ripping a nice big gash clean up the side of her thigh and hip, and she found her dress now hanging half off, and blood stung out from her wounds.
Gritting her teeth, she still remained on the defensive as she squared her shoulders off against the man, all the while his 'cat pack' began to loom in ever closer to the fight.
"Now, now, now, lovely, drop the sword lest you want me to cut you down the middle." he said, eyes dancing, and Dylanna felt herself tense and broil over his words, even as her breasts heaved against the sharp sword that was now resting in between them.
"What do you want?" she growled, and the man chuckled.
"Oh, didn't you get the note?"
