Chapter Text
Lacra often didn’t wait for others when she had a task to complete. As she leaned against the table she had set up she was losing her patience. The only reason she was waiting was because Coen had never been late before. It was quite unlike the man apart from one instance when he had run into the tower flustered talking about having to take out Bakir’s transport or something. She didn’t want to say she was worried because she wasn’t but Coen had mentioned going after Silas’s work.
She had heard rumors about the mad sorcerer's ideas and if there was a grain of truth in the gossip then it was bone chilling. Coen, of course being the ‘folk hero’ that he was, would of course want to stop someone like that but Lacra truly didn't care. She knew her level of empathy had reduced over time ,she had said as much to Coen but there was another part that wondered if she had always been this cold since childhood. Everything she had been through had sculpted her as a person even before she became a Vrakir.
Becoming a Vrakir had meant that she would become powerful and never be at the feet of another man but she had been proven wrong in those fantasies. Those were fantasies of a deluded child. There would forever be those stronger than others. Now she was the one who would have those people kneel at her feet. Lacra sighed into the quiet night ,looking around the tower listlessly. Coen wasn't coming tonight. If he didn't show tomorrow night she was going looking for him solely out of spite if nothing else. She did not get forgotten about.
The next night she gave Coen four hours before deciding the man wasn't coming again. She bit her lip while thinking about what her next step would be with the remaining time of the night and the taste of iron woke her from her momentary lapse in confidence. Coen had mentioned he had been working with the Manumits ,a group of rebels opposing Brencis.
For them being humans she was slightly impressed by their lack of fear or rather sheer stupidity.
Lacra travelled back to Svartrau City trying to make quick time as she needed time to examine the city for possible rebel hideouts. Honestly, what was her life or rather unlife if you wanted to be specific. The city was quiet at night so she decided to avoid Brencis's men by sticking to the roofs. Lacra had had a small interaction with a fellow Vrakir called Vicho before so she decided to head to the man's abode to ask if he knew about the manumits or if by some chance he had come across Coen over the past three nights.
Dropping gracefully down to the ground in front of Vicho’s shop, Lacra pushed open the door into the warmly lit interior. Vicho had been sitting at a desk reading and his head snapped up to meet Lacra's gaze. He raised an eyebrow in surprise before welcoming her into the cluttered space.
“Lacra ,I didn't expect to see you again so soon. What can I do for you?”
“You haven't happened to see Coen these past three nights have you?” Vicho looked further surprised by Lacra’s question and he closed his book with a small thud.
“I unfortunately have not seen our kind dawnwalker friend. He didn't contact you?”
Lacra shook her head in frustration as she looked at some of Vicho's trinkets to distract herself. Picking up one dawdy necklace ,she turns the gemstone in the light to admire the colours changing.
“Have you heard of the manumits?”
Vicho sighed before getting up to stand in front of Lacra. He took the necklace out of her hands and placed it back in its rightful spot before responding to her question.
“I have heard of them but for both their benefit and mine I have no clue where their base of operations is. All I know is that Coen was working with them. I'm very sorry I can't be of more help. I can tell you're worried about the young man.”
Lacra blew some air out through her teeth as she tired to reign in her frustration. “I'm not worried about him. Coen is a big boy who can take care of himself. It’s that I don't like being an afterthought, that's the issue.”
Vicho chuckled before turning away from the trinkets after adjusting the pieces to perfection.
“You're not worried about him and yet looking for him? Okay. I do know there was a silver merchant running his business out of a butcher's shop. That may be a useful track to follow but beware the man who runs it is a nasty piece of work.” Vicho looked serious as he talked about the black market seller but Lacra had no fear of a weak little mortal man.
“Thank you for the information.” Lacra was curt with Vicho as she was on a tight timeline but she knew that Coen always made time and was polite with everyone he met. That was partly what she thought had distracted the man when he didn't show the first night but still she had a bad feeling about all this.
As she shadowstepped from roof to roof ,she eventually found the right butchers. The business was closed up for the night ‘officially’ but she went round the building further and could look into the dimly lit living space to see a middle aged man talking down to a young woman. It was disgusting and she can see why Vicho had warned her about the man. She wasn't afraid of him in the slightest but she unfortunately needed his information and the Manumits' trust so she couldn't kill him but later she would come back and deal with this problem.
She snuck into the space once the man had stopped off to harass someone else for the night which gave her time to go through his documents for clues about the Manumits.
Obviously the rebel group would not be so casually mentioned in documents so she scoured the pages looking for consistent buying of silver. Eventually she found an initial ,it had been scored out and had previously had an S but was now a D. A change of personal maybe? No matter, there was a drop point attached so she would have to head there and check out the surroundings and perhaps work back to where the Manumits could be hiding.
Quietly she left the business with the promise internally to come back and dispatch the horrible black market seller. For now though she needed to find these slippery Manumits before sunrise came or she would be stuck in the city. Lacra got to the drop point which was right next to a shrine on the outskirts of the city. She checked the shrine for anything important or hidden but there was nothing obvious. She could wait to see if anyone turned up but she didn't want to waste the time. Instead she started to make her way back into the city because there were no buildings in the area surrounding the city that you could hide a whole outfit in without arriving suspicion. It would have to be a building in the city that wouldn't look strange if people came and went often. A tavern? No, too noisy and likely to bring attention. An inn? No ,too likely that strangers could infiltrate.
Her eyes fell on a tailor's shop sign. It was quiet but she could see a ‘worker’ moving some stock around outside the front of the shop and there were still candles on inside the building. She walked up casually to the front of the shop front where the ‘worker’ was sloppily moving things around without actually doing anything. He stiffened when Lacra's full attention fell on his form.
“C-can I help you?” His eyes nervously jumped to the inside of the building and then back to Lacra’s eyes. She smiled in what she hoped was an approachable manner.
“I was looking to get a Coen coat made?” She made sure to enunciate Coen’s name while not blowing the outfits cover but it was painful watching the stuttering young man.
The man gulped and again looked quickly to the building and then back to Lacra. She almost wanted to save the Manumits the trouble of having this liability around but before she could say or do anything more a new man emerged from the doorway. An older man with sharp features and a permanent scowl. He looked at Lacra with a great amount of suspicion before he walked over to stand next to the nervous young man.
“You're very well armed for a tailor no?” Lacra couldn't help but have a little fun with the serious fellow. His scowl seemed to deepen further somehow.
“I was just saying to your coworker that I was looking to get a Coen coat made?”
“Have no idea what you're talking about ,madame.” The brusk tone was finished with condescending ‘politeness’. Honestly men being condescending was up there for things that pissed Lacra off the quickest. She crossed her arms before leaning into the man's personal space.
“We both know what I'm actually asking about and do you want to blow your cover any easier?”
The man sighed wearily ,suddenly looking far older than he most likely was. He jerked his head quickly in an approximation of directing Lacra to follow him inside. The two of them silently went into the tailor's shop where they came across a couple more ‘conveniently’ placed coworkers.
“I think you need to improve your people's training. The boy out there looked like he was going to wet himself.”
“Yeah ,we had more people but your people keep killing them.” The accusation was fierce and if Lacra hadn't dealt with men like this before she would have been taken aback but at this moment she wasn't shaken in the least. Let him have his childish moment of superiority as she did need the Manumits help. They went downstairs into a far larger space than she had thought possible under the tailors. There was hardly anyone in the space but there was evidence that at one time there had been many people in the interior.
The dour man then led Lacra into a small side room. Inside was a space that Lacra could only describe as organised chaos and a slightly dishevelled young man was looking over maps and papers.
“You have a visitor." The man turned round with the speed of someone excited but his happiness faded when he came to face Lacra.
“You're not Coen.”
“No ,I don't think I am.” Lacra punctuated her statement with a cavalier shrug of her shoulders. The older man beside her lets out a long sigh which the younger man seems to agree with in sentiment if his scowl is anything to go by.
“So I'm guessing you haven't seen Coen in a while either. It's unlike him.”
The younger man nods and walks closer to Lacra so they aren't conversing across the room. She wonders how closely Coen knows these men. Not that he knows her that well either but she does think once you've travelled to Anachora together it reaches a certain point of friendship. Or she would at least settle for respect which is why being blown off for three nights had rubbed her the wrong way.
“Lacra. I know Coen through our joint efforts to find Brecis's weaknesses.” The young man seems interested in her introduction but she can tell he is still greatly suspicious of her.
“Crake. I run the Manumits but I can guess you already figured that out.”
“I had but I didn't have a name to put to the infamous leader of legend.” Crake snorts in aborted laughter at Lacra's sarcasm. The older man however finds the interaction less than funny. His stance at Lacra's side is poised for responding to danger.
“Your friend is rather protective.” Lacra can't help the glare she directs towards the other man. His steely gaze doesn't back down from her own though which she can respect, however it is annoying.
“Drogos ,stand down. We can't have our new friend feeling uncomfortable now can we?” Oh Crake has a bit of fire in him which Lacra can appreciate. She can see why the man gets along with Coen.
Drogos backs away only a foot and stands loosely with his hand on the hilt of his sword. She can feel her hackles relax somewhat at not having the man completely in her personal space with a weapon drawn. Lacra could easily have taken the man down but it had been distracting to say the least.
She stands with her arms crossed and leans on her right leg slightly to give her tired body a break. She had covered a lot of ground tonight which was good but she would be sleeping well this morning. Crake was standing with hands on his hips loosely but Lacra could tell he was still trying to size her up in a fight.
“So you came here thinking we would know where Coen was?”
“I thought he might have been distracted with helping your cause.”
“Distracted? Is what you're doing more important?” Crake had furrowed his brow and Lacra could tell that she needed to tread carefully as both Crake and herself had short fuses so their interaction ending in a fight could be a very real reality.
“I think we can be both working towards the same cause but on different tracks. I remember Coen mentioning Silas’s work which he had encountered with your group?”
Crake stiffened at the mention of the sorcerer which was interesting. The young man didn't seem to give much away but she could easily read his body's reaction to the mention of the incident that Coen had talked to her about. It had sounded unexpected and gruesome but not terrifying to her but she supposes to humans it would be a terrifying concept to imagine let alone experience. There was also the detail of the girl’s death which seems to have shaken both Crake and Coen.
“We haven't seen Coen in days. I thought he might have been disrupting Brencis's plans or helping Anca.”
“Anca?” Lacra didn't remember Coen mentioning another woman. Or maybe he had because he did say he learnt his magic from someone.
“Anca is from the same village as Coen. She was the one who introduced him to witchcraft ,I believe."
“You seem to be very close to Coen for him to be telling you things like that.”
Coen was quite the interesting man and it would seem he has interesting friends. Crake didn’t seem intimidated by her jabs at all ,in fact his face was almost unreadable.
“Where does this Anca stay?” Lacra was ready to move onto the next lead. She just hoped that the witches hadn’t got caught up in something unsolvable. Crake moved to attach and sheath his sword at his back.
“I’ll take you. I know the general area.”
Drogos immediately protests Crake leading Lacra to Anca but one look from the younger man and Drogos just sighs ,leaning against the wall. Lacra opens the door for Crake to lead the way. She was surprised the man was going to such lengths to find Coen but Lacra was suddenly reminded of how excited he had looked when he thought she was Coen.
The two start to head through the city quietly avoiding Brencis's men which Lacra supposes makes sense as Crake is a wanted man. She looks up at the moon which is starting to lower and Lacra can't help her frustration. She could be moving much faster on her own.
“In finding out more about Coen, you never came up.”
“I'm a private person.”
Crake scoffs slightly into the quiet night air as the two leave the city limits. The path ahead seems empty of patrols but Lacra is still keeping an eye out for anything that could slow them down. Crake can take as long as he wants to get to Anca's but Lacra has a ticking clock going for when she could combust into flames. The two were quiet for a few minutes ,the only sound being their footsteps and nature’s ambience. Crake then clears his throat before turning towards Lacra to converse.
“Why do you want to find Coen?”
“Am I not allowed to?”
“Are you going to answer any of my questions or just keep asking your own?” Lacra could feel the twitch of a mischievous smile start on her lips as she thinks about answering with another question to mess with the man further but decides against it. She doesn't want to piss her guide off only a few minutes outside of the city.
“We were going to find out more about Mihai. He was powerful but Coen also found out he was a dawnwalker.” Crake’s eyes widen at the news before he curses quietly more to himself than Lacra.
“Do you think his disappearance could be to do with Brencis?” The worry is poorly hidden in the man's voice as he stares at the road ahead.
“No. I think if it was Brencis he would have bragged about it to the whole of Vale Sangora by now.” She rolls her eyes imagining a victorious Brencis for even a moment gives her a headache.
Lacra notices Crake’s shoulders loosen somewhat at the reassurance. She had been so sure of the way that Brencis would react having defeated Coen that she hadn't even thought for a second that Coen was dead by Brencis's hand, Crake though might have imagined them traveling together to recover Coen's body. That thought made her sad? It was the lost potential not that he was her friend. Lacra shook her head to dispel the thoughts as the two steadily walked towards Anca's abode.
It would be daytime soon which was making Lacra nervous as the two followed the ramshackle path towards a rundown looking inn. There was a dim glow of candle light in one of the windows that was the only evidence there was life inside the inn and well, Lacra could hear the steady heartbeat.
They went up to the door and Crake knocked. There was silence for a few seconds before Lacra heard the shuffling of light footsteps. The door was opened with only a slight crack and the rebel and the Vrakir were met with the suspicious face of an older woman. Lacra could only see through the crack of the door but Anca was quite the beautiful woman. She could see why Coen fawned over her.
“Who are you?” Her grip on the door was so tight Lacra could see her bones pushing against the skin. Crake has taken the role of talking which is fine with Lacra, Coen had told her that her ‘person skills’ need some work.
“We're friends of Coen. We haven't seen him in days. Have you?” The door opens more as Anca takes in the appearance of ‘Coen's friends’. Lacra is aware even without the rebel and Vrakir elements that she and Crake would stand out in ‘normal’ society in Vale Sangora.
“Tell me something that only Coen would know.”
Lacra couldn't help but throw her arms up in exasperation as she really didn't know Coen that well in the grand scheme of things.
“He has a younger sister ,Yanna who he was reminded of when he saved one of my people. Sara…” Crakes voice broke on Sara's name which makes Lacra not have to guess about what happened to the girl. This answer seems to satisfy Anca as she nods in response to Crake's piece of information. She then looks to Lacra. Her expression is intense but for a second all Lacra can do is look into the other woman’s gorgeous stormy eyes.
“Coen and I found Isbrand's body. Kobolds had been eating him for years and he had been regenerating.” Anca winces while Crake looks horrified for a second. Anca nods though and ushers the two into the inn. Coen must have told Anca both Lacra’s and Crake’s stories for the woman to trust them enough to let them into her space. Lacra does suppose though that the woman is not truly defenceless though as Lacra knows how powerful witchcraft can be. She's seen Xanthe’s work and it still brings a shiver down her spine at the thought.
Anca leads the two over to a table with books,food and tea scattered across its surface. If Lacra thought Crake’s working space was cluttered then Anca’s was even worse. Although there was something warm and cosy about the space which was endearing to Lacra.
Anca gestured for the two to sit as she prepared some tea. Crake, almost like his namesake, seemed to perch at the edge of the bench looking like he wasn't used to relaxing and having tea. It was an unusual setting Lacra knew but there was no need to look so unsettled so she leaned back into the chair she had snagged. The inn must have been nice at some point with the remaining pieces of future left but it had obviously seen better days.
Anca gently placed down the cups of tea but she hesitated in front of Lacra.
“Can you have tea? I don't know if Vrakiri can eat or drink normally?” She looked bashful as she mentioned this with a flustered blush starting to creep up her cheeks. It was quite adorable. Crake raised an eyebrow as he gave the tea a small sniff of suspicion. Anca sat down at the head of the table facing both her guests. She fiddled with the cup for a few seconds before settling her thoughts.
“No, I can’t have things that aren’t blood but I appreciate being included.” Lacra can’t help the small smile as she picks up the tea to take in the aroma. Anca looks further embarrassed but she seems to settle herself before talking to her guests.
“So neither of you have seen Coen in days?”
“No. We thought he might be here helping you.” The frown seemed to settle further into Crake's facial features as he took in the new information.
“Who was the last of us to see him?” Lacra looked at the others with a vague sense of confusion. Coen wasn't the type to go walkies without telling any of them and there were two less boyers hunting him so that reduced the enemy count somewhat.
“Coen and I had explored Silias’s old shop and found documents saying that there were people who had taken over his work. Coen was going to track down leads about the creatures while scouting Xanthe’s domain.”
“What creatures?” Anca looked serious yet curious as she questioned Crake. While Crake explained the monstrous creations to Anca it only further showed that neither of them knew where Coen was. This was a waste of Lacra's night. She stood up abruptly in frustration, readying herself to leave before the dawn rays struck her down.
“Where are you going? It's almost dawn.” Anca had turned away from Crake when Lacra's chair had scraped against the flooring with an annoying screech.
“There's no point in leaving now. The sun will be up shortly and we could come up with a plan in the meantime.” Anca nodded in agreement to Crake's suggestion before gesturing for the two of them to follow her upstairs where the sun couldn't follow.
It wasn't Lacra’s plan to spend the day with Coen's little friends but they were annoyingly right. If she left now she would just have to find a cave to shelter in ,at least here she could sit in a chair with a blanket around her shoulders while listening to the two humans speculate what befell Coen while working on a plan to find him when night came.