Legacy of the Remembered

22. Ties

Xuun's traveling party left much to be desired. Esehnne lingered and provided adequate life magic, including animal summons that aided with carrying letters to the appropriate people. He was all Xuun had in the way of magic, however, other than himself. Meirr's disappearance took a toll he could not recover from. Her skills with infiltrating would have made the upcoming mission an instant success.

She never did turn up. His worry only went far enough to encompass all that she may give up should she be questioned, but he only told her what was necessary. Even if she had known more of his plans, from now on Xuun acted on a new agenda that she could only guess. His goal had not changed, but his methods took a drastic turn.

Drastic enough that he was now outsourcing his complicity.

After speaking with the Water Oracle again, Xuun knew where his target had gone. He had cursed his hesitance to leave; when he did, they already had a day on him. Despite his efforts to move at a quicker pace, he never ran into any travelers that could be recognized as Ehverian. Four days in and he had changed his course to Sanima, a city in Panjuun. With Esehnne staying behind in Ehvera, Xuun only had himself to care for. Fortunately, he had planned for the happenstance of stopping in this particular area and made use of the turncoat's abilities to send ahead a warning.

He had not looked forward to speaking with his family, but there was only so much he could do to prolong their reunion. Xuun considered stopping by a tavern to scout the potential recruits beforehand, but it was illogical. If he ended up on the wrong end of a drunken argument, someone needed to know he had made it. It would only ruin his reputation for King Itheir to believe Xuun ran off and deserted their cause.

Meeting with his family would only be slightly safer.

A gardener noticed Xuun's entry to the estate grounds. She took one look at him before rushing around to the back of the house. He did not wait for her return; rather, he continued to the front door and knocked with a stiff fist.

A man opened the door, hesitated just a moment, and waved Xuun in with an exaggerated flourish. "Welcome home, Master Xuun."

He spared no glance at the butler. Xuun's sneer said everything the servant needed to know. It was pitiful to be referred to as such, but that was the point. It would not due to reward the butler with the knowledge of the title bothering him.

"Xuun."

He met his mother's stern look with an equal one. Her fair skin had wrinkled more than he remembered, and her tasteful attire only accented her diminishing youth. Grey hair was tied above her into a bun, exactly as she wore it the day he left. It was not the only thing unchanged; the walls were still narrow, the foyer small and empty. No signs of life lingered on the shelves or walls. It remained as sad and lonely as the way he remembered it.

"Mother." He nodded, showing just a tad more civility than she had.

"Life in the capital not doing it for you?" There was a sourness to her words that he knew he did not imagine.

He smiled, just as false as usual. "It is just dandy in Queto. In fact, I am here on His Majesty's orders. It is confidential, of course."

She shook her head. "'Confidential.' Just like all the other 'important' errands he sends you on. Unless you're here to start another war?" 

"If your memory hasn't deteriorated yet, perhaps you would remember that I've started no wars, nor has His Majesty ever sought for one."

She tutted. "Why are you here, Xuun?"

"I only desire a night's rest. My mission should take me away soon enough." He hoped. The quicker he completed his task, the sooner he could appease King Itheir.