Tarred And Feathered Principles
Noth's Cave, Outside Etzos, Ashan 64th, arc 718
Hidden deep in the forest outside of Etzos rested a cave, home to the Prince of Eternal Mercies who, in Finn’s estimation, was neither a real prince nor merciful, or indeed eternal. The only eternal beings Finn knew were Immortals and the Prince had told him he’d been cursed by the Gods themselves to grow only one wing instead of two and he had become despised among his own kin. Noth was many things, but a Prince he was not. A burglar, an outcast, an up-jumped cutthroat, a half-winged plague swooping down like a vulture with greedy claws claiming gold and supplies for his own self-enrichment, those were the names given to the wanted soul. Rumours and whispers of the raids commited by Al’Angyryl were passed from mouth to ear throughout the city and some of the assaulted men were said to have joined the avian leader.
Finn hadn’t forgotten the flaming red eyes that could root fully grown men to the spot and make ‘em tremble until they found themselves in a puddle of their own making. Their first meeting had left him with a favorable impression of the Avian, but their second meeting had sowed doubt, and now with the rumours spreading throughout the city and the reward of ten-thousand golden nel promised to those who handed over the criminal to the authorities...
He had to meet the Prince alone.
The road into the forest was scarcely-trodden. Some stories spoke of troubled ghosts lingering there, other tales warned against vicious beasts stalking the overgrowth. The dirt road grew smaller as he came closer and closer to the cave. He didn’t remember the path too well and stopped on many occasions to check if he’d turned the right way. Just when he started to think he might’ve gotten hopelessly lost, he recognized a thick, dark patch of pines, just around the bend of the road, where the air was heavy and the shadows grew thick.
It was at twilight that he’d first met Noth, cold, afraid and hungry. He was none of those things now, even as the sun started to set in the West, bathing the forest in a final glimmer of gold. He was among friends here. The earth told many tales of roots and vines and all the little creatures that tickled it, crawled through it, moved atop of it. The air played with the leaves, making them dance in gentle breezes. Even as the earth told a story of a large man stomping rudely all over its domain, Finn was not afeared. Given Noth’s notoriety, it was to be expected that his cave was patrolled and so Finn calmly halted on the middle of the road, waiting for the patrol to greet him. They’re far out, he thought to himself as he watched shadows move between the tree trunks, carefully at first, trying to assess what had crossed their path this time, then more confidently as they realized it was just a boy.
Still, they were armed and on their guard. “Shoo!” one of them shouted, making a broad, dismissive gesture.
“I’m here for the Prince,” Finn answered in a steady voice.
The two men exchanged a glance between themselves before deciding the boy posed little threat to them. Rather peculiar for a child to be out alone in the wilds, so far from home and apparently unfazed by the sight of a mutated man carrying a large, spiked club.
“On what business,” the other one demanded. There were no mutations on him, but he was well armed, packed in thick leather armour and equipped with bow, arrows and a single-handed blade. His small, brown eyes betrayed suspicion.
“My own,” Finn replied to which the mutated man let out a bark of laughter, but his smaller companion remained unconvinced.
“That’s wot impostors say that is. You either have business with the Prince or ya don’t. Now,” his right hand moved toward the pommel of his blade. “I’ll ask again: wot’s your business with the Prince?”
This was already getting tricky. He had no doubt he could take the two men by surprise and let them taste the power of earth, and feel the pain of raw ether stabbing into them, but then there’d be more and surely Noth would not appreciate losing two men on such a wonderful afternoon. And what then? To attack the men guarding the cave was to consign himself to fleeing, lest he too was killed.
“I’m looking for a job.”
The scouts stepped out of the overgrowth and onto the road until they were only a few feet removed from him. “A job huh? Well, you don’t need to talk to the Prince for that. We can arrange it for you. What’s your name?”
“Look,” Finn said, growing agitated, “I already know Noth and I don’t think he’d like to hear you two kept me waiting…”
“I’d watch my mouth if I were you,” the stouter of the two bit back.
Finn rolled his eyes. “Fine. Fine. Do what you must then,” he nodded toward the burlap sack and rope tied to the mutant’s belt and stretched out his arms, exposing his wrists, in surrender. “I already know the way but if it makes you feel any less intimidated…”
Again the mutant laughed. Finn was starting to like him, but his grumpy companion was much less amused. A quick patting down revealed that Finn carried no weapons on him, and still the man’s suspicion was felt in the tightness of the knot he tied around Finn’s wrist before the burlap sack was pulled over his head. He was spun around a few times to further disorient him, then walked around. He suspected they were taking the long way around as the mutant whisper something to the sound of “is it really necessary?”
Ten bits later they finally stopped in an open space. Even if he hadn’t befriended the elements he would’ve known by the change in light and air. Voices surrounded him at all sides, most of them mere murmurs and there was a slight dip in the conversations as he entered their mids.
“I’ll fetch him,” the mutant said.
No sooner than the heavy footfalls of the large, mutated man had faded away did a bony hand land on his shoulder. A hot breath tickled his ear through the burlap sack. “You wouldn’t want to try anything funny,” the second guardsman whispered, “I got my eyes on you, youse understand?”
Finn said nothing.
"You're not skulkin' about for no reason, all by yer lonesome. You might fool that oaf, but you won't fool me, nor the Prince!"