A sort of hissing sound made me turn my head, just in time to see something crash to the ground.
Boom!
"..."
Everyone seems to be used to it, as no one gives it more than a glance, they just continue eating without a care in the world. Not that I blame them, my hands haven't stopped either. But they start talking about it.
"Eos is uncontrollable... Why did we get rid of the griffons again?" Asks a short, slightly plump woman, not in an unhealthy way, but... Huggable.
"Didn't anyone tell you?" Replies the captain, should I ask their names?
"I wasn't paying attention. I was so excited to be able to fly that time"
"Let me think... In short, I don't know who made the deal in the past, but for hundreds of years the griffons have been sending us their... Chicks? Pups? Whatever they are. They basically grow up fighting and letting people ride them here in the castle, and when they're mature and experienced adults, they leave the city and return to their nests in the northern mountains"
"Heee... And we just let them go?"
"They're smart, if we didn't let them go, they wouldn't let us ride them"
"... Not that I'm suggesting it or anything, I've seen the little ones, they're cute as sh*t, but didn't anyone think of forcing them in any way?
"Not in the kingdom, but there are stories of griffons who would rather mutilate themselves than be used against their will"
"..."
"Though I don't know how true that is, they are more mere tales than historical records"
"I see"
“However, this is the first time since I can remember that all the griffons are leaving at about the same time and in turn, particularly young griffons are arriving...”
I half listen to the conversation, while I see... An animal unknown to me. One of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen.
Seems female. Her body is similar to that of a snow leopard, like the ones you can see in the distance from home from time to time, with legs shorter than Maureen's, but a little thicker, but still cushioned and cuddly like a cat's.
There are three major differences from a snow leopard, first, she has several... Spikes? I think they're called quills, like some reptiles have, but not the little nasty ones, but two big pairs, one pair on each side of her head, covered in fur, really adorable. I can also see more with the naked eye, on her back, on the back of her legs, on the ribs...
Another thing is the color, her fur has no spots, it is mostly bright white, almost reflecting the sunlight with a gradual color change from pink to deep orange on the extremities... Reminiscent of sunrise or sunset... I think around here it is more common to see the sky that color in the morning.
And most eye-catching, a pair of incredibly beautiful feathered wings attached to her back... Wow, they are white at the base, like her body, but also fading to pink and sunrise orange... wild wings, like a fireball.
I need to be her friend.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Says Ilona, who doesn't say much, but I'm grateful that she stays close to me.
"Yes... Who is she?"
“Her name is Eos; can you see why?”
"... Eos means winged cat in another language or something?"
"No, it's the goddess of dawn, according to the Rodaki natives"
I'll pretend to know where that is.
"Wait, I thought mammals couldn't have feathers?"
"Mmm... Well, we're not supposed to be able to fly either, and look at the bats"
"Right"
"Don't ask me why they evolved that way, I have no idea, maybe it's not natural, who knows? Not that it matters, as far as we know, Eos is the only one in the world"
"Really?"
"I heard she was part of a pack, but besides her, all the others were extremely hostile, they suddenly appeared in a village not far from Castelmar a few years ago, they were very dangerous, so adventurers and knights had to kill them all... Except for Eos, she was a bit calmer than the others"
"Good for her... It would be a loss for the world to kill her"
"I guess... Now that I remember, Nicole was on that mission, you can ask her for details if you want"
"She knew such an amazing being and never told me!?"
"I think she mentioned that whenever she found an opportunity for the two of you to meet, you made excuses not to come to the castle"
"Eh..."
"Anyway, they almost killed her too, because even though she doesn't attack everything that moves like the others, she's still quite untamed and stubborn"
"I can see that," I nod my head as I watch the beautiful Eos run across the yard... Dragging a soldier by the leg, who is wearing the same uniform as the others.
"Besides, there's no one for her to breed with, so we wouldn't be able to train her pups"
I don't think so... For some reason, some strange words come to my mind, like parthenogenesis, chromosomes... But I get sleepy just saying them in my head, maybe one day.
"Her species is called Adriele." Ilona continues after a good swig of beer. "Princess Scabiosa loves cats, you know, she has several scattered around the castle. When she found out about Eos' majestic appearance, she practically forced everyone to let her adopt her"
"Just like Maureen?"
"Pretty much, but unlike Maureen, Eos is very strong, fierce and dangerous, so to compensate for the problems and in an attempt to get her used to people, she lets her train with the apprentice griffon riders"
"But Eos doesn't cooperate?" She must be very strong and resilient to crash into the ground with enough force to cause a small earth explosion.
"Exactly, at this point it's more of an initiation test for newcomers than training," the captain joins the conversation, sitting diagonally across from the same table.
"Would you like to meet her? When she starts running around the grass yard, it's her way of saying she won't let anyone else ride her today"
"Yes, please... Didn't you say she was dangerous?"
... Suddenly Ilona looks at me like I'm stupid, isn't it normal to ask that after what I've just been told?
"You'll be fine. And no, when she loses her temper, she's very dangerous, but she's never seriously hurt anyone, except for a stupid noble who tried to pluck one of her feathers once"
I'll be along in a moment then. Oh, speaking of the princess....
“By the way, what's the princess like? Maureen looked a bit unkempt, he needed a bath and had some cavities"
"Mmm... Princess Scabiosa, huh? She's... An idiot, basically"
"... What?" Is it okay to say that about the princess? And in front of a bunch of soldiers? And why do all the women seem to agree? As if reading my mind, Ilona says to me.
"She admits it herself, so there's no problem, let's see... She usually has a political, calculating and shrewd mind, worthy of a princess. Although she's a good person, she donates most of her allowance and usually adopts or finds homes for rare animals, partly because she likes them and partly so they don't become the attraction of some random rich guy, here she lets them do whatever they want in the spacious gardens"
"She neglected Maureen, though..." She sounds like a great person, but you should take better care of the animals you are responsible for.
"Yes, but in her defense, Maureen never let anyone touch his mouth, he also seems to have some sort of intention sense and would always run away or hide when the Princess made plans to force him to be checked by a dentist"
"Poor kitty..."
"But in her private life, she basically just goofs around... It's common to see her getting drunk in some bar in the city, strolling through the red-light district without worrying about her reputation, or flirting shamelessly with some handsome man in the corridors of the castle"
"... Wow"
"Yeah, oh, by the way, she also has three normal cats, an ocelot, and a couple of ghost cats. Since those six are pretty harmless, they tend to roam all over the castle"
“How cute, more and more reasons to come to the castle are coming up, unfortunately... But the princess seems to be a chaotic person, I don't think I want to meet her..."
"Unfortunately for you, I think she will want to meet you when she finds out that you helped her son, as she tells him, in addition to what you did this afternoon..."
... Let's think of better things, beautiful Adriele sent down from the heaven, that is. Alternating between small flights with her mighty wings and running across the lawn with her nimble, fluffy paws. I haven't stopped watching her, even while having that conversation.
As I eat my last skewer, I look for a nice big piece of meat for Eos, lean cooked chicken meat, low fat, the way cats like it.
"I'll go then"
"I don't recommend it," says a woman sitting across from me, tanned skin and short hair pulled back in a ponytail. "She won't kill you, but she's very wild, if it weren't for the blessed amulets against falling, we'd be dead by now with her acrobatics..."
From the inside of her uniform, she pulls out a triangular medallion with a small stained-glass window in the shape of two dove wings seen from the side.
"Mmm... I'll just go feed her then leave, it's getting late”
"Yell if you need help"
"Thanks for your worry. Ilona, are you leaving soon?"
"Yes, take your time with the errand, you can go another day if you want, there will be a change of drivers waiting for you, so don't worry about making them wait"
"I'm going today, I want to be free as soon as possible"
"Okay, see you"
Finally... By the time I finished my meal, it was pretty full of people for my taste... Too much noise, how do people manage to talk so much at the same time, even with their mouths supposedly full? I guess eating in total silence is also uncomfortable, but please...
I get up, say goodbye, and as if sensing my gaze, Eos turns her body to look at me... Then she walks towards me!
Many steps later, we stopped at a distance.
"..."
"..."
Something's wrong, I move closer, she moves away. I move away, she approaches. She seems especially cautious, almost hostile towards me, but she doesn't seem to want to leave either... Oh, is it the meat? Maybe it is.
I'll try to meet her another day, for now I'll just throw her the meat.
"I hope you're hungry, Eos"
I throw the chicken steak at her, not even halfway, and she catches it in mid-air before letting out a loud flap and shooting off into the sky.
Oh... There she goes, at least she's got a lot of freedom, AAHH MY SKIRT!
I quickly take cover... Eh... Mostly women, but there are also some men here....
Let's get out of here as soon as possible. I walk straight towards the exit. When I pass by the kitchen, everyone there is looking at me with different kinds of smiles on their faces... Ignore them, ignore them, just wave and don't take your eyes off the exit.
Finally I manage to find my way out of the castle, it's not that difficult, you can see the walls from almost every window here, but it's hard to know which is the right corridor, every time I met a guard my anxiety increased, I hoped with all my strength that I wasn't in a forbidden zone and they would throw me out.
Luckily that didn't happen and here I am, that's what I get for not asking for directions.
"Good day, sir." I say to a human man waiting next to a sleek black carriage with large wooden wheels. The man also looks well-groomed, wearing a formal black suit and a hat of the same color. But I can smell the foul odor of tobacco coming from him. Looks like I kept him waiting.
"Good afternoon to you too, dear lady. You must be Seina, my name is Adam, I will be your coachman on behalf of Master Ilona"
He offers me his hand, I answer... And he kisses it! Wow... Is that how they treat noble women?
Then he opens the carriage door and helps me in.
"Thank you very much, I will count on you"
"Of course, leave it to me"
Definitely rude of me, but I don't want the back of my hand to smell of tobacco, let alone be part of a stranger's little but present saliva, so I clean it with darkness as soon as I'm out of his sight.
Oh... The interior is very nice... three curtained windows on either side of the carriage, plus a rectangular window in the front. A small table with a trunk underneath at the other end. And most importantly, really padded seats... The last carriage I rode in was over four years ago, when I rode in one to go to the other end of my hometown, where the train station is.
It was really uncomfortable... Partly for my butt and partly for my mind, since it was much bigger and I was sharing it with many strangers.
As I relax, I think about what I am going to do. Going into the shadows is very useful, but I have to come to the surface to see where I'm going... When I do that, it already gives me a certain level of intangibility, sure I can take it a little further... Maybe go more... literally into the shadows? Like flattening my body into the shadow of a wall? Just like a certain hero dressed in green, who doesn't actually always wear green... Huh? What was I talking about?
Oh yes, ways to infiltrate.
I forgot to ask how far it is, but I think I have time.
The sun has set, but it's still a bit of daylight when we finally arrive. The coachman, whose name I forgot because I was distracted, helps me down again, how nice of him, or is that etiquette?
"It is better that I accompany you here, miss. If you go one block forward and two blocks to the left, you will arrive at the Verra estate"
"Thanks for bringing me"
"It's my job, have a nice day, dear lady." He kisses my hand again and leaves... This time he smells minty, but I still prefer clean hands, so I'm sorry. By the way, it's not that I'm smelling my hand like a pervert, the smell enters my nostrils by itself when he talks to me straight.
Anyway. Let's see... One block ahead and two blocks to the left, huh? He didn't even tell me what color the house is, I didn't ask either, I guess, maybe it's too showy.
I try my previous idea right away, in the end, I didn't even think much about what to do, since, if I manage to get into the shadows that way, well infiltrating anywhere sounds very easy, why think anything else? If something comes up, I'll improvise.
As naturally and effortlessly as I entered the ground the first time, I... sink into the shadows, haha, great. Maybe I don't have to, it's almost dark now, so I could do it in the middle of the street, but it'll still look a little darker spot than the rest if I do it that way.
Random Maid POV
"Thank you for waiting for mommy to finish her shift my love, did you have fun?"
I say to my daughter, giving her a big hug for being so good and offering to help me and my husband with our work, knowing that we have no one to leave her with.
She smells like a horse. But that doesn't stop me from giving her love.
“Yes! Sarah and I bathed Agro!”
"I can smell it. And please call her Lady Sarah when you're not alone, she's a noble" my husband interjects. He is a cook, I want to tell him he smells garlic too, but I keep it to myself.
"Yes, Daddy"
We walked home calmly as a family. Although he is a nobleman, my employer prefers a modest house, so we can't stay there, but he helped us buy a house near this district.
We turn a corner and... We stop.
A beautiful girl with fox ears and a fox tail is standing in the street.
Normally I would just say hello, but she... She has her eyes closed, she seems to be concentrating, but what made us stop is a bunch of... Black spots dancing aimlessly around her...
Are they evil spirits or something!?
My husband and daughter are just watching, we've never seen more than the odd magic street show, so maybe this is it?
But then... The black spots suck her in. Then they stick to the ground and crawl into one of the alleys. Melting into the shadows and disappearing from sight.
"""..."""
"MOMMY, GHOSTS KIDNAPPED THE FLUFFY TAIL!"
And so began a little urban myth in that district.
Seina POV
I move slowly, just to enjoy the view. Fancy streets, filled with thousands and thousands of flat stones buried in the ground, giving it a nice wavy pattern. The streets are also unnecessarily thick, I think about five carriages would fit side by side with no problem, and two more if they were to get on the wide sidewalks....
Big houses, huge houses, giant houses and mansions... It's pretty quiet, clean too, the houses look nice, though too big, how do they sweep all that up? Obviously, they hire people to do it for them, or maybe the furniture is filled with anti-dirt spells, who knows. But something cozier seems much better to me... Although, if I had a lot of money, maybe I'd buy a big house, wouldn't I? It sounds like a lot of hassle, but having a lot of space also sounds appealing in its own way...
Not that I need space, at home we have the fields and mountains outside the house, that's much better and more spacious than any garden here. The rivers and lakes are also more spacious than any pool here, even though it is icy water coming down from the snow-capped mountains...
Wait a minute. Why am I comparing my house to these? Maybe I'm upset because some rich guys at school think showing off their wealth to me is a good way to flirt?
Putting useless thoughts aside, I finally arrive at the Verra estate after almost thirty minutes.... As I watch from the roof of the small mansion across the street, I now know why no one bothered to give me directions.
This is basically a small castle, mainly white and dark green in color. U-shaped. It has three stories, few for a castle, but the tall windows indicate that they are unnecessarily large, it is also quite spacious. Separated from the street is a grass yard that dwarfs the one I was in earlier, full of flowers, trees and neatly trimmed ornamental trees.
There is also a wall separating the place from the street, with the simple word 'Verra' written ostentatiously on both pillars supporting the entrance gate.
Hey... I only saw it from a distance, but I'm sure the Kitase manor in Castelmar is smaller than this one. You're both counts, and this isn't even your territory, so why invest so much in such a big mansion? It's not a proof at all, but maybe an indication that you have more money than you should, who knows. I guess someone corrupt is not entirely rational.
While I wait until it's completely dark, one of my old habits returns, when I think I'm doing something wrong... I wag my tail and press it against my chest and stomach, then stroke it with my fingers to calm myself down... Only then do I realize that my fur is very fluffy and wild... I guess I've been moving around a lot today, it looks very cute, fluffy and adorable, but I prefer to keep it well brushed, it looks more, mmm, clean, sleek and smooth.
Okay, enough internal chatter, let's go inside.
I spot one of the trees in the distance, just around the corner from the mansion. Stepping into the ground I head over there. Then I hide in the shade of the tree, not being seen at any time.
'Oh... I should have checked for people before entering the property.'
I do just that, it's already dark, so that helps, even though there are a lot of lights on inside.
Let's see... Again, I concentrate on the hypothetical swords at my fingertips, without releasing that feeling, I ask to be shown inside...
Corridors, impractical furniture, dozens of frames on the walls, more corridors, lamps... Oil lamps, carpets...
This does not help, better just look for people for now...
There is no guard... But there are a few people inside, in suits, skirts and tiaras... I guess they are maids and maybe butlers or something... The standard uniform of many men is a simple formal suit, so it's hard to tell what they do.
One particularly large room catches my eye... With someone lying in bed... I feel like I should pay attention to him for some reason. Since he's in bed, breathing very slowly, I guess he wouldn't mind a closer look from me, even though I feel like the darkness might become more visible...
Oh... it's Lance.
And he looks like he's almost on the verge of death.