Meko turned around and looked from the note to the empty shed. "Let's get back to Katarina," he said in a low voice, a huff escaping his lips. "We can start asking questions back at the inn. We need to find Mara and see what he was talking about."
Doren didn't argue. He understood the urgency in Meko's tone. The immediate threat was gone, but now a larger, more sinister enemy had revealed itself. They had to get back to Katarina and figure out their next move. He folded the note and tucked it into his pocket.
The walk back to the inn was silent and tense, a stark contrast to their earlier conversation. Meko walked with a purpose and Doren trailed behind. The market was bustling, and the sun was high in the sky. When they finally reached the familiar wooden doors of the inn, the warm light and low hum of conversation from inside felt like a distant memory.
Meko stayed by the door for a moment, his eyes scanning the crowd with a simmering intensity. He then turned to Doren. "They won't know you. Let me."
He walked into the main room, his shoulders squared. He approached a man with a tankard of ale in his hand, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Excuse me," Meko said, his voice low and urgent. "Have you seen Katarina?"
The man grunted, took a long swig of his ale, and looked at Meko. "Aye, I saw her this morning. She was with a young woman. They left together, I think. Haven't seen them since."
Meko's face hardened. He moved on, asking a few more people. The answers were all the same. They knew Katarina, and they had seen her earlier, but no one knew where she was now. A sense of unease that had been building since they left the shed was now a full-blown fear.
He met Doren with a grim expression. "No luck?" Doren asked.
Meko shook his head, his face pale. "No one has seen her since this morning." His eyes narrowed. "They were seen leaving together, which means they didn't get their rooms here." Meko thought for a second, his face lost in thought. He then snapped his fingers. "Let's check at Katarina's house." He turned and left the inn without another word.
Doren followed close behind, the knot in his stomach tightening with every step. The thought of losing Katarina was a new, crushing weight on his shoulders. Even if he had only just met these people.
They left the bustling heart of Havenport and crossed to the other side of town, where the homes were built into the rolling, green hills. The walk was silent, the only sound was the crunch of their boots on the dirt path. They found Katarina's home, a short, humble dwelling built directly into a hillside, with a single window next to a simple wooden door.
As they approached, Doren's blood ran cold. The door was ajar, and a thin, dark line was painted across the wood, an intricate symbol he had never seen before.
It was a sun with a single ray pointing downward, the ray ending in a single, unblinking eye. It was the mark of the Order of the Sunless.
Meko saw it too. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, his jaw clenched. The symbol was a warning, a message left for them to find. It was a declaration that the Order was here.
Meko pushed the door open, his hand still on the hilt of his sword, ready for a fight. Instead of an enemy, Katarina lunged at him, a wild-eyed expression of panic on her face. She was ready to attack, but Meko grabbed her arms, stopping her.
"Hey! Knock it off!" Meko yelled, a flash of annoyance in his voice.
"Sorry! I thought they were coming back," she said, her voice frazzled.
Behind her, Anya was huddled in the corner, her body shaking. It was clear they had been in a state of high alert.
Katarina pulled away from Meko, her long black hair in a state of disarray. "They were gone when we got here," she said, her voice easing. "We saw a symbol on the door but they were already gone. We were so scared..." Her eyes darted around the small room. "We need to leave now." She grabbed Anya by the arm, ready to flee.
The air in the small home was thick with fear. The Order of the Sunless had been here, and they were gone, leaving behind only the terror of their presence.
Meko's voice was commanding, his eyes still fixed on the sinister mark of the Order of the Sunless on the door. "Grab some things," he said, turning back to the others. "Looks like our lives in Havenport are over."
Anya, who had been huddled in the corner, looked up, her voice trembling. "I'm not going back to my house," she said, her voice filled with a raw, undeniable fear. "They... they know where I live."
Meko's gaze softened slightly as he looked at her. "You don't have to go back," he said. "You can come with us. We will protect you."
Anya's shoulders visibly relaxed, the tension draining from her as relief washed over her face. She nodded, her eyes welling with gratitude.
Doren and Katarina exchanged a look. The plan was a desperate one, but it was a plan, and that was all that mattered right now.
Meko's calm, deliberate tone cut through the panic in the room. He turned to Katarina. "Hey, Kat," he said. "Why don't you and Anya go to the edge of town? We will start heading for Limka, we might be able to find a cheap steer there. I'm thinking of a Fenhoof or a Steernia."
Katarina, her panic now fully receded, looked at Anya, then nodded. "We'll be there," she said, her voice steadier now.
Meko then turned to Doren. "Doren, you and I will go to the inn. We don't have much time. Then we need some things from the stalls. A canteen at least. And some bedspreads. If we can get two for the ladies, that's perfect. I don't have much coin though."
The group was silent for a moment, absorbing the words. Meko was taking charge, giving them all a role to play. The plan was a risk, a desperate race against an enemy they knew nothing about, but it was better than waiting to be found.
With a shared look of determination, Meko and Doren left Katarina's house. The weight of their new reality settled over them. They moved with a newfound purpose, retracing their steps through the winding streets of Havenport. The air, once heavy with fear, now felt charged.
When they arrived at the inn, the familiar scent of ale and roasted meat filled the air. The room was bustling with travelers, merchants, and locals. Their laughter and conversation, a stark contrast to the silence Doren and Meko carried with them. As their eyes swept the room, they found her. Mara, the inn server, was wiping down a table, her face a neutral mask of a person just going about their day.
Meko strode toward her, his gaze fixed. Doren followed close behind. Mara looked up, her expression changing to one of mild confusion as the two men loomed over her.
Meko's voice was a low growl, barely audible above the noise of the inn. "We need to talk," he said, his eyes boring into hers. "You told the Order of the Sunless where to find us. You were with Waterloo."
Mara's rag stilled on the table. A flicker of fear, quickly masked, crossed her face. "I did not!" she yelled out, her voice cracking with indignation. "Wait, the Order of the what?" Mara was genuinely confused, her face a mask of bewilderment.
Meko's gaze was unrelenting. He leaned closer, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Why would one of their members, who captured and scared Varen off, say you should've kept your mouth shut?"
Doren stepped forward, his fists clenched, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. He was done with questions. "Why are they hunting us?" he demanded, the words a raw, furious accusation. "What did we do to them? Why are they ruining our lives?"
Mara recoiled, her eyes wide with fear. "I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know anything!" Her voice was a frightened whisper, the feigned bravado from moments before completely gone. "Please, just leave me alone!"
The cold realization hit Meko and Doren at the same time: she wasn't a liar. She genuinely knew nothing. The enemy had used her without her knowledge, turning a simple server into an unwilling tool. The real informant was still out there, and the enemy was one step ahead.
The revelation that Mara knew nothing should have been a relief, but it only deepened the confusion and frustration. They were now at a loss. He remembered how excited Mara had been at the inn when she first learned his name. She hadn't cared that he was a powerful elementalist, only that he was a Mercer.
He turned to leave with Meko but stopped, a question dawning on him. He turned back to Mara, his voice calm and serious. "One more question before we leave," he said. "How many enemies did my father have that you know of?"
Mara's demeanor changed again, the fear in her eyes replaced by a sad, distant look. "He was a warrior," she said, "I can imagine he had quite a few. You know the War with Frozetria wasn't his first war, right?"
His father's reputation as a hero was known here, but no one had ever mentioned his father was in more than one war. Not even his mother. This implied that he had more enemies than just the Order of the Sunless.
Meko's harsh expression softened as he looked at Mara. Her genuine fear and confusion had disarmed his anger, and he knew they had made a mistake.
"Thank you, Mara," he said. "And I apologize for any accusations." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins, placing them on the table near her hand. "Thank you for being so pleasant throughout the years," he added.
Mara watched them, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and confusion. She didn't touch the coins. Meko and Doren turned and left the inn, the conversation about Sophron's past wars echoing in Doren's mind. The vibrant life of the town seemed to mock their grim purpose as they walked toward the marketplace stalls. They needed to get their supplies and get out of Havenport