{"id":30,"date":"2017-07-08T02:32:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-08T02:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=30"},"modified":"2017-07-08T16:20:01","modified_gmt":"2017-07-08T16:20:01","slug":"three-the-black-missive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/08\/three-the-black-missive\/","title":{"rendered":"Three: The Black Missive"},"content":{"rendered":"

The walk to the strange man\u2019s cave was only an hour because of the rolling limp that affected his walk, and, it seemed, his speech patterns. \u00a0He would go up and down, up and down with his tales as they walked, telling Raizel all about the Empire\u2019s plans to read everyone\u2019s mind, only to turn around and whisper, so very quietly, that the birds were there to spy on him, and then be back to shouting again. <\/span><\/p>\n

Three times, Raizel offered to go on ahead, and three times he turned her down, each time more angrily than before. \u00a0The last time, he swept both hands in wide denial, as if clearing off a table. \u00a0\u201cYou only want the falcon for yourself! \u00a0I will get some other child to get it, someone who is less greedy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Raizel could see those fifty sed slipping out of her fingers. \u00a0\u201cThere won\u2019t be any others,\u201d she pointed out quickly. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m the last one to head out for the Census. \u00a0It took me longer to count my family than everyone else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That seemed to placate him. \u00a0\u201cThe Ennizaba family has always been a large one. \u00a0Large and proud, proud and large. \u00a0Surprised they agreed to the taxes at all. \u00a0Surprised they will let the Census know them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you know how it is.\u201d \u00a0Raizel wasn\u2019t sure he did, truth be told, so she explained. \u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s only so much business you can do if you\u2019re not on the rosters. \u00a0People who are concerned about such things, they want to see the seal that says you did the lawful thing, they want to know that you pay your taxes just like them.\u201d \u00a0Her mother had explained it to her not a week ago. \u00a0And then her great-grandfather had added some choice words of his own. \u00a0The Ennizaba family was, indeed, very proud about such things – which probably had more to do with Raizel\u2019s delay in leaving than any of the adults would willingly admit to. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you cannot get around such things, this is true.\u201d \u00a0The man nodded. \u201cThat is the way of the Empire, always eating up everything one wants to do. \u00a0They color the way that the people think, and thus do not need to police. \u00a0If people police each other because their thoughts have been changed, the Empire can concentrate on other matters. \u00a0And I wonder, and you should wonder, what those other matters are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d \u00a0Raizel had other worries than what the Empire was up to. \u00a0\u201cHow much longer?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot far, not far. \u00a0You can see it up ahead, there, see?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not digging in the dark hill!\u201d \u00a0The voice came from ahead, although Raizel could see nobody in front of them. \u201cNo! You cannot dig in there!\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>She could, too, for fifty sed! \u00a0Raizel peered ahead, wondering who was getting in the way of her handful of money. \u00a0She could almost feel it in her pocket already…<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A man came lumbering up over the tiny hillock ahead of them, a man nearly as round as the hill, wearing an apron that was so white as to nearly be blinding and a blue cap which covered all of his hair. \u00a0An innkeeper or a bartender or a waiter, probably, and no waiter would stay that round, not in the tight little restaurants around here. \u201cYou cannot dig in the dark hill!\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cAnd who tells you that we\u2019re going to, mmm?\u201d complained the man who was going to pay Raizel. \u00a0\u201cWho said such a thing to you?\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cI know you, Triner Tralrn, I know you well, and you do the same thing every time you have a chance. \u00a0You crag poor children to dig for you. \u00a0Not this time! \u00a0No, you cannot dig it up!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, he is going to give me fifty sed to dig up this box.\u201d \u00a0Raizel didn\u2019t really have time for the old men to fight; she needed to get to the train station. \u00a0\u201cAre you going to give me sixty sed not to dig it up?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The probably-an-innkeeper eyed Raizel for a moment. \u00a0\u201cFrom the mountains, mmm\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course she was; they were still <\/span>in<\/span><\/i> the mountains. \u00a0Or at least still in the mountain region. \u00a0\u201cYes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cListen, you cannot.\u201d \u00a0He clasped his hands in front of him. \u00a0\u201cI beg you, do not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOld man, what are you worried about?\u201d The man with Raizel, Trinner Tralrn (and that was a low-country name if she\u2019d ever heard one), glared at the round man. \u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t care one whit for the treasure or anything else buried under that mountain as long as your secrets stay there!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you don\u2019t care one whit for my secrets as long as you can keep the birds out of your brain!\u201d countered the round man. \u00a0\u201cAnd now you have this child involved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>child<\/span><\/i> really wanted to get her money. \u00a0If Raizel had wanted to listen to old men argue, she\u2019d have stayed home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I\u2019m sorry, sir, but I don\u2019t really care about your secr-\u201d she stopped as the man grabbed her arms with both of his hands. \u201cLet go of me.\u201d \u00a0She knew her voice was level but she was ready to shout if she had to.<\/span><\/p>\n

He lifted his hands up and stepped backwards. \u00a0\u201cWhen you find the missive. \u00a0The black missive. \u00a0You\u2019re going to find it. \u00a0When you find it, please destroy it. \u00a0That is all I ask, and I implore it of you. \u00a0Please. \u00a0The missive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDig up his treasure, destroy the black missive.\u201d \u00a0She nodded. \u00a0\u201cI can do that.\u201d \u00a0For her fifty sed.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The walk to the strange man\u2019s cave was only an hour because of the rolling limp that affected his walk, and, it seemed, his speech patterns. \u00a0He would go up and down, up and down with his tales as they walked, telling Raizel all about the Empire\u2019s plans to read everyone\u2019s mind, only to turn… Continue reading Three: The Black Missive<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Three: The Black Missive. Oh, no, what\u2019s Raizel getting herself into?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-u","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/03\/day-one-chapter-one-the-quest\/","url_meta":{"origin":30,"position":0},"title":"Day One, Chapter One: The Quest","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"New Story with a short timeline! \u00a0This is Side Quest, a story for Camp NanoWrimo July 2017. \u00a0 And so it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Tzar Vimyxa that representatives of all the families of the nation should come to Buscontra, in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/09\/22\/nineteen-evil-and-escape\/","url_meta":{"origin":30,"position":1},"title":"Nineteen: Evil and Escape","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"September 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cFor people who know about this thing\u2014\u201d the Diamond Raven warned. \u201cFor people to know about it is truth! \u00a0Is all of us who rotted for the Tzar laid to rest! \u00a0Is everything that went wrong put better!\u201d \u00a0The deserter was foaming at the mouth. \u00a0Raizel took a step back.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/09\/22\/nineteen-evil-and-escape\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/11\/four-the-narrow-cave\/","url_meta":{"origin":30,"position":2},"title":"Four: The Narrow Cave","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The cave was, indeed, very tight, and if Raizel had been any better fed, she would not have fit. \u00a0Trinner Traln and the round man shouted at her and each other as ehs slipped through the opening, moving more like a snake than even like crawling. \u201cHow did you even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/08\/11\/fourteen-walking-with-the-veiled-prince\/","url_meta":{"origin":30,"position":3},"title":"Fourteen: Walking with the Veiled Prince","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"August 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"She missed the carriage immediately, but there wasn\u2019t such a thing going from Esteronzerai to the train station for at least two days. \u00a0In two days, if she made good time, Raizel could already be on the train. She and the Diamond Raven joined a small group of people leaving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/","url_meta":{"origin":30,"position":4},"title":"Twenty-Three: Cleaner","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"They made it to the bathhouse without further incident. \u00a0Raizel had never been inside a place like this, but she\u2019d heard the stories and descriptions from people in the town that went down into the flatter lands: There were rainfall devices where you soaped off, and then big drinking-trough tubs\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":117,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2018\/01\/05\/twenty-seven-the-train\/","url_meta":{"origin":30,"position":5},"title":"Twenty-Seven: The Train","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"January 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cAm I really here?\u201d Raizel muttered to the Diamond Raven. \u00a0It felt unlikely. \u00a0She had been trying for this for what seemed like months, even if it had only been days, and here they were, on the platform, buying two tickets for the train. \u00a0 That she had the Diamond\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}