{"id":95,"date":"2017-10-11T13:38:34","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T13:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=95"},"modified":"2017-10-11T13:38:34","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T13:38:34","slug":"twenty-two-lost-and-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/11\/twenty-two-lost-and-found\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-Two: Lost and Found"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhy her?\u201d The Diamond Raven shifted so he was standing almost between Raizel and the Left Hand. \u00a0\u201cWhy this stranger on the street?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause she\u2019s not a stranger, is she? \u00a0She\u2019s the one that everyone\u2019s been muttering about. \u00a0She\u2019s got you, which is interesting in and of itself. \u00a0She\u2019s made it through some pretty strange things, and I just saw the two of you put off a deserter, and almost nobody has managed that. \u00a0He\u2019s been following people around and sticking to their sides like burrs. \u00a0And yet he <\/span>wanted<\/span><\/i> you, when he wanted nobody else, and while he was there, something magical answered your question, which I\u2019ve never seen happen before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpectral,\u201d Raizel corrected despite herself. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a spectre I did a favor for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a spectre she did a favor for,\u201d he imitated, \u201cand yet your friend – captive – here is wondering what -\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFriend,\u201d the Diamond Raven corrected. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not a captive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe has you collared in a magical golden cord. \u00a0You\u2019re her captive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s – well, a little,\u201d Raizel admitted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMore than a little. \u00a0You\u2019ve bound his will, mountain girl. \u00a0You\u2019ve tied him up something good. \u00a0And you wonder why I want you to get the Poison King into the vault in Federskiarl.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I don\u2019t–?\u201d \u00a0You didn\u2019t ask questions like that of the Tzar\u2019s Left Hand, but Raizel was feeling tetchy. \u00a0\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you don\u2019t, then the vault can hold you – and your kitten, and your Raven – just as well. \u00a0\u00a0You don\u2019t question the will of the Tzar, mountain girl. \u00a0Even you don\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I sit mouldering in a vault, I\u2019ll never be able to make the lovely boy-whore at the inn a <\/span>scented fox. \u00a0I\u2019ll never be able to find the <\/span>fourth falcon and take it to a place of blessing for the goddess-Barmaid. \u00a0I won\u2019t be able to subjugate the Found Book for the god\u2019s-mouth in Esteronzerai. \u00a0And all of those things will distress people, and I do not wish those people to be distressed, and neither do you.\u201d \u00a0She lifted her chin. \u00a0\u201cI will not be able to complete the quest the pixie brushed on me and I will not be able to pay my taxes, and all that will be on you, Tzar\u2019s Left Hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he countered. \u201cIt\u2019ll be on yours, because you\u2019re being difficult. \u00a0Do as you\u2019re told, and you will be able to complete your little quests.\u201d \u00a0His eye was twitching though. \u00a0\u201cTake your whore his scented fox, get rid of your kitten-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know where one of those things is, don\u2019t you?\u201d \u00a0The Diamond Raven seemed to pounce on an opening Raizel hadn\u2019t even seen. \u00a0\u201cNot the fox, yeah, but I guess he\u2019s a really good whore. \u00a0So is it that Found book or the fourth falcon?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d the man brushed away the accusation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, of course it does. \u00a0Because if you <\/span>help<\/span><\/i> Raizel in her quest, if you <\/span>give <\/span><\/i>\u00a0her something she needs, then she might be willing to help you with your desire to entomb this Poison King, without you needing to resort to threats that may very well upset two gods, a specter, a pixie, a Prince, a gardener, a boy-whore, and a wizard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA wizard?\u201d The Tzar\u2019s hand raised his eyebrows.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re all leashed up, what can you do?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Diamond Raven smiled grimly. \u00a0\u201cAnything she wants me to. \u00a0And considering you\u2019re threatening her life, her livelihood, and her sacred quests, I can imagine she just might want me to do anything I can think of to stop you. \u00a0What say you, MIstress Raizel? \u00a0Do we take the nice Tzar\u2019s-Hand\u2019s information and attempt to entomb a Poison King on our way to the capital? \u00a0Or do we walk away and, should he follow, blast him into a million little pieces?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She wondered if he could do that. \u00a0She wondered a little more if, if she really had that much control \u2014 she\u2019d tied up his magic, right? That\u2019s why he was following her? \u2014 if she\u2019d let him. <\/span><\/p>\n

She smirked at both of them instead of saying any of that out loud. \u00a0\u201cIf he can help me find the Found Book or the fourth falcon, I suppose we can attempt to entomb a king on the way to the census.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what this Found Book is, or why you need to, uh, find something that\u2019s already Found, but i do know about the falcon. \u00a0The thing is. \u00a0It\u2019s in the Federskiarl vault. \u00a0It\u2019s not supposed to come out, but if you know how to destroy it \u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I do.\u201d \u00a0Raizel lifted her chin. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen here\u2019s the combination to the \u00a0vault. \u00a0Get the falcon out, get the Poison King in. \u00a0Easy-peasy. \u00a0Oh, and the apothecary down the street has what you need for the scented fox. \u00a0Here.\u201d The Tzar pressed seven silver trei into her hand. \u201cIf he\u2019s worth listing with the god-touched and the fae, he\u2019s probably worth the best you can make. \u00a0And, uh,\u201d he added another two trei. \u00a0\u201cGet that wizard of yours a bath; bathhouse is next to the apothecary. \u00a0He\u2019s starting to reek.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll do our best. \u00a0Thank you.\u201d \u00a0Raizel pocketed the money. \u00a0\u201cCome on, Stinky Raven. \u00a0Time for a bath and, uh, an apothecary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhy her?\u201d The Diamond Raven shifted so he was standing almost between Raizel and the Left Hand. \u00a0\u201cWhy this stranger on the street?\u201d \u201cBecause she\u2019s not a stranger, is she? \u00a0She\u2019s the one that everyone\u2019s been muttering about. \u00a0She\u2019s got you, which is interesting in and of itself. \u00a0She\u2019s made it through some pretty strange… Continue reading Twenty-Two: Lost and Found<\/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_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Side Quest Chapter Twenty-Two: Lost and Found\r\n\u26f0\ufe0f\r\nMaybe there\u2019s actually some progress happening\u2026?\r\n\ud83d\ude82\r\n#freefiction #fantasy","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}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-1x","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2018\/01\/05\/twenty-seven-the-train\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":0},"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":[]},{"id":121,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2018\/01\/16\/twenty-eight-the-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":1},"title":"Twenty-Eight: The People","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"January 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Raven had done something, she was sure of it. \u00a0She had expected to be in the part of the train where people crowded onto benches or sat in the aisles. \u00a0That was cheap part, the part where most people like her rode. Instead, she and the Raven and six\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":45,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/13\/six-the-evil-idol\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":2},"title":"Six: The Evil Idol","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Raizel was in a plane of white in front of a black spectre, without fifty sed and nowhere near the train station. If she got out of here, she was going to curse Trinner Traln and that idiot Esterzon Gorenz with every trick and hex and lie all of her\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":56,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/23\/ten-the-perils-of-ones-past\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":3},"title":"Ten: The Perils of One\u2019s Past","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"She should have thought of it before she agreed, she supposed. \u00a0She might be stepping into some long-held family feud \u2014 their mountain had several of those \u2014 or maybe into the sort of thing where the city wanted to move someone whose home had stood in the same place\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":36,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/12\/five-pixie-dust\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":4},"title":"Five: Pixie Dust","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinner Traln and the round man were, of course waiting for her. \u00a0 \u201cPixies,\u201d she swore at both of them. \u00a0\u201cPixie dust.\u00a0What were you thinking?\u201d \u201cWhat?\u201d \u00a0The rotund man stared at her. \u00a0\u201cThere are pixies in that cave? \u00a0And you didn\u2019t bring any out?\u201d \u201cWhat do I look like to\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":95,"position":5},"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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95","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=95"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95\/revisions\/96"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}