Caspian followed Seti through a narrow corridor until the passage opened into a room. It was dimly lit with soft lantern light, the aroma of well-cooked food hanging in the air like a spell.
There was something intimate about the atmosphere that calmed him. He exhaled, unclenching his hands, letting his shoulders fall from their usual tension.
They were already waiting.
Four strangers. He noticed it at once the way they stood, spaced apart. Different silhouettes, different energies.
Seti, ever composed, simply said, "This is Caspian."
That was all. He stepped aside, allowing them full view.
Immediately, Caspian felt their gazes. Sharp. Measuring.
He stiffened.
His own eyes flicked across them too fast. Four distinct figures. A curved table stood between them, laid with food and drink. He guessed that was where they'd be dining.
A woman spoke first. She was tall and lean, poised with the stillness of someone trained for war. Her skin was a burnished copper tone, her dark hair bound tight in a high ponytail.
A single silver earring gleamed from her right ear the only hint of color on her person.
"It is an honor to meet you, Ten'Kaar," she said. "I will serve as your warrior in whatever capacity you desire. I am Amara of the Noble House of Kasir, Devotee to the one true God, Heka." She bowed low.
Caspian blinked. Exasperated. But curious, too. What was Heka's connection to this clan?
"Erm… this… is not… I'm just Caspian," he said finally, ending with a small sigh. "Thanks anyway," he added, a little dumbly.
"It is my honor, lord," she replied without hesitation, voice steady with a soldier's conviction.
"Hello, your godliness! I'm Malem. Jack of all trades. I can do anything. At your service," said the next voice, light and bright.
It came from the younger man leaning against a pillar to Amara's left. He grinned at Caspian, eyes gleaming, evaluating . His braids were dyed at the ends, deep indigo fading into silver.
Caspian didn't know what to say to that. He didn't even fully understand the introduction. So he nodded, awkwardly.
His eyes flicked to Seti, but the man gave away nothing. Just watched.
Then the last one stepped forward.
A boy?
No—not a boy. Not really. He looked young, but something about him said otherwise. His eyes carried weight. Ancient, almost.
He wore a black cloak fine, but worn. His dark hair was tied back in a single braid that trailed behind him. And his eyes… were pools of black.
"I am Dark..."
"Creepy voodoo magician," Malem interrupted glancing at dark with a comic uneasy side eye.
Caspian raised a brow. It was his first time seeing a voodoo magician. They were rare. And feared. Said to dabble in all the taboo spaces.
"Really, Malem? Am I creepy?" Dark turned slowly to face him, offering a toothless smile that stretched too wide.
"Hey, don't do that" Malem pointed a finger, recoiling slightly.
Dark's smile only grew. Caspian was definitely creeped out but he felt no real malice from it.
"Enough," Seti said, his voice calm but final.
"We should eat now."
The rest seemed to acknowledge him with slight nods and slid into seats around the round table.
Something about Seti's calm dominance made Caspian…
He shook his head quickly, brushing the weird thought away, and slipped into an empty chair.
As he sat, a warm pulse fluttered beneath his ribs. He ignored it. One more reminder.
He had a month if he was lucky.he glanced around the table. Everyone looked a bit awkward except Malem.
Malem had already started eating, happily scooping food into his mouth. He'd barely dipped his fingers into the small wash basin perched on a nearby pillar.
Something about that his ease made Caspian smile. He cast a look toward Seti, who, as usual, was stonefaced.
Seti raised an arm over the table. "I bid you eat from the bounty of my house," he said solemnly.
"There is no ill will between us."
He didn't even acknowledge that Malem had already broken the ceremonial moment.
With that, the others began to eat.
Dinner was mostly quiet except for Malem, who ignored every kind of dining etiquette ever written . He ate like someone who had nothing to prove, and didn't care who was watching.
The rest mostly evaluated each other in silence. Caspian noticed, curiously, that the stares weren't focused on him. There were glances brief ones but most eyes were drawn to Seti.
Even while doing almost nothing, Seti commanded attention. He moved with such stillness, such quiet force, that it pulled every gaze back to him.
He never faltered beneath the scrutiny.
And somehow, that made Caspian… envious.
He sighed and looked down at his plate.
When dinner ended, Seti dismissed everyone with his usual quiet efficiency. Soon, they were alone. He gestured for Caspian to walk with him, and for a while, the corridor was filled with only their footsteps.
Then Seti spoke.
"They are loyal to you," he said. "We are loyal to you, Caspian. It is our divine mandate. We will help you retrieve the sword."
Caspian exhaled slowly.
"Loyal to me…" he murmured. "Or to Heka?"
He turned to look at Seti. "When you help me retrieve the sword...what then?"
Seti stopped walking and turned as well, though his gaze wasn't on Caspian. He stared straight ahead.
"I do not know," he said quietly. "Caspian, I do not know what the future holds. I am but a blade to serve you."
The words struck Caspian like a blow. There was no hesitation in Seti's voice. No uncertainty.
They echoed in Caspian's mind, repeating over and over. He struggled to hold onto a single thought.
"You should rest," Seti said after a pause. "Tomorrow, we ride early."
He continued walking, leaving Caspian standing behind him, silent.
It took Caspian a few seconds to move. Eventually, he followed.
When they reached his room, he stepped inside. For a moment, their eyes met.
"Sleep well, Caspian," Seti said, voice softer now. He gave a small nod and turned away.
Caspian closed the door slowly behind him. Then he leaned back against it, exhaling. He reached up and tugged at the tie holding his hair. It fell loose around his shoulders as he ran a hand through it.
Seti's words haunted him: a blade to serve you.
That night, his dreams were tangled. Seti's face. Red chaos. A storm he couldn't outrun.
---
Elsewhere, in his darkened room, Dark let his magic seep outward.
The lantern flickered and died. The curtains snapped shut as if pulled by invisible strings, sealing the room in utter blackness.
From the folds of his robe, he drew a small wooden box and sank cross-legged to the floor. He murmured incantations beneath his breath, words that curled like smoke in the still air.
He placed the box before him and opened it with reverence.
Two black candles. A worn deck of cards.
He set the candles before him, then touched the deck. The thought of the journey ahead filled his mind as he began to shuffle.
The cards lifted from his fingers, floating between the flames. Suddenly, the candles ignited flaring with violent red light.
One by one, he turned the cards.
A road. A wound. A beast in shadow.
He sighed. "A perilous journey, indeed…"
Then his eyes caught the final card. A silver sickle, miasma curling above it like smoke.
Death. Not in the abstract. A life would be lost.
"Who?" he whispered.
He stared at the third card again. "Success? Hm."
But uncertainty gnawed at him. He reshuffled, this time focusing entirely on Caspian.
His fingers moved faster. The tempo quickened. Magic coiled thick in the room.
A sudden bang an explosion of force slammed him backwards. He crashed into the bed like a ragdoll.
His vision spun. Blood dripped from his nose, ears, eyes.
He blinked up, breathless, to see the cards scattered to the farthest corners of the room.
A deep, wild smile twisted his lips.
Shouldn't have tried to read one touched by divinity.
He was still too weak.
But not for long.