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The Guilded Cage

Prologue 3 Violent Tidings

There was something about the scent of well-cared-for, aged tomes that Dorias felt almost addictive. The Yak took in a deep breath as he sat down in an old armchair, one that had been at the library far longer than he. Serving as the librarian's assistant had some incredible perks, including having full run of the place after hours and a comfortable apartment up above it in the living area. None of that would matter, of course, had the librarian not taught to read, and, despite it being illegal, the middle-aged Beast-kin was forever thankful.

The Librarian, a young (for an Elf) man by the name of Alimys had encountered Dorias scarcely a decade into the Yak's life and, after bringing him in off the street, began to teach him all about working at a library. Three decades later, Dorias was practically a librarian in his own right. Of course, Beast-kin couldn't be librarians, but, nevertheless, he was still content to be an aide. Besides, he often reminded himself, the library wouldn't need someone to take over for Alimys for centuries-- far longer than Dorias had to worry about. No, he reasoned; as long as Alimys was there then the Yak had nothing to worry about.

The sudden, booming echo of the double-doors at the entrance to the grand structure immediately reminded the Beast-kin that there was actually one major concern: being discovered reading by the authorities. Quickly peering over the balcony down to the ground floor, the Yak's heart skipped a beat; the Lawgivers would have been bad enough, but he was faced with a much more horrible prospect: the Wardens.

If the Lawgivers were St. Almar's elite guardsmen and the Watch served as its casual rank-and-file, then the Wardens were that small little division that nobody liked to talk about and fewer people liked to encounter. The Wardens were not only a part of the law, but they were above it, and the edicts and actions they undertook were usually not to the benefit of those who crossed them. Dorias remained standing where he was, book still in hand, as their eyes met his. The Elven woman at the front of the group of three pointed his way. "You! Beast-kin. Stay where you are."

Dorias and Alimys had practiced drills for such an event multiple times; he remained right where he was, but nudged a nearby book trolley over toward himself with a hoof, taking care to close the book he held silently out of view behind the railing. Just as the Wardens crested the top of the stairwell and the Yak was concerned he'd have to handle things on his own, Alimys came to his aid, stepping in front of the group. "Oh, Cousin! So good to see you! I'm surprised you decided to visit so late in the evening. Did you come to--"

The Woman at the lead of the group came to a stop, but scowled in response to his friendly greeting, speaking over him as she pointed past the Librarian, pointing right at Dorias. "Alimys, are you aware that Beast-kin was READING?"

Despite not being an actor by trade, Alimys was amazingly convincing. Glancing back over his shoulder, the Librarian furrowed his brow as he looked to the woman once again, thumbing in Dorias' direction as well. "Him? Oh... no... he's just returning books their shelves. Aren't you, Dorias?"

The Yak nodded, accentuating his Old Kingdom accent to play up the lack of intelligence most Elves expected from Beast-kin. "Aye Ser... jest cleanin' up, like ye want of meh."

The two other Wardens glanced to one another but the Woman seemed unconvinced. Resting one hand on the light crossbow hanging from her hip, she spoke to the Librarian despite continuing to eye Dorias. "Honestly, Alimys, wouldn't you prefer a real assistant? Why bother having a Beast-kin touch the books? Not only could he get stink on them, but he may be tempted to eat some of the pages if he gets hungry-- not like that seems to be a problem for him, does it? Somewhat chunky for a Beast-kin..."

Dorias' relatively sedentary life and Alimys' care for him meant that the older Yak was not malnourished but he tried to stay in shape. Still, as he got older, Dorias had started to develop a faint hint of a paunch and not being as physical as many of his fellow Beast-kin meant that it wasn't easy to work off. The Librarian stepped to the side, intercepting his cousin's gaze, all courtesy gone from his tone. "Did you come here to question my choice in staff, or was there some other important purpose?"

Finally free of the female Elf's critical gaze, Dorias quickly stepped over to the book trolley and led it to the closest shelf, then began to pull one book out at a time, carefully and silently mouthing the first letter on the cover to himself, then counted out several seconds as he made sure to put in an expression of great thought before me moved back to the shelf and began mumbling as he thumbed through numerous tomes. He knew where the book belonged, of course, and he had no trouble with knowing the order of letters in the alphabet, but placing the book in alphabetical order too quickly would probably arouse suspicion.

The discussion between the lead Warden and the Librarian continued in his absence; she switched to Elvish, obviously presuming Dorias didn't understand. "I can't see how you can stand to be associated with such a crude creature, Cousin. You know that Great Uncle Lhenalos has countless Fairviews from which to select as a proper assistant. They are much better suited for the life of a scholar, and they present themselves so much better. What is that creature even wearing? A skirt?"

Alimys let out a lengthy sigh, and the fact that he chose Common in which to reply spoke volumes to Dorias about the message he was sending unspoken to his cousin. Family squabbles between the Ohlnoryah household were rarely if ever seen, and for good reason: they always desired to put up a unified front. In that moment, however, Alimys didn't seem to mind. "That is a kilt, dear Cousin, and I think it looks just fine on him."

The Elven woman scowled. "It makes him look like a worshipper of that mongrel god of theirs... ghastly."

Dorias purposefully avoided reacting but, thankfully, the Librarian didn't miss a beat. "That pattern is called plaid-- it has little-to-nothing to do with the patchwork god."

Even if the Yak hadn't been peeking out of the corner of his eye at her, the Warden's eye roll was almost within the range of hearing. Her scowl was even 'louder'. "Obviously having a Beast-kin around you all day has been a bad influence." at which point she switched back to Common. "You! Bull!"

Dorias slid the book into a place on the shelf and stepped out into the open. "Aye, ma'am, what kin ah do fer--"

Any following words got stuck in his throat as surely as the quarrel from her crossbow got stuck in his chest. The impact was barely noticeable at first; there was only the faint sensation of an impact, but Dorias' limbs suddenly grew heavy and his vision grayed out. A moment later he felt the impact from the floor. He heard Alimys cry out, but it was muted; a moment later he felt a furless hand on his shoulder. Dorias was vaguely aware of being shaken but after that: nothing.

* * * * *

The pain of sitting up made Dorias' entire body feel as though it was on fire. The agony of a crossbow quarrel slipping free of his chest won out, however, and the Yak turned onto his side, coughing up half-coagulated blood as he bit back a groan; the last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself. A moment later a ceramic mug filled with water was pushed into his field of view, along with a sympathetic, slightly chiding voice. "You always have a sore throat when you come back after a chest wound."

Dorias accepted it with a thankful smile and downed the drink with one gulp; he immediately started feeling better. Returning the mug to Alimys, the Yak sighed. "She killed meh... yer Cousin actually killed meh."

The Librarian nodded, and used his fingers to brush some half-dried blood off of Dorias' chest fur. Only then did Dorias realize that he was downstairs, out back behind the Library in an alley, and Alimys' robes were covered in red stains. The Elf noticed him looking and he steped back, spreading his arms to present himself for inspection. "They won't find the body in the morning, so they have to know I disposed of you myself."

The lack of smile accompanying the humor made Dorias realize just what the significance of the statement was. "Ah cannae stay with ye anymore..."

Before he knew it, Alimys had wrapped his arms tightly around the Yak's neck, hugging him close, almost like a father saying goodbye to a son. The thought struck Dorias as humorous for all of two seconds, considering, visually at least, the Elf looked as though he could have been the Beast-kin's son. The levity of the situation didn't last long, especially when the Librarian murmured. "I'm sorry, Dorias. I would have cared for you for all your days... but... but you're in far too much risk if the Wardens come back and find you alive."

The Yak nodded. "Aye... aye... Ah know, Alimys... an' ah dunnae wanna cause ye any risk eitheh..."

The Elf waved away his concern. "No... not at all, Dorias. I'm not just going to send you out onto the streets. I have a plan. I've contacted some men who should be able to help you... keep you alive and everything."

Dorias smirked; giving the belt holding up his kilt a light flick. "Ye mean better'n this already does?"

Alimys was probably the only person in the world who knew that secret, and it was one that Dorias was happy to share with him. The Elf, his greatest friend, his mentor, patron, and fond companion returned the smile, and they spoke in quiet unison "Praise Waha."

A short time later, Alimys' contact, a man who introduced himself only as Graves, arrived. He looked well to do-- possibly from a Human noble house since he was certainly dressed the part. Graves spent no time mincing words. "I hope you have everything you need on you; we have a short trip ahead of us but there are a lot of eyes on the way."

His words were an understatement and Dorias knew it.