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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 6.3c, Ghosts of the Past

Wiesen sat in the common room of the Jerkin & Firkin with a flagon of ale in one talon; it had been there for nearly an hour and the drink level had hardly lowered. Other than staring at his own reflection in the ale, the Dragon spent most of his time reflecting on a dream he'd had about Kesst the previous night-- actually, he reminded himself, it was more than a dream... he had finally been able to feel him.

Despite the numerous difficulties in his life and the hardships he'd been forced to endure at the talons of the Inquisitors, Wiesen had always served the Church faithfully. Throughout the decades he had been a loyally Templar, ready and willing to do all they had asked of him. Had things been different, Wiesen could have assumed that he would have served for decades more. He was a True Dragon of the great Mehnzylian line, and that meant he would live for centuries, but they had cut his loyalty off at the knees when they stole Kesst.

The dracomaton was the finest thing Wiesen had ever created. Kesst was not just a construct; he was not just a project; he was not a possession that they had a right to have tithed to them. Kesst was as much alive as any of them. As Kesst's creator, Wiesen was his father, and, due to Wiesen being gifted with the True Breath Kesst was the closest thing he would ever have to a son. The True Breath rendered a Dragon sterile, thus a real family was yet another thing the Church had taken from him, and the costs of blind servitude had become too great.

The Dragon swirled the ale around in his flagon and tilted his head back, finishing off half of the pint in one go. They had been separated over ten years ago and, since then, Wiesen had been on the run. It had not been a clean break; no separation from the Church ever was. The Dragon had not gone far-- he had no intention of leaving Kesst in their control. A strange thing happened shortly after, however, when Kesst broke free. They hadn't understood that he was not some clockwork mechanism to order about, and they paid for that by losing him.

Ever since that time Wiesen had been on the road, seeking out his creation, his SON in whatever manner he could. Time and time again he lost track of Kesst but, invariably, their connection won out and he was able to get even closer. Even though they were miles apart, however, the white Dragon felt that he was closer than he had ever been before. While it was true that they were both likely in Newport at the same time before the ex-Templar had been forced to leave, he could now say for certain, that he knew where Kesst was... sort of.

Even after leaving Newport the Techlar had his newest construct remain and keep up the search for his son. His dream the prior night was more than a faint glimpse of Kesst-- it was a distinctive, definitive ping that gave Wiesen much more understanding than he'd had since they were separated by the Church... and he owed it all to his clockwork dragonfly. It had found him, and had made contact. In that moment the spark of life granted by Wiesen's Breath recognized itself and the two merged. Wherever Kesst had been, that spark had been smoldering and near extinguished but the connection from the dragon had rekindled it.

Although the connection he shared with Kesst had never been more than tenuous during even the best of times, when he absorbed the spark from the clockwork dragonfly it renewed their link and, for a split second, Wiesen was able to tell what was happening around his son. Kesst had been in an inn room of sorts, and it was definitely in the Scholar's Quarter of Newport. The image came and went, but it was enough for Wiesen.

While such little information might have frustrated him in other situations, when it came to Kesst he felt renewed and invigorated. True, the little glimpse into Kesst's condition and surrounding gave him more questions than answers but at least it gave him hope that he could find him again... most predominantly because Wiesen could sense the dragonfly that had connected to him. As long as the clockwork insect remained with Kesst the Techlar would be able to sense them anywhere within a hundred yards. That meant his chance to locate his son would be that much easier when he had a chance to return to Newpork... and that gave him hope.

His further thoughts were interrupted as the chair across the small table was pulled back and Sada took a seat. She smiled, trailing the claw on one of her fingers across the grainy wood in a casual circular motion, "In most cases this is where I'd say something about you looking a little too alone and then I'd suggest some company."

Wisen didn't bother lifting his head, rather, he simply raised his eyes and looked across the table at the Otter woman, "I see... and does that normally work?"

She smiled, crossing her legs before leaning forward, providing him a clear view of her low neckline, "More often than not."

While her banter was normally engaging and entertaining he simply couldn't bring himself to reciprocate, "Did you need something this evening, Ms. De'ahm, or are you simply seeking companionship?"

The Otter smirked, leaning even further forward, "That's another line I like to use, come to think of it."

The Dragon released his hold of his flagon and sat back in his chair, "I apologize, but I am truly not in the right frame of mind for conversation this afternoon."

Sada quickly sat up and pulled her chair in toward the table, demeanor suddenly becoming much less spicy and a touch more warm. Her question came across with a hint of genuine concern. "Is everything alright?"

Wiesen brushed a talon across the table as he looked down, "I have had a lot on my mind but, yes, I believe all is well, thank you."

She nodded thoughtfully, "Everyone is situated upstairs and the Scholars are all resting, so hopefully that's not something occupying your thoughts."

He nodded casually, "That is good... and have Alarice and Inigo returned? I need to speak with her soon about our return to Newport."

She seemed genuinely surprised by his comment, "Return? We only just left. I thought the plan was to lay low and--"

Wiesen shook his head, "No... the plan was to gather enough forces to make the Order of Blades think twice about bothering us."

Sada inspected him for a moment before pointing out the obvious, "You weren't very eager to leave Newport... so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you want to go back so soon."

The Dragon nodded, "I apologize if that is not the case with you... but I am still seeking my son and I may have struck upon a lead."

Her little round ears raised to the top of her head as she looked at him, "So you know he's in Newport then?"

Again he nodded. "I have reason to believe so, yes... and the source is reliable. If Alarice isn't ready to return soon I may have to do so alone."

Sada reached across the table and took hold of one of his talons with her paw, "I understand if it's something you need to do, but how can you be sure he--"

Whatever she was about to say was cut short as the door to the inn burst open; Wiesen didn't bother turning around since he could tell enough about them from their confident gait. He wasn't all that surprised when one of them spoke up, "Wiesen of Altenburrough, also known as The Crook and Templar White, you are hereby under arrest."

The Dragon finally drained the last of his drink and slowly rotated in the seat where he sat. There were five men in total-- a Hyena, a Human, a Goat, and two Dragons all armed and armored. Sada stood up at the table and answered them, "On what grounds, exactly? He hasn't done anything wrong."

The Dragon in the front spoke up; Wiesen recognized the voice of the man who had called him out, "The Church exerts its right of Dominion here and now in this matter. Wiesen of Altenburrough, surrender your weapons and come with us. You will not be given a chance for further quarter if you resist."

Although it was mid afternoon the common room was far from empty. Wiesen didn't completely understand what was going on until every last person in the room was standing. Most of them had their mugs in hand, a few had bottles, and couple had steak knives. A Wolf Hound, the closest commoner to the lead Hunter let out a faint growl, "You Churchies aren't too popular here in Vallara right now... you sure you wanna start somethin', Scales?"

The Dragon stuck a finger straight out at Wiesen, "This man is a fugitive from the Church. Any attempt to keep us from our appointed task will resu--"

Any further discussion came to an end when a bottle broke over the Hunter's head. A split second later the common room and exploded into pure and total chaos as almost every last patron jumped the hunting party. Wiesen was caught between an inclination to help and the instinct to make himself scarce; Sada's insistent tugging of his arm made up his mind and the Techlar quickly followed her up the stairs. Her tone suggested she expected a very imminent answer when she demanded, "What was THAT about?"

The Dragon sighed, "I'll explain everything later."

Her frown was almost a weapon in and of itself, "Tell me NOW."

He shook his head, "We need to get the scholars and get out before things get any worse. It's not safe here anymore and if I'm going to explain myself I'm only going to do it once... when there's time to do it right."

She came to a halt, blocking his path, "I'm not asking."

Wisen shrugged, picked her up, and set her aside, much to the Otter's chagrin "Good, because this conversation is over."

Despite her reluctance to give up on getting the information out of him she thankfully preferred self preservation over getting her way, which was a good thing as far as the Techlar was concerned because it was one situation where she wouldn't win regardless of her mettle. The two of them quickly gathered up the Scholars with a brief apology and a promise that everything would be explained later. Unfortunately, as everyone gathered together, Wiesen realized there was something wrong, "We're missing Roland and Joshew."

He heard Sada curse under her breath before speaking up, "Where are they? Did they say where they were going?"

Alvis responded, "Roland said something about the Market Quarter, but--"

She shoved him toward the door, "Then that's where we're going... we'll find them."

Brother Jessen was much calmer about it, "Roland said if we get separated the best place to meet up is by the fountain in the Civil District."

Wiesen wasn't really in the mood for an argument so he quickly took that suggestion under advisement, "Fine-- we're heading to the fountain. Now."

It appeared for a moment that an objection was about to come from Alvis, but it passed immediately when what sounded like someone flying through a window downstairs interrupted the discussion. The Wolf-Dog quickly revised whatever he was going to say, "So... out the back?"

Sada nodded, "Out the back."