Abranni remained as silent as her brother. Jularra strolled back out into the middle of the floor.
“Nothing? All right, then. Have it your way!”
One of Jularra’s arms remained rigid at her side. She brought up her other hand, and began to twist it into an increasingly tighter fist.
Abranni began to scream, emitting knives of shrill sound as Jularra started to crush her head. The woman's cheeks flattening out beneath the invisible pressure.
“I just want an answer. Better hurry, or this will get messy!”
But instead of Abranni’s head being crushed, the sound of Melcayro smacking against the magical barrier clapped through the air. He had freed himself.
What? How?
Jularra swung back to Melcayro in bewilderment. Abranni relaxed as Jularra let go of her face and left her once more to the suspended stickiness.
Melcayro's eyes blazed beneath his weighted brow.
“Let her people go, or I’ll start roasting your people!”
A ball of fire sparked into existence just above Melcayro’s open palm. It grew rapidly, and off to his side, the flash of another spark caught Jularra’s attention. Abranni had freed herself as well, and was following her brother’s lead.
Impasse, Jularra thought. Again. She was exhausted, and now her people were under threat again. Never meant the Messyleians harm anyway. Need to talk with them.
“I just came here to talk,” Jularra said with perfectly feigned calm.
Melcayro and Abranni stood silently, eyes glimmering in the light of their summoned fires.
Here goes nothing.
Jularra started to release the walls suspending the combatants in place. A few inches here, a few feet there, and soon her people--and the Messyleians—sank to the ground. Her arms relaxed. She turned slowly to face Melcayro and Abranni.
“I need your help.”
Melcayro and Abranni shared a suspicious glance, though their flames had stopped growing. The recently released Acorilinians and Messyleians slowly assembled around their respective leaders, confused as to whether or not they should prepare to fight again, or ease off. For now, they stood and watched.
“You’re not here to take the city?” Abranni asked. Her voice rang with accusation.
Jularra’s eyes drifted to the recently-cleared sky as she searched for why Abranni would suspect such a thing.
“We’ve had no official business with Messyleio in generations,” Jularra said eventually, letting her perplexity show. “No hostilities, diplomatic issues, affiliations with its enemies—nothing. Why would you think that?”
Abranni looked at Melcayro. They shared more unspoken communication.
“What is it?” Jularra barked. “Why?”
“All right, all right.” Melcayro sniped. “Hold on.”
Melcayro allowed his sphere of flame to wither and snuff itself out. Abranni held on to hers.
“We’re having to fight off attacks from Hignriten almost monthly,” Melcayro admitted. “We thought you might be another raiding party—or that you were helping Hignriten.”
Jularra sighed. “You couldn’t have just asked? Met us on the road, or at the gates? Something?”
“When it comes to the safety of our city and our people, Jularra—”
Abranni finished Melcayro's thought for him.
“We fight first, and ask questions later.”
Understanding soothed Jularra’s nerves. “I can respect that.”
Abranni looked at her fire sphere with one last hint of doubt, then allowed it to extinguish.
Melcayro spoke frankly. “All you needed to do was have a message sent to us. An envoy. A courier…”
“I knew what the possibilities were,” Jularra said with a slight roll of the eyes. “I didn’t have the time to go about this a different way, and I didn’t trust messages to arrive unread.”
“And I can respect that,” Abranni offered.
The mutual concession and reasonable discussion sent a shiver of relief sliding across Jularra’s shoulders. She sheathed her sword.
Melcayro took a step forward, his head tilted in curiosity.
“So, why have you come? What is it that you need from us?”
“I’m looking for a witch by the name of Leona. We were told she lives in or near Messyleio. Do you know of her?”
Melcayro stepped back, and Abranni’s face froze. Some of the surrounding Messyleians muttered and mumbled in disbelief.
Melcayro licked his lips and swallowed.
“We know Leona.”
***
After the battle in the barn, the mixed group of Acorilinians and Messyleians filtered back out into the streets. No longer empty and intimidating, the avenues and corridors teemed with people. Now that the threat of an attack had been assuaged, Messyleio took on a completely different atmosphere. Residents stood before open doors, sipping on drinks as the strangers strolled by. The disturbing grunting which had emanated from an unknown source in the dark could now be identified as an old man conditioning a pile of swords on a stone sharpening wheel. Laughter trickled through the streets, and scents of heated lard and roasting pork filled the air. Messyleio had come to life.
That was one hell of an enchantment, Jularra thought, impressed.“Where are we going?” she asked.
Abranni called over her shoulder, “To Messyleio.”
Jularra turned to Vischuno and Wona.
“Aren’t we… already here?” she asked.
Melcayro looked back with a grin. Before Jularra could challenge their mystery with more questions, the group stopped in front of a nondescript home. Melcayro and Abranni approached the lampposts, one on each side of the house. After coordinating their movements with a glance and a nod, they grabbed hold of the lampposts and closed their eyes. Their hands started to glow as they transferred a portion of their energy to the posts. With a quick, sliding action, the lampposts descended into recesses in the rock foundation. As they slid down, the entire house began to flip up as if on a hinge, revealing a massive staircase leading up.
Abranni pointed at a neighboring corral.
“You can leave your horses here for now.”
Jularra’s eyebrows shot up as she leaned forward, fascinated. While the house finished lifting into place, Abranni offered more information.
“We obscure the heart of Messyleio to make attacks even less likely to succeed.”
Jularra placed her hands on her hips and approached the base of the stairs in fascination. Melcayro and Abranni flanked her, beaming with pride as she passed.
“Come on up,” Melcayro offered.
The group climbed the stairs, massive blocks of limestone which looked to have been set many decades ago. As they ascended, Jularra could see the skyline of the hidden portion of
