Victory of the Stars

Chapter 9 Doesn't Have A Name Yet

Liam hadn't gone very far, so they were able to catch up with him pretty quickly. He was grabbing some things out of a hidden niche in one of the buildings next to the tavern, tapping on the wall next to him.
That doesn't sound like code, Vi noticed.
It sounded like... a song?
The longer she listened, the more it sounded like he was tapping out a rhythm to a kind of marching song or something like that.
"Where'd you learn that?"
He glanced at her over his shoulder and closed the closet door.
"Ah see ye've followed me. Weel then, can ah rightly think tha' ye've agreed tae mah terms?" Vi looked at Kara, who nodded.
"Yeah, I guess. Um. I don't know how much help I'll be, but..."
Liam smiled and beckoned for them to follow him.
"Oi, Kara," he called, and she jogged up to join him.
Gosh, he walks fast. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but stars.
Vi recoiled, tripping into 8-6.
"It's so bright!"
Liam shrugged as they caught up to him.
"Actually, it's about normal. Where're ye from tha' ye don'ave three suns?"
8-6 made offended turkey noises. Kara laughed. "Demetrix. You won't have heard of it, it's tiny."
Liam glanced at Vi and shrugged, his long confident strides sending up clouds of dust that settled on his cloak. R-4 rolled at his side like a crimson-and-golden retriever.
"Ye don' have much o' an accent, de ye lassie? Ah thought tha' they 'ad a pre'ey strong accent ther', noo? An' the on'y accent ah heard from ye was when ye were cryin'!"
Vi shrugged, matching his nonchalant attitude, although her face was hot.
He noticed that?!
She didn't like when people pointed out her accent.
Her braid had fallen out again and there was dust in her boots. She was walking next to Kara with 8-6 rolling in front of them.
She spoke, so softly that he almost missed it over the clomping of their boots.
"We-ell, ah do ha-ave an accent, but ah don't go 'round usin' it. Y'all unnerstand; some people couldn' unnerstan' me when ah talk in mah accent, so ah don' much."
She sounded profusely country, though there was a sort of musical quality to her accent whose effect was actually quite nice.
Vi shrugged awkwardly.
Kara laughed at the novelty of hearing her drop her proper ambassador's pronunciation, and Liam snorted. Vi blushed furiously and tucked her hair into her braid.
"I'm sorry, I know it's a bit strong," she said quickly.
"That's not it at all," Kara said. "It's just that ya talk so carefully, and then you bust out into that and it's pretty different. That's all."
Liam burst into full-on laughter and swept his traveling cloak over one shoulder. "'Ave ye heahrd mahne, lassie? Ahnd ye think ye've got an accen'."
Vi couldn't help giggling at his over-exaggeration of his accent.
"So," Kara said. "What do you need us to help you with?"
Liam shrugged. "Some amadan thought it would be a good idea to steal my sword."
Kara stopped. "Your sword?"
He looked back at her through his sandy bangs. "Yeah."
Vi tilted her head like a curious puppy. "I'm lost. What's so important about this sword?" Liam laughed, but it didn't sound like the previous, boisiterous sounds. This was a darker sound, like the thunder that forbodes rain.
"Ye wouldn' understand 'ow much it means to me. It's a soulforged scimitar. Ye'hve heard of it, no? "
Vi shrugged. "I never studied weaponry much. Ambassadors don't need to know how to fight."
He frowned. "Tha' seems like a bad idea."
"Wait," Kara said. "You can't fight?" She flipped her braids over her shoulder.
"Uhhhhhh," Vi said. "No?"
Ragliam pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose and sighed.
"Yeh're a tiny lassie, ah shoulda expected 's much. Anythin' else ye cain't do tha' we should know about?"
Vi shrugged. "I'm kind of clumsy and I don't run very fast."
Liam laughed. "Well if evrythin' goes ri', ye won't have tae."
He nudged Kara in a familiar sort of way, and smiled at her.
"Anyhoo, Kara already knows who we're payin' a visit tae."
Kara frowned. "Wait. You don't mean-" She snorted.
Liam nodded, his merry expression wiped away. He looked older without it, more serious. "Yeh, tha's exactly wha' ah mean."
Kara frowned. "But they're so... so... infuriating! For the love of all the stars. I can not and I will NOT go anywhere near them."