Echoes of the Storm

The sun over Castra Devana was pale.

Daniel crossed the fog that covered the courtyard of Fort Tinuso at a slow pace, still brooding over the failure of the previous night at the Garden of Statues. The fortress smelled of damp stone and smoke, carrying the look of an abandoned military outpost.

If that were the case, then he, like a general, needed to determine whether one of his most important officers was still fit for war. But aside from the military metaphor, they needed Thanatos. Desperately.

Inside the fort, the corridors were dark even during the day. Lanterns hung from chains, swaying under the whim of a cold breeze that followed the traveler from another world to the old barracks where they had placed the fool. He had been given a small room at the end of the hall, far from the main quarters, mostly used by Notibus Ravia’s trusted men or, on rare occasions, by honored guests.

Lais Ambrosio leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. Her hair was loose that morning, and she wore a light cloak over her dress. The magus greeted Daniel with a neutral look, making no effort to straighten her posture.

“Did he sleep well?” Grace asked.

Lais shrugged.

“As well as anyone can in the finest accommodations this den of thieves can offer. Better than what I had when I first got here as a prisoner.”

Daniel nodded slowly.

“You’re free to go” he said with a wave of his hand. “Go blow something up. Might improve your mood.”

Lais smirked faintly, turned, and left without another word. Daniel pushed the door open and stepped into the small room.

Thanatos lay on a narrow cot with a straw mattress, no jester’s cap with bells, no painted smile, only simple peasant clothes hanging loosely from his thin frame. Without the gaudy colors and jingling trinkets, he looked like the most ordinary of men. Human. And tired.

Daniel dragged a stool close to the bed and sat.

“How are you?”

The fool slowly turned his head. His eyes, usually full of mischief, were shadowed.

“I’ll be fine” he exhaled. “It’s just… the things we saw at the Dragon’s Wharf. The blood… and whatever that Umbra woman was summoning. That wasn’t just a massacre, Fidenzio. It was something far worse.”

Daniel leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

“You survived. That’s enough. Even seasoned soldiers wouldn’t have gotten through that easily.”

Thanatos let out a humorless laugh.

“I’ve always been good at lying and trickery. Tricks are the best I have to offer, but I’m a hopeless coward.”

“You’re alive. That’s what matters.”

For a moment, they both sat in silence, listening to the distant murmur of voices deep within Tinuso. It was Daniel who spoke first.

“If you want to leave the mission, there’s no shame in it. You’ll be paid. This was never supposed to be your line of work. Things… turned bloodier than I could have foreseen.”

“Gupta told you, didn’t he?” Thanatos turned his face toward him, studying him. “What I said that night at the Magus Chalice?”

Daniel nodded. The fool stared at the ceiling for a long time before speaking again.

“Then why don’t you quit too? You’re not even from this world.”

“How did you know?” Grace raised an eyebrow.

“Fidenzio Crisci de Lio is… just a mask.” Thanatos gave a faint smile. “I may not be the most reliable ally in a fight, but I’m the best at what I do. Or the First Citizen wouldn’t have put me in your little troupe… Daniel Grace.”

“How did you figure it out?” Daniel let out a short laugh.

“Sallustia.” Thanatos smirked faintly. “She let it slip twice. Once at the Maiden and the Staff, and again during that market chase. After that, it wasn’t hard. Well-kept secrets are the ones everybody knows. I just needed the right source. And even bedridden, I managed to find one.”

Daniel clapped his hands once, in irony.

“Well done.”

“Then why?” Thanatos turned his face again, his eyes sharper now despite the exhaustion.

“To save the world. Or have you already forgotten what that woman was trying to bring forth?”

“Save it?” The fool laughed bitterly. “Does Ordinem Finis even deserve to be saved?”

The question lingered in the air, but Thanatos didn’t wait for an answer. His expression hardened.

“Look around, Grace. The Empire rots from gutter to palace. More brothels every year. More gambling dens, more opium houses. Mercenaries infesting Gran-Devana like vultures. Senators and aristocrats playing their power games at the cost of millions of lives. And slavery… entire races in chains. The Stoneborn. Humans too! All under imperial law.”

The traveler from another world remained silent, jaw tight.

“Save the world?” Thanatos laughed again. “We’re no heroes. And even if we were… what would be left to save? Maybe the people of Ordinem Finis have already written their fate.”

Daniel stared at the floor. He thought of Madame Umbra’s ritual, of shadows writhing along the walls. He thought of the night sky above the city and the stench of burning flesh.

And he thought of his sister.

The boat. The storm. The darkness swallowing everything.

Is this world any different? Ordinem Finis is dying, sinking under its own weight… My closest allies are mercenaries, working for coin. My paladin fights for vengeance. And me? Just a hero’s disillusionments. There is no noble purpose!

Daniel pushed the thoughts aside with effort. There was no time for doubts. If something could be done, then it had to be done, and that was enough.

“Whether it deserves saving or not” Daniel said at last, raising his eyes, “we’re in the middle of it now. And if we do nothing, the end won’t be pretty for anyone.”

“Surviving has always been reason enough” Thanatos exhaled slowly and nodded.

The fool shifted on the cot, propping himself up on one elbow. A bit of his usual spark returned to his eyes.

“I’ll be back in action soon. No more private rooms in the Garden of Statues without me.”

“Gupta told you?” Daniel muttered.

“Of course he did. What he didn’t say, but I found out, was that you left without any information.”

“The damned spy.” Grace rubbed his forehead. “Gupta’s been suspicious since the vote-counter job, but as long as we kept winning, I let it slide.”

Thanatos shook his head.

“Even so, I kept working. It’s not someone in our inner circle, I’m sure of that. But there are too many eyes in Tinuso. Ravia’s losing control fast, and Prebito’s business in the Outer Ring keeps growing. We might have dismantled the lamplighter scheme and the pianist at the Maiden and the Staff, but… you cut one operation, two more spring up.”

Daniel frowned.

“He has informants here?”

“Eyes and ears everywhere.” Thanatos nodded. “But they can’t exactly predict you. That’s why they miss as often as they hit.”

“And what do you suggest?” Daniel crossed his arms, silent for a moment.

Thanatos leaned forward to whisper in the Custos Tecit’s ear.

“I’ll keep digging. Someone in the underworld is feeding them information, but in Tinuso, that’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Meanwhile, you go after the next address Ciniana gave you.”

He paused, smiling.

“And I’ll scatter a few breadcrumbs for our spies. Got to keep them busy.”

“So that’s your way of saying you’re not quitting?”

“Exactly.”

Thanatos grabbed a cup of water from the small table beside the cot and raised it in a mock toast.

“To survival, master de Lio.”

Daniel almost smiled.

“Drink. Then rest.”

The performer took a sip, still pale but steadier than when Daniel had first arrived. Thanatos even let out a faint laugh that echoed through the barracks.

For now, the fool remained in the game.