Shai's Eye

It had been a long while since one particular ancient artifact had been reclaimed by Samira. Two people had sent her on that quest. Kenneth Easton and Maes Jacobs. They were past colleagues of her deceased grandfather, Souniro Nassar, a once brilliant archeologist that had one too many projects going on. Many still incomplete and wrapped up in mystery and hard to decipher clues that to that very day still had the living trying to figure it all out. One had been Shai's Heart, a powerful item that had been located on an abandoned isle and guarded by an immortal and terrible creature that not even she could defeat. It still lived, but now was guarding nothing more than ruins and whatever other secrets within them. At that time, she nor the two seniors knew much about the item. It was a puzzle within a puzzle, and a new clue had come to light just from her presence; the presence of one with the blessed Nassar blood running through their veins. However, having the artifact in their possession led to an incident. Shai's Heart had been stolen by someone more powerful than she. Or so one could assume. She still didn't remember much of that fight except for the mistakes that were made and the end result of him getting away completely.

They never did find out what the artifact was or did to its fullest extent, or who that man was. Why had he taken it? Where did he go? How did he even know anything about her or her spirits? Did he know more than even that? Those questions and so many more plagued her mind for a long time. She had met more people and had more adventures since then that made her start to put it behind her and forget. Those with Leona Jarnefeldt and Zachary Sirius would have been the first ones that came to mind. They had both become irreplaceable friends, and the adventures could not be forgotten even if she tried. But, she wasn't with either of them always, and even if she did not think about the man from back then it did not mean he had forgotten. It did not mean that she was no longer a target. True, he had claimed Shai's Heart. It had been his job to do so. There was more to it than a simple theft mission, however. Anyone could do that. And so marked the day all of that came rushing back to Samira's mind to remind her that there was still unfinished business.

“Are you sure that is what is being requested of me?” Samira asked, confused by the strangeness of it. Usually people asked her to do something else that required something a bit more power. They always assumed her status meant she was super powerful and could handle anything. It was an over exaggeration, of course. Many were turned down and/or had other suggestions given to take her place. Most of the time that worked. Naturally a mission that could be labeled as an immediate crisis she didn’t ignore, but those were often far apart in time and few thanks to all the other mages of the world taking care of the threats. It was a dangerous world out there, but also a safe one with how many living nukes walked around the world for the “good” side. Exploration missions and item retrieval she didn’t ignore either. The current one though gave her pause.

She sat on a wooden chair in front of a desk, holding an open folder with the mission report details inside. Where was she right then? At a local inn. One of many she got used to staying at during her travels. Rare was it that she ever stayed inside the guild hall of Sabertooth or the inn located in the town of Ace of Spades. Yet, somehow people still managed to find her quite easily.

“Yeh, I thought it was weird too.” Jing Wei commented with a shrug of her shoulders. “Even weirder that it came to me in the first place. Do you know how much this is putting me behind at work?! I should have burned it!” The winged spirit stomped her feet, angry at the world for someone having the nerve to send Samira’s mail to HER! In the celestial realm! In a section of it that was filled with offices that kept records of contracts and the missing office supplies of the mortal realm! The spirit that could have passed for a normal teenager without the wings took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She lifted her nose into the air like a woman that considered herself superior to all. “But, I am a professional.”

Samira blinked at that short fuse going off, and then arched a brow with the professional comment. Jing Wei spent a lot of time in the office so she certainly was dedicated, but labeling herself as professional was exaggerating. The summoner felt it best to just play along and not push that issue. “Indeed.” She closed the folder and put her arm out, intending to hand it over to the spirit. “This is not something I do. Maybe the Rune Knights will take an interest. I am certain even their newest members are trained for things like this.”

Jing Wei gasped and her dark brown eyes widened. She was both surprised and offended by that implied suggestion. “Do I look like your delivery girl?!” The folder was refused and she let it remain there in Samira’s hand. She folded her arms over her chest and looked away. “Hmph, I am not interested in being more behind in work delivering this from guild to guild. There are real people paid for that. They’re called mailmen and mailladies.”

“That could take days unless I use the experimental immediate mail system Mailman Jim was working on. I would rather not go that route.”

“Well I hate to burst your bubble, but you can clearly see in that first paragraph that this guy wants a powerful and titled wizard to take the job. Considering he had to jump through the celestial king only knows how many loops to get that all the way to me I think it’s pretty clear he wants you to take it. Sending it off to another guild ain’t going to do much no matter how much more qualified they are.”

“Really?” Samira opened the folder again and scanned the mentioned text. “Huh.” It was true. In rather obnoxious wording that gave Samira a clear hint on the guy’s personality she could see that he was only bothering very high ranked wizards with his request. Possibly anyone noted as Wizard Saint, Guild Masters, or even Aces. Not even power was enough. Based on what she was reading it required a title. The more of them the better. She had to wonder if she was the first one to get the request or if others had gotten it to. And if so, just how far up the line did it get before it was tossed into the trash or burned? Not so much because of what the task was, but because of the demands and how it was written. “Well that would make sense, I suppose. I would not think anyone that currently comes to my mind would take this seriously. If it even got to them at all.” Honestly, chances were it was braver to try and get the nice sounding Goddess of Humility a try before jumping straight to the more intimidating and serious titles that belonged to even more intimidating guilds.

So, what exactly was the mission anyway? In short, it was a task of escorting the client. Or being a bodyguard of sorts? Honestly with the requests for titled and powerful mages it wouldn’t surprise her if the client just wanted everyone to see him with one to make it seem as if he were besties. In some minds such a connection would further their own status and make it seem as if they had gained some power of their own. It would have been wrong, but to less intelligent minds it would work flawlessly. As her emerald eyes went over the pages again she had been leaning towards that theory more and more. Towards the end though there was information detailing how he felt he was being followed by something or someone. He was afraid to travel or live normally until someone dealt with the stalker or the stalker stopped harassing him because they feared who he knew. Paying for someone to simply escort him and be seen was cheaper than paying for someone to locate the individual and deal with them. Really, that was most likely a lie to hide the true agenda. Samira closed the folder again and casually tossed it into the rejection pile; the trash can beside the desk. If it was really dire he would send another one. Preferably to someone else entirely.

A week had passed since the first mission request. Now, Samira was taking the time to meet the client. Why? Because he had sent about twenty more of them. Jing Wei only received three of them. Her other spirits ended up getting the rest. How they were found by an outsider was anyone’s guess. They had their own portion of that realm that wasn’t even a part of the normal celestial realm. At one point there was such a person that could get in touch with them there through her own spirits, but that was a rarity and a special case. There couldn’t have been another one able to do that, and it certainly wasn’t that individual doing that either. In the end, it was just easier and less of a hassle to take the job and see what was up instead of listening to her summons complain about the situation. Or worse. A few had already threatened to hunt the client down and bury him with that junk mail if they so much as received a holiday card from him again.

Samira had responded, agreeing to meet the client in Minstrel. It was pretty far from where she was, especially if one assumed she was somewhere in Fiore. Thankfully for her long distance travel didn’t exactly mean the same as it did for others. There was no such thing unless she just chose not to use any magic or was forced not to. Such was not the case that time. So, once she was ready to leave she called on Janus to take her to the meeting place. She arrived, the portal appearing in a swirl of blue magic particles that disappeared the moment she stepped through the opened rift. The people around had stopped what they were doing and stepped back when it appeared, but their country had their own magic as well as frequent tourists from other countries so it wasn’t as if it was too alarming or a brand new sight. They went about their business afterwards, more annoyed now that their heart paces and shattered minds recovered and went back to normal. As Samira watched them she realized if there was any place where she felt underdressed it would be there. It had been such a long time since she was last in Minstrel that she had forgotten about their constantly fancy attire and mannerisms.

The carriage in front of the building she took notice of next. It was likely the one to be used by her client. Then again, that could be the one across the street, around the corner, maybe that one over there moving, or the one that just parked on her other side. Or maybe it was one of the cars. She sighed. It would have been nice to know what to look for besides one building. She wasn’t even given a room number to knock on. Although, as she thought about going in and asking around, music began to play loudly. Her attention snapped up the steps and towards the entrance to see an older man that was overly dressed that it even shamed the nearby musketeers just by comparison. A band of trumpet players lined themselves on the steps, each one on a lower step than the other. They had become stairway decorations with instruments that played a tune to announce what was surely some important figure. Before the guy even went down the stairs, a red carpet rolled down, unraveling as it went, creating a perfect smooth pathway to keep his boots from stepping on the dirty ground all the way to one of the carriages. The man grinned widely, and as he descended the steps he waved to the people down below. Not that they were paying attention. In fact, it seemed like they were facepalming themselves to death and trying not to look as they quickly got out of there before they gained further attention. Oh boy. Was that guy in some delusion where he was an important figure but really he was a nobody to all that knew him? Oh, no. That wasn’t… it couldn’t be. Was he the client? Samira fought the urge to cringe at the thought. Maybe she’d get lucky and it wasn’t.

Samira continued to watch the train wreck of the man in blinding red colors make his way down the staircase. Secretly, she kept praying that he was not the client. Yet, everything screamed that to her that he was. It was made clear once she reached the final step. He turned away from the carriage in front of him and focused his eyes on her. It was obvious from his movement that he was eyeing her up and down, and his features shifted to that of complete judgement. Honestly, if he sent her that many mission requests then one would have thought that he knew what she would look like on arrival. Obviously she didn’t model like some of the other known mages around, but the magazine did not fail to get her image in there a few times. Her appearance had not changed since two issues ago. “Are you-”

The man stopped her, raising his gloved hand and touching her lips with his fingers. “Shush, do not speak.” He removed his fingers a second later. “Yes, it is I,”  the man swished his cape for unnecessary dramatic effect. “The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla!” Obviously he was not of Minstrel descent. He was one of the many that had somehow been allowed to live there and not be banned from the country for his superiority complex. As he said his name, he looked to the side and put on a face that Samira could only guess was him trying to be serious and intimidating. Was there a camera somewhere he was posing for? Did he expect the paparazzi to be hidden away in the nearby trash cans, waiting for the perfect moment to capture a picture? What was he even looking at over there? She wasn’t at his side. All of the questions that any smart ass would vocalize just wanted to come out and be asked, but she needed to resist that temptation.

“I see. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Alta-” Once again she was cut off even before she could finish a sentence. It was a realization that just hit that her being interrupted mid-sentence was a common problem for her. Not just then but all the time. That… needed to be corrected at some point. Probably not right then though. His eyes glared at her, as if she had done the ultimate crime against him.

“It is not ‘Mr. Altavilla”! How dare you insult my name! It is ‘The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla’! It must be said fully and with such a voice that to speak my name is completely awe inspiring. As if my name alone brings you such completeness and contentment in life that to be in my very presence would make you explode from being unable to handle and comprehend my magnificence!”

Samira’s face went blank. She wasn’t sure whether to let that slide, laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, be angry, or just cease to exist right then and there. “Aha!” Ascanio shouted as if he had some sort of epiphany. “That is the expression of a blown mind. You have earned my forgiveness. Clearly my natural grandeur and majesty was too much even for you. It is one reason why I had requested those of high status for my mission. Only the great can comprehend my desirable greatness. But, even the likes of you have limits. Truly I am the mortal form of a great god to have such a reaction so quickly from you! Aha!” Ascanio swished his cape again, this time the other way and posed again for dramatic effect.

“Yes… that is what has happened indeed.” Her mind was blown, yes, but not in the way or the reason he had assumed. Oh well. There was no need to argue the point. They could just get the mission over with, hopefully quickly so she wouldn’t have to suffer too much. “Should we be on our way? You can speak more of what has been going on during the journey.” Anything so she wouldn’t be part of the ridiculous scene any longer. The trumpet players may have stopped playing, but the sight was still eye catching for those that had zero idea of what was going on. She even made a point to purposely avoid saying his name. There was no way she was ever going to even attempt to sound like a fool by calling him by the titles he wanted.

“Yes! We waste time here. I have already given my audience enough free time to fix their eyes upon me. They can see me next month when I return!” He quickly turned around, his cape swishing naturally from the movement and smacking Samira on the face. It didn’t hurt, but it was annoying nonetheless. She rubbed the spot it had struck her, all while watching Ascanio clap his hands and call for what she could only assume was a servant. Attilio was his name, and he left his spot beside one of the trumpet players to rush over and open the carriage door. Ascanio disappeared inside, but not before swishing his cape… AGAIN! That time smacking Attilio in the face. If that cape ended up in the fireplace the next time it hit the laundry basket Samira would not be the least bit surprised. The short man motioned her over so she too could get in the carriage. She did so, and he even helped her inside like a man that still followed the rules of chivalry. She thanked him before he closed the carriage door. A short moment after that she could hear the horses whinny as they were forced to move along and then she felt the movement of the carriage.

All right. There was some progress. The job was moving along. The only problem was she was now stuck in a carriage with some delusional fool. “What can you tell me about-”

“You are not properly dressed.” Ascanio mentioned, once again interrupting her and for some reason choosing a topic that was not a part of the job. Or so she thought.

“Excuse me? This is the attire I am seen in mostly. What were you expecting?” She wouldn’t argue that it was “proper” per say. She was clothed, yes. But, there were many that would probably have disapproved of the choice. Short shorts, tights, long heeled boots, and lots of jewelry probably wasn’t the best sort of attire for jobs, or in general really. But, it was what she usually always wore. She had multiple copies of the outfit. It confused her on why the man expected something completely different that day. It was her casual wear, her uniform, and formal attire. Unless she felt like wearing something different for whatever reason.

“A dress of your station. I have seen images of you in that white dress with the headdress of gold. That is what I expected. Not this…” He paused, trying to find an accurate word for it. He couldn’t. He motioned at her clothes. “What is this? I would expect the children of my servants to wear this. Are you not a part of the nobility in many countries?”

As rude as the topic was, Samira was at least grateful that he wasn’t trying to be some pervert. “I did not think that was public knowledge, especially when there are true nobles out there that would be thought of well before me. Most of those so-called titles of nobility were granted as rewards. They are official, but do not mean much in terms of political power alone. Not that I have tried it. I am quite content with the other benefits of it. If you thought I was born into it then I must correct you on that assumption.”

“Aha! This explains why your mind could not handle the mind blowing power that is from I, The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla! Only the true nobles of the world have complete immunity. Still, even for someone without it you are more resilient than most. I am impressed. This is another reason why I have picked you out of so many.”

“Oh, good. You did not send the request to the others.” Samira was relieved with that. They had much more important things to do most likely, and this guy was not really worth their time. Unless they wanted a good laugh, she supposed.

“Ah, were you worried I had found someone more qualified?” Ascanio teased with a wink of his eye. That actually was very far from Samira’s worries, but he seemed to go in a completely different direction in logic. He shook his head to dismiss the idea. Samira was grateful that he did not continue on that track. She would hate to have to correct him and tell the truth of her thoughts. “Do not worry. There is a third reason why you were given this important opportunity.”

“Is there?” Samira leaned back in her seat to get more comfortable. “Do tell.” Maybe that third reason would be something more significant than titles and choice of clothing. “And also be sure to proceed to mission details. I admit to only reading the original request fully.” The other nineteen had been trashed after being skimmed over. “Aside from being a presence akin to a bodyguard you mentioned something or someone following you?”

“Eh, yes, I did. Your presence alone should make it so I, The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla, am not bothered again. You are not required to know more about it. I am only paying for you to be seen. Not to eliminate this individual.”
“Really?” So, he was serious about that. It seemed more strange than someone just trying to be cheap. It wasn’t as if she was even asking for a higher payment if she just took care of the situation. “I admit you wanting anything to be done about it at all doesn’t quite sit right with me. You come across as someone that would want as many stalkers as you could get. You would take pride in someone following you endlessly. Is that not why you make such dramatic poses when it appears as if no one is looking? You are making an impression on those secretly admiring you from afar? Surely such an individual would not be able to stay there once they have known they gained your attention.” Anyone else asking such a thing might have bursted out laughing right then and there. Samira felt dumb for even putting it into actual words that came out of her mouth as a coherent sentence that anyone could hear. She took solace in the fact it was just herself and The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla inside the carriage.

“You are correct. Many have ran away from being unable to handle my splendor all at once. Many require looking at my handsome features only in short time spans. The longer they stay within my aura of magnificence, the more they become blinded and confused. I have heard stories of those fainting from staring at me for too long. Even grand distances are not safe! In time, my presence will start wars! It is a blessing but also,” Ascanio posed dramatically once again, causing Samira to gently sigh in exasperation. Not that he noticed it. He was too in his own world thinking that she was impressed with it. “A curse.” He held his pose as he said those words, and for a few seconds more he was silent for additional effect.

“Indeed. I admit that I cannot relate to such a thing. It must be horrible.” Not quite a lie or sugar coated words. It really must have been horrible being so disillusioned and pompous.

“At times, it can be. But, I also enjoy it. Perhaps one day you will know what it is like to be like me. You are close, but not quite there. No one is. And even once you reach it I will have transcended even higher! The world will undoubtedly explode from my radiance.”

“So why the job request? Did the stalking become intolerable harassment and you just did not mention it?”

“That goes further into the third reason. In a way, yes, the stalking is more than what it originally appeared to me to be. Every time I traveled to a new town I would get a sense of someone following me. This is not new. I would humor them as I usually do. This one was very persistent. Uncomfortably so. I had never had one that did this for so long. I can tell it is the same one. Don’t ask me how. It is difficult to explain to those on a lower scale of admiration. The important part is that I was right in my suspicions. This was no surprise.”

“How did you find out that you were right?”

“They spoke to me one night. I had just arrived in Minstrel. It was very late and everyone had long left the streets. Only Attilio and myself were there.”

“So they revealed themselves to you?”
Ascanio shook his head. “Only the voice. For once in my wonderful and blessed life I sensed that he was not a fan of mine. I had wasted moments posing for nothing!”

“Curious. What did he say?”

“The reason why I needed you to come here and be seen. He demanded I bring you with me the next time I travel. I did not want to risk trying to leave without making sure you were here. Even to someone such as myself he was one to be taken seriously. There was a difference between him and a typical admirer of mine. I was sure he would harm me if I refused. You understand, yes?”

That made a bit more sense… sort of. It explained why he was so persistent about sending her all of those mission slips after she had ignored him the first nineteen times. Of course, now that she heard that she almost wished that her original theories were correct; that he was either just some weirdo that desired false fame by being near someone that had a name and status already out there, or that he was a cheap client by cutting corners with an inferior solution. The truth was he was afraid for his life, or the threat of harm in general, if he refused to do as told by the voice that could have all been in his head. The servant wasn’t exactly around to confirm that he had heard it as well. Not that she could rightly judge. The voices of her spirits were always in her head. There was another unfortunate truth to his explanation though that was neglected to be mentioned until then; she was the one being called out. No one would have asked for her specifically otherwise. Not that even that made sense. There were easier and quicker ways to get her attention than rely on the walking comedy show to do his part. “Are you telling me that you lured me here with the premise of a job to keep you from harm as a trap?”

Ascanio blinked. He was unsure of how to answer that. For once he had gone silent and lost confidence. Then he shrugged his shoulders. “Ehhh, that does seem to be what it is when you put everything together. I never considered that.” Ascanio laughed, somehow seeing humor in the situation. “Aha! Even The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla can be taken advantage of.” The laughter stopped when he realized Samira was not sharing in the humor. He cleared his throat and pushed himself even further back into his seat. Suddenly being in a small carriage with a woman that had a dagger-like stare was not all that comfortable. “Please,” Ascanio put his hands up defensively and looked away, as if her stare was being used to attack him and… actually did anything more than normal stares. Once again he was being overly dramatic but at least he got the point that she was displeased with him. “There is no need to hit me with those emeralds! I was speaking the truth when I said I feared to continue on with my routine. I had to make sure you were here. I do not see the issue. I show that you are here with me and he leaves. Never to be heard from again. That was what I was told. It is simple. If things do not go as planned the presence of a powerful mage will still be enough. We will become good friends and he will know I can call at any time! Very, very simple!”

Samira was suspicious. Ascanio’s lack of intelligence and foresight aside there was something else to all of that. It didn’t make sense. There was a piece missing. Several actually. She needed more. Like hell was she waiting until the person made his appearance to get those pieces. Samira pressed for more information that Ascanio failed to include in the original details of the job. “You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, correct? No one would set that up just to leave and never be heard from again. There are easier ways for that. Did he say anything else? Something you have not mentioned yet?”

“Ahh, yes he did. I did not want to say though. It is a secret.”

“The privilege of having secrets from me ceased to exist the moment you decided to play a part in this. If it is relevant to this man I need to know. Keep in mind I have other ways of finding out. I would prefer that you do not make me use them.” And so he had been warned. Samira preferred not forcing the truth out of people. It was unsettling to even have such a power; to make people tell the truth unwillingly. It wasn’t even a secret or natural sense or skill of being able to see through lies. It was a spell that was a violation of a person’s will. In her opinion it shouldn’t even be something that existed, yet it did. She was one of possibly many that had it; the spell of a simple name yet a complex ancient history; Truth.

“You threaten The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla?!” Ascanio asked, taking offense.

Samira couldn’t blame him that time, but it was his own fault as well. She wasn’t backing down from it. “I did request politely. As for the ‘threat’ I was simply letting you know of alternative methods. The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla is a man that can understand the power of his own choices, correct? Just choose the one that allows you to be in control instead of myself.”

Ascanio still seemed to be reluctant. The exaggerated mountain of confidence turned into a small hill in seconds. “You give an interesting suggestion. All right. I will also mention that I do not know how he knew about it either. It is secret. Precious. No one outside family would know of it.”

“What is it?” Samira asked, her dagger eyes now put away and replaced with curious ones.

Ascanio rose from his seat and used what room was left to kneel down to the floor of the carriage, facing his own seat. His hands traced the solid surface until he found what he was looking for; a weak spot that could be pushed in. As he did, it produced a clicking sound and a secret compartment was revealed as it slid open. He pulled out a wooden box that shined brightly under the carriage lights. Many jewels lined its surface, and each one glistened to show off their polish and how well they had been cared for. They were nearly just as dramatic in their impression as Ascanio was. “It is here,” Ascanio said as he returned to his seat, the box on his lap.

“Jewelry?”

“More than jewelry,” the man replied, finally looking back at Samira after staring at the box for longer than any person that had seen it already probably should. He seemed mesmerized by the box. His facial expression as he stared at it told her that even he thought the box that held the object was more amazing and radiant than The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla ever could be. She could believe that what was inside was what he said it was; something precious to him and his family. The most sacred treasure in the world to them. And now she could label him as an even bigger idiot for hiding it in a carriage and bringing it along for a trap. Anyone else likely would have slapped him for that. He stared down at the box, once again mesmerized and being taken in by its awe inspiring beauty.

Samira waited. Patiently. Silently. For a while. The sounds of the horses and moving carriage were the only sounds. Until she had to finally make herself speak up. The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla was apparently easily distracted by The Great and Powerfully Radiant Unknown Jewelry of Magnificence! Or rather, its box. “Are you going to tell me more?” Then she dared to add. “Can I see it?”

Ascanio broke his trance at her voice. “Yes, but once I open it be mindful of your breaths. Do not breathe on it! It clouds the shine and offends my ancestors to have it dirtied.” He started to open the box by slowly lifting the lid. Samira leaned in closer to have a better look and… being mindful of her breathing. The man stopped, looked at her, and then closed the box back. Immediately he held the box tightly over his shoulder. “Actually no, you are too close. Back up until I tell you to stop. Only then will I open the box and allow you to feast your eyes upon the radiance inside.” He loosened his godly grip on the box and used the newly free hand to motion for Samira to scoot back.

Seriously? That was a serious demand? Samira arched a brow and looked at him as if asking if he had lost his mind. “We are in a carriage....” There was no backing up until he said stop. The most she could do was push herself against the back of her seat. Was he expecting her to jump out of the carriage to make more distance?

Ascanio appeared dumbfounded as the reality of those words set in.  “Oh… right.” The defensive hold on the box loosened more as he brought it back down to sit on his lap. “Then just sit as far back as you can.” Once Samira did he nodded. “Yes, like that. Now, prepare to be amazed by something even more great and magnificent than myself!” Dramatically, Ascanio waved his hand, acting as some sort of magician about to perform a magic trick. The box was turned so that when it opened Samira could see inside. He grabbed hold of the lid and gently opened it to reveal the item within.

Shockingly, Ascanio was not exaggerating about its radiance. Well, in the literal sense. Not so much the metaphorical version of blind awe. As the box opened, a bright golden light shined brightly through the small opening. As the box fully opened, the light shot out in a quick flashy burst that took over the inside of the carriage. No doubt the light extended even further, shooting through the windows and letting anyone on the outside see it. But, they had left the city some time ago. If there was anyone around to see it besides the driver of the carriage neither Ascanio or herself would know.

During the release of the light, Samira had covered her eyes and looked away to prevent herself from being blinded or dazed. Ascanio had told her that it was safe to open her eyes and look. The light was gone. Her eyes slowly opened cautiously. She blinked. The light was gone indeed. Her head turned to face the jeweled box, now open and showing off its insides as Ascanio held it up for her to see.

Inside was what appeared to be an amulet. Pretty large in size and looked just as heavy. It took on the shape of an open eye, not so much as a standard eye in modern drawings or a life-like version of an actual eye. It was more like the ones in ancient writings and hieroglyphs. The ones commonly found in abandoned ruins and textbooks from civilizations long passed. The piece of jewelry was made of gold that held its color as if it were made just yesterday. To complement its coloring, jewels of blue further decorated it. It was a well kept piece of work indeed, but if not for one other thing Samira wouldn’t really have considered it more appealing than any other pretty piece of craftsmanship that she had seen in the past. The amulet hummed with magic. She could sense it. She could see the glow around it. She could HEAR it. Sensing magic and seeing a glow was normal. Hearing something was not. The trance Ascanio had kept going into made sense now. It was more than him over exaggerating its… magnificence. Even she began to feel a draw to keep looking at it. To keep listening to it. If not for her spirits protecting her mind she might have fallen victim to its draw entirely.

“Behold! Shai’s Eye!” Ascanio announced in admiration, revealing a name that was all too familiar with the Wizard Saint. “It is beautiful, yes?”

“Did you say Shai’s Eye?” Samira inquired, asking for confirmation that she had indeed heard him correctly. Her gaze was able to leave the amulet and look up at him. Even before his lips moved to reply she could see the answer on his face.

“I did. It is the most treasured item of my family. It is an heirloom that has been passed down for hundreds of years. Maybe longer than that. Is it not amazing that it looks as good as it does, hm? It spits on the treasures of those in museums!”

Samira took another look at it. Oh, if only she could examine and hold it! It wasn’t even worth asking considering Ascanio had already told her not to breathe on it and had her so far back that if her eyesight was poor she wouldn’t have been able to see any details at all. “Does it have any markings on it? I cannot tell from here.”

“Oh, yes, yes. They are not as beautiful to look at though.”

“Can you show them to me?”

“If that is what you want. They are less significant and majestic, but I suppose an admirer would enjoy seeing all there is to see.” Ascanio took the amulet from the box. As he pulled it out, a golden chain that was attached to the piece of jewelry followed. It was a curious thought of when it was last worn. Even curiouser that Ascanio himself was not showing it off to the world by wearing it for his “audience”. “Here.” He turned the amulet over so Samira could see the back of it. He pointed to the tiny black markings that were all over its back.

It was difficult to tell fully, but from what she could see many of those tiny symbols and writings were identical to the ones on her own artifact; Shai’s Heart. There were some new ones though that she could not recognize or decipher. Still, she could make the conclusion that Shai’s Eye and Shai’s Heart were related in more ways than just the name. The symbols linked them as well. She theorized something more would happen if the two items were in proximity of each other, but that was impossible to conclude for certain or test. Shai’s Hearts had been stolen. She didn’t have it. “Thank you. You should put it away for now.”

“Of that you are correct. One must not have too much of a good thing. At least not for free. I will have to charge payment the next time you want to see it. It is a rare sight. More so than me, and to have the privilege of looking at my form for free is being blessed enough.” As he talked, Ascanio put the pendant back inside the jeweled box and closed it. He continued to hold onto it, not bothering to put it back in the secret compartment that was no longer secret.

“So you said it is a family heirloom? Do you know more about it?”

“Only the stories told in a time before my own. The father of my father’s father and before would tell them to children; passing them down and expecting it to carry over. This mixes truth and fiction overtime, of course. No one living knows the true story. It is just a treasure now. It is easier to just accept it as something of worth instead of trying to find its truth and purpose.”

“You were never curious? It is evident that you know there is something more to it than just its beauty.”

Ascanio shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t particularly care. “We don’t need to know. No one in the family has experience or interest in magical objects or their magic. As long as no one else cares to know, the world continues to go on. As normal. We continue to live our life unbothered by questions of the past we have forgotten and moved on from.”

“I do not suppose you know anything of another item. Shai’s Heart?”

Ascanio looked up, pondering over the name while exploring the memories that were locked away in his mind. "Hmmmm." He looked back at Samira, shaking his head. She was disappointed just by that. "No. I have not heard of such a thing. Should I? The name is similar."

"It is the name of an artifact that was recently discovered in a set of abandoned ruins far from here. There was a theory that it was a part of a set, with the heart being the core. If I am being honest, I did not expect one of the other pieces to be with someone so out in the open and… flashy. It took a great deal of effort to claim the heart from the temple guardian. I had figured the rest would also be hidden away in similar ways."

Ascanio rubbed his chin, listening and suddenly becoming interested. "This is unexpected. Is the heart as magnificent as the eye? Maybe I should attempt to find the other pieces myself if what you say is true. How much for this Shai's Heart?"

Samira should not have been surprised that the man would consider buying the artifact. Yet, she still was. For a moment she must have forgotten just what sort of person she was talking to. "Sorry. The artifact is not for sale. It is not even mine to give it away." It was true enough. The item was linked to her family by some weird magic just like the eye was for Ascanio's but it was not hers. She only claimed it as part of a job for Easton and Jacobs. It was theirs more than hers at that point. Even the Magic Council had a claim to it. Of course, that was all irrelevant. The heart had been stolen. Samira decided to not mention it.

Something else didn't settle well with her, though. First the heart. Now the eye. And Ascanio had mentioned that he was told to have it with him. Added on was the fact that he said no one knew his family even had the amulet. Assuming that was true, which was hard to believe just for him but even more so if his entire family had the same mannerisms and personality traits, then someone knew more than they should have. Somehow. Was the thief of Shai's Heart connected to current events? It would also explain why she was a part of the deal Ascanio had made. The pieces were starting to come together. Although, it was only a very small portion of a mega puzzle. The thought that she might yet run into that same man again made her uncomfortable. It made her anxious and worried. She didn’t like it.

"Ah, that is unfortunate. Maybe another day this will change." Ascanio shifted in his seat to make himself more comfortable. He wasn't disappointed. Quite the opposite. The man must have been certain that he would get his way eventually. That or he was content that he had the most important piece of the collection. "These ruins you speak of. Were they on an island far into the ocean limits?" Ascanio asked curiously.

“Uh,” Samira was surprised he could make a guess like that. Or even bothered to in the first place. Did he know more from those past family tales he spoke of than he let on? “They were, yes.”

“In that case it makes sense why the artifacts have similar markings. And also why they share a name. That island was once part of the native lands of my magnificent and admirable ancestors. We moved to the mainland centuries ago. I do not recall the reason for it. Perhaps it was due to this temple guardian you spoke of. Or to better hide the pieces of this, eh, puzzle. The eye stayed with us, as is right. It is likely the more stupendous piece and needed to be under our care. The Heart, secondary. Meant to be forgotten or impossible to reach. There may be others. Hard to tell with so little information.” Acanio stared out the window, the scenery rolling on by as the carriage moved at a consistently steady pace. They were now on a trail through a forest. There was nothing special about it. Just another normal sunny day in a forest full of life. Staring at the rolling scenery allowed him to think some more. Yes, The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla used his brain now and again. A thought came to him, and he shifted his dark gaze again to speak with Samira once again, telling her his idea. “I have a thought. I will get in touch with one of my cousin’s. She knows more of the old tales told by our forefathers long ago. Maybe she will know something of this heart and its connection to the eye. If not, it was worth a try anyway.”

“That actually would be a bit helpful.”

“Indeed. I thought so too. It is why I suggested it. I do not think she will know what the markings say or any clues about the other pieces so do not be disappointed if nothing turns up.”

“I think even just a little bit of information about the old tales will be plenty more than I had anticipated.”

“Consider it as part of the payment. You signed up for more than I had originally let on.”

“Yes… that brings up a topic regarding something I must bring up as well.” Everything told her not to mention anything more about Shai’s Heart status. However, since Ascanio was the current holder of Shai’s Eye he was actually quite possibly in much more danger than he realized. “I mentioned that Shai’s Heart was not for sale or that it was not mine to give. However, there is also something else regarding its status that I failed to mention earlier in the conversation.”

“Hm? It is now my turn to say ‘do tell’.” Ascanio’s interest peaked once again. His smile faded as he waited for the summoner to continue.

“Some time ago Shai’s Heart was stolen. The efforts to reclaim it were a failure. As we speak, there are no current leads as to who took it or where that person currently is. Nor on the heart’s current location. That brings me to my current concern. You said the voice told you to bring Shai’s Eye with you. I suspect that it is intended for the amulet to be taken from you by whatever force is necessary. I do not want to make any assumptions as if they were one hundred percent accurate, but it could be the same one that took Shai’s Heart.”

“Ah, I see. So you suspect that a thief will attempt to take Shai’s Eye from me during this journey. That would make sense if the heirloom was just a piece of normal museum trash. It is not. It is-”

“I am sorry, but it being beautiful or magnificent only makes it more of a target. Those qualities do not protect it from thievery.”

Ascanio chuckled. Rightfully he should have been offended and angry over the interruption, but he couldn’t make himself feel that emotion for it. She was right. Shai’s Eye was beautiful and magnificent! He most certainly would have said those two words and more if he was not going to say something else about it instead. “That is not what I was going to say this time. Although those descriptions are no less true. I was going to say it is magic. You already knew this. I do not know how it works or much about it, but I do know that no one, not even a god, can take this from an Altavilla. Unless, they too, were Altavilla.”

“How would you know if something like that even worked? No one knows of the amulet by your own words.”

“And that is true. Minus this current, eh, special exception. Shai’s Eye is linked by blood. It will not accept another owner. The thief would either be more great than even the greatest of Altavillas, or would have found a way around the eye’s power. Neither of these two are possible. Thieves are trash and the eye would reject their existence. This is common knowledge among all Altavillas!”

And so explained one reason why Ascanio risked bringing Shai’s Eye out into the world and for a person that was completely suspicious. He didn’t fear any thieves because of some ability the artifact supposedly had. That or he was greatly exaggerating and making stuff up to further attempt to make his delusions of grandeur a reality. It was ridiculously difficult to tell now, and Samira would need to rely on a coin flip to decide which one she truly thought it was. “I see. Well, now you have been warned of what may occur.”

“Yes, thank you. But, I am certain your worries are for nothing. I have done what the voice asked. Nothing so dramatic should take place. We reach the end of the mission, go our separate ways, and go back to living in peace. Well, I will. You do not seem the type to relax. You should try it.”

“The last time I was forced to relax I had to take the time to save the resort I was in from an erupting volcano and elementals that wanted to set everything ablaze. Relaxing in the same way as you do does not exist for me.” For once since meeting Ascanio Altavilla, Samira smiled and laughed, finding humor in that memory and her inability to find time for a vacation even when it was forced on her. “Before we stray too far from the topic, was there to be a specific meeting point for the source of the voice to see that you had everything meeting his demands?”

“There is not. I assume he is watching, or will be waiting and watching as we travel. It is a solid and clear path so the way is predictable.”

“Interesting.” Samira thought that was odd, but made sense if the thief intended to just ambush them whenever he felt like it, she supposed. “And how long until we reach your destination?”

“We haven’t been on the road for long so several more hours.” He could see the frown on Samira’s face. He assumed it to be because she was trapped in a carriage with all of that worry about ancient artifacts and a thief. What she was really concerned about was that she was stuck in that carriage with The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla for several more hours… With not much more to talk about that concerned the mission. That only left for Ascanio to talk about himself and whatever else he thought was more superior and magnificent than something else. It was going to be a long ride. Samira sighed hopelessly.

It was as Ascanio said. The rest of the way took several agonizing and slow hours. The only upside to being stuck in the carriage with the man was that he wasn’t paying attention to her to take notice if she was paying attention or not. As the carriage continued on its merry way down the path through the forest, Ascanio carried on with various topics. All magnificent and great, of course. Samira started to tune him out around the second hour. Mental chatter with her spirits took over, and when that didn’t keep her entertained enough she was going through a book of crossword puzzles and word searches. Ascanio didn’t even acknowledge the book appearing from the swirl of magic particles quite suddenly or the pen that followed seconds after. He just continued to talk and talk and talk. As long as Samira gave him a nod every half hour or so he kept going. But, that was about it. The journey was uneventful aside from that. Strange, but it was just as Ascanio assumed it would be. Until the last hour.

Ascanio had opened the window of the carriage and shouted to the driver, asking how much further they had to go. The driver shouted back, stating that the trip would take another hour or so. They had just touched upon the bridge that was built over one of the notable landmarks, the great Springnora Lake. Ascanio was satisfied with that response and closed the window. “We are almost there. See? Did I not tell you that nothing would happen? The stalker must have not guessed that I could bring you here as he requested. Now he fears to attempt to do me harm or try to take Shai’s Eye. Aha!” The man duh into a container of almonds he had been munching on for the past few minutes. The small container was offered to Samira, who put up her free hand and refused. She was not hungry.

The pen dragged along the paper of the puzzle book on her lap. Another word found. Another word to scratch off the list of words to find. If only the real puzzles of her life were as easy to complete and solve as one of the word search puzzles in the book. Knowing there was one hour left made her nerves go haywire. No longer could she concentrate on the puzzle book. It disappeared, the result of her dismissing the book and letting her spirits reclaim it as their own. She turned her eyes towards the window, watching the scenery move at a calm and steady pace.

The waters of the Springnora Lake glistened under the sun, but it soon passed out of view. They had gone over the bridge entirely, leaving the lake, and once again being surrounded by trees and grass. It was nice. Far from the normal cities and its troubles. It’s noise. Kind of strange for a man like Ascanio wanting to be set a destination for such a peaceful setting where he couldn’t show off to the world, but there was probably a village somewhere he had conned his way into presenting himself as king from some distant land. From the tidbits her ears had caught while ignoring him, she had found out that they were on their way to a villa his family owned in the countryside. It was currently unoccupied, meaning he would have the entire place to himself. He was excited about it for whatever reason she had missed while politely pretending to listen. Surely when a family of wealth had one villa or mansion they probably had another one elsewhere. It shouldn’t have been anything new or exciting for him really. But, she supposed even someone such as himself enjoyed something he would have normally considered to be trivial and inferior if it belonged to someone other than himself.

Something strange happened after another ten minutes had passed. Both Ascanio and Samira had felt it. She could even see it since the scenery stopped passing from her line of sight. The carriage stopped. Completely. They could hear the horses whinny and stomp their hooves on the ground. They were afraid for some odd reason the two inside the carriage couldn’t fathom. Ascanio opened the window and shouted towards the driver, asking what had happened and why had they stopped. No response came. Just the sound of the horses become more unsettled and nervous.

“I should go take a look. There may be something wrong with your driver.” Samira didn’t say it, but she didn’t exactly mean that he had suddenly taken ill. There was more to it, and she had a growing suspicion that told her what it was.

“I will get out too. If something is wrong I should not sit in here waiting like a coward. I am The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla. I fear nothing!” He posed dramatically in his chair, then a few seconds later he dropped the pose and admitted to the real reason he would also look into it like a brave boy. “And I am responsible for him. He is really my other cousin’s driver. On loan because my last one decided to, eh, go after a different opportunity.” In essence, the driver quit. Probably had enough of dealing with The Great and Marvelous Ascanio Altavilla on a daily basis.

Samira didn’t argue the point. She just nodded in reply and took hold of the handle of the door. “I am going first just in case something is amiss. Take the box with you. If things go horribly wrong you should run and get that out of here. I can stall long enough even if that same thief is here.” The man didn’t argue that either. That was no time to follow ancient chivalry. The mage was going out there first regardless of the fact she was a lady! The jeweled box he held onto tightly. Nothing was going to take it away from him! Not that they could… but just in case he called for the godly grip of the mightiest of gods onto himself. He would now have the strength of otherworldly power! Or so he told himself to remain confident and remain in his own delusional world.

Satisfied that Ascanio was not the type to charge right into possible danger, Samira looked away from him and focused on the door. She pulled the handle downward, hearing the resulting click of the locking mechanism hidden away inside the interior of the doorway. Slowly, she pushed the door open and let the handle go, allowing it to move on its own slowly and silently. She remained there, waiting for something more to happen but nothing came to pass. Samira then began to exit the carriage one foot at a time, and using the now open doorway as a way to balance herself as she exited.

Ascanio followed her, but she didn’t wait for him to make his full exit. Instead she started to walk along the side of the carriage and towards the front where the driver should have been. “Hello?” She asked, receiving no response besides that of the horses. “Are you all right?” Still nothing, but her eyes told her that he was still there and hadn’t simply fallen off. Although, she could only see him partially from behind. Still, even with that she could see that he was slumped over and no longer had a tight grip on the reins of the horses. The heels of her boots made crunching noises as they hit the gravel of the path, and beyond that she was silent while continuing to the front of the carriage. There was no point in trying to communicate with the driver any longer.

Once she reached the full front of the carriage she could see that her instincts had been right. The driver was in the same near death state as those that were unfortunate enough to cross the thief’s path the first time she had encountered him. He would likely be like that for much time to come. Those from before still had not recovered. It was impossible. The only way to revive them all was for the thief to return to them what he had taken; their souls.

“I knew it,” she muttered to herself.

“Is he dead?” Ascanio whispered as he stood behind her and leaned over as if she were his shield.

“He may as well be,” she replied in a cold tone, purposely being vague with the details. There was no time to waste. “Ascanio-” she turned back towards him and was about to warn him, but she was once again interrupted, and for something so trivial at a time like that she wanted to hit him hard enough that he’d be landing in that lake they passed several minutes ago.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the fancily dressed man waved a finger at her. “It is The Great and Marvelous Ascan-” He began to strike a pose as he raised his voice to shout to the world his name.

“You will be ‘The Dead and Decaying Ascanio Altavilla’ if you keep that up. Do you know the way to the nearest village? Preferably a less obvious route than this path?”

Ascanio nodded but seemed uncertain as he looked around. “I think there is a path beyond those trees over there that can take me there. Why do you ask?”

“I need you to go there. It is not safe here.”

“Shouldn’t I just go to the family villa instead?”

“No. He would expect that, and you would be alone. It would be easy for him to find and target you. Instead you should get to the village and alert whoever is in charge there of what happened. He is not interested in tangling with local authority or villagers.”

“I don’t understand. This was not part of the plan. He was not supposed to mess with my driver!”

‘Technically he said he would not harm you, but I would not put my trust in that. Now go, and do not get distracted along the way.” She gave him a gentle push to get him going, but it was not that push that got him to yelp in fear and take off in a sprint to make the getaway. As soon as she had pushed him, the carriage was hit by a dark light that suddenly appeared inside it and expanded. The carriage quickly exploded from the inside, causing a loud boom and sending pieces of the vehicle everywhere. The horses took off running, their attachment to the carriage had been broken and the explosion was enough to sap away the rest of their calmness. The driver’s fate from that move was unknown. Samira was unable to tell because of her own status. When the explosion happened, the force pushed her forward and she lost her balance. The speeding horses was all she could see before rolling over the side of the path and down the grassy hill next to it. She reached the end of the hill pained and aching. It wasn’t exactly a fun small hilltop that kids liked to go down. The summoner was even sure she had smacked into some rocks along the way. “Owww.”  It could have been much worse than that for sure. She began to push herself up, having landed on her stomach during the final roll. Halfway up and in the process she was forced to pause. A certain voice reached her eardrums. A familiar voice. One she theorized it would be much earlier, but really she wished that she would have been wrong entirely. Unfortunately she was rarely wrong in those cases.

“Well, well, well. It’s the Nassar from before. It’s been a while.” The deep voice was calm and casual. It was irritating to listen to. After that explosion. After what he had done the first time they met. He did not deserve to be as collected and in control as he was. The way he talked made it sound like a pleasant greeting between friendly acquaintances. They were far from being that.

Word Count: 11,033
11,000 used for 100Y Freeform
33 left for next part