Chapter 2: Barred Entry

“What did this strange airship look like?” Alena asked as she padded alongside her guardian down the torch-lit passage.

Jakob made a thoughtful noise. “I didn’t see it myself, but I heard it had a long body and wasn’t flying any recognizable sails. I didn’t know anyone other than the Pact had airships. But they must have gotten into some trouble, because apparently it was leaking smoke all over the place. Probably wouldn’t stay in the air for much longer. The Steward sent a group of explorers and an arcanist to investigate. Why do you ask, kiddo?”

Unsure of how to answer, Alena shot a timid glance over her shoulder to the rest of the group. “We…uh…”

“We’re looking for a damaged vessel that sounds a lot like the one you’ve described,” Nienna offered. She flashed a quick smile at Alena, and the anxious asura breathed a sigh of relief. “They have two of our own, and we intend to get them back. How long ago did the Priory send your people out there?”

“Earlier this morning, I think. I’m not exactly sure.” Jakob stopped and turned to the group. He furrowed his brow and scratched at his frosted beard. “I’m sorry they have your friends. I’m sure the group will be back later today with some answers. Maybe they’ll even have your people with them.”

Nienna clenched her jaw. If the ship was going down, it could present them with an opportunity to catch up to the Byrnes. Perhaps they could end this conflict once and for all. But as she looked at each member of her group, it was obvious they were in no condition to stage a rescue nor engage in a fight. They all needed rest, but that rest would cost them time: a substance they didn’t seem to have much of these days. The longer Seren and Salara were in the Byrnes’ hands, the less confident Nienna was of their survival. There was still so much yet to be said between her and the young guardian—her sister. It felt odd to Nienna to think of her that way and to consider these people around her as friends. She had been on her own for so long, and now she had family, both in association and blood. There was a lot to figure out, but that was something she would have to quickly deal with once Seren and Salara were brought back safely.

If we could get them back safely.

Nienna silently berated herself for thinking so negatively. She wanted to have hope, to hold onto it with everything she had, but in all her years, Nienna had discovered it was fickle. It came as easily as it went. Right now, she needed to hold onto any thread of optimism she could grab. Without it, she was lost.

1. As Jakob continued leading the group along the hidden passage, he entertained them all by explaining its purpose. The secret route had been reserved for receiving high-status items and visitors the Priory didn’t want widely advertised. It was common practice by the Priory to find and handle artifacts or weapons imbued with an overwhelming amount of magic with special care. They were studied, catalogued, and then carefully stored deep within the stronghold and away from dangerous hands. It reminded Nienna of the room she saw deep within the Chantry of Secrets where she found her new axe. She looked down at the weapon resting on her hip. Back in Lion’s Arch, Halvora Snapdagger had recognized it and even claimed she had put it in storage herself. To Nienna’s surprise, she let her walk away with it without so much as a struggle.

Shortly after Jakob finished his stories about the passageway and the Priory’s purpose, they came upon a small storage chamber. Nienna immediately felt a gentle hum in the air. Her skin prickled, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She wrapped her arms around her torso and eyed the crates, boxes, and packages stacked around the room, highly suspicious their contents were responsible for the charge in the air. As they passed a short stack of crates, she spied a faint blue light emanating through the cracks between the wooden panels. She paused, trying to peer inside. 

“Best not get too close,” Jakob warned. “Don’t know what’s inside, but it can’t be anything good being stored all the way down here.”

Dee and Clarkus carefully moved about the room, trying not to bump into any of the towers of precariously stacked crates. It was apparent whomever was responsible for constructing this room had not kept norn or charr physiology in mind when it was built. Both of them had to duck through the doorway just to enter. As Clarkus stepped around an old, dusty crate left on the floor, his tail collided with a few cylindrical packages leaning against a tall crate, and they fell to the floor with a heavy plop.

“Uh, sorry,” he uttered as he picked up the packages. He cradled his tail in his arm so it wouldn’t bump into anything, but as he bent over to pick up the last one, the bundle on his back began to slip. It fell to the ground with a clatter.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Jakob offered as he reached out to pick it up, but he froze as Clarkus curled himself around the bundle and uttered an audible growl.

“It’s okay. He doesn’t like people touching his things,” Alena quickly explained to her wide-eyed guardian with a half-truth. She hated not being honest with her guardian, but she also wasn’t keen on the idea of seeing him getting tangled up in their business.

Dee curiously peered into a crack on one of the crates. “What exactly is it that you do here?”

Jakob, who had managed to relax a little after the shock of Clarkus’ reaction, looked up at her as he moved to pick up the other packages. “I work with restoring and cataloging historical tomes. I know it doesn’t sound very exciting, but there’s something satisfying with preserving those old pages. There’s nothing in this world like looking at shelves and shelves full of knowledge you’ve helped save.”

Once everything was put back in its place, Jakob ushered them all out of the room and into another corridor on the opposite side of the storage chamber. As the incline increased, the path twisted and turned with other tunnels branching off of it, but Jakob followed his course with confidence. After some time, Nienna lost track of how long they had been walking. The passage seemed to go on without any end in sight, and she began to worry they would be lost in the bowels of the Priory forever. But her fears were assuaged when the soft glow of lamplight came into view ahead of them. A pair of shadows emerged from the shadows and stepped into the illumination. Not knowing if they were friend or foe, she reflexively immediately reached for her axe.

“Jakob, what are you doing back here?” one of the Priory guards asked. They were almost unidentifiable while shrouded in the traditional blue robes and hoods, but her silvery voice had the lyrical accent the sylvari often spoke with. “Who are they?”

Alena’s guardian motioned for the rest of the group to stay behind him. “They’re friends of my girl’s and have been traveling all night. They just need a quiet place to rest. I was going to take them to the back rooms. They’re rarely used, and they won’t be a bother, I give you my word.”

The other guard took a step toward the group, eyeing them all from beneath the hood of his robes. He towered over his sylvari partner by at least three feet, and his shoulders were broad and sturdy. By his appearance, Nienna was certain he was a norn. As he studied them all, he ground the end of his staff against the rough, stone floor.

He uttered a throaty grumble, making his displeasure of their meeting heard. “This area is off limits to non-Priory members. Steward Gixx has ordered an increase in security.”

“An increase in security?” Jakob flashed the guards a puzzled look. “For what? A low-flying airship? That’s absurd.”

“We had a break-in recently,” the sylvari guard offered, and then feeling the disapproval seething from her norn partner, she immediately clammed up.

“Quiet, Ilex.”

Jakob eyed the guards. “When did this happen?”

The two Priory guards looked at each other, and then the sylvari made a motion toward the group. “Come on, Lars. It’s Jakob,” she urged. “We can trust him.”

Lars uttered another throaty growl. “Fine. But if anything bad comes of this, you’re takin’ the blame.” The norn then turned his full attention to the group. “It happened about a week ago. Gixx wanted to keep it quiet.”

“Probably to save face and to avoid panic. But if you ask me, it was more about saving face,” Ilex added.

Exhaustion sunk its claws in deeper now they were no longer moving, so Nienna sought out the cold stone wall of the corridor to support her weary body. She was tempted to find a spot there to curl up on, but thought better of it. The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was draw attention to herself. Instead, she waited patiently while Jakob and the guards continued to argue over their entry.

“Nienna, are you okay?” Dee asked. She placed a hand on Nienna’s shoulder as she leaned in and examined her face. “You look pale. Well…paler.”

She managed a smile to reassure her friend. “Stop fussing. I’ll be fine after a little rest. Though it’s tempting to just keep moving so we can get to that damn airship. You heard them. It passed this way and could have gone down somewhere nearby. If we leave soon, maybe we could catch up.”

Dee shook her head. “Not like this. We wouldn’t be any use to Seren and Salara in our current condition. We’d get ourselves killed too. Don’t get me wrong, I’m itching for a chance to let those nobles taste steel, but until then, let’s let the Priory group do their work.”

“I know,” Nienna replied begrudgingly. “You’re right.”

“What about those lines?” Dee reached for her hand, but Nienna pulled it away.

“Will you stop? I’m fine.”

Looking back and forth between Nienna and the Priory guards, Dee then flashed her a wink and a smile then raised her voice dramatically. “You are not fine. You’re way past exhaustion and haven’t slept in days. You need a place to rest. We all do.”

Dee’s loud and insistent voice drew the guards’ attention. They both looked past Jakob at Nienna, who leaned against the norn woman, her form slumped. She groaned, adding to the overall scene her friend was trying to create. Whether or not it would work to garner sympathy from the guards, they would have to wait and see.

“The Priory doesn’t turn away people in need,” Alena chimed in, “or is that a new policy adapted by an overly paranoid Steward?”

The two guards looked at each other again.

“We know Jakob. I’m sure they can be trusted,” the sylvari said quietly to her partner. “We should let them in.”

Lars clenched his jaw as he looked at each member of the group, carefully weighing the risk of giving them entry. Despite his apprehensions, he had never known his partner to lead him astray, and her intentions were always good natured.

“We’ll allow them in,” Lars finally said.

Jakob breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you-“

“But you will take full responsibility for their actions,” Lars interrupted. “If they cause any trouble, it’s falling on your shoulders.”