With the addition of Madoc Bell, Cassandra decided they should all pay a visit to Lion Seaport before parting ways. The timing of everything was far too suspicious. Keane agreed. If nothing else, they could take a quick look when passing through. Alois was of the opinion they should pass through quickly. He had no intentions of getting dragged into the Cano family drama.

  A natural tension filled them as they passed through the gates and entered the bustling seaport city. Alois had managed to change his signature crimson hair to blue with magic so that he wouldn't be caught instantly and cause a commotion. Blue hair was apparently more common for elves by the sea. Madoc had broken off with his carriage the moment they entered city limits, making Cassandra's earlier concern seem silly.

  "What exactly are you here to investigate?" Cassandra asked Keane, "If it is serious enough for you to be here, it can't be something normal."

  "A mysterious disease broke out in a nearby fishing village a few months ago," Keane explained, "No one caught on, or at least they didn't report it, until the local lord's son fell to the same disease. No magic seems to be capable of curing the symptoms so I was called to investigate the cause and help formulate a cure."

  "Is it highly contagious?" Cassandra demanded, immediately regretting jumping into this with so little information.

  "Rather than a disease, this acts more like poison," Keane assured, "It is more likely that there is something the locals are ingesting that is contaminated. If it is a parasite, for instance, healing magic wouldn't be able to cure it like a normal illness."

  "You already have a working theory," Cassandra realized. Of course he did. Keane wouldn't calmly take them to the outbreak of a new plague. If he had been concerned about it spreading this place would have already been sealed off.

  "We are only staying one night," Alois reminded before Cassandra could dig any further, "Keane can handle things here."

  "If he needs help later he can always tell us," Caleb added, tapping his jabber jewel, "Summoning Mickey might help us get more clues about that Kalorvia business."

  “How about you two go secure us a place to stay for the night?” Cassandra suggested, “I want to take a look around before we go. Check up on the local cookie situation, and the general vibe of the seaport.”

  “Don’t eat anything without checking with me first,” Keane warned.

  “I won’t,” Cassandra promised, “but if it is bad enough to even be in the cookies, Lion Seaport must truly have fallen.”

  “I will protect her,” Yuki announced, and judging by everyone’s reactions they could all hear him this time.

  It was always both relieving and concerning to be protected by Yuki. If the only danger was food borne parasites it wouldn’t be a problem, but Cassandra wasn’t sure how far Yuki would take things if someone actually tried to attack her. Wayde seemed to be thinking along the same line of thoughts.

  “If we are going to be touring on foot, I should go with you,” he suggested, “Not many people are willing to cross those with giant blood.”

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  Cassandra paused for a moment to take in Wayde’s size. He had chosen to ride the carriage with them to enter the seaport so he wouldn’t draw too much attention, but even sitting he was too tall to fit properly and had to slouch. She had gotten so used to his height that she had forgotten that most people would be intimidated by such a looming height. Then again, she also knew the most intimidating being in the whole carriage was not Wayde, but Yuki.

  “Thank you,” she said, “That should work perfectly. We will get off once we are closer to the marketplace.”

  “The marketplace is on the way to our destination,” Alois told them, “but I recommend leaving in a more secluded area. If the merchants here see you exiting a carriage they will swarm like piranhas.”

  That sounded like something he knew from personal experience. “Even if I do, I probably stand out too much,” Cassandra pointed out, “I only wear the clothes my parents make. Any merchant with a good eye should be able to tell.”

  “Luckily for you, most of the merchants here are greedy idiots,” Alois assured, “They will be more focused on Wayde and Yuki than you. Wearing your Nobility pins would usually give you some security but if Kalorvia really has taken this seaport it might make you a target instead.”

  Lion Seaport was at the prominent southern peninsula of Tethia while Kalorvia lay to the west, completely blocked off by the Draconis Mountains. Unlike Gaia, who shared Tethia’s largest border to the east, the coast was their best means of attack and infiltration. However, that also meant that Tethia would be well aware of the threat and vigilant against it. It was hard to believe that Lion Seaport would be completely overtaken so easily.

  “That is why I want to explore as a normal citizen,” Cassandra replied, “I will find out more as a common tourist than as a tourist from Nobility.”

  They reached the marketplace shortly after, and Cassandra got off the carriage with Wayde. Just in case, they had taken Alois's advice and disembarked away from the crowds to draw less attention. Wayde really opened up the crowd just by existing once they made it to the main street. In some ways it was nice but it also made it hard to speak to people.

  Did the combo of Wayde and Maximus make it easier or even more difficult to approach them? It was an interesting thought, but Cassandra would save it for another time. She had something far more important to worry about now. Cookies.

  It took a few tries to get someone who would actually direct her to a local cookie supplier. It was a small bakery just a bit further up the street. It would definitely be a start. The bakery staff were surprised when customers walked in, and even more surprised when they saw the duo who entered.

  "Show me your cookies," Cassandra commanded with a smile, not willing to take no for an answer.

  The staff scurried to present her with their wares. To be honest, there really wasn't much. There were only two varieties of cookies, and only about a dozen of each. Now that she looked around, there wasn't much of anything else either. A handful of loaves of bread, some muffins, and some rolls.

  "Is there usually so little here?" she asked.

  "The Seaport has been strange lately," the head of staff admitted, "No one comes to buy baked goods anymore. Baking more is just a waste. Even tourists only come here for fish."

  "Lately?" Cassandra repeated, "Then there used to be a lot more business here?"

  "Yes. Are you really going to buy cookies?"

  "I am. If they are good I will be coming back for more in a few days," Cassandra promised.

  "Is there a certain fish everyone is eager to try?" Wayde asked as they packed the cookies.

  "Yes. They say it is so delicious you can't eat anything else once you have tasted it," the head of staff confirmed, "It is too expensive or I might have tried to bake something with it."

  Cassandra and Wayde shared a glance. That certainly sounded suspicious. They would definitely have to tell Keane about this when they met up later. Cassandra made sure to pay for the cookies and asked about any other good bakeries nearby that might have more cookies to offer. Maybe one of them did have enough money to bake something with that mystery fish and she could take the chance to collect a sample.