Mayalyn’s Perspective Continued

Mayalyn stood nervously in line to enter the city. When a man jostled her from behind, she nearly lost her focus on the masking technique.

I wonder what they would do if I just let it drop.

Stop asking yourself, Maymay! It’s not worth the risk.

She redoubled her efforts to maintain the technique. Sweat sprouted on her brow as the line shrank and she drew closer to the guards. There was no turning back, to run now would raise far too much suspicion.

She observed the necessary payment and prepared it before arriving. With coins clutched tightly in hand, she stepped forward to stand before the female guard.

The woman in leather armor took it without glancing up. The bored expression she wore never wavered.

With a relieved sigh, Mayalyn entered the city. She felt naked in the wide-open street. The desire to run into the nearby shadowed alley was nearly impossible to deny.

Being the only one hiding in the shadows with a hood over my head is the opposite of what I need to be doing. I need to find somewhere with lots of traffic. Learning enough of the language to find a map should be my first priority.

The Density inside the city was non-existent, leaving her feeling weaker than ever before.

Something divine wafted through the air. Mayalyn found herself before a man selling meat at the edge of a market. She did not realize she was following the smell until she was standing at the stall.

The perfectly cooked meat, slathered in spices and dripping with fat, called to her in a mesmerizing way that food never had before.

At that moment, she couldn’t recall her last good meal or even her own name. The only thing that existed was the sounds of fat splattering on hot coals and that divine smell.

She held up two fingers. He said something to her that she assumed was the price. Not having a clue what he said or what the value of each coin was, she placed a random silver coin in front of him.

The man looked at her in confusion before saying something. Mayalyn shook her head back and forth, hoping he wouldn’t follow up with any additional questions.

When he shrugged his shoulders and handed her three wrapped chunks of the meaty ambrosia, her face lit up like the rising suns.

She found a secluded and shaded spot under a tree near the market. The delicious morsels were devoured one after another. They were gone before she knew it. Left with only sticky fingers, she greedily licked them clean.

With her source replenished from the wonderful meal, Mayalyn listened to the mass of ungarnished as they went about their day.

After not being bothered for several hours, she felt secure enough to drop her masking to preserve energy. She was startled to discover there was still a minuscule, yet steady drain on her source.

The Density here is so low that I can’t even maintain my body!?

Now knowing she was on a time limit, and with nothing to do but learn as quickly as possible, Mayalyn focused on the voices around her. As the suns moved across the sky, the meanings behind one word after another became clear.

What also became clear was just how badly she had overpaid for her breakfast.

Why was I in such a hurry to eat? If I had just watched other people first, I wouldn’t have paid ten times what he was asking! Maybe he would give me my change if I went over there. No, too risky, if he confronts me and starts yelling, it would draw far too much attention.

With only enough coins for two more meals, she had to either find a way to make more, or finish the mission as quickly as possible.

This would be a whole lot more fun if my source wasn't slowly bleeding dry just from sitting under the shade of a tree!

These impiles, no, empilless’s? Nope, that’s not it either. Imperials! Yes, these imperials are so interesting. I wish I could study them without all these worries.

Mayalyn decided being passive wasn't efficient enough. So she got up and walked through the market.

This new strategy helped her learn the language far faster than sitting under a tree. Perusing the many stands, she came across a few books and maps of the city. learning those words had been easy once the items were in front of her.

A group of children gave her an important clue to obtain what she needed. The library. A place full of books and hopefully maps of areas outside the city. She made a plan to go tomorrow.

The suns dipped one by one as they bid the day a good night. When the shadows lengthened and the streets emptied, Mayalyn found a secluded place in a dark alley to curl up and fall asleep.

The kick that awakened her elicited an animalistic growl. The offender, a pot-bellied man in an apron, shied away from her bared fangs. Seeing his terrified expression woke her from her half-asleep state.

She jumped to her feet and bolted.

Did he see my marks? It was dark, he probably didn't see.

Why does this have to be so hard? I should be able to bare my marks proudly for all to see! Not cower in fear that they will descend on me like a flock of hungry geese chasing a beetle.

She found another secluded alley and made an attempt to get more sleep. There was no rest to be found with the fear that someone else might sneak up on her.

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The next morning, with bleary and tired eyes, she met First Father. Assisted by the light of day and the constant chatter of passing imperials, she eventually found her destination.

A woman sat outside the building, reading to a gaggle of children. They hung on every word, completely engrossed in the story from the book in her hand.

Double checking the masking, Mayalyn entered the building. A kind-looking woman spoke to her but not knowing what she wanted, Mayalyn shook her head with a smile and pressed on.

The aura of a blessed washed over her as she perused the books on the bottom floor. She felt safe for the first time since appearing on this terrible island.

Get a grip Maymay! Whoever owns that aura is not one of your people. They will turn on me as quickly as any other ungarnished. Someone that powerful can kill me before I even have a chance to run.

I need to stay focused and get out of here as quickly as possible.

Her exhausted mind would not relent. Multiple times as she perused the bottom floor’s shelves, she found herself luxuriating in the feeling of security her people associated with a blessed’s protection.

Mayalyn soon realized the first floor only had children's books, so she moved to the second. It wasn’t long before she found several rolled-up maps next to a section of books that were related to the geography of the nearby lands.

After gathering several books and maps in her arms, she looked for a place to sit. She could not help herself and ended up near the blessed. The feeling of his aura was like being draped with a warm blanket by the fire after a cold swim at night.

She moved as quietly as possible while taking her seat. Luckily he did not seem to notice her, or care that she sat so close.

Confusion clouded her thoughts after she spread the first map out on the table.

Where is the ocean?

She opened each map and failed to find anything that appeared to depict more than a large lake. After the fifth map, she finally understood. The small line at the very bottom of the map was a coast.

With frantic eyes, she tried to make heads or tales of the scope of what she was seeing. She assumed the symbol in the center of each map represented Cruex. Starting from there, she traced the road west looking for the village she had been in two weeks ago.

Her finger moved less than two centimeters on the huge map before finding the village.

But that would mean everything that I’ve seen in over two weeks is just a tiny sliver of this island? I would have to travel for months just to reach the ocean?

Despair settled in at the realization she may not see her family again for years, if ever. despondent eyes stared blankly out the nearby window.

No. I’m not going to give up! Toinka didn't raise a daughter who rolls over in the first wave. So what if it’s farther, that only means I’ll have many more amazing stories to tell them when I return.

With a resolute nod to herself, Mayalyn scanned the map for any other clues. While trying to memorize every inch of the scroll, a distracting drumming sound caused her to look up.

He was looking right at her. His green eyes glowed like emeralds under fresh water as they pierced right through her.

How could someone my age already be a blessed? How much killing must he have seen? And he’s going to kill me next.

Her fears amplified as his glowing eyes moved from her face to the top of her head. The masking was in place, held tightly by her will and the flow from her source. But he looked right at her ears anyway, as if all her efforts up until now had been a farce.

His aura condensed around her, pressing in from all directions at once, intensely examining every inch of her body. Marylyn wanted to cry, he saw everything.

Can I even get married now?

Mayalyn ran. There was no thought or logic behind the action, just a deep need to get away. Instincts had fully wrested control of her body.

It wasn't until three walls surrounded her that realization of the situation settled in.

I’m not dead! Where am I?

When she turned around to find another direction to run, there were two men before her. The shadows of the small alley stretched to wrap them each in a coat of darkness. Their faces were shrouded, giving them the appearance of ghastly shades.

They approached her slowly, warily, with arms raised. The man in front spoke something unintelligible while patting the air and stepping toward her.

Both pairs of eyes were trained on the top of her head.

My maskings gone and my source is so low! Did I use it all while running?

With the wall at her back, Mayalyn raised her pilfered daggers threateningly. When they took another step closer, a warning growl escaped unbidden from deep in her chest.

A torturous pressure tore the air from her lungs. She knew that someone, somewhere, had been slammed into a wall. When her face crashed into the cobbled street, the impact restarted her sluggish thoughts.

Mayalyn was surprised by the weakness of the blow. Her brother was Tier four and his punches hurt much more. Usually she didn’t wake up for a long time after just one hit.

Was this ungarnished holding back?

When it was possible to move again, Marylyn looked up. The green-eyed blessed had found her. For some reason one of his minions was on the ground, unmoving.

The second flunky was facing the blessed. They spoke, the underlying threat evident without her understanding the words.

Are they fighting each other? Why would he attack his own men?

Her assailant lunged at the blessed, but he was no longer there. He now stood behind the shadowy man who fell face-first into the street.

It doesn’t matter, I refuse to die laying down in the dirt.

Mayalyn stood on shaky legs. Her growling and hissing were a futile bluff. They looked at each other, predator and prey.

Just when she knew he would strike, he instead spoke to her in a soothing tone. He even tried to return her daggers.

I understand, he wants to kill me with my weapons in my hands. Fine, so be it, I’m ready. Goodbye, mom and dad. I love you.

She took the weapons and waited for it all to end. But he just spoke a few more soft words and walked away.

What!? What is happening? Did he really just help me?

Scrambling to remember the words from the market yesterday she tried to ask.

“Why did you help me?” The sounds came out wrong.

When he repeated them back to her with a confused look, she took a deep breath and tried again.

Mayalyn felt proud of herself when she remembered the correct words.

“Why did you help me?”

He understood me! I’m doing it, I’m really talking to the locals.

He responded to her in that same kind voice. She had no clue what he said, but his hand motions made it clear he was talking about the fallen men.

Then he motioned to her tail and mimicked wrapping it around himself, just like Pritt said lovers would do.

Heat rushed to her head and rational thought abandoned her as the impossible situation short-circuited her brain.

By the time she came back to her senses, the green-eyed pervert was gone.