There was a certain exhilarating feeling that always came with what Gale was about to do. He found himself enjoying, even craving, this feeling. Perched in an alcove placed into a wall nearly twenty feet above the ground, Gale raised his head, scanning the throng of unknown people for any sign of his friends. He was young and lean muscled, roughly six feet tall with medium length brown hair that characteristically topped the inhabitants of Islenia. Piercing, blue eyes were set above a rounded nose, nostrils flaring in anticipation. He had no facial hair, for he could not grow any, even though his jaw had the straight edged shape that often went well with a closely trimmed beard. His dark eyebrows slanted downward in concentration as he kept his hidden vigil above the market street.
If anything, Gale was patient. He knew the importance of correct timing, and was always comfortable waiting any period of time for something he wanted. Blue eyes flicking back and forth along the street, he finally spotted Alec and Vi walking casually down the road, looking for all the world like a young couple out for an afternoon stroll. Alec was tall with a muscular build, far stronger than Gale, but Gale still had him by a few inches. Alec had short-cropped, sandy hair, almost to the point of being blond, with brown eyes and chiseled jaw. His nose was blocky, and his mouth was almost always drawn into a thin line. He was the picture of masculinity, but Gale knew that underneath the rock-like exterior, there was a tenderhearted man, who chose his loved ones carefully, and protected them with all he could give.
Vivian, or Vi, as the boys affectionately called her, was a beautiful, slender young girl with a voice like honey. She had straight hair the color of a raven's feather that grew down to the middle of her back, which she had woven into a braid and pulled in front of her left shoulder. Her face was round, with soft skin the tone of ivory. Blue eyes sat below thin, arching eyebrows. Her nose was delicate, with a dusting of light freckles running across it from cheekbone to cheekbone, and her lips were always curved into a smile, no doubt caused by some mischievous deed she had committed. Vi was beautiful, and she knew it. Her beauty disguised a cold anger that lurked just beneath the surface, and it was often directed at Gale. Today however, she looked as happy as could be.
Gale watched as his friends slowly made their way down the crowded street, stopping every once in a while to browse amongst the stands. They wouldn't buy anything, or rather, they couldn't. The little money that they had, either earned or stolen, was put toward food and clothing. The three of them were orphans, growing up in the slums of Aramor, the capital city of Islenia. The three had banded together at the age of seven, learning that it was easier to survive in a group rather than alone. They were forced to grow up at such an early age that they never knew what a childhood was truly like. They had endured many hardships together, but these hardships had formed and strengthened a bond that had only grown with the passing of time.
They survived through the years by stealing food from merchants and peddlers, and when they couldn't steal, they fought. It was easier for them to get away with taking a loaf of bread and a few pieces of fruit when they were younger because nobody seemed to notice three little orphans running around. They were practically invisible, which served them well, until they started to gain a reputation. Merchants soon noticed more and more of their produce disappearing, which was due to the fact that Alec was taking more and more to feed the children who were too sick to fend for themselves, who the three had taken to watching over. They had found an abandoned house that they used as shelter, both for themselves and the little children who sought them out for their generosity with food. The three were awe inspiring to the children, protecting and providing for their small group of haggard misfits.
There were many dangers to living the life of an orphan, and starvation was just one of them. The slums were a perfect place for vagabonds and people without any good intent to hide from the law. Some of the bolder teenaged orphans had formed together into gangs, roaming the street looking for someone or something to take their anger at the unfairness of the world on. More often than not, their target ended up being the younger children, so Gale, Alec, and Vi took it upon themselves to protect them. Many times, this would end with Gale and Alec hurt, too small to do anything against the stronger, bigger teenagers; but a few cuts, bruises, and the odd broken bone were a small price to pay for the safety of the kids that they had grown to love. As they grew older, Gale and Alec learned to fight, and although they were talented, they wouldn't be able to stand up against anyone who was actually trained to fight. Protecting came easier when one was able to actually do something to retaliate, and the two boys had gained a reputation of ferocity, the type that only came when someone had nothing left to lose. As the younger boys got older, Gale and Alec would teach them to fight as well. With more and more kids being able to defend themselves, the attacks stopped. Word spread, and everyone knew to stay away from the house full of unruly kids.
Gale stood from his crouching position in the alcove and stretched his legs as Alec and Vi made their way over to the merchant's stand that was beneath him. It was hot out and the sun was bright, so he was relieved that the time had finally come. The merchant was a potion vendor who sold his wares for much higher than they needed to be, considering that they didn't work. He would claim that a tonic could perform some sort of miracle, sell it for a high price, and then say that the potion would only work under certain circumstances. Anyone with a brain could see that he was a scam artist, but Gale noticed that not many inhabitants of the upper class seemed to possess one, for all the money that they had. Alec and Vi were walking past the merchant's stand when, all of a sudden, Vi collapsed onto the ground. Alec rushed to her side, and Gale watched as he attempted to frantically wake her up.
“Alysandra! Alysandra! Are you okay?!” Alec yelled as he shook Vi by the shoulders. He turned towards the stand and a look of hope filled his eyes. “You there!” Alec shouted at the merchant as he stood and took off the purse that was attached to his belt and shook it at the deceitful man. The purse jingled as if it was full of coins, but Gale knew that it was really full of nails that they had gotten from a carpenter in return for a day of work. The carpenter had thought that it was a strange request, even stating so, but complied. “My wife is sick! I don't have her medicine, but do you have anything to treat her? I'll pay anything!” Alec seemed to be on the verge of hysteria, and Gale credited him for his acting skills.
Hearing the coins in the purse, the merchant hurriedly came out of his stand. He was a portly man, wearing a purple jerkin that fit much too tightly over black pants that were tucked into brown cloth boots. He waddled his way over with a few bottles full of liquid of varying colors. “Yes, of course I have something!” the fat merchant proclaimed. “I am the great Tamoor, a humble man of business.” He held out a bottle filled with blue liquid, but pulled it away as Alec reached to take it. “I am afraid I cannot give you this elixir without you paying first.”
Alec shot his hand out and grabbed the bottle from Tamoor's hand before the fat man could pull away. “And I'm afraid I can't pay you without seeing if this works first.” The tone of his voice cut off any argument the merchant may have been about to say, because the man gulped and nodded to indicate that he was okay with what just happened. Alec turned and unstoppered the bottle as he knelt down to tend to “Alysandra”.
Gale took that as his cue. There were three stages to their plan, and the second stage, the theft, was just about to start. The first stage was distraction, and Alec and Vi had taken very good care of that. With the crowd watching the spectacle in the middle of the street, nobody noticed as he nimbly swung himself out of the alcove and over the edge, climbing down the wall using the small irregularities in the rock as hand and footholds. He was very good at climbing, and didn't feel the fear that many others felt when faced with heights or the idea of falling, even finding it relaxing to go out when he was bored and scale walls. He made his way down, and softly dropped onto the roof of the merchant's stand. He crouched low, remaining unseen by any of the watchers in the crowd. Alec was still attempting to revive Vi, who had not yet been awoken by the potions of the merchant.
Gale lay flat on his stomach and grabbed hold of the edge as he swung himself in through the side of the stand, landing silently on the ground and crouching behind the counter. He began to look around for anything valuable in the shelves behind the counter. There were a few sheets of parchment, no doubt some sort of inventory list, and a few other things that had no monetary value, including the potions. He continued his search, making his way into the room behind the counter, the entry covered by a hanging curtain.
Gale felt anxious, but forced himself to calm down. You still have plenty of time, he thought to himself. You just need to find something worth more than a copper in this dump. It was true, this place was a dump. After his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he saw that there were articles of clothing strewn everywhere on the ground, and a bed was shoved against the wall with more clothes piled on top of it. He picked his way around the room, being careful not to step on anything that could make noise, as there were other things mixed in with the clothes on the ground. His eyes scanned the room, looking for anything that he could pocket. Finding nothing, he regretfully made his way back the curtain when something caught his eye. The corner of the carpet that covered the stone floor was flipped up, as if someone had moved it recently. He dismissed it as just another part of the mess, but hesitated as he turned to leave.
“It wouldn't hurt to check,” he muttered to himself, kneeling down to look under the carpet. He picked up the corner and threw it back, and to his surprise, there was wooden section of floor set into the stone. He rapped on it with his knuckle, and it gave off a hollow thunk. There was a groove between one of the sides and the stone. Gale put his fingers in the groove and lifted. It came out surprisingly easily and he set it aside. When he looked inside, he found a small box, no bigger than his forearm, and cloth sack. Hurriedly grabbing the sack, he undid the leather thong that held it together and peered inside. Gleaming dully back at him were a few dozen gold coins, and a quite a few more silver coins. His eyes widened in disbelief, he had never seen this much money in his life, let alone all at once! He couldn't believe his luck. He shoved a few silver coins and a gold coin in his pocket to buy some food on the way home, quickly tying the leather thong back on and putting the sack to the side. He had pulled thefts like this before, though he usually just stole food. He grabbed the wooden piece of the floor and went to put it back, but something stopped him. He looked at the box curiously and took it out of the hole. It was brown and made of wood, with a yellow trim decorating the sides and top. Turning it in his hands, he noticed there wasn't a lock. He tried to open it, but it was stuck. Not wanting to leave something potentially valuable behind, he turned to the sack and opened it, sticking the box inside with the coins. He quickly put the wood piece back in place and covered it again with the corner of the carpet.
Securing the sack onto his back with a belt he found on the ground, Gale crouched down and made his way back through the curtained opening, coming out to find Vi had woken up and was currently being taken care of by a woman who was watching from the crowd. Alec was yelling at the fat merchant, who was quivering with fear as the big man ranted about how he was a fraud and deserved to be investigated by the city guards. I must have been in there longer than I thought, Gale speculated. Alec was already on stage three, which was humiliation. The plan was for Gale to enter the stand after the merchant came out, while Alec distracted him for five minutes. After five minutes passed, Vi would wake up and Alec would humiliate the merchant in front of the crowd of people, ensuring that nobody who listens to any sort of gossip would ever visit there again, which was most if not all of the upper class. Word of events like these spread fast in a city, and merchants who were found to not practice legitimate business had a nasty habit of disappearing.
Gale made his way out of the side of the stand, climbing over a few bottles and into the street. The crowd had thinned quite a bit, the people getting bored with what was going on and continuing about their business, but luckily nobody saw him. He walked behind the merchant, careful to stay behind his back, and made eye contact with Alec. Nodding, he made his way down the street and back to their hideout. Vi and Alec would make their way back eventually, so he wasn't worried about them. What he was worried about, however, was that he was heading back into the slums with a sack of coins jingling on his back. That sound alone would make footpads come running from streets away for a chance at a little profit.
He stopped by a food vendor on the way back and bought five loaves of bread and half a wheel of cheese, stuffing them into his sack. While he was making his purchase, he noticed someone standing down the street, looking in his direction. Assuming paranoia because of the money he was carrying, he put the figure in the back of his mind and turned towards home. It was getting darker, so Gale quickened his pace slightly. Crossing over the bridge into the slums, he kept a wary eye to the shadows.
The slums were separated from the rest of the city by a small river which flowed from the mountains through the city, eventually leading into the ocean that surrounded the island that was the country of Islenia. The only things connecting the slums to the rest of the city were two bridges, which were guarded to prevent any of the riff-raff from mingling too heavily with the higher classes. If any of them had any funny ideas, like wandering into the market area drunk, the solution was usually to throw them off the bridge. That generally sobered them up right quick. The bridges weren't high enough above the water to kill anyone, but it would definitely hurt to make that drop. The only reasons why this was accepted was because the inhabitants of the slums were considered worse than trash, and the river flowed slow enough that it was easy to swim to the banks, assuming you could swim.
As he walked through the darkening streets of the slums, Gale felt a tingling sensation at the base of his skull. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder, seeing nothing but a stray dog foraging for a meal in the waste on the side of the street, but the sensation was getting stronger. He was being watched. Gale stopped walking, adjusting the belt that he had secured the sack of coins with, getting ready to run or fight at a moment’s notice. He had left his weapons of choice back at the house, two pieces of stout wood about two feet in length that he brandished with one in each hand. He had shaved them down so that he could hold them comfortably, but kept them thick enough that they could knock an enemy out with a good blow to the head. Gale preferred not to fight with his fists, but he would if the situation forced it. He was fast, and that enabled him to get in close to a target and land a few quick punches or the odd kick and then dance away before they could touch him. He had long arms, and keeping an opponent at bay with his sturdy weapons was easy, especially if the other wasn't armed.
He resumed walking, listening intently for any sign of pursuit. He looked down the street in front of him, and saw an alley that had a wall he often used to get onto the rooftops. He nonchalantly walked over to the opening between the buildings, and ducked into the shadows, the dark clothes he was wearing allowing him to blend in to the darkness. He put his hand on the wall, calloused from climbing so often, and felt his way along until he found the hole in the wall, set a foot above the ground, which marked where he could start climbing. This wall was perfect, for when the architect had first designed this building back when the city was first founded, he had made it aesthetically pleasing on the outside. Of course, when this area of the city became the slums, all the buildings had fallen into disrepair, but Gale could see the potential to climb in almost any wall. There were windows with small ledges to grab on and hoist himself up onto, and cube shaped indents that were perfect for his feet to grab on.
Putting his foot into the hole, he reached up and grabbed onto a peg jutting out of the wall, probably used for hanging a laundry line between the buildings. Bunching his muscles, he began to pull himself up with his arms, searching for places to put his feet. Finding a sturdy place, he would shift his weight back from his arms onto his feet, and then repeat the process. It took him less than a minute to climb to the top of the structure, he had found this wall two years ago and knew it well from the many times he had climbed it. He swung over the edge onto the roof and turned to survey the street below. It was getting harder to see in the waning light; the city was almost completely blanketed in the cover of night. Not seeing his alleged pursuer, he turned to face the building opposite the wall he had just climbed. Experience told him there was about 13 feet between the buildings, and normally he wouldn't attempt to jump the gap with a heavy sack weighing him down.
The other building was slightly shorter than the one he was currently standing on, and Gale decided that he could make it. Taking a few steps back to get a running start, he took three large steps and planted his foot on the edge of the building, curling his body slightly downward and exploding upward, straightening his leg as he did so. His momentum and the force that he threw himself sent him flying over the gap, and as he landed on the other rooftop, he tucked his legs and rolled, coming to a standing position. Gale made his way over to the other side of the building, getting a running start and jumping to the next building, slightly closer than the last. He knew that the rooftops had no more than five feet in between them from here forward, so he broke into a trot, effortlessly bounding from rooftop to rooftop. Following the line of buildings, he reached the area that their house was located. Sliding down the slant of the roof, he dropped off the edge, falling and rolling when he hit the ground. He grinned to himself. I would give all of this gold to see Alec try that. Brushing the dirt he had collected from the roll off of his clothes, he turned and headed toward the house.
The house stood three stories high, with windows that were illuminated by various candles that they had managed to pilfer from a candle-maker dotting the front and sides. The walls were white, though stained from the passage of time. The front porch could definitely use some repairs, with holes waiting to capture the leg of their next victim, mostly young ones who hadn't learned to watch their steps. There was an awning over the porch, but the left side had collapsed, leaving them with a winter's supply of firewood. It got cold in Islenia, very cold, mostly because of sea winds blowing from the North, bringing cold air with them. It snowed heavily in the winter, and it was hardest to survive on your own then. They mostly resorted to tying scraps of animal skins from a local tanner's shop to their feet in an effort to stave off frostbite, and then trying to find clothes to cover their bodies as best as they could. Times like that were hard, and it was difficult to be optimistic about staying alive.
Heading around the back of the house, Gale climbed up to the third story and into his open window, being careful not to make any noise that would alert the children to his presence. Showing them this much gold would fill their minds with fantasies about living in the upper district, which wasn't a bad thing, but Gale preferred not to give them false hope. He took the sack and emptied the gold onto his mat along with the strange box and put the food back in. Almost as an afterthought, he shoved the box underneath the cloak he used as a pillow during the night. Climbing out of the window, he headed back around to the front of the house.
Mounting the steps to the door, Gale paused and listened. There was the sound of children playing drifting through the crack underneath the door, and he smiled. There were twenty-seven of them in all, including himself, Alec, and Vi. The youngest child was an eight year old girl who had joined them a couple of weeks ago. She was quiet, and very shy. Understanding the traumas that can come with being an orphan – some of these kids had their parents murdered in front of them – Gale and Alec were content to let Vi take care of getting the girl to open up to them. Preparing for the uproar his return with food would cause, he took a deep breath, opened the door, and entered.
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* * *
The man shrouded in the hooded cloak was confused. That kid had just entered this alley a few minutes ago. There was a wall blocking any exit on the other side, and he had already looked through the piles of trash that had built up back there. Where could he have gone? What was that strange aura that he saw surrounding him? It was so . . . different. Usually when he saw auras, he instantly knew what they meant. This person was going to find fortune, and that person was going to fall in love. Another person would die, and still another would survive an accident. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. A black cloud seemed to loom behind the boy, and it scared him. He had only once not known what an aura meant, but he could guess the reason behind that one. He knew he had to find this kid and discover just what was so different about him. He sighed and headed out of the alley, heading back to the inn he had rented when he arrived in this city a week ago. He was going to need to tell Tellian about the boy. He would know what to do.
* * *
Gale found himself on the floor, ears filled with kids screaming variations of “Gale's back! Gale! What did you bring this time?” There was a weight pressed on his chest, and he looked over to see Ildred, the nine year old tomboy grinning at him with some of her teeth missing. She had been so excited when she lost her first tooth a few years ago, and she loved it every time a new one fell out. The room was filled with half the other children, all under the watchful eye of Arianna. She was fourteen, tall for her age, with flaxen hair that fell to her shoulders. She had wandered into the house on accident about a year ago. She took to helping take care of the kids with some of the older girls, and her help was greatly appreciated.
Gale pushed the little girl off of his chest and stood up. “You gotta be careful, Ildred! You'll crush the food!” he exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips in mock sternness. Grinning, she made a jump for the sack on his back, but Gale dodged and gave her a little tap on the head. “You're going to have to be faster than that if you wanna get this!” he shouted, untying the sack and holding it in front of them, causing all the children in the room to gang up on him and allowing them to take him back down onto the floor. Their combined weight nearly took his breath away when he hit the ground under their massive dog-pile, but he didn't care. Someone grabbed the sack from his hand, he didn't see who, and heard them run into the kitchen. Seeing the food go into the kitchen, the kids hopped off of him and sprinted after the sack that held what they wanted.
He smiled after them as he rose and dusted himself off. He had helped raise some of these kids for well over eight years. The oldest was a boy named Tom, sixteen years old, tall and muscular for his age. He served as the head of the house when Gale and the other two were out. He had a level head on his shoulders, and had learned how to fight from watching Gale and Alec spar in the yard. He was good, and improved every day. Gale had set him to training the other ten boys when they reached the age of eleven. Three were yet to reach that age, and one had just turned eleven, but the boys loved sparring with each other, and they all took naturally to it. The number one rule in this house was to protect the family. They all regarded the others as brothers and sisters, so it was easy to instill that idea in their minds. From the moment they joined, they were taught that nothing is more important than the family they built together.
Gale, Alec, and Vi all knew that these kids would eventually leave and find a place to live, but they wanted to make sure that they were good adults who didn't become the kind who would return to the slums and make victims of its inhabitants as revenge for the life that they had to endure. He turned and looked at Tom, who had been watching what just happened with a look of amusement on his face. “Everything okay while we were gone?” he asked. They had left early that morning to find a target, and had come across a man who had been cheated by the merchant. They tried not to steal from honest people, but sometimes it couldn't be avoided.
“Everything was fine.” Tom replied. “Erik is getting better with those sticks of yours.” Tom was a boy of few words, and was very mature for his age. Most of them were, having thrown away any childish ideas long ago.
“That's good. He didn't hurt anyone with them, did he?”
Tom pulled up the sleeve of the shirt that he was wearing, revealing a dark purple bruise that meant Erik had landed a good hit on him. “Just me,” he laughed. “He's getting faster, and I didn't even see when he spun around and hit me.” Erik was thirteen years old, and was the most skilled at using any type of makeshift weapon that they had. He had a burning desire to show Gale that he was good enough to accompany him on their little “missions”, and was constantly finding ways to improve himself.
“I guess I'll have to see him spar later. He's been bugging me to teach him how to climb, and he may be getting strong enough if he can make a bruise like that,” Gale said, waving his hand to indicate the bruise that Tom had covered again. “I'll get some salve for that the next time I go out.”
“I appreciate it,” Tom replied. “How did the mission go?”
“It went well. We got enough money for some food for a while, and I'll see about getting some other supplies and clothes in preparation for this winter.” It was mid-Fall, and it was already getting colder out. Gale stepped into the next room, Tom following, and went to sit by the fire that was smoldering in the hearth. They didn't own any furniture – the house had been completely empty when they found it – but they found it was just as easy to find some blankets and make mats on the floor as beds, and nobody minded sitting on the floor to eat or play. “Did you do what I asked earlier?”
“Yes,” Tom said, taking a spot next to him by the fire. “Some of the girls need more fabric to alter the dresses that they have, they're growing fast. The boys too, although I think we have enough spares from you and Alec that everyone will have enough to wear. Only thing I'm worried about is medicine in case anyone gets sick.” Gale had asked Tom to take inventory of all the clothes they had, and to make sure that they had everything that they needed to survive these next few months. In the past year alone they had taken four new kids in, Erik being one of them. There was enough space for everyone, but supplies were what they needed.
“I'll talk to Vi about it when she gets back,” Gale replied. Vi had taken charge of most of running the household. She was good with the money that they had, and was able to ration the food and supplies quite well. Over the past four years, only once had they run out of food and not been able to get more. As he said that, the two boys sitting by the fire heard the front door open. “Speak of the devil . . .” Gale said, leaving the phrase unfinished as he stood up. Tom followed suit and they went to speak to the two who had just entered.
“Took you long enough to get out of there!” Alec laughed, voice carrying to the kitchen where Arianna was preparing the cheese and bread. She came out to greet them.
“Evening! Dinner is almost ready, if you want to come sit down,” she exclaimed happily, lighting up when she saw Alec. Arianna had a crush on him. Alec was completely oblivious, but Gale saw it clearly. “I'll go get the others.” She walked out of the room, and everyone followed, heading to the kitchen to sit down.
“So what happened?” Vi inquired of Gale, sitting across from him on the floor, Tom and Alec sitting on either side. Cries of excitement were heard from outside, and soon a flood of kids rushed into the room, sitting down and waiting for Arianna to bring them their serving, loudly chattering with one another.
“I'll tell you after dinner. I found quite a bit of money.” Gale said, thanking Arianna as she handed him his portion. Tonight's dinner was a slice of bread and a generous hunk of cheese, along with some berries they had acquired a few days before. They ate on pieces of wood that some of the boys had given Vi for her eighteenth birthday a few months ago. They had spent all of a week gathering materials to make these makeshift plates, and Vi was ecstatic when she received them. Only a few really knew when their birthdays were, so the others just chose dates on a whim. I really need to stea- buy a pan. I want to try some meat, Gale thought to himself. It had been a while since they last had meat, only being able to get the occasional meat pies someone had left on their windowsill to cool before eating.
“How much?” Alec asked, stuffing the chunk of cheese into his mouth.
“After dinner,” Gale replied, taking Alec's example and doing the same. Gale had Tom report what he had told him earlier to Vi while they ate, and once they were finished, they thanked Arianna and headed upstairs to Gale's room, leaving Tom to moderate the after-dinner sparring. Opening the door, Gale led the way into his room.
“Why are you being so secreti-” Alec's sentence died in his mouth as he saw the pile of money strewn on the mat. Gold coins glittered amongst silver coins, and Alec was awestruck.
“Where did you find this much money?!” Vi cried, rushing over to the pile and hurriedly beginning to count them. He explained, but for some reason that was unknown to him, he left out the fact that he found that strange box.
“I saw that you had a large sack,” Alec added, still staring at the pile on the mat. “I thought you had found some things we could sell. I never thought that you would have found this much money.”
“Done,” Vi said, finishing her count. “That's a total of fifty-eight gold coins and ninety-seven silver coins. We have enough to survive for the next few years, but I think it would be wise to save a sizable portion for emergencies,” she finished, separating the money into two piles. “The most we'll need is one gold coin and a few silver ones a month, but I think we can afford to use two gold coins if we need to.”
“That sounds fine to me,” Gale said, coming over and helping her separate the money into piles that they would use for the next year or so. “I'll need to take some to buy some medicine and some more clothes for the winter, just to be safe.”
“Take whatever you need. I heard that this winter is going to be a harsh one. It's already started snowing up north,” Vi said.
“Thanks,” he replied, grabbing a handful of silver coins and two gold coins and setting them aside. “I'll head out first thing in the morning. Find anything else we might need while you were out?”
“We saw a few shops that sold heavy wool, if you could pick some of that up so that we can make some proper gear for the boys when they spar, that would be great. They've been getting stronger, and more and more of them are starting to get hurt,” Alec put in from where he was standing at the window, watching the boys practicing in the yard below, taking care to steer clear of the fire that provided them with light. He always had the children's best interest at heart.
“Consider it done,” Gale said, standing up and stretching. He was feeling tired, and wanted to get some rest before tomorrow. “Did you see what Erik did to Tom?” he asked, turning to his burly friend.
“No, what happened?” Alec inquired, still looking out the window.
“Well, Erik was using my sticks and managed to bruise him pretty badly. That bruise was a hands-length and pretty purple. He's getting good,” Gale said, grinning.
“I can see that. He just took Dorian's legs out from underneath him,” he laughed. Gale walked over to the window and looked into the yard to see Erik standing over Dorian, stick held to his throat, dripping sweat and grinning at his victory. Gale watched as Erik dropped the sticks and helped Dorian stand up and brush himself off. “I have to be honest, I didn't see much potential in him with his fists, but when you gave him those sticks of yours to use, he took to them like a bird takes flight,” Alec said. Dorian was fifteen, and was one of their top fighters. Erik beating him meant that he had made vast improvements in the months that he had been using those sticks, and Gale couldn't help but see himself in the kid.
“I think I'm going to teach him how to climb,” he said, resting his back against the wall.
Hearing this, Vi looked up from where she was silently planning the use of their money. “You had better not hurt that boy, Gale. If he so much as gets a scratch on him, I'm holding you accountable.” She was every inch a caring sister, and Gale beamed at her.
“Don't worry! He'll be fine. I always was,” he assured her, scratching the back of his head.
“You weren't always fine! You broke a leg and an arm all in one summer!” she glared back at him, feigning disapproval. In truth, she was glad that Erik had become so strong and confident. He was very shut off from the rest of the kids when he first came, but when he had seen Gale leaping from his window only to catch himself on a ledge at the last moment, he had opened up to him right away. Finishing her work, Vi stood up and yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “I'm going to go put the younger ones and myself to bed. Make sure the boys don't stay up too late.”
“Yes, Mother,” Gale teased her as she left the room. She gave him a fiery look over her shoulder, but couldn't keep herself from laughing as she shut the door behind her.
“I think I'm going to go finish up down there and send them to bed,” Alec stated, heading for the door. “Goodnight, Gale. See you in the morning.” Gale watched as his friend left, and then went over to the mat on the floor. Laying down, he retrieved the box from under his cloak, and attempted to open it again. Not making any progress in revealing what it held, he sighed, putting it back in its place and pinching out the candle, which was lit a few feet away from his mat to prevent his sleeping area from catching fire. Stripping to his smallclothes, he covered himself in his blanket and lay staring at the ceiling, waiting for the warmth of sleep to overtake him.
* * *
The strong scent of watered-down ale and pipe tobacco hung in the air. The man in the hooded cloak was sitting in a chair in a corner of the common room of the inn he was currently staying at, waiting for his companion. He was of medium build, with short, curly blond hair covering his head. His beard was short, but full. His green eyes searched the room for the man he had been traveling with these past two years. It felt like an eternity ago that they had first met, but he knew it was only due to the enormity of the task at hand that caused that feeling. It's not like Tellian to be this late. I wonder what sort of trouble that old man has gotten himself into. He sat, observing the patrons of the inn as they ate and drank. There was a man playing a pipe not far from him, and he had seen earlier that the musician would end up dead before the night was over. It was sad, but he had learned long ago that it was not possible to change what he saw. He had tried once, saving a man from a mugger, only to watch as he was trampled by a team of horses pulling a wagon a few moments after. He shifted in his seat, observing the other people crowding the room.
“Garan,” a voice spoke from beside him. Startled, the man turned to see Tellian sitting across the table from him. The older man was wearing his black cloak with the hood down, his long, gray hair spilling down his chest. His beard nearly reached the same length. His piercing blue eyes reminded Garan of the ice on the mountain which he had first encountered this man. When he looked into those eyes, he got the distinct feeling of vast intellect, and that the man was not all that he appeared to be.
“By the Gods, Tellian! At least try to make some noise before you startle a man to death! Where the hell were you? You're over an hour late!”
“I was delayed. A little trouble on the way back,” Tellian replied cryptically. He stopped a serving girl as she passed by and ordered some food and ale be brought.
“I wouldn't get that ale, it's so watered down they might as well call it water. What happened?”
“I don't care if it's watered down, I'm extremely thirsty. It was nothing serious, just a few ruffians who thought to take advantage of a senile old man.” Garan saw the mirthful look in Tellian's eyes and chose not to pursue the matter further.
“What did you find?” Garan asked, sitting back in his chair and taking out his pipe and tobacco pouch, stuffing the wooden pipe with the sweet tasting tobacco that he had bought earlier that day. This place may have been a small country, but they sure had some good tobac.
“Well, there seems to be a bit of a political uprising in good ol' Aramor. One of the city's major families, the Kaladrians, is claiming that King Cedric has no real ties to the throne, and a friend of mine says they're staging a coup d'état relatively soon. Of course, their claim is completely incorrect. All they really want to do is kill the king because of some land dispute that he had settled in the other party's favor a few years back. It's rather petty, but I'm in dire need of some entertainment, and this is about all I can find.”
He thanked the serving girl as she brought out his food and took a swig of ale before continuing. “As to what I was looking for, it seems like it's been here, but I only found faint traces of it, and I can't be sure exactly what it is. The trail seemed to have vanished all of a sudden. All those damn scrolls say is that it was lost and must be found, and I have no clue what to look for. Sometimes I wish there was at least one account that wasn't written by a raving lunatic. They always speak in such idiotic terms, confusing the rest of us sane people.”
Garan was completely lost, not even knowing what Tellian was looking for in the first place. All he was told was that it was something important, and that he was needed to help find it. Having lived a solitary life because of his . . . condition, he was quite eager to go with this man who didn't seem perturbed after Garan had informed the man that he was a freak and deserved to die alone. That was a dark time for him, and Garan was glad to have been brought out of it. He still wasn't sure that Tellian was completely sane, but then again, by whose standard is anyone comparing sanity to?
Just then, a grey aura flashed around Tellian and was gone, and Garan wasn't sure that he even saw it. He could have sworn he saw the form of a wolf in there somewhere. This was another reason that he had gone with the man. He couldn't read his aura, and was interested in what his meant. He was reminded of the boy he had seen earlier, and went to tell Tellian about it when a loud crash at the door of the inn interrupted him. Three city guards in gleaming armor had entered the room and startled the serving girl from earlier, causing her to drop the plates she was carrying.
One of them stepped forward, and from the feathered plume on his helmet, Garan judged that he was the captain. “I'm looking for a man who is wanted for the murder of three men,” he declared, eyes scanning the room. “An eyewitness to the event states that he was seen entering this inn. He is an older man, with white hair and a beard. Nobody leaves this establishment until we have found him.” Garan looked over at Tellian, who smiled and spread his hands out as if to say “Sorry, looks like they found me!”
“Our stay here has been cut short, it seems. Come, my boy. A timely exit would be beneficial at this moment.” He dropped to a crouch, shielded by the patrons who had stood up upon the entrance of the guards. Garan made to follow him, but Tellian motioned for him to stop. “Meet me with our packs at the stables. I need to take care of something first.” Garan watched as Tellian crept away, fluidly ducking behind chairs and people as he made his way toward the kitchen. Definitely not what he seems, Garan decided, leaving a small amount of money to pay for the meal that Tellian had forgotten.
He stood up, making his way to the stairs that led to the rooms on the upper floor of the inn. The captain saw him moving and motioned for one of the guards to intercept him. “Going somewhere?” the Captain purred, moving over to where Garan was being barred from ascending.
“No, Cap'n! I juss thaw I cood git some shleep afore me wife comes t' collec' me, Sir,” Garan hiccupped, slurring his words as if he were drunk. “I mussay, Cap'n, tha's a migh'y fine helmet you haff there.” The captain came over and stared down at the seemingly drunk man. Garan made a point to sway on his feet a little, as if the room was spinning and he was the only stationary thing in there.
The captain looked Garan hard in the eye, and with a blunt “Get on about it,” he pivoted on his heel towards the middle of the room, continuing his search for Tellian. Garan lurched upstairs, stumbling clumsily up the creaky stairs of this sub-par inn. When he reached the room that he shared with Tellian, he pulled out his key to unlock the door, and went inside. There wasn't much to grab; the two of them traveled light. Garan hurriedly stuffed clothing and possessions inside the bag, taking care to leave no evidence that either of them had ever been there.
Hoisting the bags onto his shoulder and dropping the key on the bed, Garan walked out the door and went to the back stairs that went to another exit. Reaching the ground floor, apparently the kitchen area – this stair must be for servants and maids – he went outside to the stable area. He didn't expect to see the two unconscious guards lying on the ground, limbs splayed in every direction, but he accepted it. Knocking out a few guards wasn't the worst thing that Tellian had ever done. Heading towards the stables that were built against the wall of the building behind it, Garan spotted Tellian holding the horses. “It took you long enough. What happened in there?” Tellian grumbled, handing Garan his horse's reigns.
“You're one to talk, my friend,” Garan chuckled, securing the saddlebags on their mounts. “The Captain wished to have a word with me.” Tellian grimaced, turning to mount his horse, putting his foot in the stirrup and pulling himself up into the saddle.
“He looked like he smelled of cabbage. Did he?” the old man inquired, looking quizzically over his shoulder.
“You're a strange man, Tellian. A strange, strange man,” Garan replied, shaking his head, climbing into the saddle. “Where are we headed now?”
“To the castle, lad! We're going to pay the king a little visit.” Urging the horses forward, they sped out of the yard and into the empty street, cloaks flapping in the wind behind them, accompanied by the clatter of hooves on cobblestone. Hearing no sounds of pursuit, the two men turned towards inner part of the city, where a massive castle loomed against the darkness of the night sky.