“Hey, Rai. How long until we reach a town or village?” Axel asks, cupping his hands over his mouth and blowing into them for warmth. “It’s been four days already since we left. We’re running low on supplies.”
“Just a little longer,” I reply. “It’s harder cover distance when there’s snow.” And when there are other people… I’d have reached the town two days ago if I was alone.
Half an hour passes and we reach the next town. I worry about them seeing Aisha but they let us in after we show our adventurer IDs. With snow still falling day after day and monsters lurking around the forests and no doubt leaking onto the roads, it makes sense as to why they haven’t received any word about her yet.
We walk around the small town for a while, gathering supplies and scoping out places to sleep before finally resting. Although my pride said I should refuse offers of money, I couldn’t say no to Gideon. I wasn’t alone so I couldn’t just think of myself. With the money he gave us, we rent out five different rooms. One for Axel and me, one for Sio, Emile, and Istruan, one for Kat and Fia, one for Iris and Elis, and one for Blue Hair and my sister.
Night comes around and all of us go to bed early. It feels almost strange. There’s no firewood to gather, no monsters to watch out for, no need to count the time.
I stare at the ceiling unwilling and unable to fall asleep. Though my limbs are heavy from the effort of the day, my mind is wide awake. Axel seems to have no problem falling asleep, however. He’s unresponsive when I call out to him.
How lucky.
I turn on my side and close my eyes. I stay as still as I can for as long as I can bear. Thoughts about flood my mind. Where did Gideon go after the attack? Was he captured by Saelac and his men or are they chasing after us right now? If they are, then how much longer until they caught us?
I sit up, furiously rubbing my eyes and rapping my knuckle against my forehead. I stare at the sky through the window. The moon’s beginning to change phases. The shadows are still long, as long as when we first escaped from the Green City.
I shake my head and walk into the bathroom. My right hand is tingling again. I run my fingers over it. It’s slimy. I spend two minutes with it under running water but it still feels a bit dirty. I let a breath through my teeth and shut the door. I return to focusing on the town. A quick moving shadow catches my eye. I shoot towards the window and press my face against the pane. Although I don’t see much, I make it out to be a person’s. It heads away from the Inn.
I look at Axel who is fast asleep and nod to myself. It was right to be restless after all.
I pull my clothes out from my bracers and quickly change into them. I throw glances Axel’s way, paranoid he might be faking his sleep. I manage to put on my disguise without a hitch. I carefully open the window and slip out, making sure to close it afterward. I look where I last saw the shadow and find nothing.
Wary of the fact that the day’s journey might affect me negatively, I use my ability only twice. The shadow takes a right three blocks down. I follow from the rooftops, narrowing the distance while keeping myself concealed.
The long shadows of the buildings makes it much more difficult to tail the person but I eventually end up tracking them down to a small area of the town where trees grow in abundance. I wait for the person to break line of sight before leaving the safety of the rooftops. I duck from tree to tree while keeping my eyes on the person’s outline. They stop right before the trees end and where the light of the moon is brightest.
I keep my distance and stay in the shadows. My eyes and ears strain for the presence of a second person. I sneak toward the moonlit area at an angle hoping to catch another glance. Perhaps they’re using scrolls to communicate.
As soon as I see something other than a tree I pull back, pressing against the cold bark. From this angle, I can tell they’re sitting down curled against the tree. The person’s wearing something white and has their arms tucked in close. A brown pack lays next to them.
This is my chance to get the drop on them.
With a knife in my hand held loosely by my thumb and index finger, I take long deep breaths. Under no circumstances am I to use this to take their life. My goal is to obtain information. This weapon is for scaring them only.
I now stand only feet away from the person, a single tree acting as the buffer. This won’t go like last time. I won’t use the knife this time. I won’t cut anyone this time. If worse comes to worse and I have to fight then I’ll drop it and use my hands.
Kill them. It whispers. They won’t hesitate to kill you. You can end it before things get worse. No one will know.
“Stop,” I whisper.
It doesn’t hurt if you know where to cut... It pauses. You’d rather beat them to death… Yes. A fine way to kill.
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!
My hands start to shake. I tighten my grip on the knife so it doesn’t fall.
Stop thinking. The more you think the harder it is.
My vision blurs and my heart pounds against my chest. Something inside of me moves around. It feels like a spell. It feels like I’m trying to use magic. A high pitched screech reverberates in my head. I cup my ears and lean against the tree. Alastar materializes in front of me and flies upwards. My eyes widen as I realize how visible Alastar is.
I gather myself and round the tree with the knife raised.
My heart jumps at the sight of the person. I turn back falling to the ground and hitting the tree with a thump. I look at the knife in my hand and quickly store it back in the bracer. My hand clenches into a fist and I secure it by my chest.
The sound of pebbles rolling against the ground stir me back into reality.
“Who’s there?”
I’m given another startle but I compose myself as best I can. “It’s me,” I reply. “Why are you out here? You should be sleeping. We won’t stop just because you’re tired tomorrow. We’ve stopped enough times.”
“O-oh. I-I’m out here to… I’m sorry... I wasn’t planning on slowing us down. I just couldn’t fall asleep…” Blue Hair says.
“So you came all the way out here to read? You walked all the way to these trees to read?” I question, my voice laced with skepticism and annoyance.
“...” She doesn’t answer right away, whether out of embarrassment, anger, or something else, I don’t know. “I didn’t want to bother Aisha,” She says. “There isn’t much time for me to read throughout the day and I wasn’t that tired… Why are you out here?”
I click my tongue at her question. How annoying. She hit me with my own question. “I’m out here because I saw someone leaving the Inn. I thought it might have been one of Saelac’s men so I followed them. Turns out it was just you.”
On one hand, I’m glad it turned out to just be you, Blue Hair.
“S-sorry to worry you,” She stammers. “I-I’ll head back now.”
“Wait!” I shout, regretting that I put on these clothes. “You’re already out here, you might as well read some more, right? There’s no point in going back if you’re not tired. Anyway, I’m heading back.”
“Ah, okay…” She replies. “Ummm, I uh... Do you want to...”
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she quickly says. “It’s nothing. Good night.”
I take a breath, “Yeah."
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“What are we going to do?” Emile slumps in his seat with his hands over his eyes. “I’m so sorry everyone. It’s my fault our money is gone. I should have made sure to secure it more. If only I had split it with Istruan.”
I knew I should have held onto it. “Let’s go search for it,” I say.
“Again?” Emile complains. “I’m telling you we didn’t lose it. Someone stole it.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” I scream. “That was our only way to get food! Even if we hunt something in the forest, cooking it will only attract other monsters.”
“Calm down and try to think clearly,” Iris says.
“I am thinking clearly,” I reply, slamming my fist onto the table.
“But you’re obviously not calm,” She retorts. “I suggest we report this to the authorities.”
I almost burst out laughing. “What a ridiculous idea, Iris. We’re just going to tell our enemies that we’re right here in this little town? What will you do if one of them turns out to be looking for a promotion and turns us in?”
“Stop being like that,” Aisha says. “I know you’re frustrated but everyone is trying their best.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I crane my neck away and take a seat. If only their best was good enough. We’re running out of time.
“The guards didn’t react to Aisha at all yesterday,” Iris says. “We walked through the busiest parts of town yesterday and no one has turned up at our doorstep. It’s possible that news hasn’t reached this place yet.”
“It sounds good to me,” Fia chimes in.
“Fine,” I give in. “Let’s go with it.”
“I’ll go,” Emile says, wanting to make up for his mistake. “I think I know when it was taken. A guy wearing a maroon shirt with a black vest bumped into me right before I rounded the corner to the marketplace.”
He bursts out of the inn and goes down the street looking for guards. I shake my head and ask Axel to follow him. I thought Emile was one of the more level headed people in the group but even he gets riled up sometimes, huh?
I look around the room, Sio, Elis, and Blue Hair are missing. I ask Iris where they are. “Those two? They’re in Elis and my room. Elis wanted to lay in bed a little longer and Ellar seemed a little tired as well. Maybe she didn’t get much sleep last night.”
I sigh. “I’m going to grab those two. I’ll get Sio too while I’m at it.”
Fia stiffens, “You should let them rest. I’d have liked to stay in bed a little longer too but Kat made me get up… Without any money we’re not going anywhere so it’s fine, right?”
I stare at her for a moment before I steal Kat away. “Is something wrong with Fia?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Kat rubs her head. “She’s been a bit distant lately. A little bit more clingy too. I can’t blame her. A lot’s happened in such a short time. There’s just no time for her to process these things. I mean, I’d be a bit distant too if one of the closest people to me suddenly changed. Not to mention she has a little crush on him.”
“Sio hasn’t changed that much,” I reply.
“Maybe.”
Axel barges through the door, “They’ve taken Emile!”
----------------------------------------
“Was it them?” I ask Axel.
“Yeah, those two are the ones who took him. They didn’t seem to care much when he said he was robbed but once he started describing the person something changed. They asked him to go with them and knocked him down when there was no one around.”
“Let’s go then,” Istruan insists, going first.
“Having lived in the Green City and hearing the stories of my dad, I know a corrupt place when I see one. This will turn out bad if we don’t make a move right now,” Iris says, following behind Istruan.
“Everyone else will stay back,” I say, leaving no room for argument. “Take everyone else back to the inn, Axel.” I have no doubt things will get ugly soon.
“Good luck,” Aisha waves, “Watch your temper. You seem a lot more agitated than normal.”
Once Axel leads the others away, I catch up with Istruan and Iris. They’ve already started reporting a missing person. Once they reveal Emile’s name and how we were robbed earlier in the day, their attitudes change. Their bored, unmoving gazes shift from side to side, scanning the surrounding area. One fidgets with his spear while the other can’t seem to sit still.
“A troublesome thing indeed,” the darker one who fidgets with his spear says, “We’ll have to report this to the captain. He’s been cracking down hard on crime here. We just need you three to follow us. What are your names?”
We answer.
“Great,” the other one says. “Are there more of you? Adventuring with only four people while all these stronger monsters keep appearing seems pretty… bold.”
I fake a smile and reply, “We’re not adventurers, sir. And yes, it’s only the four of us. We’re passing through. We hoped to leave by this morning but, like we said before, our money was stolen.”
He knits his brow and scratches his head, “Well, I could have sworn…” he pauses. “Ahaha. Well, my mistake. Many of the younger folks these days choose to adventure over other more stable occupations such as farming. I do apologize for assuming.”
“No worries,” Iris says.
He smiles, “This way please.”
They naturally take the lead and walk us down the street. The darker skinned guard holds onto his spear like a new maid would hot tea, stiffly. His friend isn’t much better. His shoulders are rigid to the point that women and alcohol enough to lull a giant wouldn’t loosen them. Their steps are short and quick, much like their breathing.
The two guards take a turn down an alley. Istruan questions them and they respond by telling us it’s a shortcut. We exchange glances, knowing what’s about to happen. Before we even round the corner, the butt of a spear flies our way. My first instinct tells me to duck. I charge the dark skinned guard and push him off balance. Istruan struggles with the other one and I take him down from behind.
I confiscate their weapons and have them stay on the ground. Istruan tries calming himself while Iris nurses her arm.
“I knew they were going to do something,” Iris says, her eyes downcast. “But I, I still wasn’t prepared. I didn’t act fast enough.”
“It happened too fast,” Istruan agrees.
I give the two a moment and begin questioning the guards. “What did you do to him?”
“I-I didn’t- We didn’t do anything!” The lighter skinned one lies. “Our shift just started. Ask him. He’ll say the same thing!”
Iris looks bewildered by their idiocy. “Of course he would, you just gave him the story. All we want to know is what you did to our friend and where you put him.”
“I don’t know,” the other guard denies. “I don’t know about your friend. We-We just started our rounds a couple of minutes ago, I swear! There was no one else who came up to us before you. This was the first time we heard anything about someone getting robbed today.”
“They won’t talk,” Istruan whispers. “How are we going to find Emile?”
“We have to keep asking,” I reply, a bit unsure of how things will end. “We can’t let them go after they tell us either. Things’ll only get worse if other guards listen to their side of the story before we leave. They also lie where Emile is like they are now.”
A chill runs down my back and laughter rings in my head. Break their arms, their legs. Take their fingers and toes. Pluck out their teeth and nails. They’ll tell you what you want to know then…
I whisper quietly enough so that no one else hears, “And what if they’re lying?” I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. My vision blurs and my eyes wander over to the spears lying on the ground. My hands twitch as if they need something to hold.
Kill one… Make an example. If you can’t do it, I can.
I grit my teeth and pick up one of the spears. The guards are visibly shaken. Iris grabs my arm but Istruan shakes his head and she lets go. I put my foot on the lighter skinned guard’s chest and point the spear at his head.
“Will you tell me where he is or will I have to ask your friend?”
He throws his hands up and turns away from the spear. “Aaahhh… I-I’ll tell you! W-we took him to Robin.”
“To who?” I press my foot harder against his chest.
“P-p-please! I-I can take you to him… Robin, I mean. I don’t know what happened to your friend, I was simply following orders! But I can lead you there. No tricks this time.”
“Shut up!” the other guard shouts.
“It’s not your life on the line!” the pinned one screams.
Istruan kneels down, “Why was he taken? Were they looking for a girl with red hair?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, please. We only took him because of the new captain of the guard. He’s been cracking down on illegal activities in the town and it’s been making Robin angry. He doesn’t want more of his boys ending up in jail… Look, I don’t know what happened to your friend but I promise we didn’t do anything to him. I can take you to Robin, but that’s all I can do. Please don’t hurt me. I was forced to do this.”
“Yeah,” I respond. “But you’re still responsible if Emile ends up dead. Get up.”
Before we leave the alley, I slam the spear against the edge of a building and tear off the excess wood leaving only the tip and the upper part of the handle intact. I take the helmet off of the darker skinned guard and warn him of my throwing skills. If he tries to escape he’ll have iron and wood sticking out the back of his skull. I tell them to keep their arms by their sides and have them lead us to Robin.
We end up in a near lifeless street in front of a shop with two kids playing ball. Both seem normal enough. One has his head shaved. My arm tenses as I try to hold back the rising anger. I press the iron tip to his neck and he lets out a whimper. “We’re in the right place,” he says.
“As if,” Istruan speaks through his teeth. “You lied to us.”
“No,” Iris replies. “I don’t think he is. I kind of wish he did, though.”
“Alcava,” the lighter skinned guard says.
“Password,” The child with the shaved says.
Istruan and I exchange looks.
“Long live he who sustains this city and gives us a home. Praise be to the ruler of these lands and may we hope to prosper with him.”
The boy lifts the ball above his head and throws it at the window of the shop twice. A man peeks out and shrinks back into the store. A couple of moments later the door opens. The two guards enter first. Inside is nothing special, the things on sale are bland and look like hand-me-down clothing. The ‘shopkeeper’ locks the door and takes us to the back. A large stairwell leads downstairs.
“It is a bit too obvious,” Iris comments. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“People who enter the store without saying the password and having the keeper confirm won’t see anything. All they’ll see is a floor right here,” the darker skinned one answers.
“So a two step spell lock requiring both a chant and a physical catalyst? I wonder how long the effects of the verbal part lasts considering how short the chant is.”
The stairwell is lit by will-o-wisps as is the passageway. It takes us to an open room with three doors, one right in front of us and two on each side. The guards hesitate upon seeing the doors but the cold tip of the spear keeps them motivated. We open the door in front of us and step inside, discovering an even larger room. Both of the guards drop to their knees.
“What’s this?”
“We apologize,” they say in unison.
“They came looking for the other boy we brought you this morning.” the lighter skinned guard says.
“And you let them in?” he asks calmly.
“Th-they… They got the upper hand on us, s-sir.”
He sighs and snaps his fingers. The will-o-wisps brighten. I blink twice upon seeing the man, upon seeing Robin. He’s shorter than me by a little bit more than half a head and wears a gray robe stained with black, blue, and red ink. Two notable crease lines adorn his forehead matching his thin beard. His hands look unweathered like a babied noble, save for slight callouses on the top knuckle of his middle fingers. Despite some of those things, he looks near his prime.
He leans back in his chair, “Nice to make your acquaintance. You may call me Robin. What are your names?”
“Cut the crap,” I respond, kicking the guards forward. “We want our friend back.”
He sighs, “You sound like my younger brother. What makes you think you can walk in here and have your way? Do you think these two city watchmen are the gold standard for the people I have in company? No. They are not.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Istruan says.
“We’ll take him back by force if we have to,” I threaten.
He shakes his head. “I am no fighter I will give you that. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now my hands, especially since you were staring at them so intently earlier.”
I stare at him, “Then hand him back before I kill you.”
“And what will you do after that? Look for your friend yourself? How long do you think it will take to find him down here?”
“Not as long when there’s no one in the way,” I answer, brandishing the broken spear.
He holds his hand up. At first, we believe he’s going to talk but he leans to the side and closes his eyes. A person hidden in the shadows whispers into his ear. He waves the person away and chuckles.
“What’s so funny?” Iris asks, her eyes now darting around the room.
“How about an exchange?”
“Huh?”
“If you complete a task for me, I will return the boy to you.”
Istruan curls his fists, “What makes you think we’ll cooperate with you?”
“I have the boy’s life in my hands,” he casually mentions. “But I also have a strange feeling you will be needing me. I received word of a military officer who arrived in this town just moments ago. He’s in search of a group of children one of which, has red hair.” He smiles as he sees our reactions. “It seems as though he’s blocked off all exits in the city.”
“Get to the point,” I hiss. “What’s your deal?”
“Glad that you understand your position. What I want, is for you to kill the captain of the guard and in exchange, I release your friend and provide you with another way to exit the town. A profitable outcome for us both, no?”
“No,” I almost say. “I...”
“Rainen,” Istruan pulls me close. “We have to take the deal. Emile’s life is at risk. So is your sister’s and everyone else in the party.”
“I don’t agree,” Iris says. “He’s a criminal. We can’t trust him.”
Torn between both sides, I answer with, “Give us a little while to think about it.”
Robin shakes his head and picks up a pen. “Go on and think about my proposition. You will wish you had taken it sooner."