Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Six Part Three
I noticed out of the corner of my eye a girl who looked about my age. A wild look filled her deep green eyes as she slowly sharpened a short sword. She was staring hard at Mandrel, I fought to keep myself from laughing. Though I did wonder just how many women he had angry with him. I turned my head to look at her. Sitting next to her, was a boy who may have been just slightly younger. Both of them had the same flaming red hair that Waien had. Except the boy’s hair was neat and tidy, the girls was wild, like Waien’s. Her hair was adorned with several feathers. The boy whispered calmly to the girl, and she seemed to relax a little. As I continued to study them silently, I felt Mandrel tug me forward. For reasons unknown to me, I was apprehensive about going near the two. It might’ve had something to do with the large sword that was shouldered on the boy.
“Villith,” Mandrel said. Both looked up when he spoke. “Sylith.”
Villith’s eyes fell on me and I was fairly certain that if looks could kill, I would have been six feet under.
“This is Lyssa,” he told them while motioning to me. “She’s Waien’s girl.”
The color of my cheeks matched my hair and the look of death lingered in Villith’s eyes. She stood up, moving to Mandrel with grace unfitting to someone who looked so wild. I watched, inching away as she drew closer.
“It’s been a while,” she growled softly to Mandrel, her hand resting on his shoulder. “Maybe ya should learn ta leave yer trinkets at home next times ya come visit.”
She stalked off leaving me dumbfounded and confused. What had I done to her to make her hate me so much. I looked to Mandrel questioningly, he simply shrugged.
“That’s Villith for ye,” he said as if it explained it all.
“It’s a bad day today,” Sylith commented. Mandrel nodded. There was something they weren’t telling me, though I was curious, I didn’t pry.
Lyssa looked to the wall clock and sighed at the late hour; Pania would be home any minute.
“Mr. Wallock,” she stated. “It’s quarter to three in the morning. Perhaps it would be wise if you left this recorder with me, and I will return it to you in three days, full. Unless you have more little tapes, at which point I will fill them all.”
Xavier nodded, and stifled a yawn.
“Very well, Ms. Stormwater,”
There was something suspicious about this man. Lyssa didn’t know what it was it, perhaps the way he looked at her. His eyes seemed glazed over in awe, though intently focused on her like he was burning the image of the red-haired elf to his memory. In any case, Xavier Wallock made Lyssa feel uncomfortable in her own skin.
Pania returned home that night with a sack full of groceries. Lyssa was passed out on the couch, with an empty glass in her hand. Sighing softly, she covered the small elf and took the glass from her hand. As she quietly straightened up the sitting area, Pania noticed the small recorder. Her curiosity piqued, she rewound it and pressed play.
Pania put away groceries as she listened to the recorder. It was then that Pania made up her mind to retrieve the first part. She knew Lyssa would never write the story herself. Pania would do it for her. Pania stared at the recorder when she heard Lyssa’s voice says Wallock’s name. A frown forming on her lips.
“This is no’ good,” Pania said softly. “No’ good t’all.”
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Six Part Two
The next day, we arrive at the festival. Mandrel helped me from the carriage and my eyes lit up with excitement. Bright tents were pitched all over the massive field. Flags and drapes decorated the stalls. Music filled the air from various stages, magicians and other entertainers worked the streets, pulling crowds around them to watch their act. There were hundreds of people milling about the stalls. Some contained pouches and bags made from the finest leather. Blankets, saddles, shoes, everything you could think of was there.
Towards the back was a grand palace. It was the sort of place that are only read about in children books. It had gold bricks and stained glass windows. Turrets reached towards the heavens caped with green slate.
“The castle o’ illusions,” Waien’s gruff voice said behind me. He chuckled when I jumped slightly having been pulled from my thoughts. “It’s not a real castle. Just painted canvas. It’s fer the royalty that comes ta the festival.”
“Waien are you going to be entering the brawler’s tourney this year?” Sywyn asked quizzically.
“Aye, and archery,” he said. “Someone else is gonna be tryin’ their hand at the archery too. She can consider it a final test ta see if she’s ready fer the next level.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him.
“W-what?”
“You’ll be enterin’ the archery contest. You’re not required ta win. Just prove yerself to those that will distract, and jeer. Myself included.”
“Perhaps that is a bit much, Waien.” Sywyn interjected. “She’s never preformed before.”
“Like hell she hasn’t! I’ve seen what she can do, an’ I know she’s got it in her.”
“Mate, she’s ‘ere ta ‘ave fun,” Mandrel stated, coming to my defense.
“No, no,” I said. “It’s alright, I’ll do it. If only to beat my teacher.”
“Oh ho! Do I smell a challenge?” Waien said laughing at my brazenness.
“Damn right,” I replied.
A pale woman approached us. She wore a hat that I had never seen before. Her black hair pulled back into a pony tail at the nape of her neck. Down her back flowed a long coat, and her clothes seemed out-of-place. The cut and style very different from what I was used to seeing. She wore a sturdy pair of trousers and a white cotton shirt that laced in the center. On her feet were the most curious looking boots. They had odd little bells on the heels that clanked when she walked.
While I stared at her odd appearance, Mandrel, Waien and Sywyn grinned. The woman walked right up to Sywyn and punched him in his left arm.
“Ow!” Sywyn shouted while rubbing the spot. “What was that for?”
“Thet’s fer callin’ me a girl,” she said. She pulled her arm back again and released another strike that was doubly hard. “And thet’s for saying I hit like one.”
Sywyn laughed as he rubbed his other arm. I continued to stare incredulously at the women. Confused as to why she had hit Sywyn in the first place. He had seen my expression and chuckled more. The pale elf turned and eyed Waien and Mandrel who were biting their knuckles to hold back laughter.
“You want some too?” She growled at them. Both shook their heads but still kept up with their silent giggles.
“Lyssa, I’d like you to meet my sister, Shani,” Sywyn started as her eyes fell to me.
“Well, ain’t you a purty lil thing,” Shani said extending her hand. “Which one of these dogs dragged you along?”
“I’m L-Lyssa,” I told her. “Mandrel is the one who twisted my arm and held a blade to my throat,”
“Oh really now,” she smirked as she turned to Mandrel. “Well he’s the worse o’ ‘em. Ain’t ya Mandrel.”
“C’mon now Shani,” Mandrel chuckled, holding his hands up. “Ye dunna really think that I would force ‘er ta come, would ye. It was completely optional.”
“Uh-huh,” Shani nodded, unconvinced. “You think I’mma believe thet?”
“No, but it was worth a shot,” he grinned at her. “Actually, she wanted to come, it was just a matter of ‘er keeper allowing her. If ‘e didn’t, we were just going to take ‘er anyway.”
Shani turned to look at me once more. I nodded in agreement to Mandrel story.
“They give you any hassle,” she told me pointing to each of them. “You come find me and I’ll take care of ‘em.”
I giggled and nodded. Watching as she walked off with a short wave. After a moment I lost her in the crowd. Behind me Waien, Mandrel and Sywyn were laughing.
“She still hits like a girl, only a little harder now,” Sywyn commented.
“I but I doubt you’d say that ta her face though,” Waien chuckled.
Sywyn gave him a wry grin. The idle chatter continued as we walked into the festival. My stomach growled slightly as we passed by a food stall. The scent of salted meat and hot bread made my mouth water. As much as I wanted to gorge myself on food, I didn’t want to risk spilling something on my dress. Waien seemed uneasy as we drew closer to a small glade on the eastern part of the grounds. Sywyn and Mandrel picked up on his mood and fell somber.
“Waien?”
“Aye?”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Aye,” he replied nodding towards the grove. “That’s the problem.”
“It’s just a bunch of trees,”
“Ye’ll have to see ‘im, mate,” Mandrel said softly.
“Ye think I don’t know that?”
“See who?” I asked not wanting to be left out or confused.
“His father,” Sywyn explained. “He’s the Arch-Druid.”
“Oh, oh!” I exclaimed as it dawned on me. “Wai-”
Mandrel tapped me on my shoulder and shook his head. I closed my mouth and nodded somberly. I didn’t know what fully went on between Waien and his father, but I knew that it was family matters and none of my business. Waien parted from us and went to the grove with his head hanging slightly. Mandrel and Sywyn ushered us over to a small grouping of tents not far from the grove of trees.
“You really should look your best at all times, Shani,” a woman told her as she fussed with Shani’s shirt. Tying the laces. “I really think this would lovely if you wore your vest and took that ridiculous hat off.
“Momma!” Shani huffed, trying to make her mother stop fidgeting with her clothes. “Momma stop it.”
“Honestly, I don’t see why you don’t wear dresses anymore. You always looked so pretty in a dress.” Shani’s mother continued as if Shani’s pleas fell upon deaf ears.
Sywyn laughed boisterously and went to greet his mother and sister. Kissing his mother on her cheek, catching her by surprise. The woman then made an excited noise and turned to hug her son. I looked around the small make-shift campsite. There were six large, nondescript tents and in the middle of the camp was a fire pit. A large pig roasted over a spit above the bright orange flames.
“Lyssa,” Mandrel called. He pointed to a dark brown tent. ”Over here.”
I followed quietly, my eyes going back to taking everything in. I watched two little girls, playing with a tea set. One little girl had the face of a cherub with white blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. She wore a dress of the most delicate shade of blue. Around her neck was a small amulet of a full moon. She proved to be quite the chatter box as the other little girl said nothing.
“And that’s the sort of man I want to grow up and marry.” She said, her eyes looking towards Sywyn. The little girl next to her nodded, before her head turned towards Mandrel and I. As we approached the other little girl clapped her hands and stood up, flying to Mandrel who in turn scooped her up and spun her in a circle. I smiled at the interaction.
“Guess what?” Mandrel said to the small child.
I studied the little girl curiously. It was quite clear she was related to Mandrel. She had the same platinum white hair that he did, and very similar facial features. She wore a buckskin dress with intricate beading around the collar. There was also a fringe at the hem of her dress, and on her two small feet, she wore slippers made of buckskin. It was completely different from what I was used to seeing. However, I said nothing to the oddities in dress styles. For all I knew they could have been costumes.
The little girl signed to Mandrel, who laughed and pointed to me.
“This is me friend, Lyssa,” he told her pointing to me and then motioning me over. “And no, I didna marry ‘er, ‘r anyone else and no’ tell ye. See?”
He held up his left hand to prove there was no ring on his finger. Once again the little girl signed something I didn’t understand. When I moved closer, Mandrel set the child down.
“Lyssa this is my youngest sister, Pylia,” he said.
“Hello Pylia,” I said slowly. I assumed she needed to read my lips to understand what I was saying.
Pylia gave a silent giggle and waited for Mandrel to explain.
“Pylia, can ‘ear jus’ fine, Lyssa. She’s mute, ‘as been since birth. But that dunna stop ‘er from getting her point across.”
The small girl beamed happily and motioned to her friend in the blue dress.
“Oooh, is that who she is?” Mandrel said. I wrinkled my nose slightly. Pylia just nodded. “That girl there, is one o’ Unia’s most promising students. ‘Er name is Vindy.”
Vindy looked up, smiling brightly. “We’re playing tea party, want to join us?”
“Mmm very temptin’, but per’aps ‘nother day?” Mandrel replied.
“Okay,” she giggled. Pylia ran over to join her again for their tea party and once more she started babbling. Mandrel laughed as the girls began to play again.
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Six Part One
I woke before the sun on the morning of the festival. Toeryn was passed out in his usual drunken slumber. Careful not to wake him, I slipped from my bed and dressed quickly. The coin purse I left sitting on the table the night before, remained in the same spot. Toeryn hadn’t left me any coins to take with me. He probably didn’t even know that I left money on the table. I clasped my hand around the full of the purse to prevent it from jingling and left. I wouldn’t return for several days and felt no need to inform Toeryn of this.
The streets were quiet, with only a few sounds of the early risers leaking through shuttered windows. Excitement and apprehension filled my chest as I got closer to the main square. I looked up to the sky; the colors fading from black, to indigo, to cerulean. And it was cloudless. It seemed that it would be a perfect day to travel. How we were traveling, I did not know, though I had told myself if it was by horse, I would walk. When I finally reached the center of town, stalls and shops were beginning to open. My stomach gave a grumble informing me that I was not providing it with food and that I should soon. My nerves were set on edge that I had forgotten to take a piece of fruit. Opening my coin purse, I had planned that I was going to eat a decent meal and made my way to a tavern that had just opened.
It was one of the cleaner ones. The barman behind the counter took one look at me and smiled.
“A bit earlier for a drink, isn’t luv?”
“Maybe, but I’m not here for a drink. I was actually hoping you might have something decent to eat before I begin my travels.”
“Aye,” he said. “What can I get for ye?”
“I’d like something filling, that isn’t fruit or porridge.”
He gave a hearty laugh. “I see ye ain’t of them for nuts and berries. Well lass, I’ll tells ye what, I just got a few eggs and a slab of pork fresh this morn. Hows about that, a cup of coffee and a glass of milk?”
“How much?”
“Three silver.”
While he busied himself, I counted out three coins and set them on the counter. After he brought my food, out and placed the coins in his coin box, he attempted to make small talk. Commenting on anything from weather to if I had ever been to the festival. The food was very tasty and filling. The eggs were just right amount of cooked and the pork was a golden pink color. He also had given me potatoes and fried bread. I dipped the bread in the yolks of the eggs and cleaned the entire plate of food. It had been such a long time since I had anything so delicious. I thanked him for the meal, and left three more silver coins on the counter for him.
Once outside again, it was time for me to find Mandrel and pray that he waited long enough for me. I didn’t have an exact time he wanted me to meet him. Or place for that matter. So I stood in front of the dress shop, which allowed me to see the square clearly. Many people were gone, having left for the festival days before. I didn’t know how long it would take to get to the festival grounds, but many more people were leaving today.
It didn’t take long for me to spot Mandrel. His lithe body moved smoothly down the stairs of the theater building. He was speaking animatedly to Waien, whose eyes scanned the crowd, probably looking for me. I watched impatiently, waiting to see if they would indeed head towards the stay house, or if they would leave without me. Waien started off towards the street to where Toeryn and I stayed. I took that as my signal to start running to the carriage that Mandrel had just stepped into.
Cutting through the square, taking care not to run into people, I ran to the carriage. It was rather plain looking on the outside. A simple brown wood box with wheels, a driver and two horses. On the back was a few trunks strapped tightly to the carriage. The top had several boxes and other crates that undoubtedly contained things for festival living.
“Wait for me!” I shouted. “Mandrel! I’m here.”
The carriage slowed to a stop as Mandrel’s face appeared in the window. He looked relieved for a brief second, then looked quite smug. Swiftly, he opened the door to allow me into the carriage. Judging my expression, he just smirked. I sat down across from him, panting heavily from my speedy catch-up. It was lush on in side. Soft cushions made of burgundy velvet. Curtains hung open against the door, tied back with gold cords. My eyes drank in everything about the carriage. I was much more comfortable in that then on a horses back.
“Yer late,” he stated in a playful tone.
“I was early, had second thoughts. But when I saw Waien headed in the direction of the stay house, those thoughts were quickly banished.”
“Good thin’ too. I’m quite certain tha’ Waien woulda removed ye from the premises regardless o’ wha’ yer brother said or did. Waien can be very persuasive when necessary.”
“I know,” I laughed knowing full well how Waien was.
“He’s worried about you, Lys,”
I gazed out the window, nodding slowly. The sound of more hooves reached my ears and I leaned a bit more to see who it was. A massive white horse came trotting along us, the rider was all too familiar. His black hair pulled neatly in the back. A white tunic hung loosely over his muscled torso and form fitting trousers along with riding boots on his lower half. At first, it was hard to recognize him, without all his armor on, he looked very different.
“Good day, Lyssa,” Sywyn greeted me with a smile and a wave. His horse whinnied under him.
“Hello, Sywyn, off duty?” I replied in kind.
“Aye, I am. It will be a week of fun, that’s for sure,” he chuckled
“An’ booze, an’ women!” Another voice rang out.
Mandrel chuckled as Waien caught up with the carriage. His hair flowed wildly behind him. He wore earthen shades of brown, and greens. He looked as if he had been raised in a saddle with the way he rode the chestnut brown horse. A faint green glow came from with in his flame-like hair. As I looked hard enough, there she was, a small fey sitting in the mess of tangles. She was holding on for dear life.
“As much as I’d love ta partake of your savagery, Waien,” Mandrel started. “I have a task to keep me lady ‘ere comp’ny.”
“Who’re you foolin’ Mandrel, she drinks like the rest of us.” Waien teased.
“Have you never been to the Brockton Festival, Lyssa?” Sywyn asked me as we rode along.
“No, but I’ve always wanted to go.” I replied looking down. I had realized how childish I sounded as I said that.
“Righ’ then mates,” Mandrel said. “If ye’ll excuse us, I need ta make me pure intentions clear ta Lyssa here.”
“Pure my arse,” Waien said while Mandrel grinned and I turned as red as the seats we sat on. “If yer intentions ‘re pure, then I’ll become Arch-Druid.”
The laughter that flowed around us was warm. I truly felt like I had known them all my whole life. They never asked any questions about where I was from. It wasn’t that they didn’t care, they were just too kind to inflict that sort of pain upon me. As Mandrel pulled the curtain shut over the windows, Waien’s laugh boomed, Sywyn’s joining him a second later.
“Don’t ya two do nothin’ I wouldn’t do!” Waien called out.
After a moment, the laughter died down and the extra hooves took off ahead of the carriage. Mandrel rolled his eyes while lifting part of the bench seat up. Inside was the small package that contained the blue dress he attempted to give me a few nights ago.
“’Ere,” he said offering it to me. It explained why the curtains were drawn. Though, I blushed deeply at the thought of him being there while I changed into it. It was part of the unspoken agreement. I would wear the dress for him while I accompanied him to the Brockton Festival.
Carefully, I took the dress and put it on my lap, gently pulling back the layer of brown packaging. I was keenly aware of his eyes watching me and fought to keep my eyes down on the dress. It was more beautiful than I remembered. The fabric flowed over my fingers, making a soft rustle as I pulled it out of the package. I held it out in front of me, admiring its gold filigree trim. The dark blue satin balancing with the light blue. I allowed my eyes to flicker over to Mandrel momentarily, he sat with a simpering smirk on his lips.
“Thank you, but how do you expect me to change with you sitting here?” I asked him quietly.
He said nothing and placed his hands over his eyes while turning his head. I giggled softly and set the dress next to me. Quickly, I pulled the tunic over my head and dropped it on the seat next to me. I blinked a few times realizing that my body had blossomed and I didn’t even know it. It had taken me by surprise to see that my body was becoming less gangly and more curvy. I ran my hands over my body, exploring the new curves. A shiver ran down my spine when my hands moved over my breasts. It wasn’t a bad feeling, just one I didn’t completely understand.
Difficult wouldn’t come close to how hard it was to change into that dress. I kicked my boots off, and then finally pulled the dress over my head. It fit perfectly, albeit a bit tight around my newly discovered bosom. I reached under the dress and removed the trousers as well. And even though I was dressed, I still felt quite naked.
I stole a gaze at Mandrel to make sure his eyes were still covered. I blushed slightly, thinking I had seen his fingers move. His lips curved slightly into his signature smirk.
“Well?” I asked, trying to balance carefully in the moving carriage.
Mandrel looked at me with an appraising eye. After a moment, he fiddled with the laces loosening it a bit. I felt a relief against my chest like I could breath again.
“Would it be wrong o’ me ta offer a pair o’ shoes ta go ‘long with the dress?”
My eyes fell on my own boots. Not that they would be seen, but they hardly fit with the dress I wore. I shook my head.
“No, I suppose it would be fine.”
He pulled another box out of the compartment and handed it to me. Inside were a pair of soft shoes, made to match the light blue of the dress. When I slid my feet into them, it was like stepping on to a cloud. I had never felt a shoe like this. I looked at Mandrel with a bright smile.
“Thank you, for everything.”
“Think nothin’ o’ it, luv.”
Once everything settled down, and the curtains were opened again, Mandrel and I chatted idly about the festival. He told me elaborate stories about the on goings there. At times I felt as though I was there. Mandrel made the stories come to life and I listened raptly, eager to hear his voice continue on with more tales.
As the miles passed, we made stops to eat, or get something from the trunks. Sometimes Sywyn and Waien joined us in the carriage. Both of them commented on how the dress flattered me. It was an uneventful ride. When I asked how long it would take, I was told that we would arrive late the next day. I later discovered that the benches would fold out to become one bed. Mandrel laughed when I blushed again and assured me that he would do nothing to spoil my virtue. Not that I would have minded.
The Serial Series
New things always take some time, and this really isn’t any different. I always wanted to “clean things up”, so to speak, on the blog. The organization has began and this is the first step. The different series that I’ve written (and Zodi has written as well) is now in it’s own different areas.
BM&PR – Black Mask & Pale Rider
And all things related, actually. Here, you’ll find the different stories of the elven gunslingers Pania Alow and Shani Wennemein. From their adventures in the United States, to the stories of their home world. This also includes the stories written by myself and Zodi, and Zodi’s own Lyssa’s tale.
Vote every day for THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK MASK & PALE RIDER @ TopWebFiction.com!
Check out reviews of Black Mask & Pale Rider at Web Fiction Guide.
Series listing
Lyssa’s Tale
Lyssa Stormwater has known hardships. From the highs and lows of her downtrodden upbringing, to life on the streets of Stonebridge. The friends she makes, the loves she finds, and the obstacles she overcomes. This is Lyssa’s Tale. A story of fantasy by Zodi Mitchell.
Vote every day for LYSSA’S TALE @ TopWebFiction.com
Check out the reviews of LYSSA’S TALE at WEBFICTIONGUIDE.COM!
BotM – Blood of the Moon
This series contains the adventures of Chelsea Morgan as she juggles a full time job as a lawyer, her nocturnal activities as a costumed crime fighter, and her exploration of her own love life and where it leads.
C.o.S. – Canyons of Steel
The stories of Johnathon Tiberius Walker, Malcolm Montgomery Watt and Marianne Wollcott. This modern day western will follow the trio as they seek out justice and redemption in a familiar frontier.
Vote for CANYONS OF STEEL everyday at TOPWEBFICTION.COM!
Check out the reviews of CANYONS OF STEEL at WEBFICTIONGUIDE.COM!
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Five Part Two
Once I started the bath, I found my favorite scent of bubbles; rose and poured some under the running water. While it filled, I went to the curtained window and peeked into the streets below. I watched for several moments, a set of Patrollers walked down the street. My eyes followed them a moment and then fell on to a shrouded figure standing under a street light. I felt his eyes on me and felt the smirk to go along with it. Giggling softly I waved to him and he began to lower his hood. Sure enough it was Mandrel. I opened the window and leaned out while he walked across the street.
“What are you doing here?”
“Babysitting, my dear.” He replied with a flourishing bow. “But what a poor sitter I am, seeing as you caught me in my first night of duty.”
“You weren’t exactly hiding, now were you,”
“No, no I guess not. Might I impose on your hospitality for a little while?”
“Um,” I felt a blush rising to my cheeks. “Well the room is only covered for me”
Chuckling, Mandrel began to scale the drain pipe with ease. Within seconds he was sitting eye level with me in the window.
“What the keep doesn’t know won’t hurt,” He said with a wink.
I moved away from the window to allow him to enter and turned off my bath water.
“If I get caught–”
“You won’t my dear, I shall be gone momentarily. As it happens I have a gift for you.”
I stared at him blankly for a moment, then shook the cobwebs from my head.
“A gift for me?”
“Mhmm,” he said smiling as he pulled a small brown parcel from behind his back.
The lumpy parcel took me by surprise as I took it gingerly from his hands. Cautiously I opened it, seeing two tones of blue fabric, along with the gold trimmings. It fell from my hands as I gasped loudly,. Mandrel had bought me the dress I spotted in the window.
“Like I said, that dress would look splendid on you,”
“I can’t accept it.”
“Why not?”
“Because– because it’s far too expensive.”
“Pitiful excuse, Lyssa.” He said picking the half opened parcel off the floor. “It’s something you can wear to the festival.”
“I don’t even know if I’m going or not. It’s still up to Toeryn. And besides, he’ll want to know where I got the money for a dress that expensive and then make me take it back to the get the money back. So you must understand why I cannot accept this dress. I thank you so much for buying it, and I appreciate the thought–”
His hand covered my mouth quickly while he looked into my eyes.
“I’m not interested in your excuses. I want you to wear the dress to the festival. Since you won’t take it now, I shall take it with me and it will be waiting in the carriage for you should you come. Deal?”
I nodded silently, looking into his eyes, drinking them in. My heart raced faster, sending my mind reeling. Mandrel pulled away from me with an impish smirk on his lips and made his way to the window.
“Enjoy your bath,” he said, looking me over. I felt my ears redden on the tips as his face disappeared below the window. Though when I went to the window, he was already gone. Smiling, I went back to the bath, turned the water off and slid into the bubbles.
The next morning I work and retrieved my clothes. They had been cleaned and made to fit my body better. Quietly, I crept down the stairs and returned the key, then made my way back to mine and Toeryn’s room. He was awake, sitting at the table looking paler than normal. When he realized I was there, he stared at me for a moment, before looking back down at the glass of brown liquid.
“You can go to the festival,”
My head snapped slightly to look at him.
“You mean it?”
“Mhmm. Penelope talked me into it. So long as you come back, we won’t have any problems. I’ll even toss in a few coins to buy yourself something nice. Ain’t going with you since I got work to do. So I’m trusting you. Got it, Ana?”
I didn’t say anything, I was still slightly dazed from the fact he said that I could go to the festival. He looked up at me again. I could tell it had been a while since his last bath, his hair was grimy and hung limply over his eyes. However, I could make out the sharpness of his crystalline blue eyes.
“Remember what I said to you. So you better come back.”
“I will, thank you.”
Nothing he said or threatened put a damper on my good mood. He was allowing me to go to the Brockton Festival. He didn’t need to know all the details of who I was traveling with. So long as I returned and did his dirty work for him, he would simply let me alone. That was good enough for me.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Five Part One
Two years passed. We stayed in Stonebridge. Toeryn thought that it was big enough that we could just disappear in the crowd. He had warned me that he had eyes everywhere, and that if I got away, he would hunt me down. Keeping true to his promise, he often gave me reports of what I had done through the day, as proof that he was always watching. At night he locked our door, preventing me from getting away. This isn’t to say I didn’t try. Toeryn had forbidden me contact the knights, or anyone I knew. I felt scared, alone and desperate to escape my prison.
My chance for freedom came one late morning when I stood in the main square. I was careful to blend in with the crowd, not to be noticed as I nicked coin purses of the townsfolk. That’s when I saw him. It was a smile I knew I would never forget. Mandrel. He was feet away from me, chatting with some people as he made his way down the stairs. My heart did flip-flops in my chest as I stared at him. Happy to see that he was safe and untouched by Toeryn’s goons as far as I could tell. For a split second, he looked directly at me, I could have sworn he winked at me. Adverting my gaze, I stared at one of the tailor’s displays. The most beautiful dress of blue and gold sat on a dummy. The deep blue satin shone in the sunlight. The light blue satin overcoat had a delicate gold filigree pattern. A gold border trim wove along edges of the light blue fabric and corset lacing on either side of the bosom. Never had I wanted something so badly, yet knew I would never be able to claim it for my own.
I was poor in all sense of the word. My clothes baggy, and hid my girlish figure. My hair constantly kept short to add to the boyish appearance I was portraying, was dirty and very tangled. My heart sank as I realized that I would never see myself in that dress.
“Why the long face?” A familiar voice said behind me.
I shrugged slightly, not wanting to turn towards the voice.
“I think it would look splendid on you,” He told me.
Words caught in my throat, my voice cracking softly as I realized it was Mandrel standing behind me. My eyes darted around, knowing this would be reported to Toeryn.
“How did you know it was me?” I whispered, careful to not move my lips.
“Who else do I know with flaming red hair that stands out over a crowd of people?” Mandrel countered.
I snorted softly still not looking at him.
“What happened to you?” Mandrel asked, obviously sensing my hesitation. “Waien was livid when you weren’t there. Everyone was worried. We all thought you had just runaway.”
“I can’t about it here,” I replied. “He’s watching and I don’t know where he is.”
“Alright, then answer me this,” he started, “Are you in some kind of trouble? Just nod or shake your head in response.”
I nodded slowly. I could sense the wheels in his head turning.
“Look at me,” he said. Slowly I turned to look to Mandrel. My heart beat against my chest threatening to break through.
As I looked at him, I kept my expression neutral. His eyes searched mine for the truth, but there was nothing to explain my situation other than I was scared.
“The festival is coming up. Do you think that you can go?” He asked with a smirk.
“Probably not,” I replied softly.
“Well…” he paused to look around before he leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I’ll hope that you can make the carriage leaving the south gate early morning in three days time.”
“I’ll talk to Toeryn,” I said noncommittally. When he didn’t pull away I became nervous. I heard a soft clink of coins in my pocket and frowned.
“We’ll get you out of this.”
I watched him walk away with a flourish. Sighing heavily, I looked at my purse. It was easy to spot the coins Mandrel gave her. Three platinum coins gleamed up at her along with a small handful of gold. Without realizing he had done it, Mandrel made himself a future target. But perhaps this was his intention in the first place. I chuckled and shook my head as I wove my way through the crowd and back to the little hovel of a room Toeryn and I shared. My spirits were visibly lifted as I threw the coin pouch on the table, less the three platinum.
I smelled Toeryn before he walked through the door. As he clambered up the steps, I remained motionless on my bed. When I heard the giggle of a female with him, I rolled to my side and sighed heavily. It was going to be a long night. If I was lucky, I would get some sleep. This wasn’t the first time he came home with a woman. Usually she was too drunk to care who was in the room. The door squealed when he opened it.
“’oo’s that then?” The woman said. I rolled my eyes and forced myself to sit up.
“I’m his sister,”
“Oh. Well why ain’t ‘choo in yer own room then?”
“My brother doesn’t trust me,”
As she stood there and took this in, I threw the coin pouch to Toeryn. His eyes widened with the weight of the coins and he grinned.
“I want to go to the Brockton Festival,” I told him, while his companion wrapped her arm around his waist.
“Why?” He asked with a cocked brow. “You ain’t never wanted to go before.”
“Well I want to go this year. I’ve done everything you asked of me. I might of been mean and spiteful and downright hateful but I did it. The least you could do for me is let me go to the festival.”
“Ah, let ‘er go love.” his companion crooned. One good thing about her, she was on my side. “Then we can ‘ave the room to ourselves and I’ll show you what I can really do.”
My insides turned as my dinner wanted to march it’s way back up my throat. Swallowing it back, I forced a weak a smile on to my lips.
“I have a way there, and I don’t need money.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Inwardly I cheered. Excited that he said he would at least think about it.
“But,” He said, opening the coin pouch and tossing me a gold coin. “Get your own room for tonight.”
“Would you mind if I went to the pub?”
He waved me off as the woman began to drown him in kisses, telling him how compassionate and kind he was to look after me. Not taking a second glance back, I bolted out of the stay house and into the darkening streets. With a rush walk, unable to hold back my excitement, I moved through the small crowds.
When I reached my destination, I peeked in the window of the pub. Mandrel, Waien and Sywyn sat at the table. Waien was drinking his preferred ale, Mandrel and Sywyn both drinking from wine goblets. Giggling slightly, I fought hard to contain my excitement. Quietly, I entered the pub, Mandrel looked at me for a second with a smirk on his lips. Waien was distracted with his mug and Sywyn had his back to me. I walked to the counter and ordered a bottle of rum. Setting the gold coin on the counter. Once I got my change and bottle, I sauntered over to their table and just plopped down in the fourth empty chair.
“Who the hell…” Waien’s words froze on his tongue as he stared at me in disbelief.
“I was just telling them that I had seen you today lo-,” Mandrel said.
“Where in the hell have you been?!” Waien screamed. The bar fell silent as his voice rose. I knew it was going to be a long night as I explained my disappearance.
Waien listened and asked questions, Mandrel sat and listened, a smirk on his lips every time my eyes met his. But the one who concerned me the most was Sywyn. His face was stony; cold and hard. He didn’t ask many questions, and I danced around some to protect myself. All three of them knew that I was hiding things, but none of them pushed me into telling them.
“Do you need help to get away?” Waien asked.
“Not at the moment. He’s told me that he’ll think about allowing me to go to the festival.” I replied, my eyes falling on Mandrel once again. He gave me an award-winning smile and a wink.
“He gonna let you start your lessons up again?”
“No and that isn’t something I’m going to push.”
“What we need is a plan,” Sywyn said. “A plan to get her out of there and get Toeryn out of Stonebridge once and for all.”
Everyone looked at the knight. It shocked us all that he would suggest something like this.
“Look I understand I am part of the law here, but I refuse to sit back and watch someone innocent become broken and corrupt from her living station. If I can help just one person change, then I will know I have done my job.”
“Spoken like a true knight,” Mandrel chortled.
“Unfortunately, Lyssa, I will have to exclude you from the discussion,” Sywyn said pointedly.
“What? Why?”
“Simply because we will need the element of surprise on your part,” he explained. “To put it quite simply, we have to create something that will make you and your brother become prisoners. For that to happen, we’ll need to know all we can about what you and Toeryn do throughout the day. Mandrel, after the festival, I want you to follow Lyssa around.”
The smirk that formed on Mandrel’s face made me turn a deep shade crimson. All he could do was chuckle.
“With pleasure,” he said after a moment, raising his glass in my direction. “I would go to the end of the block for this fine lass.”
Waien lifted a brow and gave a sidelong glance to Mandrel. “That’s the tenth woman you’ve said that ’bout in the past week.”
Mandrel gave Waien a playful shove, causing a small amount of ale to dribble on to his shirt.
“‘ey! Watch it!” Waien said in response. Sywyn chuckled before taking a small sip of wine and then turned to me. I giggled softly, but it still felt a bit awkward, like I was standing outside looking in.
“Pay them no heed,” Sywyn said softly, in hopes of easing my anxiety. “Now, why don’t you tell me what I need to know, so we can plan accordingly.”
Several hours passed and the pub grew rowdier, then began to quiet down. I didn’t pay attention the darkness filling the streets, rather I kept telling the three men exactly what Toeryn had me doing. I could see in Sywyn’s eyes that he was becoming tense with each passing moment. I had my guard up the entire time ready to run at a moments notice should Sywyn be ready to clap my wrists in irons.
“Sywyn,” Waien called several times. “Ease up a bit, yer makin’ my girl a bit nervous.”
“Your girl?” Mandrel chuckled.
“Well I teach her don’t I?”
“More like taught, it’s all past tense.”
There was a few more minutes of bickering, but Sywyn seemed to take his old friends advice and relaxed a little.
“Is there anything else we should know?”
“Nothing that I can think of.”
“This will all take place after the festival. You won’t know when, just be ready and on guard. I will not be the guard to interact with you. I will make apologies now, just in case he’s a little too rough.”
“Can’t be any worse than my slave driver teacher and whacking me with an arrow shaft.”
Sywyn chuckled and looked to Waien. “Oh really? Child abuse mate?”
“Huh? What?” Waien stammered.
“Well it would seem that your girl said you were whacking her with arrow shafts.”
The expression on Waien’s face was priceless, it was a mix of shock, fear, and maybe a dash of humor. “I did not. I only made her word twelve hours a day without food or water.”
As Waien spoke his pitiful defense, everyone laughed, including the barmaid who heard us talking.
“Aye! The dog does the same thin’ to me,” she commented playfully. Waien lifted his fist jokingly and shook it at her.
“Back in the kitchen wench and fetch me some meat!” He jested.
“Well I think it’s time for me to head back before my brother realizes that I’ve been gone too long. It was great to see you all.” I said with a hint of hesitation. I didn’t really want to leave, but I didn’t have much of a choice. “Hopefully, it will end soon.”
“I could give you a lift if you’d like,” Sywyn offered.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t like horses, they’re usually associated with trouble and that doesn’t have a hard time finding me. I’ll be alright. Remember. I grew up on the streets.”
I left them sitting there looking after me as I carried what was left of my rum bottle. The streets were practically devoid of life as I walked down them. There was the occasional cat call, or panhandler asking for any spare coin, but I kept going until I reach the stay house. Once there, I took the steps two at a time, I hit the door and turned the knob. Lock.
I could hear snoring from Toeryn and the rustling of his companion next to him. Remembering that he told me to get my own room, I retreated down the steps and looked for the inn keeper. He was a tall man with long blond hair. It was often loose, but neat looking. His arms were
“Lyssa, vhat can I do for you?”
“Toeryn’s got company, and locked me out. Again.”
“I see,”
“Got a spare for me?”
“Yah, I do have a spare room. Many in fact. Vhat you say to the special suite?”
“Really? How much?”
“For tonight, since you were so helpful to me, I give you free.”
I beamed happily and jumped on to the counter giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you so much.”
“Is nothing really. Just make sure you clean it up.”
“Of course.”
I took the keep and flitted up the steps. I loved the special suite, it was an entire floor. The red velvet drapes blocked the sun from the window. The goose down mattress was covered with soft linens and every thing was spotless. My favorite feature of this room was the bath tub that was as large as a pool. I opened the door and found a warm cloth robe sitting on the bed. Immediately I stripped down, leaving my dirty clothing outside the door. Picking up the robe, I slid it on to my arms with ease and tied the belt.
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Four Part Four
Waien showed me everything there was to know about a bow. He was a strict, but good teacher. He would correct my form, posture, and positioning. Over the next few weeks, I would learn how to correctly shoot an arrow, how much to pull back, and how to keep my arms from getting archers burn.
Put this on yer bow arm,” He told me handing me an pliable leather arm guard. “It’ll keep your sleeve from getting in the way, protect your arm when you release of the bow string.”
I examined it for a few moments. It was soft, but still stiff. Three little knots of leather had been placed along the edge and three other strips were placed along the other edge to act as fastenings for the guard. Carefully, I wrapped it around my arm, Waien helped me to secure it to my arm.
Did you make this?” I asked, taking up the bow again. Once more he had adjusted my position.
Aye,” he replied. “A Simple thing to make, but damn useful.”
Over the past several weeks, I’ve never once seen Waien lose his temper with me. There were times I had pushed his limits, but he just sighed heavily and grunted his displeasure. I didn’t see much of Mandrel, since my night at the bar. Not that I didn’t want to, but I was ashamed of myself for making a fool of myself. When I asked Waien about him, I usually got an annoyed look and told that I shouldn’t bother with Mandrel, because it was pointless. Yet I couldn’t put him from my mind.
“When you can have any distraction,” He murmured into my ear, one day during our lessons. He was standing close to me, an arrow in hand. “Not bother you. That’s when you know you’ve become a true archer.”
My arrow flew away from the target when I felt the feathers of an arrow flick against my ear. My head moved slightly, away from the feathers, Waien chuckled.
Again,” he told me.
Waien kept this up. Flicking my ear when I least expected, throwing my form and aim off completely. I would growl with frustration and take up the bow again. On the times he didn’t flick my ears, I would hit my target perfectly. But when he did, my arrow would fly in random directions. Maglor would often chuckle as he watched the lessons from the shop. He even took some of the advice Waien had given to me.
Weeks past and I was getting better at not being distracted. I learned to keep my guard up around Waien. It was soon after that his feathers no longer bothered me. Having finished my work early one afternoon, I started practicing in the yard. I took aim of the bulls-eye, the wind was perfectly still.
“Both eyes open,” I murmured to myself.
“Well, well, well,” A voice mused from the wall. My arrow flew into a wall, the arrowhead breaking as it made contact.
I turned my gaze to look at who it was and nearly fell over. Toeryn.
“W-what are you doing it?” I asked while he hopped off the wall.
“Is that anyway to greet your big brother?” He said. Toeryn looked different, his eyes darker, his skin paler. “And I’ve come to claim back my littler sister. We have work to do.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not going with you. I don’t need you.”
Toeryn stepped behind me, his breath smelled of cheap rot gut whiskey.
“No my dear Ana,” He said darkly, stroking my hair before he grabbed the plait and pulled hard. “That is where you are wrong. You do need me. And here’s why.”
“Ow!” I cried out, trying to wrench my hair from his grip.
“You will come with me, or I will tell the knights that you were also responsible for the pickpocketing,” He growled into my ear. “And I won’t even tell you what they do to little girls in those places.”
My whole body shook with fear, if I pulled away he yanked back; sending pain shooting through my scalp and down through my body. I heard the familiar sching of his dagger being pulled from its sheath and then felt the cold metal against my throat.
“Do I make myself clear, Anarar’ithil?” he asked darkly.
“Y-yes,” I replied, afraid to move my head and almost too frightened to speak. I had no choice but to do as he said. If I didn’t, he would surely kill me.
Toeryn pulled the blade away from my throat and against my hair. I felt my hair fall away in a swift movement and then heard the dull thump as it landed in the dirt.
We left Malgor’s without a word of notice, Toeryn dragging me forcefully along by my arm. We moved down the streets quickly, I hadn’t been in this far away from the main streets. Try as I might, I would struggle to break free, futile at best, but I had to try. If I could get away from Toeryn long enough to find Waien, or even Mandrel, I might have had a chance. But Toeryn’s grip was strong. Silently I prayed someone I knew would recognize me and told Waien. Secretly I prayed he would save me.
No one came though.
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Four Part Three
I had left the Diplomacy, confused. My mind was reeling at what Waien had told me. There was so much I wanted to ask him, but never would. Waien wasn’t the sort to blab about his business, he told you what he wanted you to know and nothing more.
When I finally returned to the shop, Maglor was fanning himself with a bit of parchment. He looked up and smiled when he seen me enter the door.
“Hot out there,” he said. “Too hot to do any work. C’mon we’re going to go swimming.”
“Swimming?” I asked. “Isn’t that a little inappropriate?”
“Maybe so, but it’s too hot for propriety,” he told me. “You’ll see what I mean.”
I follow Maglor down to the river just past the west gate bridge. . The banks were covered with people who were in nothing more than their under clothes. Maglor and I spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the river. It looks as if we weren’t the only ones who gave up the ideas of propriety that day. Delila and several other girls from the house, joined us. All of us screamed and laughed happily as we splashed each other with water. Maglor and Delila sat on the banks watching us with smiles on their faces. There were other townspeople, and children who join us in the splashing game. Maglor and Delila joined us moments later to get revenge for all of us splashing them while they sat on the hot stones.
Ten days passed, I had stayed up all night to make sure that I had finished Waien’s arrows. I was looking forward to being able to see the inside of the Diplomacy again. The air had cooled a great deal and the shop wasn’t nearly as stuffy as it had been the previous week. Maglor came to the shop early in the morning and began working on a bow almost immediately.
“Lyssa,” he said. “I have to make a delivery to the Ministry of War. They are training new recruits with bows and need some blunted arrows. I expect to be gone most of the day.”
“Okay,” I said while boxing up Waien’s arrows.
“I need you to break this bow in,” He explained, motioning to longbow that he worked on the previous day. “Work on it until it feels slightly loose.”
“I don’t know-” I began.
“You’ll do fine Lyssa,” Maglor said. “You’ve seen me do it a million times.”
“Alright,” I said. “I do it. How many arrows do you want me to fletch today?”
“Just cut the feathers to size today,” He said. “It’ll take you most of the afternoon to shoot that bow.”
Maglor left when the sun was up high enough to burn off the mist. I took the bow and a basket of arrows to the back yard. Carefully, I nocked the arrow, pull back and release. For a few short seconds, it flies through the air and then speared the ground. I repeated this process over and over again, each time the arrow fell short of the target.
“Yer late,” The arrow that released whistled through the air, as I jumped from the voice that startled me. “An’ yer holdin’ the bow all wrong.”
A few feet away stood Waien with his arms folded over his chest. He would a plain brown tunic and brown trousers. Judging by the smirk on his face, Waien had been standing there for a while watching me make a fool of myself with the bow.
“I lost track of time,” I explained. “Maglor asked me to break the bow in.”
“Yeah well,” he said as he stepped behind me. “That’s Mag fer ya. Didn’t have the time ‘r patience ta teach ya how ta do it correctly b’fore he left. That’s a bad thing fer a bow. Could snap in half, then he’d have ta start all over again.”
Silently, he kicked my feet apart . He placed his hand on my back and forced me to stand straight. Then he took my left hand and placed it correctly on the bow. Taking an arrow from the basket, he put it in place and stood so close behind me, I could taste the musky fragrance he gave off.
“Lift yer arms, keep your right arm in line with yer jaw,” He whispered. “Look down the shaft o’ the arrow an’ mark yer target.”
His hand wrapped around mine, my breathing increased as he did so. While there was nothing between Waien and I, this was the closest a man had ever been to me.
“Relax yer shoulders,” Waien told me. Easier said than done. “Let the arrow be yer guide.”
I tried to relax, taking a deep breath as I looked down the shaft of the arrow at the target thirty feet away. Waien drew my arm back, the bow tightened under my hand, creaking slightly with the pressure.
“Release,” He breathed into my ear.
His hand unwrapped from mine at the same my fingers released the bowstring. The arrow flew towards the target fast, and the bowstring made a resounding twang upon letting go. When it hit the target, it made a dull thump. I cried out in delight when it met the target. Waien stood back and smiled roguishly before taking his own bow off his back and loading an arrow. Without a word, he nocked an arrow, and released it. It hit dead center. Chuckling he nocked another arrow and fired it at the first one. I stood there amazed as the first arrow was split in two by the second.
“Whoa,” I said, very much impressed. “That was awesome.”
“I know,” he said smugly. “Takes years o’ practice.”
Waien spoke to Maglor about him giving me some time during the afternoon to practice. I would be able to get off work two hours early to practice learning how to use and care for a bow properly. It would seem from the way Waien explained, there was no room for discussion, he had wanted it to happen and made sure that it did. I learned about this agreement that evening when Waien show up to Delila’s and thrust a bow into my hands.
“Yer job to take care o’ it,” He told me. “You won’t get another for a long time if you break that one, you hear.”
I stared at the bow in awe then at Waien.
“You’re going to teach me?” I asked.
“Somethin’ like that,” He replied, running his fingers through his hair.
Delila had made her appearance down the steps, smiling at Waien, who openly stared at her heaving bosom. I rolled my eyes hard at the display.
“Going out Del,” I said, taking my hat off the peg and tucking my hair under it. “Shouldn’t be too late.”
“I’ll keep the door open for you, dear,” She said breathlessly.
“C’mon, before you get drool on her carpet, then she’ll have to beat you senseless,” I told Waien, taking his arm and pulling him out of the house.
“She can beat–” He started.
“Don’t finish that,” I finished. “I don’t want to know what sort of life my house mother has with my mentor.”
“Uptight ’bout such things are we?” Waien said jokingly. “Worried about yer own virtue?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I said firmly. “but no, I ain’t worried about my own virtue, thank you very much. Where are we going that we can speak without you drooling over Delila’s breasts?”
Waien sobered up immediately.
“I’m supposed to meet my mate at the pub ’round the corner,” He said taking my arm, leading me down the street.
“So you can get even more drunk?” I asked smartly. “How many have you had so far?”
Waien didn’t answer my question as we walked down the road. When we entered the door, we were greeted with loud chatter and clanking glasses when we entered the pub. The smell of ale and whiskey filled my nostrils as we walked through. Waien’s eyes looked around the pub for his mate. There were some men who were singing off key, painted women who draped themselves over those who were dressed richly. It was their goal to get the money before the client was too drunk.
“Waien!” A voice shouted above the crowd. “Over here!”
I recognized the man who was waving Waien over. He was the man that Toeryn and I had staked out. There was no mistake about it, his white hair glittered in the lamplight and his teeth showed with a cheerful smile that sparkled like pearls.
“Ah ha mate, got a date do you?” He said when we approached. I know that he recognized me. The amused expression on his face as he looked me over told me so.
“No, Lyssa, this is Mandrel,” Waien growled. “Mandrel, Lyssa.”
“Enchanted,” Mandrel said in a suave voice while he kissed my hand. “The pleasure is mine, seeing as I didn’t catch your name during our last meeting.”
I must’ve turned a deep crimson, for both Mandrel and Waien let out hearty laughs. I did catch Waien as he rolled his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. I was certain that Waien didn’t know about my brief run in with Mandrel and he had probably taken our exchange as something entirely different. I slumped into a chair and looked to my hands. This caused Mandrel to chuckle, and Waien leaned towards me whispering something, his eyes never leaving Mandrel.
“Watch yerself ’round tha’ one” He told me. His words would fall on semi-deaf ears as I watched Mandrel looking between the two of us. A red tint filled my cheeks when his eyes locked on mine for a moment.
I was grateful the barmaid had come over to get our orders. She was rather plain looking. Mousy brown hair that hung limply around her unremarkable face. Her apron was stained and turning an unsavory shade of gray, and the brown dress she wore look as though it had seen better days.
“Ale, an’ milk for th’ girl,” Waien told her. Once again he wasn’t staring at her face. His eyes were glued to the generous amount of cleavage the woman exposed.
“Bottle of rum and a glass,” I corrected. Mandrel looked at me somewhat impressed. “I’ll pay for my own drinks.”
“Did ya wan’ a never endin’ Waien?” The woman asked him as she leaned down just a bit to give him a better view of her assets.
I looked away from the table, Mandrel seemed used to this sort of behavior from Waien and thought nothing of it while he took a drink from his glass. I noted some people who looked familiar to me, people I had seen in the city center. A man who had argued with his wife on the street after she had discovered his mistress in bed. A young girl who spent her days money in the pub, Delila had pointed her out to me. A lost girl as she put it, sells herself to the night, and drinks it away to forget.
When the barmaid returned with our order. I took the stopper from the bottle and poured me a glass of the rum. The spice burn filled my nose as I brought the rim of the glass to my lips. My eyes never once coming off the girl at the counter. You can only help them, if they want it themselves. Delila’s words lingered in my head a moment before I swallowed a mouthful of the rum .The strong oaky flavor lingering for a moment until the sweetness of caramel of it overcame it, the spices played lightly with my taste buds. Finally the burn, the one that scorched my throat all the way down before it settled in my stomach and the warm feeling that followed behind.
“Bloody hell girl,” Mandrel exclaimed. “Slow down a bit. You’ll be sorry in the morning you keep that up.”
I looked down to my glass and realized that I had just drained it completely without stopping.
“Sorry,” I said setting down the glass. “Lost my thoughts.”
“I’ll say,” Mandrel said with an impish smirk playing with the corners of his mouth.
To say he was good looking would be an understatement. Mandrel had a flare about him that made him radiate more. His well groomed appearance may have had something to do with that. Mandrel sat with his hand resting under his chin as he looked around the pub. I wasn’t listening to his and Waien’s conversation, rather lost in my thoughts with the stories my mind weaved around the people who came into the pub.
“What do you mean your her teacher?” Mandrel said, his voice pulling me back to reality.
“Just what I said,” Waien said taking a long drink from his ale stein. “Going to teach her how to shoot a bow.”
“I think you’ve been tapping into the keg a little to hard there, mate,” Mandrel said with a laugh.
“He’ll learn that I am a quick pupil,” I piped up in Waien defense. “He’s a brilliant teacher.”
“Oh ho, I bet he is,” Mandrel jested. Waien’s hand shoved Mandrel playfully and they both laughed.
“Mind yer manners,” Waien told him in a firm voice that dripped with sarcasm. “Missy here is very much worried about her virtue.”
My skin flushed again. Heat raising to my cheeks as Waien made yet another comment on a topic I wasn’t quite ready to discuss with either of these two.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Mandrel said patting my hair gingerly. “It’s good for woman to have something to worry about.”
Being this close to him, I realized just how beautiful he really was. His sharp features softened with his eyes. I stared into them for a brief moment. They were the softest blue I had ever seen, gentle and playful at the same time. Mandrel’s skin was pale in comparison to Waien’s, giving him an almost ethereal glow. His lips were two thin pink lines that were permanently curved into a half smirk. I looked away from him before had a chance to notice.
“How long have you and Waien been friends?” I asked, forgetting to pour the rum into the glass and drinking directly from the bottle.
“Since we were kids,” Mandrel replied. Waien was busy downing another pint of ale. He eyed me carefully as I drank deeply from the bottle.“What made you want him as a teacher?”
“I didn’t,” I replied, when I set the bottle down. Both of them were looking at me with a shocked expression. “I don’t mind though, it will help me with work.”
“Which is what exactly?” Mandrel said, taking a drink from his glass. His voice was smooth, it left me feeling light headed. Though it could have been the rum. It would be hard to deny that I was very much attracted to Mandrel in a way that I wasn’t to Waien. Waien and I had more of a professional relationship, with Mandrel it was different.
“I fletch arrows and recently started to learn to break bows in,” I replied, suddenly I felt self conscious and took another drink. “I fletch the arrows for Waien’s orders too.” I continued trying to make it sound important.
“That’s impressive,” he said stroking my bruised ego. “Even the smallest menial job needs someone to work it. Take Waien for example.”
“Hey!” Waien piped up. “My job isn’t menial.”
“And just what exactly is your job title this week oh great one?” Mandrel said sarcastically. Though his tone was still playful. Something told me that this banter was common between these two old friends.
“What exactly is yer job this week?” Waien countered, draining his glass. I laughed as these two went back and forth.
As the night moved forward, my bottle of rum got lower and lower. The stories Mandrel told became more funny with each passing word. I was feeling loose, relaxed, perhaps a bit too much. I was becoming brave, bold even. Moving my chair closer to Mandrel, my fingers lightly pushing a few locks of his white hair away so that I could better see his face.
“Yer very pretty ya know tha’?” I said to Mandrel slurring my words, batting my eyes at him. A dopey smile on my lips. My face was only inches from his. Closing my eyes for a moment I inhaled his sweet smell. A scent that was very different from Waien’s. It was warm and sweet, with a hint of spice. And oh did it smell good.
When I opened my eyes again, Mandrel smiled, leaning over to whisper something to Waien. His response was a somber nod of his head. My brow furrowed slightly as I watched the exchange. “Tha’s s’not nice ya know”
“I think you had enough to drink, girl,” Waien said, reaching for my bottle. I quickly snatched it away and glared at him.
“Mmf I’m fine,” I replied I. “I’m not drunk.”
“M’dear, I think you are,” Mandrel chuckled, motioning with his hand for the bottle. There wasn’t that much of the dark brown liquid left in it when I placed it in his hands. He looked at Waien and laughed softly. “Only took her the whole bottle to get this way.”
They murmured back and forth for a few moments. I watched them, though I could barely make out a word they were saying. I did hear my name a few times, though.
“I’m schtill here you know,” I slurred, I looked at them out of the corners of my eyes. “An’ I’m not deaf.”
“We see that girl,” Waien said with snort. “We’re tryin’ to figure out what do to with you.”
“I’ll sit here,” I said, “At least until Mandrel agrees to-”
I don’t remember what happened after that, I barely remember someone lifting me up. I stirred slightly with a cool breeze. Footsteps on the cobbles filled my ears. My arms were wrapped around someones neck, and my head resting on their chest. Their hands were strong, cradling my back and just behind my knees as they carried me. I felt safe and protected. Two voices spoke softly, neither of them sounded winded.
“She can drink, aye?” I recognized the voice a Mandrel’s. It was clearer and I could make out his accent better.
“Don’t you start thinkin’ that way,” A more gruff voice said.
“Waien, whaddya take me for?” Mandrel said defensively. I’m no’ thinkin’ tha’. Jus’ merely she slammed back tha’ rum fas’ is all.”
“She could probably drink more, but I ‘xpect it were nerves.” Waien replied.
“Nerves ’bout wha’?” Mandrel asked. My body shifted slightly and I groaned a bit, wrapping my arms tighter around my personal carrier.
“Yer the one carryin’ ‘er.” Waien responded. His voice seemed far away as I sank back into the darkness of sleep. I didn’t have time to be self-conscious about Mandrel carrying me.
I stirred slightly as I was placed on something soft. My arms were unwrapped from around Mandrel’s neck, while someone worked wordlessly to remove my boots. I heard them hit the floor with a dull thump.
“How much did she have?” A woman’s voice rang out in a sweet soft voice.
“Almost a whole bottle of rum,” Waien replied. “If she doesn’t feel this in the morning, she’ll be one lucky little girl.”
A blanket was pulled over me and a soft hand lightly grazed my cheek, before soft footsteps retreated from my bedside.
“Should be careful of tha’ one, aye?” Mandrel’s voice said softly as the door clicked shut.
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Four Part Two
It took day and night for me to complete the arrows. On the third day, when Maglor came into the shop, he sat next to me and helped me finish the last fifty. For a while we sat in silence, I think he understood how grateful I was for his assistance. When the sun came up, he left me to finish the last arrow and went to retrieve two long boxes for me to place the arrows in.
“Maglor?” I called out. “Tell me about Waien.”
“Depends on what you want to know,” he replied.
“Well, what does he do?” I asked. “I mean he buys the specialty arrows, so does he hunt?”
“Waien, turns those arrows in to something more than just specialty arrows, Lyssa,” Maglor explained. “He imbues them with magic.”
“Wait,” I said. “You mean he’s a mage?”
“Something like that,” he said. “He’s the son of the Arch Druid.”
“Son of the Arch Druid?” I asked with my eyes wide in shock. “That means he’s-”
“He still a customer, Lyssa,” Maglor said interrupting me. “He prefers to be treated as such, so don’t go opening your mouth about it, you hear?”
“Yeah,” I said dully. “So why is he in Stonebridge?”
“If you want to find out,” he said handing me the two boxes of arrows, roughly. “Ask him yourself.”
Maglor gave me the direction on where to find Waien in the Diplomacy of the Garden. I had seen the building, but I had never been inside. I walked down the brown cobbled street, crossing the bridge. It was very hot, unpleasantly so. The sun made shimmers on the cobbles and blinded me with its reflection on the water. There was a slight breeze that followed the river but it gave very little relief.
As I approached the market place, I slowed down to look over the wares. Fabric, spices, trinkets and jewelery covered the surfaces of the shaded stalls. Merchants eyed me curiously, pointing out their wares and telling me how good of a deal I would be getting if I bought it that day. Some of the merchants knew me and waved in greeting, others looked at me in disdain since I wasn’t purchasing anything. Strangely enough, the heat seemed subdue the market place. It was even hotter here with all the people, their wares and the blistering sun whipping us with its rays.
I finally arrived at the Diplomacy. Two guards stood on either side of the doors, they didn’t move. The strong wooden doors were intricately designed, each one depicted a giant oak tree with its branches spreading out across the door. There were symbols carved into it, one for each element, and another for the spirit. Perhaps it was my mind playing tricks on me in the heat, but I thought that branches on the tree rustled a bit as my fingers traced over the carving. I blinked a few times before going into the building.
I was greeted with lush greenery, falling water and the sound of birds. Several people were milling about, a few stopped to look at me and my expression. A woman dressed in a several shades of green gossamer cloth laughs softly. I looked around wide eyed and amazed. To my left was a large pool with rocks that surrounded the edge, water fell into it from a ledge that jutted from the ceiling. All sorts of trees, and plants covered the floor. Which even that was spongy grass and moss. I felt as though I stepped into an entirely different world. A place that was magical and natural all at once.
“Is there something I can help you miss?” A soft woman’s voice said to me.
I was more interested in staring at the flowers that looked like pin cushions. There was so much to take in. The smell of wet dirt, and the fragrant flowers that grew everywhere.
“Oi think she’s lost,” A tiny voice said. Bringing my attention back to reality. “Betcha one in ten she’s not where she’s suppose to be.”
“Mayrina, that’s enough out of you,” The other voice said sweetly. Her voice was like a bell. “She’s never been here, that much is apparent.”
“No, I’ve never been here,” I said dreamily. I felt as if a spell had been cast over me. “But this is where I am supposed to be. I have a delivery for Waien.”
“Oh yes, he said he was expecting someone,” the woman said. “I can take you to him.”
The woman had rich brown skin, waist length hair in a deep golden yellow, and eyes that reminded me of embers in a dying fire. Her clothing were made of rich browns, warm yellows and crisp green layers that flattered her full and lush body. It was clasped at one shoulder and draped down across her front. She was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.
“Ooh but I wanted to show her,” The tiny voice cried out. “You always take the guests to their hosts, when’s it going to be my turn?
I turned my head slightly to see a small figure no bigger than my whole hand. She wore a skirt that looked like an upside down flower and on her head, was luminous green hair twisted into two buns on either side of her head. A bright glow surrounded her body and two iridescent wings. Never in my life had I seen something tiny. I laughed a little when her tiny face turned into a pout.
“When you grow up,” the woman giggled. “Please follow me and mind the willows, they tend to be a bit grabby.”
The woman lead me through the halls, each step took me deeper and deeper into the Diplomacy. Each room was more lush and full than the last. Birds flew by me, playing their own little game of tag. People looked at me curiously for a moment then went back to their conversations, or caring for the massive garden. Animals gazed at me too, calmly, with the same dreamy look that I felt. It baffled me how these animals were able to stay here and not go on instinct to kill each other. A tiger lounging in a ray of the hot sun while a stag and a doe stood grazing near by.
When we approached the center of the building I took a deep breath in. In the center of the room stood the largest oak tree I had ever seen. It’s branches reach towards the glass domed roof, which was intricately designed to resemble a golden web. The area was lower than the ground we walked on, the separation shown by the labyrinthine fencing. Step stones were placed to act as stairs to reach the tree. Along the flagstone wall of the fence were curved stone benches. Another woman who resembled the one who followed me lounged idly on one of them. The whole room took me off guard, sure I had heard stories of what the inside looked like. It was something one had to experience to fully understand the beauty that was literally hidden in the stone.
I didn’t even realize that we had made our way to Waien, until he spoke.
“Yer late,” he said in a gruff voice. “I ‘xpected these arrows this morning.”
“Sorry,” I replied distractedly.
Waien sighed heavily as he leaned against a tree. My eyes still wandered around the room, as big as saucers.
“Ye’ve never been here b’fore.” Waien said. It wasn’t a question.
“No, it’s so beautiful, why would anyone give this up?” The words flew from my mouth before I could catch them.
“Sometimes, we have different paths that we wanna go,” he said scratching his chin. “It only takes one choice ta make a whole new direction, but the question remains, where will ya go from there.”
“Is that why you…” I trailed off. My nose wrinkled slight at the questions I wanted to ask him.
“Me father’s the Arch Druid,” he said staring at the massive oak tree. “Being the oldest o’ three children, I was ta follow in me father’s footsteps an’ b’come his successor. Except that’s not what I wanted fer me. I wanted ta b’come a mage. Me father told me no, that my job was ta care for the Keeper of the Glade. She’s the only keeper. Her tree is almost as old as time itself. But it wasn’t for me, I didn’t wanna to spend me life lookin’ over her, I wanted me freedom. After months of fightin’ an’ arguin’ with me father, I left. I came ta Stonebridge ta study magic. End o’ story”
I listened to his story silently. Only for a moment did I feel any sympathy for Waien. It lingered only for a moment before I realized that he didn’t want sympathy, he wanted me to understand where he came from. Waien took the boxes from my hands and carefully inspected the arrows. His slender fingers moved along the shaft, with care and experience.
“Ya did a fine job,” He told me while his fingers touched the fletching. Waien held the arrow up and looked down it’s shaft. “A work of art, a great deal o’ attention ta the finer details.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I should… I should be going.”
“I’ll see ya in ten days,” Waien said gathering up the boxes and disappearing behind some hanging vines.
Lyssa’s Tale: Chapter Four Part One
Delila had helped me obtain a job with a bowyer named Maglor. She had called in a favor from him. Seeing as he was one of her former clients, he was more than happy help her out in giving me work. When we arrived at his shop, he took my hands immediately in his and examined them.
“Tiny,” he said softly. “Perfect for detail. She’s a good find Delila.”
“I figured as much,” Delila replied with a purr in her voice. “Are you willing to teach her?”
“She can start tomorrow,” He smiled.
Maglor was a kind man, though very strict when it came to his craft. For the most part, I clipped feathers to the right size for the arrows that Maglor made. He showed me the perfect size and made me do it over and over and over again until I had it perfect. Maglor showed me the difference between specialty arrow shafts and common every day shafts. He also showed me how to mount the fletching to arrow with a sinew from a deer. At first, one arrow took me three or four hours. Maglor was patient, never raised his voice and always showed me how to correct mistake I had made.
“If the fletching isn’t set right,” he explained on day. “The arrow will not shoot straight or it will whistle. The only time they should whistle is when they are to become signal arrows. Also make sure the threading is tight. You don’t want the feathers to fall out.”
I followed his instructions and with in a few weeks I was able to make a half dozen arrows in an hour or two. Impressed with my speed and learning ability, Maglor taught me how to fletch the specialty arrows. I took a bit more care in binding process, they were a higher quality of wood, and expensive. I watch Maglor make arrow heads. The tiny amount of molten metal was poured into a small cast and left to cool. They were then shaped to a smooth edge and set aside to be mounted onto the arrows. The left over shavings went into make more arrowheads. Fresh metal was used on all the specialty arrows, though their shavings were often reheated and used for the common arrows.
The most interesting thing to watch was when Maglor had an order for a bow. Watching him create a beautiful bow from a staff never failed to amaze me. He would start with a stave of wood, usually Oak or Maple, and in just a few short hours he would have a longbow ready to be strung. Maglor made it look simple. There were always lengths of wood tied to something, these were bow making woods that were seasoning.
“You’ve heard the old saying a branch that doesn’t bend, breaks right?” Maglor said to me one afternoon when he was making a simple long bow.
“Yes, it means as people and things change you should change too,” I replied not looking up from the threading I was doing.
“Correct,” he said. “Do you realize that it was probably a bowyer who came up with phrase?”
“I wouldn’t put it past one,” I said with a chuckle. “It’s probably the reason that bowyer can’t use extremely dried wood. The wood would snap and you’d have nothing but kindling.”
Maglor laughed softly as he worked the string onto a bow. This process took him hours to do. Bending a bit, then letting go, sometimes taking a bit of wood off to help shape the bow better. Once it was strung, he would leave it strung to break in the wood. The next day he would take the bow outside and shoot arrows at the target. Some would fall short, others used the entire pull of the bow. Finally, when he was satisfied with it, he would rub it down with animal fat to keep it from drying out or becoming too damp.
Some time later, I was working on an order of specialty arrows. Carefully threading the sinew through the feather. This wasn’t first time I had filled this particular order, the man who ordered them always ordered them with turkey feathers and linen threading. Maglor, explained to me, that he was one of the few customers who ordered the specialty arrows frequently.
“Ahh, Waien,” Maglor said. “Good to see you.”
“Mag,” Waien replied. “Gonna need more arrows. The last batch you gave me was bloody amazin’.”
“Oh?” Maglor said curiously, casting a gaze my direction for a moment as I worked on the fletching.
“I never had an arrow fly so smooth,” Waien said. “What did ya use ta hold the feathers in place? It weren’t the usual linen thread.”
I lifted my head and then looked at what I working on. Specialty arrows with sinew instead of thread. Damn it, I though to myself.
“Deer sinew,” I said without looking back at him. “I learned that it shrinks to the shaft when it dries out and makes an even tighter grip on turkey feathers.”
“Who’s the lass?” He asked Maglor.
“My apprentice,” Maglor replied. “Lyssa, come here.”
Taking a deep breath, I slid back my chair and made my way to the front counter of the shop. Waien had bright red hair like mine, his deeply tanned skin proved that he spent too much time in the sun. He gave off a feeling of being rough and rugged but a little more refine. Waien carried himself differently from the other woodsmen that I had seen in the shop. The expression on his face was one of recognition. He knew who I was.
“So, this is the wee one who’s been workin’ on me arrows,” Waien said, smirking. His eyes had a laugh to them. “I remember you. You were at the bathhouse a few months ago. Really caught the eye for me mate.”
“Waien, this is Lyssa,” Maglor said tensely. “My apprentice.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said. I shrugged off the comment about the bathhouse. I recalled him and his mate, I also recalled him and his mate talking about me. “I apologize for the mistake I made with your arrows.”
“No, dunna worry ’bout it,” he told me. “In fact, I want ya ta continue that mistake with me arrows, and I’ll expect them ta be d’livered in three days time. All two-hundred of ‘em.”
Maglor nodded grimly, knowing that I was the one who was going to fletch every single arrow.
“And next time Miss Lyssa, you’ll pay careful attention to which arrows you are working on,” Waien told me while he counted out and handed several coins to Maglor.
“Thank you, Waien,” Maglor said as Waien walked out of the shop. Then he turned to me. “Do you realized you could have cost me one of the biggest customers of this shop?”
“I… I’m sorry Maglor,” I said. “I just wasn’t paying attention, it was late when I started Waien’s arrows and didn’t even realize that I was using the sinew.”
“Well you should consider yourself extremely lucky, girl,” He told me. I honestly think I would have preferred him to scream and yell at me than continue in a his calm voice. “Because you are going to fletch every single one of those arrows. I don’t care how long you are here for. You made this mess, you fix it.”
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Three Part Four
“How?” I questioned.
“I know a lady who take on boarders,” she said. “She helps gets girls off the streets and into some honest work.”
“So it’s a brothel?” I asked, shock ringing in my voice.
“Heavens no!” She exclaimed. “It’s not a brothel. Besides, that isn’t honest work. I’ll tell you what, you stay here the night, with me and I’ll take you to see her at first light.”
The idea of sleeping in a graveyard unnerved me slightly, but being with a consoler, I was safer here than in my own bed. So I agreed to stay with Ril. She gave me cloak to cover up with and her pack to rest my head on. Sleeping on the cold bench wasn’t the greatest but beggars can’t be choosers. Ril had a job to do, and if I was going to get her help, I needed to stay where she was.
It was several hours before dawn when I shook awake. Grumbling I opened my eyes to see Ril smiling and becoming excited as I moved.
“Lyssa, you must see this,” she said ecstatically. “Look.”
I mumbled something incoherently I sat up. While I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, Ril bantered on about what I should be looking at. When I did finally look up, my breath caught in my throat. The cemetery had an unusual eerie green glowing gas that rose from the graves.
“This is what is known …” Ril said.
“The Souls Crossing,” I finished.
I never saw anything like it before, but I had heard of it. It was wonderful and creepy at the same time. The wind was blowing, rolling the vapor across the cemetery. Ril joined me on the bench and smiled warmly.
“People call it the Souls Crossing because they don’t actually understand what it is really,” she explained. I looked at her curiously waiting for her to continue. “When the dead are buried, they begin to wither away. A person’s body is filled with natural elements, which it eventually releases. The Souls Crossing is just that, elements escaping the body and rising to the surface. Notice how it only seems to be over the graves that only a few days old?”
I looked over the graves again, and it was true. Almost all the graves that hadn’t settled, had ghostly emissions rising from it. There was a rustling behind the bench Ril and I sat on, then a light groan. I held back a scream as the sound of something moving grew closer and closer. Ril noticed I was tense, she remained calm while taking my hand. My breathing increased with each step the creature took. I wanted to look around and see what it was, but fear gripped me in place. The odor of rotting flesh hit my nose, making me heave slightly.
Just when I felt something cold ripple down my spine, Ril turned slightly, saying something that I didn’t understand. I closed my eyes tightly, gripping her hand as the explosion of bright white light flashed. Soon after. the odd feeling was gone and the smell faded.
“Oh dear,” she said with a slight disappointed shake of her head. “I was afraid he’d try that.”
I stared at her disbelievingly, my mind couldn’t process what she had just done. Part of me wanted to run screaming from the cemetery, the other part wanted to stay and see more. I put on a brave face and turned to see what had been of the he she spoke of.
“That is how that spell is supposed to work,” Ril told me, seeing my eye on the pile of ashes that was now sitting on the ground. Needless to say I didn’t sleep the rest of the night.
“When the sun rises, we’ll go to visit Delila,” Ril told me with a yawn. “She’s the lady of the house I’m taking you to.”
“What is she like?” I asked softly.
“Honestly, she used to be a prostitute,” Ril explained nervously. “One night after a particularly rough customer, decided he didn’t want pay her and beat her. Sywyn, Shani and I were together that night when we found her. She has no family, but wished a consoler there. Sywyn and I did what we could to keep her comfortable while Shani fetched a doctor. Delila stopped selling herself that night. With my help, and Sywyn’s to a point, we helped her open up her boarding house. She takes in any girl, no questions asked.”
“Are you sure it’s not a brothel?” I asked semi-jokingly. “A girls’ only place?”
“Yes, I’m positive,” Ril said. “She wanted to protect girls from going through what she went through. It took her months and many medications to recover, but I will let her explain herself more if she wishes.”
The sunrise over the cemetery was beautiful. The mist that settled over the ground throughout the night, rolled along the ground. Early birds chirped cheerfully as they hunted for their breakfast. A tired looking man approached Ril and I.
“Good morning Mistress Ril,” he said in a lackluster tone . “All was well?”
“Yes, there were a few that decided to walk, but they were soon laid to rest again,” she replied as he eyed me curiously. “This is Lyssa. She got lost last night and kept me company. Lyssa is this is Roden.”
“Hi,” I replied meekly. I was almost certain he was deliberating on if I was living or not.
“Greetings,” he said. His cold manner reminded me how much Ril stood out among her fellow Consolers. “If there is nothing else…”
“No, nothing,” Ril told him with a smile. “Have a good day, Roden”
I followed Ril out of the cemetery, my eyes drifting back to Roden for a moment. He was kneeling in prayer over one of the still fresh graves. I was happy to be leaving, Roden left me feeling uneasy. We moved quietly through the streets, the people had just begun to rise for a new day. It was something I was used to. Sun up to sun down the townsfolk filled the streets. Farmers heading to the market to sell their produce, lawyers and politicians floating about the Magistrates circle. Ril lead me down a still sleepy street and to a house that was unremarkable as the rest.
“Here we are,” she stated cheerfully. She moved up the stairs gracefully and knocked politely on the door.
“Comin’!” A voice sang out from in the inside.
When the door opened there was a very pretty blond on the other side. Her green eyes were warm and welcoming.
“Mistress Ril!” She exclaimed, hugging Ril. “It’s been a while. Are you here to see Delila?”
“Yes, I have a new boarder for her,” Ril replied, hugging the girl. “This is Lyssa. Lyssa this is Rorea”
“Ahh,” Rorea said warmly. “Welcome. Please come in. Delila is still dressing, she should be down any moment.”
“Thank you,” Ril said entering the door. I followed behind her quietly, looking around the house while we walked.
It was a plain house on the outside. Nondescript. Once inside it became a place of color, just like a painting. The hall we stood in had warm colored throw rugs covering the scrubbed wooden floor. Against the wall was a wooden table that held a vase of fresh flowers, filling the air with their sweet scent. The house wasn’t common by any means. A set of wooden steps crept upwards to a second floor.
Rorea lead us into a small sitting room. Hand made plates decorated the walls, along with knick-knacks over every surface. The furniture was upholstered in a pretty burgundy color, and the wood was dark, rich looking.
“The Knights of Stonebridge, make a large donation to this house,” A woman’s voice spoke behind me. “They’ve tried to get me to move into bigger accommodations, but I keep firm with telling them that will only intimidate girls. I prefer to keep it welcoming rather than overwhelming.”
“Delila,” Ril smiled as she and I turned around.
Before us stood a voluptuous woman. Her hair was the color of a pomegranate and tumbled down in a cascade of curls. Her heart shaped face was a warm tawny color. Brown eyes welcomed me even more when her full red lips were turned into a smiled. The dress she wore was a rich gold color, with a low, square cut neckline. The sleeves came only to her elbow and were embroidered with a small, white vine-like pattern. Her corset had been drawn tight, pushing her bosom into a delicate swell of flesh. The draped front was swept back and held in place, forming a small bustle behind Delila. Along the hemline was a small bit of ruffled lace peeking out under her skirt along with a pair of white pointed toe shoes.
“Darling Ril,” she said with a warm smile. Delila floated to Ril and kissed her cheek warmly. “It’s been ages, what brings you here?”
“Delila, this is Lyssa,” Ril said pulling me gently from behind her. I suddenly felt very exposed and naked. “Lyssa this is Miss Delila Lossëhelin”
“It is a pleasure, Miss Lyssa.” Delila said with a warm smile and a shake of my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I replied softly. She looked me over and gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Lyssa has run into some trouble and needs a place to stay for a while,” Ril explained.
“Of course, she can room with Eruanna,” Delila said. “I’ll be more than happy to help her out.”
It was true, she didn’t ask any questions, she just agreed to take me in. Once Ril helped me settle in, she left me in the house, promising to visit me as often as she could. It took several days to get used to living at Delila’s. There were seven girls, eight including myself. Miss Delila looked after all of them. For one reason or another they were there and over time, their stories came out just like mine. We became family, sisters. For once, I actually felt accepted.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Three Part Three
One evening, as I was sitting at the bar in the inn, Daven gave me my usual glass of rum. He told me bawdy stories about some of the women he had seen in here and some of the oddest patrons he had. Several regulars had been pointed out and their story set before me by Daven. He became my friend, each evening, I would sit at the counter and talk with him. Between my pickpocketing and doing small errands for Daven, I was racking up quite a bit in savings. Soon I would have enough that I could stop pickpocketing and just work for Daven. That evening Daven asked me to take a small box down to one of his clients. I never asked what was in the boxes he gave me, or any questions. Daven paid me for my discretion and services.
My red hair was now at shoulder length, sometimes being a girl actually came in handy. However, tonight I would tuck my hair under my cap before I set out. As I did so, Daven explained where I would be going, and who I was going to be looking for. He told me a certain pass-phrase that I needed to ask for to make sure I had the right person. I threw back the rest of my rum and set off. When I stepped outside, the sun was low behind the building. A set of Patrollers were coming up the street with a man who looked as if he had dung under his nose.
“That is him!” The man exclaimed. “I’m certain. He’s the one that been causing trouble all over the city. I’d recognize those rags anywhere.”
“You there,” one of the knights shouted as he ad his partner moved faster down the street. “Stop, we have some questions for you.”
I could have stopped and waited for them to question me. I could have lied and told them no, but they would know I was lying. I had a suspicious package on me that would surely draw unwanted attention and not to mention, I was a girl disguised as a boy.
“Dammit,” I muttered. I took off down the alley way not stopping even though the guards had shouted for me to halt. I had enough dealings with the Knights of Stonebridge. I wasn’t about to be taken into custody again. The knights chased me down the alleys but I proved to be faster, weaving my way through small spaces.
“Stop!” One of them cried behind me.
There was no way I was going to do as they asked. In attempts to slow them down, I threw the box in my hands at them. Whatever was inside had burst, sending up a white powdery cloud. Behind me I heard coughing and sputtering. It had been enough to slow one down, but other guard kept pace. I turned down another street and saw a huge wall in front of me. Without thinking about it, I threw myself at the wall, climbing over it quickly. Landing with ease on the other side, I heard the Patrollers stop with a swear.
“Dammit, she got away,” One of them said. “Should we go after her?”
“No, I can’t stand the cemetery,” The other said, breathlessly. My guess was that he was the guard I thrown the box at, and he’d just caught up with his partner. “Either the grave hoppers will get her, or the Consolers. No way I’m going to step on a Consoler’s turf.”
Panting heavily, I leaned against the wall for a moment, listening to them. For a moment I wasn’t sure if I believed what they were say. It didn’t matter to me right then, I was away from them and that was enough for me. I remembered the Consolers from when my grandfather had died. They were quite dourer. Focusing only on my mother and grandmother, making sure the needs of the family were taken care of, and that arrangements for the burial and purification of the body were successful. I didn’t like them in the slightest. They gave off the feeling of death breathing down your neck.
Once I caught my breath, I started walking through the dark cemetery. Gravestone and plaques covered the grounds. Along the back were some mausoleums. There was an overwhelming feeling of sadness that emanated from the cemetery grounds. The moon casted odd shadows off the ground, things didn’t seem normal. In the distance, an owl called out “Who, Who?” Several feet later, I jumped out of my skin and screeched as an animal brushed against my leg. Take off further into the cemetery, panic set in when I couldn’t find my way out. The lighting played tricks on my eyes as I ran, and then I hit something hard.
“Oof,” I said, gasping for breath. As I fell backwards, there was a blinding white light that casted spots in front of my eyes. A rushing sound filled my ears, and the wind was knocked from me as I hit the ground.
“Oh, dear,” A sweet voice rang out. The next moment, I felt a hand tug mine and soon I was upright again.
Blinking a few times I tried to focus on the person in front of me. She wore a black and gold tunic. A Consoler. Only she didn’t seem to sound like the Consolers I had been familiar with. “What ever that was, I don’t think it worked.” I told her trying to rub the spots from my eyes.
The woman lowered her hood, her pale, milky skin glowed against the moonlight. Black hair framed her wide almond shaped eyes, a small button nose and bright, vivid pink lips. It was her lips that baffled me the most. Consolers that I had seen didn’t where make-up, but this one did. She also held herself proud and tall. Her smile was cheerful.
“What in the bloody hell was that anyway?” I asked forcefully.
“I am terribly sorry, dear. It’s not every day something or someone alive, besides a consoler, is in a cemetery at night.” she giggled. “You startled me.”
“I’m sorry, I just felt something brush against my leg and I panicked,” I explained. “So I ran.”
“Completely understandable dear,” she said. “That spell only works on the restless. I use it to make sure they remain in their graves. Sometimes, not often mind you, they will get out of the grave. Unfinished business, you see. So that spell helps them to cross over.”
“Uh-huh,” I said with a nod, confusion sparking in my mind. “So on a normal person, it knocked them on their backsides and blinds them.”
“It would seem so,” she said with a laugh that reminded me of a tinkling bell. “I’ve never used it on the living before.”
I studied the woman before me for a moment. She struck me as an oddity. The very idea of her being a consoler astounded me. I didn’t know much about the Consolers. Only what I had seen growing up. They weren’t an every day occurrence in Meadow Brook.
“I’m Lyssa,” I told her, extending my hand to shake hers.
“Oh do forgive my manners,” she said taking my hand. “I am Rerilmawren Wennemein. But, if you wish for something easier, just call me Ril.”
“Wennemein?” I asked. “Do you by chance know Sywyn Wennemein?”
“Sywyn, oh yes I know him,” Ril said. “He’s my cousin. Do you know him?”
My mind reeled a bit, how was it I had managed to find someone related to Sywyn by pure chance.
“Yes, I know him,” I told her. “He helped me out of a bit of trouble back in Tel’thurian.”
“Oh, splendid!” she exclaimed. “Do come and sit with me, you can tell me all about it.”
Ril moved to a carved stone bench, I followed behind her trying to figure the odd woman out. While we sat on the bench, she opened a small satchel and placed a small cloth on the level surface. Ril then pulled out a small box which she opened to reveal an assortment of foods, and a metal bottle that fit neatly into the box.
As Ril dug through her satchel, I examined the contents of the box. There was a small loaf of bread, a bit of salted meat and fruits. My finger lightly grazed along the metal bottle to find it warm still. On the lid of the box were two small plates, and metal cutlery. Curiously, I pulled out a three pronged implement and studied it a moment.
“It’s called a fork,” Ril explained as she began to use a knife to cut the bread. “They make eating easier, and spell casting simpler when I don’t have to wash my fingers first.”
“That’s useful,” I replied. We both fell into an awkward silence as Ril prepared her food.
“Do you like stew?” she asked me after a moment. “I have some here in this container.”
“You don’t have to give me anything,” I told her, looking out over the graveyard. Truth was I was starving, but I didn’t want her to give me charity just because I ran into her in a cemetery. “I’m not that hungry.”
My stomach couldn’t have chosen a better time to betray me. It groaned audibly. Ril only laughed as she pull the center of the bread chunks out.
“I think your stomach says otherwise,” she said laughing. “I have more than enough to share, and maybe you can help in exchange.”
“How?” I asked, my head snapping back to the woman. “How would you expect me to pay you back? I’m broke, I have nothing to give you in exchange. I’m running from the damn Patrollers because of the fact that I nick things and came damn close to getting caught. That’s the whole reason I am here. I was trying to get away from being tossed in a cell.”
Ril stared at me, waiting for my rant to finish. She said nothing, she didn’t even have a judging look on her face. Her calmness about it startled me. Here was Ril, a consoler, which was just another sect of knights and here I am confessing to her of a crime I committed. Yet, she doesn’t get angry and try to drag me to a holding cell. She just sat there, patiently waiting for me to finish.
“Your cousin,” I continued. “He chased me down on horse back, because of something my brother was apart of. He treated me better than most people treat their dogs. I fled Tel’thurian because of my brother’s need to get away from those knights, and here I find myself in the biggest city I’ve ever been in surrounded by knights. Every where I go, you people are there!”
By this time I was crying, though I didn’t realize it. Ril set down the food in her hands, and pulled me into her arms. She let me cry on her for a few moments, stroking my hair every so often and telling me everything would be okay. I sat back after a few moments, wiping my eyes, once again I looked at the woman before me.
“I’m sorry, I just…” I said with a hiccup. “I didn’t mean to break down like that.”
“It’s perfectly all right dear,” she said, going back to the food. “Everyone needs good cry once in a while. Sometimes life becomes too much and we have no way to get it out except through tears. We aren’t gods, just merely people who bear the burdens of daily life.”
Ril smiled warmly as she poured some stew into the bread bowls that she created. Handing one to me I look down at it, sobs still shook me, not nearly as bad as moments before. I took a forkful of the savory stew, the warmth of it filled me. The flavor of the vegetables and the broth splashed against my tongue. It had been so long since I had something so deliciously wonderful.
“The One will never place anything upon us that we cannot handling,” she said after taking a bit of her own food. “But we do often need help in solving problems, so The One sends us in the direction of someone who can help.”
I listened to her as I ravenously ate the stew. The consoler before me still seemed out-of-place, but I didn’t say anything.
“The Order of the Consolers was created to help those in grieving. When a loved one is lost, they leave sadness unintentionally in their wake. We Consolers are able to help those families with their pain. We help in funeral preparations, and seeing to the basic needs of the family. There are times when the family needs more of a medical intervention, and we make sure they receive any help and services that we cannot provide ourselves. Consolers make sure that the body of the deceased stays that way. Taking care of the purification and burial of the body and making sure that the body stays in the grave after the burial.” Ril explained.
As she explained this all to me, I devoured the rest of my food, consuming the bread bowl as well. Ril had finished eating her food as well. We sat in silence for a few moments. Around us the crickets chirped, a light breeze blew through the trees, rustling the leaves. The air was growing more crisp with each passing minute.
“Lyssa, I want to help you,” she said. “I have it in my power to help you. If only you let me though.”
“Why?”I asked. “Why would you want to help me?”
“There is so much good that I know you have in you,” Ril told me. “I want you to be able to see that, and you won’t be able to if you are sitting in a prison cell.”
Ril didn’t make it sound like an ultimatum, but it did have the feel of her being my last hope.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Three Part Two
The next morning, he and I dressed and left the inn. For the most part, I remained silent about the whole ordeal, I had my own plans. Once Toeryn and I had enough, I was going to break free and learn to survive on my own without stealing. For now I would just have to ride the wave and do as he said.
“There,” he said, pointing a woman who was walking a small dog. “ She should be an easy enough target.”
Toeryn’s eyes darted around the streets, making sure there were no Patrollers nearby. Once we were in the clear, he nodded. I ran down an alley way and met up with the woman a few streets away. I leaned against the wall and sniffled a few times as she got closer. Most of the townsfolk just walked past me. As the woman approached, I seen her face was over done with make-up, her blond hair was bound up on the top of her head in a pile of loose curls. The burgundy dress she wore was buttoned to her throat with a bit of lace around the neckline, her sleeves only came to her elbows, and on her hands were a small pair of white gloves. The lower part of the dress was a flat skirt of the same fabric that made up the bodice. Around her waist was a small bundle of fabric, that wrapped around and formed the bump of a bustle behind her. I didn’t care much for her clothing, as it made her look as though she had a large backside.
As she approached closer, I began to sniffle more, eventually turning my sniffles into sobs and then full blown crying. It was the easiest deception that I could manage for my first time as a distraction. The lady proved Toeryn right. She finally reached me and paused. The small white dog she had with her, sat obediently at her feet.
“Is everything all right, dear,?” she said to me a high thrill. Her voice sounded as fake as her appearance.
“N-no,” I wailed. “I’m l-lost.”
“Oh dear,” she said softly. “You poor thing.”
“I got separated from my brother, he told me the directions to the inn we’re staying in, but I can’t read to know if I’m going the right way or not,” I cried as she pulled me close to hold and comfort me. I saw Toeryn moving stealthily behind us, he was quick as a blur when he snipped a small brown pouch from the folds of her skirt.
I kept my charade up a little while longer, crying into this woman’s dress like a little lost waif. It was rather embarrassing. Then I heard his voice.
“Lyssa!” Toeryn cried out from across the cobbled street. “There ya are!”
The woman looked up and scanned Toeryn for a moment before releasing me. Her expression showed disgust.
“Sir,” she started. “You are this child’s guardian?”
“Yes ma’am I am,” he said almost proudly. “She were lookin’ at a stall of jewelery and gems when we was separated. Ya bein’ a woman of fine taste, would surely pause a moment to gander upon the wares of beautiful craftsmanship, would you not? My niece has a habit of doin’ such thin’s herself. I thought she were right behind me. I walked along babblin’ like a brook ‘fore I realized she were missing. Thank ya kindly ma’am, ‘ppreciate ya hangin’ on to my niece fer me.”
The woman seemed to buy the explanation and nodded curtly.
“Well then sir,” she said. “Since that is all in order than, I will bid you both good day. And please Miss Lyssa, don’t wander away from your uncle.”
“I won’t ma’am,” I replied. “Thank you for your help.”
“Here you both are,” she said, opening her small purse and removing four perfectly polished silver coins. She handed two coins to the both of us. “Buy yourselves some new clothing, and a dip in the bathhouse on me.”
As the woman walked off with her dog in tow, I looked at Toeryn and glared hatefully.
“Thanks to you,” I growled as I stormed off. “she said I stink. Find another partner.”
“Ana,” He called after me, running to keep up with me. “She gave us four more coins to add the pile of money she had sitting in that pouch. Really, I think you can handle a snob calling you stinky once in a while. Besides, you need me and I need you.”
I trilled a bit throwing my hands up and proceeded to berate Toeryn under my breath. Damning him for use our bloodlines against me.
“Fine,” I said ending the argument. “But I’m using my two coins to actually do what she said.”
“Don’t be in there too long, you’ll prune,” he said, laughing at me. “You know how to get back to the inn right?”
“Of course I do,” I replied tartly. “I only pretend I’m lost, unlike you who doesn’t need to pretend to be stupid. And where did you get that ridiculous accent?”
This only made him laugh harder.
“I heard it from some girl who was in the square,” He told me, still laughing. “She sounded like no one I’ve ever heard before. She was pale as a ghost too, with poker straight black hair. If that wasn’t enough to make her stand out, the second she spoke, made it obvious.”
Rolling my eyes I stalked away from him. I took main roads to the bathhouse, and looked forward to sinking into a hot tub to relaxed my sore body.
I entered the bathhouse, several men and women were milling about with bath towels swathed loosely around their waists or firmly tucked under their shoulders. None of them paid much attention to me other than a slight glance. A woman behind me let out a high-pitched laugh that rang out through the entryway, it was followed by several baritone laughs. I walked passed two men who were standing close to the entrance of the women’s bath.
One of the men had vivid red hair, not much unlike my own. His tanned skin told me he spent a great deal outside, he was thin but well toned. There was something about him that led me to believe he was more than I what I saw before me. I wasn’t quite sure though. His companion, had hair that was white as snow. His face held an impish grin on it, his blue eyes smiled with amusement while he conversed. He was very attractive looking. I found myself staring at him as I passed a small smile forming on my lips. My head snapped forward as he turned his head in my direction. I heard the soft exhales from his silent chuckle before he returned his attention to his friend.
“I dunna know a thin’ ’bout the new guild,” the red hair one stated heatedly when I passed. “I jus’ know where it’s located.”
The white haired man replied in a low tone, looking in my direction. The red haired man looked at me and also said something back as I made my way to the ladies’ baths. I felt my ears turn a flaming red, and then a light laughter only confirmed they had said something about me. Making my way down the stairs, I tripped over my own two feet. Stumbling, I caught myself only to receive more snickers from the two men behind me. I whipped my head around and shot the white haired man a dirty look, to which he replied with a wink of his eye.
Once in the bathing room, I heard the idle chatter of other women who were there. Idle gossip to fill idle time. I changed in the dressing room and returned to the main bathing hall. Several groups of women sat in in-ground bathing pools. They looked up at me and smiled. I moved to an empty pool and slid into the water. The warm water wrapped around me like a blanket. Before long, I drifted to sleep. I don’t recall how long I was there, but one of the attendants shook me awake. Embarrassed, I left without a word, the two men from earlier were long gone.
Toeryn and I continued our distract and grab routine every day, using different locations each time. Some times we were near the free farmers market, other times were we around the church. Our days at the church were much simpler than any the other places since we could stand and wait for alms to passed out. Rich politicians and socialites would hand out several coppers to each person as they left the church. I guess it cleared their conscious of how much they would take in taxes later that year. Toeryn and I never took anything from anyone who couldn’t afford it. Anyone dressed as common as he and I were left alone, it was those who had the pompousness about them, or presented him or herself regally that were our targets.
One such target presented himself a few days later. His confidence was easily mistaken for arrogance as Toeryn pointed him out to me. The platinum haired man was making his way down the steps of the Gallery. A half smirk sat on his lips as his crystal blue eyes scanned the market crowd. He wore soft brown leather boots that were folded at the knee, light gray trousers tucked in at the boots, were trimmed with gold down the leg. A matching light gray overcoat with the same gold trim hung open, showing that he wore no waistcoat like most of the men of stature favored, just a white tunic that billowed slightly and was held in place with a brown leather belt.
Something small and silver peeked out from under his jacket. The pommel of a blade he kept concealed. A well crafted that I couldn’t fully see. The bottom of my stomach dropped. Toeryn’s plan wouldn’t work.
“Toeryn,” I started. “I can’t, not him. Pick someone else.”
“No,” he replied. “I bet that boy has a purse full.”
“I can’t do it,” I continued. Perhaps he didn’t recognize my voice and assumed it was the cold feet I usually got when I was about to do my job.
“You can and you will,” Toeryn told me firmly. “Or you won’t sit for a month.”
Sighing, I pushed myself off the wall I was leaning against and made my way to an empty part of the market. A few people looked at me as I put on the facade of being lost, they knew that I was up to. But I knew they wouldn’t do anything about it, it wasn’t their business or concern. As long as I didn’t affect them directly, they didn’t interfere with me.
“Are ye lost la-lad?” The pale haired man said to me, stumbling slightly over the last word. He eyed me for a moment then smirked again.
“I- um- maybe” I stumbled over the lines I had rehearsed over and over again.
“You. Could- Er” I continued. I didn’t know why I couldn’t remember what my task was. Perhaps it was because he was the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on. Long platinum colored hair and a face that would melt the ice around even the coldest heart. He looked at me with an amused expression as I tried to find the words to speak to him.
Around the corner, Toeryn was waiting for the cue. With each passing second, he grew more impatient and agitated. I felt him practically breathing down my neck as I hung my head in defeat.
“Never mind.” I muttered as I skulked off back into the crowd. My ears match my hair perfect, a bright vivid red to go along with my embarrassment. Behind me I heard a snicker coming from the man I had left standing there. I was sure he was more than curious about what I was trying to do.
Several weeks had passed since my failed attempt, I noticed that Toeryn was spending less and less time with me. Some times he just didn’t come back, at least not while I was awake. By the time I woke up the next morning, his bed looked as though he had slept in it, but he was not there. This concerned me, he was being secretive, more so than usual. I shook my head at the thoughts as I packed my things, I would be ready for him to tell me we were leaving any day.
I spent my days wondering around the city, learning the street and realizing that I didn’t need Toeryn to knick coin purses, I was quite capable to do it myself. I told myself it wasn’t stealing if I was using it to survive. Of course I was lying to myself, I was a thief, and soon I would end up getting caught. Several days had passed, Toeryn was nowhere to be found, I didn’t care to look for him.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Three Part One
Chapter Three: Stonebridge
The traveling had left us weary and exhausted. It had taken just over a month to get to Stonebridge. There were times that it seemed Toeryn never slept. If I ended up sleeping in my saddle, he would lead my horse at a slow pace so not to disturb me. I grew to dislike riding each day. None more so than the first week when my muscles protested.
As we approached the city of Stonebridge, I grew more excited. Toeryn relaxed more, knowing that we would soon have a bed to rest in, a hot meal and bath. Even though it was dark it gave us hope. Torches lit the tall stone guard towers, from the distance we sat at, I could see the armor of the guards who paced along the wall.
“I’m going to do good by us this time, Ana,” he said. “Going to find a proper job.”
“What about until you do find something?” I asked, cynically. “Are we going to pickpockets or beg on the streets?”
“Actually that may not be a bad idea,” Toeryn said, losing himself in his planning. For that moment I regretted opening my mouth in the first place.
We approached the gates, only to find them lock. Toeryn told me to remain where I was with the horse while he went to see about getting in the city. When he returned me to a few moments later, he explained that they locked the gates at sundown, and don’t open again until sun up. So we had breakfast on the side of the road, watching the sun rise above the horizon.
A few hours later, the gates opened. Toeryn and I led our horses down the cobblestone street. A simple looking man went around extinguishing the kerosene lamps that line the roads. He glanced at us for a just a moment, offering a nod in our direction. Toeryn returned the nods and I smiled at him, bidding him a good morning. In the center of the huge city, was the tallest tower I had ever seen. Just next to the tower, was a huge stone bridge with sweeping arches that crossed the Messewan river. Out of the several spires that were noticeable from where I stood, the one on the tower stood the highest. It was far from a plain spire, the detail was perfected right down to the tiniest little creature in the sculptured base. The other buildings, houses and shops, had beautiful stonework and stucco, with overlapping gables and deep brown timber that stood out against the gray of the stones. The shutters began to open as people woke, and shops opened for daily business. They revealed clear glass windows, with wooden lattice framework.
Knights in white and gold patrolled the streets. Toeryn studied their movements carefully as we moved along the stone road. Men in tall hats, and spectacles sitting on their noses, walked pass us fitted pants with bright blue waistcoats, shined shoes and double breasted morning coats. One of the men carried a fashionable can with him. They each said good morning to us as we passed. The streets were quiet as traveled, the hooves of the horses clapping behind us against the stones. No one paid much attention to us.
Eventually, we found an inn on the other side of the River Messewan. The Rusty Pigeon. It wasn’t the most appealing place, but it was adequate until we could find something better. The inn keeper looked like someone who hadn’t seen sleep in weeks. His face was pock-marked, and scarred. A large red puffy scar ran over his left eye, which a milky white color. His other eye, was a sharp green that gave you the feeling it seen more than what most thought. He passed us the key to our room with a suspicious gaze and warned us that any funny business would get us tossed out to the streets. Toeryn and I didn’t pay attention to how the room looked, we were both too tired to care. The moment our heads hit the pillow we were asleep.
Some time later I awoke and found myself alone in the room. On the small table Toeryn had left me several copper coins and note.
Ana,
I will return later. Going to seek out work. Get yourself some food and wait for me to come back. Don’t wonder on your own just yet.
-T
I scooped up the coins and went down to the common room. Patrons had arrived throughout the day, the room was loud and reeked of fish. I carefully moved to the bar, feeling the eyes of some of the patrons on me.
“What can I ye?” The inn keeper asked me. His accent thick and deep, almost like he was growling at me.
“Bread and stew please,” I replied, setting down a few coins on the counter. “And a glass of water.”
Sweeping the coins into his pocket, he got my food and returned it quickly. I ate in silence for the first few moments, watching the inn keeper clean glasses, wipe the counter and get more drinks for the patrons.
“What’s your name?” The inn keeper asked me in his gruff voice.
“Lyssa,” I replied slurping some of the stew into my mouth. It was watered down, luke warm and mostly consisted of broth, but it tasted good nonetheless. “Yours?”
“Daven,” he told me with a sickly smile. Several of his teeth had been knocked out, the rest were stained yellow. Daven looked intimidating, but was nice enough and told me funny stories about patrons who frequented the tavern, or who rented a room for him.
Several hours had passed when Toeryn had returned. He sat next to me at the counter and smiled winningly. My gut warned me he had something up his sleeve.
“C’mon, lets go upstairs and talk,” he told me. I stood and waved farewell to Daven, before climbing the steps to our room.
Once we were inside, Toeryn closed the door behind him. The grin never left his face. I sat on my bed. The rough fabric of the wool blanket grazed my skin, causing it to itch. It was then I realized how poor looking the room was, the hard wooden floor with its threadbare rug, Two poorly made beds that gave off a slightly stale smell. Even the table and chairs, looked like they had seen better days. There were no decorations in the room to make it feel homey at all.
“I’ve got a plan,” Toeryn said excitedly, pacing the floor. “And I have you to thank for it baby sister.”
“Why does this make me feel uncomfortable?” I asked rhetorically. Toeryn paused to look at me for a moment before he began pacing the room again.
“Finding honest work is going to be tough. It could be weeks before I actually found something worthwhile.” he began. I leaned back on my elbows on my bed watching him. “I figure while we are waiting for that ship to arrive, we could obtain money in other ways.”
“How?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to that.
“Cutting purse strings,” he said bluntly.
“Are you mad? Have you lost your damned mind?” I interrogated, not attempting to hide the disgust in my eyes. “Or did you just forget what we dealt with in Tel’thurian?”
“Ana, we can do this,” Toeryn continued, as if he didn’t even hear my words. “It will be simple and we won’t get caught. No one will know, except you and me.”
“Toeryn you are going to get us both locked up,” I stated. “or worse.”
It took several hours, and a lot of convincing on Toeryn part to get me to agree to this plan of his. We were to go into town every day, stake out a few people, and distract them long enough for one of us to steal their coin pouch. For the most part, Toeryn would be the one to grab, I was to distract them. We were to start the next morning, after the markets had been set up. Toeryn has spent the afternoon watching the patrolmen and where they spent most of their time and also finding out where the most people were so we would be less likely to be caught. It was easy to lose someone in a crowd. That night we talked ourselves to sleep by devising plans for the distractions. I didn’t feel much more confident than I had when he first laid this plan on me.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Two Part Three
I woke the next morning to find Toeryn passed out in the bed next to mine. I hadn’t heard him come in. The room at all. Sliding from the bed, I shivered slightly as my feet touched the cold wooden floor. I made my bed and dressed quickly in the still too big clothes. Toeryn had left his clothes on the floor, I picked them up and folded them neatly. My eyes spotted a red stain on his shirt, shaking it out to examine it better. The rusty brown color told me immediately what it was.
“Toeryn?” I said shaking him awake. He didn’t respond immediately, so I shook him more violently, my voice filling with panic. “Toeryn!”
It took several attempts to wake him, but he finally did.
“What Ana?” He mumbled. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s blood on your shirt,” I cried “Are you hurt? What happened last night?”
“Nothing happened,” He lied, rolling over. “I’m not hurt, I had a job moving some meat is all.”
I eyed him suspiciously, I could tell he was lying to me. “Oh, okay.” I said unconvincingly.
We lived in the inn for several months, Toeryn always paying for the room weeks in advance. I badgered him about getting a place of our own, but all for nothing. Toeryn left every night and didn’t return until I was well off in my reverie. Every time I approached him about what he did he would tell me it was menial jobs that required hard labor and not something for a girl to do.
“It’s not fair Toeryn!” I shouted at him one evening. “I want to help too! I’m sick of being stuck in the inn all day long.”
“Then go out.” he told me flatly.
And I would just that. The next morning I dressed quickly, tucking my hair underneath a newsboy cap. Toeryn eyed me curiously for a moment.
“I’m going to need some money,” I said softly.
“What for?” He asked.
“Food, some clothing that fits.” I said in return.
“Alright then,” he said pulling out a medium-sized pouch.
Toeryn counted out five gold coin. My eyes widened at the amount, noting my expression he just smiled and placed them into a small brown pouch.
“Don’t lose it,” he told me firmly, handing the pouch to me. “Get what you need and don’t spend it all, Ana. Promise.”
“No,” I replied. “I can’t promise that I won’t spend it all. But I will see about a way for me to earn my own.”
I bolted out of the inn, excited to spend a day in the square. Everywhere the colors were bright and stood out against the thick gray walls. The sun was shining, the cobble shone with wetness from the melted snow. It was cold, but not bitterly so. I weaved my way down the roads looking at all the stands, looking for one in particular. It wasn’t there like it had been when we first arrived. Perhaps he moved on. I continued on through the square, looking at the items that each merchant had, purchasing a few trinkets, then located the tailors. The tailor had clothing sitting out on tables, carefully I looked through them.
Later that evening I returned to the inn with my coin purse containing only a few coppers. I had disposed of the ill-fitting clothes and wore my newer ones back to the inn. Not even stopping to say hello to the innkeeper and Meg, I bounded up the steps two at a time, eager to get into the bedroom and hide my goodies.
A year had passed since we had been there and living in the inn. Several murders of high positioned aristocrats were targeted The city officials couldn’t find who had done it and that’s when the Knights of Stonebridge showed up from Halde to investigate. There had been a series of murder that were all too much alike, and in a small city like this, they were hardly unnoticeable. I had been working with Meg and keeping the inn tidy, her father, paid me two silver and five coppers every other week. Toeryn had told me that he was working with Bertoline down at the docks, unloading ships and cargo. Each night he came home with a full coin purse.
The knights of Stonebridge, were a marvelous sight to see, they wore cloaks that hung to their thighs, a crisp clean white with gold trimming along the edges, in the center was large castle tower with a sword pointed down. The armor was gold colored breast plate with white leather and cloth underneath. The well made leather leggings and boots were white, with only the slightest traces of dirt on then from travel. Golden helms sat on their heads with white plumes, their riveted shields also contained the tower and sword emblem and a fine looking blade hung sheathed on their left hip. They were very intimidating to watch, their faces hardened as they milled about asking questions, or speaking to city officials. Toeryn seemed ill at ease with the presence of the Knights, yet each night he continued to go out and each morning would come home with a new coin pouch of money.
“Who do you thinkable be next?” I head one merchant say to another. I was leaning against a wall in one of the alleys listening to the merchants chat about what was going on. Some were fearing for their lives as it seemed to be going down from the richest.
“Dunno, but I heard that it might be Vens and his lot.” Another relied. Vens. That name sounded familiar to me, Toeryn had been talking about him recently and then it occurred to me that Toeryn might know something about the murders. I moved from my perch and ran back to the inn to seek him out. When I arrived I seen several of the knights struggling with Bertoline, he jerked and bucked trying to get free. There was another knight sitting on horse back, his expression was stoic, not a single speck of anger or rage as his men carted Bertoline off.
“Tell them nothing!” He screamed at my brother. Toeryn stood there with a somber look on his face, his eyes saddened even more when they fell upon me.
“Take him into custody as well,” The man on the horse instructed. “And gently if you please.”
“Lyssa run!” Toeryn screamed at me. It took a moment for it to register who he was talking about. “Run!”
I stared at Toeryn in disbelief, then looked to the knight on horse back as if weighing my options. His eyes seemed gentle, friendly even. I didn’t know what to do, and going with instinct I turned, running down an alley way. The knight seemed to know what my decision was, I could hear him sigh and set his horse off after me. Behind me Toeryn screamed in anger as he was hauled off. I knew I was in trouble when the hooves grew louder and louder. Within seconds I was lifted by a strong arm and set into the saddle. I trembled with fear as the knight held me between his arms, clinging to the saddle horn as tightly as possible while he slowed the beast to slow canter.
“You’re Lyssa?” He asked me softly. I shook my head, keeping my eyes closed. Fear had gripped the core of my being. “I am Sywyn Wennemein, a knight to the city of Stonebridge. I will not harm you, you have my word.”
“I-I didn’t do anything,” I stammered “I don’t k-know what is going on.”
“That is what we are going to find out little one,” Sywyn said calmly. “You have nothing to fear.”
We continued at a gentle pace to the garrison where Sywyn was stationed. He slid gingerly off his horse and tied the reins to the hitching post. I assumed he knew I wouldn’t run as he didn’t even face as he did so. I looked down to the ground and waited. I was too terrified to jump down. After a moment he offered me assistance in getting down off the horse. Carefully, he led me into the building and a small room with tables and chairs.
“Wait here, I’ll get you some water,” Sywyn told me, before he left the room.
Below me I could hear the sounds of two men screaming. I could only assume one of them was my brother. When Sywyn returned he had brought with him a pitcher of water and a small stoneware cup.
“What’s going on?” I asked him shakily. Watching him pour the water into the cup.
“I’m going to ask you some questions and if you tell me the truth, you will be released,” he replied. His voice was firm but calming all at the same time. I was thankful I got the nice knight. “Mind you, little one, I will know if you are lying to me.”
“Alright,” I gulped. Sywyn passed me the glass of water and I drank deeply from it.
“Lyssa, where does your brother go at night?” Sywyn asked me calmly.
“Don’t know,” I replied. “Toeryn doesn’t tell me anything. Just that he’s going to work. Though he did tell me once that he worked at the docks unloading cargo. Another time he said he was working for a butcher.”
Sywyn inclined his head once, pursing his lips together for a moment. “And how does he know Bertoline?”
“Again, I don’t know. We met Bertoline when we first arrive in Tel’thurian,” I said. I felt compelled to tell him the truth, he seemed to believe me for what it was worth at face value. Toeryn asked Bertoline if he knew anyone who had some work to be done.”
I drank some more water, my head was spinning with the events that had been taking place. Suddenly, I was exhausted and sighed deeply as I studied the knight in front of me. His black hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail at the nape of his neck. Sywyn’s eyes were a hazel green color that was unfamiliar to me, they gave off the feeling of having seen too much in his life time But not once did they lose that friendly disposition.
Once I had answered all of Sywyn’s questions, he took me back to the main hall. There were other men there, each one eyed me suspiciously. I walked with my head down almost afraid to meet eyes with any of them. Guilty by association was enough for most of the guards.
“What is going on with her brother?” Sywyn asked firmly.
“He is still being questioned, Sir.” One of the guards said.
“Very well,” Sywyn said with a nod. “See to it that Miss Lyssa here has a place to rest until he is free or otherwise. If any of you lay a harmful finger her in any way, I will take it as a personal offense. Do my make myself clear?”
“Yes sir!” The guards said in unison.
Sywyn looked at me with a warm smile. “My men will take good care of you. if you need anything, ask for them to locate me.” I nodded but said nothing.
Emotional exhaustion had set in as I was lead into the bunk room. The guard who took me there, motioned to a bed. There I collapsed, forgetting what was going on and falling asleep almost the second my head hit the pillow. Some time later I heard voices in the doorway.
“How long has she been asleep?” A male voice said, I recognized it as Sywyn’s voice.
“About six hours, Sir,” another said. “Poor thing’s exhausted.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Sywyn agreed. “Given what she’s been through, she’s handling it quite well for someone so young.”
The voices faded as I fell into a deep slumber again. I didn’t stir again until morning, feeling eyes upon me. While my eyes focused, I inhaled deeply. The smell of toast and hot tea filled my nose and forced my stomach to growl loudly.
“Good morning Lyssa,” the voice said. It was Sywyn again. “I thought I would have breakfast with you, while we wait for your brother to finish with the inquisitor.”
I rubbed my eyes and stared at Sywyn. He set the tray down on the bed as I sat up. At first I thought it was a dream, but then remembered all that happened the night before.
“What’s going on with Toeryn?” I asked groggily.
“He has told us what Bertoline had done,” Sywyn explained, pouring two cups of tea. “He claimed that Bertoline had threatened your life if he didn’t help.”
I began to slowly eat the thick slice of toast. It was coated with butter and strawberry jam. I was half way through the my second piece when the door flew open. My brother, Toeryn stood there, his eyes wild with rage. He stormed forward and pulled me from the bed, not even giving me time to say goodbye to Sywyn.
“What did you tell him?!” Toeryn screamed at me, as he dragged me down the road.
“Nothing!” I exclaimed, wincing as he gripped my arm tighter.
“Ana, I swear to God if you told them anything that will get us killed, I will personally beat you into the afterlife.” He growled at me.
“I don’t think the One would like you swearing against him,” I retorted smartly.
His hand was so fast I didn’t even have time to dodge it. It connected with my jaw, whipping my head to the side. I cried out in pain, the blood rushing to the area, setting every nerve ending on fire. It only took a moment for his hand print to appear on my face. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I didn’t let them spill. It was the first time that I openly showed resentment towards my brother. I glared hatefully at him as I spit blood from my mouth.
“Smart me again Ana,” Toeryn scolded. “And it will be worse.”
I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to press any more buttons. Both of our nerves had been set on edge from the previous night. We walked the rest of the way to the inn in silence.
“Pack your things,” Toeryn told me as we entered the inn. “We’re leaving.”
“Where are we going?” I asked quickly.
“Away from here, away from those guards,” he told me as he began to throw things messily into a knapsack. I carefully began to put my possession into a bag.
“Only take what you need, Ana,” he said. “I’ll buy you more when we get to Stonebridge.”
As I continued to pack my stuff, he came over to help me, stuffing things into the bag. The necklace that Bertoline gave me, hung from my neck. With a quick motion, Toeryn snapped the chain and threw it across the room.
“Have you lost your mind?!” I screamed at him. “I like that necklace.”
“Ana, Bertoline gave that to you right?” He asked.
“Yes, he did.” I replied. “So what?”
“He got it off a rich dead girl,” he told her. “He is going to hang for what he did, made me do.”
I stared at him, confusion gripping my face.
“He killed those people, robbed them,” he replied. I couldn’t tell if he was lying to me or not. “he told me he would hurt you, Ana. If I didn’t help him commit these crimes, there’s no saying what would have happened. I didn’t want to do it, but to protect you, I did. I would steal what I could from them, and he.”
Toeryn broke, tears fell from his eyes. I studied him for a moment, as I continued to pack my belongings. He leaned forward on his hands and sobbed into them, before he sat back up again. Taking deep breaths he furiously began to finish packing.
“Hurry up,” he demanded. “I’m gonna find us horses.”
When he returned, we loaded the horses, settled our tab with the inn and left. Night had settled when we left. The horses moved at a steady pace along the road. I pulled my traveling cloak around my shoulders as we rode on. The cold air had a faint woody smell to it from the fires that burn in the houses of Tel’thurian. It made me long to go back, and into the warm bed I was leaving behind. I had grown familiar with the inn we lived in and wondered if we would do the same when we got to Stonebridge.
“How long will it take us to get to Stonebridge?” I asked Toeryn when we slowed to a lazy canter.
“About a month.,” he replied without even looking in my direction. I thought it was maybe because he didn’t want me to see the fear in his eyes of not knowing what we were going to do. Or the fear that the guards could very well come after us. In truth, the fear would be mirrored in my eyes as well. Not knowing what either of us would do. It was a thought that would haunt me for the entirety of our journey.
I looked back and saw a knight sitting on a horse, his expression, though distorted by the moonlight was sad. He raised his hand somberly and waved. I bowed my head knowing that it wouldn’t be the last time I experienced trouble, just as the knight knew that it wouldn’t be the last time he seen me. It was just a matter of time until we met again.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Two Part Two
“Bertoline,” The lanky man replied excitedly. “Bert, c’mon mate you have got to remember.”
Toeryn smiled and laughed, hugging him as best he could with me on his back. “It’d be hard to forget, old friend!”
Bertoline looked between Toeryn and me, his expression curious. He then looked around for something or someone. “Where’s the Missus?” He asked softly, not wanting to offend.
“There isn’t one, Bert,” Toeryn started to explain. “Lyssa is my kid sister. Our parents died a while back and I finally decided it was time to move her away from the family lands.”
“Toeryn!” I exclaimed, appalled that he openly lied about Mother being dead. “That’s not–”
“Lyssa,” Toeryn said firmly. “I know you don’t want to believe the truth, but you must accept it.”
I fell silent, stewing on how the anger I held. Tears well up in my eyes and once more I hide my face in Toeryn’s shoulder. Bertoline must have portrayed it as me accepting the so called reality, when really I was upset with Toeryn lying.
“Say, Bert,” Toeryn said. “Do you know where I might be able to find some work?”
“Hmm,” Bertoline said. I peeked up to look at him; he was thoughtfully stroking his chin. “I think I might know a few people. But you’ll have to come alone. Can you get rid of her?”
“Well I can’t get rid of her, but I can make sure she is in bed for the night.” Toeryn said. I seriously considered biting Toeryn at that point, but rolled my eyes and rested my head on my shoulders. “Lyssa is a big girl; she’s able to take care of herself, for just a few hours. Can’t you, Lyssa?”
“Yes, I can,” I said smartly. “I’ve been on my own before.”
Bertoline laughed softly, mussing my hair. “She’s got fire, in them eyes of her.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but Toeryn seemed to understand. “That she does. Listen would you like to join her and me for supper at The Empty Barrel?”
“That would be splendid, my good friend,” Bertoline said with a sly smile. “And as a show of good faith, I’ll buy a round of drinks. What would you like miss Lyssa?”
I glared at him and said nothing; there was something about him that made me feel ill. Perhaps it was just my imagination working overtime, but I knew he couldn’t be trusted. Everything about Bertoline screamed caution, and Toeryn seemed to be blind to this.
“I’ll tell you what, Toeryn,” Bertoline began, “You and miss Lyssa go ahead, I have to pick something up and I will meet you at the inn.”
“Alright then, see you in a few.” Toeryn agreed with an equally sly smile. Bertoline moved along the streets, blending into the crowd. Toeryn and I continued our way down the street and to the inn before he set me down.
“Lyssa,” he said taking my hand and leading me up the steps. “You must be on your best behavior, no smart comments, nothing that gives our story away.”
I woke the next morning to find Toeryn passed out in the bed next to mine. I hadn’t heard him come in. The room at all. Sliding from the bed, I shivered slightly as my feet touched the cold wooden floor. I made my bed and dressed quickly in the still too big clothes. Toeryn had left his clothes on the floor, I picked them up and folded them neatly. My eyes spotted a red stain on his shirt, shaking it out to examine it better. The rusty brown color told me immediately what it was.
“Toeryn?” I said shaking him awake. He didn’t respond immediately, so I shook him more violently, my voice filling with panic. “Toeryn!”
It took several attempts to wake him, but he finally did.
“What Ana?” He mumbled. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s blood on your shirt,” I cried “Are you hurt? What happened last night?”
“Nothing happened,” He lied, rolling over. “I’m not hurt, I had a job moving some meat is all.”
I eyed him suspiciously, I could tell he was lying to me. “Oh, okay.” I said unconvincingly.
We lived in the inn for several months, Toeryn always paying for the room weeks in advance. I badgered him about getting a place of our own, but all for nothing. Toeryn left every night and didn’t return until I was well off in my reverie. Every time I approached him about what he did he would tell me it was menial jobs that required hard labor and not something for a girl to do.
“It’s not fair Toeryn!” I shouted at him one evening. “I want to help too! I’m sick of being stuck in the inn all day long.”
“Then go out.” he told me flatly.
And I would just that. The next morning I dressed quickly, tucking my hair underneath a newsboy cap. Toeryn eyed me curiously for a moment.
“I’m going to need some money,” I said softly.
“What for?” He asked.
“Food, some clothing that fits.” I said in return.
“Alright then,” he said pulling out a medium-sized pouch.
Toeryn counted out five gold coin. My eyes widened at the amount, noting my expression he just smiled and placed them into a small brown pouch.
“Don’t lose it,” he told me firmly, handing the pouch to me. “Get what you need and don’t spend it all, Ana. Promise.”
“No,” I replied. “I can’t promise that I won’t spend it all. But I will see about a way for me to earn my own.”
I bolted out of the inn, excited to spend a day in the square. Everywhere the colors were bright and stood out against the thick gray walls. The sun was shining, the cobble shone with wetness from the melted snow. It was cold, but not bitterly so. I weaved my way down the roads looking at all the stands, looking for one in particular. It wasn’t there like it had been when we first arrived. Perhaps he moved on. I continued on through the square, looking at the items that each merchant had, purchasing a few trinkets, then located the tailors. The tailor had clothing sitting out on tables, carefully I looked through them.
Later that evening I returned to the inn with my coin purse containing only a few coppers. I had disposed of the ill-fitting clothes and wore my newer ones back to the inn. Not even stopping to say hello to the innkeeper and Meg, I bounded up the steps two at a time, eager to get into the bedroom and hide my goodies.
A year had passed since we had been there and living in the inn. Several murders of high positioned aristocrats were targeted The city officials couldn’t find who had done it and that’s when the Knights of Stonebridge showed up from Halde to investigate. There had been a series of murder that were all too much alike, and in a small city like this, they were hardly unnoticeable. I had been working with Meg and keeping the inn tidy, her father, paid me two silver and five coppers every other week. Toeryn had told me that he was working with Bertoline down at the docks, unloading ships and cargo. Each night he came home with a full coin purse
“You lied to him and told him our parents were dead!” I said in a loud whisper. “Why did you do that?”
“We have to pretend Mother is dead to protect her,” he told me. “Do you want Grandmother to hurt Mother?”
“No.” I said shaking my head. “But I don’t like lying about it.”
“It will be alright,” Toeryn said comfortingly. “Bert will take care of us, he’ll get me some work and we’ll have a place of our own in no time. I promise.”
I should have realized then that was the start of many broken promises that Toeryn made me. The inn was common at best, tables scattered throughout the common room, and a bar right in the center. Stew and bread as well as ale and other liquors filled the air. Toeryn picked out a table near the bar, as I climbed into the chair; I realized that none of the chairs matched. It added to simplicity of The Empty Barrel. Bertoline returned a quarter of an hour later. In his hands, he carried a small wrapped object, as Bert sat down he placed the small item in front of me.
“A truce, miss Lyssa,” he said to me as I eyed the object suspiciously. His voice, oily as he spoke. “I will do anything to get a little girl to smile.”
I opened the small package and giggled happily. It was a little iced cake in the shape of a fairy. What caught my attention the most was the jeweled charm that was sitting on the top of the cake. It was a tiny crystal in the shape of a blooming rosebud. The light of the candle reflected off the many facets, making it sparkle. Carefully I picked it up and examined it.
“Bert, you shouldn’t have done that,” Toeryn said. “You’ll have her spoiled in no time.”
“It was nothing, I swear,” Bertoline chuckled, as he produced another small package. “Miss Lyssa, in this one is a bracelet in which the charm can go on.”
“Thank you very much,” I said softly as I opened the box, removed the plain silver link bracelet and placed the charm on it. I looked up and made a huge effort to smile at him. I still didn’t trust him.
“Ah, you’re most welcome,” he said with an oily smile that churned my stomach. “Anything for a petite lass like yourself.”
That night after Toeryn left me in the care of the inn keeper’s daughter, Meg. She was a nice lady. Her eyes were slanted upwards slightly and were the clearest blue I had ever seen. Long blond hair fell pass her waist in a waterfall of curls. Meg’s skin was warm, rich, peaches and cream tone. She dressed in a simple brown dress and white waist apron.
“Well miss, what would you like to do tonight?” She asked me, after she finished brush my hair. I had just gotten out of the bath; the cotton night gown was warm against my skin. Meg had helped me with my hair, even getting a pair of scissors to straighten the jagged edges my hair was left in from when I had cut it myself. “There ya go miss, now you don’t look too much like a boy.”
“Can we play Wari?” I asked, looking in a small hand mirror at my hair. It was up to my chin and shortened more in the back. She had taken the front of my hair and cut a fringe. I shrugged a bit; there wasn’t much I could do about my hair, except wait for it to grow back.
Wari was a counting game I used to play with the staff in the kitchen back in Meadow Brook. The object was to take color stones, or baubles and move them, one by one, around a wooden board that had six small cups and two reservoirs. The person to fill their reservoir first won. It was an easy game that kept us occupied for hours on end.
While Meg was out of the room, I moved over to the window and looked out over the main square. Some where in the street there was arguing, a cat screeching, and a few dogs barking. Just below me were a woman and a man. She giggled as the man pressed her against the wall and kissed her bosom. Blushing I moved away from the window, pulling the shutters closed as I did.
Lyssa’s Tale Chapter Two Part One
Lyssa opened the door at the second knock. Xavier smiled tightly as he stepped through the threshold. He wore a navy blue suit with a white button down shirt underneath and a silver silk tie. His muddy brown hair was slicked back and his eyes held a look of boredom.
“’lo, Mister Wallock,” Lyssa said. In her hand she held a glass of whiskey; her hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. A pair of sweats and an oversize t-shirt gave her an overly comfortable look. None of this mattered to her. She didn’t need to dress up for Xavier.
“Good Evening, Miss Stormwater,” he said quietly. “I trust you are well”
“Well enough,” she replied. “You don’t look overly excited to be here.”
“Long day at the office,” Xavier stated. Lyssa just nodded and lead him into the sitting room. “Is Miss Alow going to be joining us tonight?”
“No,” Lyssa replied as she curled up in her chair. “Pania is working right now.”
Xavier pulled out a small recorder and set it on the table. “If you don’t mind,” he began. “I would like to record this information rather than type it.”
“Fine by me,” Lyssa said, taking a sip from her glass.
It took ten days traveling by foot for us to reach Tel’thurian. By the time we got there, my legs were stiff and sore. There were two times on the road that Toeryn carried me and the two packs. He was well trained in what to do outdoors. What surprised me the most was that he knew how to hunt; we had rabbit or some sort of small game almost every night.
One of the times I was carried, was when approached the main gates. Not have much to do with people other than those in the house, the guards made me curious. Their clothing was like nothing I ever seen before. The simple leather chest piece dotted with bits of metal, a helm that was made of stiff leather. To keep from giggling at their strange appearance, I hid my face in Toeryn’s neck.
“’scuse me mate,” Toeryn said in an accent that wasn’t his. “Could ye direct me an’ me sisser ‘ere to the nearest inn? She got sick on the way ‘ere an’ need a bit o’ rest.”
I look up for a moment, and the guard seemed to believe my appearance as a sign of sickness. I was still fairly dirt, a rainfall had washed most of the dirt off, but not all. “You follow the main road to the central market place, then you go left, follow that about two side streets and you’ll come across a comfortable inn and tavern. It’s called the Empty Barrel, painted sign of a spilled barrel.”
Toeryn nodded his thanks and offered the man a silver coin. It was rare that I seen money and I was curious about it. It reminded me of a bit of metal that dotted the man’s uniform. Thought questions filled my mind, I stayed quiet until we passed the main gate. My eyes looked everywhere. White stucco that had seen one too many rain storms covered the walls. Large windows showed off shop wares and the small brown ones, I could only assume were houses.
Townspeople milled around us, most of them not paying any attention to Toeryn and me. As we passed a bakery, the smell of hot bread wafted under my nose. I felt homesick, those in the kitchens back in Meadow Brook, were my family. Nursed me when I was ill, held me when I was scared and protected me from the mistress. My growling stomach pulled me from my day dreams as we began to pass more shops, and stalls. Then it hit me.
“What if we run into my father?” I asked with a slight panic to my voice.
“It’s unlikely that he even knows you exist, Lyssa,” he told me. “And even if he did, what makes you think that he would want an orphan like you? You don’t have any proof that you’re his daughter.”
“Oh.” I said sadly.
I still continued to look around, thinking and hoping that just maybe my father was here, and would know me instantly. Even if he wasn’t there today, maybe he would be there sometime while Toeryn and I stayed here. I would look for him on my own.
Toeryn hoisted me further up his back as we moved down the street further. In the center of the main square was a large three tiered stone fountain. Merchant stands and stall lined most open spaces, what was left were narrow foot paths. Toeryn and I stared in amazement; everything was brightly colored and noisy. I had never seen a more spectacular sight.
“Fresh fish!” One of the merchants called out every few moments. I wrinkled my nose at the sight of headless fishes and cringed as a man behind the caller loped off another fish head. My stomach churned a little, so I turned my head and looked at the other stalls to my left. Bottles, candles, jewels of all sorts lined the stalls.
“Oi, lad, bring the little miss over here,” Another merchant called to my brother. “Let her have a gander at all the exotic goodies from near and far!”
“No, thanks,” Toeryn said over the crowd. My eyes looked at the man, had locked into place with his. At first he did a double take and then stared after my brother and me. I stared back too, more out a curiosity than rudeness. When the merchant realized he was still staring, he went back to calling people over to his stall. Snow had begun to fall again as we moved our way to the west side of the town.
“We’re almost there, Lyssa,” Toeryn told me. I said very little during our trip, and started to look forward to a warm, soft bed.
“Can I have a fairy cake?” I asked softly.
“If they have them, otherwise you will have to wait until tomorrow,” Toeryn replied with a smile.
Houses lined the side street, laundry hung from lines strung across the streets. Children in the streets moved out of our way, but stared at us curiously. Woman chattered idly as they wash clothing, in a large wooden tub. The street was made of thick gray cobbles that put together tightly and were quite clean. Despite the look of the buildings, most of them seem rather sturdy looking. It wasn’t the slums by any means, but it was high class society either. It looked plain, and wonderful.
We passed the second street. I was able to see the sign for the Empty Barrel, I couldn’t read the words on the sign, but the picture of a tipped over barrel and ale pouring from it was enough to tell.
“Toeryn?” A male voice called out. Toeryn looked behind us when he heard his name. “Is that really you?”
“Aye?” Toeryn replied suspiciously. “Who wants to know?”
A lanky man came over to us. His hair was black and looked in need of a good wash. His skin was pale with a blue tint that seemed to stand out more with the sickliness of his appearance. He had a long pointed nose that had probably been broken more than once. The stranger was dressed in fine clothing, long black hose, an embroidered black tunic with a crisp white undershirt, soft black boots that warmed his feet and a floppy hat that had a feather in it.
