The Chronicle Keeper (Formally - Destiny)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR | aislin

I wasn't sure if the sting of salty tears was me crying or from the brittle wind of the sea coming ashore. This was so unfair! I'm sure Nolan would agree with me. We were so close too! All I could do was focus on leaving the city as fast as I could. I wasn't too concerned with Belle's horseshoes, as she had been checked over while Nolan and I had visited Lale and Kadir. The clang of metal on cobblestone rang in my ears, making me deaf to anything but the ringing of horseshoes against stone.

If only Nolan had made it, this would be a lot easier. Instead, now I was faced with making decisions about what direction and what street I needed to turn down to get out of this stupid town. Not a skill I excelled at by any means. And it wasn't going to do me any good weaving in and out of side allies, because no matter where I went, they would hear me.

Ugh!

My decision making consisted of going straight and staying on one street. I figured it would at least allow me adequate distance and time to create space between me and the shouting men behind me. I had no idea how they were even remotely keeping up, but I didn't want to know. There was enough fear and immediacy pushing me forward to fill a whole village. And maybe then some too, as I could feel Belle was feeding off my fear and urgency.

"Come on, girl. We have to get out of here." Leaning forward, I spoke to Belle, hoping she understood me. It was a long shot, but at this point, anything was better than nothing. Or at least, I really had nothing to lose, except maybe my freedom.

The farther away from the dock, the more traffic we were dodging. At first, the women were screaming at the children and pulling them to safety. I couldn't understand what was being said, but it seemed like two variants were used. Maybe if I tried to listen over the screaming, I could learn a new word to yell, to get people to move out of my way.

"Dikkat! Dikkat!" A lady called to her older son as Belle and I came barreling down the street, heading straight for the boy. Swerving, I lost my balance and clung on tight, before gathering my bearings again.

I watched as others within close proximity moved aside with promptness and purpose. And just like that, I had my word. It seemed effective enough and wasn't offending anyone. If at all, it seemed like a warning of high importance. I started to mimic the word, dikkat, and yelled it at the top of my lungs. I felt a smile crease my mouth as the sea of people parted. It was like a domino effect. Then, I noticed the throng of people ahead of Belle and I were stopping to look back at the commotion we were creating. I blushed, but continued on, wasting no time.

With no encouragement needed, Belle quickened her pace immediately. It wasn't much, but I felt the throng of people closing in behind us. Like they, too, sensed our danger. Looking back over my shoulder, I spotted at least a dozen men a hundred meters back. My heart nearly jumped into my throat, as my heart beat hastened, pounding against my chest. Would I ever be out of harms way? Would this ever end? The never-ending chasing? I let the thoughts quickly slip from my mind. I didn't want to think about the sacrifices needed to answer my questions.

The parting sea of people slowly thinned as I watched them being replaced with vehicles. Belle's tense muscles under the pressure of my legs, communicated apprehension. I tried not thinking into existence her coming to a screeching halt, flinging me over her head. We were nearly coming to the end of the village street, when I saw it morphing into a freeway. Panic was rising fast, as I swallowed in anticipation and preparation for the worst to happen.

It didn't take long for Belle to admit her phobia of cars. Even if they were quiet, compared to the previous generation of loud and obnoxious vehicles. Clearly, as the sky was blue, I found out real quick just what the coined phrase 'stopping on a dime' meant. It had been used frequently at the barn I was part of, while taking riding lessons. And now, I was struggling to roll onto my side, having had the air forced from my lungs. Belle had come meters away from traffic. Just enough safety room to save me from getting pulverized by oncoming traffic.