Smoke and Iron-Legends of Silva-Book 1

Chapter 6-Secrets in the Dark

                                Andreas

Morning arrives in the city bringing with it the sound of it waking from its deep slumber. The hammer of the blacksmith, weak sunlight shining through the window, and the smell of rekindle fires announces its arrival. An arrival that has come far too fast for my liking.

With the sun glaring across my face I sit up and rub my tired eyes. A dull pain begins to beat against my skull, a pain that will only get worse as the day wears on. Reluctantly I haul myself out of my warm bed, setting my feet on the floor I stand up on shaking legs. A sudden bolt of pain sends me clutching the nightstand for support.

Damn, maybe drinking three mugs of ale while angry wasn't the best decision. Thankfully, I have something to ward off the worst of it.

Bracing myself against another bout of pain I slowly make my way to the chest at the foot of my bed. Opening it, I push aside clothes, boots, and weapons as I make my to the bottom. When I reach it I grab hold of the small oak box buried underneath my things.

Taking it out I sit down crossing my legs and place the box on them. I open the box revealing an assortment of small glass vials in different colors and labeled with paper tags tied around their corks. All of them are filled with medicinal herbal remedies made from the different plants that grow across the many lands of Silva. Collected and brewed by the Kumandians in the Red City, they are highly sought after for curing the many illnesses that one could have. Every bottle worth its weight in gold, lucky for me a Reaper earns a hefty wage.

Carefully sifting through them I pick a red vial from the box. Laying the box on the floor I read the label to make sure it's the right one. Willow bark extract is written on the rough paper in black ink. Sighing in relief I uncork the vial and take three small sips of the liquid, the woody taste filling my mouth as it travels down my sore throat.

Corking the vial I place it back in its wooden case, and then closing the lid I set the box back in my trunk. With that taken care of I grab some clothes and head to the washstand. After splashing the ice cold water on my face I throw on a pair of black pants and a gray shirt, stopping for just a moment to make sure my injured arm is still bandaged.

Just as I start to pull my boots, on a knock sounds at the door. Glancing across the room to Ren's still sleeping form I finish tugging my feet into the leather shoes. Walking across the floor I open the door a crack, and find the last person I expected to be at my door. I quietly open the door lest its creaking hinges wake up Ren, another headache waiting to happen.

Talber walks into the room wearing the fine wool and silk clothes of a lord in the king's court. Clothes that he usually doesn't wear favoring the full silver suit as Captain of the Silver Guard. He must have been summoned to the castle. A summons I fear that does not bode well for him.

He turns to face me while I shut the door. His eyes take in my bedraggled appearance. No doubt my hair is a mess and I probably have dark circles under my eyes.

"Seems you had an eventful night," Talber says, running a hand on his chin in contemplation.

I huff a laugh, "Eventful doesn't even begin to cover it my lord."

"I assume it was not of your doing then?" he asks, quirking a graying brow at me.

"Not in the least," I reply, "So what brings you here Captain?"

Talber heaves a sigh, wiping his hand across his face.

"The king has summoned me to speak about the hunt for the Ghost," he says.

My hand goes to my pendant, my fingers slowly rub against the metal. A nervous habit that I can't seem to break. Anyone summoned by the king can expect a great reward or the hangman's noose.