Silver Cathedral Saga: Observer Chronicles, Book 1

Nightingale

In Swansie, Ematay and the other three Spell-casters: Dak, Lauretta and Adea, were still in search of the Gypsy known as the Nightingale.

They had asked around, but it seemed that one person would lead them in one direction, and another in the opposite. The people at the council were of little help after all.

Ematay became frustrated and soon asked the other three Spell-casters to split up and meet back in the centre of the city by the grand swan fountain in an hour. They all checked their magick sundial watches before separating.

The Star-caster moved between the marketplace and public attractions.

Twenty minutes in he felt something happening, though wasn't sure exactly what it was.

He continued to look around, ask then move on, hoping to find this 'Nightingale' person.

Eyes fell upon him. He could feel somebody follow wherever he went and quickly and slyly turned to see these spying eyes; when he looked he noticed there was more than just one pair. There was two. A male and female.

He made it look like he didn't see them, as he didn't tilt his head directly to facing their direction; his eyeballs quickly flicked to their position, before going back to normal and looking around.

Ematay wasn't sure what this was all about, but he became weary from it faster than he liked, and kept them in his mind as he continued.

Though they still continued to follow him as he kept growing farther and farther from the centre of Swansie. They kept themselves behind several lots of people, trying not to make it too obvious. But it was too late for all that.

Ematay quickly went down a narrow alley when a crowd of people blocked the follower's view of him. He used it to disappear down the path, and wrestled with the people in the next main street when he ran onto it.

These unknown eyes felt as if they left him, for now.

There were fewer people on this street, which he thought would work against him, not being able to blend in as easy now. The rows of houses separated most streets, like the one he walked down once more.

The Star-caster was glad the two had gone for now, though he still thought the male and female would be able to find him again. So he had to work as fast as he could. He went the way he was meant to before he noticed they were following him. Again. The dark-skinned Star-caster kept his eyes open, cautious. He came to the next person the last one told him to see.

"Eve Evans," he said to the woman he knocked on the door of.

"Yes, who's asking?" replied the one in the doorway of a quaint home that was thatched. She was fairly young. Not nearly thirty yet.

"I'm Ematay. A Star-caster from the King's Order." He looked around, to make sure these two spies were nowhere to be seen.

Her eyes widened. "Can't say I've seen a Star-caster yet. Elementalists and Battle-casters, yeah. But not a Star-caster. What can I do for you?"

"I was told you might know where to find the Nightingale," replied Ematay. "I would not ask if it was not urgent. I am not even sure if urgent is the right word. It is beyond that."

She looked around her house outside, then gestured her head to say 'come in'. She closed the door as quick as possible. As soon as she did she put a padlock on the door, which explains why it took some time to open, and the tinkering sound he heard before the door moved to see her face.

He followed the woman to a small room at the back of her house. Then, she moved a table which had a rug underneath, a grey one that was made of fleece; she threw that aside, revealing a trap door with a little hole a single finger would be able to poke through. Her finger poked through as expected, and opened the horizontal door only a single person could fit through at a time. She moved her hand to the open door on the floor. Ematay went in, the woman following. But she did not close the door. Ematay figured it would have been pointless, as all of the objects were moved to draw attention to the trapdoor if someone walked in that room; this place.