The Shadow

Chapter 34

Kai patted Lunar's muscled neck as she trotted through the wooden gate, which had been left open wide. The walls surrounding the town were small and feeble—it was no more than a glorified fence, really. Thin, dried out logs stretched a couple of meters into the cloudy midday sky, held together by rusty iron nails. The gate itself was a bit higher than that, and curved into a sloppy arch, crafted solely from timber and iron. A title was etched into the wood, letters nearly faded:

Runswick

Kai leapt from his horse, joining Saif on the ground, eyes sweeping the abandoned town. It was larger than he'd expected—a hundred houses, perhaps, with another dozen larger buildings that must have been taverns and shops.

Kai scowled, studying all that had been left behind. The smell of rot filled the air, but not the kind that followed death.

"Wasting produce and meat, I suspect," Saif murmured, nose scrunched in displeasure.

The houses were simple, just like in the other towns Kai had visited. He shuddered, mind traveling to piles of carcasses, burning buildings...Not here, though. This place had been spared the same fate as the others.

"Is there any point in searching for survivors?" Kai asked, casting another look around. There wasn't much to see, and they needed all the time they could spare.

Saif shrugged. "I suppose not—"

The elf stopped short, pointed ears pricking up, listening. Kai swiveled his head, studying the area yet again. What did Saif hear? Was there someone left in this old, abandoned place?

A long moment passed and Kai cleared his throat. "Maybe you heard a rat, or pets left here by the townspeople?"

Saif shook his head, alert as ever. "No, it's...It's something else." His eyes widened and Kai frowned. Generally, anything that shocked his friend was a bad sign.

The elf stepped forward suddenly, gesturing for Kai to follow him. They made their way along the worn dirt path, weeds beginning to invade its edges. By the time a row of houses had fallen behind them, Saif halted. A narrow alley lay to one side, bordered by a row of broken down homes and a tavern.

Movement within the alley. Kai pulled a knife from his belt, eyes straining to see whatever lay within the darkness. He did not have to wait long.

A figure stepped into the sunlight. The creature was female, and stood nearly as tall as Saif, with ebony hair that fell to her waist. Soft brown eyes adorned a face as pale as snow. She was beautiful...and familiar, somehow. He had never seen her before—at least, not that he could remember. But there was something about her...

"I don't believe it," Saif breathed. "It can't be."

Kai looked back to the figure outside the alley with renewed interest. He had assumed that she was simply a townswoman, left behind by her people when they evacuated Runswick. But to hold such meaning to Saif...perhaps she was something more.

Her clothes were simple—hardly more than a large cloth, oversized and worn with use. In fact, they did not fit at all—or had they been put on the wrong way? She was not normal, Kai knew already.

Saif stepped forward. "We mean no harm. My name is Saif, and this is Kai." The elf gestured to him, and his eyes lit at the cool consideration etched within the woman's expression. It was as if Saif recognized her, too.

"Navare," She said in answer, voice rough and shaky, as if it had not been used in a long time.

Navare. Not a name that's common to a place like Ath.