Chapter 4

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  • Dedicated to Zack Sullivan
                                    

Chapter 4

Vicven awoke in a furry. He quickly calmed when he realized they were in no danger. His dream had taken a horrible turn. The dream had become Eilstina and himself running from the creature for years to come, and once the creature had caught them it told them how it had killed Halei and everyone in the town, before it finally killed them.

With his subconscious not letting him return to sleep, Vicven arouse from the bed. He noticed that Eilstina had at some point climbed into the bed with him. The room was drenched in darkness. It couldn’t have been more than four in the morning. Vicven maneuvered his way to the door through the darkness, it squeaked as he pulled it open. He heard Eilstina moan and begin to shift on the bed, Vicven quickly slipped from the room before he made any more noise.

The hallway was dark, and silent. Vicven walked to the window, overlooking the houses stretching towards the woods. The moon light flowed off the river, covering the houses in a silver coating. The view made Vicven miss the forest. It seemed like years since he had seen the forest, yet it had only been a day.

He made his way down the stairs. The inn was empty except the night barman. He seemed ready to collapse. The man looked at Vicven coming down the stairs.

“Hello good sir.” The man said; yet Vicven caught his body stiffen and saw his hand move to up under the counter. Vicven ignored the man’s words and responded with assurance.

“You want need that dagger. I don’t plan on hurting you.” He said to the man. The man seemed relieved by the statement yet surprised that Vicven knew about the dagger.

“Thank you good sir,” the man said. “It’s nice to hear that not everyone in this town is out to rob you.” Vicven caught the truth in his words.

“Why have the thieves’ been so active lately?” Vicven asked. The man looked around the bar before he spoke. It seemed whatever was happening involved the thieves’ leader.

“To be honest,” the man began. “Nobody really knows, but everyone has their suspicions. Mine and most everybody else, is that the thieve leader died and the thieves are fighting to take her place.” The man ended the story in a whisper. It seemed the thieves had everyone in a panic, but Vicven had caught a few key words in the story. The thieve leader had died; it certainly meant that the thieves where at war trying to claim new lands and decide on a new leader. This would be something to check into before they leave the town, he thought. He decided enough with suspicious talk and changed the subject.

Hours passed while talking to the man; yet no conversation was as interesting as the first. The man, Vicven could tell, was grateful for the company. Not many people wander into an inn at four in the morning. The man rambled on for a few more minutes then suddenly stopped.

“Why were you up at four this morning, surely you didn’t need to get up that early?” He asked. Vicven hesitated for a moment, he didn’t know if he should tell him why he was up. As he was about to speak a traveler stumbled into the bar, and Vicven used this distraction to slip away from the man back to the room above.

Vicven rounded the corner, and walked straight into the aunt. She scowled at him deeply as if she had been touched by her mortal enemy. Vicven watched as she walked around the corner, happiness feeling him when she was out of his sight. He continued his way to the room, pondering on the thieves and their reasons for fighting. Vicven seemed to lose himself in his thoughts, and before he realized it he was laying on the bed in the room. After several seconds of lying down, realization struck him; he had made it to the room. He glanced around Eilstina was not there, that’s when he heard it running water. Eilstina was in the shower, and no sooner did he think these things did the water shut off. He panicked he had no clue what to do, in seconds she would come out that door naked, assuming no one was in the room. As he thought these very words the knob started to turn. Finding nothing else to do Vicven closed and shielded his eyes.

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