The Beast That was Promised ✔

SEVEN: By The Bridge

Crossing the bridge just got a lot more difficult. He was standing out in the open, a halfling that no one could tell the origin of; he needed to move before someone caught him. He was lucky he hadn't already been seen. Cursing under his breath, he crouched and stuck to the tall grass, knowing that it wouldn't do much, but it was better than standing like a statue and expecting not to be spotted.

It was as if the whole town and the camp were empty. He didn't hear a word as he snuck closer to the worn wooden buildings that reminded him far too much of his old home in Huton. They were far from the border, the buildings should have been nicer, but Minisia had always struggled. That much he'd known from Turian, who liked to spill the secrets of the crown to him when he'd had too much to drink. He'd then, against his better judgement, told Rina. But she'd needed to know the truth.

Emrick pressed his back to the thin wood of the house, breathing in the chill air. Voices drifted towards him, but they were not Askari. He hissed in a breath as the voices faded. The town was not as empty as he had first thought. Ishini controlled it, they would be patrolling the streets constantly. He had to be careful. He still had his sword and the fear stone on him, but it would be better if he didn't use it. Getting into a fight would only cause the entire battalion to come for him. He was only one man, he couldn't hold off that many people.

To the right of the house was a thin alley filled with crates and rubbish. The dark clouds didn't allow much light into the alley, meaning he could hide there for a long time without being spotted. It didn't give him much of a chance to survey Fovatia, but he could see some of it if he looked quickly around the corner. The streets twisted and turned, branching off into smaller ones. He couldn't tell which of them led to the bridge he needed, meaning he would have to explore, something he couldn't do in his current state.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair and retreating into the alley. There hadn't been many soldiers patrolling the streets, but that didn't mean they weren't there. It was still far too many for him to take on. There would only be one way across the bridge and it would be well protected. They wouldn't let just anyone cross.

Leaning back against the wall of one of the houses, he tilted his face up to the dark sky. A small face caught his eye and he gasped, standing and banging his hip against a crate. He immediately crouched again, waiting for a soldier to appear around the corner and catch him, but nothing came. With a relieved sigh, he stood again, giving the person in the window a short wave. They didn't wave back, a solemn look in their eyes that led him to move a crate and climb onto it to reach the second storey window.

The person on the other side opened it as he climbed, furrowing their brow at him. "What are you doing?" they asked, disapproval lacing their voice.

"Trying to cross the bridge," he answered, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

The person let out an incredulous laugh, flicking their long white hair back with a tsk. "You're insane, kid," they said but they didn't look any older than him. "You know no one is allowed out."

"I'm not from here," he said.

"Gods, you're going to get us all killed," they muttered and grabbed his hand. "You should come in before someone sees you, halfling."

Emrick shook their grip away. "I can't, I have to get across the bridge."

He wasn't going to some stranger stop him. He was careful, thoughtful, he wouldn't be caught. That didn't stop the worry from settling in his stomach. If he was caught, then it could mean trouble for the people of the town, even though he wasn't one of them. For some reason, they hadn't killed everyone there but had decided to make them stay in their homes. He couldn't think of a reason for it, but it made everything a lot more difficult.