It was raining. The thundering heavens menaced the creatures of the earth, making them seek shelter in fear. The toiling trees hardly managed to hold out against the howling wind. The storm was raging, and the black winds had been freed to wander in the sky, brawling and racing one another.
The meadow, which was initially empty, filled with the screaming of a small girl who burst in through the trees. She was running with all the strength she could master, but her breaths were shallow, her legs had grown weak, and whoever were chasing her were getting closer with each passing second. The slippery grass would slow them down, though not for long. She peeked over her shoulder and saw them running after her.
She sprinted even faster, ignoring the rain that was pouring and mercilessly whipping her face. She abruptly came to a stop. She has reached a dead end and she had no way to escape. As she desperately searched for a way out, she noticed a crack in the rocks, a tiny opening that barely fit her small body. If she made it that far, maybe she could make it. That gave her hope and she resumed her running, but she had misjudged her luck. In a state of despair, she tripped over the slippery ground and clumsily fell down. That was all it took for her pursuers to catch up with her. The girl felt someone seizing her leg and screamed.
. . . . . .
Ines immediately opened her eyes. She was back in her room at the inn.
'Come on Peter, wake up!' someone banged on the door.
Matthew's shouting brought her back to reality. It was only a bad dream, she reasoned. She rubbed her throbbing head and her fingers touched something that felt like a bandage. Why is there a bandage around my head?, she thought. Then all of a sudden, everything came back to her, the mission, the fighting in the forest. That bastard will get it for what he did, she promised to herself. She was deep in thought when the door burst open by a very much frustrated Matthew.
'What the hell are you doing? I've been shouting my lungs out for hours!'
Ines rolled her eyes. She would have kicked him out of her room, but she needed answers.
'Give me a break, Matthew.' Ines started firing him with questions. 'What happened? Did they get away? And why am I in my room?'
'Take it easy buddy. The team brought you back last night. You seemed to have hurt you head pretty badly, so we carried you up here.'
Ines processed the information. It seemed they had safely made it back to the camp, while she was unconscious. Matthew saw her trying to connect the dots in her mind and tried to contain a smile. Ines ignored his obnoxious face. She wandered her gaze around the small room that had been her home for the last couple of years. On one side, it had a small closet with a water container right next to it, and the walls were bare. Her bed barely fit in the cramped room. It wasn't anything luxurious. During winter, it got too cold and during summer too hot, but it was the only place she could be herself without risking being caught. If living here meant she could stay away from prying eyes, she would gladly choose this over the camp that was filled with not so progressive men.
That thought apparently was a wake-up call for her, and Ines realised that Matthew was still standing at her door. He was leaning against the doorframe, towering over the room. Although his expression was unreadable, his eyes were calculating and didn't miss anything. What if I have already been exposed?, she panicked. She widened her eyes and tried to shake that thought off her mind. She was still wearing her armour like last night, so they mustn't have noticed anything.
Matthew saw her discomfort and was about to move closer, but Ines stopped him before it was too late.
'I'm fine. Don't you have anything better to do than pestering me with your presence? Get out!' she snapped at him.
That seemed to infuriate him, and Ines saw him clenching his jaw in anger, but he quickly composed himself and his face turned blank.
'Alright, alright! I am going, but I'll be waiting for you outside. We must be at the training grounds in 20 minutes. Get ready,' he barked and stormed out of the room.
'I don't need an escort!' she yelled back.
She let out a groan in frustration and got up. After splashing a generous amount of water on her face, she felt a little better. She dried herself with the only towel she had and run her fingers through her short hair. She desperately needed a haircut.
She exited her room and ran down the stairs, entering the nearly empty dining hall. Only a few people were sitting around the big fireplace in the corner, the only part of the inn that was warm enough in that time of the year. She walked past the tables and went outside. The weather had grown worse since the day before. Dark clouds covered the sky and the winter wind made the people on the street hurry on to their homes.
Ines saw Matthew waiting with his arms crossed in front of his chest and raised a brow. Surely, he didn't expect them to just have a nice stroll and finally forget their secret plans to kill each other, because in that case, she would be very disappointed not to fulfill them. Besides, as much as she would love to see her plans come to reality, she had to keep her distance.
Ines tightened the collar of her garment and started walking back to the camp. She could definitely sense Matthew's glaring at the back of her head, but resisted the urge to turn around. She didn't have to walk for long, since the inn she stayed at was at a close proximity to the camp. She took the main road of the city where carts passed by, transferring goods to the shops and the palace.
For the last couple of years, the city transformed when night fell. People locked themselves inside their homes in fear of the constant disappearances. At first, many dismissed the idea of them being in danger and argued that the city was the safest place in the whole kingdom. As months passed, though, more and more people went missing leaving no trace behind. The king - having no other choice - implemented the strictest laws possible in hopes of protecting the people. Until now, no one knew who was responsible for the disappearances.
Ines reached the camp. It consisted of the storerooms where they kept their weapons, the cramped barracks of the soldiers, a few prison cells for interrogations and temporary custody and the training grounds that served as a briefing place too. She entered the main gate and saw their captain conversing with his second in command. They looked quite worried, speaking rapidly in hushed tones. Ines knew something was amiss, and so, she neared them.
'Good morning, sir,' she said reluctantly.
Both men glanced at her with a hard look on their faces. They didn't like being interrupted.
'Has something happened?' she inquired.
'Well, yesterday we managed to take a member of the gang into custody, and they will try to make him talk. He was the one who hit you on the head,' the captain answered.
'I don't know how we will get him to talk. That bastard is rougher than I expected!' added the other man, more to himself.
Ines thought about it. It wouldn't hurt to try, since she was curious to discover who was behind the attack the previous night.
'Sir, I ask permission to interrogate him myself.'
The captain looked at her in disbelief, giving her a once-over.
'Do you really think you, of all people, will make him confess?' he taunted.
Ines stayed calm. She had faced men's scornful behaviour many times before.
'Positive, sir.'
'Permission granted,' he said after a few seconds thought. 'Let's see what you can do. We might as well enjoy it.'
Ines silently nodded and headed towards the cells. She would be the one to loosen up his tongue and prove them all wrong.
She headed to the prison cell where the captive was being held with the captain hot on her heels. She entered the building and was shown the way. A guard was standing by the door. He opened it and let her in. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she peered around. The room was cold and completely empty, except for a series of chains hanging from the walls. There was also a tiny window that gave enough light to see.
She noticed a hunched figure sitting in the farthest corner and studied him. His clothes had been ripped in many places, his hair was tangled and, though his face was hidden in the shadows, it was clear that it was covered with bruises.
The captain entered the room and gave her some letters and a weapon.
'These were found on him. You might wanna ask him about them,' he informed her and exited the cell.
She studied the letters. They were a bit damaged from all the fighting and their text was indecipherable. The weapon was a small dagger that was made from peculiar material. It was extremely sharp and well crafted, with detailed designs on its hilt. She put them down and got closer.
Ines cleared her throat, and the thief snapped his gaze towards her. It was at that moment that Ines discovered she already knew who he was, and he was someone she never expected to see again.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: Thanks for reading! Any ideas about who the mystery man might be? Share your theories in the comments, I'd love to hear them.
Phrase of chapter: σκιάς ὄναρ ἄνθρωπος / men are the dreams of a shadow - Pindar