The streets are flooded with people and stalls. Customers all approach market stalls, all hunting for the best prices. Some people beg on the streets for extra cash, while others perform. Some people hide in crowds, taking money out of pockets and food on stalls.
I can hear the town drunks singing and dancing the bars, while we stand in the street.
"What now?" I say as I look around some more.
A lot of these people out there are men, but with so many children around there must be women somewhere. I guess being near a dragon school isn't the safest idea. I can see eyes on us, even though we don't wear uniforms, we still stick out like sore thumbs.
"We either need money or the skill to steal. But from the crowds of people, and the control the owners have of their things, we are going to need money."
I then see a thief grabbed by the stall owner. "Thief!" He shouts before a group of guards come charging and dragging him away. "Stealing probably isn't the best way out of things," I suggest.
"How much do we need?" Adam queries.
"Enough for at least one weapon, food, and maybe a place to stay for tonight if we are lucky."
"So where do we start?"
"Probably the place where people talk the most and don't care about a thing." I see the local tavern up ahead.
It is around midday and people are already laying out in the gutter drunk and or passed out.
"So are we stealing?" Theron questions, "It's not really the right way to go about things."
"We do what we have to. For now."
"I like how she thinks! At this time, only we matter. They choose to get drunk with their money, we choose to survive." Adam throws his arm over my shoulder.
"We only take what we need." I take his arm off me. "No more." I look at Adam.
"Fine, fine. What we need."
We begin to head over.
We are all still pretty young, so knowing my luck, I'll be kicked out. But Theron is old enough, and Adam should be just. Hopefully, they are all too drunk to realize.
We can hear their singing and cheer from outside.
"Why are they so loud?" I question before we step in.
The room completely ignores us as all the attention is at the bar. People are cheering and clapping at some randoms dancing on the bar.
I quickly glance over the room,
I can see most of the room from this angle, it seems to be very western styled. I know this town doesn't get much money considering its dangerous location, which why the cheap bar look makes sense.
Tables are made with dark polished wood, and so are the chairs. I can see everyone eyes on us.
The bar seems to be full of mostly men, with some women here and there.
My eyes soon drift to the main attention on the bar.
A woman.
"Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay!" The bar yells as we begin to walk in.
We are still unable to see who is on the table.
We begin to walk, followed by the sound of the creaking wooden boards.
I look around the room before we stop and sit down at a table in the far corner.
"We certainly are important. Nothing to worry about." Adam kicks back, as Theron keeps scanning the room.
"Something isn't right-" He stands up quickly and heads up to a notice board.
"What is going on?" I walk over to see him holding a piece of paper with my face on it. "What?" I take the paper off him. I am a wanted person.
I look at the board again, to see Theron's face, and Adam's face, as well as Jackson and Ashton.
"What are we-?" I begin to question before Theron changes personality completely.
"We have to get out of here. Now."
We quickly turn around to see a woman standing right in front of us.
"Woah." We stop as the woman stands too close for comfort.
She must have been the one on the bar. She is a fit woman, with beautiful wild red hair tied into a messy bun. She doesn't seem to have an elegant look and seems to be more of a wild person.
"What are we doing here gentlemen and woman." She takes the piece of paper out of Theron's hand.
"Fugitives. I see." She looks at the paper before connecting us all the paper we hold in our hands.
"Quite a bounty." She smiles.
"What do you want? We can give you money."
"A hello would have been nice." She says before scrunching the paper up and throwing it on the ground. "After I let you use my father's farm, you dare to not remember me?"
"Wait. You can't be." Theron seems to know her, "Ashleigh."
"The one and only." She smiles,
"How do you know this girl?" Adam asks,
"This girl is the owner of the farm my sisters are hiding it. What are you doing here?"
"I have nothing better to do. The real question is what trouble have you gotten yourselves in."
"Another country is after us."
"What a surprise." She sarcastically says as she crosses her arms.
"It seems our own country is after us too now."
"Maybe they want to protect you."
"Not a chance. If other countries want us, they will just use us to rub it in their faces."
"Well, you better get out of town now. Guards are all over town, handing out the bounties."
"We have nothing to leave with. No food, no weapons, we can't leave or we will die out there." I add,
"Well, I can-"
The door bursts open.
"Halt!" Four guards stand at the door and begin to pile in staring at the three of us.
"Oh shoot," Ashleigh says as the guards begin to approach.
"On my count," Theron mutters to me as the guards begin to reach for their swords. "3!" He shouts before he flips a table us setting plates and cups over the guards.
"Run!" I yell as we begin to spread out to get the guards away from the door.
I jump over the bar and duct down as Theron and Adam flip more tables.
"Sorry about this. I'll pay ya back one day." I tell the bartender before I jump over and begin to head to the exit.
I suddenly stop as two guards block my path.
"Jump Elena!" Adam yells as he charges towards me from my left.
I turn to my right to see a stained glass window.
"No-" Adam grabs me as he dives through the window.
Glass flies everywhere as he holds my body close with one hand on my waist, and the other hand covering the top of my head.
We land on the floor, with glass shattered everywhere.
"Let's go." Adam quickly stands up and grabs my arm as we begin to head out to the crowds.
"Where is Theron?" I say as we rush through the crowds.
"He got out. He just told us to run." He explains before we begin to hear the public scream.
I soon am knocked over by the crowds rushing against us. We are like two rocks in a rushing river.
"Wait. What was that?" I say as Adam goes to help me up. My heart freezes as I hear the sound of a...
In front of me, a dust cloud forms from the flapping of sky beasts.
My heart jumps as I recognize the people riding the dragons.
"Hop on!" Theron yells as he sits behind Jackson.
I quickly get up and begin to rush over to the second dragon.
I jump up as the warm arms of Ashton catch me and drag me on top of his dragon.