Elora sat there for a few moments, resting her back against the large tree. The road was quiet with the horses and men long gone. The only sound was the faint wind that whistled through the naked trees, tugging gently at her pale hair. Her heart was full and body still. She closed her eyes and leant her head back, basking in the serenity of the moment. This was the first time she had heard such silence. In the prison there was always noise: shouting, talking, laughing, the creaking of the cell doors and the sound of the men yelling in their sleep. The silence of the morning felt so foreign yet inviting, almost lulling her into a dreamy slumber.
The mid-morning sun had begun to warm her shoulders, shining down on the snow-covered ground. The road that fed into the city was lined with tall trees, their branches twisted and gnarled from the winter winds. Elora pulled herself up and started her way down the road, making sure to keep near the treeline. Her breath formed little clouds in front of her as she walked in the cold morning air. The sound of chickens clucking caught her attention. The trees had cleared to reveal a small stone cottage sitting alongside the road. A small muddy path lined with a broken wooden fence led the way to the door. The cottage had two small windows that were misted up, the chimney had smoke disappearing into the sky.
Elora stood and watched as a young boy walked around the cottage from the back, a large brown sack in his hand. She watched, fascinated, as he chucked the feed onto the ground, the chickens squawking as they jumped around in a frenzy. The young boy looked up, spotting her standing there in the trees watching. He stared at her for a moment before running back around behind the cottage. Taking that as her cue, she walked briskly past the small cottage.
The road carried on for a short while and she had passed a few other muddy cottages like the earlier one, all of them now awake. Elora's feet had started to warm up, the cold snow no longer seeped through her thin slippers, they were now just covered in mud. The mud road had slowly turned into cobblestone and she could see the buildings in the city more clearly. The road rose steadily up the hill before dropping steeply, as she climbed over the rise she stopped. The city sat nestled between the mountains, the buildings were larger than she had imagined. Smiling to herself she jogged down the hill and stopped at the bottom to admire the tall buildings around her.
The street bustled with people, men and women, young and old. She stood in the middle of the street and gazed in wonder at it all. A large woman with a rotund belly bumped roughly into her, her ruddy cheeks were red as she huffed in annoyance. "Move out of the way girl!" Elora watched curiously as the women looked over her and tutted, her dark eyes rested on Elora's pantlegs with raised eyebrows. Shaking her head, the woman strut off down the street. Elora watched the busy people of Wirenth, noticing something for the first time. The women all wore dresses. She watched as a mother and daughter walked next to each other down the street. Both of them wore long dresses. The woman wore a dark brown dress that was cinched at the waist with a narrow string acting as a belt. Her sleek sleeves were long, stopping at her wrists. A cream undershirt poked out of her bust, the ties on the front of her dress were pulled tight. The small girl's dress was similar in fashion, dipped below her ankles and dark blue. The young girl's hair was braided down her back while her mother had a small cap perched atop her light hair.
Self-consciously, Elora looked down at her baggy, brown pants, that barely reached her ankles. The women that were walking down the street gave her strange looks as they stared at her odd attire for a young girl. Wirenth was cold in the winter season, she could see this from the number of buildings that had frosted windows and the long-sleeved dress all the women wore. A man herding his donkeys down the street interrupted her thoughts, he yelled for her to move. Quickly she jumped backwards, out of the way. The street had begun to grow smaller as carts and wagons trundled their way along the cobblestones.
Following the crowds, Elora kept her eyes open to avoid being trampled by the large horses and their owners. The noise in the street grew louder as she reached the centre of the city. The centre was filled with a sea of people pushing and shoving each other. Numerous wooden stalls sold all kinds of items from fruits and vegetables to trinkets and pottery. A stall caught Elora's attention. Fighting her way through the crowds, earning a glare or two from some of the busy citizens, she stood in front of the store.
The table was lined with rows of gold chains and pendants, never had Elora seen such beautiful things. Slowly she studied each item, eyes lit up in awe. The shopkeeper, a dark-skinned man from the merchant city of Nazabay watched her carefully, keeping a sharp eye on her hands. He had been sailing from the small merchant city, that was based on an island east of Wirenth, for many years and knew to keep an eye out for thieves, especially children. The people of Nazabay were different from Wirenth, they were a harder, more cunning nation. Making them the perfect tradesmen in the city of Wirenth. Each day hundreds of items were carried by ship between Wirenth and Nazabay, their trading network formed thousands of years ago.
The man's chocolate eyes watched the young girl curiously. Her long blonde hair was almost white, blending in with her icy skin. She wasn't a pretty thing; her eyes were dull and cheek sunken. Her small body was covered in a thin shabby woollen coat which rested above the dirty white lined cotton shirt she wore. The man stared at her brown pants, uncommon for a girl to wear. His face hardened as he realised that she was a street urchin, he must make sure she would take no chances.
Elora, unaware of the trader's scrutiny, gazed at a long golden chain with a dark red gem hanging off the end of it. Her eyes studied the way the chain folded into a twisted pattern; the intricate design stole her breath away. She tried to imagine herself wearing something like that, her hair knotted on top of her head, wearing a soft red dress. As she stared at the chain something strange had begun to happen, the chain had started to move. Transfixed Elora watched as the chain morphed into something all too familiar. The scales of the snake were dark and shone bright like the other jewellery. The snake twisted itself to face her, its eyes red and cold. It's not real. You're just dreaming it, it's not real Elora! She tried to convince herself as the snake slivered across the table, its tongue flickering as it stopped by the trader's hand. Elora watched in horror as the man stared blankly at the snake, the snake hovered above his hand with its mouth wide open and fangs bared.
No. "Watch out!" She cried and lunged for the snake. The scales were cold and smooth against her hand, reminding her of the dream she had. Bravely, she flung the snake down onto the ground and brought her foot down hard on the snake's head, crushing its skull, the blood-splattered onto the ground.
"What have you done?! Look, look!" The tradesman grabbed her arm, roughly squeezing her. Elora felt shocked and frightened as she looked down at what he was pointing at. Under her foot lay the shattered shards of the red gem, glistening in the sunlight. The chain lay detached a few steps ahead of them, broken. Elora blinked, staring at the broken jewellery under her foot, the snake missing. She was so sure it had been there, she felt it! The furious tradesman shouted in her face. "You stupid girl, you're going to pay for this..." He snarled in her face.
People had started to gather around, stopping to see what the commotion was about. The tradesman pulled her closer to his stand, "Guards! Somebody help! Thief!" He yelled loudly into the crowd. Startled, the people stared at her with angry scowls on their faces. Some of the men ran off to call the guards. Scared of the angry merchant and the faces in the crowd, she looked for a way to escape. While the man gestured wildly at the destroyed jewellery, she twisted her body and clamped her teeth down on his wrist, drawing blood. "Ahh, what are you...". He lets go of her arm, cradling his hand at his chest.
Without looking back, she sprinted through the crowd. Pushing people out the way with her arm, she ignored their shouts at the guards to catch her. Not knowing where to go, she ran down a narrow alley towards the edge of the town. Breathing heavily, she turned down street after street, desperate to evade the guards. The houses had become more spread out as the road became smaller, leading her further away from the marketplace. As she rounded the corner, she ran into a large, steel chest. "Elora!" Virion stood back in shock at the sight of the young girl before him. "I'm sorry." He said while reaching forward to latch onto her arms. No, she refused to go back there, she's come too far for that. Using all her strength, she pulled her fist back and smashed it against the soft exposed flesh on his throat. Surprise and shock flashed in his eyes as he fell to his knees, choking.
Feeling a bit guilty, as Virion was the closest person to whom she would call a friend, she ran away, leaving him lying there. As she ran, she could hear him shouting after her. "You can run Elora, but I'm coming. You can't outrun me!"
Let him try, she thought.