Solace Curse: Part I

15 - Born Enemies

Yeandol was a small merchant town in the countryside of Corvelen that straddled a societal line. As the North Road wound through it toward Aelridia, the towns just got bigger, richer, and safer—depending who you were. To the south, there wasn't a town as wealthy as Yeandol. It served as the center of trade for the poorer southerners and the farthest reaches of civilization for the north.

This was the first city along our whole journey with a gated entrance, and though it wasn't manned during the day, it reminded us of the reach of the Corvelen Guard in the region. A steady trickle of travelers joined us by the time we reach the gate, slowing to a crawl to allow room for the larger carts through the stone archway.

"Andrin, you might want to put up your hood." Koren was scanning the crowd furtively.

Tally skipped a few steps ahead to walk beside him. "Like that's gonna help, he's only a full head taller than both of you."

I glanced up at Andrin's sheepish face but shrugged it off.

"It's okay, we've done this before, it just helps if they don't notice me," said Andrin, pulling up his hood.

Tallion huffed. "Not like there's a law against you being here. What can they really do?" She satisfied herself with throwing scathing glares at any passersby to give the Baldük a second look.

"You sure his directions were right?" Koren muttered in my ear. "I don't want to take any detours in this town."

I shrugged again. Maeldok gave a detailed path to find him in Yeandol, so I could only assume he knew the city well. It made me wonder how much time he had spent in Corvelen even as a prominent figure in D'ulk-kyra.

It was our turn to squeeze through the gates and into the town proper.

"Okay quiet, stick together, follow me."

Tallion's snide comment was swallowed by the din of the crowd, muffled outside but suddenly a wave that crested as we passed inside. I dove headfirst into the drawl, a cool river that washed any trace of identity away. A face in the crowd, another body in the throng, swept along by the current. Koren's cloak was blurry, but I followed him easily, slipping through like water in grass. Tallion's hand joined mine to pull me skipping after the other Animare. I fixated on the bright band at her wrist, noticing it for the first time, following it along until she was gone, if only for a minute, to be replaced by a man, whose tall hat was easy to follow for a while. But he vanished into the crowd too, and a little boy sprinted through the sea of knees and hips ahead of me, running after Andrin, who towered over the boy just as much as anyone else did.

The shops went by and I smiled as each merchant's eyes passed right through me without a second glance. I never knew how being unnoticed could be such a distinct feeling—finally something to tickle my stomach instead of squeeze it, to free my mind instead of choke it. My eyes could truly wander from stall to stall, taking in the people, the wares, the money. Some instinct kicked right back in and I knew how to move, to fade from people's view. This was life before the word 'Solace' meant anything more to me than Ska'al—just a scary word in the dark.

Koren's eye jumped out at me even as it casually swept past, only doubling back to catch Tally buying some fruit from a nearby vendor. She wove easily back in front of me, ignoring Koren's glare and mouthed reproach, instead biting straight into the sweet agoroi from the northern beaches.

We were through the crowd before I knew it, turning onto a side street and down another. The sudden rush of the square faded, but left me feeling refreshed and rested. Before long we stood before a a shabby building that looked once stately and noble, now down on its luck.