After I ventured from that sea-side paradise, I buried half of what was in my bag. The only things I kept was the last of the food, water and... a book. The damn thing almost broke my shoulders on the seemly endless journey. But now, as I sit on a bed in the near empty Shack, I thank the gods that I didn't ditch it. Flicking open the pages, the names of rebels and information that could get me executed jump out at me, all in the form of harmless poems.
A man, dark as the night
Lives in a house by the water
He fears that people know who he like
And lead him to slaughter
I quickly translate this with ease. Slinging my satchel over my shoulder, I hurry up the steep path towards the main part of the city. The sun beams over head in full force and I quickly sweat under the layers of clothing I have to wear in town. I go along streets, pushing against tides of women bustling by, towards the palace, the home to the person who will die by my hands.
Lives in a house by the water. This is where I can find him. There is only one mass source of water in this city and that's right around the castle. I suppose that counts as water, if your being kind. The word envisions glisten blues and greens. This moat, even from the distance I see it from, is an ugly brown and full of urine (courtesy from the drunks). I step towards the moat and pause, looking down. Before me is a thin line, a dirty white colour and immediately I know what this means. There are rumours of a line painted through the city, dividing where women can and can't go. Seems this is true. Barely anyone steps near it, except me. If I step over this line, if the rest of the rumours whispered between people all over the country are true, I would lose my head. Just like that. It's a testimony of how expendable we are and it sends a chill up my back. But...I need to find the man that might help me. I weigh up my options as I stare up the street, seeing the brown of the moat in flashes between the crowd men blocking most of my view. Just out of reach. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see uniforms, blacker than night, heading towards me.
"Oh shit," I whisper and one of their eyes lock on to mine. He points directly at me and the small group hastens their pace, drawing swords from their belts as people scatter. I duck into a side alley and look down. The skirts, while brown with filth, were still white enough that melting into the shadows would be impossible.
"Plan B," I mutter and quickly dig a hooded cloak out of my bag, cursing violently under my breath. I take a quick scan of the alley, finding it mostly deserted and tug off my skirts, using my dagger to cut my way out easier. Underneath are black pants and I throw my cloak over the new outfit. With this attire, it's almost impossible to tell me apart from a man. I snatch a beer out of a guy's hands, ignoring his yelling. In a smooth movement, I smash it over his head, not even bothered to watch as he collapses at my feet. Power rushes through my veins, drowning out fear. The crooked edges of the broken bottle glitter with blood and my face is reflected, a feral grin taking over my smile. Perfect.
"Halt!" the guards yell and I turn around just to show them the violence in my eyes before spinning around and running. As wild as I'm feeling, I'm not dumb enough to pick a fight with the palace guards. I sprint, feeling their footsteps pounding behind me and leap over that damn line. My vison clouds with black and I accept it, rejoice in it. I swing into a pub, using the doorway to ground me and slid into a booth. The men sitting there stare unabashedly, cards frozen mid-air.
"Deal me in," I say in a low voice. I hear them coming down the stairs. The room goes almost silent as the solider charge in, a storm of blackness.
"Wha-"
"Deal me in," I repeat in a tone that leaves no room for arguing. For good measure, I flash my daggers. They pass cards my way. The back of my neck prickles and I try not to freeze up under his stare. I would bet my freedom that the guy staring at me is the guard who spotted me. I could practically cut the tension fill the bar with the swords strapped to my back. I feel the tremble of the floor as they walk towards me and I touch my daggers. I would not go without a fight.
As I said, a little more exciting. I was listening to "I see red" (the slowed version) and well, that happened. Anyways, I probably should add a warning about swearing but that's as bad as it's gonna get. Next chapter should be by the end of this week. Comment and vote if you're feeling nice and have a great day! <3
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Trapped
Fantasy"I came here for one reason and one reason alone. To kill the king and take his kingdom for my own. " ------ Vreca has one mantra. Control. Over other countries, over food and its people. But especially over women. In a world where women are deemed...
