I once was a Duchess

Page 8

I pressed my foot onto the wooden floor as my small heels clicked onto the door creaking both the door behind me and the unsteady wooden floor boards below my boots.

Slowly I begin to make my way towards the bar, As my cloak covered my hair and face. Keeping myself unknown and out of the watchful gaze of men.
I began to examine the bar as the wooden counter was semi okay, With the bartender cleaning the cups with has body turned towards me.

Each step I took I could feel the heavy atmosphere cave in, Sinking into the pits of my stomach. With the constant stares and glares with callous and cold hands drinking the heavy alcohol drinks. 

"A glass of water." I say to the bartender 
" You must not be from around here." The bartender says giving me a lifted eyebrow of confusion. 
"What gives that impression?" I say drinking the glass of water he gives to me
" Asking for water at a bar? Full of vicious vile men? And liquor that is so strong your throat burns? Yea I have no clue what could give off the vibes." he says sarcastically 

Surrounding me was nothing but men who oozed off a danger I was not looking for. There eyes explored me through the cloak and I could feel the eyes burning in the back of my skull digging deeper for the smallest ounce of information about me. Including the wonders of what gender I may or may not be.

One man in particular grasped my attention. Watching me from the center of the tavern. Taking a sip of his drink with each stare and glare he gave me.
He had a very muscular build and by the way his posture was I could tell he must be tall. As his arms weighed in muscle.

Many wines and liquors stood on the shelves like a collection even with some rare wines only being found on royal grounds. They must have smuggled some during the recent trades. But how? Trading routes have stopped coming through here entirely.
I took a sip of my water soon realizing they must have been the bandits going around these past months. Naming themselves " Tankers." 
Damn bastards swoop in and rob all traders and merchants of the goods they have.

"I need information." I said quietly with my head tilted down
" Information costs a hefty price. Little lady." He says chuckling with his eyes sinking into my cloak.
" Lower your tone." I say glaring at him
" What do you want to know." He says continuing to wipe the glasses
" What happened here?In this town." 
" A price." The bartender insists 

I place a a pouch of coins on the counter. 

" Now you'll answer all my questions."
" Understood. Ask away."
" What happened to this place?"
" A little while back, A strange woman came into Duhimel and began to experiment on all types of poisons. One day this strange and insane scientist concocted a poison so vile it tainted the lands of this place and killed everything left to be born and to be alive."
" That doesn't explain why their are starving people-"
" I'm getting to that part, After she created this poison she made a large amount of it for no one knew the reason why. That's how the great spill happened."
" And that is?"
" The spill that killed all life in this land, And caused all growth in this land to be poisoned and deadly if you consumed it. After a while no one could tell what was causing the sudden sickness and deaths with people dropping like flies. After the sixth year of this happening the trees began to have purple and greenish, Yellowish spots. Until eventually the green that colored the plants and trees was dead, dried up, and turned to ash. And after years of consuming all the plants bred from the poison a pandemic sat in this wallowing waste lands. What you see outside these lifeless but living bodies is the result of just what that crazy woman of a scientist has done." 
" Who was she?" I asked
" I don't know but they called her Eve." 

That same name I recall appeared once again. Full of hidden motives. Yet everyone knows of her name while she is hidden. 
" What did she look like?" No one knows the cloak and body suit she'd where tightly covered all her features. Some even say she was involved with grave sins." He whispers to me while cleaning another cup.
" Like what?" 
" Can't say little miss, Can't have the night Knights come to Duhimel. And slaughter the rest of my people." He says leaning back placing the cup down.