The Way of All Flesh

Chapter Five

Once she had regained her balance on the ground, Naomi took off into the woods. She stayed shallow this time, making sure that the town was always visible through the thick wall of trees.

There was no doubt that the innkeeper would tell the townsfolk about the thief now on the loose. Sallon's guards were probably already combing through the streets looking for her. The thought made her ill. Just the idea of them finding her carrying the statuette clawed at her brain and left her woozy. Part of her wanted to chuck it into the forest and make her escape. A few times she reached for the metal figure as if she was going to do it.

It was the fear that kept her on the outskirts of the village. Just close enough to see the out of focus movement of people.

She needed her belongings. That was the plan now. Get to the stable, collect her supplies for Ash, find the knight. It seemed simple to lay it all out, but with every step the dizziness in her mind grew.

Gradually, she began to consider that the head wound was worse than she had been trying to convince herself, but there was no time to focus on her own injuries.

The stables were situated near the front gate of town, which walled off the Western Road from the rest of Sallon. The wall itself disappeared into the depths of the forest and died out by halfway through the village. Despite this flaw, it did its job. A guard sat at each one of the gates of Sallon, conversing with each traveler making their way through the Western Road. They directed those looking for passage down the village's main path, and told those seeking shelter where they could rent a spot for them and their horses.

It had seemed nice when she had first arrived, having made pleasant conversation with the older woman who had been positioned the guard the western end gate. This guard had complimented her horse and gave her courteous directions despite the growing storm that began to engulf the two.

Now, skulking in the dominating shadows of the trees, Naomi watched the movement of the gate.

The guard there now was a younger man who looked barely older than Naomi was. He stood casually against the stone wall, back slouched casually as if he were seconds from collapsing to the ground and falling asleep. His gaze seemed distant and distracted, eyes transfixed on a carriage that was slowly making its way towards the gate.

He yawned, lifting a hand up to dramatize the motion.

There was no way she could overpower the guard. He had a sword at his belt and armor over every place it would hurt to hit him but his face. Even then, the helmet that would've completed his attire sat by his feet, close enough that upon spotting danger he could quickly put it on.

All she could do was wait.

The carriage trudged on leisurely, the horse at its helm moving as if it were as exhausted as the guard before it. Each second it picked up it's scrawny legs and inched the small wagon forward seemed to drag on for hours. Even the driver, a thin little man with a thick mustache who looked shockingly similar to the horse itself, seemed to be annoyed with the sluggishness of it's trot.

Eventually the carriage made its way to the gate and the guard moved to greet the little driver and the party he had been escorting.

In the guards distracted conversation, Naomi moved out of the cover of trees and slinked her way towards the stables. With certainty that the guard couldn't see her, she entered the dim building. There was the chance that her paranoia was simply just that, but the slim possibility of the guard knowing her was enough to make any stealth worth the effort.

The soft voice of the guard drifted through the old stone walls of the stable.

It was small for a stable, with a high ceiling and each stall packed tightly into the one beside it. The thick, musty scent of horse and hay filled the air. There was one lantern on the other side of the long strip of stalls, with the majority of light pouring in from the thin window lining just below the ceiling. The soft dripping sunlight illuminated every tiny particle of dust that drifted through the air. It gave the room a hazy, dream-like feeling.