Blood of the Merciless

Chapter Sixteen

16.

Alaric arrived at the edge of Isern. Light peaked through the mountains. Alaric had his hood up to block the light. There had only been a few people within the streets. As early as it had been, it was a surprise to see life within the town. If there had been one word to describe the way he looked, it would be dirty. His clothes as well as his arms and face had been covered in mud. He felt bad as well. His body ached, specifically his chest. He had been famished and dehydrated. The people that loitered on the street eyed him carefully. He hadn't walked very fast, he kept his eyes on the road and focused on putting one step ahead of the other. A man came up to him.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Alaric walked past him without a glance.

The man called out from behind him.

A shorter figure bumped into him from a nearby alleyway. He had almost lost his balance. He locked eyes with the figure as they crossed him. He saw something that caught his attention. The figure had been around Ashe's height. They wore a tattered grey-brown cloak and hid their hands within the cloak. The cloak's hood had been pulled tight to obscure the face. Alaric began to follow. The cloaked figure walked fast and kept from the centre of the streets, Instead chose to walk through back roads and alleyways. He struggled to keep up and almost lost them on many occasions. Occasionally the figure would look behind themselves to check if anybody was following. Alaric hadn't exactly been stealthy but kept a decent distance. Alaric watched as they turned into another alley. Alaric waited a moment then entered the alley. As he turned he was swiftly shoved into a wall. A dagger was swiftly placed at his neck. In a hushed tone, they spoke. "Who are you and why are you following me?"

Alaric stared at the figure threatening him. Her black eyes stared angrily back at him. Her face told Alaric that she was a beautiful woman around his age.

"Answer me or I will slit your throat." She barked.

"You have something that belongs to me." Alaric's voice came out dry and hoarse.

"That is a lie. I took nothing from you," She said. "Why are you here?" "Did she send you?"

"Where did you get that pouch?" Alaric asked as he glanced down.

She followed his glance when he suddenly shoved her away from him. The shove lacked power. He attempted to move away but could not get very far. She began chanting. A caster...I am done for. The woman pulled out another dagger and stabbed both daggers into the ground. Alaric watched as spikes began forming from the floor getting closer and closer toward him. He tried his best to get away but the spikes were soon upon him. He cast a barrier around him. He felt the spikes hit his barrier and ran out of stamina. The barrier dissipated and Alaric lost consciousness.

He woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. He woke up feeling much better however his throat had still been dry and he had still been hungry. He had been half-naked, only dressed in his black trousers. The mud had also been cleaned off of him. The Rixa was cool to his skin. Movement to his left caught his attention. She held a wooden mug in one hand and a dagger in the other. She put the mug down next to Alaric, without breaking eye contact, and retreated to a corner of the room. She had been staring at him. Alaric got a good look at her, now that the cloak's hood was down. She had long, straight brown hair that framed her face. She had been skinny and her clothes were loose on her body. The woman had been beautiful and that is a fact that he couldn't ignore. The room they had been in had been cramped. It had only one door and one window. The rest of the room was bare, it hadn't even had a bed. He grabbed the mug and drank whatever it held with haste. Luckily for him, it had been water. She watched him carefully and waited for him to finish the water before speaking.

"Scaev, what do you want from me?" She asked.

"I am not a Scaev," Alaric replied. His voice had gone back to normal.