The Jewel of Orlegon

Chapter 30: Shadows in the night

Saosa and Rymian had already drawn the daggers they kept constantly at their belts when the voice of one of the men holding Zao'wi to the ground rang out.

"If you come any closer, she dies!" he declared, pulling the head of the young woman, offering her neck to the edge of his blade, "so drop your weapons and throw them towards me!"

"Do as he say!" Rev shouted to his comrades.

Under his fingers, the man pinned to the wall continued to struggle for air, kicking and hitting Rev with fists and feet without even budging the young man. The theneites took a moment to analyze the situation and had to admit that they were all too far away to come to their comrade's aid without putting her in danger. With reluctance, they complied and slid their weapons down the alley in the direction of their assailants.

"That goes for you too!" the man continued, "let him go, or I'll draw a pretty necklace on your girlfriend's neck."

He pressed the blade of his dagger a bit more on his hostage's neck, and the novices could hear Zao'wi's restrained groan, even though she managed to maintain a surprising calm in her situation. After a glance in her direction, Rev hesitated for a moment before finally releasing his grip, letting his victim collapse to the ground with wheezing breaths interrupted by coughing fits. Apparently satisfied, the leader eased the pressure on Zao'wi's throat, and, while two of his cohorts continued to threaten her, he advanced towards the Enartian facing him. Next to Alteria, Rymian turned abruptly towards the entrance of the alley where they were.

Following his movement, the young woman saw three other figures emerge from the shadows to block any escape route. She felt her heart race in her chest as she thought quickly about the options still available to them. The most obvious was undoubtedly to use their gifts, but could they act in a way that would protect everyone? Zao'wi was currently the most vulnerable, and she was too far away for any of them to come to her aid without fearing a reaction from those still holding her down. Saosa's flames were still too unpredictable to attempt an attack without risking burning their comrade, and the few scattered puddles in the street wouldn't allow Alteria to do anything useful at the moment. Rymian could quickly retrieve his weapon with the topaz gift, but the surprise of facing Enartians probably wouldn't be enough to prevent the men from attacking. The young woman had to face the fact that, for now, they could do nothing.

The man continued to approach Rev like a predator who had found prey but was still wary enough not to let his guard down. He was a stocky man with a face distorted by several scars. Broad-shouldered, he compensated for what nature hadn't given him in height with muscle mass. His appearance reminded Alteria of the guard dogs that protected the wealthiest homes in Saisio.

"That's better," he declared, and an especially ugly smile marked his face, "this is not how we normally greet old acquaintances."

"We are traveling merchants, forgive me if I don't remember every face I come across," Rev retorted, and Alteria struggled to distinguish him perfectly in the darkness of the wall.

"No, no, no, not to me," the man chuckled, "your companions might be merchants, but you... You!"

He paused a few steps from the young man, and Alteria could catch the glint of his blade in the moonlight.

"You are supposed to be dead."

Rev remained impassive as a movement of surprise shook his comrades. Behind them, the men remained still, merely cutting off any retreat for the novices trapped. The watchdog, on the other hand, resumed his movement and began to circle his prey as if looking for the best angle to attack.

"I really think you take me for someone else," Rev persisted with a cold voice that betrayed no fear, "I am from Jelur, and this is only my third visit to this city."