To The End

Chapter 3:

Had she not been so terrified, Asteria would have let out a laugh. Despite feeling like she was being watched, she had brushed it off as paranoia. She had told herself that there weren't actually eyes stuck to her as she spoke with the barkeep. But there they were. Those watchful eyes were staring directly into hers. The man was sitting across the case from her, observing her still.

His expression was stern and focused. His gaze was cold and calculated, and it made her feel ill. Carefully, she reached out into the darkness, her hand gliding along the floor. There was a small blade in her bag; she just needed to find where she had tossed it down. Ideally, the dagger would be in her hand by the time the next flash of lightning lit up the now-cramped cave. She found the worn leather strap and slowly pulled it towards her. Her fingers fumbled around inside the bag, searching. For what felt like ages she rummaged quietly through it until finding the handle of the short steel blade.

Asteria's body shook violently as she pulled the dagger from its sheath. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself and focus on where he sat in the shadows. Any moment there was going to be a bright flash, and she was ready for it. Quietly, she raised herself off of the hard floor and got into a crouch. Her grip around the handle grew firm as she tensed, prepared to make the first move.

Near blinding white lit the cave, but it was useless. The stranger was no longer perched on the rock in front of her. Before she knew it, warm orange light flooded the cave. It absorbed all of the cold in the confined space, and she was left stunned. Behind her stood a tall figure, an orb of light sitting in the palm of his hand. A Sun's Stone was rare all the way in The Outskirts, and she wandered where he would have found one and how much he had spent on it. She turned to see him standing there- or so she assumed it was a man because of his towering, muscular frame. Slowly, he pulled away the hood of his cloak, revealing his face.

He was younger than what she had expected at the moment, looking to be only a few years older than her. His skin was lightly sunkissed. Rich, deep brown locks of hair formed what she could only describe as a mane. As he took a step toward her, more details became apparent. Across his face were hints of freckles, barely visible in the dim light. His eyes were the color of oak, but there was something else. She couldn't be certain with the lack of lighting, but Asteria swore there were flecks of gold.

"Forgive me," the stranger was quick to apologize, possibly seeing how he'd frightened her. "I'm not sure what you must think of me, but I assure you I wasn't intending to be so ominous."

It took her longer than she'd care to admit to form the words, "I am going to have a hard time believing that if you are the one whose eyes have been observing me, watching my every move for the entire evening." Her grip remained firm around the dagger's handle, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's a fair assessment. While it's understandable that you'd probably want to take great caution around someone you believe has been watching and following you, I implore you to maybe sheath that blade and listen to my reasoning," As he spoke, he nodded toward the weapon.

She cursed herself for not doing a better job keeping it hidden and carefully tucked it into her waistband. It would have to do for now; she would not turn her back on him. They stared at each other, sizing one another up. Hesitantly, she leans against the wall and motions for him to make his case.

The stranger nodded and explained, "Back in that small town, Silvville, I saw you when you entered the tavern. Not that I was keeping an eye out or anything of the sort- I just noticed you speaking with the barkeep. The manner of the conversation caught my attention; the old man seemed distressed towards the end. It's an understandable reaction if you ask me. Bringing up such matters as cult activity in a small town is risky behavior. Well, anyway-"