morgan; beginning

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7Aran headed back down the hall towards the stairwell. He wondered when was the last time the inns had seen a fresh lick of paint. The once white walls were a mixture of grey and dull yellow from years of rising smoke from the fire in the dining area and its tobacco smoking visitors. As Aran walked down the stairs he noticed each step seemed to have their own unique creak or groan as his tired feet pulled him back towards the bar. He was that tired that he didn't even notice the hush that had fallen over the dining room as he made his way to an empty stool, he waited at the bar for Arabella to finish clearing the tables before asking the whereabouts of a market or shop that he could buy some clean clothes from for himself and his 'cousin'. Arabella had launched into what seemed to be her life story as she told Aran where the best merchants were and who wouldn't take him for a fool. With a quick 'thank you' before Arabella could tell him any more long winded tales Aran headed out of the front door in search of his wares.In the past hour or so the village of Krell had come to life, the streets were bustling with activity, the warm sunlight made the atmosphere seem even more inviting with the brightly coloured fabric partitions of the nearby market stalls. Merchants were shouting offers of their goods and a constant river of chattering people seemed to flow along the stalls and shops. Smells of roasting meat and herbs made his mouth water, sausages and different types of roasted delights were offered. Sugar coated nuts and an array of fudge and sweet treats were dotted in between stalls selling handmade clothes and rugs. Light glistened off a nearby glass merchants stall, brightly coloured figurines, bowls and vases. Nearby a small crowd had gathered around an old woman who was arguing loudly with the owner of a fabric stall, both of them too busy shouting at each other to notice the small grubby boy running off with a roll of red silk before he was nearly half way down the street. The owner screamed abuse at the boy before getting back to her original argument with the grey haired woman who was now laughing at the owners misfortune. Aran took in a deep breath before setting off in the direction the ever helpful barmaid had given him, hoping it wouldn't be too long before he could give his weary body a quick soak in a hot bath before he could sleep for a few hours.Arans two years of hard labour on Rhydians farm since he had turned sixteen had helped to mould his once scrawny body into a mans, but the past five days had definitely worn him down. His muscles were still noticeably there but from where he hadn't eaten or drank much on the journey his skin had become sallow and his hair didn't have its usual shine or bounce. Not that his dark brown hair could bounce at the moment with its hardened layer of mud.He passed many different stalls selling fruits and vegetables from the nearby farms and he picked up some supplies for their continuing journey. He surpressed a smile when he purchased a small bag of blood oranges as he thought back to his father and his miraculous tree. The joy of discovering his magick outweighed by the loss of is family. He bought a punnet of strawberries from a kindly looking woman that he started snacking on as he wandered around the rest of the market on his way towards the clothes merchants.The young girl at the clothing merchants was very helpful and Aran managed to buy two pairs of shirts and trousers, in a khaki colour that he hoped would help them to go more unnoticed when they started out again, and pairs of socks and underwear for himself and Morgan. He had flirted lightly with the girl, whose name he had found out to be Catrin, which had got him a very generous discount on the clothes even without mentioning Arabella. There were some perks from evolving into manhood.Arans feet felt like lead as he started the half an hour walk back to the inn. Even a couple of hours sleep would help to rejuvenate his achy muscles. Nearly back at the Inn he stopped at a stall selling boiled candies and bought a bag of the multicoloured pear flavoured ones that were Morgans favourite and placed them with his other wares in his pack, they would help keep their thirst and hunger away if they ran out of food again, at least for a short while.The dining room was practically empty now, there was a lingering floral smell of soap from where Arabella must have cleaned down the tables after everyone had left after breakfast. There was no sign of her in the dining room now, Aran assumed she was in the kitchen helping the cook to get ready for their lunchtime trade. There was only a petite woman in the corner of the empty room nursing her drink on the table in front of her. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the woman from what Aran could tell but alarm bells started to go off in his head. Why was it so quiet in here? Where was Arabella?. The woman wore a brown top of some form that was mostly hidden under an emerald cloak fastened around her shoulders by a silvery brooch. Her dark curls fell perfectly over her shoulders and although she seemed to be an attractive woman Aran could tell from her eyes that her quiet appearance could be deceptive. The woman had been watching Aran ever since he'd stepped into the bar and it caused icy trickles of fear to spread over his body. He tried to act as normal as possible as he headed towards the stairs, the lead feeling in his feet forgotten as he leapt up them three steps at at time, helping to pull his weight up by the fixed wooden railing that ran along the wall. His heart was pounding as he burst through the door to their room.'Morgan?' Aran called out as he entered the room. 'MOGS?' The steel bath, now cold, was still in the centre of the room, The majority of the mud Morgan had rid herself of had settled in the bottom and had left the remaining water with a faint brown colour. Morgans discarded dirty clothes still lay by the side of the bath where she had stripped them off and the sheets from her bed lay in a heap on the floor between the two beds.The room began to spin as Arans world fell out from under him, he knew Morgan was not in the room. He can't have lost her, Mogs was the only family he had left. His only conclusion was that the Brotherhood had found and taken her while he'd been out. Tears blurred his vision as waves of nausea overwhelmed him. Hunched over on the floor, Aran vomited.