The Bounty Hunter

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Finred patted the pockets of his cloak repeatedly as he wandered through the streets of Sicara, terrified that his letters would fall out. He searched around for someone to help him as he wound through the streets, eventually stopping in a tavern. It was gloomy inside, the darkness alleviated only slightly by the candles which shone faintly, the smoke which lingered languidly in the air creating halos of light around them while the men inside laughed and shouted. Finred looked around cautiously as he headed up to the bar, keeping his face hidden under his cloak. “Do you know where I can find someone heading to Tened, Scaera or Jillin?” he asked, his voice swamped by the raucous laughter of the tavern’s patrons.

“Aye, that I do son. There’s a messenger post two streets down on the left – the people who pass through here are good about stopping off and offering their services too. They’ll be able to help you,” the barkeep grumbled, his gravelly voice seeming to emanate from his chest and not his mouth, speaking of many a smoke filled year at the tavern.

“Thank you.” He headed towards the heavy oak door, breathing in the fresh air deeply and ridding his lungs of the stale and smoky smell of the tavern; in the days he had spent in Safita’s room the rain had stopped, leaving the world around them rejuvenated and unsullied and giving the air a clean smell like that of life. Heading in the direction the barkeep had pointed him Finred soon saw the small building which housed the messenger post, above which hung a sign with a sealed letter. The door of the building was small, with red paint which was peeling slightly with age and cracking in places and Finred ducked as he walked through it. “Hello?” he called.

Suddenly a young woman appeared from behind a desk, her blonde hair in disarray as she reorganised a stack of papers. “How can I help you?” she asked with a smile.

“I need to know if anyone is heading to Tened, Scaera or Jillin soon,” he said as the girl opened a book in front of her and ran her finger down the columns in it.

“Ah yes! Someone is leaving for Tened this afternoon and I think that you just missed someone leaving for Jillin-”Just as these words left her mouth a tall man entered the tiny room, his bulk taking up most of the remaining space as his head nearly hit the ceiling.

“Just came to say goodbye Eryna,” he said good naturedly as she clambered out from behind her desk and hugged him, her tiny size dwarfed by his. “Is there any way I can help before I go?”

“Palen! Yes! Yes there is! Could you take this man’s message with you to Jillin?” she asked as she gestured for Finred to surrender his letter, which he pulled out of his pocket reluctantly.

“Of course I can; anything for you Eryna,” Palen said with a smile as he tucked Finred’s letter into his own cloak. “Don’t worry, it’ll be there safe in a couple of days. What is it, a love letter?” he teased.

“Not in the slightest,” Finred replied lightly. “It’s something of a rather more serious nature than that.”

“Oh I wouldn’t dismiss the importance of women and their ways,” Palen laughed. “Who should I give it to?”

“If you could get it to Cered Tyne I would be very grateful,” he said as Palen grasped Finred’s hand in his significantly larger one, completely engulfing it as he shook Finred’s hand heartily.

“Of course I can; I will do my utmost to find him personally,” he said with one final hug and a ruffle of Eryna’s hair before shutting the door behind him and striding out into the street.

“Good. Right, one down,” Eryna said as she set her hair to rights, returned to her desk and consulted her book once more. “Now I’m afraid that there’s no one, as far as I’m aware, who’s leaving for Scaera in the next day or two but if you leave the other letter with me I can give it to Samia before she heads to Tened.”