Enoch took out a pair of gloves. They were made of the same dark brown colored material as Enoch's cloak. The gloves however had a sleek leather look to them, and there was no fur remaining on the glove's material. On the palm side of one of the gloves, what appeared to be a beautiful indigo colored stone was embedded in the middle of the glove.
"Here, at least take something to keep your hands warm." Enoch held out the gloves, offering them to Amadeus.
Amadeus took the gloves and examined them suspiciously. Gifts were hardly ever given in those times, and it was even rarer for someone such as Amadeus to receive a gift. He neither had family, nor loved-ones.On closer inspection, the stone embedded on the left palm shone in the dim light and various waves danced within the stone. Wow, look at the pretty colors, what an excellent gift!
Amadeus immediately pulled on the gloves and admired them. They fit nicely, as though they had been tailor made for him. "Wow! These are really neat. Thanks, old man. I never receive gifts. Umm, well except on my birthdays. Madam Marcella bakes me a cake. She works as a baker in a Noble family's kitchen and uses the leftovers to make me a cake."
He tied the weave bag to his belt as he continued. "You know, Madam Marcella is a really great cook. You'd like her."
"I'm sure I would."
"Well, thanks for everything, I'll see you around." Tightening his sandals, Amadeus impatiently started for the entrance of the tent, ready to make a break for it.
Enoch caught Amadeus by the collar just as he was eagerly striding out of the tent. He bounced back towards Enoch like a stretched rubber band that had been released.
"Hold on there, hero. What's the rush?" Enoch asked.
"Time is of the essence, old man. I need to get to the Jagged Peaks as soon as possible!" Amadeus responded excitedly.
"Do you have a plan to get out of the camp?"
"Err..." Amadeus stammered. "Well it's simple really... I-I-I was planning on running as f-f-fast as I can past the boundaries..." Amadeus hesitantly rubbed the back of his head, a little unsure of his own plan and really didn't bother thinking it through. "Once I'm in the wilderness the Nobles will assume I'm dead."
He nodded his head aggressively, using it as a façade of confidence. The plan had sounded ridiculous in his head but it was even more so now after he had spoken it.
Enoch grinned, baring his full set of teeth.
Wow, Enoch is pretty scary looking when he smiles. Those white teeth against his thick black beard look really intimidating. This thought quickly passed as Enoch beckoned him to come closer. Amadeus leaned in close and Enoch whispered in his ears.
"Listen carefully. Don't ask me how I know this, but you need to know this now. White Harrow has magical wards cast on the ground. Do you notice the strange markings on the perimeter around the commoner camp?"
Amadeus nodded yes and motioned for Enoch to continue.
"These wards are like invisible walls, ten feet thick and fifty feet tall. If anyone were to pass through these wards at the edges of the commoner camp, they would attach onto whomever that passes through them. The wards would trigger after attaching themselves onto the person, continuously alerting the Nobles of the exact position of the person. No man, not even of the greatest agility would be able to jump high or far enough to get over the magical wards left by the Nobles."
Amadeus stood there for a moment. He narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. He tried calculating all the possibilities – how would he get out of the camp successfully? His eyes closed, he run several escape scenarios through his head. This is no good, Amadeus thought to himself. All my calculations end up with me being tortured to death slowly by Malevolent Drake.
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The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016
FantasyThe world as we know it is controlled by Nobles - powerful wizards that have power over everything. It is the age of ice; a time of ages past, lost in our historical records and unbeknownst to the world today. The commoners who don't wield magic liv...