Falling Feathers Book I - Rogue Without Fear

Chapter V

>>> Soren Hawethorne <<<
I sat in the tavern, drinking. Peter slid another drink my way. I grabbed the mug, and downed the beer. I slid it back to Peter. He rinsed it out and walked my way, shaking his head.
"Soren, you gotta stop. That was your sixth drink," he commented. I shook my head lazily, my left hand on the table, my right hand in my pocket.
"I know. I'm fine Peter." I stammered. I knew very well I was drunk. I wasn't thinking right. I couldn't handle it, not at all. I was a panicking wreck. I was normal! The woods were nothing. They didn't mean anything, nothing at all!  I tried telling myself.  I had almost convinced myself that I was lying. My right hand thumb was stroking the dragon necklace along it's silver back, almost mindlessly.
"Soren ya won't even tell me what's wrong. You can't drink no more." Peter replied. I shook my head. I couldn't tell him. Sure, he might not tell anyone but I couldn't risk it. I threw another two shillings to him.
"Another drink." I demanded. Peter crossed his arms.
"I won't give you no more Soren. You've had enough as is. I ain't gonna let you get more drunk than you already are." Peter walked away. I threw another shilling onto the small pile.
"Peter!" I yelled. He turned around, and looked at the shillings.
"I won't do it Soren. Get over your problem on your own." He replied, eying the pile of shillings. I threw another one on. I'm paying double the price. I don't care. I need this drink. Peter looked to the money then me. He took the money, and walked off. "This is your last one," he hollered as he walked. I smiled, looking lazily at the ground. The woods were nothing. I was just too stressed about that girl... what's her name? Autumn? Scarlet? Whatever her name was. She was just getting to me. I need to worry less about her. She can handle herself. She isn't my concern anymore.  She's here now and she's got a job and she can handle herself. I looked around for Peter. I'd never felt so alive and well. He pushed the drink my way and waved a finger at me. "This is your last one, Soren Hawethorne. I ain't giving you no more drinks, you hear?" I nodded, and downed the drink swiftly. I stumbled out the tavern, and looked out into the darkening spring sky. The sunset was beautiful, the pink and orange stripes across the sky. Like someone painted them. I went across the way to my inn slowly.  Suddenly, something caught my eye. I stopped in the middle of the road, and looked up at the sky.
    Feathers were falling from the sky. They were small, shades of dark brown and black. I'd never personally seen the feathers fall, but I had heard many rumours. The most common rumour was that when a town was going to be burned by the two guilds, the feathers would fall.  The rumour went that it was a warning, before they attacked.
    This was bad. This was very bad. I didn't know what to do - flee or fight. The tavern fell silent. The town fell silent. I snatched one of the feathers out the sky. It was a dark brown. I looked around, and saw others coming out of their homes, the tavern, all looking up at the sky. They were going to attack their own home town, and we all knew it.

>>> Autumn Rose <<<
    People in the streets were standing, staring into the dusk sky. Among them was Soren.  Children stopped running around, no one said a word. Feathers were falling from the sky. Soren was holding one, looking up at the rest of the feathers which were still descending. I was puzzled. What was so special about the feathers? I opened the inn door and went outside to Soren. I gently touched his shoulder, and asked,
    "Soren, why is everyone looking at the feathers?" The feathers were small, and all brown or black. I grabbed one. It was soft and almost fluffy in my hand. Soren didn't look away. He answered blankly,
    "S-something's wrong. Autumn I think you ought to get out of town." I shook my head. I was confused.
    "What?" I laughed. Soren turned to me, a solemn expression on his face. I frowned. "Soren, what's the matter?"
    "Remember your town, the one you came from, that was burned to the ground?" Soren asked. I nodded, feeling my stomach turn over. I remembered it well. I would never forget.
    "Imagine that all over again, here, but two times worse. With people fighting each other and anyone in their way." Soren whispered. I shook my head. It wasn't possible.
    "No. That isn't possible!!"
    "The guilds are real, Autumn. The feathers. They were a rumor, a myth, just like the guilds. Nothing was ever confirmed. But now they are. There are guilds. And the only reason I know is the myth - the feathers only fall when both guilds are fighting. And here we are, and here are the feathers. Shepherd's Rest is going to go down in flames." Soren explained. I shook my head. This couldn't be happening! It wasn't possible. "You need to leave, now." Soren grabbed my arm and started practically dragging me to the gate. I looked at him, my mind racing.
    "Why aren't you leaving? Come with me!" I exclaimed.
    "I can't leave."
    "Why not?"
    "This is my home, Autumn. I can't leave it now. I gotta stand and fight for it." Soren answered feebly. He pushed me to the gate, and watched me.
    "Soren, I don't even know where I'm going or what I'm doing? Don't make me go alone!  I already had to say goodbye to my family once, to my home, I don't want to loose another!" I called after him, as he turned to walk away. Soren stopped walking, and turned to face me.
    "If you walk forward and follow the little dirt path, you'll find Angel's Peak, a popular trading town. It's big and wealthy and a great place to make a fresh start. Go there. Tell them Shepherd's Rest had the feathers. They'll understand." Soren smiled grimly. I shook my head, and realized I was fighting back tears.
    "Soren, please. Come with me!" I pleaded. Soren took my hand in his, and looked to the rest of the villagers. Some were armed now, with just about anything and everything they could get. Everything from sticks, stones, and empty glass bottles to swords, rifles, and shotguns. The rest of the villagers were standing around, looking at the feathers hopelessly. Soren looked back to me, and said,
    "Come back when it's dark. If the town wasn't burned to the ground, I'll be standing, right here waiting for you. If Shepherd's Rest is reduced to ash, walk to Angel's Peak and start again. You hear?" He looked me in the eyes. I nodded. All I could think about was the way I walked away from my old town, everything in flames. I didn't want to see that happening here too. I wanted to stay, and fight with the rest, but I knew it was no good. If Soren can stay and fight, why can't I? I figured. Soren had made his view on my situation clear, he wanted me waiting safely.  I wouldn't. There was another gate into Shepherd's Rest. I'd go around the town and in that gate. I'd fight, like the rest!  I couldn't go now. Now was when I had to go into the woods, so Soren thought I was safe.
    "Yeah, I hear." I lied. I turned around, and took a step. Soren called my name.
    "Autumn!" He yelled. I turned around. Soren came close to me, and took me in an embrace. I hugged him tightly.
    "I will see you again. I promise." He whispered in my ear. I felt a tear streak down my face. We both knew that this was it. We would never see each other again. I watched Soren walk back to the rest of the waiting villagers. Then, I ran around the tall, musty wooden wall that protected the town. I looked over my shoulder one more time, then turned and ran into the woods.  As I ran, I heard a Raven. I stopped for a moment, and looked up. In a small ash tree, a Raven sat, holding a rose. It called out to the darkening sky again, and flew over me, into the town. As it flew, it dropped the Rose at my feet. I bent down and picked it up. The Rose was black, unlike any other I'd seen. Though it was different,  there was no mistaking that it was a Rose. I shivered, a chill running down my spine. This is not a coincidence, that the Raven dropped a Rose. I'm Autumn Rose, and here I am, holding a Rose in my hand. It fell, just like the feathers in town.
    "It's an omen." I whispered to myself. Falling feathers, Fallen Rose. I sprinted around the wall of the town, and found the other gate. I ran in, and came out right by the blacksmith. Perfect! I ran into the building and grabbed the first sword I saw.
    I wasn't a perfect swordsman. I wasn't even really good. However, back in my village, when the boys would spar, I would watch them. When they finished, when it was dark and no one was watching, I would take one of the swords and try myself. I didn't master any of the techniques, but I knew this: if I died tonight, I died fighting.