The Chaos Of Knowledge

Chapter 9

Nomas frowned tugging the cloak close around him. The rain was heavy and was something he was used to under the canopy in Adorea. It always kept him safe from rain to this degree. He was glad though that it kept his ears hidden from passerby. Even in the late evening, the area was being walked by several large groups of people traveling towards the city.

Walking briskly behind the others he frowned. A day's ride from Lawrin and there were still traders overwhelming the road nearly two hours after sundown. The whole path had been uncomfortable for Nomas. But as they arrived where Constantine was supposed to be at it was little more than a hut surrounded by miles of farmland. His nervousness was clear to Boris as he laid a hand on his shoulder. "Nervous?" He asked with a smile shining from below his cowl.

"No, just don't like the rain." He muttered with a frown.

"They say rain only comes when someone you love is suffering." He said with an honest nod. "Call it coincidence or superstition. But I have found it to be true." The giant commented with a frown.

"What is with Constantine? Why don't Flynn and Renale like him?"

The man laughed slightly. "He's a shifter. Like you and your father. And he is one of the few shifters that see humans and the other races as equals. Even if the locals think differently. Not to mention he and Kristen have been friends since before we knew him."

Nomas nodded slightly looking at the shack as they approached it. A large black cat watched from the porch. It was larger than any he had seen and stood to watch them walk. Its eyes locked with Nomas' and shined brightly at the young man. The green orbs blinked once before meowing loudly, even through the storm Nomas could hear it clearly.

It jumped quickly from the porch and into the window. Meowing once again it disappeared into the building. Nomas looked to Boris with a frown. "Have you met him?" He asked.

"No, my brother and I joined after everything happened with him. I only know about it because of the stories and recountings." He said as they ducked under the balcony and Kristen knocked loudly on the door.

The door was thrown open and a man stood in the doorway with a crossbow inches from Kristen's face. The others seemed unfazed byt Boris quickly grabbed Nomas and pulled him back. Behind the large man hid a small child clinging to his pant leg watching Nomas with youthful curiosity. The girl was a shifter. Nomas could see the pair of large fangs sticking out from her mouth that was clearly too small to house them. Her feet were equally odd, her feet were shaped in a strange manner making her stand on his tioes at all times.

Behind the drunken man's gaze, Nomas could see that he must have been her father as he had similar teeth as hers, though his seemed to have been filed down in an attempt to hide them. His feet were normal looking but his hands lacked any true fingernails but rather short nails that retreated into the finger each time he released his grip in the weapon.

"Drop the weapon you old fool," Kristen said grabbing the end and easily pulling the bow from the man's grasp. "We aren't a hunting party." The elf scowled pushing him into the house and walking in behind him

"Then why do you have a shifter with you?" He asked with his gaze going to Nomas with anger. "You are foolish to bring him here. If he figures out who were are we might as well be dead." His hands went for another weapon that was also knocked away by the elf.

From behind the giant, Nomas saw the man grab Kristen by the shoulder and pull him close. A few words were exchanged under breath but the elf grabbed him in anger and looking at him for a long moment.

Nomas strained to hear anything from the conversation but he did hear two words. 'Council' and 'Hunt'.

"You think I would bring anyone else here?" He asked looking suddenly at Nomas with a frown. "Boris, let him in, show him the signs." He said as Boris moved to the side with a smile. He nodded with a smile before Nomas walked into the building.