Dedicated to SarinaSageheart, because she's the one who irritated the crap out me, until I posted!
Chapter 2
Ebony
Tabernus's hooves were the only thing to break the silence in the early morning. I could see only a few lights on in the windows, but as I made my way to Nikoli's, it only made me feel watched. Call me paranoid, but I was always on guard. The building was made of cobblestone, that was ragged and uneven. The shingles were crooked, but they kept the water out, and the sign that read, Moon, was crooked. I slid off my horse and hitched him to the post. Walking up the stone steps and through the doorway, I made my way over to the nearest table, and sat down. I pulled my hood over my eyes, when a Knight passed by. He held his chest high, and his hand at his sword. I shook my head in disgust. They were nothing but low-scum who took pleasure in torturing pheasants. Nothing against the King, he knows nothing of the way his men act. I suddenly saw a mug of some sort of achohol slam in front of me. I looked up into the brown eyes of Nikoli. Smiling, I stood up and gave that kind of hug, men give each other.
"How are you, little one?" He asked, reffering to my height. I sighed and said,
"Fine. How are you, bastard?" I responded. He laughed and said,
"Feisty as always, I see." He gestured to the back of the shop and with a straight face, I walked through the wooden door. After he closed it, we were enclosed in silence. He looked at me seriously, and asked,
"Why are you here, Ebony?" I dropped my hood and looked straight into his eyes, and responded.
"Avis tells me Naturaians have been seen outside the walls." He looked into the corner of the room, feirceness covering his hardened apperence. He asked,
"How close?" I said, my voice somewhat wavering,
"Close enough for a sword." He whipped around and was immediatly in my face. He said, urgently,
"They're in the city?" Unmoved, I replied,
"Only one, and he is now in our possession." He seemed to let go of a breath, but he still looked worried. He sighed again and said,
"Take me to him." I quickley nodded, and drew my hood up again. He threw a cloak around his shoulders, and followed out behind me. We quickly bustled out onto the road, and noticed the vendors starting to open. We quickened our pace down the street, as we passed a group of Knights walking in for their shift change. I saw a flash of brown and quickly turned my head to the other direction.
Please don't see me, please don't see me. I pleaded inside my head. I heard his rough footsteps fade and I felt Nikoli chuckle beside me.
When we turned a corner where there were no people roaming, I smacked him playfully, yet seriously, on the chest and he looked at me from under his hood. I grumbled to myself and continued to walk. I opened the metal door at the end of the allyway, and apperently walked in on an important discussion. They all turned and looked at me, ready to fight. I dropped my hood, and so did Nikoli. They relaxed and returned to their work. I strode over to Charles and whispered in his ear,
"Nikoli, wants to see him, and well so do I." He sighed and strode over to the hatch in the floor. Charles threw it open and climbed down. Me and Nikloi followed. We didn't go that far beneath the ground, but far enough to were it was cold in the tiny room. In the middle of the room sat a man, tied up. His deep auburn hair covered his feroucious black eyes. They weren't beady either. More of a dark that comforts you, if that makes any sence. I dropped my cloak completly, and set it by the door. I strode over to the man casually, and asked Charles,
"What's his name?" He mearly shrugged and I sighed. This guy is going to be stubborn, I can already tell. His black angry eyes, met my blue calm ones, and we simply stared, sizing each other up. I cracked a smirk, and said,
"You know it's rude not to introduce yourself." He narrowed his eyes, and surprisingly, said,
"Then tell me yours." His voice was gruff, as if he's told many stories over the years.
"Ebony." I replied, calmly. I titled my head as if to say, and yours?
He gave me a questioning look, but replied,
"Alex." I nodded and said,
"Now we're getting somewhere." I knelt down and rocked on my heels. I was merely inches from his nose and he stared right back into my face. I smirked and said,
"What exactly were you trying to do in the Kingdom?"
"Like that's any of your business." He spat,
"It is." I said calmly, and this just seemed to agitate him. His glare grew darker, but my smirk only grew larger.
"How so?" he asked,
"Is that any of your business?" I replied. His eyes were on fire and his glare insisified to the point where I thought I might burst into flames. Suddenly a confused look crossed his face and his exspression straighted out. I didn't change my emotion, but I could tell he was thinking intensly.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked curious, tilting my head to the side. He scowled at me, but said nothing. I sighed and straightened out.
"Leave us." I muttered to them. Nikoli had no choice, but to listen. Charles didn't though, but he left anyways. When I heard the hatch close, I examined him a little closer.
He was shirtless with dried blood around the cuts on his chest. His trousers were wrinkled and dirty, and burn scars covered his right arm. My hand immediately, and sub-conciously, went to my left arm, where my scar lay. I dropped my hand when I realized what I was doing, and Alex was giving me a strange look. I scoffed and curled my lip at him. It must have taken him by surprise, the sudden change in attitude, because he looked a little taken back. I circled around to his side and his eyes follwed me, never leaving mine. I sighed and asked,
"What were you doing here?" He raised his chin as if to say, fuck you. I took one step toward him and had him pinned to the ground by his neck.
"Dammit boy, tell me what you were doing here?!" I yelled. He gave me the same look he just wore.
"Gah!" I yelled, and threw him face first into the floor, his back completly exposed. I stood there and was frozen to the spot, staring at his back.
"What?!" He yelled, but I didn't say anything. He began to say something else, but my mind drifted to that night. Just a few days afterward, a mysterious tattoo of a black dragon had appeared on my back. The same one from that night, his head curled around at the nape of my neck and staring out with those red eyes, it's spiked tail ending just above my tail-bone, and its black wings spread across my back.
"What are you staring at?!" I heard Alex yell, as I came back into focus. I gulped and said,
"That." Refering to the great red dragon that lay on his back.
