The Hooded Figure

The Carriage

James nearly fell asleep in the warm bath that night; he felt so relaxed as the layer of grime and sweat left his skin. He jolted upright by the sound of loud knocking on the door. He had left Tula waiting too long; he hurriedly slipped out of the water tub and into his sleeping tunic, then ran out of the bathing area. He got into bed and the fatigue from his long day of travelling took over him, he was asleep almost instantly. Tula wasn’t as lucky; James had left the bathing room a mess, it took her hours to clean the water tub and bathe. By the time she got into bed, she was exhausted.

The next morning, she woke up at the break of dawn as if nothing had happened the night before. After getting ready she woke James up and they went down for some breakfast. James yawned as they settled down at the table; Tula had chosen one by the fire to fight off the morning chill.

“Why do we have to wake up so early?” mumbled James through yawns, “I mean we’ve already reached Tarinia so there’s no point in rushing anymore.”

“Have you forgotten our main purpose?” asked Tula sternly. James froze for a second, this was the first time she had referred to them as a team.

“Oh, no, sorry; is there anything I could do to help?” He asked, quickly regaining his senses. Tula eyes met his and she held his gaze, inspecting him. When she was satisfied, she let her eyes fall back under the shadow of her hood and sighed.

“I’ll search around town, you buy the supplies” James waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t. The food came and they ate in silence. Tula stood up when her plate was empty and placed five Quinz on the table before leaving. James didn’t try to stop or follow her; he was given orders and he planned to complete them to the letter.

He payed for the food with the money Tula had left and pocketed the rest. He stepped out onto the street only to dodge back inside as a carriage rocketed past. Those idiots, he thought, what are they doing riding a carriage so fast through a busy street?   

Others around him yelled out their complaints at the disappearing carriage. James straightened himself and stepped outside once again.

He walked on the side of the road, hands in his pocket, a serious expression on his face. He realised he didn’t even know how much supplies they will need since he didn’t even know where they were going. He decided on buying enough for three days, if Tula didn’t think it was sufficient he would just have to buy more later. He turned the corner to get to the road on the other side of the buildings, only to see a carriage resting a few feet in front of him. He recognized it as the carriage that had just passed him before. He had just turned to find another way around, when he heard a loud crash and a feminine scream.

He turned back around and squizzed through the narrow lane before he even knew what was going on; as if his legs were moving on their own. He got to the other side of the building and gasped at the destruction. The door was torn off of its hinges and strewn aside, the windows in the front were shattered and the glass was scattered everywhere. Before James could inspect further, the scream came again. James jumped over the glass and bolted through the doorway without hesitation.