On The Run

Chapter One

Evalynn gripped the grimy pole as she scaled the brick wall, her darkeyes glinting in the torchlight as the villagers shouted at her. Shegripped a piece of bread in her mouth as she grabbed a brick stickingout, then jumped up to the roof of the building. She didn't dareglance back at the people shouting at the thief who had stolen theirbread. She jumped from roof to roof nimbly, stopping only when shecould no longer hear the villagers or see their torchlight dancing inthe air. She pulled her pack off her shoulder and stuffed the breadin it before pulling her hood off and racing through the night onceagain.

WhenEvalynn awoke, she was lying on a makeshift bed in the forest nearthe village. She pulled the bread out of her pack and tore off apiece, stuffing it in her mouth before standing and mounting thehorse she had stolen yesterday. The sun was barely up in Orlea as sherode away from it, leaving the angry villagers behind. She scannedthe forest around her for any signs, flaring her nostrils to catchthe scent of any werewolves or vampires around her. She growled anddug the heels if her boots into the horses sides, forcing it to startrunning. She pulled her hood up, hiding her face as she found a roadleading out of the small town of Orlea. The horse galloped along thedirt road, and the blur of forest as it passed them slowly turnedinto memories. All the thieving and murdering she had done to giveherself the title of Faylin's assassin, or Strix. And the memories ofher parents before they were slaughtered by the vampires. God, shehated this mess. It felt like everyone was after her. The vampiresand werewolves for 'being a symbol of peace' or something, and thegovernment just for feeding her hunger for blood. Ok, she couldunderstand the second one.... but why can't the vampires andwerewolves get over it? They already killed her parents... She lookedback up to the road, slowing the horse down when they started toenter Janwyn. The large buildings loomed over her. This was one ofthe richer cities in Faylin, which meant that she could steal more.She grinned slightly. This was her life, and she didn't really wantto change it. How boring would it be if she was just a plain oldhuman living a plain old life? She dismounted the horse as theyreached the edge of the forest, leading it off the road and out ofsight of any travelers.

Then shepulled her hood up so it hid her face and entered the shadow,slipping from alley to alley, roof to roof, constantly on the moveand keeping out of sight. Reaching the center of the rich city, sheslipped out of a dark alley and into the square. Stomach growlinghungrily now, she slipped into the large square, buzzing with richfolks. Scents of fresh food reached her extra strong nose, making herlook at the pretty bakeries selling pastries. She scowled, knowingshe didn't have enough money. Maybe if she sold the horse... No, shehad to keep the horse, it was her only transportation.

A younggirl, about the age of seven, ran past her, giggling and carrying acookie. She jumped into an older woman's arms, breaking the cookie inhalf and giving part of it to a younger still boy, probably four orfive. The scene made Evalynn smile, seeing a happy family. She turnedaway before she did anything stupid, scanning the area for someonerich enough to not notice a couple missing ara, maybe even a ura. Shespotted a very posh woman, her nose in the air and purse dangling ather side. Score! Evalynn made my way over to her, some of the rich,clean folks shooting her nasty glares. She didn't meet their eyes incase they recognized her remarkable ones, the only knowncharacteristic of Faylin's assassin: pale grey eyes with a ring ofbright gold around the center.

Slipping through the crowd like a fish, Evalynn slid in beside therich woman, keeping her hands hidden underneath the cloak. Keepingher head down, she pretended to be in a hurry, hand slipping intothe woman's purse and out again before anyone noticed. Evalynn hurriedaway, three small coins clenched in her hand. She opened a doorsilently, slipping inside the bakery selling freshly baked pastries.Oh, just one would keep her happy for weeks... But no. She couldn't.She pretended to look around for a moment or two before hurrying backout into the bustling streets of Janwyn. She dove into a stream ofpeople and swam through it, staying in the middle where she would beinvisible. Spotting an alley, she quickly jumped out of the crowd andjoined the shadows once more.

Thatnight, she counted her savings. Six ara and two ura. All stolen, butshe didn't want to think about that. She scanned the forest aroundher, the moon casting an eerie light on the forest around her. Sheblinked once, her gaze freezing on a spot in the woods. Yellowwerewolf eyes peered out at her from the forest, making her breathcatch. She blinked again, and the eyes were gone.

When sheslept that night, her dreams were uneasy, but she remembered nothing inthe morning.