Redemption

Chapter Five

Niko hurried, grabbing Alistair as he was finishing buttoning up his furs, Niko saw that he'd put one of the pieces on incorrectly, but it would have to wait. He healed the horse's leg completely, knowing he didn't have time to do the same to Alistair and still be able to make it away from this place and to Greyharbor with the energy left to fight. Isa flew out the door and Niko followed, pulling the mare behind him. He'd decked the horse in furs as well, winter up here was no joke. 

"Those were Vitris familiars." Alistair murmured, "How did they find us so soon?" 

"I don't know. Unless someone knows tracking magic, which is generally an Aesin trait..." Niko gave Alistair a hard look, "Then as long as you're alive, then they will be able to find you. That makes this...quest we're on a little more difficult." 

Niko was feeling sour about this whole thing. He was leaving his home, the only home he really, truly remembered, and even though he locked the door, he knew that if he didn't come back, it was only a matter of time before it would eventually fall to ruin. The thought caused him pain, but he pushed it aside. It was just a building, the memories would stay in his mind, it didn't matter. He swallowed and pulled the mare along, encouraging her to tromp through the deep snow. 

He'd have to keep Alistair safe as well, and look for the other missing Aesin, if there were in fact others. He sighed. So what exactly was Alistair going to do? How was he supposed to contribute to this venture? It was irritating to think he'd be forced to pull all the weight here. He clenched his jaw and said nothing. 

Alistair could tell that the Aesin was becoming pissed off, and quickly. He followed behind him, doing his best to keep up, his leg still sore from the arrow wound the day before but he would be damned if he complained. This whole thing, the last twenty years were all his fault, and he'd brought nothing but trouble to this man. He wouldn't make one peep about his pain to Niko. 

He didn't have to; Niko knew at the pace they were going, it would only be a matter of time before more Vitris soldiers caught up to them. Not only that, but they needed to reach Greyharbor before the soldiers stationed there were warned. He stopped, turned around, picked Alistair up by the waist and deposited him on top of the horse without a word and began to move faster. Niko jogged beside the horse, his bow slung over his back, hood pulled up, indistinguishable from any other northman. They moved quickly and Alistair was amazed at how long Niko kept up this pace. In fact, the sun was beginning to sink beneath the craggy mountains on the horizon when Greyharbor came into view. 

It lived up to its name, the port city mostly made of drab, grey stones. The walls of the city were frostbitten and dunes of white snow gathered in the corners and along the frozen grey walls. Without the massive walls, the city would have been swallowed by the snow long ago. Niko led the way down the steep hill to the city, having cut directly through the forest rather than taking the road. Few people traveled the old game path and he preferred it that way. It wasn't difficult to see what he was, due to the tattoos adorning his body, and while there were a lot of people in the north that didn't care if a lone Aesin wandered in, things were far more strict in the walled cities. He pulled up his mask over the lower half of his face as they neared the gate. 

They made it inside without a problem and Niko made his way under the city to the black market in the sewers. He was quiet as he led his horse along the wide walkway and headed into one of the larger alcoves were several stalls and seedy vendors were set up. He headed to one that he normally dealt with and sold off all of his Wraith bones. He fetched a pretty penny for them, like he always did and pocketed the amount. He never worried about people stealing from him, his sheer size alone was enough to deter most thieves. 

"How you keep hunting so successfully in those frozen wastes is beyond me." The old woman laughed, "But you keep bringing me these bones, and I'll keep paying you the same, they're always in demand, vicious creatures have a lot of old magic in their bones."