Take Note : It's All Different

17. Stopping Avery

My mind was racing.
My head was pounding.
My hand was throbbing.
My legs were shaking.

But still I managed to sprint out of my room and down the hallway. My dress uplifted from the ground added unwanted weight to my run. I was slower than usual but I kept running. I kept the pace constant.

As I was running I didn't care about being lady like. The lessons flew out of my mind. I didn't care how I looked. I didn't care how loud I was until I noticed there was barely any sound. My feet made the slightest of sound and so I stopped. I stopped dead in my tracks. It was startling. Why was I so quiet now. When I walk I am twice as loud. It stunned me. The shoes maybe. I looked at my shoes then back to the hallway and began to run again. My mind set on finding Avery.

I'd made it to where I had last seen Avery. It was all too quiet there. If it was his pain there was no showing of blood or flesh. No evidence that it was his pain yet. There was no sign of him which wasn't a bad thing either. I continued in the path I thought he would take. He was going to go to the stables or to the main road in front of the Castle of Pendelum in order to get transport to Quersan.

I continued to follow the path and it just got quieter. There was absolutely no one about. It was deserted although Tanner and i had walked here whilst passing people every few seconds. As I passed window after window I took slight glances out to the village. Although it was not that late at night the town was now relying on all the firelights. Where the firelights were hung the snow near and beneath melted to become water. There was not much breeze tonight I could tell only because the firelights were still. Not a single one threatened to flicker out.

It was startling. I'd kept my focus on the windows and the village that I'd forgotten I was running. I ran straight into one of my maids. She cursed under her breathe as she lifted some clothes from the floor.

"Oh I'm so so sorry." I knelt down to help her lift the clothes.
"No, no my dear I should have brought you these sooner." She handed me the clothes as I looked around me anxiously. I was wasting time. I shouldn't have stopped I shouldn't have kept running and apologised. I need to follow Avery.

"It's fine. Truly."
"No. These clothes are much better to run in than what you are wearing. Tanner sent for them the moment you got measured. He wanted to be sure they'd fit you. Can't be training an assassin in a dress now can you? So on that note love, I suggest you change now. Especially if your chasing Avery."
"How did you know that?"
"The maids know everything. Now in here get changed." She tapped her head with two fingers with a smile across her lips.

The maid opened a door to the right of the hallway and I quickly stepped inside and changed. The pants were made of a material much like leggings back home and the leather jacket was light weight but very warm. The bra was uncomfortable but the maid ensured me that it was good. And that I could run for miles with it on and forget they are even there.

As soon as I was dressed the maid opened the door and I sprinted out. Without a second to lose and anymore to waste I was down the hallway. Running in pursuit of Avery Charlie.

After running in half heels the change in shoes was a true gift. The runners that were on my feet now were comfortable and silent. They were a blessing. You couldn't hear my feet hitting the stone. The impact was silent. Stealthy. Sneaky.

With a change of clothes the running became easier. I ran faster with the weight of the dress now off my shoulders. I rounded the corners with ease. My feet did not threaten to slip on the turns. I was grounded. It made me so much better. I'm glad Tanner had sent for these clothes. They were perfect. They were the outfit of an assassin.

As I sprinted down the halls I past no one else. Not a single maid. Not a single person. I listened for movement and I watched where I was running but no one turned up or appeared for that matter. I continued down the hall at a constant speed. I rounded the last corner towards the stable and found Avery standing in front of a horse. In front of two horses. Holding the reins of one whilst reaching for the other he became unconscious of his surroundings. The squeaking of the open stable door was loud and the hooves against the concrete of the stables was inconvenient to say the least.