Red Winter

Conract Thirteen: Fernish Gyre

It was a chilly, overcast morning in Oktober. The muggy light gray sky above seemed as if it couldn't decide whether or not to let go of its lofty tears. Keito and a middle aged merchant were sitting on a bench outside the man's large manor, surrounded by tall green hedges. Resting on the bench between the elf and the man was a flashdrawn portrait of the merchant's eighteen year old son, Fernish Gyre.

The full color sketch accurately displayed a young man wearing a fine ice blue doublet with his arms crossed. The eighteen year old had fair skin and longer black hair pulled back in a ponytail. His chiseled face was smooth shaven and he had light gray eyes slanted with a confident smile. His father had told Keito that Fernish stood at roughly five foot, eight inches, and by the picture he looked trim built, so Kieto assumed he weighed around one hundred and twenty pounds. The fool. A gyrfalcon could tear him to shreds. Hell, I doubt even I would put up much of a fight against such a monster, Keito thought grimly, exhaling through his nose and returning his gaze to Fernish's father.

The middle aged merchant had short, salt and pepper hair and a full beard. He was in the process of hiring Keito to go find and retrieve his son, who had supposedly traveled to the Sunspaw Mountains in the northeast to study a recent gyrfalcon sighting. Keito's emerald green eyes glanced down at the drawing once more while the merchant continued to relay any details he had that could assist Keito on his search.

"... and I'm offering you eight gold pieces if you can return him," Mr. Gyre said. He hadn't been looking at Keito as he spoke. Instead his light gray gaze had wandered around the garden as he worriedly, but composedly gave information to Keito. Keito knew that most civilian jobs in the city offered a wage of five copper pieces an hour. Ten copper to a silver, ten silver to a gold... He's offering me twenty days wages. Good enough.

Keito cleared his throat and pulled up at the collar of his dark green tunic to block the chilly breeze harassing his smooth neck. "I'll make sure your son is returned to your family with utmost haste. When did Fernish leave the manor?" Keito asked cooly.

Mr. Gyre furrowed his eyebrows and stared off at a particularly large white rose bush in the garden. "He left last night. He had heard of the gyrfalcon spotting while at a pub earlier in the evening and he couldn't stop himself. My son is an aspiring author, which his mother and I were happy to learn, until he said that the book he wanted to write was a bestiary," he said, sounding gruffly bewildered. "All those years of paying for the finest tutoring in the city. An education like that and he wants to write about monsters."

I don't give a damn what he wants. I'm bringing him back here to his parents and getting paid. "I noticed the path leading to the back of the estate," Keito said, glancing over to the dirt path that broke off from the walkway leading from the iron rod property gate to the manor's front door. "I assume it leads to the stables? Did he leave on horseback?"

"Yes," Mr. Gyre said glumly.

"That's all I needed to know, my good sir. I'll be on my way now, unless there was anything else you wanted me to know?" Keito asked as he rose to his feet.

The wealthy man stood up and he straightened his fine purple vest with his large hands. "That's all the information I have. I wish I had more, but from what Alexandria told me about you, you'll be able to find him. I only pray that he's still alive when you do." He nodded and drearily walked away from Keito, heading to the large doors of his manor. All the money he had couldn't ease the misery his son was causing him. He should be worried, gyrfalcons will hunt anything for prey.

As his newest patron turned away, Keito wasted no time in heading back to his mount, which he had hitched to the iron rod property fence. His horse, Umbra, was a slender black mare with a few white splotches across her snout. The friendly and brave mount was bred for speed, and had actually been acquired by Keito from one of his earlier marks who had been using the horse to smuggle illegal goods from town to town. Keito himself was a tall lean half elf with close-cut ebony hair in an almost military style. He had emerald eyes, green as the forests that once surrounded the monastery he was brought up in. For garment, Keito wore a collared dark green tunic, dark wool trousers, leather boots, and a hooded black wool cloak. On his leather sword belt was a sheathed short sword and a band of ten curved throwing darts. The throwing darts were wrought from solid jade and the short sword was smooth dark gray elven steel. The rest of his belongings were in his mare's saddlebags.

Upon climbing onto Umbra's saddle, Keito clicked his tongue and gave her a gentle kick with the backs of his heels to set her in motion. The less trafficked cobblestone streets of the wealthy residential district passed by quickly, but Keito had to slow Umbra's canter upon arriving to the bustling main streets of the city. They were noisy with their usual traffic of pedestrians and horse-drawn carts. Here he had to carefully keep an eye on the saddlebags by his legs because of the threat of pickpockets. He navigated through the cacophony of merchants, civilians, guards, and travelers until he eventually reached the forty foot tall smooth stone walls of the city. The mighty stone walls boasted fortified turrets and red and purple flags, which flapped noisily in the breeze. The gates themselves were guarded by armed men and women wearing shiny plate armor and matching steel helmets adorned with red or purple feather plumes. Keito's vigilant gaze scanned the other traffic in the street and the watching knights as he rode by. He had a habit of absentmindedly stroking Umbra's mane whenever he scanned from his saddle-back perch, and he was doing so now. Something about feeling the hundreds of soft resilient hairs against his fingertips assisted him in not breaking concentration.

Once outside of the city, Keito looked out across the peaceful rolling plains of light green and yellow grass that stretched to the north and to the east of Kober. Keito steered Umbra to begin a heading toward the rolling grasslands while he mentally pictured a map of the region. The Sunspaw Mountains are a seven hour ride from the city, Keito thought calculatingly. He had memorized many maps during his time in the elven monastery. The monastery couldn't have done better at preparing me for this bounty-hunting job. Keito felt a sudden feeling of glumness and his straight eyebrows creased. Remembering the monastery often filled him with angst and bitterness, but he usually couldn't stop his memories from flashing before him from time to time. At least with this job I have a chance to help people and atone for the sins I committed for my masters. During his very first bounty-hunt he had saved the lives of six young travelers who had been taken hostage by highwaymen, and on his most recent contract, he had tracked down and delivered to the authorities a serial killer that preyed on homeless travelers in the streets.

The elf sighed and looked at the back of Umbra's ebony head. His job was rewarding and oftentimes engaging for his sharp mind, but inside he worried how long he could stay in Kober and live this way. Surely the traitorous elves at the monastery would eventually seek him out and attempt to kill him again. Keito gently stroked Umbra's neck and urged her forward with a word. The intelligent and obedient mare broke into a quick canter. Within moments, the sensation of cool wind and the rhythm of his ride toward the horizon of gray sky and swaying grass dispelled Keito's troublesome memories, even if only for the ride.