Shades

Chapter 1 -The Unlit Corner

Chapter 1 - The Unlit Corner

Kayel brought the hood of her dark blue cloak up to conceal her face as she walked purposefully through the cobbled streets of Chothuz, one of the towns of Kyarhd that she knew almost by heart.

It was easy to blend among the other people roaming by. Walking through the main square, she ignored the merchant's coaxing voices, cajoling people to go see what they were displaying. 

Shaking her head and muttering a few "I've no care for such things", she made her way over to an inn that was small and unkempt enough to be an eyesore to the wealthy. It was in places like these that she felt she could keep her guard down—for a moment anyway. 

She had walked nearly all day, under the blistering heat of midsummer. Her legs didn't feel that tired, but she knew she would fare better if she gave herself a brief rest. A warm mug of cider and some bread couldn't hurt either.

Entering the boisterous taproom, she looked around to find a suitable spot to  remain somewhat unnoticed. The inn smelled like beer and cooking meat of some kind. She welcomed the familiar smell, since she hadn't had a decent meal since she had started her journey.

Deciding she could afford some small piece of whatever was in the pot, she sat down at a small table in an unlit corner. She didn't bother taking off her satchel, or her hood.

She could see a couple of people sitting on the bar, drinking from their mugs. A group of bearded men were laughing loudly and stomping their booted feet a few tables away. There were no women other than the waitresses, and there seemed to be no people her age. Fine by her—she didn't intend to make social conversation this evening.

She had to make this stop the briefest possible, wanting to continue on with her journey to the Southern Kingdoms, to Arrash. Where hopefully, a different fate awaited her. A chance she was secretly clutching desperately. 

Noticing her entrance, a waitress made her way toward Kayel. 

"What can I get you, boy?"

She smiled tightly under her hood. She hated being mistaken by a young man, but knew it was necessary if she wanted to mantain her identity a secret in this town. Chothuz knew who she was, and she didn't intend to let their inhabitants know she had passed through here. Too many stories would flare up, and she wasn't in the mood to dissipate them.

"What you got brewing over there?" She nodded toward the kitchen door behind the bar, and the waitress glanced in that direction briefly.

"We got some fine potato soup, with thick slices of mutton strips. The Bentleys brought a mighty fine cheese this morning, too. And we can bring you a couple slices of brown bread, though it's from yesterday  m'afraid."

"Oh, that's fine," she replied in a boyish voice. "Haven't had me a decent meal in a while. I could use some of that potato soup, sounds good enough. And I'll have a couple of that bread if you could kindly spare some."

"Very well. Something to drink?" The servant looked at her with a small smile plastered on her face. No doubt she was wondering who was this mysterious young man.

Kayel brushed back a couple of stray strands of her copper-colored hair out of her eyes and looked up at the young woman in front of her as if just noticing her slender body. Most men did that, she knew. The majority of her male friends—back when she had them—never failed to do such a thing when facing a waitress. It was part of her act.

"I'll just have to do with a beer. Don't have that much in my purse."

There—she was careful enough not to reveal too much about her, but also keep a steady flow of conversation, as if relaxed and just enjoying the last few hours of the day in an inn such as this one. 

The maid just nodded, smiled at Kayel and strode away, ignoring the appraising glances of a couple of men strewn there and again in the taproom.

She shook her head. Only recently had she started noticing more things around her, as if realizing more details about other people than before. Of course, back then she had a life. A future. Not a terribly spectacular one at that, but she had been in the possesion of one, at least. 

A couple of minutes later, the servant showed up with Kayel's food and winked at her, probably still believing the person sitting in the faraway table was a man. She almost chuckled at the thought of the maid's bewilderment if she was to discover that the hooded figure was actually a girl.

And not just a normal girl—Kayel, no less. Kayel, who was once the daughter of the keepers who had once run this very own inn. Kayel, who had mysteriously disappeared after her parents' deaths. The girl who was never like others.

She had once been known in Chothuz to be a girl of an extraordinary talent and power, of having a cunning inteligence that ensued something more than what her future offered alone.  But that girl was long gone. Or at least had changed.

Kayel tended to her meal, ripping small bits of her bread and dunking them in her soup. When she drowned her beer, she finally looked around and noticed that the day was waning. More people started stepping inside the taproom, eager for their own piece of the pot. 

It was time for her to go. She brought out her purse from her inner pocket of her dark cloak and counted the right amount of coins. She placed them on the table beside the wooden mug and got to her feet. 

Weaving her way through the tables, she heard a familiar voice from somewhere. She froze midstep, turning around toward the source of the sound. 

There he was, Nathare—with his dark unruly hair, warm gray eyes, high cheekbones and strong jaw—talking to a bearded man in mercenary threads. She turned away, not wanting to be spotted.

This was why she hadn't wanted to pass through this town. She had feared just this—seeing Nath and noticing how he hadn't changed. Noticing how he still assimilated that smiling, kind boy who would always step up to defend her in the olden days.

She took a deep breath and walked out the door. Thank Bethesh almighty he hadn't seen her. That encounter would have been to much for Kayel.

She resumed her walking. Sooner than she had opted, she was walking through a winding dirt road, leading to the outskirts of Chothuz. She secured her hood around her face, secured her satchel across her back, and kept going forward. The night didn't scare her.

Night was known to be the concealment of Shades, but she didn't fear. In fact, she was hoping for the appearance of one wandering Shade. One was enough. She probed for her knife concealed in her boot.

She smiled. She was prepared in case a misfortuned evil-spirited Shade crossed her path. This, she vowed, would be for Nathare.  

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A/N So, here you go guys! thank you for encouraging me on to continue, I promise I'll start uploading with a steady flow, at least once a week, if not more. Please comment on what you think! i'm always open to hear  what you got to say!

;D

awesome background music to the right ----->