The Desolation of Light

Chapter 10~ Trusting a Stranger

                                     Chapter 10~ Trusting a Stranger

               "Let her go!" A low menacing voice from the corner was all the men needed to release Evelyn at once. The one she had kicked, shoved her hard until she toppled backwards into a chair at the back. Then they turned and marched off, muttering tales about beautiful women, dances and ale.

          Once the initial shock of what happened wore off, Evelyn looked around in search of her rescuer. Sitting across from her at the table, was the shadowy figure of a man. He was leaning back against the wall, arms folded across his chest, and a long cloak concealing his identity in shadows. The light of the candle resting on the tabletop flickered over his pale hands and the faint gleam of his eyes within his hood. There was something oddly familiar about him, but she couldn't place what. "Are... you the one who told them to stop?"

          "Yes. You're a young woman. You should at the very least be treated with some respect." He didn't move. She wished she could at least see who she was speaking to.

          "Then you probably heard everything I said, didn't you?"

          The man turned his head slightly to look over at the crowd. "If you're referring to how you're searching for your sister and your village was attacked, then yes." He unfolded his hands, briefly displaying a long gleaming object before it disappeared into the folds of his cloak. Evelyn had the uneasy feeling that it was a knife. "You will be hard pressed to find any help for a situation such as that."

          "Why?" She demanded, a bought of rage taking over. "Why is everyone ignoring me and acting like this isn't important? I can't find my sister on my own!"

          If she was expecting the stranger to have any form of a sympathetic reaction, she was deeply mistaken. He only turned his hooded face back to her and sighed. "What would any man have to gain from risking his life to rescue some helpless child? You have no clues as to where she is, nor do you fully understand the consequences of what you are asking. It's both pathetic and childish for you to put so much hope into a worthless cause."

          Was he purposely trying to anger her? Because he was doing a remarkably fine job of it. Evelyn practically hissed at him. "She may mean nothing to you, but this is my sister. This is my family. If you can't understand how important that is, then I wouldn't expect you to have a heart at all."

          There was a long and awkward silence that followed. She could hear him breathing and could tell his eyes still rested on her, but he didn't respond. Had she angered him? Or was he simply lost in thought. "It's family that causes us the most heart-ache," he finally spoke, voice low and somewhat distant. "Heartless as I may be, I do understand. I'm merely stating that there are few other men that would risk their lives for someone else. This world doesn't posses the charity."

          She knew that. Their world was cold and heartless. He didn't need to remind her of that as if she was some ignorant child. "What about you then? Will you help me?"

          Suddenly he leaned across the table, his hands moving up to his hood. "You don't want my help," he answered coolly before lowering his hood from his face.

          Evelyn gasped. The man before her was breath-takingly handsome. His hair was dark brown and fell haphazardly down to frame his face, showing off his high cheekbones and pale complexion. His eyes, which at first glance had seemed almost black, were actually a rich deep brown that seemed to gleam red occasionally in the flash of the candle flame. Around his neck hung a thin chain, but whatever it was connected to was hidden safely away in his shirt. He studied her face intently as if searching for a reaction, yet his own face remained entirely emotionless. It was as if he was some sort of riddle. There was so much to him, yet it was impossible to piece it all together. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before.