Shattered Bonds [Book Three]

Chapter 7: First of Four

        The city was louder to her ears than she could recall from her own time. She could not place the year, but the faces and clothing of the people who passed by her were vastly different from their people. She walked confidently among them, comfortable in her own cat form and free to walk among them without gathering too much attention to herself. Carefully and with grace, she managed to dodge through the many people, eyes keen to find what she was looking for. 

        Her paws brought her towards a large crowd of people gathering in acts of trade. Cautiously, she made her way towards the people, dashing across the road by her side to join them. There, she managed to leap onto a pile of cloth by a vendor's stand, keeping her head low so as not to be seen by the seller. 

        That was when she saw her. Across the marketplace stood a young woman with dark skin and short, dark hair that was shaved on the sides. Her face was tilted up towards the sky, and in an instant, her eyes went completely white as the wind picked up in the marketplace. With it, the sand began to blind vendors. One man turned his back to the wind, only for it to knock over some of the items he was selling. That was when the young woman lept towards a box at his booth, opening it quickly to grab something from inside.

        It was unmistakable; she would be the first.

        Just as the young woman dashed off, the vendor caught a glimpse of her stealing from him and immediately went after her. Leaping from the pile of cloth, she followed after them into a tight alleyway. She could hear them speaking in heated tones, but she could not make out their modern language. As she rounded the corner towards them, she allowed herself to transform back into her normal form. 

        When she approached them, she could see that the girl was cornered by two men. One held a carved wooden staff with both hands, prevent her from escaping their midst. The language the man spoke fell dead to her ears, for she could not yet understand the languages of the new world. Nevertheless, she knew it could not be friendly. Before she turned the corner directly into their sight, she transformed once more into her natural self. 

        "Enough!" She commanded in her mother tongue. The three of them turned and stared incredulously at her, fear and confusion written on the features of the young girl's face.

        The man closest to her gave a short laugh before he spoke in her direction, waving the blade in his hand at her. It was a weak threat, but the confidence behind it made her smile. He shifted uncomfortably, his eyes glancing up briefly to the cat ears on her head, though he still managed to hold his ground as she approached him. He spoke in that modern language she did not yet understand, his voice turning up as if he was asking a question. 

        She stood before him, meeting his eyes as readily as he gripped his blade. Only before either of them made any sudden moves, there came the sound of footsteps to their side. Three other men appeared from around the corner and formed a line that blocked her way out. Believing she was finally cornered along with the other girl, the man with the blade began speaking again.

        He waved his blade once more and dared to take another step towards her, though she did not budge. A smirk remained on her face as he brought the blade close to her face, aimed at her throat. If only he knew how easily she could rid him of it, of everything and everyone.

        Slowly, she raised her right hand towards the three men, drawing in a deep and slow breath as she reached out with her powers—His powers, a temporary gift she would use to her advantage. Her pupils narrowed to catlike slits once more, making the man before her step back in fear. The wall by the three men began to emit trails of sand, flowing like the wind. 

        They did not move, afraid and mesmerized by the particles floating before them. Then, with a flick of her hand, the sand wrapped itself around each one of their necks, promptly twisting until they collapsed, headless and without a drop of life left in their bodies. 

        The man at the other end of the alley ran as soon as their bodies hit the ground, but the girl did not run with him. She stared as the merchant did, his blade lowered to his side as fear overcame his features. His eyes darted all over her, as though he could figure her out with just his eyes. He could not make sense of how her eyes did that, of how she looked at him like she could see right through him. She paid no attention to how his eyes trailed to her hair, where he saw the very ends of her hair begin to tinge with white.

        The man spoke desperately as she continued forward, his feet moving him back until his back hit the same wall that had killed his allies. With her powers, she had it reach out to envelop him slowly while she drank in the terror in his eyes. 

        "You don't know, do you?" She spoke to him in her language, not caring that he could not understand a word that moved past her lips. The shopkeeper only groaned as the wall nearly swallowed him whole, only leaving his face for her to look at. It solidified once more, leaving him stuck and staring, his mouth open as though in a silent scream.

        "There," she said, still meeting his eyes. "Now you know."

        When she turned to the young woman, she did not look nearly as afraid as she did before. Alone with her, she could see the confusion, the curiosity in her dark eyes, and above all: the power, the potential inside her.

        "Now, my sister," she spoke, though she knew it was of little use beyond her pleasant, reassuring tone, "lead me to the others."