Amiri of Caro

Rivals

"Come out, you little thief!"

Amiri pressed further into the shadows, but in vain. The brief moments the Dark Hoods had caught sight of him had been enough to reveal his hiding spot. They could still feel around for him, even if they couldn't see him. Still toss out and ensnare him in an inescapable net. They'd surely see him then, after they'd dragged him out into the harsh noonday sun.

He knew he shouldn't have lingered so long near the edge of the noble district. But he wouldn't have been able to meet with Iset otherwise. Her lady stayed inside these days, wary of another kidnapping attempt―and rightly so, else Amiri wouldn't be tucked behind a stack of stone blocks, trying not to breathe so those selfsame kidnappers wouldn't hear and discover him.

A flat, open expanse bisected by several bridged canals lay between him and the rougher, grittier part of Caro that Amiri called home. A thin opening where the blocks did not quite touch allowed Amiri to look out across the dry flatlands.

Only two men stood on the other side, robes the colours of cinders long burnt down. Perhaps they hadn't expected to see Amiri here. Perhaps Amiri could outrun them. He would have to leap like a gazelle from his hiding place and fly like the wind, hoping against hope that the men's Skills were far removed from anything physical. A vain wish, considering the sort of vagrants the Dark Hoods recruited to their ranks.

The men came closer to the blocks, but all Amiri could see of their faces were their eyes, dark and searching. When the closest man spoke, it was like honey poured slow over a flatcake, warmed atop an oven.

"You cost us a great deal by stealing that little girl away from us. We might have let you go had you only freed the serving girl, but by further liberating her noble mistress, you've condemned yourself."

Footsteps moved toward Amiri, then stopped, the dust settling as the men's heavy cloaks swished into stillness.

"But we are yet merciful. Willing to forgive. We can teach you how to fully manifest your Skill. Return with us, and we'll put this matter behind us. We do swear on our honour as Dark Hoods."

The words sounded good, and Amiri had to fight hard to shake them off. The man's Skill seemed not to be physical―indeed he wielded something far, far worse, making a ludicrous thing sound reasonable, and Amiri squeezed his eyes shut and thought of Yakov and Mother, who were waiting for him. He couldn't take even a single step in the hooded men's direction―he had to flee!

His hand cast about till he struck some pebbles, and he tossed them as far away as he could, the resulting soft noises diverting the Dark Hood's attentions as they turned to investigate the source of the sounds. Amiri waited, holding his breath until the men had stepped just far enough away that he could dart out of his hiding place and not court instant capture.

And run he did,racing toward the sandstone buildings of inner Caro, thinking only, See my shadow, see just my shadow, over and over again. The Dark Hoods whirled around, spitting angry curses at having been tricked, pushing themselves to apprehend Amiri before he reached the safety of the inner city's walls.

The closest man grabbed at him and missed, and a fierce joy at outwitting a Dark Hood, even in broad daylight lent speed to Amiri's steps. A second grab tumbled him to the ground. A foot heavy on his back forced him to the sand-filled dirt. Cold steel bit into his throat.

Desperate, Amiri yelled, "Father, he's killing me!" and for the briefest of moments, his assailant looked up, as if expecting to see Amiri's long departed sire. Amiri wriggled away, pulling the man's hood up over his face as he did so, and threw all the dust and dirt he could manage at the second man, which caused him to stumble over his cloaked companion, halting their pursuit long enough for Amiri to regain his feet and flee again towards succour.

This time the men could not close the gap between them, no matter how hard they pushed themselves, and Amiri reached the open gates with tears of relief flowing down his cheeks. The Dark Hoods took one glance at the guards, who suddenly stood to attention, and made themselves scarce. The Raohaph himself might not care if they roamed the dry, sandy stretches between Caro's collapsing middle and its gleaming outer edges, but that didn't mean his soldiers would turn a blind eye when men with so high a bounty on their heads approached Amiri's home.

Those same guards cast a warning look at Amiri, not a little irritated that he had brought trouble so close to their doorsteps, but Amiri took advantage of the bountiful shadows cast by the intricately patterned walls, and in moments, they saw him not.

Trouble indeed he had brought upon himself by saving Iset and her lady, and for the time being, he must not visit them but at dusk,when the light was low, and the shade abundant. His steps from now on must be lighter than ever before, and he resolved never to take the same path home twice―the Dark Hoods were not to be trifled with. But at length, they would lose their anger at him, and move to some other unfortunate who had caught their ire.

At least Amiri prayed for it with all his heart, for life as an enemy of the Dark Hoods would be short and the end unhappy, and while Yakov and Mother still depended on him, Amiri could not let that come to pass.