Fall of the Redcloaks

Chapter 2

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

                                                                                                                                                                              -Dr. Seuss

     Rollan followed the group through the crowd , growling complaints to himself as he was jostled by the many people clogging the streets. Many scents permeated the air and Rollan almost felt queasy at the quantity of them. Arden was leading them, and the rather large sailor managed to clear a path through the throng quite easily. Rollan watched Essix as the gyrfalcon circled far above. It was because he was watching the sky that he bumped into a quite solid object.

     Rollan fell back, not as much hurt as he was surprised. He looked around, trying to find what he had run into. At first it didn't seem apparent until he saw a figure hurrying away from him. He frowned, not sure if it was what he had collided with, but interested enough to watch where it was going. He studied it carefully with narrowed eyes. It was dressed all in black, with a black cloak trailing behind it. The outfit gave it the look of a silhouette, except that instead of illuminated by the sun it was the shadows that made it so black. It moved fluidly, as if it was a cloud of dark smoke billowing through the crowd unnoticed. It ducked into an alley and disappeared. Before it was swallowed by the shade though, it glanced back at Rollan. He heard himself draw a sharp intake of breath.

     The stranger was wearing a hood that covered its hair, but what was more surprising was the mask. The silhouette had an animal skull covering its face. Rollan couldn't make out what kind, but it was creepy enough to send shivers down his spine. A detail flashed in his vision, and he saw a yin and yang symbol on the figure's forehead. It was black, but but the normally white part was red. Blood red. It was just a glimpse, but it was enough to rattle Rollan. Then it whisked away into the shadows and was gone. Rollan stared into the distance, then noticed Conor in front of him. He was offering his hand to help Rollan up. He took it, but he felt more than a little shocked. Conor didn't seem to notice, however. His friend was mainly focusing on catching up to the others, who could be easily separated from them in this crowd. Rollan put all his energy into pushing the encounter to the back of his mind, as if scraping the memory from the walls and kicking them away. He had other things to do at the moment.

°。°。★【☆】★。°。°

     Meilin woke to a clatter and a loud yell. Her eyes flew open and darted around the room, trying to pinpoint the noise. The inn they were staying in was small and dusty, but it fit their needs well enough. Abeke was looking around blearily to Meilin's right, clearly having no more idea of what was happening than Meilin. The girls were sharing a space with Conor and Rollan in the room a short down the hall.

     Meilin hauled herself to her feet. Abeke swung her legs over the side of her own cot and looked at Meilin, a question on her face. Meilin returned it blankly. Meilin instinctively looked around the room for any threats. Abeke was on her feet when she looked up, though clearly still tired and rather wobbly. Shaking her head, Meilin motioned to her friend's tattoo. Abeke's eyes flashed quickly with understanding. With a yowl Uraza was on the floor next to Abeke. Meilin already noticed the difference in the way the Niloan girl was standing, more like a huntress than a worn out girl.

     Meilin nodded, satisfied, and reached out to turn the doorknob. She opened it, straining her ears to listen for the sound that had abruptly stopped. She was frozen there for some time even as Abeke shifted restlessly behind her. As she stood, poised in the doorway, Abeke seemed to lose her patience. She pushed past Meilin into the hall. Meilin frowned but followed her. There was another crash and bang which caused Abeke to spring into action. In several fluid motions the girl ran along the hallway and stopped in front of Conor and Rollan's door. With a start, Meilin realized this was were the noises had come from. Her mood changed from panic to irritation, wondering what prank Rollan had come up with this time.

     She reached for the door but didn't get the chance to open it, as Abeke had already thrust it open and was leaning through. Meilin shuffled behind her, peering around the room. Conor was sitting on the floor, thrashing around and trying to disentangle himself from his blankets. Rollan was starting to get out of his sitting position on his cot, looking confused. His face lit up when he spotted Meilin and Abeke. He looked like he wanted them to know what was going on, but they were just as clueless. Finally Conor calmed down enough to struggle out of his sheets. He looked dazed and partly terrified.

     "Conor?" Abeke stepped forward to ask. "What was that? Are you okay?" Conor seemed to look through her, but finally nodded.

     "I think I... had a dream," he seemed to choke on the words halfway through.

     "A prophetic one?" Meilin frowned. "You haven't had those in a while. Conor looked worried. Meilin felt a pang of sympathy, how would she feel if she had visions like Conor's? Overwhelmed, probably.

     "Do you want to talk about it?" Abeke asked, right as Rollan contributed with a, "What was it about?" Conor looked sick, and Meilin she knew what the answer to both those questions were.

     "Later," Conor mumbled. Abeke nodded understandingly, while Rollan squinted at Conor like he had something in his eye.

     "Okay, whenever you're ready," Abeke promised. Rollan flopped back into his cot, curling up groggily.

     Meilin grunted an agreement and started back toward the door, ready for some more shut-eye. Abeke whispered something reassuring to Conor, then followed.

°。°。★【☆】★。°。°

     Isolde watched through the narrowed eyes of Tasmin again, though now she was watching a busy town. Her keen eyesight followed the group of travelers and sailor into an inn. Her owl swooped to another perch, careful to stay out of the way of Essix. If they were caught now, the whole plan could fall apart. Or I could just leave Tasmin to deal with it. Isolde pondered, knowing it might keep them from finding the true meaning of the spying. She turned as a figure approached from behind, snapping out of Tasmin's eyesight quickly. The dark silhouette preferred to stay in the shadows, but it stepped halfway out now. It had a deer skull masking its expression, and when a voice came it was shielded and gave nothing away about the character. Isolde studied it with eyes as sharp and cold as twin ice shards.

     "Cervinae." Isolde addressed it for the species of animal it wore over its face. Cervinae dipped its head and waited for Isolde's signal to speak. She drew out the silence, then flicked her hand as a command to talk.

    "The Heroes of Erdas were located. They seem unaware, but we are keeping close track of them. Most are awaiting orders." The way it spoke was short and blunt, delivering only needed and wanted information.

     "I have given orders." Isolde hissed. The person in the shadows tilted its head.

     "We have fulfilled most of them, and restlessness is starting to come up." Isolde watched Cervinae frostily.

     "Find more soldiers. Those who are willing to fight. Or if they aren't, make them. I need to grow my army." Isolde growled after a long pause. Cervinae nodded and slipped away after Isolde gestured to it dismissively. What has Erdas become? I don't know now, but I will once I have control. Then nobody can be hurt like I was. It will be safe and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Isolde told herself without a shred of doubt. You'll see. Everyone that has ever doubted me will bow to me. The smile that spread across her face was twisted, evil and unrecognizable. She slipped back into Tasmin's head with a sigh of pleasure, knowing that everything was going to plan.

(Sorry it took so long, I'm not on a very planned schedule with this sort of thing. A lot of times I just lose the appeal to finish the stories a started. I'm going to try to stick with this one though!)