Chapter 1:1 - Ana
One rainy evening a stranger came into the small coast town of Sofara. Covered in a dark cape with a hood which concealed the face and with a staff for support, the stranger was limping through town in a hurry. It had rained all day and all the roads were no more than slippery mud and the stranger slide and fell as the limp leg didn’t hold the body up. The cape was covered in mud but the stranger didn’t seem to care and weakly got up to stand the two legs again and continued forward limping.
From the small pub, the Fair Lady, in the middle in Sofara music could be heard from far away and sound of laughter and joyous song met the stranger in the entrance of the pub. In the middle of the pub the floor were filled with dancers of all ages who happily skipped and jumped to the beat of the music. An old man sat by the bar and called on the dancers with bright smile on his face.
-Cheerio Jane. Step on it, Casper. Ah, that’s the way to dance fellows!
The stranger still on the threshold to the pub, looked around the room and with decisive steps crossed the dance floor and walked, without any trace of limping, up to a man with a great, dark beard who sat with a view over the dance floor and looked him in the eyes. The man immediately recognised the stranger and quickly stood up. As he rose the music stopped playing and silence filled the pub. The man looked at the stranger with deep wrinkles on his forehead but as he noticed the silence he turned to the people in the pub.
-Well, carry on, he said impatiently and the musicians begun to play again.
He then turned back to the stranger and bowed.
-This way, please.
As the two left the room the man with the beard turned to the two guards who followed him.
-Get me Soi immediately and guard the entrances of the town, he whispered to them.
-Yes, sir, were their reply.
Soi arrived at the mayor’s office in the Fair Lady and stumbled upon a conversation between the town’s leader and a stranger. Non of them took any notice of his entrance. The mayor stood in front of the fire, resting his elbow on the mantelpiece, his forehead in three big wrinkles and he combed his beard with his fingers absently. The stranger lay in an armchair with the legs stretched out on a small stool and with the face covered by the hood. Seemingly relaxed and eyes half closed. When Soi entered the stranger opened the eyes for a moment and then closed them again. Leaning against the armchair stood a staff.
-There is no need to guard the entrances of the town, they will not attack you. They never enter towns.
It was the stranger who spoke, with a voice low and mysterious. Soi couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman.
-No, no, I know, the mayor answered. – It is just a precaution, for your and, of course, everyone’s safety.
-Is he for my safety too? Soi could hear the sarcasm in the stranger’s voice.
The stranger nodded in Soi’s direction and for the first time the mayor noticed him.
-Ah! The mayor’s eyes lit up and he seemed relieved. –Soi, didn’t see you. I’m so sorry for calling on you so late. Hope you weren’t sleeping?
-No, sir.
-Good, good. This is Ana, the mayor turned to the stranger. –Would you like me to introduce you further?
So it was a woman, Soi thought and observed the stranger closer though nothing much could be deduced as she was well covered.
-He’ll find out eventually, let’s just leave it. Anyway, I don’t need him. I’ve made it this far, so it’ll be fine. And I am supposed to meet up with Sam here.
She stood up with the support of the staff.
-Ah, Sam, yes, of course, the mayor said and pulled a little on the mouth, an expression Soi recognised as discontentment.
-Could I sleep now? Ana started to walk towards the door, leaning heavily on the staff.
-Yes, certainly. You must be tired. Soi, escort Ana to her room, the mayor leaned in closer to Soi, and make sure to guard it all night. I’ll send someone to bring you food later on.
Soi tried to follow Ana as ordered but the mayor grabbed a hold on his arm and they stood facing each other. The mayor’s expression was serious and Soi couldn’t begin to wonder what was going on. The mayor pointed in the direction Ana had disappeared around the corner.
-Guard her with your life.
With those words swirling around in his head, Soi caught up with Ana who slowly limped her way forward and loyally followed her to her room where she promptly shut the door in his face.
In the early morning the door Soi had watched all night, opened up. Soi looked up with sleepy eyes. Blocking the doorway before him stood a figure all covered in a dark cape with a hood and Soi racked his brain trying to figure out who it was and what he was doing on the floor. The sunlight shone from behind the stranger so he couldn’t see the stranger’s face. As his memory caught up with him from last night Soi quickly got up.
-So much for a guard, Ana said and he was sure she was smirking underneath the hood.
She started walking and Soi followed her down to the main floor that yesterday had been filled with people who were dancing and drinking. As they made their way around the tables and chairs, Soi thought that there was something odd with Ana. There was something different about her today but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. They were served breakfast, on the house, as they sat down at one of the tables by the windows viewing the main road of Sofara. The rain had stopped, but the road was still muddy and slippery.
Soi had hardly got any of the food in him, when suddenly, Ana rose from her chair and walked away. He stared after her and looked disbelieving at her plate which was left untouched. He dutifully got up to follow her though his stomach was growling.
They walked through the town to its east entrance and stood there in silence for minutes watching people entering and going with different errands. Then they walked to the west entrance, repeating the procedure. The day went idly by, walking from gate to gate in silence then observing the entrance, in silence. After lunch, which they didn’t eat either, Ana led Soi through the grey and muddy town down to the harbour. With a view over the equally grey sea, the two wondered to the outskirt of the harbour. Sofara was a coast town which survived through fishing and trade and was a proper little town, but it had as many other cities its bad parts. In Sofara that was the east side of the harbour, which they were now venturing. Though puzzled, Soi didn’t question Ana’s intention of the visit to the rough parts of the city. The smell was the same as the rest of the harbour but with a hovering stench of alcohol and tobacco. Ana, still covered in her cloak, received her share of curious and glaring eyes and Soi, who were well known among the town’s inhabitants as a respected fighter and a member in the mayor’s guard, got the hateful and dangerous looks from people he once, in the line of duty, had beaten up. He didn’t feel too happy being down here, alone, with a woman. He leaned in to Ana.
-Where are we going?
-If I wanted to share that information with you, I would have.
She kept walking. And he followed.
They arrived at a small, dodgy looking pub called the Black Eye and the smell of alcohol was heavy and the light was damp. Ana walked up to the disk and heaved herself up on one of the stools. Soi sat down beside her.
-What are we doing here?
She turned to face him
-Now, I thought you were a smart boy who actually pays attention, but I guess I was wrong. If I wanted you to know I would have told you.
She ordered a whiskey and swept it down in one shot. The barman, cleaning a glass with a not so clean towel, leaned in closer to the two of them.
-Time certainly flies by these days, feels like it was only yesterday you were here, he said to Ana. –Heard you were in town, and saw your sign on the road.
-And here I was giving it my best to walk in a straight line.
-Your lefty drags too much for that to be possible.
-Give me another, will you? She waved her empty whiskey glass and he poured her another.
-You missed Sam with a few days. I thought you were supposed to have met up here as always.
-He was here?
-Yes, and he left pretty quickly too. He did leave something for you.
The bartender bent down behind the disk and put a little red box on the table. Ana grabbed it and opened it. Inside was necklace with a round pendant with some engravings and a little note. Before Soi could read it, Ana put the note and necklace back in the box which she stuffed in her pocket. She was silent for minutes. Then she jumped off the stool and begun her way out of the pub.
-Thanks, she called back to the barman.
-I do what I can.
Soi followed Ana back to the Fair Lady and up to her room and was left outside the door. He arranged for a guard shift and he made his way down to the main floor and sat down to eat for the first time that day. After his meal he shifted location to sit in front of the fire and let himself rest for awhile. He thought of how strange the past couple of hours had been and he wondered why he had got the task of protecting a woman who obviously didn’t want his protection. Was she a threat to the mayor, though he hadn’t acted like it? Soi’s mind drifted away and his eyes closed.
Link to next part
By J.L.Frick
No comments:
Post a Comment