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I wake in the morning to find that it is still very dark, in spite of the fact that the sun should have risen by now. Looking out the window, I find heavy clouds had descended in the night to make a low ceiling over the town. The others are still asleep a I finish my morning routine. I open the door of our room and creep downstairs to see only the innkeeper's servant girl cleaning tables. There's something about her that seems so familiar, but I can't quite place it. I almost feel some sort of connection between us, and I can see she can feel it too as she looks up at me as I enter the room, in spite of my approach being completely inaudible, even to another elf. We stare at each other for what seems to be an eternity, each of us trying to decide where we might have seen the other before.
“Is there something I can help you with? Breakfast won't be ready for a few hours yet, but I can prepare some tea for you if you'd like.”
“Yes, some tea would be nice.” I finally decide to satisfy my curiosity by asking, “why are you awake at this hour, when even your master still sleeps?”
“I could ask you a similar question,” she replied, “I always wake at this time, it just seems natural to me. I'll have your tea ready in a few moments.”
The similarities between her and I seem to go on and on. Could she possibly be my long lost sister? But no, Jade was kidnapped by Kire long ago and he wouldn't have brought her here, unless she had escaped, would he? But then why wouldn't she recognize me or try to contact home in all these years? It's all so strange.
“Tell me, Emilia, is the innkeeper truly your master, or did he acquire you by some other means?”
“I do not know, honestly. He says he found me wandering lost in one of the fields. Assuming I'd been abandoned, he took me in and offered me food and shelter if I worked in his inn. I do not remember ever not being here, yet my heart tells me that there's something missing from my life, something I'm forgetting.”
“I had a twin sister once,” What she just said almost proved my growing suspicion that Emilia was really my sister Jade without her full memory. I decide I should tell her my story, or at least most of it, to see her reaction. “Her name was Jade. My mother said we were so alike, and yet so different, as if we were the very manifestations of day and night themselves. We used to play together all the time, and we always seemed to get along. Our favourite place was by a brook under the willow tree.” Emilia seems to be interested, so I continue. “One day we were playing a game with my love, when she disappeared. We searched everywhere but couldn't find her. My parents searched as well, they say she'd been kidnapped. We still haven't found her to this day.”
Emilia's eyes start to light up with a faint hint of recognition, but it fades in a few seconds, almost as if she had decided it couldn't be true. “Why are you telling me this? I couldn't possibly be your sister, we look almost nothing alike.” She hands me my tea and hurries off to prepare breakfast as the others start to come downstairs.
“Why were you talking to the servant girl?” asks Mella.
“I don't know. I felt some sort of connection, a familiarity about her, but I must have been wrong.” The girl's denial of knowing me hasn't dampened my spirits as to who she might really be, but I don't want to tell the others of my suspicions just yet.
“Have you seen the innkeeper? I still want to talk to him about those wolves. And what's with these clouds? Yesterday it was clear and sunny. Something's up here, but I don't know what.” Seth looks very on edge this morning, but that can probably be due to the fact that he gorged on supper last night and is probably feeling the consequences of it now. Either that or he's hungry, and as amazing as that would be, I wouldn't put it past him and his incredible appetite.
“He's not awake just yet, but you might want to be less out in the open about the wolves. The people probably take these clouds as a bad omen so he'll be more reluctant to talk. And just so you know, Seth, these people have to be afraid. They live right on the doorstep of the wastelands, an attack could come at any minute for them. That's why there are so many soldiers in this town, they are the first defence against an enemy attack.”
Just then, the innkeeper walks in with a tray, heavily laden with food. “ Well, I don't usually take too kindly to strangers, but the five of you seem alright. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but don't ask me to go into too much detail. Those clouds outside say something bad's about to happen and I'd rather not speed up the process, if you know what I mean. Now, before you ask me anything, let me ask you something first. Who are you that you come in here demanding to know about the demon wolves?”
I let Seth talk this time, praying that he doesn't answer too rudely. “We are the new protectors. We are hunting down the wolves to find Dur...”
“Hold up! Don't say that name so freely out here. Names can have great power, and he'll come to all who call him out loud. We here just call him the underlord, and you would do well to do the same.”
“Sorry, sir. As I was saying, we have to fight... the underlord... to protect the realm. We need to find the 'demon wolves', as you called them, since they attacked our haven. They might be part of a plot to have us killed, or something like that. What can you tell us?”
“Well, I'm not so sure about you five being protectors, but I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures and you have to trust someone. The demon wolves are just as their name suggests. They are ruthless, great creatures of some unnatural creation. They are almost nothing like normal wolves. Their packs are huge, and they will kill all in their paths. We know there's something controlling them, just not what, or who. It's days like these that we fear them most, they rarely will venture out in the sun. These clouds came from the wastelands. I fear the master of that land may have sent them ahead of his minions, but for what purpose I do not know. The meals and accommodations are on the house, by the way. Always happy to serve those who spend their lives helping us.”
“Thank-you for telling us all this, and thank-you for all you've done for us.” I want to ask him about Emilia, but decide against it. “Do you know if there's any way we could climb the cliffs to follow the wolves?”
“Yes, there is a way, but I won't tell you of it just yet. The five of you still look a little green. If you can complete a quest for me, I will tell you how to scale the cliffs safely. I have a distant cousin in Kierin city, I haven't heard from her in a while, but in her last letter she told me of some creatures who were terrorizing the city, draining all the blood from their victims, at least the ones that are found. That was six months ago. I'm afraid she may have become their latest victim. If you can defeat these creatures, bring me one of their heads to prove what you've done. I would greatly appreciate it if you could save my cousin. Her name is Lorin, and if anyone asks, just say Judas sent you.”
“Very well,” said Seth, “we accept your quest. We will do our best to find your cousin and save the city.” The innkeeper almost seemed to lose a year of worry from his hard face.
 Girl of the Dragons · Wed Sep 01, 2010 @ 12:15am · 0 Comments |
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