Kethril (47 page)

“Are you alright?” a strong, deep voice
asked from behind her. Sheela slowly turned around and looked up
into the brilliant blue eyes of a tall, young guardsman. His nose
had been broken at some point and the tip aimed a little to the
left, but he was handsome in spite of that. “I’m sorry if Tobe
bothered you. He’s good with a sword, but not so much with
people.”

An aura of safety about the man drew Sheela
to him. He was the guard she had originally been heading to talk to
before the one named Tobe had intercepted her. Still, in Dralin it
wasn’t safe to trust anyone too easily. “I’m hoping to find
someplace safe, but I don’t have any money,” Sheela answered
tentatively. She had survived the trip to Dralin by sleeping in
haystacks and by stealing a little food wherever she could, a fact
that shamed her.

The guard let out a long breath, puffing out
his cheeks while he ran fingers through wavy black hair that fell
to his shoulders in what seemed to be a fashion with all the
guards. She studied his face. Black stubble covered a strong jaw
and chin. His skin was browned from being in the sun, but wasn’t
dark. He spoke deliberately in warm tones that seemed to shield her
from the cold air. “Dralin is a bad place not to have any money . .
.” he paused, “It’s a bad place even if you do have money,” he
finished with a half-hearted chuckle.

A small laugh escaped Sheela’s cracked lips,
but her future was too uncertain for true mirth and her expression
became serious once more. “I’m a good worker and very quiet. I
don’t need much,” she persisted earnestly. “I know the city is
dangerous. I only want a chance.”

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment,
and then nodded. “Alright. I’m off duty in a few minutes. I know of
an innkeeper that has an opening and he owes me a favor.” It was
clear the guardsman was making a large concession. “Name’s Frath by
the way.” He held out a muscular hand.

She took the hand and smiled shyly. “Mine’s
Sheela.” Frath’s grip was firm, but gentle, holding her hand safely
rather than crushing it. His smile warmed her skin and made some of
the fear go away. Sheela’s heart raced in her chest a little bit.
It was an unusual feeling for her because she normally found men
intimidating.

“Sheela . . . I like that name.” Frath
pointed toward an empty bench on the far side of the guardhouse.
“Sit over there until I’m finished, and then I’ll take you to the
inn.” He rejoined the rest of the guards while she walked over and
sat.

The bench was damp from the scattered
snowflakes that melted as soon as they landed on anything. Sheela’s
dress was already wet and dirty anyway, so sitting on the bench
didn’t bother her. It felt good to get off her feet for a short
time and she rubbed the cold ache out of them. Many of the people
traveling by wore shoes and Sheela thought that perhaps she might
someday own a pair.

Sounds of the city surrounded her as she
watched people passing in a mad rush to finish their tasks before
nightfall. Wagon drivers yelled above the clopping of their horse’s
hooves, which clattered sharply over the humming drone of thousands
of voices talking incessantly about whatever matters might be
important to them at the time.

Endless buildings obscured a ruddy sunset
that lit the bottoms of patchy clouds on the western horizon. Rays
of light burst through the smog and snow to cast a dirty orange
radiance over everything. Exotic scents came from many of the
wagons that had traveled from such places as Mayncal, Brindlyn, and
the Iynath Empire. They mixed in with the odors of livestock,
unwashed bodies, cooking food and smells Sheela couldn’t begin to
identify.

The assault on her senses was overwhelming,
making her dizzy and lightheaded. Taking deep breaths didn’t help
because each one brought something new. The odors, both pleasant
and unpleasant, were so heavy that she could taste them on her
tongue.

“Are you alright, Sheela?” Frath asked,
concern filling his voice. She looked up. He was taller than the
other Guards, easily six feet three inches. His hand rested
comfortably on the hilt of a long, sheathed sword. Judging from his
broad chest and strong hands, he was likely a very dangerous man in
spite of his youthful face.

For some reason, Sheela trusted him more
than she trusted any of the thousands of people she had passed
along the highway and entering into the city. Perhaps because of
that trust, she croaked out a hoarse whisper, “I’m scared . . . I’m
so
scared.” It was the first time she had shown weakness to
anyone since running away. No matter how frightened she had been at
any point, Sheela had held her chin up and kept a brave face.

Frath gripped her shoulder comfortingly. He
didn’t speak any words, conveying understanding and calm through
his eyes instead. Sheela smiled briefly and stood. “I’m ready. You
won’t get in trouble for helping me, will you?” she asked
worriedly.

“No. Not at all,” he assured her, putting
his arm out for her to hold onto. She gripped it with both hands as
one would the railing of a ship in a storm. Frath surrendered the
arm willingly as they began walking deeper into the city. “What do
you know of Dralin?” he asked, slowing his pace to match her
shorter steps.

“It’s the most dangerous city in the world
and everyone here dies a terrible death.” That was the gist of what
she knew. If there was anything people agreed upon, that was
it.

Frath barked a short laugh. “Yeah, there’s
some truth to that, but it’s possible to survive.” His expression
became grave. “I don’t know why you came here, but I’ve seen a lot
of young ladies disappear when they arrive. It’s worse if you don’t
have family or friends, and I’m guessing you don’t have that here?
. . .” he trailed off questioningly.

Sheela shook her head and looked at the inns
that lined the road. They were enormous three and four level
buildings with stables that stretched out behind them for blocks.
“Is one of these the inn you’re taking me to?” She gestured to the
nearest, which had a painting of a yellow wagon on a large wooden
sign in front.

“No. It’s closer to the middle of the city.
It’ll take about an hour to get there. You don’t want to work at
any of these. They’re mean places, meant for travelers.” To
emphasize his point, a group of men tumbled outside one of the
doors in the middle of a scuffle. Frath stopped for a moment to
watch, keeping himself protectively between Sheela and the brawling
men. “They’re just a bunch of drunks fighting. As long as there’re
no weapons drawn, I don’t need to worry about it.”

“Why do people fight like that?” Sheela
asked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

Frath shrugged. “I don’t understand a lot of
things either. There aren’t any answers in Dralin. Your best choice
is to head somewhere else. If you insist on staying, then it’s best
to keep your head down, find a safe place to live, and stay there.”
He stopped and took Sheela by the arms. “If you’re willing to leave
this forsaken city, I’ll spend the night getting you to
safety.”

There
were
no places safe for a young
runaway woman. She had thought about escaping in a different
direction, but no other city was as fascinating as Dralin with its
mage’s towers, shifting streets and grand parks. Sheela looked
Frath in the eye and answered defiantly. “I know that I’ll likely
die, end up a prostitute on the streets or maybe even become one of
the Deformed, but I don’t care.”

Frath nodded slowly and let her take his arm
again as they continued walking. “You’re not going to meet that
fate if I have anything to say about it,” he vowed quietly.

“Why are you helping me?” Sheela asked
suddenly. “Out of all the girls who walk past you every day, why
me?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Well . . . I
don’t know. I saw you look at me before Tobe intercepted you. Then
you stood up to him and held your chin high. There’s a fire in you
that most don’t have and I don’t want to see it snuffed out by the
evil in this city.”

She squeezed his arm thankfully. “You’re the
only person I’ve passed who didn’t seem hard and mean. Everywhere I
look, people are too busy to pay attention to me. The few that
have
noticed me have a look in their eyes that’s hungry like
a carnivorous fairy.” She held up her right arm so he could see the
scar from where one had bitten her a few years earlier. Some of the
muscles in it never healed properly and she still didn’t have full
use of the pinky in that hand.

“Oh, that’s a nasty bite. I’ve only seen
them in the Zoo District. Scary things, carnivorous fairies,” Frath
agreed. “I’m glad we found each other. I’m taking you the Shining
Shield Inn. The innkeeper, Albert, nearly got killed by some thugs
about a year ago and I was able to help him. He owes me a favor,
but I didn’t do it for that reason. I helped him because he was in
trouble.”

“I think it’s wonderful. How many thugs were
there?”

“How many? . . . There were ten, but
Albert’s tough and can hold his own in a fight. I didn’t really do
much.” Frath blushed in embarrassment and turned away as he
answered. She got the feeling he was being modest.

“Thank you for helping me.” Sheela smiled at
him gratefully. He was sacrificing a favor that could have
benefited him. It occurred to her to wonder what he would want in
return.

As if reading her mind, he answered the
unspoken question. “You’re welcome. The only thing I ask is that
you do a good job for him. Other than that, I don’t expect
anything, alright?”

She nodded. “I’m a good worker and I’ll work
really hard.” The nodding made her a little dizzy and she leaned on
his arm.

“You look pale . . . When’s the last time
you had food?” he asked intuitively, stopping to peer into her
frail brown eyes. Sheela lowered her head, not wanting him to see
how desperately she wanted something to eat. In the last two days,
all she had was a half-chewed apple and some old leaves of lettuce.
Frath lifted her chin. “You’re lucky to be alive right now. If you
want to survive, you have to take care of yourself.”

He took her down a side street to the right.
There was still a lot of traffic, but nothing like the highway that
had been getting more and more crowded the further they went into
the city. After passing a couple more streets, he turned left into
a noisy, open marketplace.

“This is the East Bazaar. You can find just
about anything here,” Frath shouted above the drone of voices as he
shifted his arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. “Don’t ever
come here alone because it’s also a popular place for thieves and
other criminals. If anyone pulls on you, hang on to me. It’s real
easy for a woman to disappear even when in the company of a
guardsman.”

The warning sent a chill up Sheela’s spine
as she held onto him, trying to avoid the crush of bodies moving
around them. The growing darkness was making people seem more
threatening. A lamplighter used a wick at the tip of a long pole to
light oil lanterns on tall posts, but the glow did little to
illuminate the throngs below. Meanwhile, merchants were setting out
lit candles and hanging lanterns so customers could see their wares
better. There was no sign of business slowing even with the coming
night.

Frath shoved through the crowd more easily
than most. A few men turned to protest, but stopped when they saw
how tall he was and that he was wearing a guard’s uniform. Sheela
felt tugging on her arm twice, but she held onto Frath for dear
life and he kept her secure. He wasn’t just tall; he was broad in
the chest. She could feel his chain shirt underneath the tunic, but
wished she could feel him instead.

“Let me have two draddlies,” Frath said to a
food vendor in a wooden shack. Sheela watched as the man put some
meat and cheese between two pieces of bread slathered with some
sort of sauce. Frath put his mouth next to her ear. “These are
wonderful. It’s meat, cheese and bread all together. They’re
popular in the country of Eddland to the north of here and have
been spreading all over the world.”

“That’ll be four coppers,” the vendor told
Frath, who removed his arm from Sheela’s shoulders in order to grab
a pouch hidden in his tunic. Four coppers was a lot of money to
Sheela who had never had any coins in her life. Frath took the
coppers out and handed them to the vendor.

Sheela suddenly felt someone grab her arms
and pull her away. As she tried to scream, a hand clamped over her
mouth. With desperation, she caught Frath’s belt, but the hands
pulling her were much stronger and she couldn’t hold on. Terror
filled Sheela’s heart and eyes as she watched Frath turn in what
seemed to be slow motion.

Then time became normal. His arm shot
forward, grabbed the hand over her mouth and yanked. The motion
pulled her and her attacker forward. Frath sidestepped her and
pulled the arm down and around, spinning its owner. He pulled it
behind the man’s back and up. Sheela turned just as Frath broke the
man’s shoulder with a sickening crunch. The darkly dressed
kidnapper screamed in agony as his arm dropped limply to his side.
When Frath punched him in the back of the head with a powerful
fist, the scream stopped abruptly and the man collapsed to the
ground.

The immediate area became silent as shocked
bystanders created an open circle around them. Frath slowly turned
and stared them all down. The circle grew larger as many of the
people prudently chose to leave. Sheela stared at the hard face of
her protector and the bared teeth that looked as though they could
rend flesh. Instead of frightening her, it made her feel protected
as she rushed desperately into the safety of his arms.

Frath led her back to the food vendor who
quickly handed over the draddlies and even added an order of baked
chips made from cornmeal. Sheela took the draddly he handed her and
they walked off with his arm around her shoulder, leaving the
thwarted kidnapper unconscious on the ground.