Reclaiming A Life: Chapter 2

“They got away.”

“Yeah no shit!” Alistair shouted his voice echoing through the inn. He winced falling over to the side against the wall. Taking off his blood stained coat and tossing it on one of the beds he groaned. His arms were covered in scars, his undershirt littered with holes, but his red eyes were as vibrant as ever.

Semperius likewise had bandages across his bald head, his arm, and hands. John was sporting fewer injuries but the effort of the fighting was still clear on his face as strain. Even sitting on the bed, he leaned on his cane.

“So we should chase after them. They’re probably not gone,” Semperius replied laying down on the floor.

Alistair scowled pacing back toward the wall with the window, “They’re probably halfway back to wherever the hell their home is.”

“We need to find a lead first. They mentioned the Free City,” John was thoughtful. “We can ask around and see where that is. People like that don’t strike me as the kind who exactly blend in.”

“Then let’s get out there and start asking around,” Alistair grunted as he stood back up. 

“Alistair you should rest,” John said. “We all should. We took a lot of damage in the fight. I know that dying isn’t a problem but being hurt definitely is.”

“Oh come on bagboy. Thought your feet were mobile. Don’t pretend like you can’t keep walking,” Alistair taunted shrugging his shoulders. “There’s no benefit to us sitting around here. I don’t want to sit around licking my wounds while the people we’re hunting get further and further away.”

John gave him a very tired look and shook his head, “I’m going to ignore that Alistair. And pushing ourselves to the utmost limit is something we can do but it isn’t something we should test often.”

Alistair rolled his eyes, “What about you Semperius? Are you taking bagboy’s stance on things?”

“I’m inclined to agree with Alistair this time,” he said sitting up. “We’re here to capture that kid. If they make it back to the Free City or whatever it is we’re gonna have to do twice the work. And none of us actually wants to do that.”

John sighed nodding slowly, “True. Then I think it would be best if we split up. I will remain near the inn and ask around. You two can ask around the town proper. But please for the love of God do not start any more fights.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he stays in line,” Semperius put his hand on Alistair’s shoulder.

Scowling he shrugged his arm off and started walking again leaving the jacket behind. Once they both left John sighed leaning back against the wall. How he got here was something he was still wondering. Everything beyond the past couple of months hurt his head to think about.

As he lay he removed his lenses and tried to pierce the fog. Faceless people flashed in his mind but they were all foreign. Yet looking at them he couldn’t help but feel like they were important to him. But he couldn’t recall their names, couldn’t recall who they were to him. A young bookish man that made his heart flutter. Two young men, one looking at him with adoration and the other with something to prove. And many more looming over him, painfully judging him for forgetting.

“Why can’t I remember?” John mumbled.

Taking a deep breath, he removed his hat and brushed his hand through his hair. Getting off the bed and grabbing his cane he walked out into the lobby of the inn. Tapping it against the ground as he walked the hallway length of the inn. It was an old place with creaky floorboards and a moldy smell.

There were some torches at the opposite corners of the hall but the inn itself didn’t look like it was something well cared for. Looking down at the floorboards he jumped. He swore he saw something look back at him. But as he looked closer, he saw those small eyes and twitching nose.

“A rat,” he raised his eyebrow. “Definitely not the cleanest of places.”

“That’s Noria. If you don’t live in a city then your village exists by necessity. And things haven’t gotten better in the past year. I hear there’s a new leader in the castle and he serves a master different than the Great Leader.”

John looked over his shoulder at the sudden voice, a woman’s, making her way toward him. But this one didn’t startle him. He took a hesitant step back because he wasn’t sure if this was a real person or a ghost.

She seemed to glide along the ground as she walked. Her hair was thick and bushy silver almost grey. It had been combed back and rested down her neck. Her skin was a pale brown like it was cold to touch. Her nose was sharp, mouth fixed in an almost dream like smile. Her eyes were a soft silver like her hair, a deep scar across her cheek under one eye.

She wore simple clothes, a shirt that was more like a grey cardigan with how big it rested on her. She wore a long black skirt beneath it that went just below her knee but from what John could tell she was barefoot. She looked up at John and it was hard for him to tell if she was looking at him or through him.

She glided past and motioned for him to follow her. He made a face but did as she indicated and walked after her as quickly as he could. They descended the stairs together into the lobby of the inn. It wasn’t like most others that served food or drinks. This one was more like a rest spot. Chairs and couches that existed for people to rest on.

There was a counter with the keys and a man behind it. Alistair had gruffly harassed him when they first came through bleeding and wound riddled. The man learned quickly that Alistair was not the type of man that could be intimidated. As the innkeeper looked at them, he recognized John and flinched looking anywhere else.

John sighed somewhat embarrassed but the woman continued to walk. She went to a table on the opposite side of the room and hooked the leg of cheer with her heel. Sitting down she leaned back staring at the ceiling. John walked over and sat at the other seat letting his cane rest against the table.

He looked at her and waited assuming that she wanted to continue from her comment earlier. But she wasn’t looking at him or even paying him mind. She was just staring, lost. Her hands absently stroked across a pair of rings on her fingers. Old, faded pieces of metal that looked loosely like wolves’ heads, one white and the other bronze.

“Did you know that Snow is lovely?”

John blinked quickly, adjusting his glasses. “I’ve never seen the snow here.”

“Not here. Out east. Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh. Well. It sounds lovely.”

“It is.”

The conversation lulled into silence again and John waited uncomfortably. He wasn’t the most talkative type on a good day let alone with a woman who seemed to not be all there. John decided to look around and take note of the emptiness of the inn. There weren’t many people out. He knew it was relatively late at night or maybe early in the morning. It was dark outside at the very least.

“You and your friends are very loud.”

John started and stared at the woman. She was looking at him. She was suddenly very lucid and her silver eyes focused directly on him. He sat up straighter but was far more reserved. This was not the same person who walked past him in the hallway.

“To call them friends is a bit of a stretch.”

“Oh? You sounded like friends. What would you call them?”

“Companions.”

She chuckled, “Companions then. You are searching for The Free City.”

“Yes. At least that is what I believe it is called.”

“What could you possibly want with the Rogues? They’re a dangerous lot. Especially for those that seem to be hunting them and that is what you seem to be doing.”

“We are not hunting them. We are simply looking to get into contact with them,” he said carefully trying to not admit to doing exactly what the woman suggested.

She met his eyes and then laughed looking away. When she looked back at him she was amused, “Lying is not your strong suit is it boy?”

“I find no pleasure in misguiding people. The truth is your greatest weapon,” he said glaring at her. “And I am no boy.”

“No. Perhaps you aren’t,” she stroked her jaw slowly. “But the Rogues are a dangerous lot. You’d be hard pressed to find their home and make it out without accruing some damage.”

“We don’t need to go to their home specifically.” He hesitated trying to figure out how much to reveal to this woman. As far as he knew she could be another one of those Rogues and he could be spelling trouble for them all.

Chuckling softly the woman nodded, “The Rogues are a rough bunch. I’ve had run ins with them in the past. But I can help you. And I am willing.”

“Why?” John asked suspiciously. “Noria has not been known for its kindness so far.”

“You are right. But in this instance, I am also traveling in that direction. And I am interested to see what role you’re going to have in events to come.”

Blinking slowly John glanced at her and frowned hard, “I will have to talk to my companions before I make any judgment on this.”

“Of course. Let us go find them. I believe that they are getting into some trouble.”

John let out an exasperated sigh and nodded, “Why does that not surprise me? But how do you know this?”

“I have my ways,” she smiled and her eyes flashed. “Shall we go collect them?”

Pushing out of their chairs they both got to their feet and started walking quickly toward the front door. “What can I call you?” John asked passing through the door.

She paused almost in thought, “Shina will suffice.”

As they stepped out onto the street there was already more commotion there than inside the inn. People looking down the street, some running away in the opposite direction. Some strangely were running toward the commotion. The commotion in question seemed to be a tall plume of dark smoke.

“Oh no what have they done.”

“You don’t sound surprised,” Shina remarked.

“I’m not. Just tired.”

They shoved and moved past the crowds of people ignoring the shouts of complaining and protest. Swatting someone away with his cane John pushed forward until he saw the damage in the streets. There were about four or five men on the ground. They looked knocked out but John wouldn’t be surprised if they were worse off than that.

There was a bar nearby with smoke coming out of it. John could smell the smoke and saw the splashes of water on the ground. A fire must have just been put out. Standing at the forefront of the street were another three men and Semperius and Alistair separated at the moment but weapons were drawn and there was shouting.

“Alistair. What did you do this time?”

“Why do you assume that it was me?” he barked.

“Because it usually is.”

“If I valued your opinion more I’d take offense,” he rolled his eyes turning the sword back and forth. “But this time it wasn’t my fault. It was Semperius.”

“Look. There was a guy in a wheelchair.”

“Stop,” John put a hand to his face. “Don’t even finish the sentence. I don’t want to know. Let’s just get this taken care of and then leave this town.”

“You’re going to regret fucking with us. I swear on the Great Leader,” he shouted pointing a sword at Semperius.

“What’s a great leader?” Semperius asked.

Alistair shrugged his shoulders, “Something we don’t have.”

One of the three spread his arms and thrust them forward as a wave of fire left his palms. They raced at the pair of them and Semperius jumped forward immediately and waved his arms around. The flames dissipated in every direction as he sprinted forward. The other two jumped in front of him, their swords brandished.

One came with a broad stroke. Semperius was already moving, avoiding the stroke before it got there. He hopped forward and clocked him with the metal end of his glove. Blood flew as he was knocked down on the street.

The second one thrust with angry precision but the metal glove was more than enough to stop it cold. Knocking the sword wide he stepped forward and landed a solid punch on his face. He fell in a heap as Semperius cracked his fists and motioned to the other one ready to keep going.

The other guy’s eyes widened panicked as Semperius started after him too. He tried to start casting another spell when a bang rang out. He fell backward in a heap and there was silence on the street with many eyes turned toward John. The barrel of his pistol was smoking as he put it into a holster at his leg.

“Honestly you two. This is too much,” John said scowling.

The man John shot shouted in pain clutching his shoulder. He rolled back and forth and even the others were groaning. Alistair looked at each of them scowling and sheathed his sword. “You know how to suck the fun out of a fight bagboy,” he scowled.

“Well we’re all done with them here,” Semperius laughed putting his hands on his hips. “These guys weren’t so tough.”

The crowd that had gathered to watch the fighting was stunned into silence but slowly dispersed. Going their own separate ways. The spectacle was over and they had lives to get back to. At the very least at this time of night, there were other things to do, like drink and find a bed.

Alistair and Semperius walked over to the pair of them and Alistair looked the Shina up and down slowly. She regarded him pleasantly, her eyes having adopted that dreamlike quality again. She wasn’t really looking at any of them. Looking at the sky and seeing something entirely different. Alistair looked her up and down and then glanced over at the others.

“Who’s this?”

“She’s going to be our guide to The Free City. Or at least put us on the path with the other Rogues.”

Alistair looked at him and then back to her. She walked past them slowly, spreading her arms and letting the breeze waft over her. John watched her as well and winced. Alistair walked over to him and whispered aggressively, “That’s the best you could come up?”

“She’s got more know how than she looks.”

“She’s insane.”

“She might be but it’s better than the nothing that we had before.”

“Is it?” Semperius asked. “I mean, she could lead us in the opposite direction of where we have to go.”

“I don’t see you two having had better luck. You started a fight instead of getting information,” John said shortly, glaring at each of them in turn.

“Hey we found information,” Semperius said then elbowed Alistair. “Tell him about what we found out.”

Glaring at him the blood knight shook his head, “We know more about the Rogues themselves. Or at the very least we know rumors. More than just fire blasting kids. A bunch of bandits with more toys than us.”

John sighed shaking his head. “I guess that counts.”

Leaning on the cane he walked toward Shina who had stopped at the edge of the street. She had turned to stare at them and raised her eyebrows. “So, these are your allies? I mean companions.”

“Yes. This is them,” he nodded tiredly. “Will you still help us?”

She looked back at Semperius and Alistair, the pair of them discussing to themselves at this point in voices that weren’t that quiet. “I suppose I will. You three are definitely more interesting than traveling on my own at least.”

“I guess I can take that as some sort of compliment,” John said scratching the back of his head.

“You can take it that way,” she shrugged and stumbled forward getting her balance back. “We’re going to need horses. Good ones.”

She started walking and again there was that sense that this woman was moving to her own beat instead of what was actually happening. John watched her go and then looked over his shoulder, “Alistair. Semperius. We’re getting horses and then we’re going off.”

Getting the horses wasn’t the hard part. It was finding horses that were up to Shina’s standards. Most available to this small town were lean stock and of lower breeding. She inspected them one by one by coat, muscle, and then even by smell and how long they could meet her eyes.

Only two met her expectations and she bought one while they bartered for the other. Eventually, the owner was willing to part with it for their meager amount of money and a handful of threats from Alistair. They divided things up with Shina and John on one and Alistair and Semperius on the other.

Leading the horses out of the town John consulted a map they’d also bought for their journey and traced his finger along the path that he thought they would take. Propping it up on the back of the horse’s neck, he saw many names for these cities and villages that were foreign to him. And the map only seemed to go up a desert.

“Don’t worry about consulting the map. It’s incomplete anyway,” Shina said stroking her hand along the horse’s neck. “I know the path of the Free City. They wouldn’t take something traditionally.”

“So what, they have their own hidden paths they take that no one else can find?” Alistair asked snorting.

“Exactly. Now come along. Morning is coming and we need to be off,” she said jumping onto the horse’s back with John behind her. Digging her heels into the side the horse reared back and then darted forward. Semperius and Alistair went after it, falling into step as they ran with the sunrise at their face.