After many hours of travel, I finally arrived at the Village of Emory.
From the moment I rode up to the village entrance, I could tell they were far wealthier than Athea. Their buildings stretched far beyond my view. Horse-drawn carriages could be seen riding through the weaving cobblestone streets. Guards could be seen around every corner, many more than we had back in Athea. The volume of them made our guards seem abysmal in comparison.
The sidewalks were crowded with many women and children in long dresses and fancy tunics. As I walked with them, following the map, I even spotted pearls against women’s chests and jewels hanging from their ears.
I felt glaringly out of place as I made my way through the streets, desperate to just find the clock tower that was marked on the map. Finally, as I made the final turn, I spotted it just down the road.
I tried to ignore the odd stares and glances shot in my direction. I’m sure my muddied boots and tattered clothes made me stand out like a sore thumb.
I ignored this though, far too determined to locate the clock tower that stood just at the end of the road. When I reached it, I peered into the double doors that happened to be slightly ajar and saw a gathering of men inside, all chatting with each other.
One of the men on the inside noticed my staring and scoffed before slamming the door shut. I huffed and glanced around, unsure of what to do next. Theo never specified where to find the woman once I arrived, and I knew for sure she wasn’t inside.
I noticed a small rat scurry past my feet. I watched it as it turned down the narrow ally of the clock tower. I furrowed my brows and followed it, wanting to know where it was heading. I figured at least I could kill it and take it back to sell the next morning, so this trip wasn’t a complete waste of time.
The alley was dark and dingy, with piles of trash climbing the walls and stacks of wooden crates and boxes stacked high. I weaved through the junk, my sights still set on the rat. Just as I was about to lunge for it, it scurried away and escaped between a stack of wooden pallets.
All the hope in my body seemed to bleed to the floor and become replaced only by anger. I swiftly kicked at the pallets in frustration, watching them skid across the concrete.
I gasped when I discovered what was hidden underneath.
A small hatch was in the ground.
I considered what to do next. I had often let curiosity get the best of me, and this time was no exception.
The door creaked and groaned when I pulled it open, and I examined what was inside. A rusted metal ladder led to the bottom, not much else was able to be seen from above.
I slipped on my thick leather gloves and began making my way down, my heart fluttering with excitement. A new breath of hope entered my lungs.
At the bottom, a small room was dimly lit with a single candle that rested on top of more boxes and crates. The room was for the most part piled up with mounds of trash, mirroring the alley above.
I began searching the room for any clue of where the mysterious woman could be.
Just then, a figure emerged from behind the stacked crates, a knife held threateningly out in front of her.
“Who are you? Why are you here?” she demanded.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and squeaked out a response. “I’m Violet Beckett. My friend gave me this map to find you.” I pulled it from my bag and held it out to her. “He says you can help me save my sister.”
The woman seemed to relax a little. “Come in then, girl. I don’t have much time.”
I wearily followed her behind the crates.
Behind them, a large metal door stood. She gave two knocks, paused, then three more.
It swung open, two large men stood on the other side. I followed them all into the new room, taking in the surroundings.
This one was much tidier than the previous one. The room was a small size, with a couple of bunk beds, a small stove and fridge, and a large wooden table in the center. Besides the two men that were by the women, another man was cooking at the stove and one lounging on one of the beds.
Without any warning, the man cooking approached me and slipped the satchel from my shoulders before dumping its contents onto the table. Another approached me and began patting me down.
“Apologies for all this,” she motioned to them. “It’s just a precaution.”
The man finished patting me down, satisfied that he didn’t find anything, and returned to his place. I noticed the other man pocket the knife from my bag.
When I noticed this, I cleared my throat.“Will I get that back? It was my father’s. I really don’t want to lose it.”
“Everything you’ve come with will be returned once you leave here. We aren’t bad people. Just cautious.” She motioned me to join her at the table. I sat and folded my hands awkwardly in my lap.
“So, you want to save your sister?” she asked, eyeing me up and down.
“She’s going to be banished tomorrow if I don’t stop it. I need money to give to the Queen.”
She nodded, leaning back in her seat. “And what did your sister do to receive this harsh punishment? I’m open to help, but am not keen on bailing out criminals.”
I sighed and stared at a small dent in the wood of the table. “She’s just done some stupid things. She’s… been through a lot. It’s not her fault.”
“What has she done?”
“She was caught in an adulterous act with one of our village’s married men.”
She nodded and rubbed her hands together. “I can help you then. Knowing the Queen, you’ll need about twenty-thousand Kin. Two silver coins should do you just fine.”
My eyes widen. “And you have this money?”
Silver and gold were rare around the villages. I had never seen them in person before.
She sat back in her chair. “I can certainly get it. But nothing is free, of course.”
“I’ll do anything,” I told her desperately.
“I have a cart I need you to steal back. Inside, it holds very valuable items. I was doing a deal with a man and it went sour. He ended up stealing everything. I’ve been meaning to go get it back myself… but you seem like you’re up to the job. Their camp is just outside the village here. Sneak in, steal the cart, and bring it back here and you’ll get your Kin.”
I squirmed anxiously in my seat. “Is it dangerous?”
“Not if you don’t get caught.”
The words flew from my mouth before my mind could halt them. “I’ll do it.”
It wasn’t like I had much of a choice, now. I was desperate for a solution.
She seemed content with my answer and motioned to one of the men. He retrieves a paper from a drawer in the corner of the room and hands it to me.
“Here’s where his camp is. Go in quietly and bring it out front of the clock tower. We’ll be waiting.”
I took the map and nodded. “I will. Thank you.”
I began to push myself up from the table, eager to start the mission and free Rose when the woman spoke up once more. “Oh, and Violet,”
“Yeah?”
“There are High Guards everywhere in Emory. Don’t let one stop you. Fear them more than you fear the man you’re stealing from. If you get caught carrying such cargo, you’re dead.”
My stomach fell to the floor, but I managed to force a quivering smile and nod.
Time was running out.
I needed to save Rose before they banished her for good.
Even if that meant risking myself in the process.
The camp was nestled way into the forest, the ride there costing me an extra hour or so. I pulled Theo’s horse with a rope now. We were far too close to draw any unnecessary attention.
The key to completing this task without any issues was to sneak in and sneak out as fast as possible. Any possible conflict would just slow me down, threatening my chance to save Rose.
I peered through the leaves from the crouched position I was in as I scoped out the area. I spotted the cart in the way back of the camp, while all the people were mostly in the front. They all sat around a big fire, chatting away while some others were wandering between the many tents.
Still low to the frosted ground, I began creeping around the forest to the back. With every grunt and sigh the horse let out, my body tensed, my face pinching together.
The people in the camp were out of my line of sight now that I was in the back. The cart sat just several yards ahead of me.
I breathed in and out heavily, delivering a few pats to the horse. “Are you ready to do this?”
The horse sighed in response.
“I’m relying on you, okay? Once you’re hooked up, we must run as fast as we can.”
The next few moments went by in a complete blur.
My feet hit the ground as I took off toward it. My breaths were quick and frantic as I hooked the cart up as fast as I could. I jumped on top of the horse and without a second to breathe, I was off, racing through the forest. I ignored the twigs and leaves whipping at my face, scratching my skin. I had no time to complain, I just had to ride.
The commotion of the cart stirring into action caused some of the people to notice what was happening. I only caught a glimpse of them calling out for the others before I was whisked deep into the forest.
We were far from the camp, but I couldn’t slow my pace now. Everything was riding on delivering this cart to the woman. One wrong move and everything could come crumbling down before my very eyes.
So, I continued forward, riding as fast as I could to Rose’s salvation.