That evening, Attar was laying alone in his bed, when, from the room upstairs, someone was crying from an agonizing pain. Just then, a female voice, seemed to soothe the one in pain. She sang a song, the melody of which, seemed familiar to Attar. As he rose from his bed, in an effort to listen more clearly, another set of feet, seemed to have come from the window upstairs. The song stopped, and the 3 people upstairs, talked in a fast pace, with muffled sound. Just as he was trying to discern their words, Pandora burst open the door to his room.
Pandora: “Up, and at'em, lazy bones!”
The voices upstairs, seized.
Pandora: Come on kiddo! You won't find answers, laying in bed all day!”
Attar: “It's night time! Besides, Lily & Eve, already went to the tavern to gather more information, and I need some rest. Woke up, feeling as if I had been running all day and night. Maybe I've been too idle recently.”
Pandora: “Odd, the nanites should have removed any fatigue, that may have been left, after a good, long sleep. How are you feeling otherwise? Still nauseous? Have you eaten yet?”
Attar: “No, I'm fine. Not really hungry. Just thinking. And reminiscing. And regretting.”
Pandora: “About the nanites?”
Attar: “Yeah! You too?”
Pandora: “Of course. After the war, before he disappeared, Nunamnir used what, I still don't know, to deactivate the remnants of the humans nanites. And even though, you have spent every possible moment, to figure out how he did it, you, the genius of 3 worlds, still haven't figured it out! If you had...”
Attar: “Than I would have given Selene and her brothers, immortality? Is that what you were gonna say Pandora?”
Pandora: “Wouldn't you have? Even for her?”
Attar: “SIGH! What's done is done. Sister once said it herself: “Can't change the past. It is what shapes us, in the people we are today!” Besides, can't bring back the dead. Only seek justice, for those who were wronged.”
Pandora: “Yeah.”
Attar: “Anyway, why did you come?”
Pandora: “O, right! We've got leads! Lily found a clue, as to why the swords were given to the merchant in the first place. Let's go!”
Attar: “All right! I'm coming! Meet me downstairs!”
Something felt suspicious to Attar. The people upstairs, had remained quiet, the entire time, his conversation with Pandora had lasted. He stood up, went to the door, opened it, then without going out, shut it with a bang. A few seconds later, the people upstairs, began moving again. Two set of footsteps, headed out the window. With his sharpened vision, he saw through the cracks in his own boarded window, how 2 figures, dressed in black, jumped over, to the nearby roof. Considering the distance between roofs, it was a jump, that even a 10 year old, could make. He gave chase.
The two figures, were running and jumping, from roof to roof, headed in the same direction. Always keeping the same amount of distance between them, Attar remained unnoticed. Or so he thought. The two split, in opposite directions.
Left or right. Which direction should he follow?
As if drawn by an unknown force, Attar followed the smaller figure. A few more minutes of chase, and he would have caught it. But then, the other one, stood in his way. Judging by it's stature, Attar surmised, it belonged to a man. In the meantime, the smaller one, ran away.
Attar: “Who are you?”
The man before Attar, was covered in black, from head to toe. Not even his face was visible. He didn't speak, he didn't flinch.
Attar: “I'll say it again. Who are you people? What are you doing in my uncle's building?”
The figure just stood there. Attar tried to chase after the smaller one, again. As if determined, to not let him pass, the man in black, took out a few hidden daggers from his sleeves, and while holding them between his fingers, glared at Attar, with golden eyes, full of hatred.
Attar: “Do we know each other?”
Man: “Not anymore!”-he threw the daggers at him. But that was only a distraction.
Attar: “Nice try. But you are a few thousand years too early, to go against me!”-said smiling, as he caught the daggers in his hands. But before realizing it, the smaller figure, had returned, now standing before him. It looked him straight in his silver eyes, with it's pitch black eyes.
It: “Speak! Why are you here?”
Attar couldn't look away. As if in a trans:
Attar: “I came to look for her. To find out what happened. To avenge her!”
It: “Who? Who is she, that you are looking for?”
Attar: “My moon. Selene!”
It: “Who is she, to you?”
Attar: “My only love!”
A moment of silence!
It: “She is gone! The one you knew as Selene, perished sometime ago.”
A tear fell out of Attar's eye.
Attar: “How do you know what happened?”
It: “I was there.”
Attar: “How?”
It: “An arrow through the chest.”
Attar: “Who?”
It: “The local gang of Thugs.”
Attar now had an angry look in his eyes.
Attar: “Where can I find them?”
It: “In the local pub. But, that's none of your business. They have a lot of enemies! Are you going to stand in our way?”
Attar: “Let's work together!”
It: “Go home, old man! Forget you ever met us! That's an order!”
Lost in thought, by the time Attar snapped out of it, it was getting close to midnight. Still a little dazed, he hardly remembered, how he had gotten on that roof. But there were 2 things, he still remembered clearly:
1: the ones he was looking for, were somewhere around, or in, the local tavern;
2: the mesmerizing black eyes, of the smaller person, he had just interacted with. There was something, very familiar, in them.
Comments (0)
See all