The escape wasn't a difficult one. The guards hadn't realised what'd happened to their young master. It was a boring getaway to match a boring job.
ㅤThe biggest challenge for James was the location of the estate. The rich and noble kept their mansions near, but away, from major cities. This one had broad mountains bodied in its path under a blanket of sinister forest. James needed to return to the city by foot, quickly tie up loose ends, then flee for his next adventure. Those Ankaid knights had got him too spooked to overstay his welcome.
ㅤAs he hiked the rocky dirt path upward, he turned to see the lights of the estate retreat behind him. He didn't feel a need to rush. It looked peaceful in the distance; no one had yet found the body.
ㅤThe air thinned as he steadily breathed it in, his body fit enough to hike without needing a break. Night had already fallen and it moistened and chilled the wind. The familiar rustle of shivering trees calmed him, a damp green smell wafting with it. Soothing.
ㅤIt wasn't until he got over the other side of the mountain that he lit a fire, knowing it would scream out his location into the night. He set up next to a stream, on a small patch of grass where one could view the sky, circled by black silhouettes of branches. He lain there watching glowing embers float fleetingly to join the stars. Hypnotised by it, he wondered if any of them would ever reach out far enough. It was a thought he’d had a lot as a child—one he’d even voiced once. But like other thoughts he'd had, the answer arrived dismissive.
ㅤThe stars are too high for someone like you to reach.
ㅤHe supposed that person had been right.
ㅤJames woke up in a jump.
ㅤThe warm dark orange glow of the dead fire was replaced with the cold blue fog, all comfort snatched away from him. He quickly scanned his surroundings. It was light but the morning was too early for him to have woken up naturally.
ㅤCold hit the back of his neck and he shivered. Water had fallen from a branch above. He'd found what had woken him.
ㅤRelaxing, he sat up. There was no sound of man anywhere.
ㅤMoisture had captured him in the night and soaked through his clothes. The grass around him was peppered delicately under a coat of dew and a thin layer of fog on the ground guarded it.
ㅤThere was a bit of darkness still but there was no point staying for longer. The guards would’ve surely noticed that their young master was missing by now. It would also be obvious who the killer was; Eris' bite was unique.
ㅤ“You're all wet too,” James complained on Eris' behalf.
ㅤHer rags broke away in clumps as he tested them, having disintegrated after a long and abusive existence.
ㅤ“We'll get you new ones.”
ㅤHe fumbled through his bag to see if he had any fabric to use temporarily but unfortunately not. Instead, he picked out a small clay vial and rubbed a hesitating thumb against it. Aching, he took one last look at the green of the leaves, the brown of the wood, and the blue of the sky; searing those colours into his mind, and tipped some of the watery mixture into his eyes. The burn was normal. He kept them clamped shut for a moment. When he eventually opened them again, blinking the tears away, he glanced around once again and felt grief.
ㅤOne day he would open his eyes and there would be no colour left to look at.
ㅤIgnoring the cold aches from sleeping on wet dirt, James picked up his bag and headed off down the mountain. It was a shame he couldn't stay in this place longer and watch the people live but it was time to go.
ㅤEventually, he would always have to leave.
➵ ➵ ➵ ➵
“Here's the payment.”
ㅤJames didn't bother to pretend he wasn't suspicious of the miscreant opposite.
ㅤThis middleman was a large crook, scars decorating his bulging biceps and broad shoulders that strained against his shirt. He wasn't even worth James remembering his name.
ㅤ“I'm going to count it,” James said, more as a warning than anything else.
ㅤThe man didn't seem worried though.
ㅤHe counted every single piece, looking for any particularly dull looking coins; a task that was becoming more challenging as the world became greyer around him.
ㅤThey were all there.
ㅤ“Good,” James said, happy he didn't have to kill a second person. He slid a single gold piece on the table in front of him. “Here, because I appreciate honesty.”
ㅤThe man took it. “Thanks.”
ㅤJames knew the crook would spend it on booze or prostitutes anyway; all his middlemen were those kinds of people. He would never pick someone innocent to do a job as dangerous as this. Their lifespans rarely surpassed that of midges.
ㅤ“The client wanted me to express gratitude on her behalf,” the man informed him. “She says her daughter can now rest in peace.”
ㅤJames thoughtlessly nodded. “Good.”
ㅤ“I've got another client for you if you're interested.”
ㅤJames entertained the thought briefly but he’d already decided to leave.
ㅤ“No. I'm moving on.”
ㅤThe man seemed startled. “Already?”
ㅤHe was probably worried his funds were going to dry up before he got to try every brothel in the city, James wryly thought.
ㅤHe made a move to stand, taking the bag of money with him. “Yep, that's all.”
ㅤ“This client, they were offering a lot of money, Jay.”
ㅤ“They can get someone else to do it.”
ㅤHe promptly shut the door, hearing the man splutter on the other side.
ㅤNavigating the corridors of the inn, he left through the side exit instead of through the bar, preferring a bit of peace and quiet. The day was still young. He'd just have to bank his change and then he could travel onwards, this time to a smaller town. He would lay low for a bit.
ㅤThere, out of the corner of his eye, the two Ankaid knights.
ㅤJames ducked behind the building whilst the knights walked down the main street, past his alley. A bell chimed once they were out of sight, assuming they’d entered the front door to the inn he’d just left.
ㅤShit, shit, shit.
ㅤIt was too much to be a coincidence. Why were they here?
ㅤEvery instinct was screaming for James to flee, but he couldn't let those knights get any information about him. Although the room had been dark and James had donned his hood, it wasn't impossible that the middleman had recognised his youth. If he told the knights this, James wouldn't be safe. As it was, everyone in the kingdom believed he was at least forty.
ㅤHe couldn't touch the knights, that would bring way too much attention to him, but the middleman would have to go.
ㅤJames climbed the next building over, camping out on the roof with direct view into the window his middleman resided in. A few tense moments passed by and James waited with a held breath. Eris seemed nervous as well, which made James nervous. Eris never got nervous.
ㅤThen, a room a few along suffered a shout of commotion.
ㅤFuck.
ㅤJames had been right to be paranoid.
ㅤHe fumbled for his knife, strapped to his leg. Before he’d had the chance, the second knight appeared in the window, restraining his middleman to the ground, shouting for his partner.
ㅤFuck. Fuck.
ㅤHe'd lost his chance. If he threw the knife now, it would be obvious he was there. They'd come after him.
ㅤHe tried to collect himself. It might have nothing to do with him. Perhaps his middleman had committed a crime in Ankaid territory and those knights were simply collecting the criminal.
ㅤWhatever the case, he couldn't act now—not unless he wanted to kill the knights too.
ㅤSo he made a dash for it and hurriedly climbed down the building he was on. He did what he always did: run away.
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