By the time we had gone back to find Xander, I had shaken my tense exchange with the woman, although I was still pondering her words.
He will be the death of you.
Looking at Xander the words played over and over again in my head. He would collect me from his contractor and get me killed. I had to bargain for my release when we came to the capital. I had to find a way to get away from him. Once there, doing so would be safe enough, but I had to wait for the right moment.
"I haggled for these tents till morning. At dawn, we will be on the first ship. Once there, keep your head down and keep yourself covered." He nodded at the scarf tied loosely around my head.
The tents were almost hidden behind all the glamour of the street vendors and performers. Pressed against the wall of the cliffs they lay under the starry night. They were small but big enough to fit me and Mayra in one, and Xander in the other.
Inside smelled a little musty. Two flat blankets were aligned side by side with accompanying pillows. I had a feeling I wouldn't get much sleep.
I laid down on my back, mimicking Mayra, but before I could get settled she grabbed my arm. Startled, I whined slightly, fearing she was reaching for the tattoo, but she just wrapped a small string around my wrist.
The string was tied with small bells, already chiming by her movement. I furrowed my brows, ready to protest when Mayra shot me a sly smile.
"Xander told me how slippery you can be."
I said nothing as a reply but wondered when that conversation had taken place. She had shown me the city, even making me forget for a second that she wasn't escorting me but keeping watch. But I was still a prisoner.
The string trailed to her wrist, long enough to reach over her body as she turned her back to me. Something told me she wouldn't fall asleep before I did.
I lay there looking up, wishing badly I could see through the tent to the night sky and find solace in the stars. The string was ridiculous but I understood. Although I would never dare to run now. With everybody apparently after me, I would never make it to the capital on my own.
No, I wouldn't run now. I would run when they trusted me to stay. I would escape the minute they thought we made it there safely. When they would trust me to go nowhere.
Xander had been trying to frighten me in the beginning but I surmised he figured it wouldn't work on me. Playing nice was their new strategy, one I had already expected.
I didn't sleep for hours. The thoughts suddenly started raining down on me. One after another, they pounded into my mind, making me doubt every move I had made since I started my journey.
Leaving Lau, forgetting my purpose, and even choosing to deny for only a second, that the people I was with weren't my captures. That Xander wasn't a ruthless killer, made to take lives whenever necessary.
Dawn suddenly broke through the tent, telling me I had kept awake the whole night. It was subtle, slowly penetrating the darkness. A rumbling noise came with it. People were starting to wake up as well. But the noise was getting much louder. It sounded like complaints and moans.
I lifted myself, the bells around my wrist chiming ever so slightly making Mayra almost jump up. I looked at her with subtle eyes. She left the thought that I was escaping as her attention shifted to the noise.
She unwrapped my wrist and lifted the tent door, poking her head out for a second.
She turned to me, her look concerning. "Something's wrong."
YOU ARE READING
My Darkening Ember
Adventure"This bounty is mine, Xander," He said. It was the first time I ever heard his name. Xander smirked, "Kill me first, then take her." He proposed arrogantly, a silver knife resting confidently in his hand. The man only nodded once as his hand slithe...
