The Blade and The Bird

Chapter 8

Sidra could make out the silhouette of Yarkiy in the distance. The buildings were much taller than those in Moros. The sky was overcast, but there was no drizzle, and the buildings blended in with the sky in their greyness. As they walked into the town, Sidra noticed that the streets were flatter, paved by a flat stone mixture rather than the cobblestone of the streets she knew.

People were everywhere, and Sidra pulled her hood a little tighter around her face. She was too overcome with the size of the city to remember where Darja had told them to go again. She was thankful that the werewolves had been so kind. She thought about their little hut in the woods, how similar it was to her grandmother's house. It was like all the Mythics felt better outside the city limits, living in a little private world away from the dangers.

She wondered for a moment when she started considering humans more dangerous than the Mythics. She'd grown up hearing fantastical stories of them, but never anything as bad as the men that had hurt her sister. She guessed that's what it was. While men had killed her grandmother, the Mythics have offered nothing but assistance and hospitality. A sad smile crossed her face as she looked around at all the people walking down the streets of the city.

"Do you remember where to go?" She asked Baron after a moment.

"I did, did you really forget already?" he asked.

"Well, it was a lot of names," she mumbled.

"I'll lead the way," he grabbed her arm as he did in the market, and started leading the two of them down the street. They walked for quite a while when Baron pulled them into a dark alleyway, where they walked quietly down it about halfway. A nondescript door painted in a faded purple was in front of them.

Baron knocked twice.

They heard the rattle as the door opened, just a crack, and Sidra could make out just a bit of a man's face standing behind the door.

"Hello," Baron said. Sidra felt her hip for her knife, making sure it was still there.

"You two look rather young to be here," the man said gruffly.

"We're not. We're looking for the eye."

The man grunted and shut the door. Several minutes went by and Sidra considered bolting when the door suddenly rattled and opened up with a metallic whine. The man stood there, and Sidra felt uneasy with his appearance. He was taller than both of them, heavy built, with a thick beard that obscured most of his face.

"Welcome in," is all he said. He stepped out of the way to let them through.

Baron stepped in first and Sidra followed gingerly after him. The place was dimly lit, a haze hung in the air that scattered the purple glow of the lights in all directions. There was a set of stairs before them and Sidra started to make her way down them when the man called out from behind them.

"Go to the window at the back. The private rooms are what you're looking for," he told them.

"Thank you," Sidra said quietly as she followed Baron down the staircase.

When Sidra reached the bottom of the stairs the haze seemed even thicker than before. Sidra could make out several tables, where people seemed to be sitting around talking loudly and drinking. A man was playing an instrument in the corner, the music breaking up the gloom of the place.

She followed Baron towards the window in the back. There was a woman behind it, flipping nonchalantly through a book as they approached. Sidra wondered briefly how she could see the words in such a dimly lit place.

"Hello. We're looking for the eye. Heard this is where to find it," Baron said when they approached. The woman took her time looking up from her book, then set it aside and pressed a button that opened a door Sidra hadn't seen just moments before.