She gaped at the work sight before her, men were hauling crates onto the deck of ships. A cave loomed to her left, a waterfall springing off of a ledge up into the dark. More ships were hidden in the shadows of the cave's walls. Never had Commander Jamison mentioned this place to her. It was a hidden harbor. This had to be where the smuggling was happening.
Evelyn's attention drew to a pair of men, opening a crate for a figure cloaked in black. His hood was drawn up making it hard for her to see who it was.
Inside, the crystals caught the light, shimmering in the slightest waver from the torches and lanterns hung above them. Evelyn recognized from her history books, the look of them the size of small pebbles. Star shards. That's what they were called.
The most prized and rare of jewels. For a crateful of them... The thought made her dizzy.
The man ushered them to take the crate away, and onto the ship. Evelyn had to stop this madness. Wherever Jett went, she had to tell him.
The cloaked figure paused and turned his head upward. On reflex, she skittered back from the ledge. Too Close.
She moved back to the small house, more like a shed, in her opinion.
She peeked through the window and found no one in the house, which was one room.
Evelyn went to open the door, she had to find more information. She turned the knob. It didn't budge.
She cursed under her breath and looked behind her. The key she realized, he had it. Walking back to the window she tried to find a way to open it, but it didn't seem to budge either. If she were to break it, the commotion would cause alarm.
Evelyn needed to find that letter, she peered through the window looking, at the table in the corner. No letter sat on its surface.
The world whizzed by as she was thrown away and slammed to the ground. Her lungs screamed, making her cough.
"Who are you?" The man asked, pinning her down by her arms.
She was such an idiot.
At her lack of replying he opened his mouth to sound the alarm. With all her force she whipped her arms down and kicked her knees upward. He hollered out to anyone around to hear. Turning her head to the side the dirty man's body crushed her face, and taking no time to pause, rolled over him and punched him in the nose repeatedly.
He stayed motionless underneath her.
With hurried hands she patted him down for any letter. Her hands passed over his pocket and she felt a lump. Shouts echoed below her, making her yank out the letter. Frantically she bolted for the forest and willed her mind to hide herself.
With no idea where she was going, Evelyn blindly tore through the trees, in the direction she depicted where the shore was. Her sense prickled again, and she felt a fast approaching presence behind her. She veered her direction and the fast approaching footsteps mirrored her actions. How? She was hidden. Evelyn continued to zig zag her direction.
For a moment, that presence ceased chasing her. Maybe it was Jett. She skidded to a stop and peered into the forest. The veins at the edges of her eyes tingled, giving her view of the forest.
"Jett?" She called.
Wind met her ears in answer. Where had he gone?
Her mark tingled, and she scanned the trees heading its warning.
Right there. By the trees she noticed the black fabric poking out by the trees.
"Come out and face me." Evelyn challenged.
A low laugh rang deep in response.
The figure stepped out from behind the trees and stalked toward her like she was his prey. It was a man she thought. Must have been from the way he walked and his frame was to wide for a woman.
Evelyn unsheathed her sword from over her shoulder.
"Come any closer and I will not hesitate to kill you."
His silence cut into her, and his answer came from her left.
Without looking she sliced the clod of dirt in half. How had he done that, when he stood right in front of her?
The person stopped a few feet away from her. So slowly he withdrew his sword from across his own back and slid into fighting stance.
Like her, his mouth was bound, his cloak drawn over his head to conceal any features she might notice.
He waggled two fingers in a manner that suggested she come to him. Lightning fast she struck. And with equal speed he parried her blow.
Evelyn slid one leg back and went to surge toward him when another clod of dirt came out of the darkness directed at her. She sidestepped it and just as she did, the man attacked her as fast as an asp.
Evelyn found herself panting, as he struck and struck with as much lethality as her.
More clods with rocks in them pummeled toward her. It was to much for her, to keep up with each one, some hitting her sides painfully. The man dove for her, and she winced in pain as he nicked her upper arm, giving her a cut down her arm.
Evelyn cursed as her sword was knocked out of her grasp.
Evelyn took a step back and pulled out the whip slung at her side. Let's see how you fair with this.
Evelyn slashed at the man but he backflipped out of her way. He tsked.
Anger boiled into her veins; she would get him. Evelyn whipped it out again, the dagger whistling as it sliced through the night air. A grunt had her knowing she wounded him.
The ground beneath her began to soften, become liquid then the hardened surface from before. Evelyn jumped away and turned away breaking into a sprint.
Every time her boot touched the earth, it turned liquid underneath her, slowing her pace down. She grunted in effort, to keep her legs pumping.
She broke through the trees, noticing the same beach a few yards away. There was no boat in sight, by the dock, she realized as she sprinted toward the docks edge. the boat had not been tied since they were in a rush to follow them. An unknown force kept her going as she spotted a lone boat floating on the sea's waves. It was too far out to reach.
Foliage snapped behind her as the man broke through the trees. She felt a pinch in her neck and with a gasp of desperation, Evelyn pumped her arms harder and her legs faster, her boots pounding on the dock's floorboards. There was no time to stop as she pushed off the ledge soaring into the air.
******
Jett waited at the beach, after the commotion broke out. Hopefully no one saw him on the way. It was too dark to find Evelyn, so he went to the beach and hoped, no begged, that she would be smart and find herself back to the beach. He followed those men down to that secret harbor and saw everything. He had to return to Algeris and get the message to the king, if all else failed.
He waited for five minutes before he found men with torches running through the trees and shouting at him.
He hated himself for leaving her, but he got into the rowboat- their rowboat drifted out to sea- and he was out on the currents before any of the men could get to him.
Of course, they only saw a boat since he camouflaged himself, but they knew he was there.
He rowed past the boat they original used, which was almost halfway between the shores. He made it to the shores and Jett sent out a prayer for the gods.
*****
Evelyn jolted awake from the water rapping against the boat's sides. The sun was warm against her cheeks, making her throat throb for water. What had happened?
Evelyn sat up groaning, for miles sea stretched on. Her muscles quivered, as she moved in a more comfortable position. Her whole body shivered, and she tried to wrap the two cloaks around her body. She rubbed at her neck and winced at the prick in her neck. She plucked the small needle like arrow out and examined its structure. What was it? Why was she here?
Images of yesterday flooded her mind giving her a headache. The images showed her what she discovered, the importance of her mission. She had to tell the King what she discovered yesterday. Or maybe two days ago? Evelyn turned around and saw a shore looming ahead. Picking up the one paddle in her boat she began rowing to the shore. She had no idea where she was.
A feeling of denial washed over her. What if she were left stranded on this strange land? Would she die? All alone? Get a grip, her conscious told her.
When she made it to the shoreline, she stood to leave the boat and a wave of nausea washed over her making her fall halfway into the water. Her aching limbs strained to haul her up and wade through the splashing waves.
Evelyn made it three steps before she slumped into the sand, feeling the grime dig into her warm skin. A sea breeze swept her body making her shudder, despite the sun's warmth. Footsteps crunched behind her, Evelyn's eyes drooped. She had to make it to the capital. Her heart lifted with hope, someone was going to help her.
She shoved against the sand, pushing herself onto her hands and knees.
"Tie her up." A male voice demanded.
Evelyn turned toward that voice, peeking up at him through the strands of black hair that fell into her face. Vladimir stooped down at her level and looked her in the eyes and smiled.
