Kara: Chapter TwoA Chapter by Melissa R.Kara: Chapter Two
A cold breeze blew into the cracks of my house hitting
my cheeks and waking me. Sitting up I judged by the grey of the sky I had an
hour until dawn. Next to me, still asleep, was Tom. He slept so nicely hardly
moving or snoring. His breathing was heavy and warm as I stared at him fondly.
Before leaving the warmth of my bed I pulled my shirt on over my head. Slipping
out of the covers I searched for where Tom had thrown my pants. They were a
surprising distance away in the doorway. I smiled to myself over Tom’s
enthusiasm. Once dressed I threw my cloak on and packed my one satchel with my
clothes, the vial of peranfil oil and the bare minimum of coins I would need to
make it through my two week endeavor to Michant. One last look around the room
proved I had everything I needed. I
swept out the house with one last glance at Tom. Poor Tom, I was always leaving
him this way. He should be used to it by now though. Tom was the only person I
trusted, but I never planned on settling down and staying in Hearlot. The money
I was saving was going to pay for my voyage out to sea to other lands I had
only heard of in stories. There I would spend the rest of my life. The
sky was barely being touched by the faintest sunrays when I arrived at the
docks on the west side of Hearlot Harbor where merchant ships were getting
ready to set sail. The smell of salt and fish hung in the air. Shouts
surrounded me as I surveyed the ships. I picked one of the lesser imposing ones
hoping to keep my traveling as inconspicuous as possible. I climbed aboard and
scanned the deck for the captain. The crew was scurrying around readying the
ship. Spotting the captain I joined him by the railing. The captain was less
impressive than his ship. His greasy hair hung loose around his face framing his
unshaven chin and bloodshot, hung over eyes. When he spoke he revealed missing
teeth and others rotting. “Well
‘ullo miss,” he greeted jovially looking me up and down. “I’m Captain Adam!
What can I do for yeh?” My
nose wrinkled against the smell of his breath, “Where are you headed?” “Up
to the northern lan’s.” “Perfect.
You can give me passage to Michant in exchange for my services on board.” Once
again Captain Adam scanned me with his eyes before saying with a lopsided grin,
“I can think o’ a couple o’ services yeh could provide Miss…er I didn’t catch
yer name.” “Kara,”
I answered coldly. “And of course while on board I will be treated with
respect.” “Ah,
I can’t promise that. It’s a long trip to Dierden and men get antsy on board.” “Good
thing Michant isn’t as far as Dierden,” I growled. “Yeh
get fired up easily don’t yeh?” Captain Adam chuckled. Annoyed
I solved this problem with my answer to everything. I punched his nose and
caught his swinging arm of retaliation. Twisting it behind his back I put my
knee against his back pulling on his shoulder. Blood was gushing from his nose
and I did nothing to stem it. “You
know. I’m getting tired of meeting perverted, pig headed b******s like you,” I
snarled as I pulled up on his arm making him yell. His shout attracted the
attention of his crew who stopped their tasks startled. A few of them stepped
towards us. “Now
I…I didn’ mean anythin’ by it miss,” Adam stuttered. “I promise nuthin’ will
happen to yeh.” I
released him, “I’m not worried about him. I don’t tolerate disrespect.” Captain
Adam rolled his shoulder eyeing me warily, “I bet yeh don’.” “Just
remember I can bloody more than your nose,” I threatened. He
grimaced as he glanced down at the blood staining his shirt and turned to his
crew who stood glaring at me, their captain’s attacker. He snapped his finger
at one of the men. “First
mate reporting, Captain!” he yelled gruffly as he stepped to Captain Adam’s
side. “The
status?” “She’s
ready to sail, sir.” “Aye?
Well, winds are a-blowing me. Drop the sails, head out of the harbor and set
sail Northeast!” he commanded not sounding nearly as incompetent as he had
before. “With
all due respect sir, shouldn’t we be setting sail for Nortwest around the
peninsula?” the first mate responded. Adam
snapped at the man questioning his orders, “We’re making a stop in Michant. Our
honored guest needs passage and we gunna give it.” He
snorted then spit the blood out of his mouth over the edge of the ship. With
that his competent demeanor vanished. The first mate looked me up and down as
Captain Adam stomped below deck. I didn’t look at him too bored and
uninterested to care. “Aye,
Captain,” the first mate responded. The
crew scurried around on deck throwing glares occasionally in my direction. As
the sails unfurled the wind took us quickly north leaving the harbor. I watched
the capitol city disappear as I prepared for the four day journey ahead. Making
sure all my belongings were securely on me I set about helping the ship ready
for the journey after all it was not my first time on a boat and I had no
intention of sitting idly for the whole trip.
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We
landed at Michant’s southern most port at midday on our fourth day at sea. The
waters had been calm our whole journey. The crew tied the ship to the dock, but
I was too impatient. I grabbed onto some loose rigging and swung down onto the
dock landing in the busiest port of all Shirkan. Behind
me I heard Adam yell, “Where yeh going? What about me payment?” Ignoring
him I snaked my way through the crowd of merchants, fishermen, and travelers. I
was consumed by everybody quickly. The smell of the seas calmed me as I walked
by ship after ship along the dock, until
I had finally broken into the city streets. The crowd here was thicker
than on the docks. Added to the dense crowds of people were carriages winding
their ways through the masses. Michant was called the Merchant City for a
reason. Most craftspeople lived within the confines of the city and almost all
of the kingdom’s major trading was carried out in its ports. There were three
ports: the north, south and west. This was because Michant was built at the end
of Trader’s Peninsula, named so for the principle city’s occupation. Governor
Insario’s mansion was near the west port, so I set off in that direction. As
I navigated through the streets past stores and booths, listening to the babble
of everyone, I thought of my mission. When I had started working for Gorelli
five years ago I was assigned menial missions, mainly sheriffs or business
owners. I quickly became the best and I was assigned Ambassadors and high
profile political figures. As I walked I tried to remember my life before
Gorelli. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t. Only once had I heard the story of how
I came to work for Gorelli. Gorelli himself had told me when I had woken up in
a strange bed in a fancy room with no recollection of how I had gotten there.
Panicking I had sat up making my head throb and sitting next to me had been
Gorelli as vile as ever. He
had smiled warmly and spoken much more kindly than he does now, “Good
afternoon.” Frightened
I had pulled the covers up to my chin and asked, “Who are you?” “I’m
Mr. Gorelli. My daughter, Aurora, found you in our alley sick as a dog. I took
you and had my physician take care of you. All you kept saying was Kara. Is
that your name?” My
head had been fuzzy and I frowned confused and skeptical, “Yes, that’s my name.
Why…why did you take care of me?” Gorelli’s
eyes had widened, “Why? I couldn’t let you die!” I
shook my head trying to remember why I had been in an alley but I had no
memories, “Well, thank you sir. What am I to do now?” “Well
we could help you home,” Gorelli suggested. Again
I shook my head scared, “I…I don’t know where my home is! I don’t remember anything!” Gorelli
had spoken with sympathy, “Well, my dear child, I could give you a home if you
agree to work for me.” That
conversation had been a long one, but in the end I started working for Gorelli.
I had been so scared to accept his offer, but back then I felt I had had no
options. In his presence I could tell saying no would not have helped me. In
the beginning I lived in the servant’s quarters of Gorelli’s house. That was
when Aurora and I first met and began our feud as Gorelli began to dote on me
and my accomplishments. Tom and I had worked together on a few cases before he
left the group. When he left I stayed at Tom’s Tavern until I had saved enough
money to move into my house now. I had lived there for a year and a half now.
Tom had begged me not to move out, but I insisted that I liked the quiet of my
home, which I did. It allows me time to sit and try to remember something from
my past. Still the first night in my house Tom had brought ale and food from
his tavern to celebrate. He stayed over for the first time that night and has
been frequently ever since. I didn’t mind the company and even enjoyed his
presence. Smiling softly I remembered how nervous he had been that first night. Suddenly
I was broken out of my reverie as a young man slammed into me. “Oh,
I am so sorry miss! I didn’t see you there,” a voice said from behind a large
pile of paper brown parcels. The man turned sideways so he could look at me
without the packages obstructing his view. I surveyed him with annoyance and a
scowl on my face. He was quite handsome I noticed grudgingly with high
cheekbones, windswept hair, and brilliant blue eyes that shined with
excitement. His
smile revealed perfect white teeth his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, “Have
we met before?” “No,”
I answered sharply. He
frowned slightly, “Really? You look so familiar.” He smiled once again quickly
getting over his confusion, “Well, sorry for wasting your time miss. I must be
off or the governor will be disappointed.” I
froze as he continued on the course he had been walking. As
I watched his retreating figure I grinned, “It wasn’t a waste of time at all.” Following
close behind so I wouldn’t lose the man in the crowd, I stalked him. He stopped
in other shops, during which I waited impatiently for him to come out.
Eventually we arrived at Governor Insario’s house. Under the pretense of
reading a pamphlet I surveyed the house. It looked exactly like the other
houses on the street except for a few not so subtle differences. A large brick
wall surrounded the house with only one entrance through a wrought iron gate.
That obstacle would be easily overcome. What I saw as I continued to observe,
however, worried me. Guards were stationed at every corner of the house and
entrance. Looking through the windows I watched guards roam in a seemingly
unpredictable pattern. While I stood watching two carriages pulled through the
gate. Out of one stepped who could only be Governor Insario. I tried to get a
good look at him but ten guards instantly surrounded him and I cursed. There
was a gasp of indignation beside me at my outburst. I turned to glare at
whoever had admonished me and saw three women dressed impeccably taking an
evening stroll and throwing disgusted glances my way. Realizing my appearance
did not blend with the neighborhood I sighed resigning myself to dresses the
next few days. I took one last look as saw that everyone except the posted
guards had gone back inside. Through one of the windows I saw the blue eyed man
talking to someone out of sight. I paused as something inside me stirred then
shook my head and turned to leave. Night
was starting to fall as I walked the lamp illuminated streets out of the
residential street. The crowds had barely thinned as I made my way to an
obscure inn. I paced my room going over my observations and planning what I
needed to do the next couple of days. When I finally lay down in bed I knew my
next two days of observation would be crucial. The
next morning I went to a nearby shop and bought a dress to wear while I was in
the residential neighborhood that Governor Insario lived in. The dress was
difficult to move in as the skirt hampered my ability to run. I bought a large
belt to wear on top of my skirt so I could still carry my dagger concealed just
in case I needed it. I had managed to plait my hair to the best of my ability.
As I looked at myself in the mirror I frowned hardly recognizing myself but
knowing full well I still would not blend in perfectly with everyone in that
section. Sighing in defeat I made wore the dress and watched Governor Insario’s
house from a café across the street gathering data. On
my third night in Michant I prepared myself mentally and physically for the
night. I dressed in my black pants, shirt and head scarf. My dagger hung on my
right hip. Staring at myself in the mirror I added my veil. The church clock
next door rang eight times. Silently I slipped out of the inn and moved around
the city trying to attract as little attention as possible walking in shadows
as often as I could. Once I arrived at the Governor’s house I walked the outer
perimeter of the fence. A major security flaw of his was leaving the outside of
the wall unpatrolled. The wall had been built after all the houses in the
neighborhood were. The houses had been constructed in a tight gridlock pattern
which had resulted with the house to the right of Insario’s roof hanging over
the wall close to Insario’s roof. None of Insario’s guards seems to notice or
pay attention to this flaw either. I climbed the lattice work on the back of
the neighbor’s house. Careful not to make a sound or be seen I climbed on top
of the roof. I crouched close to the edge of the roof watching the activity
below me. No one was looking up or aware of my presence. Without spending too
much time contemplating the height or distance between the roofs, I ran and
leaped. For a second I was suspended in air, and then I landed on the roof
rolling to soften my noise. Without wasting a moment I rolled onto my stomach
and peered carefully over the edge. There was no disturbance from inside and no
one below me looked up. Letting out a sigh I realized I was safe for the
moment. No one had noticed. From
my observations I knew the governor retired to his third floor study every
night at eight. He stayed there for almost two hours generally undisturbed as I
had seen through his windows. I made my way to the part of the roof situated
over his study window. Crawling to the edge I noticed he once again had his
window and breathed with relief. After a slight pause I grabbed the edge of the
roof and swung myself into the window landing gracefully. Insario’s tall frame
was facing away from me. “Good
evening, Governor,” I announced my presence quietly. Insario
did not flinch instead he turned slowly and calmly to face me. His face was
devoid of emotion. Only his raised eyebrows betrayed his surprise. He was a
young man only five years older than me perhaps. No wrinkles covered his face,
but his eyes looked older than his years. “Don’t
call for help or you’ll die,” I warned. The
governor raised his hands as he slowly walked to his chair, “I do not doubt
that. But it seems to me that no matter what I do, I will not leave this room
alive.” Se
sat down and I entered the room further, “Quite true. You’re wanted for crimes
against the state.” “And
what crimes have I committed pray tell?” Shrugging
I answered, “I’m not in charge of the details, just the dirty work.” Insario
steepled his fingers as he asked, “Since when are criminals assassinated rather
than tried as our due process requires?” Annoyance
surged through me. He was voicing all the thoughts I had in private. However it
was not my place to question Gorelli and one of the reasons I planned to leave
him. “Like
I said, dirty work.” I
released my veil. Insario
smiled, “You remind me of my sister.” I
stood in front of him locked in a staring contest. For the first time ever I
was reluctant to carry out a mission. There was something in the pit of my
stomach that was gave me an odd sense of foreboding. Shoving
those emotions to the back of my mind I offered, “So, this can be slow and
painful or quick and easy. You choose.” “Does
it make a difference?” I
shook my head, “Only to you.” He
stood and paced, “My guess is you will win no matter what. You’ve proven you’re
cunning by getting past my guards. However, I challenge you to a duel. Since
you have no sword I will provide you with one.” I
tilted my head in agreement. He bowed and then pulled two swords off their
mounts on the wall. He extended one to me and I grasped its hilt. The sword was
light. It felt like it had been made for my hands. We stood apart, our arms
extended with the tips of our swords touching. “To
the death,” Governor Insario held his head high, his mouth pulled into a half
smile. Then
we were fighting, our swords clashing. It was almost magical the grace and
elegance he fought with. From the beginning I realized I had underestimated his
ability. His form and strategy were impeccable. Clearly he was professionally
trained, most likely by the King’s Army. Every blow he gave me was quick, but I
was quicker. I would block and counter attack as he was still processing my
block. Though he was excellent, I was better. Shortly his breathing grew ragged
and he broke out in a sweat. After a while his attacks slowed and I slowed with
him. I was enjoying our match too much. He grew sloppy at which point I became
sympathetic. I had never been beaten before and no one had ever fought as well
as him. I decided to stop procrastinating the inevitable I flicked my sword
cutting his hand. Startled the governor dropped his sword. It clattered to the
ground as he huffed trying to breathe. He dropped to his knees defeat kneeling
before me. His shoulders sagged heavily and I couldn’t help but feel pity for
this man. For once I wondered what he had done to deserve such an untimely
death. “It’s
probably no consolation to you, but I truly regret that I must kill you,” I
broke the silence. Insario
raised his eyes to meet mine, “I would rather die by your hand. You are a
magnificent fighter. I am honored to have met match.” Confusion
clouded my brain as I listened to him. I sighed and raised my sword. I would
not use my dagger, he deserved something more dignified that that. Something
froze my arm. “I’m
sorry,” I whispered. I truly was I did not want to kill this man. He
closed his eyes and bowed his head. I plunged the sword into his heart. Insario
slumped forward and I caught him. His last breath sighed onto my shoulder and I
closed my eyes unnaturally grieved by his death. Slowly I lowered him onto the
carpet ignoring the blood staining my clothes. I laid his arms across his chest
and stared at his face now drowned of life. He looked younger in death and I
felt a wetness on my face. I was crying! Angrily I wiped the tear off my face
smudging blood on my cheek. I turned to jump out the window, but froze. Someone
was standing in the doorway watching me intently. Cursing myself for not being
more careful I lunged at him. Insario’s and my duel must have made a racket. I
tackled the figure and straddled their chest. My dagger was drawn and pressed
against their throat, yet they did not fight back. I was staring at the bright
blue eyes of the man who had bumped into me on the street. My dagger was poised
to cut his throat, but something was stopping me. It was his eyes. They were
open wide not in fright, but in recognition. As I stared into those blue eyes
something once again stirred deep inside me. A hint of a memory buried underneath
years of fog. I continued to stare at him warring with myself. My veil was
still down so he knew my identity. Just for that I should kill him, but those
eyes. They did something to me and I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. Sighing
I raised my dagger, “I am going to regret this.”
His
eyes were full of joy, not fear but joy as I struck him with the handle across
the temple, knocking him unconscious and then fled through the open window
haunted by blue eyes. © 2015 Melissa R.Author's Note
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Added on March 25, 2015 Last Updated on March 25, 2015 Tags: young adult, fantasy, fiction, action AuthorMelissa R.AboutHello, I am in my early twenties and I have been writing what I call stories since elementary school. Writing is an escape for me and my imagination to relax and let loose. I rarely let people read w.. more..Writing
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