Kara: Chapter Two

Kara: Chapter Two

A 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.
                I couldn’t help but grin as I echoed, “To the death.”

                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

Melissa R.
Hello, I hope you enjoyed this next chapter. There's a twist coming. We're going to start learning more about Kara's past. Please leave a review :)

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Added on March 25, 2015
Last Updated on March 25, 2015
Tags: young adult, fantasy, fiction, action


Author

Melissa R.
Melissa R.

About
Hello, 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..

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Kara: Prologue Kara: Prologue

A Chapter by Melissa R.