Oh goodness.. I think this might be the one of the last 3-5 chapters of this book.
-to my super enthusastic fan ;)
Julia's POV
I hold my skirts close to me and above the filthy ground. Nate walks impossibly fast and Howell stays protectively behind me. We pass the first group of women who swoon and sigh over Nate, begging him to take one of them. They all have so much powder on their faces that they're unnaturally white with thick red lipstick and bright pink cheeks. Nate briefly eyes one of the women's breasts, giving her a smirk to which the woman over dramatically moans.
My stomach twists with jealousy which suddenly vanishes when the women give me looks of distaste. Each of them scoffing when I walk past, whispering amongst themselves how small and petite I am... how I must be french! Howell noticed my displeasure and before I could whirl around to give them a piece of my mind, he gently bumps me forward.
Nate quickly turns down a narrow and musky smelling alley, squeezing past two drunken slobs. I shrink back against Howell but make it pass without any comment from the men. The music and laughter starts to fade away when Nate turns down a wider alley but the smell does not improve.
My slippers are completely wet now from the muddly puddles I was unable to avoid. Annoyed that once finally clean, I am only to get dirty right away all over again! I only hope the puddles were just water... nothing else.
Almost no light shines into the alleys that Nate chooses to go through and many questionable people stand in front or towards the middle, giving threatening looks. We also pass by a couple, or a man and one of those women, deeply locked in their love making thankfully still clothed. I hear Nate chuckle when I make a noise of disgust.
The three of us walk futher and futher away from the town's central plaza but I do not feel releved. Much more disgusting men and women are among here, hiding in the shadows while others sell trinkets, claiming to have magic. Focused on one of the stands, an old woman with a missing eye and pure white hair leaps in front of me taking my skirt in her hands.
I gasp in horror when I notice she is skin and bones, wearing only a sack as clothes. "Gimme your dress will ya? Mighty fine price for it! Give you this charm, make all men love ya. Just for the dress." The woman cackles madly, tugging on my dress.
Howell leaps into action, slapping the poor old woman hands away. The woman cries out and shrinks back into the shadow but Howell tosses her two gold coins. She lunges for the coins, hissing at me to stay away from her gold and I walk faster.
Nate paused, waiting for us to catch up but didn't bother to ask what had happened before continuing on. We walk undistrubed for the next ten minutes before finally stopping.
"This is it." Nate announces. We stand in front of a worn down shack with many glass orbs hanging from the door way. Many colorful shells, all shapes and sizes are scattered around the home and some are on strings swaying gently from the breeze.
Nate walks forward to knock on the old home but three men from our left emerge with greedy grins amongst their faces. All three have missing teeth while their others are rotting away. One of the men is different from the other two, being bald and having no beard. But his head and neck is covered with dark tattoos and hes dressed head to toe in black leather.
The other two look like twins, a mirror image of each other! Both with dirty orange hair and dark beards that hangs to their belly. Neither of them wear a shirt but they both have dual swords strapped to their backs.
"Now we see you have a bit of coin on ya." The bald man speaks darkly. "Couldn't help notice 'ow you threw those gold coins at that old whore." The two other men laugh loudly, as if something was funny.
Nate draws his own sword and Howell does too, pushing me gently behind them. "Yeah, da coins not be for you." Howell declairs.
"Oh no, no, no. They are already ours." The bald man challenges.
In a flash, the two twin men lunge forward attacking Howell and Nate. Metal clashes against metal, sparks fly. The bald man laughs loudly again and sets his eyes among me. My heart drops, my blood runs cold through my viens.
Without taking his eyes off of me he says again, "And that beauty there. Will be mine too."
"No!" Nate grunts loudly, landing a soild punch on his attacker's face. The man snaps back, his nose pouring out blood. Rage burns in the man's eyes as he lunges again with his sword but Nate blocks him easily. I scream out in terror when the bald man makes his way towards me.
I pick up a metal rod, holding it out defensively infront of me. "Stay away!" I demand him, hoping my voice is strong and fearless. It does not faze him.
I hear Howell grunt, and I scream in horror as the man raises his sword above his head. Howell's sword lays just a few inches away from him but his hand is bleeding from a severe gash. "Nate!" I scream in panic and horror.
The man swings his sword towards Howell's stomach and my stomach is ready to vomit. "No!" I sob out, feeling completely helpless and the bald man grabs me from behind. I scream out again but my eyes do not leave Howell who is about to be slain right infront of me.
"No please!" I scream again, thrashing against my captor but suddenly, the man attacking Howell lets out a roar of pain, dropping his sword. He looks down at his own stomach with wide eyes, shocked at the sword that was thrust through his body.
The man crumbles to the ground, dead, a pool of blood growing from under him. His twin brother too lies dead next to him. "What?! YOU KILLED THEM!" The man roars from behind me. He flings me down onto the hard ground and before he was able to reach Nate, Nate threw his dagger right at the man's heart.
I scream in horror at the bloody scene in front of me, still sobbing uncontrollably. Howell stands up with a grunt and rushes towards me. "Are you okay?" He asks me.
"I- I thought you were dead. Oh goodness. He was going to take me! Oh Howell... I thought you were dead!" I choke on my sobs.
"No, no. I'm here. Everythin' is alright now." He assures me.
I sniff and gesture to his hand. "You are hurt."
"Bah, not to worry. I've gotten worse."
Before I could respond, Nate stands infront of me offering his hand to help me stand. I take it and he looks past me and says, "We've got company."
I turn around and notice a stunningly beautiful woman standing at the doorway of the old home. She's wrapped in fine silk of all different colors and her hair is a beautiful deep brown that falls to her waist. She wears many gold earrings and nose rings as she watches, amused, us with her ocean blue eyes.
"Well... That was impressive." She purrs, raising her perfect arched eyebrows. "You've come to see me, no?"
"You watched! And didn't do a thing!?" I shriek at her. Furious that she almost let us die, would have let us die.
She holds up a hand and tsks at me. "Oh no child. You wouldn't have died... I saw it already."
"What is she muttering about?" I ask Howell but he does not respond.
Nate steps forward. "If you saw this then yes, you're who I'm looking for."
"Come inside and let us speak." She turns slowly, almost sexually slow and I growl annoyed that all the women here must be so suductive.
The three of us follow inside and are lead to a small living room, simply decorated with a few items. But the center table is made up of entirely sea shells and is covered with a bunch of weird looking things and a turtle shell turned upside down. The woman kneels down onto her knees and gestures for Nate to do the same thing.
"You two, leave us." She waves her hand at us. "Father, please take them outside again. They cannot intrupt us."
An kind old man appears around from another room and silently tells us to follow. I start to protest but Howell shakes his head. The man looks nothing like the woman to be her father, with greying blonde hair and green eyes.
Just before we were pushed out of the room, the woman had started to speak in an otherwordly voice. "Now what you seek is hard to tell, but I will. You sister is alive, do not fret... but one bounded to the Source, the other bounded to Song... the two will connect and bring light to us all. Both with the ability to walk between two worlds, both with the strength to end the darkness. But beware to this clue, for this holds a price, the sacrafice of Song's death!"
I groan in fustration when I wasn't able to hear any more. Howell and I wait outside in silence but the words of the strangle woman echo in my head. An hour passes by until Nate finally emerges from the house.
The woman and her... father, see him good bye and I notice on their hands they wear the same ring... A wedding ring. But I ignore that and rush up to Nate and Howell asks what went on.
Nate looks confused, with his eyebrows pulled together. "Charlie's alive but she spoke in riddles..."
"What kind of riddles?" I press on but he only shakes his head.
"I need to find out my past before I can find Charlie...Damn Gypsies, I dont know my past!" Nate mutters angerly before heading back towards the ship.
Howell and I look at each other questionably and Howell simply shrugs before following. I follow close behind... wondering if the trip here was worth it. Just before we reached the docks the air suddenly shifts and becomes humid.
Loud cracks of thunder rolls across the sky following flashes of lightening. In an instant dark clouds loom over us and opens up heavy rain. Nate shouts for us to run back to the ship, grabbing my hand.
'Whats going on?!" I yell over the thunder, offically done with today.
Howell shouts back, "Tis be the Sea King. Boy, he's an angry one today!"
"Why?!" I ask.
Howell gives me a sly smile, "Probably the gypsy."
I groan out loud and struggle to keep up with Nate's pace. "Damn gypsies!"
Okay so this is a blah chapter... but its leading towards the end of the book.
Anyone remember where that riddle was from? :)
See you next time and please vote!