Eight

Vesper, Eleventh Day Before Kalends of May

Estrul Marketplace, Estrul, Tarrin, Drum

And so Logan Floyd was once again a vagrant and, though he did not know it yet, now the man with the highest bounty on his head not only in all of Drum, but all of Kaps after that morning’s incident.

He found himself wandering the crowded marketplace that lined the eastern border of Estrul, a small town on the outskirts of Tarrin, Drum. He stopped at a fountain. At its centre the fountain had a statue of Helion vomiting out the Stones, each Stone its own small fountain. There was a small boy on the edge of the fountain, but when Logan sat down next to him the boy’s mother emerged from the crowd and led the boy away hurriedly. And so Logan sat alone, watching the mountain sthruls faintly reflecting the light of the setting sun. Just behind the sthruls rose the sharp cliffs of the treacherous peaks of Drum.

Drum was a foreign land for Logan Floyd. He was from the country of Cyrill, to the South. His father was the Councillor of Cyrill. Thus, we was of noble birth, a descendant of Helion, a helia. Yet he had rejected nobility. It was not an intellectual rebellion, like that of the Young Kardas, nor a rebellion for the people, like that of Drina’s mercenary band — it was simply from disgust and ennui, from the endless days of training only to point his blade at some beetroot farmer at Turuk who was not able to pay his taxes. What had pushed him to run away had been the war seemed just around the offing between Cyrill and Drum. The beginning of the dispute had been when a few young children of Drum had been caught crossing the border to steal from residences at the border of Cyrill. Councillor Floyd, with his usual iron fist, had ordered the execution of these children and their families. Drum was outraged. There were a few small civilian-led skirmishes at the border. Logan knew that he would be called upon to slaughter hundreds if war broke out. And so he left. He fled from Cyrill. At the border he met Hazel Drina. She gave him safe passage from Cyrill to Drum. And now she was reaching out to him for the first time since then. He had heard of her joining the Young Kardas. Everyone had. He could Sense the agitation of the nobility all the way from where he was sitting.

Not that all of this changed anything for the people in Estrul. No, they were too busy to occupy themselves with such matters. They had mouths to feed. And to feed those mouths they would do anything.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Alfred — he did tell Logan once that he had a young daughter. Logan did not know if this daughter was another fabrication of his, or whether he had thrown himself at Logan for her. Logan did not blame Alfred.

The deep hopelessness he felt had nothing to do with blame, however. Finding the lives of the nobility horrendous he had fled to the common people, only to find their lives so very much worse. Where was he to turn to now?

“I know where you should turn,” said a voice to his right.

Logan turned to see Kate, in civilian rahl, sitting beside him, looking up at him with eager eyes and a devilish smile. Logan was flustered. Not only had he not Sensed Kate getting so close, but he had also allowed his Mind to be Sensed! He could not allow such carelessness, not he of all people.

“You have gotten better at resisting your Body from being Sensed,” said Logan.

“And you have gotten better at resisting you Mind from being Sensed,” said Kate.

Then Kate rested her head on Logan’s shoulder.

“I heard what happened today,” she said.

Logan jolted and pushed Kate off of him.

“How so,” he said. “Could it be that —“

Kate was unflustered, and said, “no, that had nothing to do with me. I just heard from the streets. Many times, actually. It is quite the talk of town.”

“Word will travel to the ears of Councillor Keys, no doubt,” said Logan.

“It probably already has,” said Kate. “Anything the people know, Keys knows also.”

“If you believe,” Logan began. “That such empty threats will make me come with you —“

“What else can I give but coddling and threats,” said Kate.

“What business do you have with Drina,” said Logan.

“Business is private.”

“You threaten me with Keys,” said Logan. “But are you in turn not afraid of Keys prying into this private business of yours.”

At this Kate smiled. “Keys cannot catch me. I will fly away. Like a bird.”

And Kate soared up into the air and twirled around one of Helion’s Stone-fountains. Logan, aware that people were beginning to stare, grabbed Kate by the sleeve and pulled her back down.

“Well I cannot,” said Logan.

“Listen,” said Kate. “There is a famed fortune teller in Estrul. Why do we not seek her advice on what path you should tread?”

“And since when were you inclined towards such things.”

“Since this afternoon,” said Kate. “She told me such wondrous things I have in store for the future.”

Kate, indeed, had visited the fortune teller just past Sext. The fortune teller, who went by the name Baba Nush, had foretold that she faced an eternal darkness. At this Kate slipped her a gold coin under the table, and Baba Nush added that the one destined for her love will appear as a torch that would guide her way. Another gold coin, and Baba Nush agreed to help her on her sly little plan.