Two Worlds; The Collision

Chapter 10

Sage Pov

It took two days to get to town, and more than once I cursed myself for how stupid I was. I shouldn’t have brought the horse. I could have just flown. I didn’t really like the color of my dragon much, the strange purple and blue tint that showed off my useless element, and everyone knew my dragon, everyone knew my element, and I wasn’t trying to deal with embarrassment right now. Even still, I should have flown, it would have gone faster and I desperately needed to hurry. The longer time went, the longer the pain in my chest attacked me, making me fear what was happening to her. I knew they hadn’t found her yet, everyone I stopped on the road seemed to know something. The assassins were searching everywhere in the Dragon kingdom, and a few werewolves that were connected to Robbie were searching in town. It wasn’t good enough, not to me. I felt like there was more to the town than they were thinking, and the boat, what Ana said, it all linked together. They thought the boat wasn’t relevant, that the man had simply stolen it. Ana described a fit younger man and woman, not an old man, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t all be working together. It could be nothing, but it could be everything. By the time I got to town, it was mid-day, and I was exhausted. I barely slept, mostly sleeping in the saddle, and it was wearing on me. Despite that, I didn’t take time to rest. Falyn might not be resting, she might be being tortured, the enemy might be getting ready to send word for ransom, and she was waiting for me. My dad wouldn’t rest, he’d keep going and he’d push through, and that was what I was going to do.

I left my horse at the stables, because despite the fact that I wasn’t going to stop, I wasn’t going to force her to keep going as well. I went on foot around the square, the busiest place in the town, and started to ask around. The questions were standard, and I had a black cloak on with the hood up, trying to conceal myself. The dark gray curls aren’t that unusual, neither are my icy blue eyes, but mixed together and I’m fairly recognizable. My eyes used to be the same sky blue hue as my mother’s, but they turned lighter and lighter as I got older, taking an icy blue hue that sometimes looked white in certain lights. Same with my hair, it’s not the same tint as my father’s, it's darker, and can look black at times, especially if it’s nighttime. So I wore the hood up to keep myself hidden, and asked the standard questions. “Have you seen a fifteen-year-old girl with amber-colored eyes?” I asked a woman who looked to be half drunk. The wenches were horrible to talk to, especially if one is a man, because they couldn’t hold a conversation without rubbing their overly perfumed bodies against the men, or running their fingers up and down their bodies in a way that they assume entices us. Maybe it does for some men, standing here for barely ten minutes caused me to watch women with way too much perfume and painted faces run their fingers up and down a random man’s arms, only to drag him back to their hostel with seductive snickers. However, for me, it was doing nothing but raising bile in my throat and I had to force myself to remain still and not grab a dagger to stab her for touching me inappropriately.

She giggled at me, fluttering her eyelashes as she slid her hand lower against my abdomen, making me want to throw up on her face. “You don’t need a fifteen-year-old, I’m here for you,” She said, giggling once more.

I clenched and unclenched my hands, gritting my teeth against all of the frustration building inside me. “Not for fun, ma’am. I’m looking for my little sister. Tell me, what do you know about the old man that stole the boat? Would he have known a little girl with amber-colored eyes?” I asked her, gently grabbing her wrist and pressing it against my chest, hoping she’d stop trying to slip her fingers into my pants.

Her eyes took a more serious tone and she bit her lip, looking back and forth for a minute. Hope started to build inside me, mostly because I’d been questioning so many people before I finally decided to question a wench, and I was at my last rope. No one seemed to know anything about the old man, and the few that did, all said the same thing. He must have stolen the boat. He was the one in charge of the night crew, he was tired and old, probably wanted to steal a boat filled with supplies and live the rest of his life without having to care for anything. Everyone was so convinced. I was starting to think this line of questioning was useless. What if he really did have nothing to do with Falyn? What if they were right, that the old man was tired of working for a living and took the boat filled with supplies somewhere further down the coast where he wouldn’t be spotted, to have the supplies to live the rest of his life in luxury? It was illegal, of course, but logical. He’d been working all his life at the docks, maybe he wanted to rest for the rest of his life without worry. However, the way this woman was suddenly sobering up, the way she bit her lip and looked nervous, was telling me something completely different. “I know something I shouldn’t, mister, but it won’t be for free. A meal, maybe a new dress, maybe some coins for information.” She said, battering her eyelashes at me.

Her hand went down towards my pants once more and I grabbed her wrist, putting slightly more pressure on it. “A meal, my lady, and depending on the information you know, I’ll pay more. Would you dine with me?” I asked, holding my elbow for her to grab.

She looked up at the hostel, unsure of the treatment of a proper lady. She was used to being dragged in and out of the hostel for her p*****t, to using her body as an item to sell, instead of her mind. After a second, she slipped her hand through my elbow and gripped my arm loosely, smiling shyly at me. “Lead the way, kind sir.” She said. She was shy as she picked up the side of her dress and held it while we walked, acting like a proper lady instead of the sultry type that tried to fawn over men. I was slightly proud of her for not trying to press her boobs against my arm, as I led her into an inn. There were private tables lined in the corner with curtains to hide us from view, and I left her at the table and went to the innkeeper, paying for the privacy and for a jug of ale and some food. I made my way back to the table with the man, two steaming hot bowls on a tray and a jug and two cups of ale on another. Once everything was prepared and ready, the man left us alone, and I closed the curtain for privacy. “So, we won’t be doing anything that requires me to take my clothes off?” She asked, her eyes wide as she looked at me shyly. This probably was a strange request for her, treating her like she was a person instead of a thing.

I shook my head no, taking a sip of ale as I swallowed my food. “No, my lady, you’re very lovely but I’m not interested in that. Simply your company and the information you know.” I assured her.

She stared at me wide-eyed, confused for a moment, before frowning. “And what if the information isn’t what you’re expecting? What if it’s useless?” She asked, frowning.

I shrugged, though inside I felt exhausted, and wondered if I should request a room while I’m here to stay the night and start looking for more clues in the morning. “Then I guess you got a good meal without having to stand in the heat and talk to strangers,” I said with a sigh. “Though I very much hope you know something, My sister is everything to me. She’s missing, and she’s waiting for me to find her.” I said with a frown.

She was silent for a few minutes, before simply nodding. “The old man, he was my father. I say was because I know with certainty he’s dead. You see, when I turned eighteen my parents wanted me to marry a man I didn’t love. The only way I could go against that, was by running off. I quickly ran out of money, and was forced into this life I didn’t want or care for. When I tried begging my parents to take me back and give me another chance, they refused. I was used, my body was worthless, and they didn’t want me anywhere near them. I had no choice but to break ties with them, and become this, for the rest of my life. After all, what man wants used goods? I’m not good enough for marriage.” She said with a sigh. I bit my lip, furious over her parents for how they treated her. She made a mistake, led simply because she didn’t want to marry a man forced on her. Now she has to live like this forever? I couldn't help but wonder if there was something I could do to help her. “It’s been ten years, sir, and I’m not a spring chick anymore. However, there comes times when I meet a certain man that reminds me of my parents in some way or another. One man, he was a lot like the man my parents wanted me to marry. I was a crying mess after he left, and last night, a few of the girls came by with drinks, all of us getting royally drunk, and I came across the bright idea of visiting my father. I knew he worked the night shift at the docks, I knew he’d work the docks until the day he died, it was all he knew and loved. I went to confront him, yell at him, and make him know I was still his daughter and I was still me, no matter what had passed between us. I went to visit him, and watched in horror as the man, without a single pause of mercy or care, the man slit my father’s throat. It was all so fast, one blink and he was there, the next and he had fallen to the ground. The man, I knew him. Not by name, but he worked for my father. The crew that seemed to vanish with my father, the stories everyone tells, the man didn’t vanish with my father, he killed him.” She said, a sadness in her voice.

I was shocked, the bread half lifted towards my mouth, before letting it drop to the plate without a care. I shoved the plate to the side and gripped her hand in mine, squeezing it gently as tears streamed relentlessly down her face. A small hiccup seemed to build from inside her throat as she sobbed and I helplessly patted her hand awkwardly, unsure how to comfort a woman in tears. I assumed this was where I was supposed to tell her to take a break, to try and calm down, or maybe not to think about it anymore. But I needed the answers, so I remained quiet, and let her keep talking. “The man who killed him walked to a woman. They were close, kissing. They talked, and then the strangest thing happened. One minute the ship was empty, and the next it was filled with the men who worked the night shift, the boat coming to attention and soft shouts from them to get the ship prepared. It was like I blinked and the men appeared…the speed phenomenal, almost like…a vampire? But of course, I’ve never really seen a vampire before, just heard rumors. I don’t know, it just seemed strange like that. Then the man and the woman got on the ship, and soon after it took off.” She said softly.

There was one way to know if these people were linked to Falyn or not, because I trusted Ana with every part of me and knew she wouldn’t lead me astray. “What did the man and the woman look like? I knew it was dark, but surely you could see something?” I asked softly.

She nodded, her lips pursed. “The man I had seen before, and in the light, so I can describe him perfectly. Tanned skin, brown hair, and green eyes. The woman is beautiful, hauntingly so. An eerie calm around her, midnight-colored skin, dark eyes, haunty. She looked to be a child, around sixteen or seventeen, but the way she was kissing the man made it seem like she was older.” She said, frowning. “I tried to go to my mother, to tell her what I saw but she told me I was crazy. I still reeked of alcohol, she called me a drunk. The sheriff came to tell her that her husband and the crew were missing, and when I tried to explain, none of them believed me. They called me a drunk, a disgusting wench, and threatened to lock me up if I didn’t leave. So I left, and went back to my corner, trying to hold myself together after everything I witnessed. Who knows…maybe I am a drunk. Maybe I imagined it all…” She said, sighing softly.

I stared at her, quiet for some time, before standing. “Stay here, please. I’ll be right back,” I said to her. I left the privacy and went to the man behind the counter, asking him for some paper and a pen. Quickly, I wrote a letter for my mother, folded it, and slipped it into my pocket, before making my way back to the woman. “I have a question for you, if you don’t mind,” I asked her softly. She nodded, taking the last few bites of her food, before drinking the rest of her ale. “Do you remember where the man and woman stood? How about where the boat left? What direction?” I asked her.

She frowned, confused, before her eyes lit up in surprise. “Yes, I remember. Do you believe me?” She asked, surprised.

I nodded, holding my hand out to her to help her rise. “I do believe you. Please show me the place, the exact spots, and then I’ll give you everything I owe you for your information.” I said, promising her.

She nodded, her eyes gleaming as she agreed, happy to be useful for something other than her body. Once more, she took my elbow like a proper woman and I led her out of the Inn, towards the docks.