"Eeva and Garrett," by Fancyshorts
Eeva relaxed in her desk chair, watching the sun go down from her window. It was beautiful, just like it was at the end of every day. The orange ball sank downward until it was nestled between the peaks of the
There would have to be quite a few magical charms placed in a painting to make one that would change colors though. As the sun sank lower the colors slowly changed from canary yellow to blurred shades of amber and gold. Eventually the sun had completely vanished behind the mountains and only small spears of light were left to mark it ever being there. And eventually even those vanished and it was dark.
Even though Eeva had gotten to sleep in late that morning she still felt a yawn fill her chest. She did her best to stifle it. Eeva wanted to be awake for the night. She wouldn’t let the tedious lack of sleep spoil her plans. Eeva got up from her chair and crouched next to her bed. There was a little space in-between the bottom of the bed and the floor; the perfect little hiding space for small items. She stuck her hand underneath and felt for her bag. It was still there; as it had been the last twelve times she had checked.
“Milady, what are you doing?” Eeva jumped when her maid unexpectedly spoke. Marka was quiet as a mouse. Quieter in fact. Eeva hardly ever noticed her maid was in the room until Marka said something.
“Sorry, milady. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She said the customary phrase. Eeva realized she was still crouching by the bed. She quickly stood up straight.
“It’s fine. I really shouldn’t startle so easily.” Eeva didn’t answer the question her maid had first asked, hoping that Marka would just drop it. Marka took the hint and didn’t say anything more on the subject.
“You should get ready for bed. Sir Tehrik would be upset if you arrive late to his class tomorrow morning.”
“Upset? That’s a nice way of putting it.” Eeva smiled, thinking about her forge teacher. He was a very punctual and serious person. He would always become ‘upset’ if someone were to arrive late to anything.
There was a little awkward silence between them. Eeva repressed a sigh. She missed her previous maid: Adrianna. But she had gotten old and Eeva’s father had let her retire. Marka had already been there for about a month, but Eeva still felt uncomfortable around her.
“So, to bed then?” Eeva said, trying to make some sort of conversation. But Marka was so… mouse-ish, was the only way to describe it. She was small and fragile looking and never said much. Marka quietly nodded and went to fetch Eeva’s nightgown. The two went through the usual routine in silence. They were ready for bed within a few minuets.
Eeva sank into bed, trying to fight off the urge to sleep. She would pinch herself if it ever felt like she was going to doze off. Her maid slept in a smaller room connected to Eeva’s own. She waited impatiently for Marka to fall asleep. Her maid didn’t snore, but her nose would always whistle when she was sound asleep and breathing slowly.
Eventually the tell-tale noise came. Eeva fought off the ropes of sleep and rolled out of bed. She groped underneath the bed, finding her pack exactly where she left it. There was a pool of light streaming through the window, making it easier for Eeva to pick out the items from her bag. She pulled off her nightgown and got dressed into the dark clothing she had collected.
Eeva tied on her favorite pair of soft leather shoes. She pulled her sword off of the hook she normally rested it on and settled the familiar belt around her waist. She enjoyed the feeling of security the weapon gave her. Eeva had made it herself, with very careful leading by her teacher. It was the nicest thing she had ever made. Her teacher even told her that she did a good job, and Tehrik was more likely to randomly punch a stranger in the face than give anyone a complement.
And Eeva had also done something very special to the weapon. It was a secret she hadn’t even told her teacher, but she had spent days perfecting the system of charms around the blade. Eeva’s fire magic was strong and difficult to control, so she had been afraid of damaging the sword as she worked of it. But aside from a scorch mark on the inside of the scabbard, everything had turned out all right.
The only problem was that Eeva had no idea of how to use the sword. She could make one. In fact, it was easy for her to run the whole process through her head, but she hadn’t the foggiest idea of how to properly use the weapon. She wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to being it with her or not. Eeva shrugged and came to the conclusion that having it and not knowing how to use it was better than not having it at all.
Eeva quietly left her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. There was a flight of stairs she had to head down after creeping past the rooms of other people who shared the building with her. She didn’t know many of the other people that lived here, but she was fairly certain they would be upset if she woke them up.
Eeva felt the nervous energy waking her up. She wasn’t supposed to be out at this time of the night and she certainly wasn’t supposed to be sneaking out of the scholar’s gardens. But she had been stuck in one spot for far too long. All Eeva wanted to do was seen the city she had lived in for all her life. It wasn’t like she was running away. She was just… exploring. Eeva quietly slunk down the staircase, praying that none of them would creak. Thankfully, they didn’t. She got to the front door and made it outside.
She frowned when she saw that there was a window in one of the buildings on the opposite side of the courtyard that had light coming from it. It was her fathers study. Eeva suddenly felt a little bit guilty for sneaking out. Her father, the Airmaster of the city, was probably working hard to keep things running in the city. The job was a stressful one, and Eeva could see how it affected him. There were usually dark circles under his eyes and he walked with a certain amount of weariness. He still managed to be cheerful through it all though.
Eeva felt like she was being a bad daughter for going out on some late night escapade while her father was busy working hard. She almost went back up to her room, but her determination to see the city overcame the guilt. Eeva figured she could make it up to him later by helping him with his work later. She resumed her sneaking, sliding along the building towards the outer wall.
Eeva just barely resisted the urge to shriek and duck when she heard something moving in the courtyard. But thankfully her hand was faster than her mouth and she clamped it over her lips before any sound could escape. She did, however, jump behind a tree and do her best to hide behind the trunk. Eeva quietly swore at herself in the few bits of foul language that she knew. Diving behind a young tree that was thinner than her had to be the worst hiding place ever.
She thumped her head against the tree when she realized the noise that had scared her was just a squirrel rustling through another tree. Eeva spent a moment listening for anyone who came to investigate the ruckus she was making. Thankfully it didn’t seem like she had woke anybody. Eeva stepped away from the tree and sprinted for the wall, her nervous energy propelling her across the courtyard. She then flattened herself against the wall and slid in between the small gap left between it and one of the buildings.
The outer wall surrounded the entire scholar’s gardens. Eeva had to find a way over it if she wanted to get out. The front gate was the only entrance to the gardens, but there was a guard posted there all the time. The outside was old and word, it had probably been there since when the scholar’s gardens had been built; which was pretty close to when the city itself was first founded; which was a long, long time ago. The stones were ridiculously well cut and placed together in a simple pattern. No doubt a very powerful earth mage had a hand in creating the structure. That was why Eeva had been surprised to discover a thick lattice of vines clinging to the wall behind one of the buildings.
She was fairly certain it would support her weight. In a few places the vines were as thick as three fingers, but higher up it got a little thinner. Eeva tentatively laced her hands through the vines and found niches for her to set her feet in. It held. She climbed up slowly and carefully, checking every place where she latched on.
The wall was a little over ten feet tall, and even though she took her time, it didn’t take long to get to the top. Eeva sat at the top of the wall, her legs dangling over the edge. She looked down and saw how far away the ground was. Eeva tried to slide around so she could hang off the edge by her fingers and then drop down from there. She dangled precariously for a moment, and then let her fingers slip off. Eeva landed with a thump, the impact jarring her legs and harming her ankles especially.
“Ouch… stupid ground.” She mumbled angrily, shaking her legs out. As soon as Eeva felt steady she turned around to get her first view of the city. The street was dark, but off to her left she could see the glow of a lamp post. It was eerily quiet.
Eeva frowned. Her father had come up with interesting and vibrant descriptions of the bustling city streets and noisy people. She shook her head. Her father had been there in the daytime, when everyone was awake. Eeva was here in the dead of night. It was foolish of her to think that the city would match up with her father’s stories.
Eeva shrugged. She would jut have to be happy with seeing the city itself. Eeva shook off the small feeling of disappointment and repressed a little e squee of excitement. She had never been out to freely explore the city. Eeva had always wanted to see the clock tower up close. And she also wanted to go see the ships floating in the harbor.
Oh! And I have to go see the South Quarter fire temple; I heard ghost stories about it from Adrianna! I’m so excited! Eeva walked along the street, feeling like she was the only person in the world who was awake at that moment. It was completely and utterly silent, save for Eeva’s own footsteps on the stone paved road. She couldn’t help but feel some unease drag down her happiness. Eeva realized that she should have gotten a map of the city before coming out. She suddenly was afraid she might get lost. Eeva stopped in her tracks and looked around for the place where she had climbed down.
Oh my gods! Eeva smacked her forehead when she realized how dumb of a mistake she had made. There were only vines on the inside of the wall. There was nothing on the outside. There was no way for her to get back into the scholars gardens!
Eeva pulled at her hair, the traces of happiness completely gone. She had been so excited to find a way out the scholar’s gardens that she had neglected to find a way back in. Eeva walked to the wall and rested her back against it, taking a moment to think. She shifted uncomfortably, the stonework digging into her spine. After several tries to settle comfortably so she could think Eeva just gave up and decided to stand instead.
It took her a moment to realize how dumb she was being. Eeva whirled around and took a closer look at the wall. She had been uncomfortable because the stonework was uneven and there were gaps between the rocks. Eeva was able to wedge her fingers and the toes of her boots into the tiny crevasses. She realized that she hadn’t even needed the vines to get out of the scholars gardens. Eeva was fairly certain that she would be able to climb the wall when she needed to get back into the gardens.
Again she felt herself bubble with happiness. Eeva knew she could get back into the gardens, and she was fairly certain that she wouldn’t need a map. All she had to do was remember what way she had come and retrace her steps back. Eeva skipped down the street, heading southward so she could go see the clock tower and the south quarter fire temple. She stopped skipping and started to walk quickly instead. When she came to the first intersection, Eeva pause for a moment so she could look at the lamp post.
It was lit with a bright green-blue flame and the metal had been skillfully made by a fine craftsman. The pole was decorated as if to be a tree, with vines and bark set in it. The three arms that reached up to encase the orb had gold leaves sticking off of them, and on the very top a small metal bird was perched. She stayed there for a few minuets, admiring the work. It was very beautiful and probably very old too. Everything in north quarter was said to be ages old. It was the first city that had been built after people had crossed from the other side of the endless sea.
Eeva eventually turned away from the lamp post, blinking away blurred red and orange afterimage. She was about to cross the intersection when she heard someone’s boots clicking on the stone streets. Eeva ducked around the corner, feeling like she should hide. But then she chided herself for being so silly.
I’m supposed to be acting like I’m a common citizen who is just getting home late. Not like some paranoid sneak. I just have to act calm and look like I know exactly where I’m going.
But the sound of footsteps was getting farther away. She peeked carefully, hoping that there wasn’t enough light to see her properly by. Eeva saw a man walking away from her, dressed scholars garbs.
Eeva tried to see the pattern that showed what sect of the city he worked in, but Eeva wasn’t sure if it was Erm’s flower or the sun of Zorah. Eeva was about to cross the street when out of the corner of her eye she saw someone step behind the other noble. For a moment she didn’t understand, the small figure in black was crouched behind him and reaching for the scholar’s bag. It was someone trying to pick his pocket!
“Hey! Behind you!” she shouted, warning him of the thief. The scholar whirled around, but she was too late; the thief already had something of the scholars in his hand. Upon seeing the thief the scholar stuttered out,
“G-g-give that back or I’ll… I’ll report you!” the thief didn’t answer. He immediately started running in the opposite direction of the man, towards Eeva. She just stood there, unsure of what to do and a little shocked by the situation. The boy dashed past her. As he was next to her for a moment, Eeva heard him say,
“Think fast!” and toss her a small item. It hit her in the stomach and she barely managed to grab it before it fell. Once Eeva got a firm handle on the object she stood there, staring at the object she’d just received.
It was a rock.
What-? She didn’t have the time to finish the thought. The noble turned and shouted at her.
“I’ll r-report you! G-g-give that b-back! It’s a v-v-very valuable item!” the noble shouted as loud as he could. When Eeva only responded with a blank stare he ran towards her, shouting for the city guards. Eeva did the only thing she could think of: run.
She followed the boy who had stolen the rock in the first place. He was pretty fast, but Eeva kept up. The noble behind her was falling behind, she could hear him panting and gasping out shouts to the guards to help him, but Eeva hadn’t heard the sound of anyone else in pursuit. She realized she was still holding on to the stone and she tossed it over her shoulder, hoping that the scholar would leave her alone if he got his rock. Eeva had nearly caught up to the thief when there was shouting up ahead. As she turned a corner, she ran straight into the thief, who had apparently tried to turn and run in the other direction.
His head smashed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. He bounced off of her and onto the ground. She was bent double, trying to get her breath back when something happened to her head. It was an attack magic, designed to knock out enemies and was exclusively used by the guards of Casteel city. Eeva was enveloped with a dark blue haze, the magic covering her face.
She gasped, and inhaled the magic air. It took a moment for the effect to fully take hold. She stood upright and swayed back and forth, unsure of what had just happened. A moment later she was asleep, falling forward and onto the thief.
------------------------------------------Chapter1 end ---------------------------------------
Eeva woke up suddenly. She immediately jerked her head up and looked around in surprise. It took her a while to understand why she was sitting in a small and cold cell rather than her own warm and comfortable bed. It took her even longer to notice the child sitting next to her; she turned and stared at him. He was crouched down, his elbows resting on his knees and holding his chin with his hands. He looked small enough to be a child, but that changed when he turned to look at her.
He had thin lips and a very crooked nose. His black hair was short but badly cut and messy.
His stature may have been unremarkable, but Eeva felt a tingle of fear when she saw his eyes. They were dark and sharp, reminding her of chips of obsidian. The dark cloths he was wearing just made his pale skin contrast with his eyes, giving him an almost ghostly appearance. On the left side of his face there was the dark slash of a thief’s mark. The black tattoo arced underneath his eye and then ran down the side of his face.
It was a mark placed by guards so they would know if the person had ever been caught before. If a person was caught once; they received one mark, the second they got another mark on the other side of their face. On the third time… Eeva wasn’t sure if they were hanged or sold into slavery. Both sounded bad.
Eeva was about to speak when he quickly held a finger to his lips and hushed her.
“Speak only in whispers.” He said; his voice almost inaudible, “what’s your name?”
“My name is Eeva. And you are?” she let the sentence hang, expecting him to finish it. He paused for a moment, as If considering what to tell her. Eventually he shrugged and decided on what to say.
“My name’s Garrett. Do you know where you are?” She shook her head. Eeva felt like her head was foggy. It wasn’t quite like having a headache. It was more like the feeling she got whenever she knew she had forgotten something important. “Do you remember what happened?” her eyes widened and Eeva finally understood why she was sitting there. And she also recognized the thief who had caused all the trouble.
“You!” she jumped to her feet and scrabbled for her sword, spending a brief moment of time wondering what she hadn’t thought of that earlier. He quickly motioned again for her to be silent and whispered,
“Be quiet! Do you want to get us both killed!?”
“Oh my gods! Where’s my sword!?” she completely ignored what the boy had said. Eeva spun in a circle, searching the small stone room and seeing nothing. Eeva jumped when she felt him place a hand on her shoulder and pull on her to turn around. The force he applied wasn’t nearly enough to move her, but she jerked around in surprise, still not having fully adjusted to the situation.
He reached up and cupped a hand over her mouth and glared at her with his obsidian eyes until it looked like she’d calmed down. Slowly, he let go. Immediately Eeva asked in a quiet voice,
“Where’s my sword?” the boy raised an eyebrow.
“You do realize that you’re in Barredgate prison, right?”
She didn’t answer for a moment. Eeva was too shocked.
Ohmygodsmymotherisgoingtomurdermeforthis!
“Are… are you alright?”
I’llbelockedinthescholarsgardensforeve! Fatherwillprobablydisownme!
“You look scared. Relax, calm down.”
Ahhhhhhhhh! I’llbestuckinthegardensforever!!
“Hey!” the boy grabbed onto the collar of her shirt and gave it a tough yank. “Take a deep breath, calm yourself,” he demanded. Garrett glared at her with his obsidian eyes. It was enough to scare her into being quiet.
“What exactly is going on?” She asked in a shaky but hushed voice. For a second the boy didn’t answer, looking at her carefully as if to make sure she wasn’t going to panic again. Garrett let go of her shirt and answered her question.
“You were knocked out by the guards. I was still awake but they bound me with another spell and dragged us both here...Are you hurt?” she tilted her head, wondering why he’d hesitated before asking.
“No, I’m fine. Oh wait a second… you’re the whole reason I’m here! The noble thought I was helping you rob him! Why did you throw me the rock?” she said harshly, her voice in a loud whisper.
“’Cos I didn’t want to get caught. I figured you would’ve simply given him back the stone and I could run off safe and sound.” Eeva smacked her forehead and quietly murmured; stupid, stupid, stupid. Garrett was right. If she hadn’t started to run then the noble would’ve known that she wasn’t an enemy. It’s not like the scholar would have been able to hurt her.
“Listen, I’m sorry you got involved in this,” Garrett made his voice soft and soothing, which didn’t really match with his creepy appearance. It just made Eeva think of a kindly looking person handing out poisoned candy to little children. But he seemed genuinely sorry for getting Eeva into trouble. “I can help you get out of here. It’ll be my way of apologizing.” Eeva frowned and looked down at the ground, thinking it over.
“You’re sure you can get out of here? And you mean it, right? No tricks.” Eeva said the last bit softly, hoping that he wouldn’t consider it insulting that she was questioning his truthfulness. “And please don’t tell anyone I was here. My mother will be so mad if she finds out about this!” Eeva said. Garrett offered a friendly smile.
“For what it’s worth, you have my word on it.” Eeva frowned again, but then nodded her head. She decided that this looked like it would be her only way out.
“All right. But can I still get my sword back? I need it. My teacher will be really mad at me if I loose that.”
“It should be in another neighboring room. I need to get my equipment too, so don’t worry about it.” He swung open the cell door.
“Wait, that thing wasn’t locked?” Eeva asked.
“No. Well, it was, but I stole the key from the guard and unlocked it.”
“Oh.”
He hesitantly walked forward, peeking around the corners before stepping into the hallway. Eeva followed, but Garrett stopped and turned around.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Wait here. I’ll go and get our equipment.”
“Why can’t I come?” Eeva asked.
“Because you aren’t any good at sneaking.” She quietly ignored his words. Eeva thought she was pretty good at sneaking. She had, after all, managed to get out of the scholars gardens without any trouble. But he shook his head when he saw her determined expression.
“Trust me; it would be a lot safer if you just stayed here.”
“I’m not about to trust you. You’re a thief who had tried to steal from someone. And on top of that, you framed me just a few hours ago and landed me in a mess of trouble!” Eeva whispered harshly. Garrett scowled ferociously, making Eeva take a step back.
“Have you ever heard the saying ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’? I’m trying to help you. You can accept it and get out of here, or you can sit in this cell and wait until they’ve given you a thief’s mark and sent you on your way.” Eeva raised her hands as if in surrender. The last thing she wanted was to be left in prison.
“All right, I get what you mean. I’m sorry for being rude. Just please help me out of here.” Eeva softened her voice, hoping that he would accept it. He seemed to ignore her apology and instead asked;
“What does your sword look like?”
“The cross guard kind of curves downward and there’s a design of Zorah’s symbol on the pommel. Oh, and there’s a flower on the scabbard.”
Garrett raised his eyebrows at her last description, a small smile tweaking the corners of his mouth.
“What? I like flowers.” She said irritably, quietly wondering why she had decided to put a flower on the scabbard rather than Zorah’s symbol or something less silly.
He grinned and reassured her again that he’d be right back. Garrett flipped up a dark hood that covered his head and left his face in shadow.
He left quietly. In fact, it almost seemed as if he had simply vanished. The corridor they were in was poorly lit. Garrett just seemed to melt in with the darkness, his dark clothing making it easy. Eeva had stuck her head out of the cell to see where he went, but she couldn’t even tell if he had gone left or right.
Eeva stood in the doorway of the cell, feeling worried. A few minuets passed and she heard nothing. She shifted weight from foot to foot rather than pacing, which might have made noise. Eeva tried to pull out some of her magic, but she found that see couldn’t quite reach it.
Oh, I remember. All of the prisons have a magical barrier thing to keep inmates from using magic. Eeva sighed. It would really help her calm down if she could just burn something, but she couldn’t do that without her magic.
“Brrakka!” Eeva heard from the right side of the hallway. She jumped and stuck her head out of the cell, trying to see what was happening. Garrett came rushing down the hall and whooshed past her. But he wasn’t the only person running. A guard came after, quite a ways behind Garrett.
But as the guard came closer, Eeva swung open the cell door with as much force as she could manage and braced herself in the doorway. The guard didn’t have time to react. She heard him release half a curse before he slammed into the metal gate. He fell back onto the ground.
Ohmygods! Is he dead!? Eeva crouched down to check on him. She placed a hand on his chest to feel for a heartbeat. It was rapid, but steady. I can’t believe I just hit a guard! I’ll get in soooo much trouble if I’m caught! Eeva spotted a small splash of blood on his forehead, right between his eyes. It didn’t look too bad; but things could be a lot worse on the inside of his head.
Eeva jumped when she heard a low whistle behind her. She spun around and saw Garrett leaning against the wall, looking surprised. He was panting from sprinting down the hallway, but it didn’t look like the guard had gotten a hold of Garrett.
“I almost feel sorry for him. That looked like it hurt.”
“Almost feel sorry for him?” Eeva asked.
“Almost, but not quite. I don’t really have any sympathy for these lazy buggars” Garrett said with scorn, “I know where your sword is. Come on, there’s no point in moving stealthily now. It’s this way.” Garrett casually stepped over the body on the ground and motioned for Eeva to follow. She took one last look at the guard, wondering if she should just leave him there.
She decided he would be all right. He was breathing fine and it didn’t look like he was bleeding much. Eeva quickly caught up with Garrett and followed close behind him. They went down a hallway and then turned into a door on the right that was already open. It looked like the guards barracks.
There was room enough for six men to sleep there, though only one of the beds appeared to be used. On the far wall there were several shelves covered with a medley of dangerous or illegal looking items. Eeva assumed that it was things confiscated from inmates. On the very top was Eeva’s sword. She quickly walked around Garrett and snatched it off the shelf. Garrett took a bunch of things too.
“Is that all yours?” Eeva asked, watching Garrett take a few valuable looking items.
“No, but whoever owns them isn’t going to get them back anyway. Ooh! Dragons Breath! This’ll sell for a pretty piece of gold.” He said, peeking inside of a small pouch.
“Dragons Breath… isn’t that a drug?” Eeva asked.
“Yes, it’s a very expensive and very addictive one. Someone will pay me a nice sum for this little pouch of it.” Eeva wasn’t sure how to react. It just felt strange to hear someone talk about things like that so casually. She figured she was too used to being in the company of nobles.
After he had taken anything of apparent value from the shelf, he opened the trunk at the foot of the used bed.
“Hey! Stop that!” Eeva said, raising her voice. She couldn’t keep quiet about his behavior for any longer, “You got in trouble for stealing and now you’re taking from the people that caught you?”
“Yes, but this time I won’t be getting caught.” He happily remarked. Eeva scowled, not liking what he was doing. After rummaging through the trunk, which was filled spare cloths, he sighed and closed it.
“Feh, not even north quarter guards get paid well enough to keep anything expensive at their jobs.” He looked up to see a very angry looking Eeva. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she glared at him. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing. Why was there only one guard here if there are a dozen beds? ” she asked, trying to ignore Garrett’s actions.
“The city watch is dieing. They’re becoming shorthanded, and those that stay on the watch are usually corrupt.” Garrett said, nodding his head in the direction of some bottles Eeva hadn’t noticed. It was alcohol. The guard Eeva had knocked out had been drinking.
“Why?” Eeva asked, becoming alarmed. From what her father had told her before, the city watch was the glue that held the city together. Garrett shrugged.
“In my opinion, I don’t think that it’s an accident. I wouldn’t be surprised if the watch captain himself was part of an illegal operation.”
“You mean Damis?”
“Yeah, Damis Litchfield. He’s definitely part of something illegal.” Garrett seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a moment. Eeva stayed quiet, turning over the new information in her head. She had met Damis before. He was scary, and kinda mean. But her father said that he was vital to the city. Eeva was still busy thinking when Garrett got up and said.
“We should go. We’re wasting time here.” and walked over to the window on the right side of the room. With no hesitation, he easily jumped out the window. Eeva ran over and looked down, seeing Garrett standing safely on the ground, 12 feet below. They were on the second story of the building.
“You never said we had to jump out of a window! Isn’t there a door or something?”
“Yeah, there’s a door if you go downstairs, but doors are for pussies.” Garrett said. Eeva tilted her head to the side, not understanding what Garrett meant.
“What’s this have to do with cats?” he laughed.
“Never mind what I said.” Garrett said once he had finished laughing, “There’s prolly a guard downstairs asleep at his chair. We can just avoid him by going out form here.”
Eeva tugged at her braid, feeling her hands start to shake. She hated heights; the ground was too far away.
“I suppose now would be a bad time to mention I have a fear of heights.” she said.
“It ain’t as bad as you think. Just hang down from the ledge of the window and let go. It’ll be over in less than a second. So just jump.” Eeva took another look at the ground. It still looked really far away.
She took a deep breath and did as Garrett had said. She crawled out the window and held on to the ledge. She hung there for a few moments, relishing the moment of not falling. Garrett seemed to be loosing his patience.
“Just let go ya pansy!” he shouted.
What does this have to do with flowers? Eeva quietly thought to herself. She pushed the thought away, took a deep breath, and let go.
It really wasn’t that far. Eeva landed and then fell back in a sitting position.
“Ouch! I landed on my end bone!” Eeva got up with a lurch and rubbed her lower back, wincing from the new bruise. There weren’t any street lamps to illuminate the. For a moment Eeva thought Garrett had left. She jumped when she heard him laugh beside her.
“What’re you laughing at?” she said irritably, angry with herself for being so afraid. Stupid fear of heights. She gave herself a mental kick. He shook his head.
“It’s nothing.” he said, his laughter coming to a sudden stop. Garrett had his back turned to Eeva, his shoulders were tense and drawn up.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, wondering if he had gotten hurt by the jump.
“I’m fine.” Garrett said. But it sounded like the words were forced out. Eeva prodded at him for an answer. He seemed to give in after a few moments.
“Turn your connection down. Please.” The last word was tagged on as if an after thought. Garrett probably didn’t use the word too often. It was a strange request, but Eeva did as she was told and lessened the amount of magic she was releasing. Immediately Eeva saw him sigh and his shoulders slumped.
“What happened?”
“You won’t believe
“Try
“Your magic is too bright. It hurts!” Garrett sounded like he was in real pain. Eeva took a deep breath and concentrated on pulling her magic in even more.
“Is that any better?”
“More, if you can.”
“Now?” Eeva said, certain that she had pulled in all of the magic she could.
“Yes that’s much better. Thank you.” Again, the last word was an afterthought. Garrett turned around to look at her, squinting his eyes. But eventually something changed. He relaxed and didn’t have to squint anymore.
“What happened? Why did you want me to turn down my magic? Are you hurt?” the questions came in a rush, and seemed to irritate Garrett.
“I’m fine. I’m just… weird. You won’t believe me, but I can see and feel magic.” there was a long pause.
“What are you talking about? It’s impossible to see magic. And it’s incorporeal, no one can feel it. That’s one of the first laws, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. But I’m an exception to the rule.” He stated simply.
“Prove it.” She challenged. He frowned, looking like he was starting to get frustrated.
“You made that sword yourself.” He nodded towards the weapon on her hip, “There are charms placed in the blade itself and even more set up in a complex structure around it.” Garrett looked at the sword carefully, “that’s some really good weaving. You must be an accomplished fire mage. You made charms against heat and fire in the blade itself, but around the weapon you made a structure of charms to catch fire and burn.”
But I haven’t told anyone about the charms, not even my teacher!
“That’s very clever.” He continued, “If you had just made charms of fire in the blade it would’ve dulled it over time, and then you’d just be attacking with a fancy torch. But with the set up you’ve got the metal stays cool and safe from the fire around it. The only downside is that it takes up a lot of magic to maintain so many opposing charms, but you can spare it easily with the size of your connection.” Garrett whistled lowly.
“That is actually really damn nice. That’s easily worth its weight in solid platinum, prolly even more.” Garrett was obviously impressed. Eeva just looked dumbfounded.
“But… how-!” Eeva was still too surprised to form a coherent sentence.
“Don’t ask, I really can’t explain it myself.”
“But what god would that be connected to?”
“Meh… Zorah maybe. If I could see my own connection it would be easy, but I can’t.” he looked up and twisted his head around. “It’s a lot like trying to find out what the back of your head looks like. It’s kinda difficult.”
Eeva tugged on her red braid of hair. She wondered if her father would be interested in Garrett’s abilities.
“Well. I’m going to go home and get some sleep. Have a nice night.” Garrett started to leave.
“Wait!” Eeva said, finally coming out of her thoughts.
“What? Something wrong?”
“No I just… can you tell me which way to
“You live on
“Berrentine; my father is the Air master.” Garrett looked confused. Eeva bit her lip, worried that he wouldn’t believe her.
“I thought the Air master’s daughter was named Portia.”
“He does. Portia is my step sister. I’m…” Eeva hesitated, feeling dirty for just saying it, “I’m the result of an affair my father had. He took me in though. I live in the scholars gardens.” Garrett raised an eyebrow. Eeva couldn’t tell if he believed her or not.
“Okay. That’s interesting. The scholar’s gardens are this way. I’ll lead you there.”
“Thank you!” Eeva burst out, glad that he hadn’t just laughed at her and called her a liar.
“You’re welcome. Just follow
“Aww, what a pretty darling you are!” she held it an arms length away. The cat had dark fur and large green eyes. There was no collar to show that it had an owner, but it looked like a noble’s cat, well fed and healthy. It purred as she cuddled it.
“Hey! What’s the hold up?” Garrett got her attention. He was a few steps ahead of her. He walked back to her once he saw she was holding on to something.
“I found a cat.”
“Well I can see that.” He said irritably. “I’m asking why the hells’ you stopped for it.”
“It’s a pretty cat.” She smiled. Garrett stared at her, not understanding what that had to do with anything. Eeva loved animals. Humans were nice and all, but it was nice to be able to just hold on to another living creature without having to talk.
“Oh! Here’s where I live.” Eeva stepped around Garrett, remembering the spot she had jumped down from.
“Why would you sneak out of the scholars gardens in the middle of the night?” Garrett asked. Eeva shrugged and set the cat down so she could climb the wall better.
“I’ve been in the scholars gardens for as long as I can remember. I never really got to go out and see the city. I was just curious to see what it looked like.” Garrett gave her a weird look.
“You’re one of the strangest people I’ve ever met. And that’s saying something.” Eeva smiled.
“I’m hoping that’s a complement.”
“It is… mostly anyways. I’m going to go home and get some sleep. Have a nice night.”
“Thanks for your help!” she remembered to shout out when he was nearly around the corner. He waved over his shoulder before disappearing into the city. Eeva stood and waited for a moment, just listening to the silence of the city at night. In the distance she heard footsteps approaching, so she hurriedly scrambled over the wall and snuck back into the gardens.
Eeva successfully made it back to her own room. Once she got up to her bed she realized how tired she felt. Eeva barely managed to change into bed cloths and hide her black out fit before collapsing into bed and falling asleep instantly.
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