by Linda McNabb
The grey curtain parted and the burly man waved the seller closer. Eagan didn’t really need to watch over this man as he knew exactly what he was doing but sheer nosiness won out and he moved to a closer stall and pretended to be examining coloured scarves. The owner of the first stall had pushed past his hired thugs and barged in to see what was being offered. When he didn’t emerge straight away Eagan assumed that whatever the man had to sell was a very desirable object indeed.
Two voices drifted out from the stall and neither of them were the meek, quiet voice of the seller.
‘Fifty gold.
‘I’ll double that.’
‘This isn’t your stall. Go back to your own.’
There was definitely a haggling war going on and the farmer looked likely to be making a sale. Eagan backed off to a distance where he wouldn’t be noticed watching and almost bumped into Waide. He had a large bag of food and a mouthful of bread.
‘Here’s the change,’ Waide said, handing over almost as many coins as he had taken.
‘Did you steal the food?’ Eagan asked, slipping the coins back into his money pouch.
‘It looks like coin goes a lot further here. They looked at me oddly when they saw I had a gold coin, so I kept it hidden after that.’ Waide took another bite from a bread stick and chewed in silence.
Eagan’s attention flicked back to the merchants in the corner. If one gold was enough to raise suspicion then the man selling his ‘trinket’ was going to be walking around with a fortune in his pocket.
He absently noticed Waide offering him some food and took a small cake out of the bag then chewed without really tasting it.
The grey blanket moved and the man and his boy came out. The man was clutching a large money pouch and stuffed it into the large carry sack on his shoulder. He glanced around nervously, pulled the boy closer and hurried off around the sides of the market.
Eagan watched as several of the hired thugs outside followed at a strolling pace but their intention was obvious. At a fork in the paths they split up and vanished into the crowd.
‘Any chance of a diversion spell?’ Eagan muttered quietly.
‘I’d say that thieves get what they deserve,’ Darius snapped back. ‘What about the person he stole it off?’
Eagan sighed, he knew Darius was right but it didn’t feel good to just let it happen. He automatically followed the spot where the man and boy had vanished and worked out where they would next appear. Several minutes later he wondered if he had missed them as there was no sign of them. Then one of the thugs came past looking thunderously angry and glaring into every nook and corner in the market. How had the man lost them?
He shrugged and turned his attention to his food then heard a familiar voice nearby.
‘So can we go to the city now and get this done?’
‘We have enough for the bribes now, but I’m still worried it will be too dangerous for you. Father would be furious if you get hurt.’
Eagan paused, mid-bite, and looked for the speaker. It was definitely Asher and Tal but there was no sign of them.
‘He’ll be furious anyway so we have to make sure it works this time.’
Eagan’s eyes widened as he finally spotted Tal, but it wasn’t Tal! It was a girl in a pretty green full-length dress, matching hat and long, curly blonde hair. She looked like the daughter of a well-to-do farmer or landowner.
Eagan looked at Asher and barely recognised him as the man from the wagon. He too was dressed in smart but not overly expensive clothes and he carried a small leather satchel under one arm. No wonder the thugs hadn’t found them! He vaguely wondered how the girl had managed to hide all that hair inside the cap she had worn just a few minutes ago. It had been a good disguise for the thugs would never see through it.
Perhaps what he sold was indeed a family heirloom after all. The man and the girl, who seemed likely to be his sister, wandered off and Eagan felt his curiosity piqued. What bribes did they need such a large sum of money for?
‘I’m just going to look around once more. Wait here for me,’ Eagan said, pushing away from the tree he was leaning on and heading to the far corner of the market.
He stopped at several stalls before ending up at the one where the sale had taken place and he browsed the wares on offer. It did indeed look like a mixed selection of stolen items. He glanced over them, wondering which one was the item the man had sold. The owner moved closer as he polished something with a cloth then placed it on the table on a small black velvet cushion. Then he wrote a figure on a small piece of paper and tucked it under the item.
Eagan’s attention fixed on the trinket and he stared. It reminded him of something, but he wasn’t sure what as he had never seen anything like it before.
It was a bracelet, but it wasn’t an ordinary one by any means. It definitely wasn’t something that an average or even well-off person owned. It was made of gold and gems with exquisite detailing and one large blue centre stone deeply engraved. It was the engraving that held his attention the longest, for it was the Mark of Yarris. He gulped then realised that this was probably quite normal in the east, just like the night-shadows on the coins.
‘Do you see something you like, old man?’ the owner enquired, looking down at Eagan’s well-stocked money purse and obviously seeing him as a potential buyer. He followed Eagan’s gaze and smiled broadly. ‘Isn’t it lovely? Just traded it today and it would make a lovely present for a daughter, or granddaughter.’
The stall owner tilted the bracelet so the sun glinted off it. The paper underneath came into view and Eagan almost gasped at the figure written on it. 300 Gold.
‘Well, the thief is now a very rich thief I’d guess… He probably got 150 for it.’
Eagan ignored Darius. There was no proof the man was a thief.
‘That’s a nice stone in your walking stick, old man. Are you looking to trade?’ The man’s eyes glinted with the possibility of a good deal and the mild curiosity that he regarded the staff with told Eagan that he hadn’t seen one like it before and was intrigued.
Eagan ignored him and the man shrugged and moved off down the table to another customer.
‘What about you, Miss?’
Eagan glanced up and saw the other customer was Rem. He was surprised that she had sought him out then realised that she too had only just noticed him. Her attention returned to the table without acknowledging him and she reached out a finger to touch the bracelet.
‘It’s beautiful,’ she said.
‘Would you like to try it on?’ the man offered with a smile.
She shook her head and stepped back a pace.
‘I can tell by your allegiance to the Yarris that it would be a perfect trinket to take back to the city,’ the man continued, nodding at her necklace that only partially showed, but was obviously well-recognised here in the east.
She turned away and ignored the stall owner as he called after her.
Eagan looked at the bracelet once more then shook his head to say he wasn’t interested. He moved away from the stall and made his way back to Waide. His stomach was telling him it was lunchtime.
A low murmur ran through the crowd like a wave on the ocean and Eagan looked up, cautious and alert. It wasn’t a sign of danger, but it did seem to be a warning of sorts. Words weren’t used, just a few grunts and raising of eyebrows as they looked up to check the position of the sun.
It seemed they were all expecting something to happen, and very soon. Eagan knew there was no way he could ask anyone what it was without showing he was an outsider.
‘What’s …’ Waide began but Eagan threw a warning glance his way and the youth nodded and fell silent.
Even Asher appeared to know what was going on, and he was the only person in the market who looked worried. He dug in his pocket and drew out a small brown bottle, tipped a little of its contents onto one hand and rubbed it on the girl’s arms then on his own.
Rem was suddenly at his side and her expression surprised him. Her ar
rogant and haughty expression had vanished and she looked nervous and scared. She chewed at her bottom lip as if debating whether she should speak or not and took a deep breath which she let out very slowly.
‘What is it?’ Eagan asked her quietly, but he didn’t have to wait for her to answer as Darius floated above the crowd and dived back down after only a few seconds.
‘You’re not going to believe this…’
‘The night-shadows are here,’ Rem said, finally finding her voice.
Eagan’s gaze flicked up to the tattoo on her face and saw it had turned red. He gulped and tried his best to conceal the sudden panic that flooded his senses.
‘More than one?’ Waide asked, craning his neck over the crowd for a better view.
Eagan tugged at the boy’s shirt and shook his head. He knew Waide was just hoping that his brother was there also but there was very little chance of that.
‘At least a dozen,’ Darius said in a dry, emotionless voice. ‘I’m no use without any magic so I’ll stay in the staff and hope they don’t notice us. There’s less chance of them sensing me if I’m in there.’
The wizard vanished without another word and Eagan was sure he saw a slightly relieved look on Darius’ face as he faded away.
Eagan would have liked Darius to give him a rundown of what was happening further over in the crowd. He tried to ease his worries by the reaction of the people around him. There was an almost annoyed edge to the mutterings of several people near him and by the low tone of their voice they didn’t want their conversation overheard.
‘Again? This is the third time this month. They keep raising the quota!’
‘How can they expect us to keep giving like this?’
An older man glared at the two younger ones who were voicing their dissent and they fell silent but their expressions still showed their disapproval.
Eagan had been so busy listening that he hadn’t seen the crowd parting to form a path just in front of him. His heart began hammering so loudly that it thudded in his ears and threatened to block out all other sounds. He took a long, deep calming breath of his own and tried to slip back a little in the crowd.
‘Do we do that too?’ Waide whispered and pointed at those nearby. Each person was pushing up their sleeve on one arm. Eagan just nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak.
A line of huge black cats walked along the path at a slow, watchful pace. The night-shadows all stopped at once, as if there were some unheard signal to do so. The nearest cat was only a few paces away and Eagan could feel a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. The black cats each turned to the person nearest them and nudged their bare arm, sniffing at it then taking it in their huge jaws. Eagan almost let out a squeak of terror as the cat bit down, but the person looked unharmed as their arm was released a few seconds later.
The cats moved onto the next person and then the next. When a cat on the other side of the crowd approached a small girl, a man scooped up the child and offered his own arm instead. The cat did not seem to care and took the offered limb.
Eagan’s worry turned into curiosity when one of the cats sniffed at Asher and Tal. It sniffed once, then again, and moved on without attempting to take their arms in its jaws. Why was the cat picking and choosing like that?
The crowd was almost silent during the process except for a few small children who were either crying or objecting to having to stand still. The nearest cat came closer then stopped suddenly. It looked up, and stared straight at Eagan. The bead of sweat on Eagan’s forehead dripped down onto his cheek but he resisted the desire to brush it away. He stared back and tried to keep his face as blank as possible.
One by one the cats all turned away from the crowd and stared at Eagan as well. If Eagan hadn’t been watching the cat so closely he would have missed the split-second change in its eyes. The pupils dilated instantly then it cast its eyes down to the ground and dropped its head slightly. Every other cat did the same, then the turned – as one – and left the village as quietly as they had come.
Nobody except Rem and Waide appeared to have noticed the change in the cats and the crowd seemed to accept that the night-shadows had decided to leave on their own. Eagan wasn’t so sure.
Chapter Eleven - Lookout
‘I don’t think we’ll get any more information here,’ Eagan said to Waide as the market resumed its busy pace. He wanted somewhere quiet to think through what he had just seen. As soon as the night-shadows had retreated, so had Rem. She melted into the crowd as easily as the cats had done. He looked around but could not see her anywhere.
‘Could you ask Rem to meet us where we came into the village?’
Waide nodded, looking eager to leave and hurried off in search of their companion.
Eagan was still trying to convince his heart to slow down to a normal pace when he sensed that someone was standing next to him. It was a crowded market place but this was different; this person was waiting to be noticed. If he pretended not to see them, then perhaps they would go away.
‘I saw what you did,’ the person said.
Eagan’s gaze flicked up and he saw it was the man who had sold the bracelet.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Eagan said with a forced smile and a polite nod as he turned to leave.
The man put one hand on Eagan’s shoulder.
‘Are you from Water Haven? Father did not tell me there was a new method to repel the creatures,’ the man whispered, leaning closer. Several people nearby turned to look and Eagan drew back and began to walk off. The man followed.
‘Perhaps you should take this conversation somewhere more private?’ Darius suggested, hovering just in front of the man and wrinkling his nose. ‘And what IS that smell?’
Eagan stopped and blinked as his attention flicked between the wizard and the man who was staring at him intently. Darius could usually only smell things that were extremely strong, yet Eagan couldn’t smell anything.
‘I’m sorry, you must have confused me with someone else,’ Eagan said and walked off quickly, leaving the man staring after him.
‘He’s following,’ Darius said, drifting backwards up in the air as he watched the crowd behind Eagan.
‘You’re not from around here are you?’ the man persisted as he caught up and kept pace.
Eagan looked around at the crowded market square. ‘I doubt many people are. It’s a small village and there are hundreds of people here. I daresay you’re not either.’ Eagan stepped around a small cart as it rumbled along the street but the man had to wait for it to pass.
‘I’ve seen you watching us,’ the man said, pulling the girl along as Eagan stepped up his pace. ‘I’m Asher.’
‘Can’t we just vanish?’ Eagan muttered.
‘Only if you want a quick home in a staff without an apprentice.’
Waide was waiting for him at the designated spot near the entrance to the village and he looked surprised to see that Eagan had company. Rem was standing a short distance away and she seemed even more moody than usual.
‘Don’t get me wrong. I just think we can help each other out. It’s obvious that you dislike the cats as much as we do,’ Asher said, keeping his voice low and watching the crowd to make sure nobody came close enough to listen.
Eagan said nothing and kept walking, ushering Rem and Waide ahead of him.
‘We have several ways to dissuade them, such as this lotion,’ Asher said, lifting his arms a little.
‘So that’s what I can smell! It makes them smell half-dead!’
Eagan glanced at the man’s arms and sniffed deeply but couldn’t smell anything.
‘And the night-shadows don’t like it?’ Eagan asked, his curiosity winning over cautiousness.
‘Night-shadows? What are they? The cats sense it as a sickness. They will only take life from a healthy person.’
‘We call them night-shadows. We’re not from around here, as you pointed out,’ Eagan said, choosing his words carefully.
&n
bsp; ‘So you don’t give life willingly whenever asked?’ Asher asked. His voice did not change but the look on his face said that the answer to this question was very important to him.
‘No, and they don’t ask nicely either. They attack in the dead of the night and nobody sees them coming,’ Eagan replied.
‘Hence the name,’ Asher surmised and nodded as if he approved of Eagan’s response. ‘Your whole clan thinks the same then?’
‘I wouldn’t call it a clan. There are dozens of villages and towns, even a couple of cities,’ Waide chipped in.
Eagan could see the boy was a little confused by the questions and might give away more than Eagan wanted to share.
‘You must be from a very long way away then. I didn’t know there were any places able to take such a stand against them.’
‘Tell us more about Water Haven,’ Eagan suggested, hoping to steer the conversation away from where they came from. ‘Where is it?’
Asher looked around as if to check they were definitely still alone before he replied. ‘South of here, in the original settlement before the floods.’
Eagan had no idea what the man was talking about. History didn’t mention any cities on this side of the mountains and definitely nothing about floods either.
‘Are there many people?’ Eagan asked.
‘A few.’ The man seemed reluctant to talk more of his homeland. ‘We’re heading towards the city so we’ll bid farewell.’
‘Is that north of here?’ Eagan asked.
‘It’s the last settlement before the land ends at The Gap,’ Asher said with a nod.
‘Actually, we’re heading that way too,’ Rem said suddenly. ‘Can we get a lift?’
Asher looked a little surprised. He glanced at Tal and then shrugged. ‘I guess that would be okay as long as you don’t mind riding in the back.’
**
Seth watched the village from the cover of the trees part way up a small hill to the south.
