Bleeding, broken, and dying.
As i washed up on the river bank that was the only way i could process what was happening to me.
I was lying on my back with the lower part of my body still in the frigid cold water. I looked down at myself and tried to evaluate my situation.
I hardly had anything to call clothes. My shirt consisted of a bit more than a collar and just dangling pieces of thread. I had no shoes and my shorts were soaked and freezing.
Not so much worse than your normal clothes. I thought. I found it funny but when i started to laugh it hurt my chest.
I dragged myself up the bank just far enough to get my body out of the water. Even that small distance took a major amount of effort.
I tried to move my left leg and agony shot right up my shin. After the pain subsided and my head was clear i thought Ok. so thats broken.
Pain like that would have crippled me a few months ago. by now it only bothered me. i've been through so much worse.
I looked down at my right leg and saw it drenched in the crimson color of blood i saw the knife protruding from my thigh.
Good news.i thought. Now i have a knife in case i have to fight anything. Bad news. Unless that thing i have to fight is a butterfly with broken wings i won't be able to summon enough energy to fight it, much less stand at all.
As i looked at my torso, it was almost white from lack of warmth. The lack of color made it harder to see the scar tissue that ran all along my body. The only exception to the lack of color was the blood covering the lower part of my stomach. The blood was coming from the two knife wounds
Hey that's also good news. I thought.
I started to realize through the shock how ridiculous my morbid optimism was and i started to laugh.
I'm dying. I thought and for some reason i found this funny. I started laughing again.
Laughing made my chest flare in agony as i felt fire spread through my lungs but that didn't make me stop.
There was a small voice in the back of my head, the kind of voice that wasn't delirious, was still rational and wanted me to survive.
Stop laughing. It said. You're dying! Do something!
I stopped laughing but didn't do anything else. I just stayed lying down.
I started to hear my heartbeat. It was a steady, rhythmic beating sound that filled my ears. i thought i saw a shadow approaching me. Then, the sound started to fade, along with the freezing feeling along my body, along with the night sky, and along with the pain. I was fading into darkness.
sorry sam i thought. i guess i broke my promise. i'm not making it out of this alive. Samirha, i'm sorry.
for the past seven months the only thing that has kept me going was Sam. but i couldn't hang on to that thread any longer.
i finally let go and slipped into darkness.
7 MONTHS EARLIER
It was around 10 o'clock when i walked away from the tavern with a handbag that i just snatched from a very rich and very, very drunk woman. I rifled through it and pulled out a few items. A few gold and silver coins that i quickly put in my own pack, and hand mirror and a pipe and tobacco. This was a pretty good steal
Alcohol made my job a million times easier.
I couldn't help but glance down at myself in the mirror. My hair was covered in dirt again so my natural blonde was concealed to look brown. I actually kept it like this on purpose because the city guards of Narda always gave me trouble because i looked so different from everyone else. My hair coupled with my blue eyes made me the easiest to pick out in a crowd.
Why couldn't i just have brown hair and eyes like everyone else. i thought. Brown was the predominant color in Narda.
I hated looking different because that always got me attention from everyone, and i hate attention. Crowds were my biggest fear.
It's been nearly twenty five years since the empire was defeated and because the empire was no longer giving ridiculous taxes to citizens and all the ships that come and go from here, the city has really expanded. The population has reached four times what it was before the varden took control.
Of course, i was never alive to see any of this because i'm only sixteen but the stories and legends i've heard of Eragon and his dragon Saphira make me want to be a hero like him.
Then why are you still picking pockets? Why don't you get a job?I thought.
Why don't you shut up i replied, then chuckled to myself.
I was constantly arguing with myself. It felt like i had two active sides of my brain. One side of my brain felt like the mature side constantly nagging me and the other felt like the fun side. I usually chose the fun side.
As i walked into the market a went to the few stalls that were still open and tried to sell the mirror and tobacco.
I ended up with two silver coins for the tobacco and five for the mirror.
I bought myself some food and started towards the shack i called home.
On the way i saw a pair of two homeless kids probably only eight years old searching through the trash for food.
Whenever i saw stuff like this i couldn't just continue to walk on.
I walked up and they quickly scrambled back, afraid i would attack them.
"Relax" i said "you guys want some food?"
They looked at me like i was the grim reaper.
Figures. I thought. I broke of a good portion of the bread i was taking home and placed it and the two cookies i boought in front of them.
"I'm leaving this here" i told them and then turned and walked away.
As i walked away i heard them scramble towards the food. I looked back to see their eyes filled with joy.
Well you're going hungry tonight. I thought It was worth it.
As i walked through the streets closer to my "house" i noticed a strange lack of people.
I definitely lived a poor area of Narda but i found it weird how lately fewer and fewer kids appeared on the streets. sickness and misfortune couldn't cause nearly twenty kids to go missing in the span of a week.
It's probably nothing. i thought
I walked down an alley as a shortcut to my house when i heard movement behind me.
Before i could turn to face the person approaching me cold, sharp metal was pressed lightly into my back.
"Put your hands up" said a rough voice from behind me.
I obliged, annoyed i didn't act faster.
"Where is your money?" said the voice
"Look at me. Does it look like i have any?"
I was right. My clothes were dirty and had a lot of holes and my dirty appearance added to my point
"I just saw you come from the market" he said. "Your money. Now."
To emphasise his point he jabbed the knife harder back.
"ok , ok. It's in the bottom of my pack"
idiot. he didn't take my knife. I could win this.
As he searched through my bag with one hand i tried to distract him "so not only are you a street thief, but you're also a stalker. Impressive. My name is Jace, you are?"
"Shut up." he hissed and pushed the knife harder into my back. I felt a trickle of blood go down my back.
The thief leaned forward and tried to look farther into my bag.
This is my chance. I thought.
As soon as he got really close i threw my head back and struck his nose, breaking it with a loud crunch
He reared back with a cry. As soon as the knife was off my back i flew into action.
I tried to gather as much information as i could as soon as soon as i turned around.
My opponent was maybe twenty years old. He was close to my height and didn't look too strong. His knife may have been close to six inches long and it was well made. He didn't seem to have any more weapons. Along the edges of the alley was discarded trash, some of which was furniture. No one else was in sight.
I pulled my knife out of my boot and launched myself into a quick slash across the back of the thief's hand. My knife wasn't sharp enough to cut deep and do permanent damage but it was enough to make him drop his knife and it would leave a scar. As soon as i cut his hand i dropped my own knife and sidestepped to the alley wall. I picked up a chair made of rotting wood, held it by it's back and spun around to smash it into the side of his head.
The chair smashed into his shoulder and one of the legs hit his temple. The rest of the chair shattered on the impact and laid in pieces all around me.
The thief was out cold but still breathing.
I picked up my knife and his as well. I also went to grab the pouch of coins tied around his belt.
What kind of idiot leaves his money out where everyone can see.
I dumped out half the contents into my hand, picked up what he took from me and threw the rest back to the still body.
He still needs to eat.. I thought.
But why?I whined to myself. He tried to rob me but i beat him. i deserve all his money.
I argued with myself for a minute until i decided against taking all his money.
Why can't i even agree with myself. i thought. Because half the time i'm wrong and i know it.
At this point i couldn't help but laugh at myself.
Just go home and get to bed. It was only simple things like this where i could agree with myself. I walked the last block to my house, locked the door and fell into bed.