Although Kara hated leaving without telling anyone, she new that the best way to be covert was to remain anonymous. No one would know she was gone until breakfast, and that was several hours away. Freddy, now large enough to ride, was saddled up in the courtyard. She took one last look around the compound and climbed on.
Kara hadn't ridden much, but she was already addicted. She could see how men would give-up their whole lives for the feeling of being in the air, supported by nothing short of your own best friend. It was something she could never give up¼it was also cold. Kara had thought it would be could, but not this cold. She had brought a blanket, but it was no match for the strong air drafts that Freddy was riding. Eventually Kara drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams
Her first impression of the castle was that it was cold. Not only was the temperature barely above freezing, but the whole place gave the impression of being cold. She had spent the first twelve years of her life on the plains bordering the Hadarac desert. The buildings there were made of the brightly-colored adobe that was so different from the gray stone that composed the castle. The people, too, struck here as cold. Originally, everyone treated her as if she was made of glass. Servants would jump to do her every bidding, and she never left her room.
One day, when her current nursemaid had fallen asleep (of course nothing had slipped into her glass¼) Kara climbed out the window. She had kept the clothes she had worn upon entrance to the castle, and as soon as she was in a private place she changed. Her first order of business had been to sneak out of the palace.
Kara knew that the city that surrounded the castle was huge. All she had wanted to do was find some color. At first, it seemed that her quest was in vain. Everywhere she looked, every street that she walked down, was filled with bland people doing bland jobs while following the bland laws of the Empire. Everyone even wore gray clothes, and Kara was getting sick of it. She eventually found herself in a courtyard (which she would later know as the center of the black quarter). In the middle was a raised platform, and centered on it was a block. Something caught her eye, and she soon found herself standing atop the platform, looking down at the block. Something HAD caught her eye, but Kara was half ashamed to see it. Kara brushed her hand over the block, and finally felt her first glimpse of color in the city. Her hand became stained in a crimson liquid, and she immediately tried to wipe it off on her dress. She only succeeded in getting her dress dirty, and now her hand looked permanently stained.
"Surprisingly resilient, isn't it?" asked a voice. Kara jumped; she had been so engrossed in the liquid that she never noticed the man next to her. He was not especially tall or especially short. In fact, he was average in everything. His nondescript brown hair matched his brown eyes, and his gray clothes matched the gray clothes of everyone else.
"Yes, it is," said Kara, warily.
"No worries. Why don't you come with me, I can take you somewhere where you can get all cleaned up." Kara looked at the man warily. She had heard of men who would kidnap you and hold you for ransom, but this seemed very unlikely; he didn't even know who she was.
"Sure." The man led her through a maze of streets, until they reached huge building. It was over two stories tall, and spread over half the block.
"Where are we?" asked Kara.
"This is THE Inn, the den for thieves, spies, and all other never-do-wells."
"Then it sounds like the place for me!"
"And why would that be?" asked the man, who now seemed excited.
"I'm a never-do-well!" The man chuckled as he led her into the packed common room. He grabbed a drink of something that Kara had never seen before from the bar, and led her to an empty table. After helping her clean her clothes and hands, the man fed her. He had been very nice, and even asked if she would like to come again. Kara immediately answered yes.
Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams
Kara was jerked awake by Freddy. He had noticed she was sleeping, and did NOT want her to fall off. Kara laughed a bit, but soon settled into contemplation of her dream. It had all happened exactly like that. She had ended up sneaking out so often to go to The Inn that they had no choice but to train her as a spy.
Kara also remembered the first time she had met Murtagh. She had been coming back from The Inn that first time. Kara had been so helplessly lost that she had ended up on the other side of the castle. This was where the young warriors trained. And, despite the late hour, there were several in the practice courts. One had yelled something derogatory about her being a peasant (she was wearing peasant clothes¼) and Murtagh had stood up for her. They had become fast friends.