Disclaimer: I do not own Fable 2 that joy belongs to Lion Head studios.
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Lorna lay snuggled up in a bed sheet, but the smell was foreign and strange to her the unfamiliarity causing her to be on edge. She could not sleep as a result and she huffed in annoyance. She thought it was a good idea to put this necklace on, but now she was not so sure. Well, to be honest, she was not really sure what made her do it in the first place. All she remembered was an over whelming desire to take it and put it on. When ever she thought about it the only thing that came to mind was just one word, 'Jupitus'. She had no idea what it meant and neither did that strange wizard person... Garth or what ever his name was.
She sighed as she sat up when the room suddenly lurched. She grasped the edges of the bed to stop herself from falling out of the small cot. The splashing of waves could be heard plainly through the wooden walls and the bunk shuddered slightly as the boat bounced over another wave. The motion made her feel a bit queasy so to take her mind off it she got up to see what the adults were doing.
She opened her door a fraction and peered into narrow corridor that was lit dimly by oily lamps that sputtered black smoke towards the ceiling. When she was sure the corridor was clear she pottered out and down past three doors. Behind it she could hear the familiar voice of Sparrow. Her heart already felt at ease knowing she was just beyond this bit of wood. The voice of Garth also filtered through. Lorna pouted gently. She did not like him much for some reason. There was a benevolent arrogance about him that annoyed her. She was sure he was nice person and all it just so happened that she did not like him.
"Garth don't be angry she's just a child," Sparrow could be heard to say in Lorna's defence.
"She was right there," Garth then demanded, "She should of at least known not to put the damn thing on!"
"Garth I understand," Sparrow reasoned, "but over the past five years since we have been together she has done things, said things that no child would know or normally would do. She is special Garth and I think this Jupitus may be a link to what ever is going on. I say trust the child, please."
The tone of Sparrow's voice was imploring and it elated Lorna to know she trusted her that much. Garth however remained sceptical.
"I don't know Sparrow," he said, "It would have been better if she hadn't done it in the first place."
"Garth you trust me right?"
There was a pause that hung in the air like the stagnant fragrance of sewage.
"Well I trust Lorna so if you do trust me you will listen to me," Sparrow's voice was filled with determined conviction. Through the wood Lorna could hear Garth chuckle.
"I guess this is why your the fourth hero," he said amusement in his voice, "We can't help but trust your word. I mean if it had been anyone else Reaver would never of joined us. He was very stubborn if you remember."
It was Sparrow's turn to chuckle and Lorna could almost see her shaking her head, "No Garth that was Theresa's doing."
"And? he followed you out of Bloodstone."
Lorna decided that was the time to walk in and pushed the door open. The room was small with three narrow tables running its width. At the middle table was Sparrow and Garth sitting opposite each other. Between them was a couple of goblets and a stiff leather carafe filled with wine they had both been consuming. They looked plainly surprised and they stared at each other for a while before Sparrow spoke.
"What are you doing up honey?" she asked tenderly and Lorna looked down sadly kicking at the wooden floor with her bare toes. Sparrow smiled.
"Ah I see," Sparrow said simply knowing without words what was wrong and she opened her arms invitingly. Lorna automatically crawled into Sparrow's lap and her arms encircled the girl embracing her warmly. Lorna snuggled into her, her queasiness vanished along with all her apprehension and nervousness.
As both Garth and Sparrow began to talk at some length about things that Lorna felt were of her no concern to her, she could feel Sparrow's voice sooth her. The richness of her voice seemed to encourage the tendrils of sleep to embed themselves in Lorna's mind drawing her ever closer into unconsciousness. Before she knew it sleep had claimed her and wrapped her in a dark warm blanket made of dreams.
The next morning Sparrow stood on deck her eyes watching as the sun's rays cast their magical glow upon the world bringing colour and life to the vast expanse of ocean that was spread before her. Many say when they first look upon the beauty of the sea that they are humbled by its vastness. Sparrow did not feel humbled as such, but she definitely felt aware of a sense of belittling like the ocean was trying to make you feel small, but Sparrow knew that by looking up at the clouds that the sky was that much bigger than the ocean. She smiled as the clouds drifted in the opposite direction from where they were headed.
Heavy footsteps approached from behind and she knew who it was before they even spoke.
"Morning Sparrow," Garth's deep voice greeted as he stood beside her by the railing, "I trust you had a good nights rest."
She nodded then sighed.
"Is something wrong?" Garth asked and Sparrow shrugged.
"Last night I ended up sleeping with Lorna," she said in a small voice, "I think she was having a nightmare."
"A nightmare?" Garth asked interest sparking.
"Well, she was twisting and turning a lot in her sleep," she said looking over at Garth, "She was sweating and mumbling too but I couldn't hear what she was saying."
"Have you asked her?" Garth replied his eyebrow's arching.
Sparrow shook her head. "Not yet she's still asleep though since earlier this morning she had calmed a lot. I doubt she will remember anything mind."
Sparrow sighed again, but she smiled warmly and Garth chuckled. Even after the time together he knew that if she set her mind on something it would not daunt her in the slightest and the thing he liked the best about her was the ability she had to smile no matter what. To his knowledge it was rare to see her with out a smile unless you mention two names Lucien and Reaver. For some reason mentioning the two names causes her to want to smash something.
Garth patted the women warmly on the shoulder and grinned. "The captain say's we will reach land by midday."
"Okay Garth I will be below with Lorna," she replied with rueful grimace, "I don't think she is taking to sea travel." She chuckled and left Garth contemplating on deck as the sun rose higher in the sky.
As Sparrow ambled down below to the cabins she could not help but have a feeling of dread overcome her. Despite her best wishes she and Lorna had been almost forced on to this journey and all for what? To save Reaver. In her opinion the man was beyond saving. If it were not for Lorna she would not be here however the young girls decision to wear the necklace kind of forced the issue. It was inevitable then she surmised and after all that had happened to her she knew nothing was a coincidence.
She nudged the door to her cabin open just incase Lorna was still asleep and when she entered she was right. The little girl's hair was splayed over the pillow like a golden halo. She slept so peacefully it was hard to imagine she was a tormented soul. Though Lorna had never said anything Sparrow could tell. When one had suffered the same they could always tell if another had suffered a similar fate. All the signs were there, but no matter how hard Sparrow tried the small child just seemed unresponsive. When she spoke it was always small phrases and simple at the best of times. There was also the fact she never spoke to strangers either.
Sparrow sat on the edge of the small cot and stroked the soft hair marvelling at how silky it felt. It reminded her of her son's hair though shorter always had this fluffy quality to it. She smiled sadly and leant down to tenderly kiss the girls forehead. Then reaching for a chair she sat and waited, watching the child sleep and a sense of immeasurable peace flooded her. Sparrow smiled warmly, love filling her whole being and unknowingly a tear slid down her cheek. Hastily she wiped it away not knowing where it had come from.
With a sigh she contented herself with just watching knowing even if she had adopted and loved this child, she would never really be her daughter. In fact the girl never called her mother in all the five years they had been together. The girl was now ten and when Sparrow had found her she was very young, about five and even then she did not feel accepted as a surrogate parent. It did leave Sparrow feeling a little hurt but that disappears when ever Lorna smiled, laughed or even spoke. Sparrow leant back into the chair and watched.
When land was sighted Garth went below and knocked on Sparrow's cabin door. The door opened and Sparrow peered at him tiredly. Behind her Lorna also peered up at him with the same tired expression.
"Land has been sighted so get your stuff together we will be making port in about an hour," he told them and Sparrow nodded and assured him that they would be ready within that time. Satisfied he went back up on deck to watch with a sense of fascination as the sailor's went about the preparation for docking. As the land drew nearer and the port came into view a sense of elation swept through him. Though it had be at least two weeks since he left he could not help but feel comforted by the sight of his home land. Samarkand to him was by far the most beautiful of lands in the world and even against Albion's lushness it could not beat Samarkands variety. Jungles, deserts, marshes, swamps and even plain lands and forests covered her continent.
A voice distracted his thoughts and he spun round to watch Sparrow walk up on deck with Lorna holding her hand. The little girl was smiling happily and he noted that this was the first time he had seen the girl smile. When she saw him however the smile faded and her face went blank as it had when they first met.
"Hey Garth how much longer?" Sparrow asked adjusting the long baggage she had strapped to her back and the response was a shrug.
"Not too long," Garth assured as they watched the buildings become larger.
Sparrow took in the surroundings as they drew closer with a gasp. They all appeared to be built out of the very sand itself giving the illusion that the land was carved to look that way. The roofs were flat and they all seemed to be of single story with narrow windows. It was then Sparrow noticed that the temperature, though bearable, was very hot and her pale skin began to sweat gently. The cool sea breeze swept over her skin cooling her a little, a pleasant contrast to the heat.
Mesmerised she watched as the ship slid into the dock and everywhere she looked were dark skinned people just like Garth. The smile on her face widened with pleasure. Garth was the first of his people that she had met and now she had the chance to meet more. The thought brought her great joy and the thought she may learn more about his people from others just like himself. What also surprised her was that everyone wore brightly coloured clothes. To Sparrow it seemed like a rainbow of colour that contrasted with the sandy colour of the houses bringing life to something so plain.
Garth encouraged both Sparrow and Lorna to follow him along the gang plank and as they followed their eyes roamed the environment with curious gazes. Garth fell in step beside Sparrow as he guided her through the throng of people.
"We are heading to the inn where Reaver was said to have been seen last," he told her and she nodded curtly, "we will stay the night and I am going to see if there is anyone in town who might have seen him. What you can do is investigate the room." She nodded again keeping a firm grip on Lorna's hand just incase she lost her in the crowd.
"Are you sure this was the last whereabouts of that pirate," she refused to say Reaver's name if she had a choice.
Garth nodded and pointed down a street with less people. "It's down this way."
Mutely the two followed Garth as he lead them towards the inn. They continued to stare at the people that passed them who were giving them equally curious stares.
Garth suddenly stopped and pointed to a sign. The picture was obvious. What looked like a bird of prey was gliding over a field with a hare in its talons. She made an educated guess that the Inn was called 'The Eagle and Hare' or something like that, but below it the calligraphy was foreign to her and she had no idea what it said. Confused she looked to Garth who was smiling.
"It says 'The Hawk and Hare'," He chuckled at the look of bemusement on Sparrow's face and entered through the dark wood door. Both Lorna and Sparrow followed him in as the door creaked open. Inside they were met a room coveted with dense smoke and that resembled a pub rather than an inn. The stink of alcohol was evident along with other smells Sparrow did not even want to put names too. Almost out of instinct she reached down to pick up the small child as if to ward off the impending feel of danger that the place gave. Trust Reaver to pick a place like this, she thought sourly her nose crinkling in disgust.
She followed Garth up to a bar where a large man stood cleaning glasses with a piece of dirty clothe. It was funny to Sparrow that no matter where in the world you were all pubs and bars seemed the same. She waited whilst Garth spoke with the muscular barmen in a language that sounded wondrous to the ear. It was almost melodious occasionally permeated by clicks that off set the winding vocalisation of words just right. Sparrow suddenly felt stupid. For the reason she surmised because she had no idea what they were saying and wished very much that she did. She made a mental note to ask Garth to teach her.
Money and key changed hands, and Garth turned back to Sparrow. He indicated for her to follow him and she did with Lorna held close. She followed Garth up a set of stairs and turned off at the first level down a corridor, and stopped outside a door. Garth took the key and pushed it into the lock, gave it a firm twist and the door opened. Inside was almost empty save for a single chest of draws and a very large bed. To the left was a door where Sparrow guessed was the bathroom. Right opposite the door was a balcony closed off by wooden slats with dark read hangings either side. She set Lorna down along with her large parcel, which made a clunk when it hit the floor, and made her way over to it. She pulled back the wooden slats and walked out onto the narrow balcony where she looked over the roof tops of all the other buildings.
Garth closed the door behind them and looked around the room speculatively. He watched Sparrow stand on the balcony and came up beside her whilst Lorna investigated the bathroom.
"This is the room Reaver used during his stay," Garth said as he leant on the railing and gazed over the world before him.
"How did you manage that?" Sparrow asked mildly curious.
"I made a reservation for two adults and insisted on this room," he replied. Sparrow stared at him in disbelief.
"You presumed much," she said shaking her head slowly her face partially amused partly incredulous.
"Well I counted on your good nature, but things did not quite happen the way I expected," Garth said chuckling, "Though it had the same desired effect."
"You devious old coot," she said with a laugh. She suddenly felt something tug her trousers and she looked down upon Lorna's pale face. In the girls hands was a pistol its metal glistening in the light. Sparrow gasped and took the weapon from the young girls grasp examining it with a critical eye.
"Where did you find it Lorna?" she asked in evident surprise. The girl pointed under the bed.
Sparrow looked up at Garth who nodded and he jumped off the balcony to the roof below. Sparrow and Lorna watched fascinated by the older man's display of agility. When he had disappeared Sparrow looked down at Lorna with arched eye brows.
"Ok Lorna lets look around and see if we can find anything else," Lorna nodded and took Sparrow's hand. They both turned around and walked back inside. Sparrow clasped the pistol close to herself firmly and slid it into the band of her trousers.
When they were back inside they set about searching the whole room. "Ok Lorna," Sparrow said in a business like manner, "You look behind the furniture, I will look in the draws and under upholstery."
Lorna nodded in singular agreement and set to looking behind the head board of the bed. Sparrow approached the chest of drawers and steeled her self against anything she might find in there. She opened the top draw with a quick movement just incase something decided to jump out at her, but nothing did. All that sat in the draw were clothes, men's judging by the style of them.
Why the servants of this establishment had not removed them by now amazed her, but then she thought they may not of known they were here. With gentle hands she removed each item placing them atop of the chest of draws as she searched. Finding nothing she put them back and repeated the procedure in the next draw. All she found was breeches, tunics and men's underwear and much to her surprise the under garments were strangely normal looking for a man who liked a lot of sex. She continued her search however and when she came to the last draw, she removed the clothing, but then she noticed a something odd at the back of the draw. Reaching into it she searched with her fingers and felt what seemed like a book. Removing it she found it to be a leather bound book with a piece of thin fabric acting as a book mark.
Curiosity soon consumed her and she opened where the marker indicated. Over the paper was an elegant handwriting that seemed to flow over the page with a grace she had see only once, on the package Reaver sent her. She knelt there and began to read quietly to herself the last entry of what appeared to be Reaver's diary.
Today I awoke as I had done so many times these past few years. Surrounded by people I had only met the evening before. A room full of dark skinned people with passion that seemed limitless and yet I am not satisfied.
I hate to admit it but I miss Albion. Its sweet breeze during spring and summer laden with the freshness of wild flowers, and even the chill of winter. Alas there is indeed no winter in this continent and to think I would miss such a thing.
It is not the only thing I find myself missing. I fear that the incident five years hence has somehow... changed me. In mind I believe it for the worse but to others it may be the better. I just do not know. I do know however there is she who haunts my dreams both night and day. Her sweet face hides behind my eyelids but all I see of it is a blank indifference and no smile. OH I wish I could make her smile, just once. Even if I were to die seeing her smile once would bring me a joy that I have not felt in so long and I would be happy to pass beyond.
What am I saying, I am Reaver! I will not die! Not for any man or women no matter how much I feel. This is ridiculous the thoughts now roaming inside my mind.
I heard rumours today, moving on to other things, about someone looking for me. I think it is because of the necklace I acquired just the other day. I had planned to return with it and give it to her, but I fear that I have been unknowingly wrapped up in a conspiracy. You see, at night, when I lay dreaming, I see things, memories that are not my own. I think it's the necklace. It's telling me to do something but I am not sure what. What I can say for sure is that who ever is after it, CAN NOT HAVE IT! Something bad will happen if they do and even in my state of conscience I cannot allow that to happen. I blame Sparrow myself for pressing upon me the unwilling gift of conscience. That's it! I will send the necklace to Sparrow. At least there it will be safe in her hands. I hate to admit it, but she is the only person I could possibly trust with such a thing. Sparrow, such an odd name for a person, but I must admit it is rather cute. I laugh now, but if she knew she would probably slap me. For some reason she does not like me, that much I can sense. Either way I cannot help but
The page cut off there and the scuff marks on the leather told her it must have been put back in the draw in a rush. She snapped it shut and making sure Lorna was not looking secreted it inside her pouch at her waist, then moved to something else. She looked under the bed where Lorna said she had found the pistol but there was nothing else. She pulled up the rug merely out of interest and she gasped in shock. On the carpet was a dark red stain that was evidently dried blood. Sparrow dropped the rug back into place a bad feeling creeping over her skin. Lorna looked up questioningly from her inspection of behind the window hangings and Sparrow smiled to reassure the small girl. With a shrug Lorna went back to what she was examining whilst Sparrow walked up to the door.
Something about it seemed odd and out of place. It looked alike it had recently been repaired as the wood looked to be of differing colour. Lorna made a strange noise and Sparrow turned to see what was the matter. Lorna stood by the window holding back one of the hangings and behind it was a dark, badly cleaned stain. Goosebumps rippled over her skin as her minds eye painted an unsightly image of what must of happened here.
Reaver was perched on the corner of the bed closest to the chest of drawers scribbling in the book whilst faceless people lay sleeping in the bed. Noises distract him and he hurriedly forces the book back in the draw. He scrambles for his weapon when the door is broken down off its hinges. The unknown attackers shoot him once and he hits the wall beside the window. The sleeping individuals awake screaming and leave in a rush, panic stricken. Reaver fires off a round and one attacker falls down dead by the bed where the rug was now. He gets into a scuffle and is knocked out. His gun falls from his grasp and is kicked indifferently under the bed.
Sparrow waved a hand for Lorna to let the curtain go. The little girl did as she was told walking up to the women whose face had paled slightly. Lorna reached out a hand and pattered her arm. Sparrow smiled and stroked the girls soft hair.
"Thanks."
Lorna smiled and hugged her round the waist as Sparrow sighed forlornly.
As the sun began it's descent towards the horizon Garth returned looking grim and tired. Sparrow set him out a goblet of wine, which he took gratefully. As he drank Sparrow related her findings here in the room keeping the diary a secret to herself. Garth followed with the occasional nod.
"Sounds like a plausible assessment," he said casually, "from what I could determine there were many of Western Samarkand origin asking for him. Many of the traders said they saw a group head up through the southern entrance." He paused rubbing his face tiredly. "Many also say that as they came up from that direction the abandoned castle seemed to have human inhabitants."
"You don't think that is where they are hiding out?" she asked and Garth agreed that it was a possibility. Sparrow sighed and watched Lorna stand on the balcony. Her purple eyes were watching something that was in the street below. Sparrow approached to see what she was looking at, but all she could see was the dark shadows, then a flicker of movement drew her eyes to an alley and it seemed someone had been watching.
"Come on Lorna time for bed," she said taking the little girls hand and pulled her away. Lorna followed reluctantly but solemnly followed climbing onto the bed. From one of his bundles Garth produced a bed roll which he lay on the floor between the bed and the window.
"Are you going to be alright down there?" Sparrow asked with a small worried frown. Garth smiled.
"I will be fine, do not worry about me," he replied laying himself down with a sigh. Sparrow shrugged and crawled under the covers of the bed with Lorna snuggled up to her side. The warmth of Lorna's small form gave Sparrow a small measure of comfort as she slipped into an uneasy sleep. Down below in the alley a pair of glowing white eyes stared up at the balcony then with a flicker they disappeared leaving the alley empty and silent.
The next morning they prepared to leave. Garth went on a head to purchase a cart to make the travelling down south easier, so waiting patiently, Lorna and Sparrow stood with their minimal luggage be the side of the street. They received occasional stares that were not threatening, but Sparrow felt distinctly out of place amongst these people of shadowy skin. She was relieved to see Garth drive up on a cart dragged by a large, mean looking bull. Its curved horns were as wide as it was long and its body rippled with powerful muscle. Sparrow feared from looking at the beast that it may make the cart explode if it wanted to display that power. Tentatively Sparrow lifted Lorna up and followed onto the back amongst the dry straw. When he was sure they were on safe Garth made a clicking noise, whipped the reigns and the beast surged forward causing the rickety cart to lurch violently till it was trundling along at a sedate pace.
Sparrow settled into the straw whilst Lorna stood watching Garth drive the massive bull forward. From inside one of her bags Sparrow pulled out the Dragonstomper. 48 that belonged to Reaver. She was sure he would be grateful for its return, but for now she contented herself with examining it whilst she had it. It was an awesome looking piece of weaponry. Its golden barrel was a bit longer than the standard pistol for greater accuracy. It was beautiful to look at as the mahogany wood was a strong contrast to the golden colour of the metal. A curvy almost floral pattern was engraved into the metal plate about the trigger and hammer concealing the mechanism. It must a cost a lot as there was a lot of evident craftsmanship had gone into creating such a beautiful yet deadly weapon of death.
The cart jolted to a halt and Sparrow peered over the top of slats between her and where Garth sat. Directly in front of the bull standing as still as a statue was a figure clocked in black. Their face nor any other part of their body could been seen within the fabric.
Puzzled Garth called out to them, "Excuse me would you please move, your in the way."
With deliberate slowness Sparrow climbed over the top onto the cart seat with the pistol in hand just in case. She hesitantly filled the barrel with black powder, then filled it with shot and proceeded to gently tap the butt of the gun on the wood beside her.
The figure refused to move but from within the folds a raspy voice echoed sending chills down Sparrow's spine. Beside her she sensed Garth shiver also.
"I know of you missssion," he said, "I can help you get into the cassstle, but you mussst give me sssomething in return."
Curious Garth tilted his head to regard the figure his glowing eyes speculative. "And what would this be?" he asked of the stranger who turned their head ever so slightly in his direction.
"The map I mussst have it!"
"But we don't have a map," Sparrow said her tone puzzled.
A wheezy chuckle reverberated from within the hood as it seemed to expect this answer.
"You will when you sssave your companion," he said and turned to follow the road southward.
Garth and Sparrow looked at each other the same thoughts evident in their eyes as they turned back to regard the slowly ambling figure.
"Don't trust him," Lorna said in a squeaky whisper and Garth nodded in agreement.
"I must say I agree with you child," he replied with a low whisper, "But for now I believe we should follow him just for the time being."
"Its not like we can escape him," Sparrow muttered, "He's going the same direction."
"Quite," Garth replied with a small smile snapping the reigns to encourage the bull to move. Reluctantly the beast surged forward to follow the dirt road. Sparrow could not tear her eyes away from the stranger. He moved at a steady pace but was hunched forward. It looked human enough but from where she sat something screamed in her mind that something was wrong. She voiced her fears quietly to Garth who nodded.
"One must always be careful in Samarkand. Things are not always what they seem," he had told her and she gave a derisive snort.
"Nothing ever is," she muttered.
"No its not," he replied giving her a knowing smile and looked down at the pistol still in her hand. Sparrow turned away hiding the pistol beside her feeling her cheeks heat slightly in embarrassment.
"Whatever," she muttered and he chuckled. He patted her shoulder and turned back to his driving. Sparrow looked down at the pistol that lay in her hands. Just looking at it made her feel a little queasy.
As the day drew closer to midday the heat became sweltering and sweat poured down Sparrow's soft cheeks. She fanned her face with her hand to try and cool herself but it did not help. It seemed to permeate everything and even the wooden seat was so hot she feared it may suddenly combust into flame. Beside Garth sweated gently, but seemed unfazed by the sun's radiant energy. Jealous Sparrow looked down at Lorna who sat in the corner of the cart where there was some semblance of shadow. Her face looked flustered though no sweat appeared on her skin. Sparrow reached down and placed her hand to the girls forehead, which felt warm to the touch. A worried frown creased Sparrow's forehead and she reached down to one of the packs to retrieve a water skin. The liquid sloshed inside the container loudly the sound attracting Lorna's attention. Her eyelids parted sleepily and allowed the older women to put the water skin to her lips. She took a few mouthfuls from it then pushed it away to turn over and closed her eyes again.
Sparrow let out a resigned sigh and took a draft from the skin her self then offered it to Garth, who took a few gulps before handing it back for Sparrow to re-cork it.
"How is she?" Garth asked indicating Lorna.
"I think she's alright," Sparrow said in a low voice, "Though I don't think she is used to such intense heat but then neither am I." She chuckled ruefully while Garth frowned and looked down at the dozing child.
"Well keep an eye on her just incase," he said firmly and Sparrow nodded.
"Ok."
Not soon after the tips of stony turrets appeared between the trees that had steadily begun to claim the land. The mountains on the horizon seemed to encroach on them steadily too. As the trees became denser more and more of the castle seemed to loom out of the canopy like a rising giant of stone work. The temperature dropped also as they passed under the shadowy cover of the trees much to her intense relief. Even Lorna seemed to wake up a bit more finding enough energy to perk up to look at her surroundings.
They slowly followed the trail eastward just shy of the castle. The stranger who had walked none stop since starting came to an abrupt halt. The bull made a loud noise of protest as Garth pulled on the reigns hard to prevent the great beast from trampling the person into the dirt.
It reached up and pointed a gloved hand into the undergrowth.
"Hidden there iss a sssewer entransse," it said turning to look at them, "But only one can go though however asss there are magical guardingss here. I can only open it for a ssshort time before the wardsss come down again."
"I understand," Garth said making to get off the cart, but before he could move Sparrow grabbed his arm.
"No I will go," she told the Mage firmly as she jumped off the cart and slipped the Dragonstomper into the back of her trousers and reached over to slip out the Daichi she had hidden in the straw. Garth stared at her as if she was insane.
Lorna poked her head out a worried frown making a furrow between her eyebrows, but she said nothing.
"Shouldn't you stay here with Lorna..." he protested but Sparrow cut him off with a stern glare. Lorna touched Garth's arm and when he looked down at the little girl who shook her head. Garth got the hint and knew well enough not to argue with a stubborn women.
Sparrow turned to the stranger her gaze equally as hard, but he just stood there as if he could not see the glare he was fixed with.
"Alright Mysterio lets go the sooner this is dealt with..." she sighed, "the closer I am to home."
The stranger bowed and lead her through the bush. She turned slightly to nod curtly to Garth as she slid the Daichi into the sheath on her back. As she followed she hitched up her trousers so they sat more comfortably over her hips and tucked away any lose parts of her tunic fearing that they might get caught on something during a fight, that would be embarrassing.
She followed the stranger for what seemed three long very silent minutes. He eventually stopped and they stood in front of a barred wrought iron gate. The stench that filtered through was the unmistakeable fragrance of a sewer. The odour of rotting vegetation and human waste was almost palpable forcing her to take off her sash that sat around her waist. She wrapped it around her face trying to protect her sensitive nose from the stink. She nodded towards the stranger who bowed and with a sweeping movement reached out to touch the gate. A storm of wheezing escaped his hood which she took as some form of chanting. The air sizzled and popped as a great energy electrified the atmosphere.
The air around the gate suddenly shimmered and it seemed to become unfocused. Sparrow rubbed her eyes to make sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her. The stranger began to pant from effort and he looked up.
"Hurry the dungeonsss you are after lead off from the sssewersss. If you find a ssstatue of an armoured man head in a north ward direction till you find a torture chamber. You ssshould be able to find you way from there."
"Yeah thanks," she muttered darkly.
"I will be here when you return," the stranger said as she entered the tunnel. Steeling her self against the stench and oppressive atmosphere she made her way inside.
"All this for that Pirate," she muttered and continued regardless into the darkness.
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I hope this was better than the last chapter. For some reason the first felt a bit short. Anyway read and review if you liked it or have constructive criticism and all that jazz. I just like hearing what people thought about my story, until next time tatty bye X3