Chapter 1: 1.1 Eaten

“Hrrmph”

The young woman turned restlessly, flipping over in delirium. Each turn shattering the silence with metallic grating- the sound of shackles raking across uneven stone. She flipped once more in frustration, pressing her cheek against the floor. Desperate for a semblance of comfort, the cool stone ironically painful in the winter night.

Begrudgingly she opened her eyes, finally fully embracing her unrest. She cast a long gaze toward the cell door and rose slowly, knees wobbling, unaccustomed to the weight of her shackles. The cell around her lay bare, illuminated by a single torch mounted to the wall opposite the door.

She watched that cackling fire dance, as it cast long outlines of cell bars across the ground, shadows swaying rhythmically with the wind. She stumbled toward the cell door, stepping haphazardly into fire’s ire, its gaze tauntingly throwing columns of shadow across her face.

A prisoner. In any sense of the word. Well, – obviously – here she stood, hands bound, trapped in a glorified box.

Almost entranced by the light, she traced her fingers across the flat bars of the cell, rust flaking under her drifting touch. She paused as she reached the end. Rubbing her fingers on the sides of her pants before placing them on her hips.

“Well I guess I should start digging a tunnel?”

She chuckled to herself quietly, thumbing the nearby stone wall.

“I probably shouldn’t say that out loud, should I?”

The last thing she needed right now was for them to show up again.

She rubbed at her side, wincing at the memory of last night -a memory still fresh against her ribs.

Memory.

She remembered approaching them.

Monsters.

Monsters in clothing. She remembered it clearly. Their horns. Their fangs. That wild look in their eyes as they turned to her- was it confusion?

She remembered the flash of blue as they dove at her. The cold iron around her wrists. And that deep paralyzing fear as they dragged her into a cell. But before that? Before the room filled with guards?

She frowned, blinking at her forgetfulness. How did she get there? She pressed her fingers to her temples and concentrated.

Huh.

This wasn't just forgetfulness.

“Okay okay I can’t remember how I got there, that's fine. What can I remember? How about breakfast? What did I have for breakfast? No? Okay okay easier then. Um. Name. How about my name?”

She paced along the cell, muttering to herself madly as her fingers pressed down hard, clawing at her brain for answers.

“Name name name… huh”

Nothing. She froze as her heart dropped and stomach lurched.

“What did I do? Where am I? No no. Who am I”

She pleaded with herself desperately. Nothing else mattered. If she could just-

“A.. Am…Amorelle?? No but that's-”

“Amora”

Relief flushed over her as she leant against the stone wall. That was her name. It had to be. It felt familiar on her tongue. Like she’d said it a thousand times before. That was who she was.

Her name.

She jolted forward after something struck the wall behind her.

“If you’re going to dig a tunnel, might I suggest doing it on the other side of the cell. I’d hate to be accused of working with you.”

She spun around. That voice was coming from behind the wall.

“Who are you?!”

“Me? I’m Tervel. The Thief. Quite famous you know”

“Um hi I’m- I’m …Amora”

She said her name softly, carefully sounding out each letter with gentle fragility. As though it might vanish from her at any moment.

“Yes yes I did hear. Hard to miss with you talking so loud”

Amora blushed at the stone wall.

“Um. Sorry I thought I was alone”

“Is no problem. Was entertaining. Can you really not remember anything?”

“Just my name. For now at least”

She said that last part hopefully. If she can remember her name maybe she could remember how she got here. Or who she was.

“Yes yes for now at least yes I see. So you don’t know anything hmm. The perfect mark is one that can't remember anything afterwards”

The voice paused.

“Not that I have marks. I steal whatever catches my eye from whoever. Makes me better than most professionals huh?”

“Well.. Are professionals usually locked up?”

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A deep throaty laugh boomed from behind the wall. It was the kind of laughter that was selfish, that took control of a room and eclipsed all others. It wasn't one you could laugh with.

“Surprisingly. Yes? Me? I'm different. I’m not locked up here”

He laughed again. But more softly. A quiet chuckle at an inside joke.

“I’ve got a key”

Amora paid it no mind. There were things she needed to know. She needed information.

“Where is here?”

“The cell block?”

“No, I mean. Where are we?”

“Hah. Oh hun. We’re in Vandryl”

Amora gulped audibly. Vandryl? Was that the town they were in? The country? She opened her mouth-

“Listen miss. You probably shouldn’t mention your little memory problem to those guards”

She stepped closer and pressed her ear to the cold stone.

“Why? Who are they?”

“Well I mean, you’re human right. You are. I can tell. And well- we wouldn't want you getting eaten now would we?”

Eaten?

Her stomach dropped as it sounded again. That man’s dull laugh. A chilling backdrop to her icy panic.

Eaten.

 

---

In the building beside the prison, a few rooms away from the guard hall, Aiken- Captain of the Guard, lay quietly resting his head on a pile of parchment and papers. He groaned loudly as he heard a knock on the door.

“Enter”

Aiken looked up, glasses glinting as two of his guardsmen opened the door. A tall burly man stepped forward, clutching a long sheaf of parchment in one hand, the other holding the door open. He stood at the entrance briefly, his frame more than enough to block the entire doorway. A smaller, female guard squeezed past him impatiently; face scrunched in annoyance. They both looked unnaturally… modest without their armour; their physique unusually smaller, common clothing noticeably duller against the conventional bright blue surcoat.

“Sorry for the intrusion captain, we finished filing our reports for today”

The man hurried forward, hand outstretched, venetian red skin flashing as he delivered their report.

“Wow for me?”

He whispered dryly, barely audible, rubbing his glasses against his shirt as he received the rolled-up parchment. He stretched it out, lifting it to his face as he covered a sigh.

“Adventurers again? They really are a pain aren’t they”

“Just drunk and disorderly, had to give a few of em a couple of whacks but eventually we got them in quiet and goodly”

The female guardsman rolled her eyes, slapping him softly on the back of the head. He tried to lean out of the way but was still hit regardless. The captain ignored their clowning, tossing the file ostentatiously onto the lofty mountain of documents on his desk.

“And what of the girl? You said she turned herself in? Did we find anything on her?”

The female guard looked at her partner for reassurance, meeting his eyes before stepping forward and speaking for the both of them.

“No sir. We could not find anything on her, but we only have information on the known criminals around surrounding towns”

The other guard coughed and shifted his feet uncomfortably. He hated reporting back failure. Well failure of any kind and this was indeed a failure. After all, being unable to gather information- any information on a person as suspicious as her was unacceptable. But what else could be done? There was a complete lack of witnesses. No one saw anything. And perhaps that was most suspicious of all. A young human girl somehow walking past the barracks, soldiers and civilians. Oh and not to mention the armed guards stationed outside the guard hall. All completely undetected.

“We found her in our guard hall or, I guess, she found us. Must’ve walked right up to us while we were distracted, I couldn’t... sense her approach at all, it was like she appeared out of thin air”

“Hmm, mysterious. I take it she’s sitting in a cell?”

“Yup. We detained her for trespassing. We’ll question her at first light”

“Trespassing... A single night in lockup. I suppose that was the best we could do. Unfortunately we have to release her with the adventurers in the morning”

He paused. Pushing up his spectacles, lenses flashing as he casted his gaze toward a nearby window.

“Prepare a truth orb for tomorrow. We have to make sure we aren’t sending someone dangerous back onto our streets”

“Yes captain!”

Both guards saluted, clicking their heels before leaving his office. The guard captain sat there for a while, listening to their echoing footsteps grow quieter and quieter. His eyes still fixed toward the window.

“A human girl who breaks into our guard hall and manages to put one over on my best guard”

He chuckled softly, looking back down toward the sprawl of papers and documents on his desk.

“Finally. Things are getting interesting again”

 

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