Chapter 7: Chapter 4 Most Wanted Man In Town

“Attention all citizens, a class one warrant for the arrest of the wanted fugitive, Lyzander, has been issued by Night-Watch Supervisor, council member Ariadne. Anyone found harbouring him will face severe punishment. Furthermore, Lyzander's family association has been suspended until after a trial is conducted and will only be reinstated if they are found innocent.”

Lyzander had heard the exact same announcement from the enchanted wanted posters patrolling the street an unknown number of times throughout the night. The sun would soon be coming up and he would likely be discovered within a short amount of time if he didn’t get off the street.

He was currently redressed in the ceremonial marriage attire that fit too tight. It was much less conspicuous than running around half-naked in the night. Even if a newlywed husband not at home experiencing their first night of marital bliss with his was also unusual. 

Lyzander uncomfortably tugged at his collar, he was following behind the enchanted wanted poster at a safe distance. The style of buildings had gradually changed from elegant stonework to more shabby wattle and daub walls with exposed timber cross beams and random rubble base walls. The clay tiles of the city centre were also replaced with wooden ones, giving these buildings a less upper-class feel while still appearing attractive. 

Lyzander pinched fingers over his nose, blocking out a pungent odour as the cobblestone road abruptly halted.  The stone road didn’t end completely, it was just buried under layers of filth from years of accumulated horse shit and discarded waste. No one came to this part of the city as evidenced by the ramshackle houses haphazardly lining the street. 

The smell of home.

The slums very rarely used any materials aside from wood in their construction. The chaotic mismatched terrace buildings were strategically arranged in rows so they could use their neighbour’s walls to help support their structural weight. Lyzander watched the announcement poster pass under the final hovering magical street lamps and enter the only completely dark district in the city.

He could still hear the announcements echoing in the distance ahead as he purposefully stepped into the thick muck on the road. Familiar creaks of protest from the poorly built houses in the wind and the sound of barking dogs, rutting cats, and squealing rats were the only response.

Lyzander heaved a resigned sigh and then picked up his foot to give it a flick. After that, he paid his soiled ceremonial shoes no more mind and continued to proceed, staying as inconspicuous as possible. He left the illuminated city behind him and entered its seedy underbelly, the only place that ever accepted him as one of their own, the discarded and unwanted.

Unlike the previous part of the city, the streets here remained dark and undisturbed at the class one wanted poster’s passing. Many shadowed silhouettes shrunk back into the many nooks and crannies, shying away from its unwelcome light. A few of the shadows stepped into the road to confront him as he followed behind. But they would quickly recognise him and give him a respectful nod after recognising his face. 

They would then retreat back to lean against the buildings and await someone out of place to pass by. Lyzander was almost a celebrity in these parts, a stark contrast to his ostracisation in the other parts of Hazelhaven. He had earned a name for himself fighting in the taverns local to the area because the House of Worldly Delight was strictly regulated within the Women’s Council-operated state of Claya. Only other races were allowed entry.

You are reading story Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series] at novel35.com

At first, people were sceptical of a Halfling participating in sporting bouts with larger races. But when it came to Lyzander, no one could ever lay a finger on him and he could pack a powerful punch for his size. With the exception of one time he unprofessionally got drunk before a fight after a particularly bad encounter with Daeliel and Merelith. He could still feel vividly remember the thrashing he got. His eyes could anticipate his opponent’s movements well enough, but he would trip over his own feet when it came to enacting his counter. 

He rounded another corner unimpeded and chanced upon a semi-expected scene. A group of street urchins with no sense of restraint rushed out of the shadows to ambush the warrant for Lyzander’s arrest from all sides. It automatically evaded all their clasping attacks until one boy cunningly used his peers' bodies to obscure him from detection. 

“Now!” the opportunistic boy commanded another boy in front of him, the youngest of the group and lowest in the hierarchy.

The second boy unhesitatingly dropped to the muck with only a short grunt of protest as the first boy used his back as a springboard. The enchanted wanted poster was starting to retreat into the sky when the boy snatched it from the air. 

“...Furthermore, Lyzander's family association has been suspended until after a trial is conducted and will only be reinstated if they are found innocent…”

The announcement declaring Lyzander a fugitive continued to resound in the moonlit street completely unimpeded. The daring boy agilely landed and came to a rolling stop on the ground in a splash of filth with the paper clutched in his tight-fisted grip.

The rest of the group came rushing over and piled on top of the struggling piece of paper. Lyzander watched the skirmish at a distance away attempting to avoid detection. He turned his head to look as heard the sound of soft running footsteps, it was an adolescent child of similar size and build to Lyzander that came to a stop outside the mass of flailing limbs. 

“I got it! I got close to one of the Brushfoot Boys and took it from her while she weren’t looking,” the new arrival said with a rolling accent. It was hard to determine their gender under their thick hooded urchin clothes in the dark moonlit street.

The new arrival fiddled with the object in their hands as the boys struggled to hold onto the paper trying to escape their entanglement. A moment later, Fae Fire illuminated the inside of the youth’s hood with blue light. 

Lyzander recognised the tabby-grey fur of the young cat-breed beastfolk, Eryndor, the leader of the Rat Pack. He immediately knew who this group of street of urchins belonged to and his face split open wide with a beaming grin. He stepped out of the shadows and walked toward them, knocking against a wooden balcony support beam of a tall building to announce his presence. The group froze as they turned toward the sound.

You can find story with these keywords: Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series], Read Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series], Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series] novel, Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series] book, Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series] story, Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series] full, Lyzänder: Tales of a Halfling Mage [A House of Worldly Delight Series] Latest Chapter