Arilez pressed her back to the towering wooden crates. She kept her ears sharp, listening in around her. Shutting her eyes. Focus…She needed to find an open crate, or a large wheat sack, something she could climb into and cut her way out of once on the ship.
She heard the voices of two young men as they tossed what sounded like fish into barrels. Each wet smack causing her stomach to turn over in disgust..
“Just a few more barrels and we’ll be done, Yeah? Then we can go home.”
“I know it’s just.. I’m so sick of it. The pretending to hate each other until we get home..” One of the men sighed. “And then having to act like I’m your brother no less..”
Arilez rolled her eyes. She didn’t have time to listen to a depressing conversation between lovers, they needed to go. So she could move… Finally, their voices faded off as they got further away, rolling the barrells down onto the docks. She then peeked her head over the crates, eyeing the several ships docked.. Some closer than others, but some more reliable looking than others who looked as if they could sink at any moment. Rats. She was already fighting herself for the mere idea of stowing away. But by the gods, she at least needed to pick a ship..
Arilez made way to slip around the side of the crate, but was met by the collision of a metal clad body. She nearly tumbled. Though it didn’t take long for her to look up at the guard before her, who seemed to recognize her in even less time, as he immediately lunged forward. Arilez made quick work of ducking and leaping to the side of him, then around his back, where she darted off.
“GET HER!”
Arilez soon found herself in pursuit for the second time today. At least this time her feet were wrapped in rags and there were half the amount of bodies chasing her. She ran and weaved through the dying out afternoon crowds. Though it’s hard to run when you’re shoving through a sea of men, women, and children. A woman thought to play hero and grabbed her by her waist, trying to stop her for the guard. “Sorry!” Arilez yelped, right before sending her elbow back roughly into the womans chin, hearing a sickening crack and a yelp, and kicking her way off again into a sprint.
They were so much closer this time. Hot on her trail. She huffed and weezed, the air feeling like daggers in her lungs as she pushed forward. She had to get out of this now. Arilez couldn’t do this again today. She physically could not. Her eyes darted around as she ran, looking for anything. Anything.. Finally she saw it. A crouched man, a down board on the roofing of a wrap around porch.. She made a sharp turn, ducking into the sea of people and emerging again in the original direction of her chase, popping back up again just in time to spot the man again, still bent down and emptying out a murky barrel into the gutters. Where she apologized to the woman, she did not waste her breath for this man.
She jumped, her feet slamming into the small of the mans back and using it as a boost to quickly haul herself up onto the down board. The board was just strong enough for her to get up and onto the roof where she climbed to safety, then it fell soon after. She circled the edge of the building until she was on the other side, hearing the painful cries of the man in the distance.. She wasted no time leaping onto the roof of the next building, hissing at the pain radiating from the heels of her feet. Arilez scaled the edge of the roof, then jumped to the next building again, careful this time as it was a double story with only about two feet of an overhang. She pressed her back against the stone wall and side stepped her way around this one, preparing to jump to the next. Only there was nowhere else to jump. She was out of sight, and the only thing facing her from here was her dark blue vastness. The Sea..
It was a beautiful sight, the sun peeking out barely over its horizon. The seagulls flying overhead, and the amount of ships docked and in waiting in her cove. Arilez hadn’t realized that she had made it to the edge of the seawall. Looking down for only a moment. If she stepped out a foot, she would fall into the water, certainly. So for now, she would wait.. And she did, for hours…
Her feet ached, her back was tired, her knees shook. She needed to sit down. She had been holding herself against this wall for far too long. The moon had risen high into the sky by now.. But yet she remained. It wasn’t until she heard the loud wooden creaking of a ship nearing that she came to her senses and looked down at the water below. Coming from her left was a large ship. A cargo vessel it looked like.
Arilez took in a shaky breath, looking around and cursing herself. If she were to leap, it must be precisely as the vessel reached its zenith. But the thought was quickly dismissed; waiting for such a moment was a luxury she couldn’t afford. What if someone on board caught sight of her in mid-air? The consequences would be dire... She watched the nearing ship as she side-stepped the overhang and rounded its corner out of view of it. From there she turned, pressing her chest against the stone wall as she peeked her head just around the edge, watching the ship.
She spotted two men on the ships front quarterdeck, leaning over the taffrail and looking down between the ship and the edge of the seawall. Past them, further back of the ship, A few others about the main deck, then she spotted the Helmsman, Steering the ship about twenty feet in front of a square cabin overhanging the back of it.
She intook a breath and turned again so her back was to the stone, watching from her side as the front of the ship started to pass the building, she crept to the side a few steps, away from the corner and into the shadows as to not be seen. She held her breath. Could she do this? It could go horribly wrong..
She couldn’t just wait on the edge for the right moment to jump. She had to make a running jump if she even wanted a chance at reaching the ship and not falling between the ship and the wall. The water would suck her under. Jumping too soon would catapult her onto the main deck, where the clamor of her arrival would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention. On the other hand, hesitating too long would result in a catastrophic plunge into the churning waters below.
A glimpse to the side showed the ship was nearly past, she had thought about it too long. Shit.
Arilez cursed herself, and with a silent prayer on her lips she turned her body swiftly and held onto the sachet at her side with one hand as she surged forward. One unsteady foot after the other as the jagged edge threatened to betray her footing.. When she reached the edge, she squeezed her eyes shut and leapt.
When she crashed down on top of the overhanging cabin, all she felt was sharp, excruciating, burning pain. She clenched her teeth together and choked out a silent sob. Frantically, her trembling hands sought the source of the agony, fingers tracing the outline of the protrusion buried in the side of her lower abdomen. A pained gasp escaped her lips as her fingertips brushed against the unyielding metal, wrapped in the familiar fabric of her sachet. The dagger.
ns216.73.216.133da2
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