Elena

 

It took a total of half an hour for the guards to drag the would-be kidnapper away from our shop. The entire time I could hear the sound of Evelyn’s muffled angry shouts, accompanied by the gruff voices of the city guard – all without being able to understand a single word that was said. The entire whole building felt tense as if we were waiting for the next unexpected thing to happen.

It was only once they had left and the door closed solidly behind them that I finally felt able to relax. I flexed my fingers as I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling the tension in my body slowly ease. Even with my eyes closed, I could clearly see the attacker in my mind’s eye, including the look of agony as I’d sliced through his wrist tendons.

I exhaled in a loud, sharp burst, groaning into my open palms at the memory.

A knock at the bedroom door a few seconds later brought me back to the moment, its hinges creaking as it opened. My head instantly snapped up to see who it was, a part of me fearful that my attacker had managed to escape and was hunting me again. It only took me a few seconds to realise that it was Wynn sliding her way through the small gap that the door had made.

“Hey,” I called out to her, what was left of the tension escaping me in a whooshing outrush of breath. “How are you feeling?”

Her previously pale cheeks had regained some of the colour back in them but her eyes were still wide and alert, seeking out hidden danger with every turn of her head. She gave me a weak smile and I patted the bed next to me for her to come and take a seat. There was only a moment of hesitation before she dashed across the wooden floor and flung herself at me, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist as she buried her head in my shoulder.

She’d taken me by surprise, but I gently patted her hair and whispered my best soothing noises.

“Are you alright?” I asked for the sixth time since the ordeal had finished. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

She shook her head but kept clinging to me as if I were an anchor in a storm. I sighed and held her with both arms, waiting for her to talk when she was ready, but it wasn’t much more than a minute later that the door eased opened again to reveal Evelyn. Her expression was one of a tired, concerned and frustrated matron.

“He’s been seen to,” she announced, the tautness around her lips softening as her eyes shifted to Wynn. Her voice was gentle and filled with worry as she asked, “Did he harm either of you?”

Wynn twisted around in my arms until she was sitting in my lap and peering back towards the woman that had taken us in off the street. She spoke up before I could, her voice low and airy, “No, we’re both alright.”

I paused, my lips slightly parted as I’d been getting ready to reply and I noticed Evelyn turn her attention to me with eyebrows raised. She held my gaze for several moments, silently encouraging me to say what I had been about to, but I pressed my lips together again and nodded my agreement. She breathed a relieved sigh and brushed the fabric of her blouse free of some invisible layer of dust.

“Please, girls, tell me what happened,” she requested while striding her way towards us, aiming for the empty spot next to me. She turned and sat herself down, reaching out to pull both of us into a tight embrace.

The full force of what had occurred hit me with a sudden jolt of realness and it took an effort to push the threatening tears away. Wynn wasn’t quite so lucky and I could already feel the sobs shaking her smaller frame as we were held in Evelyn’s arms. 

“Did he say why he was here?”

Clearly, he had been here for me, but I was clueless as to why or who he had been. As if reading my thoughts, Wynn opened an eye and looked at me with my cheek pressed against Evelyn’s shoulder.

The silence stretched on but I couldn’t bring myself to lie to the woman that had been nothing but kind and protective of us since we’d first stepped foot in her apothecary.

“H-he was here... for me,” I managed to utter, pulling myself free of her hug briefly to gaze into her face.

“For… you?” she asked, her voice accented with confusion. “Why? What did he want? Do you know him?”

I managed to shake my head, though it was hard work to keep the fear and worry pushed down. “I-I’m not sure who he was but... I think I might know who is behind it all.”

With Wynn slipping from my lap to sit alongside me, I ended up with Evelyn on one side and Wynn on the other, both watching me, startled and a little curious. They wanted me to explain, which was fair enough, but I wasn’t sure if they’d believe what I told them or if they’d think that I was making it up.

I closed my eyes and buried my face in my hands. I’d never told anyone this part of myself before and I was worried how it would go.

As I peeked from between my fingers to glance at them, they both gave me reassuring smiles and the strength I needed to reveal my story to them.

“Well…”

 

~*~*~

 

I spent the next half of an hour recounting what had happened in my life, leaving out a few of the details for which I knew I’d be judged. The two members of my audience were attentive, with Evelyn showing particular attention to who my parents were and early childhood. Wynn stayed quiet, but she was leaning against me with her hand covering her mouth. I had an arm wrapped around her – she still looked quite shaken with everything she’d been through but that was expected.

Evelyn was staring at me with a mixture of fascination and wonder, her questions coming steadily. She remained strangely quiet when I mentioned that I’d been raised by the crimelord known as The Razor. Instead of interrupting me and firing off question after question as I’d anticipated, she was silent and thoughtful, allowing me to explain and give my own side of the story.

“Did… did he kill your parents?” I heard Wynn’s squeaky voice ask, barely above a whisper.

That was something I had wondered before, but never given too much merit. He’d never really taken the time to mention it but he was the sort of monster that would gloat about that kind of thing if it were true.

I shook my head, “Nah, I don’t think so.”

Eventually, I arrived at what had happened earlier today, giving a full story of everything I could remember. Unlike before, when I’d been thorough but left out a few important details, for this part I included details of the shadows and how they’d behaved strangely. That was the part that Evelyn was most interested in. Even though I had never done it before, and had absolutely no idea how, I was sure that it had been me controlling them.

A slight twitch of her eye was the only change in Evelyn’s expression to betray the shock that she must have been feeling when I mentioned my newly discovered Facet ability. She stayed silent, though, listening to my tale with polite attention.

“I’m gonna guess that that’s not a common thing that folks can do,” I commented, glancing between the two of them.

They both shook their heads in unison. Neither of them had ever heard of anyone doing anything like that before – it turns out that the ability to bend the shadows to your whims wasn’t a common or well-known Facet. Who’d have guessed?

“Does this mean that she’s…?” Wynn asked Evelyn, her question trailing into nothingness as she focused her gaze on the woman.

Evelyn was unresponsive, making me wonder if maybe she hadn’t understood what she’d just been asked. Personally, I wasn’t sure what Wynn was referring to.

As the stillness stretched out awkwardly, I found myself glancing from one to the other, unsure if anyone knew what was happening. Eventually, just as I was about to question what was going on, Evelyn said a single word.

“Perhaps.”

Now I really had no clue what they were talking about.

“Perhaps?” I asked, lifting my eyebrows. It was making me nervous that they were talking about me like I wasn’t here.

“Are there any symbols upon your body that you have had since birth?” she asked me now, twisting towards me. The worry lines of her forehead were deep, etched with worry as she searched my eyes.

There was that mention of something on my body again. Wynn had tried to explain it all to me before, that since I could use more than one Facet that I must have some kind of mark. She’d been very insistent that there must be one but I’d honestly never seen anything like that.

I shook my head quickly, “No. Not that I’ve seen. What would one look like, anyway?”

Evelyn regarded me a little while longer, her gaze wandering over every inch of my face and up to the top of my head. Finally, she broke into a warm smile and reached out to take one of my hands in both of her own.

“Well, as you may be aware, it is very uncommon. I’ve never seen a mark in person, but all of the books and texts that I have read describe them as glyphs or sigils of some kind,” she commented. “The chances that anyone is born with a mark is as unlikely as… as being struck by lightning on their birthday. I would be utterly stunned and surprised if you got this far through your life completely unaware of possessing one.”

My cheeks flushed. I was unaware of a lot of things.

While I could imagine that it true for most girls, I had never exactly been encouraged to show any part of myself to others. I’d heard that the gang members made a joke out of my habit of covering up all of my body, not just my face and had created a game amongst themselves to see how much they could get me to reveal. Much like my face, it was something for me to be ashamed of.

“Still, I have heard of this crime lord of which you speak,” Evelyn continued as it became clear that I wasn’t going to say anything. “There have been a number of his victims that I have had to tend to, in some form or another. He is a monster and if even half of the stories about him are true, then I am glad that you are free of him. I am so utterly sorry that you had to live through what you did.”

With hooded eyes, I stared down towards the wooden floor.

“It wasn’t so bad…” I said, glancing back up at the older woman. She stared straight back, her lips a stern, thin line.

“No, it was awful. No one should ever have to go through what you did – ever.”

I felt Wynn’s arms slip around my waist and tighten a little and I gave her a quick smile. It amused me to see that she’d decided to lay back on the bed behind me to listen in – she must be tired. When I looked back at Evelyn, though, I found it difficult to look her in the eye. She was right, of course, but honestly, it was all that I’d ever known. It hadn’t actually been that bad, had it?

“But she can’t be marked, though,” Wynn chimed up now from behind me. “She says she can’t do the stuff that marked mages should be able to.”

Which was also true and I nodded my agreement.

Evelyn watched me a little longer, her light brown eyes flitting about and her head tilted ever-so-slightly to one side like a seabird peering into the water for something just below the surface. I wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for, but after several moments she sighed and rose to her feet.

“He will not ever bother you again, I assure you. I have close friends and regular customers within the city guard and they will not be pleased that this brigand dared to do what he did,” she declared, glancing between Wynn and me. “Please take the rest of the day off, both of you. You look like you could use it.”

 

~*~*~

 

I’ve always felt vulnerable when walking through the streets of Emslet Harbour alone – not that I’ve been able to do it for all that long. Wynn had been with me ever since I’d escaped from The Razor’s den and we always journeyed places together. But, this afternoon was one of those times when we were apart. 

Given that she didn’t have access to any Facets of her own, she’d been in far more danger than I had when the mysterious mage had come calling. It hadn’t taken much persuading to convince her to stay at the shop while I did something important.

To keep Evelyn in the dark, I’d slipped out of an upstairs window and lowered myself carefully down into an alley behind the apothecary. She’d only have worried for me – or worse yet, forbade me from leaving – and I didn’t want that.

Every lengthening shadow that I passed was both a comfort and a potential place from which someone could jump out at me. For now, I had disguised myself in the finest clothes that Evelyn had bought me and I kept the hood of my cloak low to hide my face, since I’d abandoned wearing masks altogether.

My money pouch was much heavier than it ever had been, even since I’d sold the mysterious old tome to the alchemist. I was well aware of the weight of the coins and it unsettled me to know that I would be considered a target for every thief and thug. I’d never been mugged for my possessions but I found the idea of it kept my wits sharp.

Keeping the coins at home wasn’t an option, either. I needed them for what I had in mind.

I had my route all mapped out in my mind. It would take me back into the Old Town, slipping back through the now-familiar district gate and then through the alleyways to reach my destination. I knew the shaded backstreets so well that I could have sworn that my big, stompy boots could find their way without me.

As I approached the gateway, I could feel the nervous tension begin to creep into my limbs and I couldn’t stop myself from flexing my fingers to give it a release from my body. There weren’t as many people queuing up to cross between districts as had been the case a few days ago, which I knew meant that it would be both quicker and make it more likely that someone would pay attention to me.

When each of the city guards looked in my direction, they acknowledged me with a short nod of their heads before turning away. I fought a shudder that crept up my spine and stepped out into Old Town without so much as a question as to why I was there. I guess that when you look the part…

No-one else seemed to notice me as I glided through the open gate – or at least they paid me no attention. Either way, that was one major hurdle down; time to move onto the next.

I easily found the nearby entrance to the alleyway: it was right where we’d left it, after all. A quick scan around me to ensure that no one was watching and I faded into the darkness. Familiarity immediately brushed over me and I couldn’t help but break into a smile. This was my home ground – where I felt safest and most in control.

The dank mustiness of the wet stone and the light clicking of my heels on the broken bricks beneath my feet all left me feeling at ease. I had grown used to the coolness of the shade and the feeling of security that it gave me from the neighbouring streets, all bustling with travellers and merchants.

As I traced my way through the maze of hidden pathways, it didn’t take long for my mind to wander. Finally able to be alone, all of the events that had happened over the last few weeks, ever since I’d escaped from my hiding place underground, came bubbling up to the surface.

So much had occurred that it was all still a bit of a blur. Being outside in the open air was something that I’d grown accustomed to quite quickly, too. I could tolerate it now, at least. During my time being held captive by the gang, the days had all merged into one. It didn’t help that there hadn’t been much daylight to track the passing hours – I’d mostly worked on meal times to break up the days. Being above ground, in the fresh air with a blue sky, I’d grown to appreciate how the light changed throughout the day; sunsets were especially beautiful.

A strange, feral sound pulled me from my thoughts and I froze, listening intently for signs that I was walking into an ambush. The growling yap of an animal in pain reached me again, followed by the deep and unmistakably cruel chortling of several older boys. Dread filled me as I realised that it had come from around the corner ahead of me, blocking my way.

I tip-toed quietly forwards, determined to see what was happening without being heard, and peeked out from behind the rickety wooden fencing that enclosed this part of the alley.

I saw a small band of rough-looking boys that I didn’t recognise, about half a dozen of them, all forming a close circle around an animal that was caught between them. They were wearing frayed clothes covered in half-repaired rips and tears, a patchwork of fabrics of different colours and in a variety of mismatching sizes. They were all completely filthy like all they did was haunt these backstreets and hadn’t taken the time to bathe in days.

Slipping out from behind my cover, I moved a few steps closer and could just make out the dirt-matted flashes of a once-fluffy red and white tail from amongst the boys’ legs. A terror-stricken fox flinched back whenever one of the boys edged closer, taking snaps at them with its tiny, needle-like teeth.

Memories flooded back, reminding me of the day I had freed one of these creatures from a trapper’s snare. Wynn had told me that small animals like this were often caught for their fur and here was another – or was it the same one? I wasn’t sure.

None of the boys had seen me yet – all eyes were directed towards the fox. I stepped out fully, allowing the hood to keep my face in shadow and I started towards them.

“Oy!” I shouted, doing my best to look as imposing as I could.

Only one of them finally seemed to notice me and turned, his look of cruel amusement twisting into a sneer as he caught sight of me.

“Leave it alone!”

Soon, more and more of them glanced in my direction, their vicious playfulness switching quite firmly to me. I guess I wasn’t as imposing as I’d hoped.

I fought down the urge to swallow a lump that had lodged in my throat. None of them looked like they were mages, so I should be fine if I just kept my head.

A brown, red and white blur darted from behind the boys, running towards where I was standing. It passed with the rapid clicking of nails on stone, disappearing off somewhere behind me. I didn’t turn to see where it went, the small posse in front of me was the biggest threat.

I flexed my gloved fingers and peered out from the darkness that my hood gave me, waiting to see what they would do next.