Dragon Frost (29 page)

We
wouldn’t be in this town knowing that the enemy is stalking it’s
streets but we need to supply especially with a new addition to the
group.

Lifet and
Altair had to trade with the blacksmiths and healers, while Varden
and I had to buy more food since we’ve already eaten the panther.
It’s good that I can hunt but we may not see another panther for
miles or birds. So we have to resupply. “Maybe . . . ” I mutter
deep in thought. A woman with long brown hair and winter shawl
wrapped around her gown just like me as it wraps around her
head.

She
appears to be collecting items knowing that it’s going to be
expensive due to the inaccessibility of supplies. She glances at me
and her eyes are wide. Her jaw drops as, I believe she may have
recognized me. Several guards are not too far from us talking about
our group and to keep an eye out for us. The woman turns from the
guards and back to us her eyes are full of confusion and
uncertainty. I bring my fingers to my lips and motion for her to
keep silent.

She
glances at the guards and nods before going on her way with
children trailing behind her. 
When I’m married, I’ll have to deal with
that.
 I think as I
eye the children trailing behind their hardworking mother. Varden
and I continue to wonder through the markets picking out the food
we can have there’s not much really to pick from, other than loaves
of bread, oil, finely cut wood and potatoes. Varden holds open a
bag as I pile in our items I had purchased and like that we make
our way to the edge of town.

It didn’t
take long until Altair and Lifet manage to make their way with me,
I can tell something’s past between them as Altair seems more
confident while Lifet appears to be in a rather grumpy mood. I lift
a brow at my fellow Assassin and he nods towards Altair with a
fixed lip before turning away with annoyance across his face and I
glare at Altair. “What?”

I don’t
say anything.

“
I don’t
think we are welcome here.” comments Varden.

“
Of
course not, they’re most likely after you.” states
Lifet.

“
And what
. . . I don’t know that?” Varden retorts and I glance over towards
the east and estimate how much longer before we pass through the
valley. I don’t like the rise of the hills and cliff sides. We’ll
be prone to aerial strikes.

“
The Inns
are full, too.” adds Altair and I nod. “What do you reckon we
should do?” he asks me and I glance at where we had left our
horses.

“
We
leave, put as much distance between us and those men. I have a
feeling we’ll have to be careful from here on out.” I move towards
the horses. “That and I want to get out of this horrid attire. No
wonder women in this period are vulnerable, there’s no way to
defend yourself let alone run.” I mount my horse after I had placed
the satchel Varden had so kindly carried for me in the travel pack
on my horse and regard the boys who look at me oddly as they see
I’m riding side saddle. Well the boys excluding, Altair.

On
Nephelia, noble women have to where fleecy dresses over their
scales and headdresses and with that we are forced to ride
side-saddle. Several other women of working, middle and lower class
wear normal side slit skirts so they can run and fight should they
be required to. Even our wardrobes are designed for combat. No
surprise really. Altair is used to seeing women ride side saddle.
“Well?” I ask Varden and Lifet as they glance at each other while
Altair urges his horse beside me. They move to their horses and I
wait until they’ve mounted and comfortable before leading the
way.

Dusk soon
approaches and we’re forced to set up camp, leaving our horses not
too far from us. Lifet leaves his white horse with my and Altair’s
chestnuts and Varden golden-brown beauty. The fire burns before us
keeping a flood of heat continuously flooding through the campsite
where Altair and I at times had to add more wood to. We didn’t
really need that much sleep since—we were built differently. It
didn’t take us too long to arrive at the city of Midra, the large
tall silver and golden sky towers scrape the sky gently and Varden
gasps at it and I’m surprised. “You’ve never been to Midra?” I
asked as we glanced from the hill.

He shook his
head.

Currently, I eye the swarm of people around us and can’t
help but feel almost claustrophobic but I try to not let it bother
me all too much. Since after this large sea-side city is now
surrounded by a frozen wasteland but when the snow melts it’s a
city surrounded by a lush tropical rainforest where it sits on the
edge of a cliff overlooking the ports that dock in and out cargo
ships. I glance at Varden and see his eyes are darting around at
the large gold and silver buildings and onyx stone streets where
carriages and horses stroll along.

Wondering
through the busy streets of Midra caused alarms to ring in my mind.
Something didn’t seem right—I glance over my shoulder. How can I be
questioning that when I know that Golgotha will be sending the man
with a dragon tattoo at the edge of the city where he waits for me
to hand over the Prince, than what. I walk away with a broken
promise, no thank you. Still I don’t know how to play
this.

I know
then and there. I’m not handing him over. Solitude or not, he stays
with me. It must have been sometime deep in thought. I hear
Varden’s voice call me through the depths of my clustered mind.
He’s staring at me with worry in his eyes. “Yes?” I ask unsure why
everyone is staring at me. I’m no longer in my gown that I had to
wear at that town—known as ‘Mykyra’.

“
Where
does the ‘Central Palace’ reside?” he asks and I glance at the
tallest silver tower surrounded by other towers and a grand silver
wall. I nod in the direction behind him, he follows my gaze. “That
place is either really big or we’re really close.”

We
’re
not even close.

“
The
Central Palace is in the centre of the Inner Circle.” states Lifet
not that I’m surprised, it’s his job to know. He leads the way,
Varden follows and Altair does before he stops and turns to
me.

“
Aren’t
you coming?” he asks and I nod. Striding beside him, we make our
way through the City towards the city centre—the Inner Circle as
they like to call it: the place where the majority of upper class
patriots live. These people have had money dating back to the
fourteen hundreds in Zylaria and that’s what gives them their ego.
If they were to compare their linage with mine I would win without
a doubt. Just like Earth, Zylaria has been made well after we were
created. That’s when my line started.

Passing
the streets filled with people of different backgrounds and
appearance, their hair is pulled back and falls down their backs
emphasizing their high sharp cheekbones and plucky fashion of
clothes. Dresses with tresses and satin curled in frills while they
carry umbrellas in the same design—colours light, complementing the
city’s variety in tone.

Men are
dressed in darker clothing their hair gelled back—no hair out of
place. Their suits are pressed and wrinkleless. I have yet to come
across a descent looking person, someone who doesn’t appear like a
doll. They walk in pairs, never individually. It’s not bad but it’s
not exactly surprising, that’s how they keep the eye on the
criminals. The criminals in the city of Midra are not given any
chance to redeem themselves as all crimes are investigated
thoroughly three years before prosecution.

Once
sentenced guilty, their tongues and parts are cut off or out while
the women are filled. They are then given community service with no
way to release serotonin. This is both a blessing to the citizens
and in my eyes a curse as they have just created more enemies of
this world more treason against the Crown; more reason for an
uprising. While the rich live comfortably and lively the poor are
desperately trying to survive another day. On one hand at least
they don’t have the Arena on Earth for criminals to die a bloody
death against genetically altered super humans and
animals.

The world
around me seemed to have changed from frozen and silent frost lands
to warm and vibrant city centers. People brush past me desperate to
move from one part of the city to the other not that it really
mattered. I doubt they are actually working since we have finally
managed to reach the Inner Circle. Large tall towers, circles us
and I’m left captivated but try not to show it and instead scowl at
people who look at me. “It’s not like it matters any way.” With
disgust or jealous—they regard me. I didn’t care as long as they
didn’t talk to me. I’m happy.

Still the
journey towards the Parliamentarian Building seemed to have dragged
on for ever, one moment I remember being in the streets surrounded
by people with odd necessities for pale powered covered faces and
slicked or permed hair ensuring that not a single hair is out of
place, for civilians they act a lot like the Military. It’s almost
too scary to think about the similarity especially they only talk
to people they need to nothing more. In a way it’s good but at the
same time it’s bad—that’s how the upper class gains their
information; through their network of ‘Spies’ and ‘Recorders’. The
men and women who not stalk from a distance but interact with their
targets, they appear as normal as possible but they have a hidden
agenda and these people often have good memories.

We are
greeted by a women with blond hair done up into a long braid down
her back with loose ringlets as bangs at the side of her face. She
looks at us for a second before her eyes fall on me, her lips open
but no words come out. She clears her throat and hurriedly looks
away. “Hello. What brings you here?” she asks Altair, purposely
ignoring me, still, why did she have to act strange? It’s not like
I was going to cut off her toes and skin her alive.

I may be
required to kill but I know when and who. I ensure I know who.

“
I’m
Lieutenant Commander Keyes, Silver Knight’s First Infantry
division. We’re here to see the Duke of Alland.” he says smoothly
before adding, “We’re really on a tight schedule, maybe you could
do me a favor.” My eyebrow uncontrollably twitches at those words:
“maybe you could do me a favor”, knowing Altair I know he’s going
to return the favor in the most adultery way possible. I clench my
fists, how dare he, take advantage of the
receptionist. 
I’ll teach him!

“
What
favor might that be?” she purrs. I send daggers her way, I can tell
she tenses under my gaze but attempts to act casually as Altair
leans over the counter. Varden stands there staring at Altair’s
display of flirtation and his face is crimson all over.

“
Get me
to see the Duke in half an hour and I just may reward you.” The
woman blushes and I fight back a growl I feel rising in my throat.
I’m sure she has a husband or boyfriend, she can’t go around
two-timing. Women like her give, women like us bad names but at the
same time; Altair’s current situation doesn’t say anything better
about the males of each species. Their need to attract a female
counter-part is only to ensure reproduction.

“
How?”
She has some nerve!

“
Well I
could?” he’s cut short by my fingers wrapped around his lope as I
yank hard causing him to call out “ow” several times not that I
care, he’s lucky I didn’t threaten to slice off his manhood—sadly I
need it. 
That man has the audacity to—!

“
You
could what?” I growl and he shrinks back a bit, I still clutch his
ear tightly. He seems to have lost his voice. “Well?” I growl and
the woman I can see at the corner of my eye stares at us in
disbelief as she sharply intakes air, Varden immediately begins to
speak to her about our current situation. This time Varden speaks
to her with respect while I deal with the womanizing Knight. Geez,
just because he looks like a hero and all doesn’t mean all women
should sleep with him. 
He’s lucky I’m not going to rip off his
ear!

“
Ow, Kal,
that hurts.” he mumbles and I yank his head closer to me. If he’s
going to act like a man he can at least take this like
one.

“
You’re
such a womanizer.” I say and release him the moment Varden is done
speaking to the receptionist. “So? Can we see the Duke?” I ask
Varden completely ignoring Altair.

“
We can
but not today, she says that she can squeeze us in at the end of
the week. However, she said that you guys may need to report to the
Branched Order in Midra the contentious section.”

“
Contuse
Sector.” Altair and I correct in union and he smiles sheepishly at
me and I cross my arms and turn away. 
What are you smiling at? I’m still
mad at you.

We arrive
at the Contuse Sector. Here, in the Bronze Country there are
several sectors set out in major cities of just about all
government Orders except those of the Brotherhoods and
Brotherbands, are not involved with the government. They have the
Military, their own Secret Services to protect the President and
their own Plovers (Homeland Security/FBI). The Plovers are the ones
I really don
’t like;
after all they are the ones with the spies and are the one that
practically provide the information to both the Military and Secret
Services. I know they’ll just grow in size and power. Not that they
can influence people, they take what they have from them via
threats.