The Lion of Eomar by Eric K, Hasler (best young adult book series .TXT) 📖

Third hour shadows loomed long across the uneven cobblestones blacking out anything that would creep or crawl along the ground. The walls of the Merchant's Quater looked moulded into the deep blackness. The twisting maze of side streets and alleyways that looked to be little more than just gaps in the walls in the daylight, were almost invisible within the density of this hour's gloominess. The wind was still, the night was colder than usual and the only sounds heard were soft breathing, the muffled creeping of feet, and the odd sound of fabric brushing against a wall.

“I'm not so sure about this,” whispered Raguel.

“It's easy,” replied Cilix who was becoming more agitated by the constant moaning of Raguel; he rounded on him, pointed a finger at his chest and said, “All you have to do is stand by the door. If the Watch come, you hoot like an owl two times, then move into Rubble Alley over there and wait for us.”

The darkness provided the perfect cover for the grim foreboding expression crumpling Raguel's face. Backwards and forwards, he scuffed his feet on the cobblestones, “I'm still not sure,” he whispered.

“Well....,” said Lyra a little louder than she should, in a smooth, cheap, but sweet sounding voice, while walking towards the shoe scuffing sound “I didn't think a man as pleasant looking as you would....,” reaching Raguel she put her arms over his shoulders, slipped up on the tips of her toes and pressed her nose against his, the sweetness continued to ooze through her voice, “leave an attractive young woman all alone in the dark,” her voice becoming softer, more sensual, her eyelids fluttering, though Raguel didn't notice, “to do the job of a …. big …. tough …. street …. wise …. man....” she puckered her lips and whispered “such as yourself,” then licked her lips, and in an almost unaudible hot breathed sighing whisper said “now would you? …. my dear.” Slipping her tongue across his lips was too much for him.

He pushed her off and said far too loudly, “What by all the gods do you take me for? Rubbing your grubby little self against me as if that will change the way I feel about this!”

She jumped back stunned, and feeling a little shamed, she quickly moved behind the other four and scoured at Raguel as he lurched towards them; fists clenched, eyebrows furrowed, “Get your arses in there, “he whispered in a tone that sounded as if he was trying his best not to shout, “get what we came for, and then get out!”

Bodwin shuddered and moved closer to Lucaresha and whispered, “I'm not so sure about this myself.”

“Me either,” sighed Lucaresha.

Nicon crept over to the wall of the food warehouse, looked up and whispered, “That old pompous friend of yours left the window open a crack as you said he would, Bodwin. Now …. climb up there and let us in!”

Again, Bodwin shuddered. He hated being the nimblest. Could not stand it when the others talked down to him as if they were better than he was, 'One day' he thought 'I'll show them whose better than who.' Shaking his head and rubbing his hands on his pants, making them sticky from the grime and dirt he had unwittingly collected from living in the streets for the last two cycles, taking a quick look over his shoulder towards Lucaresha, her silhouette bringing warmth to his heart, he smiled then proceeded to climb the wall. Slowly to avoid any loud squeals from rusted hinges, he opened the window and slipped in. His heart started beating faster. He started to become hot; sweat began beading on his forehead. He felt dizzy. The inside of his head started to throb; voices echoed should you be doing this? He clasped his hands over his ears trying to block them out. There must be easier ways to get food, another voice. What happens when you get caught? Screeched another voice, 'how many voices are in my head?' he thought. You will get caught, laughed another voice. Then they were gone; his heart returned to beating normally, the beads of sweat appearing on his forehead had ceased, and the dizziness had stoped. He slowly got to his feet, and taking deep breaths to clam his nerves, he took stock of the situation. There were no noises inside, and no sound of the Watch running towards the warehouse from the outside. Feeling a little relieved he moved quickly and silently towards the door to let the other four in.

“What took you so long?” Nicon could be a prick sometimes, but his plans almost never failed.

“I just wanted to make sure the coast was clear!” replied Bodwin in a shaky voice.

Cilix put a hand on Nicon's shoulder “leave it out,” he said calmly, “this is niether time nor place, anyway….” he looked towards the silhouettes in front of them “we're in and no-one saw us. Let's just get the food and get out!”

Lyra giggled, “Besides ….” she said attempting to sound authoritative and in control of her situation, even though she was just as scared as the rest “if we stand here all night poor Raguel will probably run away hooting like an owl...” she giggled “or crap his pants!”

They all had their separate jobs to do. Nicon was to find the racks that held the grain, Cilix was to find the dried fish; Lyra, well …. she just did whatever she wanted, even though she was supposed to get salt and other spices. Lucaresha was to gather the left over bread that hadn't sold so they could feast afterwards. Bodwin was supposed to …. he couldn't remember what he was to do. His head was becoming muddled again; those voices began taunting him again, screeching at him. He began to stumble. The inside of his head started to resemble a street crowd shoulting out what they wanted from an over worked and befuddled street merchant. His breath quickened, beads of sweat reappeared on his forehead, and he began shuddering. Get out. Get out. Get out! Screamed all the voices at once, creating a loud explosion inside his head that caused him to fall to the floor. Lying there shaking uncontrollably with his ears popping, tears started streaming down his face, tears of pain from the cacophony of unknowable voices telling him to get out when he couldn't move a muscle. Everywhere around him seemed so cold, so dark, so silent, and the he heard it. The owl hooting; two times, then a break, two more times, then another break, and then a sudden shout, “GET OUT … NOW!” The shuddering stopped, the tears stopped, and he could move again.

Lucaresha moved as silently as she could looking for the day old bread, muttering to herself about how useless it is to look for something in the dark when she tripped over a wooden bucket. She hit the floor hard, and while looking up from that position she noticed an orangey glow on the outside of the window, the flame from a torch most probably belonging to the Watch. She quickly, and not so silently, moved towards a rack and crunched herself into the foetal position hoping that she wasn't seen, or heard. Then she caught a whiff of something. Something that smelt sweet. It kind of tickled her nose and warmed the sinus' at the same time. She raised her head wanting more of it. She took long deep sniffs trying to find the source of the sweet odour. Every sniff created a soothing tremble that enveloped her whole body causing goose bumps to spring up across her skin, which in turn sent nice, comforting, warm, and furry feelings deep inside her producing a sense of euphoria as if released from a tight cage, while at the same time evoking a deep seeded desire for more of the same. Turning her head to the left, she sniffed but the sent seemed weaker that way. Turning her head to the right, she sniffed, and then smiled at the strength from that direction. While continuing to draw in full breaths of the odour seeping toward her, she got onto her hands and knees and started crawling towards the scent. The closer she moved the more intense the odour became. Her body quivered with every breath as she frenziedly climbed to her feet and started to run toward the scent. Then she saw him, climbing slowly to his feet, shaking his head, and smelling wonderfully delicious. Her eyes widened in shock while the startling recognition of whose fragrance she smelt caused her whole body to shake in a disturbing way.

“Bodwin!” she said astonished, 'that …. that …. beautiful scent can't be coming from …. from …. him!' she thought as he turned towards her, “Lucaresha! Did you hear the hoots as well?”

She shuddered 'this can't be the source of the smell!' she thought, but instead said, “Well then, we must leave, come on! Hurry!”

“What about the others?” he asked, “we can't just leave them!”

Walking towards him sniffing deeply she said, “they're most probably out already.”

He looked at her and smiled, “why are you sniffing?”

“Oh ….” she said 'would he understand if I told him his scent has me attracted to him? Why would he understand when I don't' she thought “... I just bumped into some rotten bread which stunk, so now this stale warehuse air is like smelling pretty flowers.” Bodwin noticed her fluttering eyelids but chalked it up to rotten bread.

Exiting the warehuse, the same way they had entered they found that the darkness had become blacker if that were possible, but everything was not quite as still, or a quite as before. Coming from their left was an orangey glow from fire torches that stained the walls producing haunting shadows, which seemed to enhance the sound of footsteps marching towards them. The sound and the light cut through the still black shadowed density causing the hairs on the back of their necks to stand up. A startled whisper fell out of Lucraesha's mouth “The Watch,” she began to shake and subconsciously “sniff, sniffed” the air.

“Quick,” whispered Bodwin in an authoritative way, which was usually foreign for him, “through Rubble Alley.” They both moved almost silently into the gap where he stopped.

She spun around “Why are we stopping,” she whispered in a whimper that sounded scared and desperate, while continuing her sniffing, “we must leave or else we'll be caught! Sniff, sniff.”

He looked at her silhouetted, with wide astonished eyes and a trembling throughout his body 'I wish she would stop that damn sniffing' he thought while placing both hands on her shoulders, “sniff, sniff,” she smiled and battered her eyes. He sighed, and in the strongest whisper he could muster, “We wait for the others.” As he released her another “sniff, sniff,” accompanied with her smile caused him to shake his head and turn to watch, hoping nothing was about to happen. Slightly muffled footsteps moving quickly from behind had him spinning around to see the shadowy back end of Lucaresha almost sprinting through the blackness of the alley. Shaking his head and wondering whether she had the right idea he heard a deep, loud, and commanding voice “Alright men, there is only one way out. So surround the door in a semi-circle and be prepared. You know how desperate these thieves can be. Expect anything and you should be fine.”

Bodwin turned back around, crouched down, and crept slowly out from the alleyway keeping close to the intense black shadow that covered the walls. 'Are you mad? You should be following Lucraesha!' he thought while he sneaked as close to the commanding voice as he dared.

The voice belonged to Seastnan; he was the defender of the city,