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

of the horror. Looking around for another sparkling sign, he saw her.

She was wearing a low cut, light green silk dress, with intricate spiral weavings in a deep shade of blue. The dress fit tightly around her waist, but not too tight, which allowed her bottom to poke out in that peach like form. The dress fell just below her knees revealing a set of calves that were thin and yet muscular; she was enough to make any man stand to attention with admiration for the beauty that she possessed. Her hair was light brown and waving around in the light warm breeze which complimented her light brown eyes, and when she walked it was as if she was gliding. The uneven cobblestones were not a hindrance to someone of her stature. Her back was straight, her head held high. She was a fine specimen who looked a little concerned about about her surroundings. She obviously took the wrong pillar road after the worship session; it happened from time to time. These wealthy types are generally sheltered from this part of the city now days, and as a result, they don't know what lies down here. The desperation, the disease, the torment; anything that could happen does happen down here. This part of Eomar is a dangerous place to be lost in, and it was easy to see that she was lost by the way her head swivelled to the left and then to the right, as if she was searching for a house, a landmark, anything that would bring her some form of recognition of where she was. As she turned around to assess her surroundings again, his eyes caught the sparkle, which dangled between two very healthy breasts. His eyes widened at the sight. The sparkle came from a large shiny white pearl surrounded by a ring of rubies in a pendant hanging on a necklace made from a combination of silver and gold. He smiled as she turned back; he started to follow her, keeping to the other side of the mews hidden amongst the tide of poverty. Looking around to make sure she was alone before he struck he noticed three men following her, 'always the same with me,' he thought, 'every time opportunity strikes someone is there to mess it up.'

He noticed, however, that something wasn't quite right about these three men. They weren't dressed in rags. Instead, they wore a sort of uniform, with tight leather pants, boots, and tight coats with hoods that covered most of their faces. The colour looked black, but when the little bit of sunlight that shined through into the streets hit them the colour almost looked red. The depth to the red was something he hadn't seen before. It was black red; like the way that freshly spilled blood on the cobblestones at midnight looked black. One of the three was half a meter in front of her, the second on the other side of the street keeping a good eye on her, while the third was two meters behind and continuously looking behind himself, obviously making sure no one would batter an eyelid to what was about to happen. Then it hit him. 'They won't just steal the pendant' he thought, 'they'll kill her and take the pendant.' He shook his head and stalked closer 'that will bring the Watch down here,' he thought as he continued to inch closer. 'That means anyone in this place could be taken,' he thought. He stopped, and shuddered 'that means there will be a mass sacrifice tomorrow!' Continuing along the mews, keeping an eye on the three men, debating with himself on what to do, he saw her glide past an alleyway and disappear. He stopped and looked at the alleyway. 'Crap,' he thought.

Then his head started to pound again, sweat appeared on his forehead again, and with his heart rapidly increasing speed, he clenched his fists. Go get them screeched a voice. Hurry before it's too late screaked another. Time is nigh! Time is nigh! Time is nigh! Screamed all the voices in his head at the same time.

“Alright,” he said aloud almost startling himself. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed his vocal outburst; his heart continued its frantic beating, faster and faster, until it felt like fire was pumping through his veins. Along with the excitement and fear pumping through his mind, he sucked up some courage and rushed towards the alleyway, pushing people aside, knocking them over; he couldn't believe how good this was feeling. Rushing out of the vocal abuse from the street urchins and into the alleyway, he found an unexpected situation. The woman was standing to the left with a smile on her face looking at him; behind her was one of the men also staring at him with a bemused look on his face. The second man was standing just to the right of her, looking straight at him, and holding the necklace in his right hand streched out straight in front of him. The third man he could not see. Bodwin's head swivelled to the left and right like a weather vane in a howling storm 'what to do, what to do,' he thought as the sweat dripped from his forehead, and his heart continuing to pump fire through him at an incredible pace. Take the necklace screeched a voice. Get the pendant screaked another. Now said a third. Bodwin's eyebrows furrowed as he grinned exposing his rotten teeth, moving two steps towards the man with the necklace he growled in a weak and wavering tone, “give the pendant back to the lady, theif!” The man smiled, “Come get it then!” Bodwin took two more steps toward the thief and everything went black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three

 

The sound of water trickling into a half-full bowl aroused him from unconsciousness. As his eyes opened, and the blurriness subsided he was treated to a warm and beautiful sight. A pretty young woman with light brown hair and brown eyes shrouded with concern, wearing a light green silk dress with intricate blue weavings, cut so low he could see a healthy pari of breasts. His eyes widened at the beauty. She smiled as she walked towards him, “So you are awake? Good!” she stopped at the left side of the large oak bed, leaned forward a little and said, “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to recover. How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Well... my head is a little sore. What happened?”

“You were very brave coming to my rescue like that.” She straightened up, placed her hands on her chest, and started swivelling at her hips, “I am happy to say that you managed to recover my necklace, and save my honour at the same time,” she said in the most pleasant voice he had ever heard; a light husky voice that seemed to ooze something sweeter than honey.

“I don't remember much after running into the alley. It all went black,” he said.

“Oh,” she said as she planted herself on the edge of the bed, “you were truly marvellous. However, you did receive a rather hard knock to the back of your head, which is why we brought you back here. May I ask who my hero is?”

He blushed, “I'm no hero,” he said, “I just saw a person in trouble and decided to act while there was still a chance.”

“Oh, I thought that was what a hero was!” she winked her left eye as her smile extended further towards her ears. He continued to blush and attempted to avert his eyes anywhere her ample breasts were not. He failed. She leaned in closer exposing more of herself, if that were possible.

“It would be nice to know your name,” she said in her sweeter than oozing honey husky voice, “I know heroes aren't supposed to give out their name....”

“I'm no hero,” he almost shouted, which caused a ringing in his head. She reached forward and cupped her hands around his face; he attempted to keep his eyes on the pendant, and failed.

Both of her hands were warm and cold at the same time, and caused a tremor, but the ringing and the tension vanished, clearing his mind and realigning his thoughts. As she released her hands he signed, “Since I'm no hero, its fine for me to tell you my name,” he said without blushing. 'What just happened' he thought as he started running his fingers in a claw like shape through his dirty blonde hair, 'what did she just do to me' he consciously checked his breath by breathing into his left hand and sniffing. He smiled and finally said, “I'm Bodwin,” in his most pleasant voice, which sounded more like a child trying to convince an adult that they hadn't done anything wrong.

She smiled, “That sounds like a fine name for my hero.” He blushed at her words and she just scrunched her nose and winked at his embarrassment. Her smile widened as she stood up and glided towards the window. While looking out into the street she asked, “Which part of the city do you live in?”

He tried to shrink into the bed sheets, “I have no where...”

She spun around before he could finish and asked, “What by the gods do you mean,” her eyes were wider than they should be and her voice sounded as if there was a pinch of shock in it. He tried to look away from her but found it useless.

“I don't want to talk about it,” he said in a sulky tone.

“Well,” she said while straightening her dress, “if you have nowhere to live I can most certainly do with the company.” Her smile returned, stretching across her face bringing a beauty that brough flutters to Bodwin's heart. He gulped, and attempted to sound calm and in control, “Are you serious?” he squeaked out, “You don't even know me!”

Blushing from the sound of his own voice, he tried to sink further under the covers. She just smiled wider and walked towards the bed, “It is the least I can do for the way you helped me out of that little fix.” She leaned forward, almost falling out of her dress, and in that husky honey drenched tone said, “I have a feeling that you will do me no harm.” He attempted to avert his eyes, but failed again. She continued to smile and straightened up, then walked back toward the window, turned to face him and sat on the sill. “You say that you saw someone in trouble and were acting while there was still a chance,” she dropped the smile. “Tell me why you would truly take that risk in this … terrible city. Isn't that a dangerous thing to do?”

He ajusted himself into a sitting position, looked her straight in the eyes, a difficult thing to do considering what she was almost not wearing.

“Those three men following you looked to be murderous. If any one of the wealthy is injured or killed in this part of the city, the Watch will come out in force. Many people will be beaten, some arrested and then used in the next day's worship session,” he said calmly, and