Chapter 4
In the silence that claimed the port at night, Anelize’s footsteps sounded entirely too loud even as she treaded through the thick blankets of snow gathering around her.
Her eyes scanning for any sign of her sister was only overruled when she heard the trailing voices of Watchmen nearby, all of them out on patrol.
She’d made her way past the main road, watching for the warm glow of their torches dancing along the walls of homes wherever they went.
Sticking to the narrower streets that led toward the market square, her heart thundered as her eyes frantically scanned for any sign of Enid.
She silently hoped her sister had kept herself hidden in the shadows before any Watchmen spotted her.
If they suspected she was a Vedran, if what lurked in the cover of night found her first…
Panic started to sink its greedy teeth into her. The mere thought of Enid being harmed—no, she did not want to think about it. Knowing that losing herself in worries and possibilities that may never come into fruition was a waste of time, she pressed on.
Enid was careful and smart regardless of how often her heart was the true ruler of her desires and wishes.
Anelize would never be able to imagine a world where Enid wasn’t in it, let alone her meeting a similar fate as their father had.
It wasn’t something she’d ever allowed herself to think, not with the way they’d always been careful.
Always so careful. At times, Anelize wondered if she’d been austere with her sister when it came to protecting her.
If she’d frightened her over the years with her constant warnings.
Her lectures on the importance of hiding from the world.
The same way their father had ingrained his own worries within Anelize.
But what else could she have done at only eleven name days, taking on the responsibility of taking care of a child when she’d been one herself?
Survival was the only option they could be afforded when their aunt proved all but useless herself when it came to caring for them.
Anelize thought Enid knew why she was always so insistent on staying out of trouble. Clearly, she’d failed if this was the result.
She needed to find her. There would be time to worry about everything else later.
The faintest sound of rushing footsteps made her pause, pressing herself closer to the shadows gathered around a closed merchant’s stall.
Peering around it, she spotted shadows moving down a street to the far right.
The sound of men speaking, angry and impatient, somewhere nearby.
They soon turned into distant murmurs as they ventured farther away toward the other side of the square.
Releasing a breath, she pushed away from the stall, continuing her journey across the market.
The Dobrins’ tavern was one of the tallest structures in the port district, located just on the other side of the market.
From here she could see the thatched roof, the faint glow of candlelight emanating from one of the windows.
Please be there.
She managed to make it just past half the square when she heard it.
The sound of feet scuffling coming from the darkened alleyway to her left, voices arguing too faint to distinguish.
Turning to face the darkened alleyway before her, her heart began thundering in her chest. A distinct sense, a pulsing warning humming in her chest that became impossible to ignore.
A call she knew not to disregard, out of instinct or sheer panic.
It was an effort not to sink her nails into the palms of her hands in answer.
Regardless, she could see it.
A faint light emanating from the darkness. Swirling tendrils urging her forward before they faded away, like whispers caught and whisked away on a wind.
Flexing her hands, Anelize hurried into the alley—fear already coiling its way up her throat with what she might find—when she came to an abrupt halt at the sight before her.
Amidst the shadows, a man dressed in a black cloak loomed over a woman, standing a breath away from her as he held a dagger in one hand.
Enid’s golden hair and her tear-filled eyes as she gazed upon the man before her had Anelize rushing toward them, fueled by an acute need that ignited her entire being.
She called out, “Hey!”
He barely managed to angle his head toward her before she threw a fist as hard as she could, her knuckles meeting his face with a hard, meaty thump.
Pain bloomed over her hand instantly at the same time she heard the crunch of bone.
The man stumbled backward until his back hit the wall, clutching his face as he sank to the ground with a muffled curse spilling from his lips.
“Anya!” Enid cried out in surprise, rushing to her side.
Anelize wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace as she kissed the top of Enid’s head out of sheer relief. “You foolish girl. What were you thinking?” She cupped her face in her hands as she assessed her for any damage. “Are you hurt?”
Enid shook her head, eyes shining as she took her in. As if she couldn’t believe that she was here. As if it didn’t come as second nature for Anelize to follow wherever she went. “I’m fine. It’s not my blood. It’s his…”
They both glanced toward the man who was struggling to sit up, clearly in a great deal of pain. Anelize looked to where his hand was covering his abdomen, blood oozing from between his fingers. Taking advantage of his distraction, Anelize gripped Enid’s hand and pulled her closer. “Let’s go.”
She began guiding her away from the alley when Enid suddenly stopped her.
“Wait, Anya! He needs a healer.” Anelize arched an incredulous brow at her sister, seeing the worry and sincerity so clear on her face toward a man who had her pressed against a wall just moments ago.
Enid continued, “He wasn’t going to harm me!
I heard the Watchmen coming through the square and I was sure they’d have found me.
They very nearly did when he helped me hide. ”
Anelize said, her words full of trepidation, “More reason why we shouldn’t get involved. We’re already risking ourselves enough as it is. You know exactly the kind of people who linger past sundown. If they find us—”
Enid grabbed Anelize’s hand and tugged her hard before she could head for the end of the alleyway.
A stubborn look appearing on her face as she said, “You always said that father never once turned down a person in need regardless of who they were. No matter how undeserving they may have been. And you don’t either, I know you don’t.
I’ve seen it enough times to know it no matter how often you feign disinterest. If we turn our backs on him now, we’re no better than Magda. ”
Anelize gritted her teeth, glaring down at her sister who did her best to do the same even if it only served to strike a trickle of affection within her.
She did not understand this sense of urgency to defend a man she hardly knew, though it was hardly a surprise given how easily Enid would choose someone else’s survival over her own if need be.
Glancing over her shoulder to the man, she noticed he was still conscious, though he wasn’t moving much anymore, making no attempt to stand.
Given the blood pooling on the ground around him, she wasn’t sure if he’d be able to at this rate.
The hopeful gleam in Enid’s eyes, their father’s eyes, made Anelize’s usually unshakable resolve finally crumble, leaving her with only one thing to do.
“Why must you be such a martyr?” Anelize said with a sigh.
Enid smiled at her, clearly knowing she had won this little battle of wills. “I’m not sure you’re one to talk about martyrdom.”
They clearly had much to discuss. But now was not the time. She was only happy to have found Enid when she had, that had to be enough.
Anelize turned and approached the man, kneeling before him. “Where are you hurt?”
The man was breathing heavily, clearly in too much pain to form so much as a sentence. Hiding beneath the shadows of the hood pulled over his head, where she could only see the sharp line of his jaw, his prominent if bloodied nose, and lips twisted into a grimace.
Finally, his voice a deep amused huff, he said, “Everywhere now, thanks to you. I think you might have managed to bruise my pride as well.”
Anelize gave him a twisted smile. “If you’re worried about your pride, I’m sure you’ll be perfectly fine in no time.” She glanced down to his hand still clutching his side. “I can help you, but if you try to hurt me or my sister, I will leave you here without a second’s hesitation.”
The man nodded. Clearly, there was merit to what Enid had said. He didn’t seem to want to harm either of them. For now…
There were only a few people who ever wandered the streets of Elvir at this hour. Cutthroats desperate for any measly ruen, or beggars with little left to lose, or the Vedrans who lurked in the darkness. The question was, which one would he reveal himself to be in the end?
“Let me see,” she urged, reaching for the man’s cloak to move it aside.
Through his dark tunic, she could see the blood oozing from a large wound on his side, making the fabric stick to his abdomen.
It wasn’t shallow and the injury would clearly need more than stitches to close it fully.
Which meant they needed to do so before he lost any more blood, soon.
“How bad is it?” Enid asked from over her shoulder.
“Bad enough that I can’t do anything here without the necessary tools.” She glanced at the man, noting the way the blood in his face had all but drained. “Can you walk?”
A sharp smile came to her in answer first, as if the man found dying or the prospect of it wholly amusing. That made one of them. “Yes…or at the very least, I can try.”
“That’s good enough. Enid, come over here and help me.”
It truly looked like no one was going to allow her a single moment of peace tonight.