A Knight's Path (The Path of Cinder Book 1) Page 5
Skorri nodded his head, “Aye, that he can. You two still aren’t talking to each other are you?”
The smaller boy frowned at the question, “What makes you say that?”
The giant teen laughed, “You got a thing or two to learn about hiding grudges. You and Warren haven’t said a word to each other in two weeks. And before you go denying anything Warren told me about it and why as well. I was just hoping you could figure it out between the two of you.”
Alden grimaced, “Well, it’s not your business if we settle anything.”
Skorri shrugged with one shoulder and turned towards the door, “Suit yourself. But he is your partner and communication is key to teamwork.”
Alden snorted, “John don’t say much either.”
The large boy nodded, “Aye, but I’m figuring out how to read him.”
The teen in question bit his lip and answered, “I talk. I just don’t say much to people.”
Alden cocked an eye brow as he followed Skorri out the door but didn’t say anything else. The main street of the Market was a crowded intersection. Alden noticed a woman haggling over a gold necklace. The merchant wanted twenty crowns for it. Twenty. The woman paid eighteen for it and the green eyed teen’s nosrils flared. Alden turned away before he said anything about the sheer opulence of the scene and flowed down the path Skorri’s massive figure cut in the crowd.
The trio went straight to a tailor so they could find clothes that weren’t issued by the Guard. Alden didn’t like all the looks he was getting from the people. Some were nice and seemed to like the uniform. Others were angry, hateful, and envious. The young man could understand why.
Alden and Skorri shopped off the racks of prepared clothes in the store while John went to the tailor himself. Both men favored simpler clothing although Skorri had a hard time finding anything in giant size. In the end Skorri ended up with two pairs of light pants and three black t shirts. Alden bought two pairs of heavy jeans made of a material he hadn’t seen before. When he asked the tailor the man said it was from a design from before the Cataclysm. He called it denim.
With the denim pants in hand two short sleeved grey shirts and a leather duster Alden stepped into the changing room after paying one crown for everything. The prices in the capitol were infalted beyond compare and the green eyed man scowled as he handed oer the money.
Alden stepped back into the main room, bag under one arm with his coat over his other shoulder. Skorri changed after he did and John bought one outfit from the racks and ordered two more. The wealthier boy ended up paying a crown for the single outfit he bought and six more for the ones he ordered. Skorri reappeared wearing his shirt and light grey pants and John changed into a deep red shirt with black trim and a collar. A pair of pants that were dyed black with a red line running down one side. He left his boots on though.
Skorri slapped the pair on their backs and laughed, “I think it’s time to find us a meal and a strong drink. Who’s with me?”
Alden cocked an eyebrow and replied, “Skorri, it’s only 11. Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?”
The large teen shook his head and answered, “Nay, it’s never to early to start drinking. It’s just a little early to get drunk. A little buzz never hurt anyone though.”
John rolled his eyes as Skorri laughed and Alden shook his head, “Let’s go then.”
Skorri led the way out of the tailor and onto the street. Each teen had a package under their arm containing a mixture of new clothing and their uniforms. The uniforms served a purpose, but out on the street they attracted too much attention for Alden’s taste. The young man pulled the duster on over his shirt and followed his giant friend through the streets again. The long coat had been dark brown but had faded over time. It hung to just above Alden’s knee.
Alden paused along with John as Skorri took a deep breath outside a tavern called The Weeping Oak. The giant let out his breath and said, “Don’t that smell wonderful.”
Skorri moved into the tavern while the others followed. Alden couldn’t smell much of anything but he was at least half sure Skorri at least half knew what he was doing. This couldn’t be completely awful. As it was, the tavern was dark and Alden felt it was dingy. Most of the patrons sitting around at the tables seemed worn, with their clothes covered in various forms of filth and their eyes were dark from long hours. Laborers, probably fresh from work on lunch.
Skorri strode toward the bar but John leaned over toward Alden to whisper, “Are you getting the same vibe I am?”
Alden bit back a shot of anger at the suspicion and he replied, “No, I’m not. Let’s get over there with Skorri.”
John reached the bar right after Skorri and Alden took the seat on the other side of the giant. Skorri had ordered for them in the ten seconds it has taken them to reach the bar and before Alden knew it he had a plate of ham, biscuits and mashed potatoes in front of him beside a mug of ale. Skorri waved Alden off when he offered to pay and said, “Eat, this is on me.”
Alden tucked into his food and realized just how hungry he was. The young man was hesitant to drink the ale because his father had never let him drink.The young man watched Skorri down one mug and then the other of the dark liquid and finally Alden lifted his mug and drank. It burned the backof his throat but tasted decent enough. Once he got past the initial bitter taste. Something told Alden it wasn’t good ale.
Twenty minutes later Alden was full and his head was swimming in a very pleasant way. He had drank one mug and was working on a second. John’s eyes were vacant but Skorri’s were still clear and he smirked at his partner and then saw Alden watching him. The giant’s grin stretched some and he said, “You hold yours a little better then him.”
Alden grinned and swung his focus back to his mug and took another gulp. He finished the second mug and waved off an offer for a third. Skorri drank a fourth and then stood, helping John to his feet, “Up we go, we can finish up later tonight.”
John grunted in response and Skorri led the man out the door. The rest of the day wasn’t planned for. The giant decided it would be a good time to head back to the Wall to drop off John and Alden remembered the letter he had to deliver. The pair made plans to meet back up at 6 at The Weeping Oak and Alden offered the large teen his packages. Skorri took them and gave Alden directions to the post office which the shorter teen forgot as soon as he heard them.
An hour and a half, five wrong turns and two sets of forgotten directions later Alden stepped through the doors and into the post office. Mailing the letter cost him three scepters which was outlandish. Back home mailing a letter cost a few pennies although the young man did pay for extra insurance if the carrier got robbed. Alden moved back out onto the street and looked up at the sun. It was about two o’clock and the Market had thinned out. It seemed like most business was done early in the morning and then the people retired to their homes for the afternoon hours. The streets were still crowded, just not packed elbow to elbow.
The young man started to drift through the Market and found himself approaching Low Town. Something about the grittier atmosphere appealed to the young man and he felt a tension ease as he moved among the people with dirty pants and shirts, hands covered in callouses. Alden knew his clothing stood out to these people. He could tell from the way they watched him. They were nervous and the young man understood why.
He pulled his duster closer around him as someone rushed down the street in the opposite direction. Alden spun out of the way of the young woman, and her two pursuers. They were young men dressed in finer clothing, lower Nobility or rich Merchants from the looks of them but the look Alden had seen on the young woman’s face was one of pure, overwhelming, terror.
Alden’s mind made itself up before he could think and his legs moved. He caught up as the pair cornered the woman in a dead end side alley. The one had her pinned against the wall with his hand over her mouth. Alden f
elt his mouth go dry and then anger flooded his system.
Before he knew what he was doing Alden’s mouth opened, “Hey, let go of her, you bastard!”
The two young men looked at Alden and the one pinning the girl against the wall snarled, “Leave, rat. My friend and I were just about to have some fun with the lass here.”
Alden’s hands clenched into fists and he growled, “Leave. Now.”
The chief thug snorted, “Take care of him.”
His friend was happy to oblige and he moved towards Alden, cracking his knuckles, with a cocky grin plastered across his face. Alden lunged forward first and his fist slammed into his would be attacker’s face, wiping the grin off of it. A second punch connected with his stomach and a third across the jaw sent him sprawling to the ground. Alden continued forward, grabbing the other teen by the back of his shirt and dragging him away from the woman and tossing him back down the alley.
The young man fell to the ground and rolled back to his feet. His friend got back up rubbing his jaw. Alden grit his teeth and lunged forward again, not allowing any conscious thought for the moment. He slammed shoulder first into the cronie and knocked him back to the ground. The chief thug punched Alden across the face for his effort but Alden didn’t feel the pain as it flared through his jaw.
He spun and punched the thug in the face twice before being tackled by the one he had knocked down a second time. Punches started landing on Alden’s face and after about the fourth hit the pain broke through the uncontrollable rage he was in. Pain flooded him as his tender eye was blackened again and then it stopped after the fifth hit. Alden lunged back to his feet as the weight on his chest was lifted.
Warren tossed the attacker who had been on Alden aside and was punched by the other. Alden returned the favor and started battering away at the lead thug while Warren handled the other. A few minutes later the rich pair of scumbags fled the alley way with bruised ribs and missing teeth.
Alden had a black eye again and a few bruises. Warren’s jaw was sore where he had been punched but the teen was mostly unscathed. The shorter of the pair turned his attention back to the girl, “You alright?”
She nodded from where she was sitting in the back of the alley and that was when Alden noticed her ears. They were pointed and then he noticed the whorls of lighter skin around her eyes. She was an elf. Alden blinked twice to make sure his eyes were working and they were. The young man had always thought elves, being who lived to be 200 years old and aged at half the rate of a human, were just a myth. But here one was.
Alden broke his stare away and stood, offering the elf his hand, “Here, let me help you.”
The elfin woman stood on her own and darted out of the alley as fast as she could. Alden didn’t bother chasing her. She was frightened and had been assaulted and then witnessed a brawl. Odds were she just wanted to get home and Alden couldn’t blame her.
Alden stood and moved towards the mouth of the alley, offering Warren a sheepish grin, “Thanks. I, well, they probably would have beaten me unconscious if you hadn’t shown up.”
Warren shrugged, “I’m just happy I could make things up to you this time.”
The smaller teen’s grin became a bit more relaxed and he pinched his nose, “Yeah, I been a real dick lately.”
Warren smacked a hand on Alden’s back, “I deserved it. Let’s get out of here though. This is a rough part of town.”
Alden hesitated at those words but shook off the stab of irritation. The town wasn’t rough. The people weren’t rough. It just attracted bad people because the guard wasn’t there and most people were dirty and deemed untrustworthy when they went to the Guard. But Warren didn’t know any of that and Alden let it go.
The husky teen led the way out of the alley and Alden almost walked into Elise as he rounded the corner. Enzo was standing just behind her and Alden asked, “What are you two doin’ here?”
Elise smiled at him, “We spent the day with Warren and he saw you dart into the alleyway and followed you in. Are you alright?”
Alden brought his hand to his face unconsciously and then offered a smirk, “As well as you could expect.”
Enzo pushed off the wall and the four started walking back towards the Market. Elise looked over at Alden again and said, “I’m surprised you’d stick your neck out for an elf like that.”
The young man frowned, “I didn’t know she was an elf at first but what does that matter?”
Enzo answered in a dry tone, “Elves aren’t citizens of the Kingdom. They aren’t like us.”
Alden’s eyes darted over to Enzo, “In what way?”
The youth replied calmly, “They don’t have children of their own. They steal ours and turn them into elves.”
The teen’s twin huffed and she reprimanded her brother, “That’s just a child’s tale. Elves have children, just not as often as humans do.”
Enzo droned, “Have you ever seen an elfin child?”
Elise rolled her eyes, knowing her brother wouldn’t be convinced and Enzo continued, “Exactly, that and they suck the life out of grown men and women to live longer and become young again.”
Alden cocked an eyebrow, “How do you know all of this?’
Enzo shrugged, “Same way you know water flows downhill.”
Alden opened his mouth to argue but Elise made a motion for him to not encourage Enzo. Alden’s mouth snapped shut and he was left wondering where Enzo had gotten such ridiculous ideas. Or were they ridiculous. That was the first elf he had ever seen and if half the stories were true they possessed magic no human could ever wield. They could make plants come to life and command the beasts of the forests. They could split an arrow with another arrow at a hundred yards while sprinting. The young man shook the thoughts away and decided he would worry about it later if at all. He had met one elf in his lifetime and would probably only meet a handful of others.
Warren spoke from ahead of them, “What did you have planned for the rest of the evening?”
Alden snapped his attention back to his partner and then answered, “I told Skorri I’d meet him at this tavern later at 6. You all can come to if you want.”
Elise smiled, “Sure we will. It’ll be fun.”
Enzo grunted in reply and Warren just bobbed his head in agreement. Alden’s mouth formed a lopsided grin as he took the lead toward The Weeping Oak.
Chapter 14 The Weeping Oak
Alden led the group to a tavern on the lower end of the Market. Warren’s brow furrowed at the sight of it. This part of the Market was known for cheap goods and rough patrons. He swallowed his distaste though and followed Alden into the dim bar room. The main floor was spacious enough but Warren would have preferred better lighting. The patrons were rough. They were dirty and they stayed hunched, like they didn’t want to be seen. The large teen stuck close to his friend as he moved through the room.
The young man found Skorri within a few minutes of their arrival, the teen with his dirty blonde hair and massive frame stuck out like a sore thumb. The big man had a red mark across his face like he’d been punched but he still smiled that broad grin of his and shouted across the room, “Flint! I was wondering when you’d get here! And I see you found friends!”
Alden smirked and moved to join Skorri, Elise falling into step between Warren and his partner. The husky youth glanced down at her and followed along, jumping as Skorri caught Warren in a bear hug. The blonde giant smelled a lot like cheap ale but Warren returned the hug and tried to crush Skorri’s ribs as the giant tried to crush Warren’s.
The pair released a moment later with sore chests and all the breath gone out of them. Enzo settled for Skorri’s powerful grip and Elise hugged him from the side so Skorri could only reach her with one of his massive arms. It was easier to preserve ribs that way.
Skorri slapped Alden on the back and shouted, “We ne
ed four more specials out here! You’re just in time. They have music at 7 tonight and that means we’ll have a chance to woo the ladies.”
The giant laughed as he elbowed Alden in the side, almost knocking him over and then the large boy noticed Elise and coughed, “Uhhhh, no offense to the lady of course.”
Elise smirked, “You didn’t offend me. But every lady in this bar heard you.”
Skorri seemed to shrink at that and the dinners came out a moment later. Five large bowls of stew with bread and corn and a mug of ale for every one of them. Warren took a sip of his ale and grimaced, it was very cheap ale, but he drank it anyway. The stew was good but not incredible. The place was about what Warren had expected, cheap and dingy.
Alden drank his first mug quickly and his second just as smooth. Warren wasn’t much of a drinker and he knew it. The big man downed one mug of the cheap ale and started to work on a second. Elise drank one and then stopped. Enzo seemed to make it his personal mission to match Skorri drink for drink. Needless to say the former blacksmith passed out after the sixth mug. Skorri had long since lost most of his senses and began to refer to Warren by the name ‘Ulfrik’.
As Alden finished his third the music started and Skorri nudged Warren with his elbow and leaned over and said in a loud whisper, “Hey, Ulfrik, why dontcha ask Hilde to dance?”
Warren shook his head as the band started to play a lively tune the sober teen thought was unfit for dancing and he replied, “Skorri, I’m not a dancer. Besides, my name is Warren.”
Skorri looked the other way and then back at Warren, “Don’t start that again, Ulf. Now get up and dance before someone else does. She’s moving.”
Warren followed Skorri’s gaze straight to Elise. Alden was with her and he had a look on his face that said he wasn’t sure about this but it might be fun. Skorri snorted, “Bah. Look at what happened now. You waited and now Sven is dancing with her.”
The big boy put his hand on the blonde giant’s shoulder, “Skorri, you’ve had too much to drink. Maybe we should head back to the Wall?”