In Times To Come

Jolie and I left the shop, my new trinket in hand. The old shopkeeper’s words kept running through my head, “Take it and be careful.” ‘What did she mean by that? Was it Jolie that she was trying to warn me about?’ I looked to the man whose arm twisted snugly with mine. He didn’t seem like such a threat, just a shallow being leading an equally shallow life. You could blame that on his mother I suppose.

I almost felt bad for the man. While his brother grew up under the shadow of a king, he was forced to live a life with a murderer, but he seemed to love the woman, his mother. That was understandable. He would have had no other parental figure and she did seem to dote on him.

The two of us drew around another corner. The streets had emptied with the coming of night and the twilight sun left bursts of red on the small snow drifts that lined the road. The coat shielded me from the chill and our walk was steady as we made our way back to the carriage. Parking at the edge of town began to seem less and less appealing as my feet already ached from a day shopping.

“…around.” The voice snapped me from my thoughts.

“What did you say?” I asked Jolie. He looked down at me and crinkled his nose.

“Say? I didn’t say anything,” he answered.

“But I’m sure-”

“…around, Sara!” There it was again.

I watched the windows as we passed and looked for any figures hiding in the shaded alleys, but I saw nothing and no one. There was a strange tingling on my ear and I brought my free hand up to explore. As my fingers felt the smooth surface of the earring the voice sounded again, this time much clearer.

“Sara, turn around!”

Quickly I turned my head to look over my shoulder; nothing.

“Don’t go any further,” warned the voice.

“Why?” I asked aloud.

“Why, what?” Jolie was clearly confused.

“Trust me, “ and at that, I finally recognized the voice; the voice that sounded like sweet bells in my ear.

“Why would I do that?” I yelled at the air. Jolie let go of my arm and stared.

I waited for him to speak again, but he never did. How had I even heard him in the first place? There were no good hiding spots within earshot.

“Are you alright?” asked Jolie. I can imagine how insane I must have looked talking to no one.

‘What should I do?’ I could listen to him and turn around, or I could continue forward. What if there was a trap waiting for us back there? I didn’t want to get Jolie caught up in my affairs, no matter how much I disliked him.

“Let’s keep going,” I said while stepping ahead of him. He followed closely behind, but didn’t reach to take my arm back. Was this what the old woman had meant when she told me to be careful? I couldn’t understand. Was he really trying to help me or had he some other motive? The realization of my mistake didn’t come soon enough.

The houses disappeared behind us as we walked the last stretch of road toward the carriage. Any minute and we would be able to see the golden painted wheels and the two speckled horses stamping their feet out in an attempt to keep warm. Looking through the thick tree cover I saw neither carriage nor horse. Had we stopped farther down? Jolie gave me the answer as he tugged back on my shoulder. We stopped and listened.

“Lost, are we?” The two of us turned in unison toward the voice. A man, wielding an ax and wearing clothes of fur sauntered silently toward us, his footsteps muffled by the soft shoes on his feet. “That is some mighty fin garb you have there. It’s troubling to see people of your standard walking the streets alone. Hasn’t anyone warned you how dangerous places can get at night?”

At least a dozen other men revealed themselves from behind trees and shrubbery, all carrying their weapon of choice and laughing at the joke of their commander.

“Surely not in the capital,” spoke Jolie. “I assumed all the men here were honorably distinguished in some way or another.”

“Distinguished indeed,” remarked the elf. His men slowly encircled us. “But not so honorable.”

“I see.” Jolie tightened his grip on my shoulder and drew me closer. I may not have liked the man much, but I was glad for his presence now. “And what is it that we can do for you this evening?”

“Not much, really, but a man has to earn a living nowadays and good-paying work is mighty hard to find.”

“A job then, for you and you’re men?”

He laughed. “I have a job boy,” he answered. “Sirium, king of thieves, muggers, brutes, and hooligans. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”