Frozen in Time

Hideout

(Due to many unfortunate events of the past year, the story will be going through some changes to fit the guide lines of Starry and to add more content/detail of each chapter. I ask that you please be patient with me and the story updates. I highly encourage positive feedback.)

Night had fallen by the time the storyteller had finished the tale. The entire tavern erupted in cheers and applause bringing a wide smile to the storyteller's face. Many villagers flocked to him, firing off questions filled to the brim of curiosity, wanting more details of the tale. Many were turned away, disappointed that he didn’t give them more information. He looked at each person that asked him a question, moving from one side to the other till our eyes met. He paused for a brief moment as his eyes shifted a different color then back. Only I had noticed this small change as the crowd started getting restless when their questions were not being answered fast enough. When he turned to look at the next person, I took that as my cue to leave. There was something about him that was unsettling. Almost as if we would see each other again. Fated more like.

Stepping into the cool night air felt good and even more so as I breathed it deeply into my core sending chilled throughout me. The night has always been my favorite time. Very few people stay out in the night, except for times like this when there's something worth being out in the dark. Normally the villagers lock their doors and barricade their windows, lay in bed sleeping deeply dreaming of only what they know. For a few rotten souls, it was easy pickings. It was a treasure trove of stealing and murdering. That is if you planned on coercing with the shadows of the night.

Lost in thought, I started aimlessly walking around, enjoying this small bit of freedom. I stopped in my tracks as something, more of someone, caught my attention. I slipped a dagger from its sheath located on my thigh quickly and smoothly. Slowly and carefully, I approached what caught my attention. The closer I got the more I could hear faint laughter, almost as if someone was trying to hold it in but couldn’t. As soon as I saw a black hood, I threw my dagger precisely making it stick next to him in the wall. “Bloody hell! Are you trying to kill me Val?” He said gasping as I walked up close enough to feel his breath swirl around my face as I reached my hand up to grab the dagger.

“Depends. What were you trying so hard not to laugh about?” I said, staring deep into his mesmerizing eyes, penetrating through to his soul. He sighed as he leaned back and rubbed his face in humiliating defeat, “Well, my goal was to spook you. I’d say I was successful in my attempt.” He smirked until I pulled the dagger from the wall letting the cold metal side of the dagger glide along his cheek, placing it back in its home. The look on his face of horror and lust made me burst into a fit of laughter. “Oops,” I said as I pushed my hips closer into his groin as his breath became quicker. My laughter echoed in the alleyway as he glared down at me only making me laugh harder. I knew how to get under Tanner's skin, and I loved every minute of it.

Tanner is a Shadow Informant or Shi for short. Shi are very rare and highly wanted. Shi train for years learning to become just as their occupation says, a shadow. It's their greatest weapon as well as weakness. Shi are spies, not typically assassins. They collect data for whoever owns them or gives them enough money. Most are forced into servitude and only a lucky few are free to roam.

I found Tanner by accident. He was broken and on the verge of death. I never asked who he was or what he did when I took him home and nursed him to good health. When he had recovered enough to be awake for a while, he told me of what had happened to him and how he had came to be there. I made a lifelong friend on that day. Because of what he is, I protected his secret and offered him a job in the Order of the Moon Raven as an “assassin” to keep him from harm's way. At first, he refused, worried that it would give him away to those who hunted Shi. But after days of torment and persuasion, eventually he agreed to the job which leads us back to the present moment.

I backed away a few steps before asking, “I’m going to assume there is a reason as to why you are here?”

“Of course there is. A gentleman came in offering a contract of a lifetime today. Would I be correct in assuming that you’ll be wanting it?” He said as he circled behind me.

“Before I answer that question, how much is he offering as a reward?”

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Enough to leave this place a hundred times over.” My eyes widened at his answer.

This was it. I would finally be free from this dreadful place and once I left, I’d never come back. There was one problem though. I hadn’t been back to the Order of the Moon Raven in years, not since Johnathan passed. This was an encounter I wasn’t ready for and probably never would be.

I turned to thank Tanner, but he had left while I was deep in thought. Leaving me in the alley by myself. Oh well. The first thing I needed to do was rest. I would need all my energy tomorrow if I planned on surviving long enough to leave for good.

***Afternoon the next day***

I stood there staring at the old decrepit warehouse letting the smell of moss and rot fill my lungs with it. So many memories came flooding back, filling me to the brim with laughter and sadness, forcing me to fight tears back. There was no avoiding coming here if I wanted that contract. With such a high price, I would have to claim it in person for safety reasons. Tanner had been bringing me contracts that paid for not only my needs but his as well. Simple and easy one. Since Tanner was a Shi, he didn’t really fight which is where I came in. I would complete the contract and he would turn it in and collect the reward. When he wasn’t off doing personal business, he would stay with me in the spare room.

Shortly after the war, Jonathan created the Order of the Moon Raven. Creating the Order was not very difficult when King Ignius removed every law and regulation letting chaos reign throughout the land. Murder and theft became common. Lies, deceit, and snoodyness became the new language in which people spoke and acted. Keeping the place running was a difficult task, but after a while the Order became known, thriving on orderly chaos. Jonathan was my mentor. He raised me since, well, forever. He taught me everything I needed to know from reading to fighting, even to dance and act like a noble.

Anyways, he passed away a few years back from old age. It was the last day I stepped foot in the Order of the Moon Raven. He lived honestly, compassionately, and fiercely. After his death, the Order moved in a different direction that included low life scum, who started tarnishing the reputation of the Order. It was feared and respected, now it was a joke.

I took a deep breath before opening the doors and stepping into the dimly lit room. I wished so much to be back home snuggled up in my blankets reading books or driving my blades into a poor, yet stupid, soul watching as they bleed out in front of me.

A few members gave me glances of hunger as I made my way to the bar. I could see in their eyes the blood lust of strangling me or cutting me open. This was nothing new and they did it to every person who walked in. These idiots would puff their chest to see who had bigger balls by making others feel intimidated as if they were the big bad wolf. A professional assassin, or bounty hunter, can keep control of their ego, unlike these dolts. There were a few faces that were familiar.

I really don’t blame them for trying. In their eyes, I look like a small frail young boy who joined out of desperation. I hide my figure under loose maneuverable clothing and keep my hair length just above my shoulders. If I walked in here looking like a girl, I would be bombarded by everyone and possibly claimed as a trophy to be taken over and over again till there was no life left in me. It is very rare to see a woman alone, most are escorted by a family member or their husbands. There are times, rarely, when a group of women travel together. We are seen as nothing but cattle, ready to birth and clean for men.

I stopped to look at some of the contract postings, earning me a few chuckles which I easily ignored before finally taking a seat at the bar. I waved my hand to let the bartender know I was ready to order. When he finished with his current customer he approached, “What can I get you?” “I’d like a moon cake and a shot of Raven,” I said loud enough only he could hear. “Your food and drink will be here in a few minutes.” He said before turning to tell the cook to make the cake. He filled a few drinks up for some members before returning to me with the Raven shot and moon cake. The cake was sickeningly white, gooey, and cold, whereas the drink was bitter and burned going down. The signature order of elite members. I paid the bartender. I stood up from the chair, took the shot, and grabbed my cake before exiting the bar.