Part 3 of the adventures of Ziona of Asgoroth
Part 1: https://steemit.com/novelette1/@themagus/creative-writing-a-collaborative-novelette
Part 2: https://steemit.com/writing/@mrprofessor/creative-writing-a-collaborative-novelette-or-part-2
He moves slowly through the bushes. It is dark and it suits his mission. He can see his target down in the valley, fires burning and men moving around. Some are watchmen standing guarde while others sit around the fires. The evening is cold and he longs for the warmth of the fires, but not tonight. Tonight’s mission is more important than his comfort.
Aitan is one of Zarrot’s best sentinels who serves under Ortis. Like Ortis, he is also the family-select to serve the king as a skilled warrior. His path crossed with Ortis’s on the North-South trading route where they both were seeking adventure. The two of them became friends after he saved Ortis who was trapped between two large lions without his horse. It did not take a lot of convincing to get him to join Zarrot’s sentinels where he became the second in charge in Ortis’s group.
Being part of Zarrot’s village, Aitan became a regular in Daewron’s house as his family live too far away in a village which will take days to reach. During these visits, Aitan’s eyes fell on Ziona. Her beauty and strength fascinated him and he regularly found a reason to spend more time with her. He finds it easy to talk to her and when he makes her laugh, her laughter sounds like music which lights up the whole environment.
Ziona was wide awake when someone touches her should. Her hand automatically grab the hilt of the sword laying next to. “Quiet girl”, a voice whisper. “You can let go of the sword”. Darkness is wrapped around her and she cannot see anything. When she tried to reach for the candle, a hand stopped her movement. Whoever it is, he can see better in the dark than she. “Follow me. We don’t have a lot of time”. She needs to think fast. Friend or foe? Her options are limited. If he wanted to harm her, he could have done it already.
She throws one of her blankets around her shoulders to keep the cold at bay and put on her shoes. When the voice urged her on again she shuffles in its direction. Outside the moonless night only reveals the silhouette of her mysterious guide as they now move faster between the houses of the village. She notices that they are moving in the direction of the Old Town. The part of town which was built and inhabited by the Old People. It was destroyed after a great war so far back that no knowledge exists if it. It was only the ruins to testify of the Old People who disappeared from history. She wishes Ortis was here. As a trained warrior he would have known how to handle the unexpected. But he is away on the mission to the front to gather information about the enemy and so was Aitan….
They enter the ruins and she looked cautiously around expecting one of the beasts which the rumours in the village said lived here. The darkness lay quiet on the ruins as her mysterious guide leads her carefully over the rubble of the old houses. Deep in the Old Town, they stop in front of a door. She notices light shining from underneath it. The knock of her guide sounds like a code. After a few moments of silence, the door slowly swings open. A hooded figure stands before them. With a movement of his hand, he motioned to them to follow him. Their path goes down a steep staircase. After endless steps they reach which looked to Ziona can be at the bottom. As they walk she can make out walls in the light of the hooded figure’s lamp. It looks like they are following a path through a complicated maze. As they turn another corner a weak light appears before them.
They entered a room where more hooded figures sit around a table. It looks like they are deep in discussion. As her little group step into the light, the conversation ceases and the hooded figure turned to look at them. One stands up and pushes his hood back. Ziona gasp in surprise. Before her stand the king of Asgoroth.
The king smiles at her and indicates for her to take a seat at the table. The smile makes her feel more comfortable, but she still looks at the hooded figure at the table with suspicion. Slowly she steps forward and sits on the empty chair indicated by the king. “Welcome to our meeting, Ziona”, the king addresses her in a pleasant voice. “I need to apologise for bringing you her in the middle of the night, but it is urgent”. She gives him a weak smile back. “There is a spy in our mids which we need to find before it is too late for our forces. How well do you know Aitan?”