Chapter 4 First Task

Third person POV's

Elara woke up even before the sun was about to rise and her body was full of doubts. The blanket of her rented room, which was very thin, didn’t give her any warmth, and her thoughts were cold too. Working with Dorian, a man she didn’t know much and whose darkness was even more than the streets of Ashvale, she had agreed to it only by herself.

Was this just a survival or her first step to fall?

When she went out, the morning fog was still there and it was curling low on the cobblestones. The city was very peaceful now and there wasn’t any kind of chaos for merchants and beggars. Only a few people were walking far and their figures were not very clear because of the dim light of a sun that was not eager to come out.

That is where he was standing. Dorian was standing at the entrance, and it looked like he was the owner of the entire street as he was casually leaning against the lamppost with his dark cloak, which seemed to be taking in the fog itself, and when his eyes met hers she felt like captured, a bird realizing the sky was its cage.

"You are very early," he only said.

"I could not sleep," she answered.

He took a long look at her and then gave a nod. "Well. You will have to be very alert."

None of them spoke while they were walking. Elara went on the tracks with him, the alleys were close and winding like veins, they passed the closed shops and the smell of the rain that had fallen last night. At one time they came by a wall that was covered with weird signs deeply etched in the rock, signs which she did not know but which made her spine tingle.

She decelerated. "What exactly are those?"

"Warnings," Dorian replied without looking at her. "Don't stop here alone, that's a rule."

Her instinct was to ask him more, but his tone silenced her. It wasn’t long before they got to an old warehouse by the docks. The building was so out of plumb it looked like it was literally holding the weight of the secrets of the past centuries in its timbers. The air in there was damp and metallic. There were crates piled up to the ceiling that covered the floor with their long shadows.

“Help me move these,” Dorian said, pointing at a row of heavy boxes with his hand.

Elara pushed the first one with her shoulder. It didn’t move easily, much heavier than it appeared. She clenched her teeth, and was able to shift it bit by bit. A noise came out of the box as she did. Deep. Animal-like. Something alive.

Her heart stopped. "What—”

“Don’t ask.” Dorian’s voice was like a knife, it was his last word. His hand covered the lid, firm and unrelenting. “Just do as I say.”

The quiet that followed was more intense than the fog that had settled outside. Minutes went by, and the only sound was the dragging of the crates against the cold stone floor as they continued moving them one by one.

Elara had sweat dripping from her forehead, her arms were shaking due to the heavy work. She was so eager to ask what was going on that if her eyes were not on Dorian’s face she would have spoken out. However his look was enough to tell her that she was not going to get the answers. Not yet.

Suddenly footsteps reverberated around the warehouse.

Their rough faces and weapons in hand, three men arrived near the entrance, their faces that were previously unreadable now lit up with the kind of smile that probably simulated the spread of poison or oil. “New help, Dorian?” one of them joked while looking at Elara. “I’ve never known that you liked company.”

Elara’s heart was in her throat. She stepped backward while Dorian staying put. When he turned his eyes toward them his stare was icy and cutting like a dagger. It seemed like the air was freezing itself around them.

The burglars didn’t say anything, but their body language indicated that they were not at ease and their smiles slowly disappeared. One of them, who was closest to the wall, spat onto the floor. “Then, go on.” And with that, they retreated into the darkness again.

Elara didn’t exhale until the noise of their footsteps had disappeared.

By noon, the work was done at the cost of that her muscles are sore due to the heavy lifting. Dorian gave her a coin pouch. “For today.”

Elara grabbed it with her fingers, the heaviness being both comforting and frightening. She had done it right, she had made it. However, what kind of mess had she gotten herself into? She wanted to leave the room immediately, but couldn't help hearing a whisper by the docks. Two men, cloaked and hushed, their voices carrying just enough.

“The Hunter Guild knows. The girl’s with Dorian now.”

“They’ll test her before the full moon.”

Elara’s blood turned ice cold. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she understood, this was not her job. This was a trap that was tightening around her, and she didn't see it until it was too late.