Finding (The Way) Home

The Market: Chapter 10

It was a normal morning so far, besides the fact I was up at the butt crack of dawn, have colored eye contacts in my eyes, and am being herded towards a shuttle at the edge of the palace lawns. Maybe I should start at the beginning.

I was rudely awoken by Lark shaking my shoulders, intent on getting me up as quick as he could. Given that it was before sunrise and I had ended up going to bed very late last night, I was not easy to rouse. And my confusion of the early morning wake-up was only heightened by the fact that a lump of cloth was thrown at me by Noren who was rifling through my closet as Lark woke me up.

Lark and Noren were wearing similar outfits, both changed out of guard uniforms. Lark was wearing simple brown pants and a blue shirt. Noren much the same but with a cream-colored shirt, with an added vest. Lark seemed fine with his choice, but Noren was tugging at his shirt and vest unhappily.

"What in the world is going on? How did you manage to get in here?" I ask, getting up and shoving the blankets aside.

"Noren somehow, now get up!" Lark says, a grin spreading across his face.

"And why am I doing that before sunrise? You were right there with me when I was up until one in the morning," I point out, referring to the extremely late dinner/party the other night.

"Yeah, but that's why today is perfect! Everyone will understand if you say you don't feel well and probably feel bad themselves. This way you won't be missed!" Lark says and Noren sighs.

"Noren, can you please explain?" I ask, turning from Lark to try and get a straight answer.

"Lark is convinced that taking you into the city is a good idea, without any guards or escorts," Noren comments and seems quite annoyed by this fact.

"I'm guessing you're not the biggest fan of that idea?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"There is too much risk. Any number of things could happen to you," He says, still rifling through the closet.

"Noren just worries. And you should be able to see the city with out a squad of guards surrounding you. Be able to see the city like anyone else," Lark says, prying the blinds open and grumble when I see the pitch darkness outside.

"And how does this connect to the fact that we are leaving pre-dawn?" I ask, trying to sort the bundle of fabric out.

"So we don't stand out. Almost no one leaves the palace this early in the morning," Lark says, pressing on my wall.

"Noren, if you are so against this, why are you helping?" I ask, watching in confusion as Lark continues to press his hands on the wall.

"Because if I am there, I can at least try and protect you. And Lark would manage to smuggle you out of the palace anyways," He says, seeming not the faintest interest in Lark's antics.

Lark makes a triumphant noise and I turn, surprised to see a section of the wall swung out and open. It wasn't much bigger than the door of a safe and I quickly realized that is what it is as Lark pulls out an array of coins with a soft leather bag following. He takes them over to my desk and I raise my eyebrows.

"And since when has that been there?" I ask, slipping out of bed and padding over to my desk.

You could barely call me clothed, in only a small pair of shorts and a sports bra. But neither Noren nor Lark seemed bothered by my state of undress and I couldn't seem to care less. On the desk, was a scattered pile of coins, with the limp, empty bag beside them. The coins were a surprise, with the advancement of their tech, I would think it would be all digital.

"Almost every set of residential rooms have a hidden safe. There was a time where the palace experienced frequent attacks before the rebellion. Because there were often surprise attacks and the palace had to be fled, every room was equipped with an escape pod and emergency kit. Money is always included in the emergency kit," He says, pointing to the shiny coins.