Hiding in the Shadows - Old Version (Other one is new one)

Chapter 2: A Hearing

Heavy thuds could be heard through the door, their deep pitch resonating through the floor boards below me as the multiple bolts that held the door closed were removed. Both doors slowly swing back in sync, revealing a long hall lined with pillars; each with candles held in brackets along them.

Two guards stood at attention on either side of me as I walked down the hall, the details of the face casting sinister shadows in the flickering candle light. After walking down the hall we were led to a short flight of stairs, leading to five chairs arranged in a semi circle facing toward me.

"The two men are dead, as the contract stated. No contact to them and no one to see what happened," I said, after a quick bow.

"And where is your partner?" Came the reply from the elder sitting to the left of me, the details of his face hidden by a black bandanna made of material similar to that of mine that covered his face nose down.

"He..." I started saying, "Well he didn't make it. If you would stop trying to send me with incompetent young trainees then less of us would die and I would finish the job faster," I finished, almost regretting the words as I said them. No one ever dared to disrespect the elders, and those who did, well let's just say that they made for very good bait and a live target for practice.

"We send you with these inexperienced recruit so you can teach them," he begins clearly enraged by what I had said, "you should be glad that we let you even leave Alden, and stalk the forest floor. The very fact that we even send someone with you under your command shows that you are lucky. We graciously let you do this even though you have yet to finish training, and you seem to be upset with this; should we strip you of this trust?" As he finishes speaking the other four elders begin to slightly nod in agreement, leaving me in a state of slight panic.

"No, no that's not what I meant... I..." I stuttered, desperately trying to find a way to buy time before I was able to find a way to prove that I could be trusted alone outside of the citadel.

"You what, miss Kaitlyn?" Came a response from a the blonde woman sitting on the far right of the semi circle. All five of them sat hunched over, staring me down as I tried to find a way out of the situation.

"I will continue to accept the contracts sent to me and who you choose to go with me." I finished, even though I didn't believe the words as I said them.

"Then it is done, this council is dismissed. And I hope you follow up on what you said Kaitlyn." The elder in the middle said.

With that I was escorted by the guards back down the corridor, following the candle lit path back to the grand doors and out into the morning sunlight. I let a long breath escape, the cloud of vapor slowly drifting away. With that I rested my hand on my dagger which lay in wait in its sheath attached to my belt, beginning my walk back to the house.

As I walked I was given the time I needed to think, my mind wondering over the last few days spent finding and stalking the two men who died only hours ago. Eventually by the time I had made it back to the front door of the house it was nearly midday, the sun beginning to peak over the branches of the trees.

I slid the key and twisted it, hearing a faint click as it rotated in a full circle. The door swung loosely on its hinges revealing the small homey interior that sat behind it, a table and chairs to the right, and a small kitchenette directly across from the door. Before climbing the ladder to my room, I walked over to the racks and shelves to the left, sliding the quiver and belt off. I opened the previously sealed pocket on the side of my quiver and carefully pulled the spent arrow head out of the pocket where I had put it earlier. I grabbed a cloth off the shelf I front of me and began to wipe it down, being sure there wouldn't be any poison left on it. Once I was sure it was clean I tossed it into the basket on my right, hearing the soft clink as it landed on top of the other arrowheads.

After taking the assortment of poison vials and blades that where attached to me belt and placing them in the respectful place I left my gear where it sat and turned to the ladder against the far wall. This time the ladder was only a few rungs tall, leading to a small room above where I was before. My bed sat against the wall, under a window which let in the warm light from the sun, heating up the room.

The only other piece of furniture in the room was the tall oak armoire which sat across from the foot of my bed. I walked over to stand I front of it, looking at myself in the mirror as I let my dark brown hair out of the bun it was. My hair tumbled down, becoming a tangled mess in front of me, partially obstructing my view of the mirror.

The excitement of the past day slowly caught up to me as I looked longingly at the bed that sat behind me, visible over my shoulder in the mirror. My hunger and thirst subsided as I turned to walk toward the bed, deciding that there wouldn't be a better time to catch up on last nights lost sleeping, pulling the feather filled sheet of leather back to slide in, resting my head on the soft pillow; which was warm from the sunlight shinning in through the window.