What's that in the shadows,
Concealed, thriving in darkness?
What are those footsteps you hear?
The displacement of air you feel behind you?
Just a trick of the light,
A rat in the street,
A breath of wind.
But do you trust your senses?
Be wary, for Night harbors all sorts of souls
Who emerge, safe in her cold embrace,
And are set loose upon us all.
...
Garrett jumped through the open window of the clock tower. Even though he was safe there, he moved silently out of habit. He sighed as he made his way to his battered bed on tired legs. He had searched every inch of the city, looking for Erin to no avail. He knew that eventually he would have to leave the town if he was to find her. But the City was his home. It was the one place where he felt that he belonged.
As he sank down onto the bed, his hands moved to withdraw an arrow from the quiver slung across his shoulder. He fiddled with it absentmindedly, resting his elbows on his thighs.
Despite his efforts to suppress it, a terrible thought crossed his mind. What if he didn't want to find Erin? She was the closest thing to a family he had, but she had changed so much over the years. Having abandoned his thieving methods in favour of her own, which she thought to be superior, she had become a different person. Could he confront her, after all that had happened? And if he did, what would he do? Try to change her beliefs? Convince her to follow in his footsteps?
I can imagine how that would go, he thought with a smirk.
Garrett took a deep breath to clear his mind, removing all his gear and then placing it beside his bed. He lay back and rested his head over his clasped hands. Now wasn't the time to make major decisions; he didn't trust his judgement when he was deprived of sleep.
The silence bothered him. He missed the comforting, hypnotic ticking of the clock. It was difficult to sleep without the sound. He had considered repairing the clock, but since it hadn't been working for over a year its sudden restoration might raise suspicions amongst the townspeople. They may have believed that the tower was haunted, but he didn't want to take any chances. After all, there were always skeptics and pragmatists in the world. Or those desperate enough to do just about anything for some coin.
Feeling the tugs of sleep slowly pull him towards unconsciousness, Garrett closed his eyes and relaxed his tense muscles.
The sun was rising. It was time to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
Night's Cold Embrace
Fanfiction(A Thief (2014) fanfiction) It's been years since he last saw Erin, and Garrett has yet to give up. The rise of the aggrieved Graven and the stirrings of another familiar group complicate his search, however, to say nothing of the young woman that i...
