Champions of Light: Gaëtano's Sword [Book One]

Chapter Two

A Strange Pamphlet

The morning was bleary, rain hung in the air, threatening to wash the heat away, but for now, the grey sky kept the humidity at an unpleasant temperature. Summer was giving its last huzzah before Autumn came, and the heat hung onto the streets as dust and dirt was coughed up by carriages and passersby. The cobblestone sidewalks were lined with quaint shops and stores, with the lanterns still lit to accommodate for the low visibility. Many people mulled about, but it wasn't until a street urchin sped out of the alleyway and barged through the crowds that the town really awoke.

The thief sped down the path, with a light sack on the back, a handmade bow with an empty quiver, and something grasped within her paws. She vaulted over a cart, grabbing an apple along the way, as the police whistled after her, shouting for citizens to stop her. She was too quick for them, though, and knew the streets too well. She sped down main street, weaving and bobbing, until she vaulted over the stable wall and into an open stall.

A servant girl, holding a broom, wearing a dirty blue dress and once-white apron, with dirt on her face and underneath her fingernails, stared inquisitively at the thief. The thief put her fingers to her lips and they both listened as the police approached.

"You there! Girl! Have you seen a boy run this way with a bow on his back?" The servant girl shook her head in the negative. She could see why the police had thought the thief was a boy, for she was wearing britches and suspenders with a tan button-up shirt, and a hat that covered her long hair.

"He trespassed on royal grounds, stole a chicken leg, two pieces of bread, resisted arrest, and stole an apple. If you see him, hail the nearest man, and we'll see that you are paid." The servant girl nodded, then clearly relaxed when they left. But that moment of relaxation didn't last long as a woman's voice called to her.

"What are you doing, standing about, staring off into the distance? The stalls don't clean themselves; you know! No lunch for you missy, now get back to work!" The girl sighed and began sweeping the uncleanable floor.

The thief watched her with empathy as she worked. "Why do you let her treat you like that? No payment is enough to be treated worse than dirt." The servant girl looked startled as the thief spoke, then studied her feet.

"Everyone deserves to eat. Here, catch," the thief threw her the apple, which she caught with curiosity. "Go ahead, I already ate." The stable girl bit into the apple, first with uncertainty, then with gusto.

"Gee, you're really hungry. Hey, I have bread too, but its not much. Sit down, take a load off." The stable girl looked warily back at her house, then hungrily at the bread.

"She can buzz off. Plus, you can just say you were scrubbing the floor or something, c'mon, sit." The stable girl gingerly sat down.

"My name is Kim, Kimberly Sherry," she held out the bread. The girl took it but made no response. "You don't talk much, do you? I'm guessing it's because of Miss Witch back there, huh?" The stable girl smiled at the nickname.

"Why have you stayed with her? She's not your mother, is she?" The girl shook her head but looked mournful.

"Listen, I know what it's like, feeling like you're stuck at a place. I was with an orphanage for years, a prison, more like. Then, I ran away, and I've never been freer. Sure, food is hard to come by, and after a while, you have to skip town because every cop is looking for ya, but it's much better than this, I'd say." The girl looked at her with a yearning. Her grey eyes matched the sky, and her pale skin was a stark contrast from her ebony hair.

"Look, there's this thing," Kim unraveled the parchment she had balled in her fist and showed it to the girl. There was a visage of a terrifying creature with the slogan "Help Wanted" on the top. There was promise for money, honor, bravery, adventure, and more on the pamphlet, as well as information on when and where to meet, but also a warning of danger. The girl looked curiously at Kim.

"I know it's crazy, but I'm going. I'm tired of always running. I'm tired of not having a place to stay or a reliable source of food. You should go too. You won't have to deal with her anymore. You look about my age, we can take control of our lives." The girl looked conflicted.

"Think about it. If you go, and we succeed, you'll have enough money to take care of yourself. And if we fail, you won't have to come back, either. You can stay with me."
Kim put the parchment into the girl's hands. "I'll be outside the tavern waiting for you by nightfall. Don't keep me waiting." Kim patted her hand, and then jumped up and over the stable wall and ran off into the streets.

The night came swiftly, and with it, the rain, casting a slick, bluish hue over the roads and petrichor in the air. The tavern was lit warmly from within, and only drunkards and beggars stayed outdoors. The sign above the door dripped next to a lantern, and next to it was Kim, waiting as promised. She was sitting on an empty barrel just below the tavern's hanging roof. She had watched many people come and go, wondering if any were going on the same quest she hoped to be on not long from now.

She had seen a couple of burly men, who had made her feel awkward and inadequate, but then later, people her age came through. There was a studious fellow, who didn't seem the type for adventuring, then a fashionably dressed woman with a muscle-toned man came, clearly prepared for war. Next, a short, fiery redhead skipped past with all sorts of trinkets and oddities strapped to her belt and hanging off her seemingly overstuffed bag.

Then, a well-dressed man with a fencing rapier and a satchel walked in. Of course, there were actual mercenaries who walked in, but she was determined not to feel inadequate. She then saw two men, one lanky and tall with perpetually disheveled black hair and stormy blue eyes, and the other broad shouldered with tempered light brown hair and chocolaty brown eyes. The latter held a sword badly hidden beneath his pack. There was one final girl wearing leather armor with pouches all over carrying throwing knives, and vials of unknown substances.

Just when Kim was about to turn in, persuaded that the stable girl had made her choice, she heard her name being called. The stable girl stumbled up to her, grinning with a sack hoisted over her shoulder. Kim laughed, and cupped her arm over the girl's shoulder and brought her inside.