Page 6 of Of Blood & Stone

Chapter 2

Sickness

Gray skies and dark shadows covered the fishing village in a heavy silence. It was that rare moment of quiet before dawn, where all the babes were finally asleep and the crows had yet to wake; even the tumultuous waves surrendered their battle to the jagged rocks guarding the shore. A delicate silence as thin as a spider’s web, easily broken by the scuff of a boot or ping of pebbles on glass. As Elnok moved through the shadows and leapt onto a nearby rooftop, one might think he threaded the thin web himself.

The silence split and fell as a loud ring of a bell echoed throughout the village. Elnok crouched low as he steadied himself on the sloped roof, the tiles rickety and cold as they wobbled beneath his black leather boots. Doors opened one by one, people sticking out their heads and checking both ways, their hesitation palpable as a different sound echoed throughout the village.

Laughter.

Not the contagious kind that brought smiles, but the kind that caused skin to ripple and the spine to tighten. Laughter from the pirates who had rampaged the village last week andnow considered it under their rule. An unfortunately common practice in these coastal parts.

Elnok scoffed. If this village had guards who knew how to wield a sword, these idiotic marauders would’ve run off with their watered-down mead the moment they stepped foot on this shore. Yet who ruled the village mattered little to him.

Cold metal circled his eye as he peered through his monocular out to the unruly sea. White caps clipped against the horizon while a pelican dove for its breakfast, the bird narrowly dodging the fast-approaching ship. Billowing white sails and a gold maiden statue sent waves of relief and panic in Elnok’s chest.

They came.

Elnok returned his monocular to his pocket. He had less than an hour before the royal vessel docked. Thighs burning from crouching, Elnok maneuvered to the side of the roof with a huge gaping hole, one he’d been diligently widening all week. He’d covered it with straw from a nearby stable that’d been empty the past few days, the last of the horses having mysteriously disappeared.

It didn’t surprise Elnok when he learned a few days later that the butcher wasn’t just selling fish, but animal meat.

Livestock had become a rarity.

He removed the straw, the smell of diseased meat flooding his nostrils. Cursing under his breath, he quickly placed his black cloth over the bridge of his nose. The wooden ceiling beam shuddered under his weight as he slowly lowered himself. Soundlessly, he stalked along the beam, stopping once he was above the meat counter. The shop’s toothless owner caught flies with his hands and, to Elnok’s dismay, ate them.

“Boss,” a gruff voice sounded from outside. “It’s those damned kids again. They’re taking off our wood panels on the alleyway side.”

“Well, go take care of it,” the fly-eating, meat-shop-owning man demanded.

“Can’t. Guard said it’s your job, not mine.”

Grumbling something about the “absurd laws of this wayward town”, the shop owner joined his hired hand out of the shop, leaving Elnok with his prize. Elnok smiled, knowing full well he’d have to find the coin he promised the young girl who agreed to be his distraction.

One job at a time.

Swiftly, Elnok tied his trusted rope around the ceiling beam. He gave the knot a hefty tug, and then lowered himself while the shop owner became occupied with the town’s deviant children.

He searched the stained display case. Intestines, hearts—oh gods,bladders?—kidneys, and tongues hung in their typical spots…

And then he found it. A locked cabinet.

“Here we are,” Elnok whispered.

He pulled out his pick and wrench and wedged them into the lock, searching for the tumblers, each click a sweet ping of satisfaction. One final click and the cabinet opened.

Elnok let out a low whistle, grinning at the half-eaten loaf of bread.

“Tell those guards they should be the ones taking care of those roaches,notme,” the shop owner bellowed.

Elnok’s heart sputtered as he snatched the bread, stuffing it into his bag and ducking behind the counter.

“I swear to the blubbering gods,” The shop owner entered the shop—a far larger man than Elnok had taken into account—and stopped, staring at the dangling rope.

“What in the hell is this?” the man grumbled.

Elnok cursed. He should leave the rope, run out of the shop, and get a new one. But he’d had it for years. It’d been through his best of times and worst of times—it was a part of himself, really.He couldn’t abandon such a fine piece of corded straw, least of all to a man who ateflies. Elnok grimaced as he picked up one of the bladders, quietly walking with bent knees to the other side of the counter until he was directly behind the shop owner.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Elnok said, “You’d think a hanging was about to take place.”

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