Erelia was never fond of the dark. In fact, her mother had often ordered a fresh candle to be placed and lit on her nightstand each evening. It’s not that she was particularly afraid of the dark. It just never seemed quite right.
But then, tonight, nothing seemed quite right.
Of course, why should it? She was nowhere near where she should have been, and even farther from where she hoped to be. Then again, she didn’t really even know where she was going.
Erelia pulled back on her horse’s reigns. As his last foot clicked against the stone street, it left the surrounding walls echoing eerily. She shuddered.
Was she doing the right thing? No, there was no question. She had to flee the city, it was the only way. Still, the life that lay ahead of her, upon the path she now chose to take, was nothing like the life she left behind.
Erelia glanced back towards the Government’s Manor one last time, then set her gaze towards the sea. There was no turning back now.
She set her heals against the horse’s flank and he began trotting down the streets of Darben.
As the last echoes of the horse’s hoofs faded away, a cat darted between the shadows.A single fisherman walked along the docks of Darben, his bare feet patting against the weather-worn planks. He passed swiftly down a row of boats securely fastened to a peer jutting out into the ocean. As he neared the end, he approached a boat to his left. He cautiously stepped into the rickety boat. As he did so, a cat that had been sleeping in the bottom of the boat jolted away and leapt up onto the peer. As the fisherman began untying his skiff, the cat raced back towards the shore, darting under the legs of two other fishermen preparing to launch their own boat.
Further up the shore, a freight wagon rattled along the planks towards a group of dock workers. As the wagon rolled to a halt the workers dumped the remains of the black bark tea they had been drinking into the ocean and began carrying boxes from the wagon and up planks slanting onto a waiting ship.
On the next dock over, a ship steward began checking off names and people began filing into a larger ship moored nearby.
Gradually, the once silent docks became a whirlwind of activity. Small carts clattered to a halt on the edges of the docks and vendors pulled trinkets from boxes to display for passersby. Travelers and pilgrims, dressed in clothes from near and far. The cheery laughter of children mingled with the voices of a thousand conversations and grew into a dull roar.
To the east, the sun slowly peeked its golden head above the city.
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