Dragon's Tears

Kaiden snuck through the alleys into a little crevice he had dug into one of the walls. Once he snuck through, a small room opened up to him. It was quaint and filled with a bed, a candle, and most of the treasures he had stolen during his time in Estme.

He lit the candle and barely illuminating the room, it

With a smirk, he threw some of the jewelry down on the floor and tightly gripped the bag of gold coins he had taken from the tavern.

“There’s a sucker born every minute,” he scoffed as he threw the bag into the air and caught it.

A large yawn caught up with him, and Kaiden decided it was time to hit the hay. As he took off his jacket, he heard a faint noise from across the room. He clutched his dagger and quietly snuck across the room. The gray fur and the familiar squeak of a nearby rat caused him to breathe a little easier.

“We can’t have you invading my home now, rodent,” he whispered.

Quietly, he threw his knife at the helpless rodent, which connected with its back and caused it to make a pitiful sound. After multiple squeaks and whimpers in pain, the rat died on the floor in Kaiden’s room. With a disgusted grunt, Kaiden pulled the knife out of the rat and wiped it down. He picked up the dead rodent and began to head toward the entrance to dispose of it. Suddenly, an intense pain in his head caused his world to go dark.

* * *

Serenica and Adrianna sprinted as fast as they could through the streets of Estme. Neither knew where they were going, but they knew Kaiden was being held in some torture chamber. The only details they could determine from Adrianna’s overnight vision led them in the direction of the wharf.

“When did you start having visions, Adri?” Serenica questioned her as she ducked under a swinging sign.

“Would you believe me if I told you this was my first one?” Adrianna replied through the huffs of breath she was attempting to take. “I never expected to become anything like Mother. I just want to be a doctor.I have no idea what to do with this power, nor where to go to learn.”

Serenica nodded and looked ahead at the local wharf as she slowed her pace. The smell of fish and saltwater filled their noses.

“We are looking for a large door in the wharf. We need to take that and follow the path,” Adrianna warned. “I don’t think this will be as easy as we hope it will be.”

Serenica looked around; the darkness was making it extremely hard to notice any of the scenery described by Adrianna’s vision. She sighed deeply and threw her hands in the air. “This is hopeless!” She said it exasperatedly. “We are never going to find this stupid door!”

Adrianna quickly slapped her hands over Serenica’s mouth and pulled her closer to the ground. “Shut up and look,” she demanded as she pointed toward three men who walked into a darkened corner of the wharf.

“Ok, so maybe we will,” Serenica remarked, a little embarrassed as she adjusted her bow. They tiptoed across the wharf in a crouched position, the darkness hiding their shadows perfectly. Eventually, they made out the silhouette of a door hidden within an underground wall next to the docks.

“Adri, no matter what happens, you need to stay hidden. I will deal with whatever we come across down there.” Serenica ordered as she stared at her sister with a firm look. “If this is too dangerous, we will leave and figure out something else. We have no idea what we are walking into, and we don’t even know what to do once or if we rescue him. I’m not going to risk your safety over some thief. Do you understand?”

Adrianna opened her mouth to dispute her sister’s words; however, she knew from the resolute expression on Serenica’s face that she would not win. So she closed her mouth, nodded in agreement, and looked at the ground sadly. “Ok, Serene, be careful, please,” she whispered.

After acknowledging her sister’s words, Serenica slowly lifted the latch on the door. She became worried when the door made a loud noise, but she glanced around and saw that no one was nearby. The sisters quietly snuck through the door, closed it, and latched it behind them. They stayed hidden in the shadows and crept through the uninviting hallway. As they peered through the doorway, the fully operational tavern took them by surprise. The tavern was lively, men and women laughed and raised their glasses to the night. Valuable items surrounded them, such as gold coins, jewelry, and other expensive objects that were displayed on a nearby table. Each person was carefully examining their loot, enjoying the spoils of their success.

“I snatched this off some rich woman who tried to pass through the forest.” One of the thieves gloated as he lifted a sizeable gem-filled necklace with a toothless smile. “She tried to buy me off; needless to say, she did not need this necklace when I was through with her.” He took his hand and gestured it across his throat.

Cheers, hoots, and laughter erupted in the room at the tasteless joke as Serenica cringed deeper into the dark corner. “Charming. I have led us into the den of a thieves’ guild. This is probably the home of the Shadow, who already doesn’t like me very much.” She muttered as she shook her head in disbelief and looked at her sister in helplessness.

“There’s got to be a way, and he isn’t in that room. Let’s keep looking. The worst that could happen is that we get caught and killed.”

“No, Adri, if we get caught, the best-case scenario is that we get killed,” Serenica responded with a sigh as she slowly crept away from the bar and down a long, narrow hallway. In the darkness, the two figures were well hidden as they crept around. Mentally, Serenica questioned her actions and why she was down there, considering she was still unsure if she should believe what her mother had told her. Despite her disbelief, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she should to listen to her mother and complete the task she was given. Finally, the snapping of a whip followed by agonizing screams filled their ears, and she quickly motioned for her sister to stop.

They looked at each other concerned at the screaming they heard, Serenica knew that whoever was screaming was being tortured and she knew that if it was Kaiden on the other side of that whip she needed to hurry before his torturer killed him. The girls continued in the direction of the screams without a sound. Finally, Serenica found a dark corner that was protected from view by large boxes next to the room that the screams appeared to be coming from.

“Hide yourself well; do not come out no matter what you hear or what I say. If you see me leave that room and I motion for you to follow, then you do. Not before that. Have I made myself clear?”

With a nod, Adrianna snuck as far in the shadows behind the boxes that she could, then sat down on the floor. She knew she needed to make herself scarce, or she would be more of a hindrance to her sister than a help. Once Adrianna signaled that she was in place,

Serenica crawled over to the edge of the boxes and looked out at the doorway. It was closed and she had no idea what was on the other side. As she considered her options the door flung open.

“Yeah, I’ll get us refills! Shut up about it!”

A man screamed as he hobbled his way out of the room and moved towards the tavern area. Serenica knew she had a lucky break and peered into the room.

“Crap,” she muttered to herself as she noticed in the center of the square room hanging from the ceiling was Kaiden, who was stripped down to his pants. Behind him was one of The Shadows thugs who was whipping the rogue who was drifting in and out of consciousness. She looked around the room, the room was bare, it looked to be used for torture. She didn’t miss the other man who was at the back of the room chugging his beer and cheering on the man who was whipping Kaiden.

Think Serenica think. How can I get him out alive without getting my own self killed?