"Inbetween"

Keziah admired Annette's dismissal of pursuing power through being part of the royal family or even the throne itself, given some lucky accidents. She clearly didn't care about it considering how quick she was to discard the expensive dresses and jewelry provided to her by the Crown, which were now laying in a pile of ash somewhere in the small forest next to the magnificent city of Avinea. Her perspective could change later. With age, she might realize that she has the claim to the throne of the land of the Second Empire and the country that emerged on it from the collapse of the Third. It didn't seem like it to Kez. But it would certainly seem so to King Clemen. He has enough problems with his sons being too eager to rule. All he needs is some unknown quantity in the form of Annette.

Keziah wanted to get as far from Avinea as possible to avoid King Clemen's grasp and punishment — death, most likely, for plotting to overthrow him, or any other charge that they would stick to him. A trial was usually not needed when one angered the king. There would be some voices against it, how "the king isn't above the law", and that the law requires a trial for every crime. Ultimately, it would be forgotten and forgiven, swept under the rug. That's why Kez wanted to get his money and get away as fast as possible. If he had to die young, he would make it more memorable for all the people witnessing it than something boring like a noose or beheading.

He wasn't particularly scared of death. Most of his life was spent dancing with death, although most of the time it seemed like it wasn't him who led the performance. Sometimes he wondered if he was lucky to have survived for so long given everything that had happened to him or if was it just some Grim Reaper who got bored and started toying with him.

Being unafraid of death didn't mean he was quick to embrace its cold and comfortable arms. If he had been given life, he would live it, no matter how many would try to take it away from him. He learned to value life, but he also learned that it became cheaper the more power someone possessed. Whether that power was political, martial, or magical, it all caused a change in how one would view the value of living. What separates the great, and the average is how big the difference is. That's why Kez tried to avoid any unnecessary killing. He knew that if he started executing his every opponent, even in self-defense, he would lose himself. And he was quite attached to the person he had become.

Sometimes there was no other option but to kill. In those situations, Keziah thought that just the intention matters to keep his mind sane. He was convincing like that. He just hoped it wasn't one of those cases as he and Annette came to the gate guarded by two men.

"Who goes 'ere?" asked the one on the left, holding his right arm in front of him to signal to stop. He held his helmet under his left arm, leaving only a cap on his head. He was of average stature, with slight stubble on his chin, and missing some front teeth. His tone indicated more of a casual check rather than deliberate searching, which was a good sign.

Keziah quickly assumed his role and answered, "Greetings, my good men. I don't wish to bother you. I just need to get to my home, you see. My cousin and I got lost after a long day of travel from the outskirts of the Blackwood. Unfortunately, it went dark before we managed to cross the gate in the daytime. My little cousin really wants to see the Beautiful City, but now that it's dark we have to make it to my home. Surely you must know how dangerous it can be outside the walls."

The guard that seemed to be the senior ranked one took a skeptical look at them. He turned to Annette and asked, "Girl, what's your name and where do you come from?"

"I'm Suzy, I live in Currane." She hugged herself in a way that suggested cold weather. "Please let us in. We are tired and I want to see my aunt," she pleaded with eyes like those of a lost puppy.

The man looked strangely relieved at her answer. It surprised Keziah that they would believe the words of a child sooner than his. He wouldn't complain, as long as it worked and got them inside the city.

"Alright 'ere, it's not like we are to not let anybody in just because it's night," he relaxed his shoulders, and his face turned more gentle. "Don't be so nervous."

"It's just that there have been a lot of cases of missing children recently," said the younger guard. "Normally, we wouldn't even be required to ask questions. Would you believe that? This job is much easier than I —"

"Shut up!" barged in the senior guard. "You are just a pup but think you know everything already. Why would we question anybody in peacetime? Ah, these new recruits will make my hair go white."

"But, they already are…" said the young man quietly under his nose.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

The older man stared his watch partner down for a bit, then turned to Keziah and Annette again. "You can go ahead, be safe out 'ere in the streets."

He opened the small gate that was more of a tall double door, really, and motioned for Kez and Annette to enter. They went through them and into the dirty streets of one of the poorer districts of Avinea. It wasn't the Lower Waterside, the district which was virtually abandoned by the city to fetch for itself. It was the area between it and Main Street, which in turn was the busiest and the most well-kept. This area didn't have an official name, but most people called it the Inbetween. The Inbetween most a maze of buildings and structures build atop each other with narrow streets running beneath them. It served mostly as a living space for anyone who couldn't afford lodgings on Main Street or even in the districts further north. It was also the place where Keziah's apartment for the past year was located.

It was still patrolled and monitored by the watchmen and other various groups trying to keep the image of their beautiful city alive. The "image" was something that the king was particularly sensitive about. It was often rumored that he cared more about how his power and rule are viewed by the people, rather than actually doing something with it. It was hard to argue with that mindset for Keziah, as it has worked for more than 30 years for Clemen Gwynaedd in his reign over the territory of Aldunis.

As they made their way through the corridors created by the wooden and brick structures, Keziah started to get anxious about something. He probably has someone watching my house. The Captain couldn't act against him until he has fully confirmed that the person inside the carriage was not in it anymore. Still, he wouldn't have to go all the way out of the city if he had stumbled upon the pair inside the walls. Thinking of how to deal with it, Kez overheard someone loud, talking just behind the next corner.

Judging by the tone, it definitely wasn't someone who was looking for anybody, or during any important work. Keziah led Annette forward and spotted Anwas, the man who was drinking early in the morning the day he was arrested. His 2 companions were also present, and they all seemed rather at ease in the dark alleyway. They spotted him first, though.

"Little Spark? It's rare to see you doing jobs at night, with them being more dangerous and with the same pay." greeted Anwas, his speech much more understandable without being drunk.

"You on a job?" asked one of his companions, pointing at Annette.

"Yeah, just an escort quest," replied Keziah, Annette hiding behind him. He was a little surprised at how casual and almost friendly they now appeared. The 3 man party was never antagonistic towards him in any way, but they took a lot of opportunities to poke jokes at him. Maybe seeing me actually on a job made them respect me more? he thought.

"Well, go on then, don't let us keep you." Anwas motioned with his hand for Kez to hurry along.

Keziah was about to follow his advice and go his way, but a quick idea came to his mind then.

"Are you guys free right now?"

"No, we are busy watching the mud turn to dirt," said one of the companions.

"How about a quick job?" Keziah ignored his sarcasm. "6 silver for 5 minutes of your time, keeping this one safe." He pointed at Annette.

"Hmm." A tiny bit of suspicion crossed Anwas's face before he must've decided that he didn't care and just wanted the silver. "Sure, why not? If you don't come back with the coins, we will toss her to someone who can pay us," he warned Keziah.

"Don't worry about that, I will be back in a minute." He then turned to confused Annette and put his hand on her head. "I will be back," he repeated softly.

Annette nodded, scared, but he could sense her trust in him. Keziah carried on to his apartment, which was just a few turns away to get his money, nearing 4 gold in total. A small fortune. It would last them for a passage to Nardan and then some. He also wanted to grab some of his items, namely his open scabbard for Augustus. It was hard to even call it a 'scabbard', given it was a piece of wood with pressure locks on it. He wore it on his back whenever he was on the road, the nature of which allowed him to draw it by simply twisting it to open the locks, holding it still. Putting it back was similarly easy. Augustus didn't need to be sharpened or taken care of in any way due to him being one of the Unrotting Blades. Immunity to rot was just one of many perks they brought, but most people didn't know that and the Blades themselves preferred it that way.

Stepping onto the street on which the building his apartment was in, he spotted, out of the corner of his eye, a figure running away.