room, so seldom did he speak. But he shared Cora’s loyalty and
loving nature.
If they were opposites in personality, they made up for it
in looks. Both had dark brown hair like Annie’s. Max had curly ringlets like
his eldest sister, which he kept almost shoulder length and sometimes tied back
with a piece of string. Cora had straighter hair than her siblings, flowing all
the way down her back. They both had beautiful big brown eyes with long eyelashes,
coming second only to their blinding white teeth that seemed to glow against
blood-red lips.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Cora asked. “Your hand is
shaking.”
“I think it’s from lack of food,” Annie lied, still avoiding
her sister’s gaze. “I’m absolutely famished.”
Unfortunately, her embarrassing encounter with the
apprentices would not be the only one that week.
Two days later, she found herself, once again, at the center
of unwanted attention while shopping in town.
She had bought something for dinner and was filling a bag
with apples at a fruit stand when she glanced over to the Citadom.
There, standing on the bottom step, was the beautiful
apprentice. His right foot was pressed against the wall beside the steps,
pointing his knee forward. His arms were folded over his chest, and he was
staring directly at Annie.
Once again, she dropped her package and bent to pick it up,
her long hair falling around her face and arms. She placed the package on the
table of the stall next to the bag of apples. She ran her hands through the top
of her hair, scooping it out of her face, and chanced a glance at the
apprentice from the corner of her eye.
His gaze was fixed on her, his body leaning forward. His
cheeks were puffed out with air that he slowly let escape through pursed lips.
She felt a flutter in her stomach. It was evident that she’d gotten his
attention and that he liked what he saw.
Grabbing her packages, she began to move away when she
realized that the apprentice was not the only man whose attention she had
captured. Leaning against a stall table, not fifteen feet away, a man with a
beard and mustache was leering in her direction. She ascertained from his
clothes and dark suntan that he was a sea merchant, one of the many sailors
that visited town from the far north. He had probably anchored at the harbor
and was selling his goods at the market.
He started towards her, his unsavory look causing her to
turn and walk in the opposite direction.
“Hello, pretty lady,” a rough voice said into her left ear.
The smell of stale beer coming off his breath turned her stomach.
She kept her head down and ignored him, walking towards the
Bank Building, the last building in the town center. He kept up a string of
comments all the way, walking much too close.
As they approached the bank, the man seemed to grow
frustrated with her lack of cooperation and grabbed her around the waist. She
felt a jolt of panic, but before she could scream, he was ripped from her and
slammed into the wall of the shop next to the steps.
The beautiful apprentice pressed the sailor against the wall
with his left forearm, his right hand holding a dagger under the sailor’s chin.
“Leave this town now or I will run you through,” the apprentice demanded between
clenched teeth.
“I only wanted to say hello to the girl,” the man replied in
a panicked voice.
Three more apprentices ran in their direction. One reached
them, grabbed the beautiful apprentice and pulled him back.
“He attacked me for no reason. I merely said hello to the
lovely lady, and this one attacked, unprovoked,” the sailor told the two
apprentices who stood in front of him.
“What happened here, Kellus?” the apprentice holding her
defender asked.
“This vile piece of crap harassed the young lady. I feared
for her safety,” Kellus told his colleague. The apprentice pulled Kellus back
further. The other two apprentices grabbed the sailor by the arms and frog-marched
him towards the
loving nature.
If they were opposites in personality, they made up for it
in looks. Both had dark brown hair like Annie’s. Max had curly ringlets like
his eldest sister, which he kept almost shoulder length and sometimes tied back
with a piece of string. Cora had straighter hair than her siblings, flowing all
the way down her back. They both had beautiful big brown eyes with long eyelashes,
coming second only to their blinding white teeth that seemed to glow against
blood-red lips.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Cora asked. “Your hand is
shaking.”
“I think it’s from lack of food,” Annie lied, still avoiding
her sister’s gaze. “I’m absolutely famished.”
Unfortunately, her embarrassing encounter with the
apprentices would not be the only one that week.
Two days later, she found herself, once again, at the center
of unwanted attention while shopping in town.
She had bought something for dinner and was filling a bag
with apples at a fruit stand when she glanced over to the Citadom.
There, standing on the bottom step, was the beautiful
apprentice. His right foot was pressed against the wall beside the steps,
pointing his knee forward. His arms were folded over his chest, and he was
staring directly at Annie.
Once again, she dropped her package and bent to pick it up,
her long hair falling around her face and arms. She placed the package on the
table of the stall next to the bag of apples. She ran her hands through the top
of her hair, scooping it out of her face, and chanced a glance at the
apprentice from the corner of her eye.
His gaze was fixed on her, his body leaning forward. His
cheeks were puffed out with air that he slowly let escape through pursed lips.
She felt a flutter in her stomach. It was evident that she’d gotten his
attention and that he liked what he saw.
Grabbing her packages, she began to move away when she
realized that the apprentice was not the only man whose attention she had
captured. Leaning against a stall table, not fifteen feet away, a man with a
beard and mustache was leering in her direction. She ascertained from his
clothes and dark suntan that he was a sea merchant, one of the many sailors
that visited town from the far north. He had probably anchored at the harbor
and was selling his goods at the market.
He started towards her, his unsavory look causing her to
turn and walk in the opposite direction.
“Hello, pretty lady,” a rough voice said into her left ear.
The smell of stale beer coming off his breath turned her stomach.
She kept her head down and ignored him, walking towards the
Bank Building, the last building in the town center. He kept up a string of
comments all the way, walking much too close.
As they approached the bank, the man seemed to grow
frustrated with her lack of cooperation and grabbed her around the waist. She
felt a jolt of panic, but before she could scream, he was ripped from her and
slammed into the wall of the shop next to the steps.
The beautiful apprentice pressed the sailor against the wall
with his left forearm, his right hand holding a dagger under the sailor’s chin.
“Leave this town now or I will run you through,” the apprentice demanded between
clenched teeth.
“I only wanted to say hello to the girl,” the man replied in
a panicked voice.
Three more apprentices ran in their direction. One reached
them, grabbed the beautiful apprentice and pulled him back.
“He attacked me for no reason. I merely said hello to the
lovely lady, and this one attacked, unprovoked,” the sailor told the two
apprentices who stood in front of him.
“What happened here, Kellus?” the apprentice holding her
defender asked.
“This vile piece of crap harassed the young lady. I feared
for her safety,” Kellus told his colleague. The apprentice pulled Kellus back
further. The other two apprentices grabbed the sailor by the arms and frog-marched
him towards the
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