Sapphyre

---

Book excerpt

Chapter 1

The Dragon's Flagon, an inn in a town of two hundred thirty people, is crowded on this cold night. Located off the Great Southern Road in the southwest corner of the continent in the hamlet of Tondor, it has a reputation of being welcoming to travelers and for serving cold ale and hearty food. There is a fire keeping the patrons warm while mutton and corn are cooking in the kitchen. Ornik is behind the bar as usual, serving up his good humor along with the fine ale that is renowned throughout the region. He has seen every type of character in his establishment, which he has been running for almost forty winters. Travelers are frequent as the Great Southern Road is just to the west of town, and the port city of Meer is only forty or so leagues to the southwest. He has seen barbarians from the north, dwarves from the Myth Mountains, dark-skinned foreigners from across the Sea Of Tears, soldiers who patrol the entire Kingdom of Martell, and countless other strangers he cannot put a name to. He has no problem with any of them as long as they don't cause trouble and have enough kendra to pay the bill.

The inn is full since the roads have become dangerous, and bandits are becoming more brazen in their attacks on travelers. The autumn season is cruelly frigid and sleeping outside without a fire is not the most pleasant experience. This influx of travelers seeking shelter has led to the diversity of the crowd on this night. The regulars from the town make sure the sixty-five-winters-old owner gets no trouble from the strangers. Rarely does a fight break out. The occasional brawl arises when there is a discrepancy at one of the two stasshire tables or if there's a cheat at the dice game.

The serving girl with blue streaks in her blonde hair is tiptoeing around the patrons with a pitcher of ale in each hand. She maneuvers between two tables when a drunkard makes the mistake of grabbing her bottom as she passes by. Without losing a step, she spins to her left, gracefully places the pitchers on the table, and in one fluid motion reaches down to her ankle and unsheathes her dagger. Before the drunk patron realizes what is happening, the serving girl finishes her spin and is face to face with the man while her dagger point is firmly pushing into his crotch. As she's about to speak, Ornik screams from behind the bar, drawing attention to the spectacle. "Sapphyre, please don't do it. We don't need another eunuch leaving this tavern thanks to you."

All eyes are now watching Sapphyre. The embarrassed drunkard has both hands up signaling surrender as she allows the dagger to linger a moment longer. She slowly withdraws her weapon and with an icy stare retreats backwards to the raucous laughter of the crowd.

The attention shifts to the dice game as Ashcon, the stranger with the yellow eyes, is on a lucky streak. The crowd surrounding the game is growing. Sapphyre had noticed the stranger and his black-clad friend upon their entrance hours earlier right before the evening meal, after which they secured a room on the second floor.

Skenn, Ashcon's companion, is one of the largest men Sapphyre has ever seen. He stands almost seven feet tall and has broad shoulders and huge hands. Garbed in black, billowing robes, he has no problem slipping into the shadows and remaining nondescript despite his size. Ashcon is thin with dark skin, no facial hair, and his slanted yellow eyes angle downward toward a sharp, pointed nose. Although he is not extremely good-looking, Sapphyre has to admit he is somewhat handsome and conducts himself with an aura of self-confidence. While his companion in black has no obvious weapons, the gambler has two swords hanging from his belt and two dagger hilts protruding from his boots.

The dark-clad giant has situated himself in the corner by the fireplace and is enjoying a mug of ale while fixing his attention on the dice game and his friend on a lucky streak. Sapphyre is in the process of delivering some mead to a member of the dice game when she notices the large stack of kendra in front of the somewhat handsome stranger, who seemed to always be in control of the dice. She pauses to watch a few rolls and sees that each time he throws a winning combination, what looks like a small tattoo of a cat's eye on his neck glows yellow before each toss. As she looks around the dice game, she senses that no one else sees this phenomenon and wonders why. After realizing she's been staring and has been derelict in her duties, she retreats back to the bar to continue with her service.

As the evening turns into early morning and the games come to a close, the tavern slowly empties and the patrons who are staying the night retire to their respective rooms. This is true of the lucky dice player and his companion. They head to the second floor to count their winnings and get a night's respite from their travels.

As the door closes behind them, Ashcon turns toward it, holds up his hands and gestures to the door. An octagon tattoo on the wrist of his left hand glows blue as his spell of warding is put in place. Activating this spell via his Rune of Warding enables the two companions to engage in conversation without the fear of being overheard. The Rune of Warding is one of the dozens of designs all over his body, which engage a certain power when activated. The fact that there are few people alive who can actually see these runes leads to the current conversation.

Skken, knowing the ward is in place, turns to Ashcon with concern in his eyes and is about to speak, when Ashcon holds up his hand and says, "The serving girl saw something. If we are to assume she saw my Luck Rune, then we have much to discuss."

Skken replies quickly, "There is no doubt as to what she saw. While you were busy taking these people's kendra, I was carefully observing her demeanor in reaction to the dice game. At first, she outright stared at your neck and, once she realized that no one else could see it, she became nervous. If she is your seeker, Ashcon, the enormity of that possibility cannot be ignored."

Ashcon sighs audibly and while disarming himself, turns to Skken. "We cannot assume anything, Skken. I admit it is unnerving to know she can see the runes, but let us not jump to conclusions."

"So, when do we apprehend her?"

"Calm down, Skken. I don't think we will need to apprehend anyone. We need a few questions answered. That is all. Let us retire as tomorrow looks to be quite an interesting day."

Skken reluctantly agrees and prepares to drift off to a restless sleep.

Sapphyre finally finishes her cleanup duties and heads to her quarters for the evening. After putting her dagger under her pillow and washing up, she reclines and ponders what she has seen this night. She considers sneaking up to the second floor and eavesdropping on the two strangers, but thinks better of it. All of her instincts tell her that she must learn more of the yellow-eyed man with the glowing tattoo, but has to decide on the best course of action. She has always followed her instincts and tonight will be no exception. As she lies down on her bed and drifts off to sleep, she begins to think about fate and how it brought her here.

Chapter 2

Sapphyre's earliest memories go back to when she was five winters old and living on the streets, doing what she could to fill her belly and keep safe. Orphans and homeless children are a common sight in the city of Thorenn, the capital city of the Kingdom of Martell, located in far-east Arstevia. It is the largest city on the continent and home to the Imperial Palace, as well as the main port on the eastern seaboard. The city is broken down into districts, with the biggest being the Emerald Center, where most of the trade takes place. This is where you can purchase various foodstuffs, weapons, clothing, gems, and almost anything worth a kendra. It is bustling during the day, but once the sun goes down and the shops close up for the evening, it's a ghost town. Dock Bay is where the sailors congregate and is crowded with inns of ominous repute and whorehouses for seafaring travelers. Granite Loop is home to the laborers, with family restaurants scattered throughout. Skid Way is the dark side of the city, where thieves congregate and the authorities turn a blind eye to all happenings. The gambling houses provide entertainment for the masses and dozens of taverns line the streets. The Guild of Slight controls Skid Way. Almost all illegal activities go through that organization. There are a few other notable gangs in the area, and there are always new groups challenging the rule of the Guild of Slight, only to find themselves destroyed when they gain too much power. The Royal Compound is where the truly rich reside, as well as being home to the Imperial Palace and the barracks for the large Imperial Army. The Royal Compound is fenced in and patrolled by the Imperial Guard to keep out the undesirables.

Sapphyre surely fits into the category of "undesirable" and has only seen the Imperial Compound from afar. It is while she is looking at the magnificent castle from a rooftop in the deserted Emerald Center just past midnight that she is approached by the first person to have a real impact in her life.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" asks the stranger, who startles Sapphyre to a point where she almost falls off the roof. "Please calm down as I mean you no harm." The stranger appears to be a young teenager. He takes a piece of berry cake out of his pocket and hands it to Sapphyre as a gesture of friendship. She hesitates to take it from him. With a light smile, the young man breaks it in two, starts eating his half, and hands the other to Sapphyre.

She grabs it with her small hands and starts devouring the delicious treat. She nods a thank you. As she looks at the young man, she sees in him a sense of strength and a calmness that puts her at ease. He is about five feet ten inches tall, tall for his apparent age, which Sapphyre guesses to be at about twelve winters. He has long black hair, large oval brown eyes, and a small scar beneath his left eye. His garb is similar to most of the young people who wander the streets of Thorenn; however, his clothes are absent the filth that covers most of the downtrodden homeless of the capital city. She doesn't spy any weapons on him and that is not alarming, as she has no weapons of her own. As he finishes his half of the tasty morsel, he extends his hand and introduces himself. "My name is Katrivus, Kat for short, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Sapphyre," she replies softly and accepts his hand, "and thank you for the cake."

"I've seen you around here before. You need to be more careful when you're stealing bread in the middle of the afternoon. You don't want to be thrown in the jailhouse, believe me. I've had to break out of there once and they are not kind to pretty girls."

Sapphyre, still very much hesitant to engage in conversation, just nods.

"So you steal during the day, engage in frivolous dreaming from rooftops at night, and steal sleep in garbage heaps and abandoned lodgings when you can. That doesn't seem like the proper way to spend one's time," whispers Kat.

"I do what I have to do to survive."

"I also do what I must to survive, Sapphyre," says Katrivus as he stands up and kicks a pebble off the roof. "I lived for a long time just the way you do until I realized that if I kept going it alone I would die on the streets. So I formed a group, and now we have a place to stay. We have food to eat and have over fifty kendra saved." He pauses for a moment and continues. "Do you know of the Black Pearl in the Row?"

Sapphyre nods yes.

"My people have a place in the basement there," continues Katrivus. "There are fourteen of us at the moment. The proprietor lets us stay there in exchange for the occasional favor. It's not much but it's warm and dry. Please accept this formal invitation to join the Pugs. If you decide not to come, please forget we ever met and good luck to you."

Sapphyre stands up and looks at Katrivus who is taking short steps backwards to the roof's edge. "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to help me?"

"Like I mentioned, I've seen you around. And I need more people in the Pugs," Katrivus replies smiling. With that, he jumps off the rooftop and disappears into the dark of the night, leaving Sapphyre on the roof pondering her thoughts. As the night turns into early morning, Sapphyre shuffles down the ladder on the side of her favorite escape and searches for a place to sleep for a few hours.

The following day is cold and wet and Sapphyre finds herself walking the streets of the Emerald Center as the various shops are opening for business. She notices one shop owner being especially careless as he unloads goods from his wagon and she slides into a corner to observe. The man is taking his time going from the wagon to the inside of his shop and back, leaving plenty of opportunity for a thief to snag a bag while his attention is elsewhere. The hour is early, with not too many people out and about. Sapphyre decides to make a move. The man grabs a wool bundle from the back of his wagon and retreats into his shop, and at that moment Sapphyre slides in silence to the opposite side of the wagon and waits patiently for the man to head back outside. She sees the man grab another sack and as he is turning to enter the building, Sapphyre reaches up to steal a bundle. As she touches the top of the sack, a hand grabs her hair from behind and throws her to the ground with such force that her breath is knocked out of her. The man then puts a foot upon her chest and yells, "Hey, Floren, I nabbed myself a little whore thief!"

Sapphyre tries to struggle, but it is of no use as the large man has her small frame pinned down to the wet pavement. Floren then comes out of the shop and reaches down with one hand, grabbing Sapphyre by the hair, and slapping her across the face with enough force to draw blood. "You think you can steal from me, you little brat? I don't know if I'm going to hand you over to the authorities or if I'm just gonna sell you m'self!" He brings Sapphyre to her feet, and as his face comes inches away from hers and she can smell the mead on his breath, he whispers, "You're a pesky little thing, aren't you? She'll fetch a nice price with this long brown hair and them dark brown eyes, won't she, Stormm?"