The Overseer and the Undertaker Ch. 2 // Book 1

Instructions

Chapter 2 Aridiss + Kirone The chaos of the bazaar was deafening. “DRIED FRUIT!! GET YOUR DRIED FRUIT OVER HERE. IT’S FRESH!!!!” “Tsk, tsk, that fruit looks like it’s been sitting in the bottom of the storage bin for a decade. Get my dried fruit, it’s fresher!” “SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU, YOU COPIED MY SLOGAN AND RAIDED MY STOREHOUSE. And also, there’s no such thing as ‘fresh dried fruit!’ ” A passerby shoved through the crowd, “Ey, I’m walkin’ here! Go walk somewhere else!” A few voices rose, “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” And the bazaar erupted. “AAAAAA-” As the fighting continued, a cloaked figure appeared briefly in the alleyway closest to the fruit stand, nobody noticed them because -like all ordinary humans do- they were bickering about dried fruit and throwing fists. The figure picked out a small bag of dried fruit, stuffed it somewhere in the folds of his cloak and disappeared into the darkness. … “I got it!” Kirone, the boy that she had carried through the storm a few days ago, held up a pouch, bulging with rations. “Well done.” Aris answered, she was crouching in the shadows of the alleyway. He had to squint to see a faint outline of her. There was a quick silence. The only sound heard was the riot outside. A yell punctured the chaos. She immediately sat up, fast and alert; Kirone looked around uneasily. He didn’t know why the sound mattered. But it did. Aris was already moving, slipping into the next alleyway like a shadow pulling itself loose. He followed after her. “So… where are we going?” He asked as they wove through the cockroach-infested alleyways. “A five-star inn.” “What?” He nearly stepped on a cockroach. “My girlfr-” She paused. “My friend owns the inn. She will help us.” “Okay…” As they took a left onto another street, he saw a poster with a harsh font. It read: ATTENTION TRAVELERS: Your companion may be a SHARD if they exhibit any of the following traits: -Unusual or godlike demeanor -Wearing neck coverings or cloaks, even in hot weather -Markings or birthmarks on the neck. -Left-handedness If your companion displays two or more of these traits THEY MAY BE A SHARD DO NOT CONFRONT THEM MAINTAIN DISTANCE AND REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE SENTINELS Failure to report suspected Shards may result in detainment. At the bottom of the poster was an icon of a golden hound, crouched and ready to pounce. The poster had slightly faded from weeks of rain, sun, and wind. The nail, holding it to the wall was rusty, flaking red-brown. His eyes flicked back to Aris, who was walking a few paces away from him. He wanted to catch up, but the poster caught his eye. He read it again, and something dropped in his chest. He turned his gaze over to Aris, who was wearing a dark green cloak, the mantle wrapped tightly around her mouth and neck, half of her face was concealed by a hood. It was mid-spring. It was too warm to have a cloak, or a hood on. Kirone swallowed, looked at the poster one last time, and ran to catch up with her. … The Moonflower Inn was on top of a hill, shrouded in ivy and honeysuckle, which was blooming wildly, trying to cover as much area as possible. As they hiked up a hill, a flutter of tiny yellow and white moths flitted around the tall grass. They flapped into the woods nearby when they got closer to the inn. Aris opened the wooden door for him, and they stepped inside. The lobby was clean and large enough for a family of four to live in. A skylight opened from the roof, spilling sunlight on the polished floor. Multicolored glass hummingbirds hung from the ceiling, catching the light and reflecting it in pastel whorls. There was a marble fountain of Hyllienne, the goddess of hospitality, travelers, and homestead. The water trickled on her head, before cupping in her outstretched hands, and flowed down to the basin. Since all the seats had been taken, Kirone had to lean on one of the spotted stone pillars in the room. It reminded him of his own skin, dotted with freckles as if he’d been splattered with droplets of mud. The other boys at the foundling house teased him about his freckles, like he had ‘some sort of weird skin disease or something.’ He remembered how they would go from bullying him to playing Cranes and Crows together in an instant. They weren’t the best but… they were all he had. He recalled a time they pranked the caregivers by putting dead mice and cockroaches in their shoes. Kirone laughed out loud, then realized he was in a public space. Luckily, no one heard him. His eyes traced back to the receptionist’s desk, where Aris was currently talking with what seemed to be the manager. She gestured over to him and said something he couldn’t hear. The manager nodded and walked over to him. “You’re Kirone, right?” She asked. Her nails were painted neatly in stripes of pink, yellow, and blue. “Yeah.” “Aris told me a lot about you.” “...Uh-huh.” “...” (continued in notes and creds)