The Scrolls Of Akavir, Chapter 1:The Librarian Options

[Florodine of Hlaalu]

The Librarian
Dalrus quickly scrolled through the documents stating the location of the spies of the resistance. Earlier that afternoon a riot had broken out and orders were passed that all suspects be rounded up and brought to the palace. Dalrus was ordered to get the documents to the safe house on the other half of the city where the main resistance leaders lived. It was a pretty normal section of the Imperial City, manors, shops, and restaurants, but it just so happened that Eurod, the resistance leader, lived there.

Dalrus cleared off her desk which was strewn with countless papers and important documents containing information on the resistance. A book lay on the table, reddish in color, and rings decorated it from drinks placed on it, using it as a coaster. It was the perfect holder for the spy document. Dalrus’s job was the resistance secretary, though to the public she was only the bitter old librarian. She walked out of her stuffy office and into the musky smell of the library. Books were her passion and though she knew a lot of current events, she would sometimes not open the library for a day just so she could read a new book.

Dalrus stepped out the door, and locked it, and then set out towards the city. There were many who knew her cover up and she had kept herself inside to library to hide herself from just such people. She was one of the many who were ordered to be rounded up and taken to the palace, but she had to get the document to the resistance without delay. The city was dark at this hour; the early showers of the day had given the cobblestone an icy gloss in the early moon-light. The soft clap of horse’s hooves was the only noise to be heard. The town gate lay to her left along with many other high class stores neighboring the library. She made sure the guards at the walls didn’t see her by staying close to the buildings along the sidewalk. She was running, she didn’t know why but she felt an urge to run as if she was being chased. She ran around the corner of a brick café building. She had to rest, she was getting old and wasn’t used to all that running. She put her hands on her knees and panted, her gray hair which was in a bun was now falling down her sides, she wore a dull dark pink and light blue dress, which was now soaked with sweat. Her eyes were such a light red that they almost looked pink, and her face was hard and wrinkle-free by her mouth as if she had never smiled. Her Gray-blue skin was paler then most, and was dull.

Her break time was over and she must get off the streets, for even if a simple robber came she would lose the document and that was not acceptable, because the empire would eventually get a hold of it. She started off in a jog, she made alright time, but the city was huge, one could live their entire life in the center of it, and not ever see the outside world. She had to get to a stable where she could get a ride the rest of the way to the safe house. She entered the market part of the city, it was deserted. It was an extremely eerie site, in the afternoon it was jammed packed you could barely walk around without running into someone; but now it was a ghost market, the stalls were covered in sheets so no one could see the merchandise. The only living things around were rats eating the dropped garbage. She did not stop to take in more of the site, it scared her, and she tried to think of something she enjoyed; books.

Dalrus passed through the market, and entered the manor section; luckily the first thing she saw was the stables. She slowed to a walk towards them; she had never been so excited to see a building after being scared and for what? Nothing. She felt embarrassed to even be out in the open, even if no one had seen her be afraid. Suddenly footsteps were heard behind her. It sounded like more than one man, she sprinted towards the stables, and so did the foot steps. Dalrus found the fastest looking horse and didn’t even wait to saddle it. She opened the stall jumped on the horse and went out the other entrance of the stable. The footsteps became quieter as her horse bolted down one of the manor section streets, she had chills even thinking about those men in the dark following her, she knew she was outrunning them though. What would they have done with her if they had caught her? Were they working for the empire? And if so would she just be taken to the palace?

These questions rung through her head as she continued her race to the safe house. She had lost them, Dalrus felt a little better now, and slowed her horse down. She had passed the hardest leg of her journey; walking. This was a part of the city Dalrus was not familiar with. She had always hated the people in the manors; when the empire occupied the cities they, who owned land outside the city and armed forces, had stood by and done nothing, and these imperial manors would have done the same, had they had to. Her horse suddenly reared, something was wrong, her horse could sense it. Out of nowhere three horsemen armored head-to-toe rode out in front of her.

“You are to be arrested and taken to the palace; we know you are guilty of being with the resistance. You will be hanged at the palace if you come peacefully, or tortured if you try to run,” the knight said officially...