Novel

I stood quickly, preparing to defend myself, though I did not necessarily know how. I raised my arms to cover my head, simply copying something I had once seen on TV. The shadowy figure flinched backward, perhaps fully expecting me to swing, and landed out onto the main alley. I gazed upon the woman's face through the hood of her cloak, her features revealing themselves in the dim light. Her skin was a brownish tone with light freckles spread across her nose. Her face was angular and tough looking, yet she had a softness in her lips and eyes that proved her femininity. Her hair was long and brown, its true length being tucked away behind her hood, and a single braid starting near her temple followed it. Her thick eyebrows were the same shade as her hair but stained with the ash of the land. She stood slightly taller than me and most likely had a muscular built. Her broad shoulders were well defined beneath the layer of fabric draped over them, but I would never know for sure as her cloak covered everything except her face.

As I stood in my sorry excuse for defense, her glare turned into a more innocent gaze. Her sunken eyes reflected little light, one of them being nearly grayed out, meshing her pupil and iris into a flat ashy white. "Please, with a stance like that, thou hardly havest a chance at besting me." She claimed, though she was probably right.

I lowered my guard and her cloak shifted. Out came a tattered leather glove reaching toward me.

"The name is Tredaeya." She spoke.

I reached my hand out and clasped it into hers, only to remember that I have no name to give. I stayed silent as we shook hands, only for Tredaeya to remark on my silence.

"Well, that's one way to greet someone. No matter, it's in thy best interest to stay suspicious of most in these parts." She said.

Finally, I found the room in my throat for the words to make way. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" I asked. "Why did you yank me like that anyway?"

"Well, thou seemest to be one of a sane mind. It's been a while since I've happened across another traveler. I shall show thee." She remarked before walking back into the dark alley and behind me.

I turned to see a door in the wall closest to the main road. It creaked open as Tredaeya pushed it, the old wood just barely holding on. She motioned her hand for me to follow and so I did. The inside was well lit with small lanterns scattered throughout the place, making it clear that Tradaeya had been living here for quite some time. The dancing flames lit the large room in a warm orange glow, leaving only the darkest corners to themselves. All the windows had their curtains drawn, and those windows that were shattered had been boarded up, blocking even a single view to the outside. There was an ash filled fireplace to my left and an array of shelves next to it. To my right was a countertop with various items and a surface covered in shattered glass, dust, and stains. Up ahead was small staircase with beautifully carved railings, its details now fractured and peeling. Tradaeya continued signalling me from the staircase and I followed her up.

We passed the second floor to which I could see tables that have become misaligned, papers scattered about, and large, dull gold apparatuses that were probably used for something I knew nothing about. On this floor, the windows were exposed, and any that were shattered had been boarded up as well.

"I keep the first floor covered so that they won't see me. If I hadn't pulled thee, they would've seen thee too." Tradaeya uttered without turning to face me.

We made it to the top floor, the planes of the ceiling intersecting at the center indicating so. There was a a large circular window on the opposite side that nearly reached the ground and edges of the ceiling. The light of the outside defined the shape of a large desk that sat just in front of the window with a large, ornate chair to accompany it. The legs of the desk were expertly carved into cloud-esque shapes, its details all dusty and chipped. Shelves standing and toppled lined each side, books present everywhere I looked. Tradaeya walked confidently toward the desk and picked up one of the several books that was laying atop it and handed one to me.

"This might giveth thee some idea as to the happenings of Seraphil. It's quite old... nearly as old as the calamity I'd say." She said.

The thin book was a deep brown, its ridges torn and the edges of its pages were rough. It reeked of an old mildew smell, its stench pronounced in the stagnant air of the room. I turned to the first page and began to read to myself.

"I fear that this is the end. The sky has been blackened for quite some time and people are beginning to worry. I write these entries so that we may remember how we got to where we are headed. I know not of how this sky came to be, but I do and will see the effects it has on this kingdom, and so I fear what is to come."

I looked up at Tradaeya, to which she responded. "Just keep reading."

"People have been living in constant fear, begging for answers from the king's harbingers, but all they have offered us were empty words. It's clear the king and those in the castle knoweth not of what is going on. Has our god not sent them a message? How long will we have to wait?"

A series of nearly illegible numbers was signed at the bottom of the paragraph, perhaps a date, which if it is, it is a lot different than how dates are written in my world. With no hope of pinpointing a timeline, I simply read on.

 "A plague has broken out in the midst of these walls. Many have begun to go blind or deaf, but I have yet to succumb. There are many others like me still, so perhaps it affects people differently. I shall stay hidden in my father's study and continue recording the observations of those who come to us."

The entry was signed with another faded date. I flipped to the next page in anticipation, like someone reading a good novel would, wondering what will happen next. I had almost forgotten that this was no novel, but the history of this kingdom, and the horrors that lied on the next pages only strengthened my resolve to find a way back home. If only this was just a good novel.