The Seer (1)
In a dark dungeon, torches burned on the brick walls as the faint sound of someone coughing and chains clanking reverberated through the cell rooms. Rows and rows of prison cells are lined up in that dungeon. At the end of that dungeon, at the center cell, a man hanging on the wall with his arms and feet bound in chains was spitting blood while staring at his assaulters in front of him. Two jail guards wrapped in black cloth were looking at him with disdain, their hands covered with blood that wasn't theirs.
"If you've just given what the city lord was asking for then you wouldn't have to be on this situation. But the heck, you still don't know what's good for you and you kept your mouth shut. Tch!" one of the jail guards spat on him and laughed.
"A month has passed already. Your stamina is quite good than the others here. I would recommend you to the higher-ups for having such a talent." venomous words started raining down on that thin frame. Those words, if other people would hear it in another circumstance, maybe it would be mistaken for some praise. In this case, however, that kind of 'talent' can actually be a curse upon a person since he would be put under a lot more torture for having good endurance. The man hanging in chains just looked at the two and whispered, "Two more days," then he lowered his gaze again as a hint of relief flashed across his eye. No one noticed it and the dungeon was once again filled with grunts and gasps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The wind blew her red hair that was tied back tightly with a few loose strands on the sides of her face. She had a small round face with an incredible imposing aura. Walking slowly in a hunter's attire, Yllana looked at the cold man beside her. She smirked as she noticed how stressed he looked while they were walking at the gates of the city lord's palace.
"Are you sure that he will be seeing you?" Lucien asked from the side without even glancing at her.
"No," she knows how hard it is to ask a seer for a reading. With only a few gold pieces on her, she doesn't know if the seer will really be willing to help her now. Since she hasn't gone home yet, her funds after the war were limited to what was left inside her pockets. She unconsciously slid her hand inside her pocket.
"Token please," a guard barked at them in front of the gate. For people to get inside the palace, one has to have a token bestowed by the city lord or other officials to avoid spies going in or out of the place.
Lucien didn't even bother to talk. He took something out of his chest and presented it to the guards.
After being let in by the guards, Lucien motioned the stunned Yllana to follow him inside. She looked at him from head to toe. "You have a token? I thought I have to beg those guards to let me in." Lucien didn't respond and continued to walk.
The city lord's palace awed the common folk from the city. Marble pillars, giant golden vases with palm trees swaying with the breeze...each and every piece of furniture reflects the life of luxury within the place. Lucien was expecting Yllana, the low common ranked woman, to gape or gasp. When he looked at her, however, he was dumbfounded. There was no trace of shock nor admiration in her face. Her expression was cold and distant as if not even the golden lamps with eighth-grade ores burning seem impressive to her. His brows furrowed.
Yllana was trying to find the cloak of a seer. "According to the news, the seer is a handsome young man with unique blue eyes and silver hair," she muttered to remind Lucien. She somehow glanced at Lucien who was watching her from the corners of his eyes. She found him acting odd all of a sudden.
"I know." he muttered then.
"Good day, how may we be of help for you?" a palace servant approached them from the corner.