Ryiah stretched on the bed, her mind still sleepy. The heaviness of the blanket and the surrounding warmth in her cocoon earned a low, satisfied hum as she slowly came aware of her surroundings.
Nuzzling under the blanket more firmly, Ryiah struggled to convince herself to get up. It had been a long time since she had such a good night's sleep without having to wake up from her slumber to make sure there was no threat nearby.
A gentle knock on the door, however, made her frown, peeking from under the blanket before she remembered where exactly she was.
"Come in." She called, her voice slightly raspy. She watched sleepily as the door opened and old Nana stepped inside carrying a tray.
"Good morning Riona," Nana smiled brightly, walking next to the bed, and setting the tray on the nightstand.
Ryiah frowned for a second. That wasn´t her name.
She was about to correct it, but then she remembered giving the people a fake name to be safe. She wouldn't want the wrong people to find out where she was staying.
"Morning," Ryiah mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hand, still not sure if she should get up or not.
She was just too comfortable under the blanket.
"Come now, better get up before your breakfast gets cold. Here you have some clothes for yourself. They might be big for you as they belong to my husband, who is out of town at the moment. I can´t have you wandering around on our streets dressed up as a minister. You can go buy more fitting clothes later yourself." Nana fussed while ushering Ryiah to sit up.
While trying to protest that she could do it herself, she quickly discovered that it was no use saying no to Nana when she decided on something. The fussing reminded Ryiah of her mother.
"You sound just like my mother," Ryiah muttered absentmindedly while sitting up, missing the satisfied smirk on Nana's face.
"Good, I like her already," she laughed and patted Ryiah on the shoulder. Turning, Nana took the tray, placing it on Ryiah's lap.
"I want to see this tray empty by the time I come to fetch it." Nana pointed, giving Ryiah a stern gaze, making Ryiah wince, fearing what the old woman could do. If being an assassin has taught Ryiah anything, it was to not mess with the elderly.
Ryiah nodded, watching as Nana walked briskly out of the room. Ryiah glanced towards the tray after a moment of staring at the doorway for a while.
"What a feisty woman…"
She muttered while poking at the amount of food in front of her.
Two slices of bread with ham and cheese, a whole drabosu fruit cut in two, a glass of juice, a cup of coffee, and a full plate of porridge.
"How am I going to eat all of this?" She whined, shifting her gaze from the plate to the big fruit.
The deep yellow drabosu fruit made her mouth water. She took it, lifted the fruit in front of her nose, and inhaled deeply. A scent of toffee with a hint of lilac caressed her nostrils, earning a fond smile from her.
Ryiah´s mother used to give her one drabosu fruit for breakfast when it was a special occasion.
Ryiah took the teaspoon from the coffee cup and scooped some of the juicy and slightly sticky flesh off it. As soon as the spoon disappeared into her mouth, Ryiah's eyes closed. A ripe, syrupy flavour spread through her mouth, teasing her taste buds. She hummed from pure pleasure as memories of her childhood flashed behind her eyelids.
"Oh, my Gog, I have not had drabosu fruit in ages…" Ryiah moaned while leaning back on the bed, savouring the sticky texture and sweet flavour lingering on her tongue after she swallowed the piece. She was still in her euphoria when the door of her room opened again, and Nana walked through carrying a pile of clothes. She smiled when she saw Ryiah´s face, but then she noticed on Ryiah´s bicep a unique-looking tattoo; a golden serpent-like dragon curled around a silver Sai.
Nana frowned as she got closer, studying the tattoo and missing the wary look on Ryiah´s face when she opened her eyes and watched the old woman coming closer, eyes fixed upon her tattoo.
"That is quite an unusual tattoo, Riona," she mumbled, while Ryiah merely lifted her brow, glancing down at her left arm.
"I liked it, and my mother always told me I have the heart and the courage of a dragon, so I decided to get one." Ryiah shrugged, feeling nostalgic.
"And the weapon?"
Nana asked, curiously.
Ryiah gave her a side glance. She wasn´t about to tell her the sai was the weapon of her choice whenever she went on a mission. She carried her sai's everywhere. They kept her safe. They were the only things she could truly trust nowadays. Which reminded her Bernand had taken her weapons... and she needed them back.
The thought of Bernand having her weapons and doing who knows what with them angered her.
"It just looks cool with the dragon." Ryiah put up a grin, hoping Nana wouldn't look into it further. Luck seemed to be on Ryiah's side as Nana chuckled, putting the clothes on the end of the bed.
"Here are your clothes, dear. I need to head out for a bit to do some more shopping. You just relax. You can take a shower, there's a towel hanging on the door."
Nana spoke, pointing at the door in question, and Ryiah nodded.
"Thank you."
"You´re welcome. And if that little rascal called Cassair stops by, tell him I need to talk to him."
Again, Ryiah nodded with a smirk as the image of the young boy came to mind.
He reminded Ryiah of herself when she was a child, always seeking trouble and curiosity leading to new undiscovered paths.
She always was an adventurous spirit, turning her mother insane of worry.
Ryiah watched as Nana disappeared through the doorway around the corner and settled to finish her breakfast. After eating her fill, Ryiah pulled the curtain aside so she could gaze out from the window that was right beside her bed. Ryiah then lifted the coffee cup, taking a sip while leaning against the windowsill.
It was a sunny day, and the streets were already buzzing with the people living in the Midtown Kiodri district.
Absentmindedly, Ryiah's gaze followed the sandy street. Each side had round pole fences and children were laughing while chasing each other, slipping through the fence's holes.
It reminded Ryiah of her hometown and one of her best friends she loved to play with like that. Closing her eyes, Ryiah let herself walk through the memory lane when she was six years old.
***
Giddy laughing echoed throughout Ryiah's home street as a group of children chased each other, amusing the adults as they watched over the bundle of joyous kids. The middle-class community of the district called South Shiadeenk in Dereham was tight. Neighbours gladly watched each other's children when their parents had chores to do.
Ryiah sat on the front stairs of her home, looking at the neighbour's children running around. They tried to lure her into the game too, but she was busy eating her fruit. Her mother, Annalyn, had come back from the grocery store and had given her one of those drabosu fruits. They weren´t exactly a poor family; they got by, but it was a rare luxury when her mother bought something unusual.
Ryiah noticed from the corner of her eye when her mother sat down next to her wrapping her arm around Ryiah´s shoulders, hugging her tightly.
"I love you, my little nugget," Annalyn whispered gently to Ryiah´s ear and kissed her temple. Ryiah merely smiled, leaning against her mother's side while munching on her fruit.
Annalyn was born to be a mother, as every person she knew said to her every time they saw Annalyn and Ryiah together.
She was a loving mother. Ryiah was her entire world, and she made sure her daughter knew that. Ryiah´s father had died before she was born and Annalyn talked about him whenever she could, ensuring Ryiah knew he loved his daughter as much as she did. But as young as Ryiah still was, she didn´t fully understand the concept of death.
"Will my father someday visit me?" Ryiah's sudden question earned a deep, sad frown to form on Annalyn's face as she glanced down.
She swallowed the lump in her throat while wetting her lips, trying hard not to start crying.
"No, darling. Your father has gone far away. God Cian needed him."
"But why didn´t he wait for me to be born so we could have gone with him?"
Annalyn closed her eyes, tears threatening to blur her vision. Her throat was getting tighter, and it was a little harder to breathe normally.
"Cian only needed him," Annalyn whispered hoarsely, but Ryiah pursed her lips, getting a little angry.
"Stupid Cian! Why he couldn´t take all of us with him! What if I write to him and ask nicely? Would he then be able to come?"
Annalyn chuckled despite the serious topic of conversation and looking down at her daughter, she kissed her hair. Ryiah had always been feisty, not settling for an answer that didn't satisfy her, demanding an answer that would.
"I tell you what… why don´t I get you a diary where you can write anything you wish your father should know, and then you can walk by the river just beyond that hill and read aloud to him. I´m sure he will listen although he can´t visit."
Ryiah looked doubtfully at her mother.
"How could he hear me if he can´t visit me?"
"The river is connected with the Realm of Avalion where your father is. Trust me, he'll hear you, although he cannot answer you the way you want. But if you pay attention, you might notice a message he someday might send you." Annalyn explained patiently, and Ryiah listened silently, deep in thought.
"Alright!" Ryiah grinned excitedly, her eyes shining, making her mother smile fondly. Maybe this way, Ryiah would feel a connection with her father and eventually would accept the reason why she will never see him.
She had done that for 4 years, every night walking down the river and telling her father everything and anything. Like her mother had thought, Ryiah little by little understood what death really meant and she cried harder than she had ever cried before. Ryiah poured her anger, grief, and pain into the river although she was sure he would not hear her at all.
At the age of 10, she had stayed by the river all night after finally realizing her father wasn´t going to visit her. His soul had travelled into the realm of the afterlife, called Avalion where souls waited 4 years to come to terms with their death and finally move on to their next life. Sobbing at the bank, a gentle wind had suddenly blown across the river, caressing her face like it wanted to dry her tears and comfort her. Ryiah had stopped sobbing, looking around but couldn´t see the tree branches moving with the wind. It had travelled only through the river causing ripples to the surface. There wasn´t another gust of wind and Ryiah had sat there staring at the river, an odd peaceful feeling surrounding her.
A movement on the other side of the river had made her lift her teary gaze.
A black crow had landed on the bank and had been looking directly at her. A quiet grating coo had escaped from the bird as it popped its head a little. At that moment, as the words of her mother had come flooding down on her, she knew it was her father's answer to her.
***
Ryiah wiped the single tear from her eye as she gazed out the window. It was the only time Ryiah felt like God Cian had contacted her, earning her faith to grow.
Loud thumping footsteps on the staircase earned her attention and hastily wiped her eyes, sniffling quietly. Ryiah gathered herself just when the door flung open and Cassair burst into the room full of energy, making Ryiah jump a little in surprise as she stared at the young boy.
" Have you no manners at all, Cas?" Ryiah scolded him, but he merely shrugged, flopping onto the bed with a big bright smile.
"I got news for you!" Cassair chimed, ignoring Ryiah´s scolding all together.
"Oh? What news could you possibly have for me?" Ryiah lifted her brow sceptically.
Cassair was about to answer when his gaze landed on her upper arms and his eyes flickered in interest. Ryiah frowned, following his gaze before she realized the boy was staring at her tattoos.
"So cool," he whispered in awe, admiration shining in his eyes, making Ryiah chuckle before taking a sip from her cup.
"What does it mean?" Cassair asked, intently looking at the golden dragon enchanted.
Ryiah decided to entertain Cassair and spoke up.
"Well, the dragon represents the heart and courage, while the Sai represents mastering the skills of true valour. Sai means saint, master or lord. I wanted this weapon rather than some dull sword."
Cassair´s eyes went wide, and Ryiah was worried for a second that his eyes would actually bulk out of their sockets.
"I want a tattoo too!" Cassair squeaked, bouncing up and down on the bed. Ryiah had to balance her tray on her lap so it wouldn´t flip.
"Calm down! You´ll make the tray fall off!" Ryiah snapped, sending a stern gaze at him. Cassair froze immediately under her glare, shrinking and averting his eyes.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Ryiah sighed.
"Besides, getting a tattoo isn´t something you do out of whim. It will stick with you for the rest of your life and it isn´t cheap." Ryiah lectured while watching his demeanour.
"But… you got a tattoo, two in one! I want one too!"
He nearly hollered, and Ryiah knitted her brows together as her lips formed a thin line.
This was one of the reasons she didn´t like kids. She didn´t have the patience for them.
"You are not listening." Ryiah snarled as she narrowed her eyes. She could see how Cassair was getting upset and quite frankly Ryiah didn´t understand why. He was too young to have a tattoo and Ryiah doubted his parents would permit him for it, at least for the next 10 years.
Ryiah sighed heavily.
She was having such a peaceful morning and all of a sudden Ryiah found herself arguing about tattoos with an 8-year-old boy.
"I don´t need your permission to have one!" Cassair argued stubbornly and jumped off the bed. He headed out, but Ryiah´s low and calm voice halted him midways.
"No, you´re right, you don´t. But you will need your parents' permission."
Cassair turned around with a pout and his teary gaze met Ryiah's fiery one.
"I´m not sure why I´m having this conversation with you in the first place. I don´t care if you go and try to convince a tattoo artist to make you one for free and piss off your parents for good, but trust me when I say, whatever plan is forming in your little head, it is not going to work. You´re too young." Ryiah spoke and saw how his lower lip started to quiver.
She could see the deep disappointment in his eyes that were filling with tears, but Ryiah couldn´t care less. In her opinion, Cassair could use some disappointments, life was full of them and the sooner he learned how to deal with them the better.
"But I want one…" He sniffled, whining about it for another ten minutes, testing her nerves.
"Well, you can´t have one, tough luck kid. You´ll have to wait until you are eighteen."
Cassair glanced at her suspiciously, wiping his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Ryiah nearly groaned out loud rolling her eyes.
"When you turn eighteen you are in the eyes of the law an adult and don´t longer need your parents' permission to do things."
His face lit up at that and as if someone had switched an on-off button in his head, Cassair was once again in a cheerful mood.
"So, all I have to do is wait?" he asked joyfully, and Ryiah nodded. Although she didn´t think Cassair fully realized just how long he would have to wait, and it would drive him crazy, as impatient as he seemed to be.
"Now that is settled. What news did you have for me?" Ryiah hummed, lifting the coffee cup to her lips as she watched his frown over the rim of the cup. For a minute he looked like he had totally forgotten the main reason why he had come into the room, but then the boy grinned, and Ryiah knew he remembered.
"My sister told me there is a newcomer in the city."
Ryiah stared at him. Carran was a fairly big city. How would someone know if a person wasn´t around here?
"Really? How does she know that?"
"By the accent, of course!" Cassair stated with an exaggerated tone in his voice as if it was as simple as that.
Of course. Ryiah chuckled while shaking her head.
The accent of Carran was very specific and unmistakable. It was melodious and rich. Many of the outsiders who visited Carran said the accent of Carran was the sexiest of all Kyrre because of the seductive tone of the voice. If someone wasn´t from Carran, the locals would know just by listening to how they spoke.
"She told me the guy had a dangerous look and a very unusual name. Maybe he was an assassin!" Cassair explained excitedly. Ryiah merely lifted her brow. As if in this city had suddenly two assassins, the odds of that were highly unlikely.
"Maybe. What's the guy's name?" Ryiah mused, leaning back on the wall behind her.
"Chiron…? Ciron….?...Ciroc…?" Cassair tried to remember the name his older sister, Ahanna, had given him an hour ago when she had returned after visiting her friends at the central.
Ryiah froze suddenly, intently staring at Cassair, who furrowed his brows at the sudden change of her demeanour.
It couldn´t be! It possibly couldn´t be!
"Ciroc?" She offered warily, watching Cassair´s smile returning on his face.
"Yes, that was it!" He cheered, clapping his hands and pointing at her.
Ryiah's eyes widened.
Assassins had a fake name they always used, and there was only one person who used that specific name. It was a fake name, just like the one Ryiah was using now. What the hell was he doing here?
"Shit!"
Ryiah cursed out loud, putting the cup back on the tray and placing the tray on the nightstand before leaping out of bed rushing out of the room leaving a very confused Cassair sitting on the bed blinking while watching the empty spot she had sat on a second ago.
"Someone you know?" he called after her but didn´t get a reply. Ryiah had stormed downstairs full on to panic to lock the door.
Of all the people from her past, Charon had to be the one who appeared in the same city as her.