I'm held back against my will as I thrash and squirm in his grip but he doesn't let go. Instead, he starts to drag me back into my room. Once inside he pushes me away and then throws the window open. I start forward towards the door, a scream on my tongue when he effortlessly grabs me again and pulls me through the window with him. Once outside, he wraps a black hood around me and cleverly holds a blade to my neck, hidden from all except me. Terrified I go along with him.
People push past us oblivious to the fact that an innocent girl is being kidnapped and her kidnapper is just strolling through the streets with her like there's nothing wrong in the world. I try to communicate with someone, anyone but no one pays us any heed. No one even looks at us. They all go about their business. Families, friends, and laborers.
I glance sideways at my kidnapper. Noticing my attention he returns my stare. "You must be wondering about me, right?" Smug, he asks. "It skipped my mind that I have yet to introduce myself. What with all the sneaking about…" he grumbles. "The only thing you should know is that my name is Yazaan and I'm very notorious in any business that involves killing." He finishes with a flourish. I stay quiet, digesting this information and racking my brain about all the gossip I'd heard during my traveling. But try as I might I couldn't recall anything about a famous killer whatsoever.
After what feels like a very long trek, we come outside a grimy-looking inn. He pushes me towards a cart parked right outside the inn and shoves me. Trembling with both fear and exhaustion I climb on the cart, my nose overcome by the smell of rotten potatoes. He climbs in after me, indifferent to the pungent reek around us making me wonder if he does this often.
I huddle against a sack as he crouches beside me. Like he just remembered something, he glances towards me, a crooked grin on his face, and says, " Don't mind me, I'm very very sorry. Just paying back what I got." And he slams his palm against the back of my neck. I stumble forward my head spinning, unconsciousness already looming at the corner. As I fade into oblivion I think I hear him say, " Now you and me, we're even."
"Sweet dreams, Alayna. Daughter of Qams."