A Ghost Among Shadows

A Ghost Among Shadows

Correlula Saga Book 1

By:

Sam Allen

Copyright © 2014 by Sam Allen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover artwork belongs to Jeremy Vickery.

I dedicate this, my first book, to my family members: Mom, Dad, Zach, Josh, and Chloe.

Special thanks to Jeremy Vickery for the cover art.

Chapter 1: Sil

Get back here you rotten thief! the guard shouted.

Sil bounded through the streets of Shillik’s market with a small piece of partially cooked pig and an apple in his hands. He had stolen them from a street vendor’s stall as he walked by, but the vendor had noticed him and shouted for the guards. Now Sil was running for his life, with the risk of getting his right hand chopped off if he was caught.

No chance that’s happening. Sil thought to himself as he sprinted through the crowds of people, bouncing off them and jumping over small crates. Sweat was pouring off the long strands of hair into his face as he nearly tripped over the curb in the street. He could still smell the sweet scents of the city’s market even while running for his life. There was a pig on a spit to Sil’s left that gave off such a sweet fragrance that Sil contemplated trying to steal it as he ran by.

Even though Sil was but a boy of nine, he was an expert of navigating the crowd. The guards chasing him were not as skilled. Sil dashed between people, knocked over a barrel of oranges to slow the guards down, and even jumped through one of the stalls that lined the middle of the street to make his escape on the other side of the street.

Sil barged his way through a small crowd of children who were about his age and ran into the nearest alley to lose the guards. He knew they wouldn’t see where he went after making his escape into the side alley. They were too clumsy and could barely keep up with Sil despite being twice his size. Their heavy breastplates and helms slowed them down, while Sil’s filthy rags of clothing granted him full maneuverability.

Sil hadn’t changed his clothes or bathed in what seemed like years. He smelled ragged and filthy, covered in grime and muck, but it could not have been worse than the smell of the alley he was in. He looked around to get his bearings. He was always observant, always checking his surroundings and making sure he could make a quick getaway from wherever he was. Right now he was in a dirty alley parallel to Sunny Square, the city’s main market, surrounded by dilapidated homes and trash. The alley reeked of shit and piss and Sil had no desire to stay there any longer than necessary. He strapped the piece of pig to his pants with a bit of rope and dropped the apple into an open pocket and went on his way.

Sil found a quiet little street a few blocks away from the market and sat down against a house. He ate the apple and then the slightly raw pig. The taste was repulsive, enough to make a man vomit, but Sil kept it down. He had to keep it down. This was the first food he had eaten in two days, and the last time he had eaten before that had been three days. Life was not easy for a young boy fending for himself on the streets of Shillik, but he had learned to make due.

Two years ago Sil had lived in an orphanage in the Brown Quarter, formerly known as the White Quarter, the oldest and most neglected part of Shillik. Rats and wild cats and dogs roamed the streets looking for anything to eat. Disease was rampant and waste was just dumped in the alleyways and ignored. It was a vile place to live, but it was all Sil had known since he was old enough to start remembering things. He never knew his parents. He never even knew how he ended up in that orphanage. His entire life the only thing that had ever belonged to him was his name.

The orphanage was not a well-funded institution. The man running it, who went by the name of Uncle Durren, had lost his wife and fallen on hard times. When Sil was seven he overheard Uncle Durren tell his assistant Kelven that he may need to shut down the orphanage.

What about the kids? Kelven had asked.

They will have to start looking out for themselves. I can’t afford to try and keep this place open anymore. All of the old acquaintances that used to help fund the orphanage have died or simply cannot spare the funds. I’m tired of helping people. It’s time I start looking after myself.

You have to Durren! These kids will all die if you kick them out on the streets.

It isn’t my problem anymore. There is simply nothing I can do, Kelven.

That was all Sil had to hear to leave the place. He knew something was wrong in the orphanage even before he overheard that conversation. Sil was shrewd, even as a seven year old. Every meal provided was becoming more meager by the day. Durren was in a perpetual bad mood. Sil decided he needed to do something to help himself, so he stole some fruit from a cart in the market to try and feed himself better. He then stole some milk and cooked rabbit from a tavern, all without being noticed. After those first two triumphs he became arrogant and believed he could look after himself on the streets. He didn’t need Durren and his care. And it wasn’t like Sil leaving meant he would be leaving his precious friends behind. Sil was a loner. He did things by himself and rarely talked. He had never had anyone in his life he felt was worthy of the term friend.

So, he left first thing in the morning to pursue his life in petty thievery. Life was not as easy going as he had planned though. That first day and night after leaving the orphanage Sil had gone without food or water and had slept in the pouring rain on the hard stone of the streets after not being able to find shelter. It took time, but eventually Sil got the hang of stealing food to feed himself. He developed certain methods to ensure he was never caught.

He never took more than he could escape quickly with. One time he had grabbed an armful of fruit, but had been noticed by the merchant and had to drop all of it in order to escape. He always stole from the market stalls at midday, when the streets were most crowded. The crowd helped him blend in and quickly snatch any precious morsel he could off a stand and then melt back into the crowd. The most important rule of all though: Always have a plan. Sil planned out everything whenever he was going to steal something. He would watch the streets carefully, he would decide what he wanted to steal for food that day and then he would lock down that merchant’s stall and learn everything he could about it. He would plan out when he would make his move, what position he would be in when his hands shot out to steal the food, where he would walk afterwards, and if worst came to worst, what his escape plan would be.

Sil was nine now and had been living in a burned out house for most of the past two years. A few other homeless kids of varying ages lived there, but they didn’t bother Sil much. He had his corner in a small room on the first floor. Some of the roof was gone so water would pour through most of the house when it rained. Sil’s room only had enough roof for him to lay down in his corner and not get drenched. The rest of the room would be covered with puddles after it finally stopped raining. It rained most everyday in Shillik. The semi-tropical climate of the area brought on daily rains, but they never seemed to last long.

Shillik was not an old city. It had been built a few hundred years ago by Gelinor Rayden, starting the Rayden Dynasty of the Shillik Empire, and was still in its youth. Some sections of the city were still expanding and were heavily under construction. The completed neighborhoods were vibrant and colorful though. Most of the streets were paved with painted brick of red and gold. The buildings were painted every color one could imagine. The huge walls and towers that surrounded the city were a magnificent cream color that warmed to bright tan in the sunlight. The slum that was all Sil knew of Shillik was the least colorful of all the borough of the city. It was made of white stone and the streets and buildings were stained brown from the lack of care, hence its name being change from the White Quarter to the Brown Quarter. Most of the other districts were colorful and dotted by large taverns, shops and homes. The city smelled of flowers, even over the stench of the filthy slums and spitfires where animals roasted all day. Flowers of all colors hung from every building and were planted along the sides of the streets.

It had started to drizzle when Sil was done eating. He glanced up at the blackening sky and decided it was time to head back to his building. He did not want to be caught in a downpour. Too many nights he spent in the rain without a roof over his head. He made haste through the winding streets of Shillik back to his shelter, well fed and content for the day.

Chapter 2: Sil

I’ll give you four silvers for the bowl and candlestick, but no more, One-eyed Rekk, Sil’s favored fence, said, Ya know, I’m too good to you Sil. The only reason you get such good prices out of me is because I like you… And because you scare the piss out of me.

Sil did not acknowledge Rekk’s comment. He simply accepted the silver while never breaking eye contact with Rekk. Sil was now a man of twenty, and an expert thief. His experiences as a child had hardened the already cold boy into a mysterious and frightening man. As he grew older he had eventually graduated from stealing just to feed himself to stealing to earn a profit. He would steal food during the day like when he was a child, but he would also break into houses to steal valuables by night. He even grew bold enough to start stealing from nobles’ guarded mansions. Nothing is off limits now, he thought to himself.

He had shoulder length black hair that usually hung over his dark, almond-shaped eyes. His skin was a tannish-yellow tint, but it had been a warm summer in the tropical city and he was more browned than usual. His face was gaunt and angular and covered by small scars along his cheek with a long scar that started just above the left side of his upper lip and went vertically down to the bottom of his chin. His mouth was a thin line that rarely changed to show emotion. He had a large but thin nose and he was garbed in tight black clothing that hugged his body, with leather gloves and boots. He had a brown belt where his knife was sheathed and it had pouches to hold his coin and stolen items.

I appreciate the generous deal, Rekk, Sil expressed his gratitude in a drab tone. Rekk was the closest thing Rekk had to a friend, but due to the commercial nature of their relationship he was really just more a business partner. Still, Sil usually treated Rekk with more pleasantness than he did other people.

I’ve been hearing rumors Rekk. I’ve heard at the taverns and in the streets that Emperor Alinor has recovered a valuable gem from the desert.

Aye, that he has. The rumors are true, Rekk was readjusting the eye patch over his missing eye that he lost in an altercation with a man at a tavern. To hear Rekk tell it, the other man received much worse. They say the emperor traveled north into the desert, to Nelpoli, to retrieve the gem personally. He brought a company of soldiers with him. The gem is said to be that valuable. Rekk was now organizing the fresh loot that Sil had brought him.

Is that so? Sil whispered, barely audible, distracted by thought of a gem so valuable the emperor would personally retrieve it with an armed escort.

Alinor is keeping the gem at Palewater Palace. I’ve heard it is locked up tight and security has been heightened. I’m not sure what the emperor plans on doing with that shiny stone, but it seems he wants it well protected, Rekk finished cleaning the candlestick Sil had just sold him. He wiped his hands on his dirty shirt around his fat belly and jerked his head up at Sil with an incredulous look on his face, Wait, Sil, you’re not seriously considering stealing that gem are you? he said in realization.

Sil did not answer. He simply looked at Rekk with the slightest hint of a smirk and turned toward the door.

On the way out, he could hear Rekk protesting, Sil you can’t! They’ll kill you when you’re caught. You don’t know what they’ll do to a thief like you.

Sil walked out into the dark streets of the city with the cool breeze on his face. He decided to head back to his apartment building. He had become successful enough in his endeavors to purchase a small room in a building located by the docks, near Rekk’s small shop. Sil liked to be close to where he sold his stolen goods. The docks were where much of the shady business in the city took place. With constant boat traffic coming in and out, it made it easy for criminals and smugglers to transport goods, legal and illegal. He wanted to get some sleep. On the morrow he would gather more information on this valuable gem that Emperor Alinor supposedly had locked up tight in Palewater Palace.

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The sun was bright today. It was going to be hot and muggy. Sil awoke early and ventured into the streets of the docks. He planned on going to Saltwood Tavern to meet up with Roach, the owner. He was a scumbag, as his name suggested, but the location of his tavern right on the water meant travelers were always staying at his inn. Travelers that always had rumors and information on what was going on around Correlula. Sil had used the man before for information. If anyone would know anything about Alinor’s gem, it would be Roach.

It was not a far walk to the tavern. Sil walked slowly in the streets, in no particular rush. He was uncomfortable in the daylight. He did not like the stares people gave him when he walked by. One old man had been looking off to his left and when he turned his head and saw Sil walking toward him he jumped back and nearly dropped the crate of fish he was carrying. Sil didn’t care that people were frightened by his appearance, he just didn’t like receiving extra attention. It wasn’t good for a thief. He supposed that was what happened, though, when you wore a long knife at your waste while garbed in all black.

Still, despite the stares, Sil enjoyed the city. He hadn’t seen much of the world, any of it besides Shillik, in fact, but in his mind the city was the most beautiful place that existed. It brought out a softer side in him. He enjoyed looking up at the colored brick buildings with the flowers dangling from the windows. The high cream-colored walls. He loved the people walking in the streets, going about their business. The way the blue sky rose above the horizon of the buildings, the way it cast an orange glow across the stones at sunset. The beauty of the city was the only thing that Sil had much affection for. That and coin.

Sil almost walked right over a group of children playing in the streets. They stumbled out of the way, terrified of the intimidating man before them. Sil decided to get off the main street and take the back alleys to Saltwood. He was tired of the unwanted attention his appearance was attracting. The alleyways of Shillik did not garner the same attention from Sil that the streets did. The alleyways were dark and dank and were filled with trash and rodents. Sil made his way silently around the corners and past ramshackle buildings where the poor folk made their homes. He was on high alert when using the alleyways. More than once thugs had attempted to mug him, usually to no avail. He would usually end up mugging them after giving them a beating or a small cut from his knife just to make them think twice about trying to mug someone again. He was no expert fighter but the scum in these back alleys were nothing but petty thugs trying to scare someone foolish enough to venture back there. Still, Sil didn’t let his guard down.

Luckily today nobody attempted a mugging and Sil finally reached his destination. The alleyway he was in emptied into a main street that ran parallel to the water. There were huge galleons and smaller vessels all anchored at the docks ready to do business. Gulls flew overhead and the air smelled strongly of salt and fish. Sil walked along the street, dodging men, most of them smugglers and pirates, carrying barrels into and off their boats. He didn’t receive the same attention here as he did closer to his home. The men that did business this close to the docks were hard men and it would take more than black clothing and a knife to scare them.

Saltwood Tavern stood on the side of