Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK I - Chapter 44

It was the second time Liofia had seen Julen, third if she included the incident in Patina. Not that she had any idea who either he nor Eldskeep were. From her elevated position, perched up high upon the roof tops she'd witnessed the whole event in Patina. From start to finish. From the moment the first assailant attacked Julen, to the moment that he returned the favour, piercing him with deadly aim through the heart. She'd seen other incidents like that on her incognito night-time wanderings. The city was a dangerous place. However, there was something about the incident with Julen and Eldskeep that struck her more fully. Perhaps it was the despair she'd seen etched on Julen's face after he'd plunged the sword point in. It may also have had something to do with their slightly atypical clothing. With Julen in particular looking very much like an out of town country boy. Something she'd picked up on quite easily; giving the pair a mild air of naïve otherness, piquing her royal curiosity.

As she saw the pair again by the canal, along with Box and Goola, it piqued her curiosity further. It had been a lonely journey since her fugitive escape from Castle Tori, and she latched onto these familiar faces keenly. Partly out of boredom. Covertly following the gang since she'd first spotted them traipsing the streets. It gave her something to do; to pass her time in exodus - but also, subconsciously, it gave her a strange sense of reassurance. It was something familiar in a foreign place, and though she'd never exchanged words, nor knew anything about them, she felt a degree of empathy. They'd made the same journey she had, and their histories were now a tiny bit entwined. Though she obviously felt this more so than they did.

As she raised herself up from her crouched position, she peeped out over the small wall of the terraced roof. Trying to espy in which direction they were now heading. She'd always preferred to tiptoe around by rooftop. Enjoying the lofty vista it offered. Even as a fugitive she felt like a princess looking down on her people. Though now, seeing that the four travellers were beginning to head beyond the city's edge, she realised she'd have to surrender that vantage point, and follow on at street level. Hugging the peopled ground. She quickly crossed from one rooftop to the next, then, with agile lightness, dropped onto the stairwell below. The weight of her cloak, still heavy with jewels, anchoring her body as she landed. A cold breeze nipped at her skin as she headed out onto the street. The lazy clamminess of the morning now overtaken by overcast clouds and the anticipation of drizzle.

The change in weather added a slight urgency to her steps. To make herself less conspicuous she pulled down the hood of her cloak to reveal her loosely tied hair. She now looked like a young woman rushing home to get out of the rain. Not unlike the other passers-by that were angling about in different directions, trying to shield themselves from the oncoming bluster. Julen, and the other three, ambled along an adjacent street, running parallel to the one she was now walking down. Turning onto a little side street, she quickly cut across to theirs. Once again see could see her quarry. They were heading down the long road, and out towards the wooded green on the hem of the city. She kept a clear distance behind as she followed their lead.