The World of Rhune

Sharely walked down the worn route that led to the slums of the major trade city. Their hideout was on the edge of it, or he liked to think of it as the safer side with many escapes options and more nature to use and hide in. His hand swung slightly, Raven’s hand inside his, she herself silent as they walked back to their base. Sharely looked around, cataloging what little had changed, whether the gray clouds above would cause a storm, dirt tracks or any blood on the floor. Sadly, it was a common sight. “Hey, Sharely, what’s that?” Raven reported, more than asked, and was squinting at a piece of parchment with writing and a picture on it. He broke hands with Raven, and walked swiftly to the paper. He recognized it, fine thick paper with ink that resisted water and soiled after much effort. “This is king’s paper, or scribe paper. I recognize it from the wharf.” He explained to Raven, and held the paper up into the sun. Raven came just behind him and leaned to see the scribbled ruins. Her face instantly read worry; the picture itself was of a bent crown upon a rock with waves. “Oh no,” Sharely recognized easily what this meant, and he ripped the sign down without a moment’s thought. “Um, Sharely, why’d you just do that?” Raven asked quietly, knowing Sharely wouldn’t do something like that without a justified reason. “Because this is a proclamation to go and see a murder,” he replied to her curtly, glancing at the date and shoving the paper off to Raven. He didn’t glance at her but starting walking with a furious step towards his true home. “Sharely! I…oh,” Raven finished the writing and caught up to him, folding the paper up and slipping it into her jacket. He ignored her as she came up to him, and she stayed silent. No point in trying to console or murmur sorry for waste. He trudged into the home, causing a few of his bunch to look up, but the rest stayed upon their tasks. He saw Cress grin up at him from the second story where he sat on a ladder looking out the filthy window at the slum they lived in. He met eyes with Cress, making the boy’s smile disappear and wonder scratch itself into his face. “Hey Share—” Fritz cut short as he read the expression on Sharley’s face and looked straight to Raven. She shrugged, handed him the folded parchment, and let him chase Sharely down. He took a double take and then looked at Raven again, “Nice collar,” he tacked on to his earlier look and ran to where he assumed his rampaging leader had headed. “Sharely,” his word had question, concern, and shock echoed in it. Fritz climbed the tree easily up to Sharely’s position. He took in Sharely’s purposely ignoring stance, and opened the creased paper. Half a minute later, his eyes burned slightly, not nearly to Sharely’s degree, but still raged. “What do they mean sacrifice! Of the King’s own daughter! Those damned…” Fritz clamped his teeth tightly to stop the sailor language from coming through. “Funny how they put it, ‘This is the joyous announcement of the most high sacrifice to Our god, Zeus! Please join us to humble ourselves before the great god in the gift of his Majesty’s only daughter,’ how sick,” Sharely agreed with him, staring at a tree across the ghetto. Fritz shook his head, “How can they do that kind of stuff? I mean, what the hell? Uh, sick is exactly the right word,” Fritz grimaced, and then looked at Sharely, waiting for him to move and do something. “Uh, I know Fritz, wish I could stop it,” Sharely’s head hung for a second. This was his sister, though Fritz couldn’t know that. “We could stop it, Sharely, when the girl gets drowned. Unlash her during a wave and swim her to shore, the foam will help hide us!” Fritz said slightly excitedly, Sharely shrugged, though liking it on the inside. “Treason, you mean, and endangering everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, the plan sounds good, but what about other people? I’m sure we’re not the first people to feel the hatred of an innocent murder.” Sharely shook his head and continued, “Sorry, it…I just can’t endanger everyone for someone else. Band first,” he slid down the tree with Fritz on his heel. When he slid back into the window he was okay, his face happy enough to pass as nothing. Fritz walked in coolly behind him, and sat back down to cleaning his dagger. Cress slid down his ladder, receiving a splinter on the way down, and came up to Sharely. “Are you okay, Sharely?” he asked in an unnaturally quiet voice. Sharely smiled and grabbed Cress into a headlock, noggying him lightly and making both of them laugh. “I’m fine, mini-man. Thanks,” Sharely let Cress wriggle out of the headlock and he looked at Dove kneading some brown dough. “Looks good, Dove,” she looked up at him worriedly for a second, but smiled at his smile. “Yeah, a hard, course grain dough is just going to taste great.” He watched as she added yeast and kneaded again. “I think it will, hey Amber and Murphy, you up for picking some of those raspberries we saw on the other side of the hill?” his question was a statement, an order, and Amber sighed, putting down the grass she’d been weaving into a small mat and stepped outside, Murphy on her heels. Sharely grabbed him by the collar, “Now or never, bud,” he shoved the blonde boy out with a grin, hoping they would grab some of the berries though. He hadn’t had the chance to go out and barter for some meat or set a trap for anything lately. Bread was good, but with berries was better. “Hello, Sharely! God, what a spacer, huh Raven? You sure won yourself a great piece of pie,” Izzy commented from the corner coolly with a smile, making Raven crack one from where she was dusting off her ‘bed’. “I know, right?” she replied, smirking as Sharley turned around to the two.