Zara's lungs burned, still unused to the pure air she had to breath in compared to the soothing water that had passed through her gills only hours earlier. The girl absent-mindedly brought her hand up to the sides of her neck, still surprised to find smoothened skin there and the vaguely detectable lines of closed-off slits indicating her shut off gills. Land-breathing takes a while to adapt to...she thought to herself, forcing the burning sensation to the back of her mind so she could focus on the task at hand.
She was almost near the tavern, her turquoise eyes looking up past the rim of her cloak's hood to peer at the yellow light emanating from the windows. That criminal is inside there somewhere...her thoughts were tainted with rage, nimble fingers itching to grasp the hilt of her dagger hidden by the folds of the cloak. That would do her no good though. Not yet at least. Taking it from it's sheath on her belt would make blending in more difficult, especially in a small seaside village like this one where everyone knew everyone else. She needed to blend in though, getting close enough to her intended target required a stealthy approach.
The female looked over her shoulder, eyes searching the shadows for anyone that might be following her. Zara was aware that she had a few hours head-start on the guards that surely would find her missing from her cell by now. However, it didn't hurt to remain cautious.
Escaping had irked her, going against everything she had been trained to do as a Clan Protector. Proving her innocence would be impossible if she had remained behind bars though. Even if she had stayed long enough for her trial, it would not have been a fair one and she knew she would have been given a death sentence. Of this she was certain, considering that an enemy tribe had seized power when the previous nights events had provided the opportunity to do so. With her father, the leader of her siren clan, being murdered hours earlier she was the last person in their way of unquestionable power over the clans people. Since Zara's dagger was found to be the murder weapon, embedded in her father's back, they had enough cause to jail her and lay the guilt of his death solely on her shoulders.
Zara knew the truth though. She had been the first to find her father dead after all, with the sight of the true assassin disappearing into the shadows. More than likely the assassin was hired by the rival family to assist them in usurping her father's rule, but she had no proof of that. Not yet. Her goal was to find such evidence and then kill the man who had ended her father's life. Her search had brought her onto land, the female following a short trail of fish scales that had ended on the beach of the seaside village she now walked through. The scales were typical of someone who had taken a potion to give them the appearance and water-breathing ability of a siren, but were shed once the potion began wearing off. Thus they had been useful to track the individual at least up until this point but now Zara was relying on the scent of the sea still clinging to him in order to track him down.
However, the scent was fading quickly. She needed to find them man soon if she wished to fulfill her goal of either killing him or at least identifying him. The echo of her bare feet slapping against the cobblestone street quickened with her pace, the female stepping up to the entrance of the tavern to head inside. She checked her appearance one last time, straightening the simple dress she had stolen from one of the villagers washing line and pulling her cloak further up to obscure her features. I'm coming for you... she thought with determination, pushing open the heavy wooden door and stepping inside.
The tavern was noisy and crowded, smelling of spilled alcohol, sweat and dirt. It made finding the salt-tainted scent difficult, forcing the female further inside the establishment. She tried to remain inconspicuous, slipping into a nearby corner table so she could observe those around her and look for possible clues as to who could be her target.
Khai
She was almost near the tavern, her turquoise eyes looking up past the rim of her cloak's hood to peer at the yellow light emanating from the windows. That criminal is inside there somewhere...her thoughts were tainted with rage, nimble fingers itching to grasp the hilt of her dagger hidden by the folds of the cloak. That would do her no good though. Not yet at least. Taking it from it's sheath on her belt would make blending in more difficult, especially in a small seaside village like this one where everyone knew everyone else. She needed to blend in though, getting close enough to her intended target required a stealthy approach.
The female looked over her shoulder, eyes searching the shadows for anyone that might be following her. Zara was aware that she had a few hours head-start on the guards that surely would find her missing from her cell by now. However, it didn't hurt to remain cautious.
Escaping had irked her, going against everything she had been trained to do as a Clan Protector. Proving her innocence would be impossible if she had remained behind bars though. Even if she had stayed long enough for her trial, it would not have been a fair one and she knew she would have been given a death sentence. Of this she was certain, considering that an enemy tribe had seized power when the previous nights events had provided the opportunity to do so. With her father, the leader of her siren clan, being murdered hours earlier she was the last person in their way of unquestionable power over the clans people. Since Zara's dagger was found to be the murder weapon, embedded in her father's back, they had enough cause to jail her and lay the guilt of his death solely on her shoulders.
Zara knew the truth though. She had been the first to find her father dead after all, with the sight of the true assassin disappearing into the shadows. More than likely the assassin was hired by the rival family to assist them in usurping her father's rule, but she had no proof of that. Not yet. Her goal was to find such evidence and then kill the man who had ended her father's life. Her search had brought her onto land, the female following a short trail of fish scales that had ended on the beach of the seaside village she now walked through. The scales were typical of someone who had taken a potion to give them the appearance and water-breathing ability of a siren, but were shed once the potion began wearing off. Thus they had been useful to track the individual at least up until this point but now Zara was relying on the scent of the sea still clinging to him in order to track him down.
However, the scent was fading quickly. She needed to find them man soon if she wished to fulfill her goal of either killing him or at least identifying him. The echo of her bare feet slapping against the cobblestone street quickened with her pace, the female stepping up to the entrance of the tavern to head inside. She checked her appearance one last time, straightening the simple dress she had stolen from one of the villagers washing line and pulling her cloak further up to obscure her features. I'm coming for you... she thought with determination, pushing open the heavy wooden door and stepping inside.
The tavern was noisy and crowded, smelling of spilled alcohol, sweat and dirt. It made finding the salt-tainted scent difficult, forcing the female further inside the establishment. She tried to remain inconspicuous, slipping into a nearby corner table so she could observe those around her and look for possible clues as to who could be her target.
Khai