Snippet #2322915

With a yawn Ayden sat up, stretching his arms as the small haystack he was under was thrown to the side. His blue eyes moved sleepily around, for the moment discerning where he was. He could see the walls of a storage container, and with a sudden start he sat up, his head slamming into a beam. Rubbing his head with a groan, he looked up reproachfully at it before he hopped out of the small haystack, which was perched on a wheelbarrow. He strolled to the wooden door as he brushed bits of hay off his clothing, then shook the gold straws out of his hat before placing it on his head.

But as he opened the door, he became more alert, looking left and right for any people. Seeing none, he calmly strolled across the open field that lay beyond, his fingers reaching into his trouser pockets. But as he reached the foot of the hill the barn rested on, he slowed his pace, his eyes falling on the shapes of a few armed guards.

"Ah for..." His direction changed as he began slowly walking towards the stables, but his attempts to keep from being seen didn't last long. A shout from one of the guards was all he needed to begin running at a break neck speed. Reaching the stables, he vaulted over the lower door, landing on the sawdust and hay that lined the wooden floor. His eyes quickly ran over the interior and found his getaway, a group of wellbred horses. Or at least the beautiful elegant looking white horse in the corner appeared to be. But he had little time to ponder over this, as he could hear voices getting closer, so without hesitation he was across the stable and opening the door to the white stallion's stall. Sticking his boot into the stirrup of the already saddled beauty, he swung himself on the horse and looked towards the door. A moment later the door burst open as two armed men fought eachother to get in, with two more close behind. It didn't take long for them to see Ayden, and with a wave and rear of his horse, the two galloped through an alternate entrance.

As the horse galloped across the fields towards the city in the distance, Ayden risked a glanced back. As he feared, his pursuers were hot on his tail, having stolen their own rides from the stable. Chuckling at the irony of the situation, Ayden turned his attention back to the dirt road he now followed. The horse he rode was fast, but probably no faster than his pursuers. Eventually the horses would tire and his pursuers would catch up, but hopefully he would make it to the city. These men would be less willing to try catching him in public, in another kingdom.

Suddenly the whizzing sound of an arrow interrupted his thoughts, his eyes darting up just in time to see something fly past his shoulder. Looking behind him, he could see his would be captors resorting to using bows and arrows to stop him, and he knew if one hit the horse he'd be down immediately. With a frown, he closed his eyes, beginning the intense process of connecting with the essence that floated about him. He breathed in sharply, ignoring each whizzing sound, as he began to imagine a spark that burst into flames and covered the entire field. The energy at first seemed to be almost unreachable, then suddenly it flooded him to the point that he could barely control it. With teeth clenched he pushed the energy out mentally, his eyes opening as he threw his hand out to them.

The field didn't quite burst into flames as he wanted, but the grass in front of the lead horse's feet did. With a shriek, the horse reared, throwing its rider into the horse behind it. The fire began spreading, though not uncontrollably, and for a moment the guards and horses were more concerned with their own bruises and the sudden appearance of the flames, than Ayden. With a satisfied smirk, Ayden grabbed hold of the reigns, feeling a wave of dizziness hit him as the horse carried him into the city.

As he entered the streets of Ugeos, he slid off the horse, letting the stallion trot off almost unnoticed into the crowd. With a sigh Ayden fell back against the wall of a shop, his eyes gazing tiredly towards the smoke in the distance. He hated using magic sometimes, he thought as he closed his eyes. He enjoyed playing with the energy field that seemed to float around him, but trying to perform an enormous or not so enormous feat tired him out more than he liked. How the mages in his kingdom could handle throwing blast after blast of water or fire, he didn't know, but at the moment, he hardly cared. All he wanted right now, was to take a nap.

However the vendor at the shop didn't seem to appreciate his presence there, as he soon realized. Opening his eyes to see a shadow over him, he looked up into the haggard face of a rather tall bulky man. The man stared down at him menacingly, looking as if he wanted to break him in two, and Ayden quickly jumped to his feet. He ambled away from the shop, leaving the man staring after him for a moment before turning back to his wares. With a yawn Ayden continued down the streets, pushing through the crowd as he looked for anything of interest. His gaze fell on shop after shop, dismissing each as he passed them, before he found himself in front of one full of trinkets.

"Would you like to buy this? It's only fifteen gold pieces..."

Ayden tuned the vendor out, his hands picking up an oddly shaped metal box. Rotating it in his hands, he could see a glow emanating from the side, and an impression to put his finger. He was about to test it, but a sudden shriek from the vendor froze him in his tracks. As his eyes looked up at her to question what had startled her, she snatched the device from his hands, looking at him reproachfully. He offered a nonchalant shrug, moving past her as his hand reached into his pocket, pulling out his watch and swinging it idly by its chain. He could see what could be the main inn for outsiders visiting Ugeos, but for the moment he was ignoring it. After all, he didn't have a single coin in his pocket, and he hadn't yet decided whether to lift a few off one of the passersby.