FicWad

Koé shivered as she strolled on the road. Her thick cloak helped little against the ruthless cold of winter. Her breath was like the snow on the ground shown by moonlight. She hugged her leather book tight against her breast for warmth. And her cloak hid her light brown, spiky hair, the symbol of her Andurian blood.
The windows of buildings were dimly lit by golden candle light, and the flames danced so much, you could see the effect on the road. It was because of that light that Koé saw the boy laying there, shivering on the road, curled in a ball to conserve heat. His dark cloak covered him.
Koé knelt beside the boy, and reached out to touch his shoulder. “Um,” she said. “Boy, are you alright?”
The boy moaned and lifted his head to face her. He was strikingly handsome. He had blue eyes that seemed like the pools of Vaisha themselves, and sandy hair that framed his face.
“M-Miss,” he said. His voice was shaky. “Do you have any money to spare?”
“Well,” she started, while reaching for her purse. “I may have a bi—“
“I’ll take it! I’ll take anything that can get me into a warm place tonight…” the boy was being sincere.
Koé laughed lightly.
“If you can stand, you can come to the place I’m staying. But before we go there, how about you tell me your name?” Why am I talking to him?
“I’m Seraph,” he said as he raised himself.
“I’m Koé. Come, Seraph, my home isn’t too far from here.”
When Seraph was up, he stood a head and a half taller than Koé. And when she walked, he followed after.
What was it about that boy that made her feel comfortable? Why did she feel she knew him already? And above all, why did he look like one of the Mers? She had a feeling the questions would remain unanswered for a while.


Before long, they arrived at Koé’s home. The building stood as tall as most inns, but there was no sign advertising to the public. And it wasn’t nearly as wide. Nor was there a stable present. And the windows had no glow to them. Seraph was almost disappointed when he walked inside to little warmth.
He kept an eye on the woman, though for some reason, he trusted her completely. Still, his father taught him to be wary around strangers.
The woman was pretty, he thought, though the hair that covered her left blue eye hid the potential to be even more beautiful.
One of the candles suddenly lit. Seraph was shocked before he realized what she was doing.
“Do you mind helping me with the fire?” she asked.
Seraph hesitated. “Uh…”
Koé looked up at him, tilting her head. “What’s wrong? You can enter a pool right?”
“Well, I was told not to by my father, so I never learned how to, exactly.”
“I see… That is troublesome.” Koé said. Her expression betrayed her words. She looked at ease.
Koé placed her book on a small stand that was placed quietly on the wall of the room. She stood there for a moment, obviously thinking. Seraph took the time to glance around the room.
The walls had shelves that were filled to the brim with books. There was an opening that led into a dark hallway that Seraph guessed would have stairs at the end. And a few tables and chairs littered the large room.
It was a nice home, only too spacey.
Seraph saw an unnatural glow over buildings and faint yells and clashing of steel, then the sounds of bells ringing resonated through the house. And immediately Koé was brought back to the real world. The two’s eyes met and the message between them was clear: there was an attack.