Heres another excerpt from Queen: Owen crouched low and looked around him. At least four hale and strong men had given chase. He was nursing a bullet wound to his side and a knee expressing reluctance to cooperate. The alleys darkness provided the illusion of safety. He might yet get out of this alive, if the clouds cooperated and kept the moon concealed. Leather scraped on cobblestones to his right, and he pivoted, knife at the ready. An old man stumbled down the alley. His stringy grey hair was greasy and his coarse woven clothes tattered. He reeked of liquor, vomit, and… Owen wrinkled his nose as he fought the urge to gag. The ruffians whod been chasing him must have heard the old man, too. Or, worse, theyd heard Owen. They stopped their pursuit down the street and began backtracking to the mouth of the alley. Drat. Owen slipped back behind some crates. He wanted to call a warning to the old beggar but couldnt risk giving away his position. Instead, he tucked his body as tightly together as his wounds would allow while he prayed. Did you hear that? Someones down there. Whos there? The old man shuffled his way, with a dragging hitch to his step, toward the street. Come on, old man. Get out of the way. Theyre not looking for you! Never mind. Its a drunkard. Lets keep searching. From his vantage point, Owen watched as one of the thugs shoved the beggar down onto the ground and then kicked him full in the ribs. He winced in sympathetic pain but dared not leave his hiding place yet. To reveal himself at this juncture would ensure a far worse outcome for both him and the old man. The echo of footsteps faded and silence once again fell over the alley, broken only by the yowling of a tom cat. A few minutes ticked by with no indication the group would return. Owen eased himself out from his position, relieved to no longer be wedged between a slimy moss-covered wall and the dilapidated, rotting crates. Pain radiated up and down his side from where hed been shot, and his knee burned with each step. The old man hadnt moved since landing on the cobblestones. Stooping, Owen glanced at the mans hair-covered face. Age was kinder to some than to others. Between the faded moonlight and the excessive facial hair, Owen couldnt distinguish any features beyond the large bulbous nose. The poor gent could have used a little more kindness. A slight movement of the chest caught Owens eye, and he sighed with relief. Now to figure out how to move him… The old man was bulky, and Owen was wounded. Could he rouse him? Would he be able to walk? Owen shook the man by the shoulders. His efforts elicited nothing but a high-pitched groan. Seeing no hope for it, he pulled the man over his shoulder and stood, keeping most of his weight on his uninjured knee. No longer radiating, the pain in his side now pulsed with each beat of his heart, its intensity growing with his exertion. Getting the old man settled across his shoulder as best he could, Owen took a step toward the street. Dizziness swept through him, and he knew his knee was in worse shape than he wanted to admit. Three blocks would still be manageable. Wouldnt it? A back room in the apothecarys shop housed a clandestine meeting place for agents. The apothecary was barely three blocks away… Blast it, what had he been thinking? The distance was too great. Defeat nagged at him. Half a block into the short journey, he stumbled and dropped to his good knee, the dead weight of the old man adding force to his fall. The soft creak of leather boots told Owen he had company. He thought to protect his burden and turned toward the sound, but was silenced by a gloved hand over his mouth before he executed the move. Not a word, Owen. Give me your baggage. Relief gave strength to his limbs as he thankfully hoisted the unconscious form off on Tobias, his boss. Without the old man weighing him down, Owen regained his feet and limped along after his superior. **Ill give you a hint. Owen hasnt a clue what hes in the middle of in this scene. But hell figure it out eventually... ;)
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 22:00:52 +0000
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