Finding Dmitria by Lauren Hinch (best way to read e books TXT) 📕

The cool evening air stung Aria Isabelle’s face as she followed Dmitria down the winding dirt path that led into town. As they neared town, Dmitria stopped short, pulling Aria Isabelle behind an old oak tree as two men dressed in dark cloaks flew past them toward the orphanage.

“Dmitri, what is going to happen to all of those back at the orphanage,” asked Aria Isabelle in a small voice. Secretly, she had asked the question hoping Dmitria would have given her an optimistic answer.

Dmitria said nothing, but the quick glance she gave Aria Isabelle said everything. She paused for a moment, pulling her rucksack over her shoulder. She retrieved two darkly colored cloaks that resembled the ones the men who had passed had been wearing. Dmitria handed one to Aria Isabelle, “Here, put this on.”

Aria Isabelle took the cloak without a word.

Dmitria looked out from behind the old oak tree and, once the dirt path was clear again, they were on there way.

All was quiet when they came to the dark alleyway leading into town - the early morning fog hindering their vision.

“Aria, Sea Ridge lane is the road across from this one, is it not?”

“I think so…” she said in a small voice.

Dmitria looked back at Aria Isabelle wrapping her arms around her. “It will be alright.” She said, hoping those words would reassure herself as well. “Come, follow me.”

They ran down the darkly lit road, sliding into alleyway after alleyway as men with torches flew through the thick fog. Finally they rounded the corner and came to 023 Sea Ridge lane.

Dmitria walked up to the wooden door cautiously, tapping the door lightly with the brass knocker.

All was silent for a moment. Suddenly movement could be heard from behind the door. It opened slightly, “Who’s there,” asked an old woman with graying hair, her tiny face peeking from behind the door.

Dmitria removed the hood of her cloak, “Are you Maggie Clearwater?”

At first there was no answer, but then the woman slowly opened the door, “Yes.”

“I am terribly sorry to bother you at such an hour. We are here to –”
“I know why you are here, child,” she gave Dmitria a sad smile, and turned her head towards Aria Isabelle. “Hello there, you must be Miss Risaka. Please, come in.”

Aria Isabelle and Dmitria stepped through the doorway into the warmth of the tiny parlor. They house was small with beige colored walls that gave an earthy feel to it all. Maggie Clearwater led the girls down the hall way into a tiny room in the back of the house. She looked back at Aria Isabelle and Dmitria sadly once again and opened the door.

It was a small room, with a thatch cot in the corner and a round window with a flap of hide hindering the light of moon from entering. It was barely lit apart from a few candles strewn from table to table. Then from a door in the back came a young girl around fourteen years old. She had long brown hair that, in the light, appeared to have a tinge of amber blaze. It appeared as though she had been crying, dried tears staining her slightly tanned skin. The young girl turned towards them.

“Ekaterina…” said Dmitria.

“Yes, and you are?” asked Ekaterina, wiping the excess tears from her face.

“This is Aria Isabelle and Dmitria. They will be traveling with you…” said Maggie.

Ekaterina’s eyes fell to the ground, “I assume you are the two others this man is searching for?”

Aria Isabelle looked back at Dmitria questionably.

A look of realization flashed across Dmitria’s face, “Of course…”

Maggie Clearwater lightly touched Dmitria’s shoulder, “I am terribly sorry to rush you girls but-”

Almost on queue, there was a loud rap on the wooden door. Rustling could be heard from the hallway.

Ekaterina froze, looking from the few things that were now packed in her rucksack to Maggie, “Maggie, I can not. I -”

Maggie rushed over to Ekaterina and held her tightly, stroking her long brown hair. “We will see each other again, my darling,” Maggie kissed Ekaterina’s forehead. “Remember, my love, love is an ocean wide.”

Ekaterina looked up at Maggie, tears falling down her face, and shook her head. Wiping away the tears, she slung her rucksack over her shoulder. “Follow me,” she said, as Maggie helped her pulled an aged dresser from the back wall, revealing a small hole in the ancient brick.

Aria Isabelle and Dmitria followed Ekaterina through the small hole, out into an alleyway behind the small house. The chill of the early morning sank into their bones through their thinning cloaks. Once again, Aria Isabelle and Dmitria pulled their dark cloaks over their heads and, without looking back at Maggie Clearwater, they ran.

The three girls can round the corner a full speed, splashing in the puddles of dew from the thick fog. Finally, they stopped, hiding in a dimly lit alleyway behind the bakery at the edge of town. They breathed heavily, wrapping their cloaks closer to their bodies.

Ekaterina stood silent for a moment, fighting back the tears that came when she recalled the sounds of Maggie Clearwater’s screams as they fled from her childhood home. She shook her head baffled by how someone could destroy so many lives without remorse. Ekaterina looked back at Aria Isabelle and Dmitria, secretly knowing that the two girls she was staring at were to be the closest thing to family for a while. Finally she spoke: “There is a stable at the top of a hill just north of here. If we hurry, we should be able to make it there within an hour or two.”

Aria Isabelle and Dmitria exchanged looks and, for the first time, it was Aria Isabelle who spoke, “If you feel it is there we are safest, then we will follow you. I trust you.”

Ekaterina turned away from the two girls, surprised by the sense of trust Aria Isabelle had in Ekaterina without knowing much about her, “Amour Perso is not the safest place to be, but it is the only chance we have got of out running them.”

“Then we will follow,” said Dmitria repeating Aria Isabelle’s statement.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves coming in contact with cobblestone could be heard from the street.

The girls hugged the moss covered wall of the alleyway; listening for the voice they feared the most.

“Dante, check the alleyway.” The voice was that of a woman.

“No sign of them, Celina.”

“Keep looking! All of you hurry,” said Celina, irritation in her voice.

Suddenly the rustling stopped, no sound could be heard from the street. Then, the sound of hooves could be heard. The rider dismounted the stallion, his or her thick leather boot clacking against the cobblestones. “Is there a problem here, Celina?”

The girls froze.

“No, Akota - sir.” answered Dante.

“That’s him – that is the man who is after us,” said Ekaterina with a slight stutter. She glanced back at Aria Isabelle and Dmitria, fear in her chocolate colored eyes. “We need to leave. Now.”
Aria Isabelle and Dmitria shook their heads and crept closer to the street.

“We will have to run once we enter the street. Do not look back – whatever you do. Follow me as best you can,” said Ekaterina peeking her head around the corner into the street.

The man, Akota, walked slowly around Celina to the guard named Dante. Dante looked from Celina to Akota, fear showing in his light-colored eyes.

Akota stood tall – his lean muscles visible through his leather armor. He had jet black hair that fell to his shoulders and eyes that were as dark as coal. Ekaterina’s eyes then fell on Celina – her angelic feature contradicting the dark aura she emanated. Celina was tiny, her short, jaw-length blond, almost white, hair adding to her small appearance. She had icy blue eyes that appeared as harsh as the bone-chilling fog.

Akota took another step towards Dante, eyeing him. “I feel as though there is something awry, Dante.” Before Dante could speak a word Akota removed the large blade from its sheath and drove it into the unsuspecting man’s chest, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

Aria Isabelle drew in a breath, baffled by the abomination she had witnessed.

Suddenly Ekaterina looked back at Aria Isabelle and Dmitria and nodded slowly, “Now!”

The three girls sprinted from the alley towards the opposite end of town.

As Akota began to clean off the blood from his sword he looked up to see the commotion. He froze.

Aria Isabelle ran as fast as she possibly could. Then, she spared a quick glance behind her. She caught the eyes of Akota – his coal-colored eyes full of rage.

“After them!” he bellowed as he mounted his black steed, signaling the band of soldiers behind him. “Celina, take the brigade up the hill.”

Celina looked back at Akota as she mounted her horse, “and where, might I ask, are you running off to?”

“To retrieve leverage. “said Akota, riding his black stallion back down the cobblestone road.

And they ran. One could never truly understand the way they ran, unless you were running for your life as well. They ran faster than they had ever had, flying through to woods edge, leaving the cobblestone roads of Atlantic City behind them.

Dmitria paused for a moment look down from the hill onto the sleeping town, just as the first rays of sunlight shone over the mountaintops. It hurt her to know that all the people that had known her, Aria, or Ekaterina were in grave danger.

“Dmitri! Dmitria, please hurry!” she heard Aria Isabelle yell, as Dmitria ran to catch up with them.

Running a mile or so the three exhausted girls collapsed to the ground. Catching her breath, Ekaterina pulled out a pouch of water from her bag, “The stables I told you about are just beyond those trees you see over there” stated Ekaterina tiredly, “Now we must be quite. Do you understand?” she smiled