The Unfinished Story by Char Marie Adles (best books to read in your 20s .TXT) 📕

smaller house way by the back of the estate so I walked there. I heard the sound of metal clashing and grinned. That sound means swords.
I knocked on the door and someone came to open it. I bowed. It was a boy about twelve who answered. When he saw me his face went bright red.
“May I ask to see the blacksmith,” I asked in Japanese.
He bowed and said, “Just a moment, my Lady.”
He ran into the house and came back with an older man who had black charcoal dust all over him.
I bowed so did he and he smiled at me. “Hello there milady, how can I help you?”
“Well I was hoping you have a sword I could use?”
His eyes went big as he raised his bushy brows at my odd question and me.
“You…a sword, but why?” he asked baffled.
“I want to go to the town, but you see I don’t really know anyone and no one can be too careful,” I said.
“You can use a sword?” his eyebrows went higher if possible.
“Well yeah. I know how to fight with lots of things. But the training I went through wasn’t easy, but do you have a sword,” I asked again.
He stood there a long moment, as if think better about it, but he couldn’t say me nay, then said: “Yes, please come in.”
I sat in the front room and he came back with a long sword. Made out of the best fine steel and silver.
“This is the lightest one I have, but it is still heavy for even a lady.”
“It's fine. The size or weight doesn’t matter.” I took off one of my gold bracelets and gave it to him. “Will that be enough?”
I saw tears in his eyes. “Thank you, though that sword is worth way less than this, please keep it.”
“Thanks and this sword is beautiful. I am Lady Ashlynn.” I said with a smile.
“I am called Koto the metal worker.”
With that I left and started towards the town. I needed a good walk and I wanted to buy something for Kail for saving me.
When I came to the entrance for the estate I was stopped by to large wooden gates about thirty feet high. Now my problem was getting through them.
Hmmmm… if I had lady Leda with me!
I raced off to find her. I asked the servants check every hall I knew and even all the rooms. I finally found her in the main room having tea. She smiled when she saw me and when she saw the sword tied to my hip, she raised her eyebrows.
“And what is that you are carrying?” she asked.
“I was wondering if you want to get to the town with me. And the sword is for protection of course. Since you never know what might happen.” I pointed out.
She nodded. ‘”It would be good to get out of this mansion and do you know how to use one of those?”
“Yes and I found that fighting with a sword easier then fighting with my hands, although the damage is about the same. So you want to go to town?”
“Yes. I would like to buy some things. But why do you want to go to town?” she asked. “I thought I would find something that Kail would like for saving me.” I said feeling shy. My face felt a little red.
She grinned at me. “Well if you are then you need some suitable clothes.”
I changed into some men’s clothes I borrowed from Kail’s closet and presented myself to Leda. She smiled and she went get her things and we left the mansion to go to town for some fun.


Chapter 3
What hides in the dark


We walked along the road to the village and as we walked people stared at us with weird looks.
“Why are they staring at us,” I asked Leda.
“They find it rare to see something like this. Nobles always ride horses or in carriages. Especially the ladies. So they can’t help, but stare.” Leda explained.
“But walking is good and the town is a few minutes from the mansion. Plus if I’m right the capital is a few weeks ride from here.” I said.
Leda nodded.
We walked into the town and I looked around and filed it all away in my memory. This was really my first time in any town ancient or modern. Everything was either a hut of wood, or of stone, sometimes both, but they were often the same as a small house. As well was in the town square, people chatted happily and kids played with their friends running and being scolded by their parents.
My stomach growled and I looked for a place that sold meat.
I took us to a meat shop that I had spotted. It was a little building that looked very old, and was made out of gray stone.
When we came in the butcher give us a surprised look from behind his counter.
“May I help you? Are you lost?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nope this is the right place. I would like a pound of pork and a pound of beef, please.”
He chopped the meat and with a strange look gave it to me. I gave him a silver coin.
He thanked us and we left.
“He must never have a noblemen come in to order meat, right?” I asked with a laugh.
“Yes, yes it would seem so,” she agreed giggling.
We stopped a few more places for her and then I stopped at a jewelry stall. The moment I saw the silver ring with a ruby that had silver streak inside of the stone, I knew that was the one.
The jeweler man came over, when he saw then one that caught my eye. “It will not sell well for the stone is bad,” he said.
“But why is it looked down on so?” I asked.
“Because the stone has to be pure. This one isn’t.”
“Then I’ll buy it for this one for to me it is beautiful.” and with that I gave him a silver coin and took the ring. I took the chain from around my neck, slipped the ring on it and put it back on. It would be the perfect thing to give him.
I took Leda to the fish market to pick out some fish. As she went to look at some sea bass, I saw a man in the shadows walk toward her. I run to her as he grabbed her by the waist. I took hold of the back of his neck and pulled him away from her. He turned on me, but I had the sword out in a flash. I saw that this man was a monk in his orange robe.
“Leave the woman alone, you rotten bastard,” I spat.
He turned pale and then laughed. He snapped his fingers and twenty other monks appeared.
“What an interesting young man you are, pretty too. You would make a great new chino for the temple.”
Two of the other men grabbed Leda.
“And an exotically beautiful woman, now be a good boy and come with us or we’ll have to kill her and take you by force. Come by our little plaything boy, and she can go free.”
I looked over to Leda. Her expression was enough to tell me she was scared and was frozen with terror.
I looked back to the monk.
“Be a good boy and put the sword down.”
I shook my head. “I would rather die.” I spat out. Then I charged at him. I hit him with the sword and then they all came as me. Soon I dropped the sword and started fighting with my fists. When most of them were down I went to Leda I knocked out the men that held her and pushed her away.
Blood was oozing out of my wounds and into my eyes from a cut on my forehead. “GO!” I yelled at her, “Go home! Run away!” as she started to run she grabbed my hand, but men from behind grabbed me and pulled me back. She turned and started back, but I yell, “Run Leda! Run!” I screamed. I screamed it as I tried to fight the men off. I screamed to her to keep running even as they had me on the ground. I screamed even after she was gone.
They hit and kicked me till their leader told them to stop. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t even make a sound. They loaded me on to one of their carts and started away from the town, quickly. The people did nothing to stop them.
I passed out from the pain and blood loss. When I woke next I was chained to a wall. I couldn’t move or make a sound and the room was dark and only a small widow was cut out for air that had rusted bars. The air smelled of foul decay and mold. It was stale and hard to breathe.
I was covered and smelled of dried sweat and blood.
I didn’t know how long had passed till three of the monks came to my prison. They bared my back and lashed at me with whips. Cut me with the dull sides of their blades and beat me for days on end. Finally I would pass out and they would leave disappointed with their new torture-toy. For I would not cry out or even make a sound as the hurt me.
It was days before they came back. And every now and then a servant would come and give me some water and food, as well as clean my wounds secretly.
I hung there on the wall, blooding and cold. Time passed, and then more time past. Wounds heal only to be wrenched open again by the soiled hands of the monks. I stared through my long hair the hung over the front of my body to cover it and looked at the wooden door.
The lock clicked and the door opened and shut quickly as a little boy came in to give me some water. He looked no more than twelve and he was a pretty young child.
“Here,” he said holding up the water to my face.
I drank slowly letting it moisten my dry and cracked lips, and my parched throat. It flowed cool and icy, like the water from a well and the taste was heaven in this hell.
He took the cup away