The Blood Alchemist; Chapter 5

Getting across the river is surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Olivia is able to keep pace as we sneak across the support structure under the bridge. It probably helps that she has good balance.

On the other side, I lead her through the brush hidden passage that lets out beyond the sight of the bridge. Olivia pauses, glancing towards the bridge. "How are you the only one that's found that?"

I shrug heading towards the city. "Probably because I'm the only one who was looking. That's probably also why your home hasn't been found." Why had I said that? I'm expecting a biting retort from her, but none come.

After a brief pause, she does speak though. "If you're implying that you could find it, I doubt it."

"Oh-ho," I glance over my shoulder at her. "Is that a challenge?"

"No," I slow down for a second so she's walking next to me. She gives me a look, "You don't even know where to start looking."

"I bet I could figure it out."

She rolls her eyes. "Sure thing."

"Fine. I guess I'll just have to wait for you at your home." Her steps falter as her mood changes. "I'm joking," I quickly assure her. I can see her studying me from the corner of my eye. "You really care about your friends and family."

"We're safest if we're hidden," she says softly.

"How can you know if you've never left?"

She fingers the chain around her neck. "Humans have no advantages."

"You seem to do alright by yourself."

She laughs softly. "Thanks to my training."

We both fall silent as we reach the edge of the city. As we slip through the buildings into the street, no one gives us a second glance. A couple of curious people let their eyes linger for a second until they spot my ears. I let my eyes scan the street as we enter the market. The bell tower would be ideal, but it was a bit far away. I would feel better if Olivia was out of Azymus before the sunset.

A hand suddenly grabs my arm. I look to find Olivia holding my arm. Her eyes aren't on me though. A man in armor makes his way through the crowd. Only guards wore armor. Which normally wouldn't be an issue. Guards had to make some rounds in Azymus. What causes concern though is that he's not alone. He's one of three fanned out through the crowd. If they were fanned out, they were looking for someone.

"Stay close," I tell her.

"We need to get off the street," she responds.

I start walking. "First we need to be out of sight. If we can see them, they can see us." I pause, glancing back at Olivia. Her hair would be a dead giveaway.

"What?"

"You stand out too much." I quickly look around. I spot a vendor with cloaks. Perfect. I lead Olivia over. "How much for a cloak with a hood?"

The vendor looks at me. "Depends on the material love," she states.

"I'll take whatever you got." I toss a silver coin on the counter.

She looks down at the coin then at me. "Quite the spender, aren't we? I got a nice velvet cloak locked in the back."

"No!" She pauses turning to look back at me curiously. "No, thank you. I'll take whatever is fastest for you to grab."

"Anything I have upfront is a bit cheap for what you're willing to pay and I don't keep that kind of change on hand."

"You can keep the change then. We're in a hurry."

I can see the calculation running in her eyes. Moving to the side, she pulls a black cloak from the shelf. "Here."

I take the cloak from her, bobbing my head. "Thank you."

I turn back to Olivia letting the cloak unfold before wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling the hood up. I flick my eyes towards the guards who are now much closer. "Let's go," I say as I grab her wrist.

We've made it to the crossroad of the market before I see them. More guards are approaching from the other direction. I pause. We could go left, but that would take us to the heart of the market which would be much more crowded. We needed out. Right it was. I begin turning right and stop again. More guards.

"Bash," I hear the concern in her voice, "I think you were a little too conspicuous when dealing with that vendor."

I look back to find the vendor talking to a guard, gesturing in our direction. I curse under my breath. I pull her left. The lane widens to the large bubble that makes up the heart of the market. More guards mill about in here. Bad. Very bad. Slipping out between stalls was going to be even harder if guards were present.

"How do you feel about starting a brawl?"

"Is that really the best idea?" She asks as she presses closer.

"It may be our only way of getting out of here."

"Right. Let's pick a fight then."

I push Olivia in front of me, between two men facing away from each other. As I pass, I give one of them a shove. Ahead of me, Olivia trips a passerby, causing them to stumble into a group of mutts, before easily turning in the opposite direction. In a matter of seconds, the two incursions have turned into brawls that have caught the guards' attention. Time to put some distance between us and the fights.

I grab Olivia's hand. She doesn't object, letting me take point once more. The shouts behind us grow louder. Maybe we did too good of a job. Not that starting a fight here close to dusk was hard. Olivia's hand pulls away from mine as she yelps in surprise.

I spin to find a guard pulling her away from me. His black eyes watch me carefully as his hands work to subdue Olivia. I don't hesitate. My fist flies out, landing squarely in his face. He stumbles back as Olivia lurches forward, breaking free of his grip. He draws his sword, not even bothering to wipe the blood trickling down his chin. This isn't going to end well.

The hollow guard is suddenly tackled to the ground. Like a spark landing on dry straw, the crowd erupts into chaos. If they aren't fighting, they're trying to get out of here.

Someone runs into me, knocking me off balance. By the time I've regained my balance and turned around, Olivia is gone. I look around, scanning the crowd, hoping she just got carried along by the rush. I don't see her anywhere. Or the hollow for that matter. Had he managed to get up and grab her in that short period of time?

"OLIVIA!" I call over the shouts. If she calls back, I can't hear her. Where was she?

A hand lands on my arm. I turn, expecting Olivia to be there, but instead, I find Clyde glowering at me. "Don't look so happy to see me. Come on." He nods to the edge of the market.

"I need to find Olivia first."

"She's fine," he says, pulling me along.

"Then where is she?"

"Wherever the guard took her," he growls as we press through the crowd.

The crowd thins as we reach the vendor stands. With the vendors focused on the fight, we pass through unnoticed. A guard stands waiting. He turns, leading the way to wherever it is we're going. He leads us back to the outskirts of Azymus.

In the shadows of one of the crumbling buildings, I see her. She's pulled the hood down, exposing her red hair. I quicken my pace, brushing past the guard.

"Olivia," I breathe in relief. Her head turns towards me, exposing an angry red cut. "You're hurt!"

She quickly turns her head away, "I'm fine." Her eyes flick back to me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I was a little worried back there when you disappeared. I thought you had been grabbed by another hollow."

"She had been," mother's voice cuts in as Olivia's cheeks flush. Stopping in front of Olivia, she holds her bag out to her. "Here you go, dear."

Olivia nods her head, "Thank you."

Mother reaches out, brushing a gentle hand across Olivia's cheek, a sad understanding in her eyes. "Well come along, we need to find somewhere else to get you those supplies."

xXxXx

As we make our way to the vendors on the other side of the town, I can't quite seem to process the fact that Olivia is walking by my mother. I want to get closer, but they appear to be talking, and since Olivia seems to keep her gaze mostly on the ground, something tells me I shouldn't intervene. Instead, I turn my attention to Clyde. "Did I miss something?" I ask, nodding ahead to mother and Olivia.

Clyde glances ahead. He shrugs. "I told your mother what she told us. I'm guessing they had a short chat before we caught up from the market."

I narrow my eyes as I study them. "I never took my mother as the kind to be so open and caring to strangers. Not to mention Olivia wants nothing to do with us."

Clyde shrugs again as we stop. "Probably some kind of female understanding."

I watch as Mother speaks to the vendor, Olivia standing silently beside her. As if sensing my eyes, hers turn to meet mine. I quickly look away, pretending to scan the streets. I can't help but look back when I hear the soft scraping of shoes on the road.

Olivia stops in front of me. Silence hangs in the air for a second. "I, um. . . I wanted to thank you. . . For your help."

"I mean, to be fair, it was the least I owed you for everything."

A soft smile touches the corners of her mouth. "That is very true."

"I guess that means we're even then?"

"I wouldn't say we're completely even."

I blink. "What?"

"Technically, you never gave me back my bag."

"I. . ." I chuckle, looking down for a second, "You got me there." My eyes move to the cut on her cheek. They flick down to her neck. The handprint from the hollow that had grabbed her in the dungeon is gone, so my eyes move back to the cut before moving to her eyes. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"Are you implying your offer to 'help' still stands?" She arches an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth turning up.

"I think I've proven that I can be helpful."

She tilts her head, "And I suppose this has shown that I could use help."

A sly grin spreads across my face. "And in return for my help, you'll show me your home?"

Olivia rolls her eyes, turning on her heel. "Not a chance," she calls over her shoulder.