Bradfordshire

TW// Violence, blood

This town gave Elias the chills. It was cramped with buildings, its architecture was messy and drab, going up to three storeys high. The ones at the coast, closest to the harbour were shops, pubs, bars, and hotels. The houses became more cramp the further up the street they went.

The crew, Sabur had sent to accompany Elias through the town, were walking around him, as if they were trying to hide him from something - or someone. There were so many different people here - poor and rich, the ones who held their heads high and the ones who seemed like they didn't want to be seen. There were pirates, sailors, women dressed in big gowns and Elias noticed that the further up they went, there were more young boys dressed in the same greenish dresses. They were only separated by the different coloured bracelets on their wrists.

Elias pulled his hood closer to his face. Sabur had made it clear that his face mustn't be seen. It was because of that and because of the smell. The air was full of dampness and the town stank of filth that people were throwing on the streets. It was unbearable.

Somehow, he knew this town couldn't mean anything good. He was certain he would've been even more uncomfortable if it weren't for Nick. After Sabur ordered the ship to sail towards Bradfordshire, Nick stormed into his cabin, with a face of agonising worry.

Elias couldn't hear clearly what they were talking about. It was something about The Green Woman, not working with her and a mask. He could hear Nick's worried voice. Elias just wanted to jump over the railings - Bradfordshire couldn't mean anything good for him. Yet, when Nick came out, he looked more at peace. He noticed Elias watching him and gave him a warm reassuring smile.

"We're here."

Elias almost crashed into Kian, who suddenly stopped in front of a small shop, hidden in a side street. He moved to the side and pushed Elias towards the open door.

They struggled to fit in the small, cramped shop. Elias looked around, still holding his hood over his head. The shop was filled with shelves of handmade jewellery of all shapes and colours. Elias was in awe with all the colours glimmering around him. Elias could finally take a big breath. The air smelled of Winlies, small violet flowers.

Someone entered the room through the door behind a counter. It was a woman of an older age. Her dark brown hair was just greying at its roots and she had it pulled up into a neat bun. Two match pairs of blue stone earrings hung down her ears. She was dressed in a white plain dress. Elias' eyes met with her green ones. She smiled at him kindly - the same warm smile as Nick's.

"Do ya have it?"

Elias snapped back, remembering that he should be covering his face. The woman looked at Kian and nodded. She crouched down to retrieve something from behind the counter. When she stood up she moved to Elias and handed him something wrapped in cloth.

Elias hesitated when Kian nudged him forward. "Take it."

He carefully took it, afraid of what it might be. Elias carefully removed the cloth, revealing a mask with red windings on it. He looked up at the woman who smiled at him. Elias looked at the mask and then at the lady a couple of times, not knowing what to do or say.

"I recon ya agreed with Sabur for the price." Kian reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a sack of money. He threw it to the lady. "We'll contact ya if we need anythin' else."

They turned to leave the shop. Kian turned to Elias who was still staring at the woman. "Let's go kid."

Elias went to follow but before he left, he turned to the lady and said with a small voice. "Thank you."

He pulled the hood down and exited the shop. He held the mask tightly to his chest as he and the crew made their way back to the ship.

When they were back on The Rose Sparrow, Kian said to Elias, without turning to face him. "Go to the Captain." Elias contemplated if he should first take the mask to his net. "Now!"

Elias' legs moved on their own. He didn't knock on the door, it was unnecessary - if Sabur wanted to see you, you were expected to show up immediately.

"Did you get it?"

Elias hugged the mask closer to him. "The mask? Yes."

"Show it."

Elias unwrapped it with shaky hands and handed it to Sabur. He took it, turning it around in his hands and examining every inch of it. After some time, he handed it back to Elias. "It's a bit too big, but you'll grow into it." He leaned back into his chair. "Now, you'll wear this mask everywhere at all times."

Elias opened his mouth to protest, but Sabur continued. "You don't need to wear it when you're below deck or when sail." Elias closed his mouth. "Nobody except for the crew can see your face. Ever. Have I been clear?"

Elias nodded hastily.

"Good. We're staying here for two weeks. That mask better stay on your face."

He didn't have to say to Elias that he was dismissed, Elias was on his way to his net. He sat down in it and uncovered the mask. Now he had the time to properly look at it. Sabur was right, it was a bit big, but it still sat firmly on his face. It was white and Elias couldn't figure out what material it was made from. He traced the red lines going underneath the eyeholes and a red mark with two swirls in the middle of the forehead of the mask.

Elias wasn't entirely sure what the mask was for, but he didn't question it any further. If it was the Captain's order he should obey it.

He placed the mask on his knees.

Two weeks.

That was quite a lot. He didn't like this town whatsoever. Just the thought of it made his stomach twist, yet he had nothing else to do on the ship. He already spent most of his time here, so why not take these two weeks to explore the town. There had to be some parts of it that weren't that bad.

He reached for his bag, grabbed some essentials, and put them in. He grabbed his dagger and knives and attached them on his belt. Elias contemplated taking his two swords with him, but he decided against it. They would only get in his way.

He took the mask and pulled it over his face, rushing up on deck. Just as he was about to leave Nick stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Elias pointed towards the town. Nick hesitated for a moment, looking mildly uncomfortable. After a lengthy moment he sighed. "Be careful."

Elias nodded and ran down the plank and into the city. He walked up the main street, but quickly turned into one of the side streets. He made sure that no one was around and took his mask off. Elias knew he shouldn't have taken it off, but it bothered him. Besides that, if he was careful and made sure no one saw him it would be okay. Nobody in this town knew him either way.

If I stay in the side streets it will be okay.

I am stealthy enough, I can manage it.

Elias placed the mask in his bag, pulled the hood of his coat over him and went deeper in the dark street.

He didn't find anything interesting in the murky town. Its people were either some prestigious, rich snobs, who wouldn't even bat an eye at Elias and mostly kept near the harbour, at hotels and particular houses, Elias wasn't entirely sure what purpose they held. One stood out the most, for it was the busiest amongst them all. It was also the one, where those boys in beryl green coloured silk and sage coloured chiffon and tulle dresses were most present.

The others lurking around this town were sailors and drunks. Elias avoided them in big circles. The ones who didn't belong in any of these categories were the ones who lived further up the street. These were the poor and the ones who lived day by day barely making ends meet.

Elias spent his time wandering around the town, trying to find some interesting places. However, he would never dare step foot in Bradfordshire after dark. He would spend his nights on the ship.

Once he saw someone break into a house. The man did it with only two metal picks. Elias remembered he saw Kian do it once. So that day when he returned to the ship, he went up to him placed a lock before him and said,

"Teach me."

Kian looked at the lock disinterested and then back at Elias.

"No."

"I'll give you my portion of every dinner."

Kian peered at him with screwed eyes, fixing him on the spot and then sighed. "Fine. Don't tell the Captain I'm teachin' ya these nonsenses."

And so, Kian taught Elias how to lockpick.

As Elias quickly realised how dull and uninteresting the town was, he started to entertain himself with theft and he became quite good at it too. He managed to steal a peige there, another two, there and once he managed to steal a whole pouch of money.

Elias always made sure he stole from the rich, especially the ones who held themselves high or the ones who would shame, mock, and kick the beggars on the streets. Elias would target them, and he always stayed around to see their expressions when they found out something went missing.

But it wasn't always just money he stole. It was also jewellery, food, or sweets - those were hard to come by, because of the lack of sugar. One night as he was just making his way back to the ship, munching down on a roll of bread, he came across two kids and a man yelling at them.

Elias hid in a side street and peeked around the corner.

"Get away ya filthy scum." He kicked at a girl, who was holding her hands over a little boy. "How dare ya ask me for money?! Disgustin' brat!"

The man kicked her again and stormed down the street. The little boy began to weep in the girl's arms.

"Shhh," She hugged him closer. "It's going'to be okay. We're goin' to get some peigs in the mornin'."

The boy wept louder. Elias looked from afar. The pair, Elias presumed to be brother and sister, looked hungry like they hadn't eaten in several days. Elias looked down at the bread he was eating and the sweets he had stored in his bag.

He looked around to make sure the street was empty, pulled down his mask and approached the pair. The girl was startled, her brown eyes full of terror, as she looked up at the mask. The freckled boy with light brown hair in her arms began to cry louder.

Elias reached his hands up. "It's okay." Realising it was a mistake, he pulled down his mask and smiled. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl seemed to relax a bit when she saw that Elias was a kid just like them. He offered her the bread. The girl didn't take her eyes off him. She didn't want to take it. When the boy noticed the roll of bread Elias was offering, he ravenously reached towards him and grabbed it.

"A-Aidrien!" scolded the girl.

"It's okay." Said Elias and reached in his bag to pull out the sweets and a pouch of money. "Here, take these."

"I-I can't accept that. You need it too."

"It's okay." He took her hand and placed it in.

"H-how can I repay ya?"

"You don't have to." He nodded towards the money. "Spend it well."

Before the girl could say anything, Elias pulled down his mask and ran down to the harbour. He only heard the girl shout a thank you behind him, before he was too far down the dingy street. Elias' heart raced as he reached the ship. Underneath the mask his smile was spread wide across his face.

One day Elias stumbled upon a market square. From the looks of it, he concluded that it was for the locals. He strolled around, not finding anything that would interest him. It was already evening, so he decided to head back to the ship. He entered a dark alleyway when he heard someone whispering to him.

"Hey, ya." Elias tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. "Yes, ya."

Elias turned to his right. From the darkness emerged a woman, her skin pale and covered in tattoos. Elias guessed she must've been a witch. He had heard stories from Filp about them. They meant no good.

"Do ya want to hear the future, kid?" Elias turned his head and continued his way. "Wait! I'll do ya for free."

Elias stopped and hesitated. Maybe she could really tell him the future. Would he ever be able to escape The Rose Sparrow? Would he ever be able to come back to Parahill?

Will he ever be free?

There were too many questions running through his mind. He turned back to the witch. She smiled and approached him.

"Ya were taken from yer home and the pirates killed yer parents."

"You told me you would tell me the future," said Elias, irritated. "I know of the past."

"Nothin' good awaits ya kid. Not here in Bradfordshire and not out there at sea." She circled around Elias as if he was prey. She brushed her long nails down his back. "I see green embossed into the skin in yer back. Black mark, bonding ya to them. The silver lily will haunt you in nightmares. Oh," Elias got startled at her change of tone. "It will also be the thing that'll make those nightmares disappear."

Cold sweat ran down Elias' back. She scratched one finger down where his heart is. "A knife to the heart. A bond." She smiled. "A strong bond. Oh, that's interestin'. It's her."

"W-who?"

She leaned to his face and clicked with her tongue. "The one who started it all."

Elias opened his mouth to ask further when someone screamed in the market square. Elias hastily pulled down the mask and ran out of the street. They were people gathered around someone Elias couldn't see.

He pushed through the crowd to make his way through. When he finally made it through, he saw the woman, who made the mask for him, sprawled on the ground, a man, clearly drunk, as he was still holding a bottle in his hand, shouting.

"I've said tell me!" The woman just shook her head rapidly. "What? Can't ya speak? I said, tell me ya bitch!"

He stepped towards her. Elias didn't even think when he grabbed one of his knives and threw it towards the man. it caught on his coat and fixed him to one of the markets stalls. The crowd gasped and then went quiet. Elias ran to the lady and helped her get up.

"W-what?" The man struggled to process what just happened. He reached towards the knife and pulled it out. "Ye, scum!"

He launched towards Elias who had his back towards him. Elias saw the terror in the woman's eyes, but he was too slow. As he was reaching for his dagger he turned around and the man sliced him across the left side of his jaw, knocking his mask off.

The crowd gasped again, and Elias could hear them whispering It's just a kid. Pain spread through his face like a flame and he felt blood drip down his neck. He ignored it.

"A kid?!" Elias could smell the alcohol reeking off him. "A kid, dears to humiliate me?!"

He tried to approach him, when suddenly the crowd backed him away.

"Ya dare hurt a kid!?"

"He's bleedin'!"

They pushed him away and Elias took that chance to pick up the mask and the knife the man dropped, took the woman's hand, and pulled her away in a street Elias knew wouldn't be crowded. When he reached it, he stopped and turned to the woman. Her face was pale, and her worried eyes jumped from Elias' face to his wound.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

The lady managed a nod after some time.

"Are you hurt?"

She nodded off. She reached her trembling hand towards Elias' jaw, but he flinched away.

"It's okay. I'll stitch it up. Will you be able to get back to your shop?"

The woman nodded. Elias was about to leave when the woman took his hand. She placed the other over her heart and bowed her head down. Elias figured she was thanking him.

"No problem. Try to get to your shop before dark."

He released her hand and ran down into the street. Try to get to your shop before dark. He should get somewhere before dark. It was already dark and Elias was far across the town. He had no intention of running around Bradfordshire at night. He hurried down the streets looking around at the rooms where lights weren't on.

Only now did he register the pain spreading in waves through his body from the jaw, where his wound throbbed. Blood was still diligently oozing from the slit. His vision was beginning to fog and with that, his mind was growing hysterical. He had to get somewhere safe and stitch up the wound. Elias pressed his hand over the wound and ran further.

He was in Fedir ally when he heard someone approaching. He hid in the narrow side street. A man and a woman walked past him, stopping by a door with a red mark on it. The man knocked on the door. Nobody answered it.

"I told you." Said the woman. "He's always in Galssop this time of the year."

"I guess you're right."

"I'm always right dear. You should listen to me more."

The man smiled and took her hand. They continued walking the path. "We'll visit him next time."

When the street was clear, Elias ran to the door. He pulled out his lockpicks and went for the lock on the door. He struggled a bit, having to blink hard several times to stop his eyes from fogging, but eventually, the door opened. There was a staircase leading up to a trapdoor. Elias went up and carefully opened it, making sure there was no one in the apartment. When there came no sound, he fully opened the trapdoor and climbed in. He closed it behind and looked around.

There was a small room barely enough for a bed, closet, and a table with two chairs. The moonlight shone through one window.

It would do for the night.

He placed the bag on the table and pulled out a needle and a threat. He went to the mirror and lit up the match to sterilise the needle. He grabbed a cloth and put it in his mouth to prevent him from shouting. When he stitched it up, he put away the needle, in the bag. He took off his coat, but kept the dagger and knives close to him. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes.

This would do for tonight.

First thing in the morning, Elias went straight back to the ship. Nobody came to the apartment, but Elias couldn't sleep for even a second. Every creek, every whisper of the wind would startle him to the bone. He had to get to his net and get some sleep.

When he embarked the ship, he noticed Nick up by the helm. Maybe Elias only imagined it, but he thought he saw relief across his face. It was gone in a second, followed by a simple cheery wave. Elias waved back and went below deck, taking his mask off and putting it in his bag.

As he was going down the stairs, Pit passed him, brushing his hand slowly and deliberately against Elias' arm. The boy stopped and looked over his shoulder, his brows furrowed. Pit wordlessly grinned at him and continued his way up on the deck. He reeked of alcohol.

Elias in the past year began to know and understand each of the men on the ship, but he could never quite understand Pit. He was odd. He would always watch Elias, but not like the others did. There was something that could only be described as slimy about him, though Elias couldn't quite pinpoint what that meant. He would also regularly see him linger around that big house everyone called The Jade Paradise.

Elias brushed his hand where Pit touched him trying to shake off the disconcerting feeling.

He didn't quite understand it at that time.

Later he wished he had.