Chapter 68 THE MAN IN BLACK
After walking for a few days, Xyra and Magnus arrived in a new town, one free of evil governors. However, both were surprised to see the bounty hunters swarming the area. It was a slightly smaller town, and the residents were easily outnumbered. It was insane. There was never supposed to be this much commotion unless Albus had been sighted. The renowned sorcerer couldn't be everywhere at once.
Then again, perhaps it was just a rumor. After all, the ones who had the warrant for his arrest were the members of the Sorcerer's League. They could easily spread rumors about him being in every town. If bounty hunters were everywhere, there would be no place for him to run. However, the only problem with that was that no one knew what he looked like. He could walk right past them, and they could never notice.
"Oh…" whined Magnus a bit as they walked past a huge gathering of bounty hunters. "It is just like the last one."
"Wonder what drew such a huge crowd," said Xyra as she glanced around, noticing that some of the men were watching her and Magnus.
"Rumors of Albus, no doubt. I wish they could all just give up. They will never find him."
Xyra did not say anything about that. She was too busy staring at everyone who was passing by. Some people were pretty suspicious looking. She had already decided that she did not like this town. It did not have a lot to look at anyway. Hopefully, there would not be a talisman involved, because she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
"What do you say we head back towards Millmore?" Magnus asked.
"Millmore?" she questioned, not recognizing the name.
"Christian's town." A smile broke out on Xyra's face as he said that. Now she did not feel so down about being here. She had something to look forward to. She really loved their visits with the young mayor. He was fun to talk to and always welcomed them in with open arms. He could get them information as well, which made things much easier. Perhaps he had heard a rumor about the talismans.
As they walked along, looking for a place to restock food, Xyra bumped into a man dressed entirely in black. She did not pay him any mind at first, but the fact that he was dressed entirely in black did pique her interest. She glanced back and noticed that he had stopped walking. She could not see his face, but it looked like he was staring at them, watching as she and Magnus walked further into the town. Wonder what is up with him? He sure looks suspicious…
She decided not to think about it for now and continued on her way, following after the sorcerer. When she glanced back though, she saw that the black cloaked man was following. Slowly, but he was definitely trailing them. He made it look so inconspicuous. Just who is this creep? Why dress in all black? Maybe he's a wanted man, or maybe…
Xyra's breath caught in the back of her throat. She did not really like the idea that had just crossed her mind. What if this man was the reason these bounty hunters were here? What if he was Albus? He was a very suspicious looking person, someone who just looked like a wanted man. Then again, she was not even sure if he was a man. By the height and build, it probably was. Not many women were that tall or had that broad of shoulders. Is he really him? God, I hope not. I wonder what he was wanted for…
She decided not to think about it right now, hoping that this man would just leave them alone after a while. It was highly unlikely, but she wanted to believe it. She glanced back again and noticed that he was still following, still making it seem like he was not. When she would turn to see him, he would be talking to a street stand vendor or a random passerby. He was doing his best to make it look like he was not actually stalking them.
"Xyra?" called Magnus, noticing that she had slowed down a bit. Plus, she looked a little on edge. Paranoia was not usually a problem with her, but she was walking rather upright as if preparing for a possible ambush. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing," she stated softly, but she was still glancing back continuously. Curious as to why, he looked off into the distance behind her. He did not see anything that looked all that suspicious though. Eventually, his eyes caught sight of a man dressed all in black. His cloak reached the floor, the hood pulled over his head, wrapping his face in shadows. Magnus's eyes went wide. Oh, man… I'm in so much trouble.
"Let's go," he told her, his voice shaking just a bit. "We will get food, and then we will leave, okay?" He turned around and began walking away, his pace almost double of what it was. Xyra did her best to keep up, having to jog a bit. She forgot about the potential stalker for a moment and instead focused on Magnus's sudden behavior change. He had been fine only moments ago, but now he seemed to be in a huge hurry. He was glancing everywhere, looking for a place to buy food for cheap prices. He really did seem to want to leave as soon as possible.
She glanced up at his expression, realizing just how nervous he looked. It was almost like he was running away from something or trying to hide. It was that kind of unease. It was the fear of being caught by someone, of being found out. He had nothing to hide though. It is not like he had robbed someone, although technically he had taken part in a robbery. The men from the governor would not have been able to find them so quickly though. They were a few days off from Tago. No one could make that trip quickly.