Loathing wilderness, Sy made a point of never leaving the city. Urban life, with all its fifth and overpopulation, made sense to him. He could lose himself in a crowd, navigate the maze of city streets, and hunt a marketplace for a heavy looking purse on an unsuspecting fool. But out here? He knew nothing, and felt terrible exposed.
It was a miracle he was here, now, and he was here entirely against his will. If he'd had it his way, he'd be back in his usual tavern, arm around some common whore, and a pint of strong ale and a plate of roasted meat in the table in front of him. That was his life, and he loved it.
About a week ago, he had run into some trouble. He had joined up with a few boys he knew, in order to move from stolen property to a buyer in the underground. The goods had been worth a small fortune, and Sy had been promised a good wage for his services. Unfortunately, the intended buyer had other plans, and the thieves had been forced to make a swift getaway, with the city guard on their tails. As far as Sy knew, one of two of the boys hadn't been as swift as he, and likely were hanging up in the gallows by now.
Determined not to share their fate, Sy packed his things and enlisted as a guard for the first merchant caravan leaving the city. Before sunrise that very morning, Sy had left the city walls far behind him.
Now, one week later, the caravan was crossing Sirantil Valley. As dusk approached, they had found a spot to set up camp, and pulled the large wagons into a wide clearing near the side of the road. Now, hours later, the sun was down and the sky was black. A large fire burnt in the centre of the camp, and the weary guards took position around it as they waited for their dinner to cook.
Stretching, Sy rose from the circle and quietly slipped from the inner ring of light, to the dim shadows around the edge of camp. Normally he felt quiet at home in this space between light and darkness. Here, with the trees so near and the world so vast, Sy felt small and alone. He hated it.
Staring out into the darkness, he blindly fumble with his belt and the drawstring on his pants, his body heavy with the bitter wine he'd been offered by a fellow guard.
By tomorrow, he'd be back in civilization. Sure, he had no idea where this caravan would take him. As long as it was out of this bloody wilderness, however, he was happy.