Library:A Letter From Jay To Kazyn

This story by royalsexy was submitted for the SotA Writing Round Table's "What Was Found in Ardoris?" writing contest and won first place !

Found and Lost
A letter from Jay Sanless, Port Phoenix Ambassador, to Kazyn Phoenixfyre, Governor of Port Phoenix:

Dear Kazyn,

As planned, I journeyed to Ardoris with our mutual friend Evan the herbalist. He went off about his business and I went about mine, but we planned to meet at his friend’s house for dinner. I arrived later than we’d agreed, as I got lost in the poor quarter of Ardoris, the lights on the street had been extinguished. I was peering at the door plates trying to find the address when I tripped over something on the ground. By the light of Daedalus, I could tell it was something I’d seen many times before – Evan’s notebook. Thinking the situation rather odd, I grabbed the book and knocked firmly on the door, which opened at my touch. I was immediately on alert, for the latch had been broken.

As I moved inside, the dim glow of coals from the fireplace was not enough to see by, and I stumbled again in the darkness. I lit a lamp that was beside the hearth and took a good look around. The place had been trashed, and there was no sign of Evan’s friend. Across the other side of the room I found Evan, unconscious but breathing under the remains of a table. His eyelids fluttered open and he looked up at me and said one word, “Shadows,” before falling unconscious again. Needless to say, I got him out of there and to the nearest physician as quickly as possible.

Over the last few days while he’s been recovering, I’ve been looking through the last few pages of his notebook. It looks as though several pages have been torn out, and unfortunately Evan writes his private journal in some sort of code. A few phrases I can make out lead me to believe he had a secondary objective in coming to Ardoris – to locate the mysterious Shadow Guild. The parts I can understand indicate the friend he was to meet had information about them to share. As I’ve heard you and Evan discussing this subject over wine at the Alestorm tavern, I thought you might know more of his mission.

I get the feeling I’m being watched, but left alone, not just by the Watchers, which are plentiful in this area, but by people too. Sometimes I will catch a glimpse of someone’s shadow coming around a corner behind me, or a silhouette of a face looking down from the towering aqueducts that run through the city. Perhaps I’m being paranoid, or perhaps Evan has disturbed something he shouldn’t have. I will send another letter once he is conscious and able to tell me what happened that night.

Yours Faithfully, Jay Sanless

P.S. They are definitely watching me. There was a note scrawled in charcoal on my wall when I got in tonight, “We know.” I hope to make it through the night and get Evan and myself back home with all haste.