Cicerone Extract

So… hey! It’s been a while. Not going to lie, I’ve been super busy with my work, university and also writing for various projects, so I’m just happy to be able to have the time to sit down and write this blog post for you. It’s going to be a fun little excerpt from my upcoming fantasy novella, Cicerone–a little darkness, a little mystery and a whole lot of fun (or is fun the wrong word? Haha). You can expect this release to come within this month, so stay tuned for more news! For now, I hope you enjoy this little snippet.

Cicerone ExtractRadix – Your Present

You didn’t think that it would be anything more than a normal job when you went to meet the woman off the 4.50 coach, just a mile or so from your rooms that day. Your agency boss had warned you that she was from outside the city walls, but lots of your clients were, so that made no difference to you.

However, he had failed to mention a great number of other things about her, which you noticed all too clearly when she hopped down onto the cobbled street. Her heel-less shoes tapped against the ground as she danced up to you, keeping time with the melody of the coach’s horses snorts and stamps, a smile on her lips and genuine excitement and curiosity twinkling in her almond-shaped eyes. They were highlighted by the thick black paste which ladies of high society so often loved to paint certain aspects of their faces in.

But this was no lady of high society, to be sure. You could tell that much by the way her light beige dress hung above the ankles, not close enough to the knee to be deliberate, and the fact that she was wearing a dress at all–everyone who was anyone knew that tight fitting waists and corsets accompanied by flowing sleeves and pant legs were in fashion, not the shapeless dresses of yesteryear. But you weren’t about to call her out on her terrible sense of style; you had other, far more important, matters to worry about.

‘You’re my cicerone? January?’

On any other day, you might’ve been a little perturbed by the way those eyes flew directly to you, and perhaps also by the way they maintained your unblinking gaze so unabashedly. Today, however, as you were the only other person in the vicinity and your gaze still hadn’t left the rather stoutly built woman, you forgave her, whilst idly noticing that her shoulders really didn’t work with those short sleeves at all.

‘Please–call me J, domina, everyone does.’ That much was true, at least. You let the words roll off your tongue, setting her immediately at ease with their smooth, calming nature, and a slight wave of satisfaction rolled over your mind. 

You straightened your back, removing yourself from the coach-stop pole you were standing against and placing the brass pocket watch which you had been passing from hand to hand in your pocket.

Holding out your now-free left hand, you said: ‘I believe you have an appointment on the hour. Shall we take our leave?’

‘Yes, yes, I’m sorry for cutting it so fine–this was the first direct coach I could get.’

You reined in your tongue, not chiding her as you so wished to. Direct coaches were pointless, especially when they only left you ten minutes for a twenty minute journey–ah, well, you had dealt with worse. 

At least she was apologetic, collecting her bags quickly and still murmuring something or other under her breath when you finally began your journey to the building she needed to be at in nine minutes. Luckily, your city–oh, it was your city, your muse and your love; that was Vivus–decided to entertain your wish for movement, and aligned the streets into a form that you remembered.

Still, she could have gotten a connection and given you a little more time to work with. No matter–you hurried her along, setting off down the side of the road at a reasonable pace after she waved the coach off, even after you informed her, with little more than a mirthless chuckle, that there was really no need for her to do so. People from outside the city were so… you wanted to say uncultured, but maybe amusing would be a better term. 

In any case, there were worse ways to spend the dead hours of the morning. That you knew for sure.

Enjoyed the poem? Why not check out Our Paused World or Aleatory Poetry?

(They’re my poetry collections! Available on Amazon!)

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