I yanked Nathalia to her feet and turned to the angry merchant. “Sincerest apologies, kind sir,” I said with a slight bow. “My blind cousin can be somewhat clumsy. The worst of luck and not a very bright one, either I’m afraid. She probably couldn’t tell a cow from a sow even if she could see. We’ll just be getting out of your way then.”
I shoved Nathalia away from the man and kept walking. We weren’t ten feet from him when Nathalia spoke in a somber tone.
“A cow from a sow?” I could hear the threat in her voice.
“I’ve been working on negative attention. I thought you’d be impressed,” I said with false sincerity.
“How’s your thievery?” she asked with a hint of amusement.
I produced a bag of money from my pocket and pressed the pouch into her hand.
She hummed in satisfaction. “You’re getting better, but I highly advise not making a distraction out of your distraction,” she said as she pocketed the pouch. On the way back to the inn, a group of soldiers paraded through the main street headed for the fortress. They looked worn and beaten, but marched tall and proud. Some were carrying large chests and oddly shaped bundles. A mounted officer strode by on his steed, passing directly in front of me. In his right hand, I caught sight of a sword. It was a simple glimpse, really. What caught my eye was the sword’s pale blue shimmer. I tried to get a closer look, but the man was already well on his way to the fortress when I realized what I was looking for. I stood watching the battered soldiers march in unison.
“Amusing that you would be entranced with that particular treasure.” Nathalia’s voice brought me back to reality. She was turned to the departing soldiers, but she kept her head down. “This troupe was sent out in search of lost treasures from Thorae’s rich and hidden past. It seems they took quite a beating, but they do not return empty-handed. Perhaps there is some connection in their timing...”
Her voice trailed off and before I could ask what she was talking about, she spun around and pressed forward, not saying another word.
When we reached the inn, I went to my room, washed up, and plopped onto the straw bed in exhaustion. My mind went back to the fight and my opponent. Why had the crowd been screaming for me to kill her? They were screaming for death continually. Death and mercy. How can the two ever coincide? Why were they so intent on seeing blood? I closed my eyes and heard the crowds roar again. Part of me thought it was a nightmare. The other part of me wished they never stopped. I imagined the crowd calling my name. I could feel myself drifting into the cheering.
I saw myself atop a dark horse, triumphantly entering the city walls. Crowds on either side of me chanted my name. The name of a warrior they loved, feared, and obeyed. I saw myself raising my sword in the air. A sword that shone blue, and not only shone, but glowed. Pale blue light blasted forth from the sword and covered the people. In one moment, it seemed I had silenced the world, covering it in a sheet of ice. I stared down at the silenced beings. Although I had loved the sound of continuous praise, it wasn’t enough. This silence was a cold blissful peace. A stillness that pierced body and mind, this was the sound of power and ultimate control. Amidst the people, Nathalia stood before me, unchanged and unfrozen.
“No amount of power will make you feel any less vulnerable,” she said with a smirk. He voice carried through the silence, shredding my newfound bliss. I pointed my sword at her. As I did so, a huge wall of water hit us. I jerked up in my bed, shivering and gasping for breath. My clothes and bed were soaked with cold water and Nathalia stood nearby with an empty bucket.
“Wake up, we’re going out,” she said coolly and walked out of the room.
Oh sure, as if dousing me with cold water wouldn’t wake me up. I looked at the window and realized it was already well into the night. An hour later, Nathalia and I entered a tavern adjacent to the building wall of the fortress.
“Wait out here,” Nathalia muttered before going inside. I folded my arms and leaned against the doorpost. After about ten minutes of boredom, I decided to find something better to do. I wandered around to the side of the tavern and looked for a way to get onto the roof. I climbed onto a barrel and used the added height to help pull myself onto the tavern roof without too much noise. I peered over the edge, proud of my minor achievement so far. I looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath. It was actually quite peaceful up here. I lay on my back and stared up at the starry sky. I almost fell asleep when a tiny sound alerted me that I was not alone. I briskly sat up, but there was already a cold blade pressed against my throat.
“Will you PLEASE stop doing that?!” I said with irritation. I grabbed the hand holding the dagger, yanked it away from my neck, and twisted the wrist, ducking under the blade to turn to see Nathalia smirking at me. I let go of her hand and stepped back with a frown. “How did you know I was up here?” I asked.
“It wasn’t hard,” she replied while rubbing her wrist. “You’re usually loud enough to wake the entire town.”
“I am not!” I retorted. “Just watch.” I hopped up onto the roof next to the one we were standing on without so much as a creak. I sat cross-legged and watched her ascend as well.
“You think you have nothing else to learn from me?” she asked as she sat in front of me. “Think you’re equal to me in skill then?”
“I know I am.” I spat with growing anger. “I am more than capable of handling myself with the skills you taught me.”
“Really?” she said with a smile. “Prove it.”
I raised my eyebrow questioningly and she continued. “Let’s have a test. You proved yourself in the arena, despite how much learning you still have left to do, but what about taking on the cloak of a shadow thief? Can you handle it or is that too much of a burden for you?”
“I can handle any test you give me.” I said without wavering. No going back now.
“Then here is your test,” she continued. “The sword you saw today has far greater power than you can imagine. In fact, most do not know it’s true might. Legend has it that it triples the power of its bearer. Whether that is intended for any one or someone in particular is debatable. I could tell you all kinds of tales of how it was created in moonlight and shadow in the mountains of the north, but that is irrelevant.”
“Then get to the point already,” I said, actually disappointed that she was not going to continue.
“Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is this: steal the sword.”
“What?!” I said in surprise, although I could somehow tell it was coming. I looked up the wall of the fortress. The stonework was surely just as strong now as it was when it was built. The windows were high and out of reach from below. “You’re insane,” I replied, “There can’t be a way to get in and out without being spotted, even if I knew where I was going.”
Nathalia shrugged nonchalantly. “No guts, no glory. If you’re too afraid to go, we’ll just call the whole thing off.”
“I’m not afraid!” I shot back at her.
“Then prove it. You keep telling me you no longer need my help. Let us raise the stakes, if you steal the sword for me, you are free to leave and do as you wish. If you get caught, I’ll only help you out if I think you’re worth it. Otherwise, you fall to the mercy of Tyrone.”
I glared at her. I couldn’t back down and there was no way I can let myself get caught. I had to steal the sword.
“I won’t get caught,” I said confidently as I stood up. “And when I steal that sword, I’m taking it with me.”
“Provided you can actually get to the sword in the first place,” Nathalia muttered.
“Of course I’ll get to it! I’ll steal it out from under their noses and be on the other side of Noldon before they even know it’s gone,” I replied with a smug smile.
“A bold statement for one who can’t even get out of her own imprisonment.”
Without a word, I leapt to the next rooftop, leaving Nathalia to converse with the air.
I was thinking about how I would get in when I heard voices from below. I looked over the edge of the roof and saw two guards guarding a side entrance to the fortress. I took a shingle off the roof and threw it as hard as I could into an alley nearby. One of the guards left to check out the sound. While he was gone, I silently hopped down from the roof and easily knocked the second guard unconscious. I slipped through the entrance and found a flight of stairs nearby. I made it to the top of the stairs and around a corner. Not really having any clue where I was going, I came to a door and grabbed the handle. Before I could even begin opening the door, it swung inward and caused me to stumble forward into the room. I looked up and froze. I could feel the blood draining from my face. The room was filled with guards sitting at a table eating and one guard was standing near the door, apparently the one who opened it. They all started at me in silent surprise. “Wrong room.” The moment they started moving, I grabbed the door handle and pulled the door closed as I jumped out of the room. I took off down the hall running, but I could hear the guards following behind me. I made my way up another staircase and continued down a second hall. I didn’t dare stop running. I looked back to see if the guards were still behind me when I hit something and crashed to the ground. I looked up and saw a tall man dressed in expensive looking clothes with quite a few guards behind him. I scrambled to my feet and dashed back the way I came only to find the guards who had been chasing me swiftly close the gap. I turned back to the man, who now had his head tilted with what could only be an amused smile.
“Lord Tyrone, sir!” One of the guards behind me said between huffs.
Tyrone held up a gloved hand to halt any further words. He placed his hands behind his back and leaned forward slightly when he said, “We’ve been expecting you.”
