Wren stood near the prow of the ship as it slowly sailed into the harbor. The ship's hands were scurrying to and fro under the direction of the Captain. A large, beefy man with a florid complexion and a wild mane of grey hair, Captain Bardeth To'ren barked out orders from the quarterdeck. The vessel, the Screaming Gull, was a three-masted sailing ship, and she was its single passenger. She'd been on board the ship for nearly a month, sailing from her homeland of Keltia across the Aenedd Ocean to the land her people called Erinäe, though it was known by many other names.
She already had her small bundle of belongings lying on the deck near her feet, ready to disembark as soon as the gangplank was lowered. At first she had enjoyed sailing and being out on the open sea, but the novelty had quickly worn off and she had found herself bored out of her mind. She was the only passenger and the only girl on board, and she'd found that the sailors had little time for her. She had managed to convince them to teach her some nautical knots in their spare time, which she practiced over and over until she could do them with her eyes closed. It seemed like a skill which might come in handy.
She watched with interest as the Gull approached the wharf. Ropes were thrown overboard where workers tied them to large wooden posts. The ship jerked slightly as it stopped and the gangplank was lowered to the dock. Wren swung her pack over her shoulder and prepared to go ashore. A firm tapping on her shoulder caused her to whirl around. The Captain and the First Mate had come to see her off. How sweet.
"You wouldn't be trying to leave without paying the second half of your fare, now would you lass?" Asked Captain To'ren in his booming voice. The First Mate, a thin, rat-faced man named Jasper, sneered slightly. Although, it was so close to his natural expression, it was difficult to tell.
"Of course not, Captain," she said smoothly, her face a perfect mask of guilelessness. "I was just looking for you, in fact."
The Captain raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Wren took the full money pouch from her belt and took out several gold pieces. "I believe this is the price we had agreed upon," she said, and placed the coins in the Captain's outstretched palm. He gave a curt nod of his head in a combination of agreement and farewell, and left to oversee the unloading of the cargo.
"It might not be safe for a young woman traveling by herself to carry so much currency," said Jasper, eyeing her money pouch greedily as she refastened it to her belt.
"Your concern is touching," said Wren coldly, "but I can handle myself."
The First Mate scowled and walked away, muttering something under his breath.
That man gives me the creeps, she thought as she walked down the gangplank.
The dock was noisy and bustling, full of swarthy men stripped to the waist, sweating with the exertion of loading and unloading cargo.
If seen from a distance, one might mistake her for a child among a crowd of grown-ups. On closer inspection, however, it became clear that Wren Tai'rani was no child. She wore a dark, voluminous hooded cloak that was so long it brushed the ground as she walked, giving the illusion that she was smaller than she was. Barely tall enough to be called average in height, she had long dark hair that fell in waves midway down her back. Her heart-shaped face and delicate features had fooled many into believing she was little more than a harmless waif. But her eyes gave her away. Two large pools of blackness, they sparkled with mischief and cunning. Wary and observant, they constantly scrutinized her surroundings, looking for the likeliest targets and picking out any threats.
She was, after all, a Master Thief with the Tai'rani Guild back in her home city of Meriand. She had joined the Guild when she was ten years old and living on the street. She'd been caught trying to pick the pocket of none other than Ophéid Tai'rani, founder and leader of the Guild. He could have had her arrested or he could have handled her himself, but he had seen potential in the unruly and rebellious child, and had taken her under his wing. She spent the next decade or so learning to be a bandit in the largest Thieves Guild in Meriand, perhaps all of Keltia. It turned out she had an aptitude for the work, and she rose quickly through the ranks.
The Tai'rani Guild was like a family, and it took pride in its work. The members were hired on a commission basis - to steal from specific people, or to steal specific things. They were paid once the job was finished, and they rarely found out what happened to the objects they stole. Ophéid handled all of the transactions, and it was he who assigned the tasks to people he felt were best suited for the job. Each Guild member worked alone, and there was a strict understanding that if you were caught, you were on your own. Snitching was an unthinkable crime against the Guild, and unheard of in all the time Wren had been there. Wren Tai'rani, of course, was not her real name. It was one she adopted when she joined the Guild. All members assumed the surname of Tai'rani, signifying that they belonged to the family, and some chose to keep their first names while others chose to pick new ones. She had chosen her name because Ophéid often referred to her as his 'little bird'. Indeed, her movements were quick and birdlike, her nimble fingers able to pick almost any lock, or slip into any pocket unnoticed.
Her downfall, as Ophéid often pointed out, and the reason that could keep her from someday being head of the Guild, was her lack of patience. She had her other faults - she was stubborn, proud, hot-tempered - but it was her impatience that affected her performance as a Thief. On more than one occasion she'd nearly been caught, so eager to complete the job that she didn't take the proper precautions. But she had never returned empty-handed, something which she prided herself on. More than anything, she wanted to someday lead the Guild, to be known as the best Thief in Keltia. That was why she was here, on a distant shore far from home, in a land where she knew no one and everything was unfamiliar.
Leaving the harbor, Wren wove her way down narrow streets and alleyways, looking for a place to spend the night. The first place she came to was called the Crow's Nest. Small, grubby, and dark, she decided to keep looking. Eventually she found what she was searching for. The Figurehead was a weather-beaten looking building, but a warm yellow light shone from its windows, and talking and laughter could be heard from inside.
The first thing she noticed when she walked through the door was the mouth-watering aroma of food. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until just then.
"Can I help you, miss?" Came a harried-sounding but kindly voice from an open door to her right. A very short and very round man in a stained apron was filling several mugs from a barrel with his hands, and propping the door open with his foot. He had a fringe of reddish hair around his ears and the light bounced off of his shiny bald pate.
"I was wondering if I could get a room for the night, and a meal?" Wren inquired.
He nodded. "One piece of silver will get you the room; two will get you the room, supper, and breakfast in the morning."
She removed two pieces of silver from her pouch and stood waiting.
"Dorina!" Bellowed the innkeeper, "Come show this lady to her room."
A smiling, rosy-cheeked barmaid came hurrying up. She took the money from Wren and said, "Right this way, ma'am."
Wren inwardly chuckled. They wouldn't be calling me 'lady' and 'ma'am' if they knew what I did for a living, she thought.
She followed Dorina up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. The girl stopped at the last door on the right. "Here you are," she said, blowing a wisp of blond hair out of her face. She took a ring of keys out of one of her pockets and searched until she found the one she was looking for. She unlocked the door and handed the key to Wren.
"Thank you," murmured Wren, entering the room. It was small, but it had a window and the bed looked comfortable enough. There was even a small vase of fresh flowers on the window sill.
"Dinner is served until ten o'clock, so you can come down any time before then to eat," said Dorina. "If you need anything, just ask for me or Master Hobarth, he's the innkeeper." Wren nodded and Dorina shut the door. Wren listened to her hurried footsteps as she retreated back downstairs.
She immediately went and locked the door, slipping the key into her own pocket. Removing her cloak and hanging it on a hook, she sat down on the bed and opened her pack. It contained a bedroll, a change of clothes, a flask, a whetting stone, some grooming items, flint and steel, and a sewing kit. Nothing she couldn't live without. Anything of importance she kept concealed on her person, like her money pouch, her lock-picking kit, her knives, and the map.
She currently carried six blades; one in plain sight attached to her belt, one hidden in each boot, one up each sleeve and attached to her wrists, and one down the front of her shirt. Knives were her weapon of choice. She really wasn't strong or powerful enough for a sword or a staff, but she had the quick reflexes and agility required to handle the daggers.
The map was what had brought her here. She removed her left boot and reached inside. Peeling back the inner layer of sole, she reached into the hollow compartment of the heel and drew out the folded piece of paper. The parchment was soft and yellowed with age, creased from being folded and refolded. Carefully, she spread it out and smoothed the wrinkles flat. This is why she was in Erinäe.
She had found the map while on a job. Her mission had been to break into the home of a scholar, a man versed in ancient lore and a collector of antiquities, and to steal a book. Gaining entrance to the house had been simple enough; evidently the man felt that his collection was meaningless to anyone but himself. He was wrong.
It had taken her some time to locate the book. She'd had to search through shelves and shelves of dusty volumes. Finally, she'd located it. Curious, she'd flipped through it, wondering what about this particular text made it worth the money that was being paid for it. As she was perusing through it, a piece of paper slipped out from between its leaves and fluttered to the floor. She picked it up, but a noise from elsewhere in the house put her on the alert, and she slipped the book and the paper into a small bag and snuck out of the residence, leaving no trace she'd been there. She'd even replaced the book she'd taken with another, wondering how long it would take the scholar to notice the difference. Hopefully, it would be a very long time.
Once back at the Guild headquarters she turned the book over to Ophéid, who praised her for another job well done. She'd kept the parchment, though, not knowing exactly why. Once in her room she'd taken it out and examined it, just then discovering it was a map. She'd been rather disappointed at first even though she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting.
Only when she went to fold it back up did she notice the writing on the back. She read it, and then read it again, her mind churning with thoughts and ideas.
The writing on the map told of incredible power bestowed upon those with the courage to seek it out. It spoke of great Temples protected by ancient and fearsome Guardians. It also recounted the legend of the Summit Temple and the Apocalyptic Angel. According to the myth, if you challenge the Angel and are victorious, it will grant you three wishes - money, knowledge, power, anything your heart desires. On the map are marked the alleged locations of several of the Temples, but there are rumors of others from which no one has ever returned to tell of.
Wren didn't believe in fairy tales, and the whole thing sounded like a bunch of drivel, but the passage also described great treasure to be found at the Temples.
Treasures beyond mortal dreaming..., it said, and treasure was something that Wren believed wholeheartedly in.
If I could find some of this wealth and bring it back, I could prove to Ophéid that I am worthy of someday running the Guild. This could be the most important job of my life. I would go down in history as one of the greatest Thieves of all time.
Wren was captivated by the image of herself sailing back to Keltia on a ship laden with gold and jewels.
So, she had taken a leave of absence from the Guild, telling no one of her real plan. They were her family, but they were also thieves, every last one of them, and she didn't want anyone to follow her and share in her glory. This quest was to be hers and hers alone.
She had set out in the dead of night, taking a winding and circuitous route to the Meriand Harbor. She had secured passage on the Screaming Gull that night, knowing better than to arrange it ahead of time. She paid extra for the last minute preparations, and because the Gull was usually strictly a cargo ship. But she'd had the money, and the vessel had set sail the next morning, with Wren confident that her departure had remained a secret.
Now, according to the map, she was in the city of Harad on the western shore of Erinäe. She had already mapped out the route she planned to take across the continent and knew it by heart. Of course, once she had all the bounty she could carry, she would head for home. The thought brought a ghostly smile to her face.
A couple of hours later she was back up in her room, having quickly eaten her supper downstairs in the common area of the inn. She had sat alone at a table in the corner and made eye contact with no one, lest they take it as an invitation to come over and talk.
Having no interest in listening to the songs and stories of the other patrons, she had immediately gone back up to her room after finishing her meal. She planned to rise early the next morning and hopefully purchase a horse before she set out. She had no desire to walk the length and breadth of Erinäe.
She turned in a short while later, taking off all of her clothing except for her long, billowy undershirt, and climbing into bed. As was her habit, she placed one of her daggers beneath her pillow in the event something unexpected happened. Her precaution paid off.
When Wren awoke, she didn't know what the hour was, but it was dark outside and the inn was quiet. She wasn't even sure what had woken her. She lay perfectly still, straining her ears for any sound. After a minute or so she began to relax, when a noise came from out in the hallway, a noise that sounded suspiciously like a footstep.
Silently, she crawled out of bed, grabbing the knife she'd placed under her pillow. She padded over to the door in her bare feet and put her ear against it, listening. Now she heard whispering voices approaching the end of the hall. The footsteps stopped in front of her door.
She stood with her back against the wall on the far side of the doorway, so if the door was opened she would be concealed behind it. She heard the door handle being turned slowly, as if someone was checking if it was locked. A muttered curse from out in the hall, and the unmistakable sounds of someone picking the lock.
Amateurs, she thought contemptuously.
The lock sprung, and the door was opened a crack. Wren felt her whole body go tense as the door was opened wider and two shadowy figures entered her room. The room was pitch black and the two figures crept toward the bed, not realizing it was empty.
Quick as a flash Wren was behind the second figure. She brought up her dagger and slipped it between his ribs, puncturing a lung and ensuring that he couldn't scream. The first figure was only alerted to his companion's plight when he heard the body hit the floor. The first man whirled around and at the same moment the moon chose to come out from behind a cloud, flooding the room with moonlight. She recognized him - it was Jasper.
He snarled and she saw that he held a stiletto in his hand, the long thin blade glinting evilly in the silvery light. Suddenly he lunged at her, but she had been expecting it and easily darted out of the way.
"It's a shame you didn't heed my warning," smirked Jasper.
"It is a shame that you didn't heed mine," replied Wren evenly. Then, with amazing speed and accuracy, she shifted her grip on the blade and hurled it at Jasper. The dagger struck him squarely in the throat, and an almost comical look of surprise crossed his face before he slumped to the ground.
Looks like I'll be cutting my stay short, thought Wren, no pun intended. I hope Captain To'ren won't miss his First Mate too deeply.
She gathered up her things and packed them away. She donned her clothing; first her soft leather breeches, then the long, close-fitting vest that she buttoned over her undershirt, next she cinched her belt around her waist, and finally slipped on her boots. Once she was dressed she positioned her daggers in their proper places, all except the one in Jasper's throat. She went over and pulled it out of the corpse with a grimace, wiping it clean on the man's shirt and slipping it back into its sheath on her belt.
She slung her pack over her shoulders and settled it onto her back. Her cloak was two-sided; one side was brown, just like many other cloaks, but the other side was as black as midnight. She wore it with the black side out when she was on a job. It made her look as if she was just another shadow.
She wore it with the black side out now, and left the room. She crept downstairs, keeping to the sides of the hallway
and the staircase, where she knew the floorboards were less likely to squeak. She deposited her key on the front counter along with two more pieces of silver for the mess in her room and the food she was about to take from the kitchen. She hoped the innkeeper would take the hint and refrain from
mentioning her to the authorities. For all anyone knew, those two men could have gotten into an argument and killed each other.
Dawn found her huddled against the side of a building, her cloak making her all but invisible in the darkness thrown by the structure. Several people had walked by, and not a single one so much as tossed a glance her way. Across the street from her was a stable, and she was waiting for some sign
of activity before she went over and inquired about purchasing a horse.
About an hour later the stable showed some indications of life and she rose from her crouch, her legs tingling from being in that one position for so long. She threw back her hood and crossed the street, hoping she hadn't just wasted the last several hours watching a place with no animals for sale.
"Excuse me," she said politely to a tall man inside the building who had his back turned to her and was giving orders to several sleepy-looking stable boys. He turned around at the sound of her voice. He had sharp blue eyes above a hawk like nose, and his mouth was set in a grim line.
"Yes?" He asked her shortly.
"I'd like to buy a horse," she said.
He looked at her more closely. He believed I was a kid, she thought crossly. She drew herself up to her full height and looked him square in the eye, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What kind of horse did you have in mind?" He asked condescendingly.
"The four-legged kind," she answered pertly.
He narrowed his eyes, and Wren thought he was about to tell her to leave, then he smiled.
"Right this way," he said, and guided her out through the back door and down a walkway to the actual stables. There were two long buildings; the first housed horses whose owners were paying a fee to keep them there, and the second contained horses that were owned by the stable and loaned out or sold.
The man led her to the second building. Several young men were inside, feeding and watering the animals, and mucking out the stalls.
"The price," he informed her, "depends on the animal. I have trained them all myself to be riding horses, and they have been shoed by the best blacksmith in the city."
Wren tuned out the man's sales pitch as she examined the animals. They all appeared healthy and in fine shape. In a stall about midway down the length of the building she found a horse to her liking. It was a small filly, compact and muscular, and the perfect size for her. She was chestnut colored with
a black tail and mane and a white blaze running down her forehead that ended just above her nose. Her dark liquid eyes were intelligent and curious, and her ears perked forward in a friendly sort of way. Wren held out her hand for the filly to sniff, and scratched under her forelock once the horse was satisfied.
"You've made a very good choice," said the man. "This animal would be perfect as a lady's mount. She's well-mannered and even-tempered."
"I'll take her," said Wren, ignoring the man.
"Well then, all that's left is to discuss the price," he said with a gleam in his eyes. "Ten gold pieces," he began.
"I will give you half of that," she told him, not even bothering to look at him.
"I will have you know that this horse comes from very fine stock. Her breeding is impeccable and there are several other buyers interested in her. She is worth every coin."
"Actually," said Wren, "from the faint scars on her legs and the unusual wear on her teeth, I'd say she was born in the wild and that you acquired her through some kind of trade."
The man's jaw dropped open and he stared at her, at a loss for words.
"I will pay you your ten gold pieces, but only seven for the filly. The rest will go to purchase a saddle, a saddle pad, a bridle, and a couple of saddlebags."
"Deal," said the man immediately, obviously in a hurry to be rid of her before she talked to any other potential customers.
In short order she was outfitted with her horse and tack, and on her way out of the city. Her money pouch now contained less than half of the amount she had started with, but she could always acquire more.
She named the filly Finrael, and Wren rode her down Harad's main road to the outskirts of town. There was a fork in the road, one path traveling east, the other going north. Picturing the map in her head, she turned Finrael down the north road and urged her forward.
Well, I hoped you liked it! Just a favor to ask all of you HTML-literate people out there: how do I indent the first line of a paragraph? It's driving me bonkers! That's it for now. :-)
If I get some positive feedback from reviewers and the Administrator, the next chapter should be up fairly soon.