So... thext chapter for you guys! I'm really sorry, I had to debate a long time if I'd want to do it like that or add some more time until both of them met from face to face, actually talking a little bit.
But I decided to do it like that, because you see, I don't want to bore you ^^ And it everytime get's soooo interesting with Akefia around!
So, have fun, guys! Enjoy the chapter!
The roof hopper and 'his allmighty highness'
Her onyx eyes searched for any hints, that would reveal her whereabouts. She saw her linen sack, that had been placed at the end of the bed and a small barrel, which was filled with water (that was really delicious, she had costed it... greedy...).
Nothing that really told her where she was, or who exactly had brought her to rest here.
She tugged at the cloth that was wraped around her head and sighed quietly.
As she spotted a curtain, that was horribly ripped and stained (what the heck was able to taint nearly the whole material?) with dark blobbs.
She pulled it away slowly, to stick her head outside.
Darkness.
Her eyes traveled the darkness keenly and she shivered, as she wasn't even able to say, how big or long the room was, she was currently staring at. In a strange way exactly this fact scared her the most.
She shuffled one of her feet quietly, holding her breath as she did, listening carefully. It seemed to be a small room, the echo returned fast at her ears and didn't loose itself in a wide open darkness.
She swallowed noislessly, as her feet began to move into the unknown room, her arms wide open and searching in wide gestures for things, that would make her trip over or collide with something.
They found the next wall after a short moment, and she used the surface to go on with her little journey, sliding one hand along the wall quietly, as the other one was searching for hurdles in front of her. A short while later she found the other wall, so at the moment, she stood at one corner of the room. As she, again, wanted to go on, something was lighted behind her and she turned around violently, grabing at the dagger she had hidden under her skirt, tightly tied up to her thigh -
Damn, it wasn't there.
She shadowed her eyes, the light nearly blinded her, even if it seemed to be only a candle... she had been sleeping and walking through complete darkness...
An amused, soft chuckle sounded in her direction, and she growled lowly, noticing the shadowy figure, that slowly was uncovered by her eyes.
The white hair reflected the candle light. Her eyes widened.
'Annoying curious, aren't we?'
His voice was husky, dark and lacked every emotion, except for mockery.
'What do you want, Thief King?' Her voice trembled a little bit, as pain shot though her empty head again – twitching, wrenched limbs...
He smiled, his violet eyes searching her onyx ones, as he strolled lazily at the corner where she was currently standing, observing him carefully.
'Well, you were a little bit … worn out, weren't you? And as I saw the soldier seemed to be interested in catching you, I didn't want to give him the easy way... well... as if the very same man would be able to catch you now, huh?' He chuckled quietly, the sound caused a shiver to caress the back of her neck.
'Did you kill him?' She asked matter-of-factly, nearly chilly.
He smiled. 'He fell to his dead, as you were able to see.'
Now it was she who smiled. It wasn't an amused smile, more a disguised grin.
'That's neither an answer to my question, nor does it mean something. What happened there, why was the ground shaking? Why was the house just...' She frowned. '… just... crumbling to dust and flying stones?'
He shook his head. 'That's not important now.'
Her legs started to tremble and she just now noticed how cold it was out of the bed.
'You shouldn't be wandering around now, your head was striked quiet badly.' There was no concern in his voice, only an advice.
'How am I able to lay down now, knowing who brought me here, huh? Do you think at the end I'll possibly go daffy?' The frown at her forehead deepened as he started laughing.
'Come on now, girl, I get you to bed.' He told her smirking, as if she was a little girly, needing somebody who would talk to her and tell her stories, to ease her way down to the land of dreams.
She sighed, feeling her weak limbs and eyes, the trobbing pain at the back of her head and the coldness, that clawed at her very insides. She pushed from the wall and slowly, carefully walked over to him, her onyx eyes never closing, catching his gaze the entire time.
'Okay, you win... get me back to the bed...' Her voice was tired, her tounge seemed to be numb as her limbs, which were starting to tingle now as if they had suffered blood loss for to much time.
He blinked once and observed her keenly, then took her arm to pull her with him, strangely careful, as if he thought she could possibly break with every wrong or harsh movement.
Her eyes searched the room again, as they got back to the bed, not able to see anything special, nor something that hadn't catched her eye before.
She sat down quietly, gazing up in his eyes, his lips twitching slightly as she was now so much smaller than him.
'Excuse me.' Her voice singsonged happily. 'Are you maybe kind enough to sit down, so the daffy girl doesn't have to break her neck, while she tries to talk to you?'
His smile grew as he sat down at her side, putting the candle at the ground, the dancing light strangely soothing the whole time.
'So, what could the daffy roof hopper possibly want me to tell her?' He smiled, it didn't even sound insulting.
He was so damn strange...
'She would love to know why you brought her here. Is your allmighty highness growing soft?'
The corners of her mouth twitched softly. It was strang how much realer it felt to talk to him, than to one of the lambs... yes... yes the lambs beneath the pharaoh.
His eyes twinkled and he grinned broadly. 'Your allmighty highness, I like that one...' He chuckled. 'First I wanted to let you bleed to your death.' His voice was soft, playful, even as he said that fact so bluntly to her face. 'But then I was able to spot, that you're not as thin and boyish as I first thought.' His finger shot up, to tug one of her strands softly. 'And what a king of thieves would they call myself, if I had just destroyed a valuable treasure, huh?'
She ignored the urge to punch him and beat the life out of him, as he claimed her to be his that matter-of-factly, as if one snip of his fingers was the only thing required to just own a human.
Quiet filled to the brim with self-esteem... aren't we?
Her smile was creepy, as it crawled over her lips again. 'Well, thank you... I'm really flattered, your allmighty highness.' She added her created title for him with one flirtatious blink and the most mocking tone she was able to use at that moment.
He laughed quietly and pushed himself upwards, off of the bed. Her hand shot foreward, to capture his wrist. He turned his face and gave her a dark glance, a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
'One last question, ... please.' He waited patiently for her to continue and she blinked once, before she did.
'Where are we?'
'The village of Kul Elna.' Was his short answer, as he finally got up and out of the room, smiling back one last time, as he reached the curtain, before he got out silently... like a shadow.
oOo
Her dreams were a blurred and dizzy mess.
She felt sweat covering her pale skin as she finally woke up, relieved for being actually awaken this time.
Her hands pushed her upwards and she yawned loudly, before she got out of the bed.
Her surroundings were exactly the same, but now she was able to see something. The cloth that was covering the hole, that she last night used as a door, had an nearly identical counterpart, that covered the window; small rays of sunlight got through the ragged material into the room.
She found out, that the liquid which stained both curtains was actually blood, how she had just suspected, her hands stroking the cloth gently as the light of the sun gave the blobbs a nearly beautiful colour.
She got out of the room, searching for the exit... and for her shoes.
They greeted her at the door and she took them on, just to open the crooked construct, she first refered to as a door.
She had to shield her eyes with her hand, the morning light nearly blinded her, causing her lips to stretch into a smile as she saw the endless blue sky again.
Her head tilted slightly, as the sound of footsteps emerged at her left and she spoted the white haired thief rounding the house, stoping death as he noticed her, the contents of the sack he carryed over his shoulder, clattering softly.
She smiled broadly at him, scrutinizing him with her eyes the same time, before her gaze wandered upwards to the sky again.
'It's beautiful... sometimes I think this sight is the only thing, that kept my alive so long...', she wispered quietly.
He didn't answer, only strolled nearer to stand beside her, following her gaze and looking upwards at the endless blue sky.
The sack sank to the ground slowly, being put down as he surveyed her silently.
'Thanks for helping me.' She chirped and winked in his direction. 'I think I have to repay you, don't I? What do you want, King of Thieves? What is a dirty eyesore like me possible to give you?' She grinned, her eyes twinkling mischieviously.
A smirk toyed with his lips as his eyes traveled upwards again.
'Telling me your name would be a perfect start.'
She smiled, nodding. 'Efena it is what they call me... well... they would call me if somebody would care for my name.' Her grin widened. 'Am I allowed to stuff my unbearable curiosity and ask what your name is?'
He just snorted.
'No? That's a pity.' The mischievious twinkle didn't vanish and brightened up that cool, calm onyx eyes. 'I'd love to know it... knowledge is power you see.' She chuckled quietly. 'Besides I'm interested in calling you by your name if I'm really pissed, not by a title... even if I have to admit, that „thief" has an incredibly attractive intonation.'
She heard the rustling of his clothes at her side and saw, that he was trembling violently, his shoulders hopping up and down rapidly.
'I hope you're not going to explode, like that building... maybe my daffy head will be hit again; this time the thing to blame, one of your bones? And there won't be another Thief King around, to take me with him now...'
He chuckled, the noise grewing louder, until the ruins around them were cracking with the intense sound. His laughing rested quiet some time, until he seemed to recover.
'You're in... m'love...' He choked, nearly killed and weeping by his own lack of air.
'In?' Her smile didn't falter.
'You are allowed to stay here, that is, if you want to. But please... don't ever try to amuse me again... I think that would finish me off...'
She chuckled. 'I'm keeping that in mind, trust me!' and then seemed to think for a moment. 'Are there other villages close?'
'No.'
'Any humans around here, sometimes wandering aimlessly through these ruins?'
'Normally humans avoid this place like death.'
'Hmm... and are there some roofs to hop on?'
His smile grew. 'Plenty.'
'Well, in that case I guess this place is just perfect, thank you so much, your allmighty, gracious highness.' She bowed mockingly her nearly black eyes twinkling in an amused manner, as she strolled in another direction, hearing him chuckling delightful behind her, as the clattering emitted again and the sack, which had been lifted, vanished together with his bearer behind the crooked door, entering the inside of the house.
Her gaze travelled over the wasteland as she continued to walk. It was ridiculous, impossible, but she thought, she was able to hear something whistling through the empty and abandon ruins that wasn't the wind.
Sometimes she heard quiet whispers, that seemed to follow her, felt soft cold air, that slid over her neck as if somebody would breathe against it... somebody who was never there when she turned around. She shivered, the soft tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifted, as she felt invisible eyes following her.
Far, far away, behind her a shadow strolled through the ruins, cool, moving air surrounding him, a blank expression on top of his face. The white hair was the only thing that didn't get tainted by the darkness, sticking with his body all the time... especially, as he followed the foreign girl's trace in the sand.
TBC...
There it is, guys! Hope you liked it! It's not really that long, but I actually liked their talk ^^ I would be eternaly graceful to hear if you liked it! Ideas and criticism are, as usual, highly appreciated!
*leaves cookies and hops on top of her roof grinning* Bye! Next chapter will come very soon!