Note: I just realized that the name of my first chapter has already been
taken by someone else, please forgive me I did not realize that until I
went back the next day. Thanks for your R&R,
~Silver
3
Problems
Kaetlynn hit the ground hard, not without a sickening crack, and rolled away. She heard the house blow up behind her, but she dared not stop and look up. She rolled up into a ball and waited for the roaring of the fire to die down. Then she looked up, seeing nothing where there used to be a tall building. She heard footsteps thundering along behind her, loud on the cobblestones.
"Kaetlynn!" said Laero's voice. Kaetlynn rolled over, looking up at his worried face. Obviously she had not come through without any injuries. There was a long gash above her eyebrow, and she knew at least a few ribs were broken, as well as her wrist, which she had thrown out to break her fall.
She winced slightly as Laero helped her up, the quiet restored to the alley. It was dashed, however, as there soon came the sound of clattering feet on the street.
"Oh no," Kaetlynn muttered flatly when she knew it must have been Gerundi. Laero helped her to her feet, she turned to face Gerundi and, to her horror, a guard.
"What have you done to my house?" Gerundi shrieked, waving at it. Kaetlynn managed a small grin, blood running into one eye.
"Don't you like the work we've done?" she asked, glancing over at it. "Really spruced it up, I'd say." She added. Undoubtedly, she would have said more, but Laero, holding her up, prodded her in the back and she fell silent.
"You've destroyed it!" Gerundi raged.
"You tried to kill me!" Kaetlynn snarled. Gerundi glanced nervously at the guard, who looked suspicious. The old man waved his hand, and the look fled from the guard's face. Laero's brow furrowed.
"And, you had that smokepowder in your basement!" Laero said. Again, the guard looked at Gerundi.
"Preposterous!" the old mage spat. He looked at the guard. "I assure you, there is no such thing in there." he said earnestly.
"How do you think we blew up the bloody house?" Kaetlynn said. "We surely didn't play with your wands!" she added. She loved to see the look of sudden panic crossing Gerundi's face.
"She's out of her mind." he said, turning to the guard. "Take them away, both of them. We'll deal with them tomorrow." He said.
The guard moved toward Kaetlynn. She knew there was no way out of this, the wretched old mage had surely charmed this man into believing him. So she was prepared to go, but wouldn't let the guard touch her.
"Get your bloody hands off me. I can go on my own." she snapped. She and Laero followed the guard off to the jail, Gerundi limping along behind them.
www
They were thrown in a cell together, to be left there until daybreak. Kaetlynn staggered into a corner, breathing hard. Laero followed, looking worried. Kaetlynn glanced up at him.
"I'm fine." She said. Laero sat down next to her with a sigh.
"Fine mess we're in now." he muttered. Kaetlynn glanced at him.
"It could be worse." She said flatly. Laero looked at her in shock, the look on his face saying, "How so?" to which Kaetlynn only grinned. We could have died in the house when it blew up, or the old man could have blown us to bits right in the street." She said. Laero raised his eyebrow and dropped it quickly.
"Suppose so." Said the young man. For a while both were silent. Then Laero snorted suddenly. Kaetlynn glanced at him. "Do you like what we've done," he laughed. Kaetlynn grinned.
"I was trying to knock him off his guard. But of course that old crone has no sense of humor." She said.
"You couldn't have thought he'd think us innocent." Laero said. It was more a statement than a question. Kaetlynn only shook her head. She did not reply, instead busied herself with wrapping her wrist, which ached painfully. She tore off a piece of her cloak and wrapped it tightly around her wrist so that it could not move. While she was doing this, Laero noticed something metal protruding from a sewn pocket on the inside of the cloak.
"What's that?" he asked. Kaetlynn glanced at it. She pulled down a piece of the pocket and revealed the hilt of her scimitar.
"Makes my enemies think I'm unarmed. I like to take the element of surprise." she said, and hid the scimitar from view once more. Laero was silent, thinking.
"You have a lot of enemies?" he asked finally.
"At home, many." Kaetlynn said. "A lot of people say I run the streets, and they don't like it. Seem to think I have too much power." She explained.
"That's why Gerundi wanted to kill you." Laero guessed.
"Aye." Kaetlynn answered shortly. Laero nodded. Kaetlynn yawned, but it was cut short by the pain in her ribs.
"Damn study. Why'd it have to be on the second floor?" she said aloud, to no one in particular. Soon they both fell silent, sitting in the dark cell and contemplating to themselves.
Kaetlynn was just feeling the pulls of sleep when there came a rattling on the bars. She jumped, leaning forward and wincing. Laero looked up too; it appeared as though he were about to fall asleep as well. The guard that had been with Gerundi was standing at the bars, smirking down at them.
"You're going to let us out of here, right?" Kaetlynn asked lowly. The guard only laughed, a low hollow sound that echoed through the halls.
"You're kidding, right?" said the guard. Kaetlynn made a low growling sound.
"That bastard Gerundi has bewitched you, I'm afraid." she said.
"No, I've come to this decision on my own. You committed a vile crime, and will pay for it." the guard replied.
"Vile crime?" Laero shot back. "The mage tried to murder her!" he said, jerking his thumb at Kaetlynn. The guard only crossed his arms.
"Tomorrow at noon you shall be hanged, with Gerundi and I standing witness." he continued, as if he didn't even hear Laero's retort. Kaetlynn's jaw dropped, and Laero shared nearly the same expression.
"Hanged?" Kaetlynn asked in disbelief.
"Until then, you shall remain here. Another guard will bring you food." said the guard, again ignoring them. He turned and walked away. Kaetlynn turned to Laero, who looked shocked.
"What are we going to do?" Laero asked. "We can't let him get away with this. He tried to kill you, and now he's going to kill both of us. You can't call that murder?" he said. But Kaetlynn was hardly listening. Laero fell silent, slumping back on the wall.
"There's got to be a way out of this." he said flatly.
"There is." said Kaetlynn immediately. Laero glanced at her.
"How?" he asked. Kaetlynn could tell there was almost no hope in his voice. She shook her head.
"I'll think of something. I'll get us out of this mess, being as it is my mess." she said. "You didn't have to come with me." she added.
"Until then?" Laero asked.
"Try to get some sleep." Kaetlynn replied. "I'll think of something." she repeated.
"You sound like you have experience with this. Like you've been in trouble a lot." Laero said, turning to look at her. Kaetlynn gave a dry laugh.
"Yes. The times I've been arrested for somebody else's crime are innumerable." she said. She turned to Laero. "Now get some sleep. The morning will come sooner than you expect, and you'll need your wits about you when you're standing on those gallows." she added grimly. Laero nodded, the look of fear still alight in his blue eyes.
He fell asleep soon enough, while Kaetlynn battled the urges of sleep, thinking frantically. She felt as though Laero's life was in her hands-she had asked him to come with her, he hadn't volunteered. There was no reason he had to die too. Many times she nodded off, but woke herself quickly.
It was almost daybreak before she thought of something reasonable and relatively smart. Laero woke soon after, but they didn't speak. Both were feeling relatively nervous. Knowing she had a plan in mind, Kaetlynn finally allowed herself to sleep. She didn't wake up again until the guard came back, around noontime. Laero prodded her awake, and she jumped, alert once more. She saw Gerundi standing behind the guard, smiling pleasantly, as if all were fine. Kaetlyn gave him a loathing look.
"Take them out, Crik." he said, to which the guard unlocked the gate. Laero could not help but snicker at the name 'Crik'. He helped Kaetlynn up, and they walked through together. Kaetlynn moved her cloak, so that none of the concealing sheath could be seen.
"We can't let him do this," Laero hissed quietly as they walked through the halls, Crik in front and Gerundi behind.
"I have an idea." Kaetlynn whispered back, leaning close. Laero's brow furrowed. The last time she had said that, she had blown up a house and gotten them in more trouble than was worth. But he only shrugged, trusting her.
They were led into a back alley, behind the jailhouse, where there stood the gallows. Behind it there was a tall fence, hiding the rest of the town from view. Several people, apparently spectators, were standing around to watch. Laero swallowed, biting his lip. Crik pulled them both up, shoving them none-to-gently into the noose and tying their hands behind their backs. Gerundi stood by, leaning on his cane and chuckling to himself. Laero glanced at Kaetlynn, giving her an almost expectant look. She only nodded slightly.
"Whatever happens, if you are freed before me, just run." she whispered. Laero nodded, taking a deep breath. Kaetlynn began moving her hands, untying them slowly.
"You shall both be hanged at the same time." Crik was saying. Kaetlynn gave Gerundi an almost determined look. She took in a deep breath, preparing herself. Just as Crik was about to pull the lever, Kaetlynn's hands became untied. Quick as a flash, she pulled her blade from its sheath and sliced her own noose from its rope, fell on her feet, then turned and swung for Laero's. Luckily, the hand which had been broken was her right, and she used her left mainly for swordfighting.
"Duck!" she screamed, and Laero bunched up his shoulders, bringing his head down just in time as Kaetlynn's blade whistled over it and sliced the rope off. Too surprised to catch his feet, Laero fell. Kaetlynn sheathed the sword quickly and grabbed Laero, heaving him up.
During all this, Gerundi had stepped back, in a state of disbelief as Kaetlynn escaped once more.
"Stop them!" he shouted to Crik, but the guard seemed too stunned to move. Gerundi issued a feral growl and brought a spell to mind. Bolts of energy flew from his fingertips and slammed into Kaetlynn.
The young woman nearly fell as she was slammed by the magical energy, but kept running, her hand on Laero's arm. She reached the fence and pulled herself up, heaving Laero after her.
"Where now?" Kaetlynn said, lost in the back alleys of Luskan. Laero grabbed her hand and bolted off.
"This way!" he said over his shoulder. The guard and Gerundi would surely give chase; they needed to find shelter soon. They seemed to run forever, until suddenly Laero pulled her into a dark cellar, apparently his house. He pulled the door closed, engulfing them in darkness. He knew the two were not far behind, he had heard them.
He took Kaetlynn into a corner, pulling her down and covering her mouth with his hand; she was breathing hard and would surely give them away. Surprisingly, she did not fight him, but seemed to feel comfortable in his grasp.
They were both silent, waiting and watching for the footsteps that would soon come, silhouetted against the crack of light that showed through the door. They came, Crik's feet first, then Gerundi's. They could hear the old man shouting.
"She's down here, I know it!" he bellowed. "That witch has gotten away too many times. She's mine now!" Suddenly the old man stopped walking, and his feet returned to the crack of light. He called for Crik. Laero felt Kaetlynn give a shudder, showing the first signs of fear he had ever seen. He too was afraid, but suppressed a shiver. Instead he hugged Kaetlynn tighter, hoping she would calm down.
"They can't be down here." Crik's voice was saying. "We've checked everywhere." Gerundi stamped his cane upon the ground.
"Well they couldn't have just disappeared! Look harder, Crik! They have to be here." he said. Crik walked away. The old man muttered absently to himself, then he too walked away.
Laero held Kaetlynn still for a few more minutes, feeling her shiver. He listened to hear if the two had truly gone away. But Kaetlynn did not try to remove his hand from her mouth, she stayed still.
"You saved us both," whispered Laero when he was sure they had gone away. He removed his hand from her mouth, and she looked at him. The crack of light fell across her face, and he saw that look of fear alight in her eyes.
"We have to get out of here," she said softly. "He'll kill us both if we don't." Laero nodded, and he turned and revealed a secret passage in the wall. He looked back at Kaetlynn, then crawled through. Kaetlynn followed.
She emerged into the light once more, seeing Laero crouching by to help her up. Looking around, she realized they were in what must be his house. She looked at Laero.
"We'll have to escape from the city. I have some horses, we'll get some food and light out of here tonight." He explained, still speaking in a quiet voice. Kaetlynn nodded.
"But you said no one survives the night on he tundra." She said. Laero was shaking his head.
"We won't go near the tundra. I have friends in the city, they'll get us out of here." he replied. Kaetlynn nodded again. She took in a deep breath.
"You saved us," Laero said again. He thought Kaetlynn was too spooked the last time he had said it to understand. "That was impressive."
"Hurt like hell though." Kaetlynn said, clutching her ribs.
"You'll be all right?" Laero asked. Kaetlynn nodded.
"With a little rest, I will." She said. Laero began walking away, gesturing for her to follow.
"Then get some rest. I'll wake you when we have to get out of here." he said, leading her to his room. She smiled faintly in gratitude as he left.
Hours later, when it had grown dark, Laero stood in the doorway of the room where Kaetlynn slept, watching her. He had been truly worried about her for a time, when she had shown such fear. He simply stood there, unable to look away and unable to wake her, watching as her chest rose and fell slowly in the slow undulations of sleep.
"Are you going to stand there all day staring at me?" Kaetlynn said suddenly, softly. Laero gave a start.
"You've been awake all this time?" he asked, coming into the room as Kaetlynn sat up slowly.
"Only while you've been watching me." she said. Laero shook his head, smiling.
"I'm sorry. I came in here to wake you up, and I found myself staring." Laero said. He glanced out the window by Kaetlynn's head.
"We have to go now," he said. "Midnight draws near, and we must be to the outskirts of the city by that time." Kaetlynn nodded, getting up and following Laero from the room.
They packed up a few warm clothes and food to last them through a few days, and quickly left the house, leaving it dark.
~Silver
3
Problems
Kaetlynn hit the ground hard, not without a sickening crack, and rolled away. She heard the house blow up behind her, but she dared not stop and look up. She rolled up into a ball and waited for the roaring of the fire to die down. Then she looked up, seeing nothing where there used to be a tall building. She heard footsteps thundering along behind her, loud on the cobblestones.
"Kaetlynn!" said Laero's voice. Kaetlynn rolled over, looking up at his worried face. Obviously she had not come through without any injuries. There was a long gash above her eyebrow, and she knew at least a few ribs were broken, as well as her wrist, which she had thrown out to break her fall.
She winced slightly as Laero helped her up, the quiet restored to the alley. It was dashed, however, as there soon came the sound of clattering feet on the street.
"Oh no," Kaetlynn muttered flatly when she knew it must have been Gerundi. Laero helped her to her feet, she turned to face Gerundi and, to her horror, a guard.
"What have you done to my house?" Gerundi shrieked, waving at it. Kaetlynn managed a small grin, blood running into one eye.
"Don't you like the work we've done?" she asked, glancing over at it. "Really spruced it up, I'd say." She added. Undoubtedly, she would have said more, but Laero, holding her up, prodded her in the back and she fell silent.
"You've destroyed it!" Gerundi raged.
"You tried to kill me!" Kaetlynn snarled. Gerundi glanced nervously at the guard, who looked suspicious. The old man waved his hand, and the look fled from the guard's face. Laero's brow furrowed.
"And, you had that smokepowder in your basement!" Laero said. Again, the guard looked at Gerundi.
"Preposterous!" the old mage spat. He looked at the guard. "I assure you, there is no such thing in there." he said earnestly.
"How do you think we blew up the bloody house?" Kaetlynn said. "We surely didn't play with your wands!" she added. She loved to see the look of sudden panic crossing Gerundi's face.
"She's out of her mind." he said, turning to the guard. "Take them away, both of them. We'll deal with them tomorrow." He said.
The guard moved toward Kaetlynn. She knew there was no way out of this, the wretched old mage had surely charmed this man into believing him. So she was prepared to go, but wouldn't let the guard touch her.
"Get your bloody hands off me. I can go on my own." she snapped. She and Laero followed the guard off to the jail, Gerundi limping along behind them.
www
They were thrown in a cell together, to be left there until daybreak. Kaetlynn staggered into a corner, breathing hard. Laero followed, looking worried. Kaetlynn glanced up at him.
"I'm fine." She said. Laero sat down next to her with a sigh.
"Fine mess we're in now." he muttered. Kaetlynn glanced at him.
"It could be worse." She said flatly. Laero looked at her in shock, the look on his face saying, "How so?" to which Kaetlynn only grinned. We could have died in the house when it blew up, or the old man could have blown us to bits right in the street." She said. Laero raised his eyebrow and dropped it quickly.
"Suppose so." Said the young man. For a while both were silent. Then Laero snorted suddenly. Kaetlynn glanced at him. "Do you like what we've done," he laughed. Kaetlynn grinned.
"I was trying to knock him off his guard. But of course that old crone has no sense of humor." She said.
"You couldn't have thought he'd think us innocent." Laero said. It was more a statement than a question. Kaetlynn only shook her head. She did not reply, instead busied herself with wrapping her wrist, which ached painfully. She tore off a piece of her cloak and wrapped it tightly around her wrist so that it could not move. While she was doing this, Laero noticed something metal protruding from a sewn pocket on the inside of the cloak.
"What's that?" he asked. Kaetlynn glanced at it. She pulled down a piece of the pocket and revealed the hilt of her scimitar.
"Makes my enemies think I'm unarmed. I like to take the element of surprise." she said, and hid the scimitar from view once more. Laero was silent, thinking.
"You have a lot of enemies?" he asked finally.
"At home, many." Kaetlynn said. "A lot of people say I run the streets, and they don't like it. Seem to think I have too much power." She explained.
"That's why Gerundi wanted to kill you." Laero guessed.
"Aye." Kaetlynn answered shortly. Laero nodded. Kaetlynn yawned, but it was cut short by the pain in her ribs.
"Damn study. Why'd it have to be on the second floor?" she said aloud, to no one in particular. Soon they both fell silent, sitting in the dark cell and contemplating to themselves.
Kaetlynn was just feeling the pulls of sleep when there came a rattling on the bars. She jumped, leaning forward and wincing. Laero looked up too; it appeared as though he were about to fall asleep as well. The guard that had been with Gerundi was standing at the bars, smirking down at them.
"You're going to let us out of here, right?" Kaetlynn asked lowly. The guard only laughed, a low hollow sound that echoed through the halls.
"You're kidding, right?" said the guard. Kaetlynn made a low growling sound.
"That bastard Gerundi has bewitched you, I'm afraid." she said.
"No, I've come to this decision on my own. You committed a vile crime, and will pay for it." the guard replied.
"Vile crime?" Laero shot back. "The mage tried to murder her!" he said, jerking his thumb at Kaetlynn. The guard only crossed his arms.
"Tomorrow at noon you shall be hanged, with Gerundi and I standing witness." he continued, as if he didn't even hear Laero's retort. Kaetlynn's jaw dropped, and Laero shared nearly the same expression.
"Hanged?" Kaetlynn asked in disbelief.
"Until then, you shall remain here. Another guard will bring you food." said the guard, again ignoring them. He turned and walked away. Kaetlynn turned to Laero, who looked shocked.
"What are we going to do?" Laero asked. "We can't let him get away with this. He tried to kill you, and now he's going to kill both of us. You can't call that murder?" he said. But Kaetlynn was hardly listening. Laero fell silent, slumping back on the wall.
"There's got to be a way out of this." he said flatly.
"There is." said Kaetlynn immediately. Laero glanced at her.
"How?" he asked. Kaetlynn could tell there was almost no hope in his voice. She shook her head.
"I'll think of something. I'll get us out of this mess, being as it is my mess." she said. "You didn't have to come with me." she added.
"Until then?" Laero asked.
"Try to get some sleep." Kaetlynn replied. "I'll think of something." she repeated.
"You sound like you have experience with this. Like you've been in trouble a lot." Laero said, turning to look at her. Kaetlynn gave a dry laugh.
"Yes. The times I've been arrested for somebody else's crime are innumerable." she said. She turned to Laero. "Now get some sleep. The morning will come sooner than you expect, and you'll need your wits about you when you're standing on those gallows." she added grimly. Laero nodded, the look of fear still alight in his blue eyes.
He fell asleep soon enough, while Kaetlynn battled the urges of sleep, thinking frantically. She felt as though Laero's life was in her hands-she had asked him to come with her, he hadn't volunteered. There was no reason he had to die too. Many times she nodded off, but woke herself quickly.
It was almost daybreak before she thought of something reasonable and relatively smart. Laero woke soon after, but they didn't speak. Both were feeling relatively nervous. Knowing she had a plan in mind, Kaetlynn finally allowed herself to sleep. She didn't wake up again until the guard came back, around noontime. Laero prodded her awake, and she jumped, alert once more. She saw Gerundi standing behind the guard, smiling pleasantly, as if all were fine. Kaetlyn gave him a loathing look.
"Take them out, Crik." he said, to which the guard unlocked the gate. Laero could not help but snicker at the name 'Crik'. He helped Kaetlynn up, and they walked through together. Kaetlynn moved her cloak, so that none of the concealing sheath could be seen.
"We can't let him do this," Laero hissed quietly as they walked through the halls, Crik in front and Gerundi behind.
"I have an idea." Kaetlynn whispered back, leaning close. Laero's brow furrowed. The last time she had said that, she had blown up a house and gotten them in more trouble than was worth. But he only shrugged, trusting her.
They were led into a back alley, behind the jailhouse, where there stood the gallows. Behind it there was a tall fence, hiding the rest of the town from view. Several people, apparently spectators, were standing around to watch. Laero swallowed, biting his lip. Crik pulled them both up, shoving them none-to-gently into the noose and tying their hands behind their backs. Gerundi stood by, leaning on his cane and chuckling to himself. Laero glanced at Kaetlynn, giving her an almost expectant look. She only nodded slightly.
"Whatever happens, if you are freed before me, just run." she whispered. Laero nodded, taking a deep breath. Kaetlynn began moving her hands, untying them slowly.
"You shall both be hanged at the same time." Crik was saying. Kaetlynn gave Gerundi an almost determined look. She took in a deep breath, preparing herself. Just as Crik was about to pull the lever, Kaetlynn's hands became untied. Quick as a flash, she pulled her blade from its sheath and sliced her own noose from its rope, fell on her feet, then turned and swung for Laero's. Luckily, the hand which had been broken was her right, and she used her left mainly for swordfighting.
"Duck!" she screamed, and Laero bunched up his shoulders, bringing his head down just in time as Kaetlynn's blade whistled over it and sliced the rope off. Too surprised to catch his feet, Laero fell. Kaetlynn sheathed the sword quickly and grabbed Laero, heaving him up.
During all this, Gerundi had stepped back, in a state of disbelief as Kaetlynn escaped once more.
"Stop them!" he shouted to Crik, but the guard seemed too stunned to move. Gerundi issued a feral growl and brought a spell to mind. Bolts of energy flew from his fingertips and slammed into Kaetlynn.
The young woman nearly fell as she was slammed by the magical energy, but kept running, her hand on Laero's arm. She reached the fence and pulled herself up, heaving Laero after her.
"Where now?" Kaetlynn said, lost in the back alleys of Luskan. Laero grabbed her hand and bolted off.
"This way!" he said over his shoulder. The guard and Gerundi would surely give chase; they needed to find shelter soon. They seemed to run forever, until suddenly Laero pulled her into a dark cellar, apparently his house. He pulled the door closed, engulfing them in darkness. He knew the two were not far behind, he had heard them.
He took Kaetlynn into a corner, pulling her down and covering her mouth with his hand; she was breathing hard and would surely give them away. Surprisingly, she did not fight him, but seemed to feel comfortable in his grasp.
They were both silent, waiting and watching for the footsteps that would soon come, silhouetted against the crack of light that showed through the door. They came, Crik's feet first, then Gerundi's. They could hear the old man shouting.
"She's down here, I know it!" he bellowed. "That witch has gotten away too many times. She's mine now!" Suddenly the old man stopped walking, and his feet returned to the crack of light. He called for Crik. Laero felt Kaetlynn give a shudder, showing the first signs of fear he had ever seen. He too was afraid, but suppressed a shiver. Instead he hugged Kaetlynn tighter, hoping she would calm down.
"They can't be down here." Crik's voice was saying. "We've checked everywhere." Gerundi stamped his cane upon the ground.
"Well they couldn't have just disappeared! Look harder, Crik! They have to be here." he said. Crik walked away. The old man muttered absently to himself, then he too walked away.
Laero held Kaetlynn still for a few more minutes, feeling her shiver. He listened to hear if the two had truly gone away. But Kaetlynn did not try to remove his hand from her mouth, she stayed still.
"You saved us both," whispered Laero when he was sure they had gone away. He removed his hand from her mouth, and she looked at him. The crack of light fell across her face, and he saw that look of fear alight in her eyes.
"We have to get out of here," she said softly. "He'll kill us both if we don't." Laero nodded, and he turned and revealed a secret passage in the wall. He looked back at Kaetlynn, then crawled through. Kaetlynn followed.
She emerged into the light once more, seeing Laero crouching by to help her up. Looking around, she realized they were in what must be his house. She looked at Laero.
"We'll have to escape from the city. I have some horses, we'll get some food and light out of here tonight." He explained, still speaking in a quiet voice. Kaetlynn nodded.
"But you said no one survives the night on he tundra." She said. Laero was shaking his head.
"We won't go near the tundra. I have friends in the city, they'll get us out of here." he replied. Kaetlynn nodded again. She took in a deep breath.
"You saved us," Laero said again. He thought Kaetlynn was too spooked the last time he had said it to understand. "That was impressive."
"Hurt like hell though." Kaetlynn said, clutching her ribs.
"You'll be all right?" Laero asked. Kaetlynn nodded.
"With a little rest, I will." She said. Laero began walking away, gesturing for her to follow.
"Then get some rest. I'll wake you when we have to get out of here." he said, leading her to his room. She smiled faintly in gratitude as he left.
Hours later, when it had grown dark, Laero stood in the doorway of the room where Kaetlynn slept, watching her. He had been truly worried about her for a time, when she had shown such fear. He simply stood there, unable to look away and unable to wake her, watching as her chest rose and fell slowly in the slow undulations of sleep.
"Are you going to stand there all day staring at me?" Kaetlynn said suddenly, softly. Laero gave a start.
"You've been awake all this time?" he asked, coming into the room as Kaetlynn sat up slowly.
"Only while you've been watching me." she said. Laero shook his head, smiling.
"I'm sorry. I came in here to wake you up, and I found myself staring." Laero said. He glanced out the window by Kaetlynn's head.
"We have to go now," he said. "Midnight draws near, and we must be to the outskirts of the city by that time." Kaetlynn nodded, getting up and following Laero from the room.
They packed up a few warm clothes and food to last them through a few days, and quickly left the house, leaving it dark.
