Slinking through the streets of the lower city until she came to her den,
she straightened. Only now did it hit her. She had failed. She, Shila had
failed to complete a command. She didn't finish mapping the palace. Her
blood froze in her veins. The Thief Lord did not tolerate failures, many of
her friends has lost their lives this way. Gulping she crept into the den.
It was lit faintly by torches in bracket on the walls, cloths hang down,
like a door to ones room. She had been lucky, her room actually had door.
When she reached it, she went inside with a sigh of relief. The thief lord
hadn't seen her and who's going to tell him? She thought.
"I didn't think you would fail." a voice behind her suddenly said. She whirled and came face to face with Thief Lord. Blinking up at him, she stood dumfounded. So he did find out after all.
He backed up a step and told her to sit. Obeying she meekly sat down on the edge of the bed, her mouth a thin line.
"You know what I do to failures, don't you my pretty?" His gruff voice taunted.
"You know very well that I don't accept failures. No not fail me again."
Suddenly a cold wind blew through the room, chilling Shila to the bone. The next thing she knew was that the Thief lord had gone and that she was cold. Hopping around to warm herself, she decided she wanted to go and see that cascade again. She had never seen such beauty. Yet she seemed drawn to it somehow. After a rough meal of bread and water, she crept out of the den once more.
The stars shone with light and the moon was full. Fireflies buzzed around lanterns and cats lazily slept on doorsteps. As quietly as she could she ran down to the lower city, back to the cascade. She heard its roar before she saw anything and when she did her breath was taken away once more. The water reflected the moons beauty and the castle at the center of the lake glittered with light. She sat down on the stone stab that she stood on and thought of her childhood. It had not been easy growing up in the lower city, sure the upper city was filled with life and only nobles and rich merchants lived up there, but why should the lower city be the dump she lives in now? There were no markets, no clean streets and a paid guard won't stay here. She sighed, the Thief Lord had found her in the streets when she was 2, since then she had been raised with thieves and bandits. She had to fight for every scrap of food she got, which made her a good fighter, but even so she didn't know if she'd live much longer if she failed again. She didn't remember her parents, though sometimes she might get a flash about her past, she never remembered much. She had no family, no friends, the Thief Lord had told her. She had no emotion and will not have any emotion. Only the strong survive and you can't survive on emotion, but whenever she saw children running around playing with their parents, she'll always remember how she had never had any to care for her.
A noise behind her interrupted her thoughts. Cursing she struggled against the net that had been thrown over her. Squinting up, she saw no nets but the face of the boy she had met earlier today.
"Don't struggle," he advised. "It's a magical net, you can't break it."
"Oh, Really?" she challenged and reached deep inside of her, to the pool of magic she had discovered when she was 12, calling on the magic she thought hard of ice and snow, blizzards and rain, as the boy started to freeze, his grip on the magical net slipping. Jumping up once the net was broken she held a knife to his throat.
"How about we do it my way?" she asked with a wicked glint in her eyes.
"I didn't think you would fail." a voice behind her suddenly said. She whirled and came face to face with Thief Lord. Blinking up at him, she stood dumfounded. So he did find out after all.
He backed up a step and told her to sit. Obeying she meekly sat down on the edge of the bed, her mouth a thin line.
"You know what I do to failures, don't you my pretty?" His gruff voice taunted.
"You know very well that I don't accept failures. No not fail me again."
Suddenly a cold wind blew through the room, chilling Shila to the bone. The next thing she knew was that the Thief lord had gone and that she was cold. Hopping around to warm herself, she decided she wanted to go and see that cascade again. She had never seen such beauty. Yet she seemed drawn to it somehow. After a rough meal of bread and water, she crept out of the den once more.
The stars shone with light and the moon was full. Fireflies buzzed around lanterns and cats lazily slept on doorsteps. As quietly as she could she ran down to the lower city, back to the cascade. She heard its roar before she saw anything and when she did her breath was taken away once more. The water reflected the moons beauty and the castle at the center of the lake glittered with light. She sat down on the stone stab that she stood on and thought of her childhood. It had not been easy growing up in the lower city, sure the upper city was filled with life and only nobles and rich merchants lived up there, but why should the lower city be the dump she lives in now? There were no markets, no clean streets and a paid guard won't stay here. She sighed, the Thief Lord had found her in the streets when she was 2, since then she had been raised with thieves and bandits. She had to fight for every scrap of food she got, which made her a good fighter, but even so she didn't know if she'd live much longer if she failed again. She didn't remember her parents, though sometimes she might get a flash about her past, she never remembered much. She had no family, no friends, the Thief Lord had told her. She had no emotion and will not have any emotion. Only the strong survive and you can't survive on emotion, but whenever she saw children running around playing with their parents, she'll always remember how she had never had any to care for her.
A noise behind her interrupted her thoughts. Cursing she struggled against the net that had been thrown over her. Squinting up, she saw no nets but the face of the boy she had met earlier today.
"Don't struggle," he advised. "It's a magical net, you can't break it."
"Oh, Really?" she challenged and reached deep inside of her, to the pool of magic she had discovered when she was 12, calling on the magic she thought hard of ice and snow, blizzards and rain, as the boy started to freeze, his grip on the magical net slipping. Jumping up once the net was broken she held a knife to his throat.
"How about we do it my way?" she asked with a wicked glint in her eyes.
