CHAPTER 1
The rich man walked down the street, strutting and puffing his chest out. He didn't notice a slight girl with white-blonde hair and tanned skin reach into his pocket and pull his purse out. He didn't realize until a few minutes later, but by then it was too late. The thief was far, far away.
Miache ran into a deserted alley, panting heavily. She was a waterfront thief, and made her living stealing purses from passengers coming off ships docked in Carthaki Port. Not much money was ever made, only enough to buy food and pay for the rent of the room, which she and her friend Aiora shared.
Miache's mother had died giving birth to her, which her father often blamed her for. Then at the age of 10, her father had jumped off a bridge and drowned, leaving her alone in the world. She had lived on the streets until she found that she had a talent for picking pockets, a sill which would eventually earn her enough money to rent a room. At the age of 16, she had befriended another thief named Aiora, and they divided the rent and food cost equally between them. Miache worked in the morning stealing, while Aiora was a nighttime thief.
Miache took out the purse that she had hidden in her sleeve and shook out its contents into her hand. She counted the coins and a gasp issued from her mouth. She counted the coins again, this time more slowly, and grinned. In her hand she held 200 gold slacks (AN. I'm making up a lot of Carthaki stuff, including the currency.), which was enough to keep a merchant in luxury for weeks and a peasant in luxury for months. Miache stuffed the coins back into the leather bag and looked around the empty alley and at the roofs shading it, making sure no one had seen the large pile of gold in her hand. Then she placed the purse into her knee-length boots and climbed up a drainage pipe.
On the roof, she scanned the streets for the entrance to her rented room, which was located at an inn called the Angry Bull. Spotting the familiar black bull placed before the doorway, Miache leapt across shingles until she reached the overhang above the inn. She jumped off the roof and landed 2 metres below, next to a surprised merchant selling his wares.
The usual loud shouting of the pub greeted her as she entered the inn and went to the bar counter. A grey-haired man was rushing between customers at the counter and the bottles of alcohol sitting on the back wall, sweating heavily. She waited until most of the customers had gone and shouted out, " Hey, Alahr," to the bar tender. He looked up and hurried towards her while wiping the perspiration from his forehead. "Well, well. If it ain't the thief. What'll it be t'day? Or are yeh in the mood for somethin' stronger?
Miache laughed. "Jus' lemonade wiv ice, Alahr. Yeh know I hate liquor." Alahr went to the back and grabbed two glasses from the upside-down stack. He pulled out a bottle hidden behind the others and filled both glasses, then added ice and came to the front. Miache pulled out a few silver coins and handed them to him, then took the glasses and walked up the steps leading to the rented rooms.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Aiora was sleeping. Miache slowly opened the door and quietly walked over to the table at the center of the room. She placed one glass on the table and sat down, sculling the one in her hand down in a few gulps. Miache placed the glass on the table and muttered to herself, "He added brandy! I'm gonna kill 'em nex' time I see 'em." Just then Aiora rolled over and off the bed, landing on the wooden floor with a loud thump. Loud groans came from the floor and a sleepy face came up from behind the bed.
" Third time this week!" Aiora moaned, standing up and rubbing her back. "I swear, soon you're gonna hafta put bars 'round this bed and turn it into a baby's crib!" Miache laughed. Her friend had a habit of rolling off the bed just before she was about to wake up, and often spent the next ten minutes rubbing her sore back.
"Aren't you used to it yet Aiora? Haven't you been doin' it for all your life?" Miache asked. Aiora groaned in reply. "Anyways, come here and drink the lemonade. There's somethin' I wanna show you."
Aiora came over and sipped her lemonade while Miache took her boots off and extracted the purse from her right one. She handed the bag to Aiora and watched as she counted the coins. Aiora looked at the massive pile of gold, bit one, then jumped up and screamed.
" Hey, hey, watch it! Some of us have ears 'round here yeh know!" Miache growled as she covered her ears with her palms.
"Sorry," said Aiora, but she didn't sound at all apologetic. "But.. look! We could buy good clothes! Good food!"
"Yeah," Miache smiled. Aiora's excitement was catching. "We'll talk about it t'morrow. Get some more sleep afore the sun sets."
Aiora looked at the sun low in the sky and sighed. "Ok. But you're not gonna run off with the money!" She went to her bed and pulled the blankets up to her neck. In a few seconds she was asleep.
Miache smiled. Her friend was so easy to please. She took the purse and emptied it of its load again, sitting on the windowsill. She looked into the purse to find any straggler coins and saw a glint of white. Miache pulled at it and a piece of paper came into her hands. A piece of paper with words written across its surface. She stared at the note and tried to piece out the letters.
"K-i-that's an l-and anotha l-kill!" Excited, she glanced at the other words. "T-h-e-the-k-king-after-r-e-t-r-i-retrieving-the-d-o-m-i-n-i-o-n- Dominion-j-e-w-e-l. Kill the king afta retrievin' the Dominion Jewel! What does that mean?" She sat there, wondering.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Disclaimer: THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I'M PASTING THIS UP SO PAY ATTENTION! I only own the characters that you haven't heard about before. The others are from Tamora Pierce's imagination, though I may have expanded their personality a bit.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
The rich man walked down the street, strutting and puffing his chest out. He didn't notice a slight girl with white-blonde hair and tanned skin reach into his pocket and pull his purse out. He didn't realize until a few minutes later, but by then it was too late. The thief was far, far away.
Miache ran into a deserted alley, panting heavily. She was a waterfront thief, and made her living stealing purses from passengers coming off ships docked in Carthaki Port. Not much money was ever made, only enough to buy food and pay for the rent of the room, which she and her friend Aiora shared.
Miache's mother had died giving birth to her, which her father often blamed her for. Then at the age of 10, her father had jumped off a bridge and drowned, leaving her alone in the world. She had lived on the streets until she found that she had a talent for picking pockets, a sill which would eventually earn her enough money to rent a room. At the age of 16, she had befriended another thief named Aiora, and they divided the rent and food cost equally between them. Miache worked in the morning stealing, while Aiora was a nighttime thief.
Miache took out the purse that she had hidden in her sleeve and shook out its contents into her hand. She counted the coins and a gasp issued from her mouth. She counted the coins again, this time more slowly, and grinned. In her hand she held 200 gold slacks (AN. I'm making up a lot of Carthaki stuff, including the currency.), which was enough to keep a merchant in luxury for weeks and a peasant in luxury for months. Miache stuffed the coins back into the leather bag and looked around the empty alley and at the roofs shading it, making sure no one had seen the large pile of gold in her hand. Then she placed the purse into her knee-length boots and climbed up a drainage pipe.
On the roof, she scanned the streets for the entrance to her rented room, which was located at an inn called the Angry Bull. Spotting the familiar black bull placed before the doorway, Miache leapt across shingles until she reached the overhang above the inn. She jumped off the roof and landed 2 metres below, next to a surprised merchant selling his wares.
The usual loud shouting of the pub greeted her as she entered the inn and went to the bar counter. A grey-haired man was rushing between customers at the counter and the bottles of alcohol sitting on the back wall, sweating heavily. She waited until most of the customers had gone and shouted out, " Hey, Alahr," to the bar tender. He looked up and hurried towards her while wiping the perspiration from his forehead. "Well, well. If it ain't the thief. What'll it be t'day? Or are yeh in the mood for somethin' stronger?
Miache laughed. "Jus' lemonade wiv ice, Alahr. Yeh know I hate liquor." Alahr went to the back and grabbed two glasses from the upside-down stack. He pulled out a bottle hidden behind the others and filled both glasses, then added ice and came to the front. Miache pulled out a few silver coins and handed them to him, then took the glasses and walked up the steps leading to the rented rooms.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Aiora was sleeping. Miache slowly opened the door and quietly walked over to the table at the center of the room. She placed one glass on the table and sat down, sculling the one in her hand down in a few gulps. Miache placed the glass on the table and muttered to herself, "He added brandy! I'm gonna kill 'em nex' time I see 'em." Just then Aiora rolled over and off the bed, landing on the wooden floor with a loud thump. Loud groans came from the floor and a sleepy face came up from behind the bed.
" Third time this week!" Aiora moaned, standing up and rubbing her back. "I swear, soon you're gonna hafta put bars 'round this bed and turn it into a baby's crib!" Miache laughed. Her friend had a habit of rolling off the bed just before she was about to wake up, and often spent the next ten minutes rubbing her sore back.
"Aren't you used to it yet Aiora? Haven't you been doin' it for all your life?" Miache asked. Aiora groaned in reply. "Anyways, come here and drink the lemonade. There's somethin' I wanna show you."
Aiora came over and sipped her lemonade while Miache took her boots off and extracted the purse from her right one. She handed the bag to Aiora and watched as she counted the coins. Aiora looked at the massive pile of gold, bit one, then jumped up and screamed.
" Hey, hey, watch it! Some of us have ears 'round here yeh know!" Miache growled as she covered her ears with her palms.
"Sorry," said Aiora, but she didn't sound at all apologetic. "But.. look! We could buy good clothes! Good food!"
"Yeah," Miache smiled. Aiora's excitement was catching. "We'll talk about it t'morrow. Get some more sleep afore the sun sets."
Aiora looked at the sun low in the sky and sighed. "Ok. But you're not gonna run off with the money!" She went to her bed and pulled the blankets up to her neck. In a few seconds she was asleep.
Miache smiled. Her friend was so easy to please. She took the purse and emptied it of its load again, sitting on the windowsill. She looked into the purse to find any straggler coins and saw a glint of white. Miache pulled at it and a piece of paper came into her hands. A piece of paper with words written across its surface. She stared at the note and tried to piece out the letters.
"K-i-that's an l-and anotha l-kill!" Excited, she glanced at the other words. "T-h-e-the-k-king-after-r-e-t-r-i-retrieving-the-d-o-m-i-n-i-o-n- Dominion-j-e-w-e-l. Kill the king afta retrievin' the Dominion Jewel! What does that mean?" She sat there, wondering.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
Disclaimer: THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I'M PASTING THIS UP SO PAY ATTENTION! I only own the characters that you haven't heard about before. The others are from Tamora Pierce's imagination, though I may have expanded their personality a bit.
^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^ ^_^
