A/N Hiya! My third chappie in a five-chapter series! My goal is to have
seven reviews for the whole thing, so I have been trying my hardest to
update, though I might make it six chapters. Who knows, except for the
little people in my brain who give me my ideas. -Shadowsong CometShard
StarGlaive
Disclaimer: I own Briar! Looks at bookshelf Well, his book anyway.
Roach shook his head free of dirt crumbs and bits of gravel when he woke up. He was the third to wake; Viper and Score were awake, and feeding on last night's meat. Roach rose, kicking out the stiffness in his legs from sleeping curled up to avoid crushing his moss.
"Leave some for me," whispered Roach. Viper tossed him a good-sized chunk of chicken to eat. Roach scoffed it in a mere minute.
Score rubbed his bandaged hand. "Ugh, it hurts!"
Viper glared at the younger boy. "At least there isn't a black tattoo across them. Cuts heal; tattoos don't. Be lucky that you don't have one, Score!"
Score sniffed at the ceiling; which wasn't that hard to do, for if Roach stood up fully he would of smacked the ceiling before straightening his knees.
Swift awoke, inhaled the scent of pork, and snapped, "Give some to me, Viper!"
Viper lobbed the meat at the gang leader. Swift caught it, and munched it thoughtfully. "Well, then-" he swallowed his bite, then repeated, "Well, we nicked some good things yesterday, but I've had my eye on the marble statue on top of Daydreamer's Court for some time. Roach, Score, up for the job?"
Roach quickly answered back. "We're ready!"
Score had a confused look on his face. "Huh?"
Roach elbowed him hard; it was then that Score got the idea. "Oh!"
Swift rolled his eyes at Score, then looked at Roach. "Roach, get that for me and I will see that you are well rewarded."
Roach stood outside Daydreamer's Court later that day, armed with only one knife and another dagger to pick locks with. A bag was tucked in his breeches, to stuff the statuette in. He saw the marble statue, and grimaced. It was at the very top of the buildings. Daydreamer's court was built for scrying mages, and thus the name. The statue depicted a griffin, and was red, brown, white and black. Roach estimated it to weigh as much as six bricks. No matter. He was to get it for Swift.
Burying his knife in his cotton shirt, he gripped the dagger in his teeth and climbed up the side of the building. It was riddled with holes, apertures for scrying mages to look through. He found these particularly useful.
After about two minutes of climbing, he reached the top. There was a wooden planking that probably lead to a The wind tousled his cropped black hair. Roach spotted the marble statue, and snatched it up. It weighed more then he had expected, but none the less, he dropped it in the bag. A faint clunk of the marble hitting the roof gave him away. He heard voices from below him, and a 'What's that?' and 'I'll go check, Mayor'.
Roach leapt from his spot to behind a wooden block that probably served as a bench for scrying mages.
A man creaked open the door, peered out, shrugged, and went back in. "It perhaps a bird, Mayor. Now, Weaver's Lane is down here, and it has wonderful clothes that truly demonstrates the sewing of Hajra-" and the man slammed the wooden plank/door shut.
Roach breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Climbing back down, he clasped the bag tightly in his hands.
Unfortunately, at the moment that Roach was scrambling down the wall, a mage who was scrying looked into the hole that Roach had just passed- and caught a glimpse of three things: Roach's hair, the bag, and the dagger. The mage was no fool. He sensed a thief and shouted with his rather loud bass voice: "Thief! Get the thief! He's outside on the wall!"
Roach knew what the mage had seen, and crawled down with all his speed. His hands were like spiders, skipping from one peephole from another. He had almost reached the bottom when the door to the building burst open, revealing a furious mage and two other people who Roach guessed to be the Mayor and his guide.
"Thief!" snarled the man. He lunged for Roach, hands outstretched.
Roach leapt aside, the man's grasping hands snaring his shirt. Roach kicked out and fled, the bag clasped in his hands.
The mage roared in fury, and pulled a rock out of his pocket. Roach swerved around to look- then decided to make a sharp turn down the alley. He narrowly avoided a gust of magic, which swept around him, searching. Roach escaped by climbing up the wall of the scrying building.
"Find him! He's just a boy!" Roach heard the mage yell. "Sorry, Mayor, sir- "
"Rather, it is entertaining. It is prime amusement." Roach heard the cold, deep voice of the mayor. Roach scampered up the wall, bag clutched in his hand. Reaching the rooftop, he ran, and leapt to the next building, his bare feet slamming the ground with hard 'thunk'!.
Roach, out of breath, jumped down from a structure, landed in a pile of laundry by merchant's house. The woman washing the clothes yelped in fright and struck out with the wet cotton shirt she was cleaning.
It snapped against Roach's skin. Roach yelled out; it hurt worse than cutting yourself. He ignored the pain for a moment, and ran down the alley to his den.
Roach arrived at the den sometime later, the bag about to slip from his aching hands. He walked over to Swift, dropping the bag in his hands. Swift opened the bag, extracted the statue, and said, "Good work, Roach! I imagine you could do something like this again?"
Roach was about to protest when he thought. Maybe he would get a reward for this. "Yes, sir. I think I can."
Swift looked up from the statue, his green eyes flashing. "You... think?" He said, his tone dangerous.
Roach smiled and bowed quickly. "I know I can."
Swift smiled back, showing yellow and brown teeth. "Better. The Thief Lord must like you; he asked me to tell you that there is another statue on top of a noble's house. He wants you to get it."
A/N You likey? Please review! I am adding the whole Briar thing in, cause my readers asked. Hands ramen to readers You guys are the best.
I had to add this in because my sister does this with a wet towel. It hurts immensely, and if any of you have felt this, you know how it feels!
Disclaimer: I own Briar! Looks at bookshelf Well, his book anyway.
Roach shook his head free of dirt crumbs and bits of gravel when he woke up. He was the third to wake; Viper and Score were awake, and feeding on last night's meat. Roach rose, kicking out the stiffness in his legs from sleeping curled up to avoid crushing his moss.
"Leave some for me," whispered Roach. Viper tossed him a good-sized chunk of chicken to eat. Roach scoffed it in a mere minute.
Score rubbed his bandaged hand. "Ugh, it hurts!"
Viper glared at the younger boy. "At least there isn't a black tattoo across them. Cuts heal; tattoos don't. Be lucky that you don't have one, Score!"
Score sniffed at the ceiling; which wasn't that hard to do, for if Roach stood up fully he would of smacked the ceiling before straightening his knees.
Swift awoke, inhaled the scent of pork, and snapped, "Give some to me, Viper!"
Viper lobbed the meat at the gang leader. Swift caught it, and munched it thoughtfully. "Well, then-" he swallowed his bite, then repeated, "Well, we nicked some good things yesterday, but I've had my eye on the marble statue on top of Daydreamer's Court for some time. Roach, Score, up for the job?"
Roach quickly answered back. "We're ready!"
Score had a confused look on his face. "Huh?"
Roach elbowed him hard; it was then that Score got the idea. "Oh!"
Swift rolled his eyes at Score, then looked at Roach. "Roach, get that for me and I will see that you are well rewarded."
Roach stood outside Daydreamer's Court later that day, armed with only one knife and another dagger to pick locks with. A bag was tucked in his breeches, to stuff the statuette in. He saw the marble statue, and grimaced. It was at the very top of the buildings. Daydreamer's court was built for scrying mages, and thus the name. The statue depicted a griffin, and was red, brown, white and black. Roach estimated it to weigh as much as six bricks. No matter. He was to get it for Swift.
Burying his knife in his cotton shirt, he gripped the dagger in his teeth and climbed up the side of the building. It was riddled with holes, apertures for scrying mages to look through. He found these particularly useful.
After about two minutes of climbing, he reached the top. There was a wooden planking that probably lead to a The wind tousled his cropped black hair. Roach spotted the marble statue, and snatched it up. It weighed more then he had expected, but none the less, he dropped it in the bag. A faint clunk of the marble hitting the roof gave him away. He heard voices from below him, and a 'What's that?' and 'I'll go check, Mayor'.
Roach leapt from his spot to behind a wooden block that probably served as a bench for scrying mages.
A man creaked open the door, peered out, shrugged, and went back in. "It perhaps a bird, Mayor. Now, Weaver's Lane is down here, and it has wonderful clothes that truly demonstrates the sewing of Hajra-" and the man slammed the wooden plank/door shut.
Roach breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Climbing back down, he clasped the bag tightly in his hands.
Unfortunately, at the moment that Roach was scrambling down the wall, a mage who was scrying looked into the hole that Roach had just passed- and caught a glimpse of three things: Roach's hair, the bag, and the dagger. The mage was no fool. He sensed a thief and shouted with his rather loud bass voice: "Thief! Get the thief! He's outside on the wall!"
Roach knew what the mage had seen, and crawled down with all his speed. His hands were like spiders, skipping from one peephole from another. He had almost reached the bottom when the door to the building burst open, revealing a furious mage and two other people who Roach guessed to be the Mayor and his guide.
"Thief!" snarled the man. He lunged for Roach, hands outstretched.
Roach leapt aside, the man's grasping hands snaring his shirt. Roach kicked out and fled, the bag clasped in his hands.
The mage roared in fury, and pulled a rock out of his pocket. Roach swerved around to look- then decided to make a sharp turn down the alley. He narrowly avoided a gust of magic, which swept around him, searching. Roach escaped by climbing up the wall of the scrying building.
"Find him! He's just a boy!" Roach heard the mage yell. "Sorry, Mayor, sir- "
"Rather, it is entertaining. It is prime amusement." Roach heard the cold, deep voice of the mayor. Roach scampered up the wall, bag clutched in his hand. Reaching the rooftop, he ran, and leapt to the next building, his bare feet slamming the ground with hard 'thunk'!.
Roach, out of breath, jumped down from a structure, landed in a pile of laundry by merchant's house. The woman washing the clothes yelped in fright and struck out with the wet cotton shirt she was cleaning.
It snapped against Roach's skin. Roach yelled out; it hurt worse than cutting yourself. He ignored the pain for a moment, and ran down the alley to his den.
Roach arrived at the den sometime later, the bag about to slip from his aching hands. He walked over to Swift, dropping the bag in his hands. Swift opened the bag, extracted the statue, and said, "Good work, Roach! I imagine you could do something like this again?"
Roach was about to protest when he thought. Maybe he would get a reward for this. "Yes, sir. I think I can."
Swift looked up from the statue, his green eyes flashing. "You... think?" He said, his tone dangerous.
Roach smiled and bowed quickly. "I know I can."
Swift smiled back, showing yellow and brown teeth. "Better. The Thief Lord must like you; he asked me to tell you that there is another statue on top of a noble's house. He wants you to get it."
A/N You likey? Please review! I am adding the whole Briar thing in, cause my readers asked. Hands ramen to readers You guys are the best.
I had to add this in because my sister does this with a wet towel. It hurts immensely, and if any of you have felt this, you know how it feels!