2. Brewing Plots
Saturday December 24, 484HECalla Senka, the Shadow. Don't ask me when or why people started calling me that, for I've got no idea.
I once heard a story spoken of me to children at midwinter celebrations, and it stuck in my head. "When the sun goes down and the shadows disappear, it is then that the Shadow walks invisible and takes what she wishes." It's a load of crap, but I find it extremely amusing and irritating at the same time. For one thing, even though I'm called the Shadow, it doesn't mean I have the ability to become invisible in the dark of night – it took me forever to learn such stealth, and I don't like it how people just assume that I didn't work curst hard to become good at what I do. The second thing is that, contrary to popular belief, I don't steal at night. Night's when I break in to sleep if it's too cold to sleep on a roof, or to escape from Evening Watch when they spot me.
Anyways, getting back to the whole point of my little story, I broke into a big house and slept in the attic that night, so I could snuggle up into all the blankets that were piled in there. I've been to that particular house before, so I was very comfortable. Only problem was, all night I couldn't stop thinking about those three man-mountains that 'just happened' to approach me. It was unusual that three drunks would follow me out of the Dove – not totally unheard of, mind you – but unusual. I only got to sleep after making myself practise some high energy exercises – my acrobatics is atrocious but it takes a lot of my strength; in this case, enough so that I fell asleep due to exhaustion.
.xXXx.
Ok. So I woke up in the morning and moved out of the house, which may have involved scampering down the drainpipe and slipping out the back gate while the guards changed over – I've said it before, and I bet I'll say it again – nobles are stupid. Oh well. Their idiocy is my gain, so I better not point this out to them. I tried once; the man didn't take it so well – got the Provost Guards to come over – of course, the reason he did this was cos I was kitted up in his room… I swear I did it for a dare – just to see how the idiot would take it. Not very well, apparently. I still have the scars to prove it.
I'm getting off track again. I swear, my head is all over the place, but s'not my fault that I am writin' this damn thing just after regaining consciousness… I guess I better write why this is. So I returned to the Dove, carefully restoring my bedroll and some of the coins and then walked in the door. There was the usual collection of drunks that had passed out from last night's celebrations scattered about, and Terry was at the bar cleaning up – he's about thirty and the barkeep, so he was a permanent fixture – he didn't spot me as he was working hard. Jak wasn't in his usual seat, but that wasn't unusual due to the big night he probably had.
I padded up the stairs, all the while avoiding pieces of broken glass, no doubt the last signs of whatever the drunks had gotten up to. Yet again, nothing too unusual.
No one else was in the dark passage, so I slipped silently into the room that was reserved for me. As usual, the bare walls greeted me. I left nothing personal here at all; mainly acos of the need to give nothing to anyone who wants to track me, but also cos it would just be stolen anyway, not to mention I don't spend much time there.
I collapsed on the bed and took a big breath to clear my head. Jak had given me nothing to do, so I had decided to find something to entertain myself with. My entertainment of choice was strictly restricted to something on the wrong side of the law.
I've no idea how long I was arguing with myself over if it would be better to steal from a noble or break into the palace – or both – when I heard activity in the hall.
Now, this is not the kind of activity you would expected of a pub full of drunks that probably feel like they had been attacked by an overeager hurrok – a lot of groaning and stumbling around – no. It was almost silent footsteps outside my door. I sprung up from my bed upon hearing someone stumble and curse, and then what sounded like someone shushing the person with a growl.
In a moment I pressed my ear to the door, and heard a whisper, "Quiet you idiot! Paul said she was here – saw her come in himself. We have to go carefully if we're to succeed."
I felt the familiar plunging of my gut when I realised that whoever was outside my door wasn't here for a social visit. I stood shocked until I heard something slide into the lock – the very lock that kept them away from me. It seemed as though the small tinkling kick-started my brain and my gaze snagged on the key for the very door that was being picked. I snatched it up and shoved it into the lock – effectively making picking it impossible. Luckily those guys didn't know that – yet.
I jumped away from the door and ran to the far side of my room. Now this room doesn't have a window, isn't it on the top floor and doesn't have any other doors. How does one escape?, you may ask. Well, this had to be my favourite trick. I don't.
No one, not even Jak, knows about my own modifications to this room. It wouldn't have amused him to see what I did to it, but he'd probably like the end result.
.xXXx.
I almost held my breath as, seconds after I had slipped into the wall panel; the very same three man-mountains from last night broke my door down. I almost laughed at the somewhat adorable looks of confusion and astonishment that they all possessed upon seeing an empty room, with a very empty bed in the corner. One even rubbed his eyes, then cursed. This seemed to break the taboo of dumbfounded silence that had sprung up, and the other three cursed like sailors. I thought they were very unimaginative, myself.
One of them walked forward and tore up my bed. I almost sighed. This was the fourth reason I had no possessions here: whenever someone 'traps' me in here, and I manage to 'disappear' out of a room with only one door and no windows, the pursuer tends to go on a rampage. As in wreak everything in sight.
After he finished venting his anger on my unsuspecting bed, he turned to the others and all but snarled, "What are you still doing here? Go after her! She ain't a real shadow, ya loobies, she's gotta be somewhere!"
The other two blundered out of the room, leaving the apparent ringleader standing there. I heard him mutter to himself, "Gone last night, now she's gone again today. At least the cove's injured, that oughta make it easier to take him down." Then he gave my door one last kick and strode out after his buddies.
I stayed in the wall panel for a while, against the odd chance that someone as waiting outside. I can remember how frustrated I was: someone – a cove – had been injured. Pretty badly, from the sounds of it, and that was somehow linked to them trying to get at me. It seemed like a plot was brewing. I had two feelings about this – one was that this was bad; who knew what these psychos were after? My other thoughts about this were much more entertaining to focus on – this would at least alleviate my boredom.
.xXXx.
A lot more happened really quickly after that, but I have a killer headache so I'm gonna stop this here, even though I am about a week behind. I'm stuck in bed so I guess I'll finish writing what happened tomorrow, but now I need to sleep. Urgh I hate being coddled.