All the storyish stuff belongs to Tamora Pierce, except for my OC.

Chapter 4

In the morning I go to a nearby fountain and dip my head in it to wake myself up.

"What did she want?" Blackie asks. He went to bed at a decent hour, unlike me.

"Weell, she kept filling my tankard every time it got near empty, and askin me questions because people aren't as cautious when they're drunk."

"Did it work? The getting you to answer questions less cautiously?"

"No. Of course not!" I scoff "Anyway, she was tryin' to see if I worked for a man named Claw. I t seems that Claw has been makin' lots of trouble for His Majesty these past few months trying to take over. I don't know why he won't just challenge him. I would."

"You would?" Blackie says incredulously

"Of course!" I reply.

"I have a thing to ask you about."

"What is it?' I say cautiously because Blackie has been known to get in trouble before and need me to get him out.

"Well, all this being serious stuff is really wearing me out! So I was wondering if I can go do something fun!"

"Like what?" I say, still cautious.

"Like drag some clothes through mud! Or poop on people! Please?"

"Fine. Just don't poop on any of my friends! Make sure they're mean people this time. I had a helluva time explaining last time….I'm gonna catch some winks, then go see what's up with the rogue."

Blackie came back an hour or so later, bouncing up and down. He came over to my pillow and squawked in my ear. I just growled and turned over. Blackie, not to be beaten, reaches over and attempts to bite my ear off. I sit up and make a grab for him, but he flaps away

"I'm gonna strangle you, bird!"

"No, you aren't, because I have news that you REALLY want to know!"

That woke me up.

"What, Blackie? What do you know?" I say patiently

Now that I'm not trying to hurt him, he comes and says

"So I got bored of dragging clothes through the mud, so I decided to pay your rogue friend a visit. He was writing a letter to the Rispah person…."

"Well?" I said impatiently "What'd it say?"

"How about you READ it instead?"

"Blackie! You can't just STEAL things from the ROGUE!"

"Why not?" over my spluttering, he continued "Do you want to read it, or…"

"Hand it over now, and I might not roast you slowly over the rogues fire…"

"Here!" he says, dropping a piece of paper in my lap, then flying up to the rafters

The first thing I notice is that his handwriting looks a little like mine. Then I try to actually read the note. It says

"Read it aloud! Read it aloud!" Blackie yelled at me from the rafters

"Fine. It says- 'Rispah. I've been thinking now for a while about my successor, (yes, I know I'm not THAT old, but…) that girl yesterday, Alaine? (funny how close it is to Alanna) you said she was not from claw, and I believe you. I think I might try "grooming" her (strange word to use, I know) as my successor. The last rogue said that when he met me, he knew I was next. I think I know its her.'

I fall back on my pillow shocked. I don't know how to process this!

Just then someone tries to open my door, only to be blocked by the bed which I had pulled in front of the door.

"It's only me," a woman says, "I came to bring you your breakfast!" I grab my daggers and hide behind where the door will open up, crouching on top of the bed. I know I didn't order breakfast, so she must be lying. Why? I didn't know. Someone pushes the door in, thinking I'm not here, because I had made no noise. A woman walks in and immediately starts searching through my bag. I slam the door closed with my foot. She stiffens and stands up, but doesn't face me.

"And what can I help you with, mistress?" I say in a dangerous voice with a dagger in each hand

The woman turns around. It was Rispah.

"What are YOU doing in MY room?" I inquire. I hadn't moved from my ready position

She doesn't answer, casting her eye around my room. She reaches over to the bed, and grabs the Rogue's letter.

"I came for this." She responds.

"Well, then you can leave, can't you?" I say warily. I'm going to make her leave through the window. She deserves it, and she isn't coming near me, just in case.

"Guess so…" She replies, stepping towards me

"No. You are NOT coming ANY closer! At that I brandish my daggers in front of me.

"Then, mistress, how am I to leave you? Or do you want me to stay here?" she says with a twitch of her hips

"There is a window behind you, mistress. And I need you to leave my rooms, so out you go!"
"ah, you wouldn't shove an old lady out a window would you?"
"If she invaded my room, I would! Now, out you go!"

With a sigh, Rispah begins to pull herself through the window. I know there is a ledge right there, and then a roof right below, and easy way to the ground. Once she is out, I sit back down on the bed. Only about a second later did I hear soft footfalls coming towards my door. I use the bedframe as a ladder to pull myself up into the rafters. The footfalls stop right outside my door, just as I find a nice perch. The unknown person tries the door, which I had left unlocked after Rispah's exit. The door pushes slowly, ever so slowly, and without any sound, so if I hadn't been watching especially for it, I never would have noticed. A face leans forward to see if there was anyone in the room. A person comes through the door, all dressed in black. He(or she) stays to the wall, until he is sure that there is no one there. Stupid person, he forgets to look up. As soon as he crosses to the window to look out I jump onto his back, pulling him down. Before he can struggle too much, I whip out a dagger and hold it his throat.

"Don't move." He stops struggling "What do you want?" I demand

"I… was… sent to… talk... to you."

"About what? By who? And speaking of which, who are you? Speak up, laddybuck!"

"By the Rogue, to ask you to come to talk with him. I'm Marek."

"Well then, you and I shall have a little chat with the rogue, shall we?"

Sorry for the LOOOONNGG wait, but I WOULD like it if you would R and R!