Addie asked, “How much further to Leona?”

  They had set up camp for the night. Satchel worked on building a fire while Jarek and Addie prepared the meal. Addie had snagged a hare with her bow earlier that afternoon.

  “We’re making good time,” said Jarek, “so we should see Leona late tomorrow evening. After we’ve finished in Leona comes the tough part. Until now, the weather has been kind to us. Once we climb the mountains and begin our trek through the Barren North, it’ll be much colder. The snow and wind will bite at us all the way to Brunland.”

  Satchel had a good fire going by the time the hare was ready to cook.

  During dinner, Addie and Jarek talked about the proper way to catch large game and tan their hides. Satchel flicked a glance at Jarek and went back to his food. It was the most talkative the old man had been since leaving Temna. Satchel hoped it meant that Jarek’s mood was improving.

  After dinner, they rested comfortably as the stars began to filter into the night sky. Satchel lay on his back staring at the moon. Addie sat with her knees close to her chest and watched the flame lick the burning wood. Jarek sat a little way off with his back against a tree, smoking his pipe.

  Addie looked over at him and asked, “What did you do before you became a thief?”

  Jarek blew a small tuft of smoke and stared at it for a moment. He then said, “Nothing you would be interested in, I'm sure.”

  “Of course I'm interested. Everyone comes from somewhere and you're the master thief of Ire. There must be a good story.”

  The old thief looked at his pipe for a moment, lost in thought. “I grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Nordassis and learned to hunt as soon as I could hold a bow. My father insisted I take charge of the farm, which was fine because I wanted to anyway. Things don’t always work out like you want them to.” He took another long drag and let the smoke out slowly. “To keep the story short, I ran into a crew who thought my skill with a bow would be better for killing people instead of game. With war looming, they press-ganged as many people as they could. I imagine Father was furious when he found out. Mother probably cried.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “Never saw them again. They shipped us across the Armendr Sea to Komjin where I spent the next seven years. What happened there and the things I...was made to do I will not share with you. When I finally returned to Nordassis, my family’s farm was turned into pastureland and the house abandoned. All anyone knew was that they sold the property and left. With no home to call my own and few skills outside of killing people, I joined a group of mercenaries. Basco, the man we’re going to meet in Leona, was part of that group.”

  “You must have some great stories with them.”

  Jarek winked at her. “I do, but I'll save them for another day.”

  Addie returned to staring at the fire. “I’ve never told you why I ran away from home have I?”

  “It was never my business to ask,” said Jarek. “I have my assumptions. When you left my charge, I trusted that you had a good reason.”

  Satchel eyed Jarek for a moment. He remembered the disappointment on the old thief’s face when Addie left. But, of course, the man would never have admitted it. Satchel decided not to say anything.

  Addie said, “I never told you why I left you because I’m ashamed of it.” She paused for a long moment. “Maybe I’ll save that story for another day, too.”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “As you wish,” said Jarek.

  A long silence settled over the camp. Satchel turned his gaze to the stars. The sounds of the woods around him filled his ears, and the cool breeze made him shiver. Eventually, Jarek put out his pipe, bid them goodnight and crawled into his bedroll. Satchel began to do the same, but Addie motioned for him to sit next to her.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She hesitated and her face flushed. As Satchel looked down at her, a different shade of her seemed to come through. It was as if someone lifted a curtain to reveal the truth behind the show. It made Addie look vulnerable, which in turn made Satchel feel uncomfortable.

  “Nothing,” she finally said. “I don’t want you to feel bad about what happened in Temna. Jarek can be pretty harsh sometimes.”

  Satchel said nothing.

  Addie shifted uneasily. “And I’m...sorry for the way I treated you. Why are yo ulooking at me like that?”

  “Sorry. You’re apologizing to me, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. For once, you sound like an actual girl.”

  She punched his arm. “Idiot, I try to be nice, and you make fun of me.”

  “Would you expect anything else?”

  They shared a look and began to laugh. Jarek growled for them to be quiet and go to bed, which made them laugh harder. They sat talking in low voices by the fire as it slowly faded, mostly about their early days training under Jarek. The stories that made them laugh the hardest were those about his infamous temper. Their conversation carried on as the moon slid over the stars.

  At one point, Addie said, “There’s something I’ve always wondered. What did you do before Jarek took you in?”

  “No idea. The first memory I have is the old man holding my hand as we bought fruit at one of the shops in the Square. I wanted one of the peppermints from the candy stand, and he scolded me for pestering him.”

  “Yeah, he would do that.” She glanced up at the stars, and asked, “Did you ever think about leaving Ire?”

  “Often. I used to imagine what life was like outside the city. Now that I'm out here, I don’t think I’d know where to begin if I tried living out here on my own.”

  “Now that you are ‘here’, what do you think?”

  “It’s far more beautiful than I imagined,” he said with a grin.

  Addie gave Satchel a strange look that was both happy and sad at the same time. She changed topics and asked, “Why do you suppose the old man is acting like he is? It isn’t like him.”

  Satchel shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe getting out of the city makes him feel young again.”

  The girl looked skeptical. “I’m not sure that’s it. He gets a look in his eye when he talks about Basco and that captain.”

  Satchel shrugged again.

  They sat for a while without speaking. Eventually, Addie told Satchel good night and went to her bedroll. He stayed by the glowing embers of the waning fire, lost in thought. Addie’s question about Jarek stuck in his mind. He felt as though there was something to it, but fatigue made it hard to stay focused. He shook his head, put more wood on the fire and took first watch.

  ~*~

  A bead of sweat ran down Thek’s forehead, bypassed his left eyebrow, changed course on the bridge of his nose, and rushed into his eye. But, he didn't feel the sting. Fear for one’s life has a way of overcoming the senses. Nothing else mattered but survival. In the confines of his room at his old gang’s hideout, Thek pressed himself as far down into the back corner as he could. The floor was empty because he had used all the furniture to barricade the door. He gripped the handle of his club so hard that his knuckles turned white save the jagged lines of red where the skin cracked. His heart thumped in his throat, and his breathing sounded a thousand times louder than he ever remembered it being.

  A knock at the door made him jump. He pressed himself even harder against the wall.

  “Come now, Thek,” said that smooth voice. That horrible voice. “I know you tried your best. You performed better than your comrades. That is why they died such painful deaths. But, you…you managed to get your hands on the girl. You would have completed your task, to be sure, if only you had been more careful. I might even applaud your attempts and give you another chance. Oh, but wait, this was your second chance, wasn’t it?”

  With a loud crack, the door broke in half. The barricade blew clear across the room, slamming into the opposite wall. Thek dodged a corner of the wooden bed frame that shot in his direction, narrowly avoiding it.

  As the dust and splinters drifted back to earth slow heavy footsteps approaching him. He looked up into the eyes of the White Knight and immediately wished he hadn’t. Those cold gray eyes were like icicles, ready to pierce his soul.

  “Don’t worry,” said the Knight. “I’ll make it quick.”

  Thek’s scream rang out in the still night and abruptly ceased. The only sound that followed was a dog barking.