53

Stopping a Thief, Part I

Karendle

Karendle tried to run through the alley, but it was too cluttered and her knee and shin were painful and weak. The best she could do in the shadows of the dim morning light was to limp and stumble her way forward. After a few yards, she saw some barrels stacked along the side of the building and reached out to them for support. Her eyes adjusted. Maybe it's just getting lighter. She steadied herself and ran ahead.

I can't lose him! He had to come this way!

She came to a spot that was a bit lighter, where the alley intersected with another at the end of the building, along a fence. Which way to go? She looked each way. I'll bet he went left, she told herself, and took off that way.

Immediately, her foot hit some garbage and she tripped. She fell, hard, onto the dirt of the alley. Just as quickly she heard something shout in pain. That wasn't me.

She flipped over and leaned up. Next to a couple of crates was a small, brown burlap tarp. The broken twine at the corners suggested that it had probably been covering the crates at one point. Something was moving under the clutter. Yes, there are two legs sticking out from under that wrap!. Ignoring the sharp pain in her leg, she stood and whisked the tarp away.

"No! Don't take me! Don't take me! Let me go home!" He was thin, and looked a bit old. The empty jug on his arm and the ale-soaked shirt told her his story.

"Hey!" She said, grabbing him and picking him up. She leaned him against the wall.

"Don't take me!" He shrieked again. She winced at the toxic smell of alcohol that wafted from him. His tunic was also a dull brown and caked with dirt and dust.

"I'm not taking you anywhere!" She shouted, shaking him. "Who would want you?" She let go and he slumped down again, mumbling. Wait. He might have seen the thief.

"I'll go home..."

"Did someone just run by here?"

He looked up at her, confused.

"I"m not going to hurt you! Just tell me if someone came through here!"

He sighed and wiped his face as he cleared his thoughts. Then, he nodded, and pointed. "Yeah. Just now. Did you get robbed?"

"Yeah." She limped off in that same direction. Yeah. I got robbed.

He called after her. "Watch out! Don't let them take you!"

Karendle didn't allow herself a moment to wonder what he meant.

Part Five

Separation

54

Stopping a Thief, Part II

Karendle

I've lost him. I've lost the thief, lost the wizard, lost it all.

The sun was much brighter, shining down in mid-morning glory, and making the market air warm. Karendle wasn't feeling it. She had just spent the last hours limping up and down the alleyways of this little town's center. Back and forth, over and over, looking for some sign of the man in the dark cloak that had robbed her. By now, her leg was hurting her less, or maybe she was just getting used to it.

This is a small town! There isn't that much to see! Where could he be hiding? She looked up and down the street. There were vendors lining the far side of the street, away from the docks, mostly squatting on blankets with grains or cloth spread out before them. The de facto marketplace only went for a few blocks either way. She had asked a few of the vendors, but no one had seen the man she described.

The street was getting more full as the sun kept rising. Karendle found a bench near some bushes where she could rest and rub out the pain in her leg. I'm sure that by now, he's opened the pouch up and tried to sell the oculi. Is there a jeweler in this town? Maybe he knows they're magical. He can probably get some good money out of oculus stones.

The sun was getting warm on the side of her face. Of course, stones like that would have to be sold in a dark market. There's no way anyone would have those out in the open. I wonder if there's a dark market jeweler?

She sat up and raised her head. Something familiar caught her eye. It was DeFrantis stepping out of a shop onto the main road, not more than ten yards away! A man was following her. It was Antonneri, but he was dressed differently. His church tunic was gone, and replaced by a finer shirt. His five-day beard was gone, too, and she was suddenly struck by how handsome he looked. I'll bet DeFrantis thinks so, too! That thought made her smile.

Quickly, she jumped up and stepped behind the bushes near the water. She leaned and watched them closely. What are they doing? Shopping? I thought they were going to go find some kids they were looking for. They talked to each other, but she was too far away to hear. They looked too focused, intent, to be casually shopping. They walked eastward down the street, into the sunlight.

She watched them go, wondering, then came out from the bushes. All that time I spent chasing her, and now, here I am, without my oculus to catch her. They could probably lead me back to Thissarill, too.

Her mind was racing. So many things. How can I find my gems? How can I find a secret, dark market? Where would I look?

Her mind drifted, then suddenly focused on the memory of the man behind the building. Wait! I'll bet he knows! I'll bet he's seen a lot more than he lets on! He'll know where to look!

With an unsteady gait, she took off to find the alley.

55

What's She Worth?

DeFrantis

"I don't like this!" Antonerri whispered.

"I know. But you look very good like that." DeFrantis stood in front of her friend, with her back to him.

"I wasn't talking about the shirt." The room was dark, even though it was day. The windows of the old inn had been boarded up. Only a few thin rays of light shone through the cracks. It was also crowded, with people pressing their way in, out, and around the cramped space. There was a low rumble of voices filling the warm, smoky, damp air.

"I know you weren't. We'll be fine," DeFrantis said. Her hands were tied in front of her, not too tightly, but enough to show who was the seller and who was for sale. Antonerri held onto the other end of that short rope like a child held his mother's hand. She continued, "You shouldn't be talking to me. Push me around a bit. Find a buyer."

He half-heartedly nudged her forward and she took a few steps, angling between a few others. She added, "And keep an eye out for children."

"Quiet, you!" He nudged her again, then whispered, "Sorry". She tried not to laugh. They stepped cautiously through the crowd.

To her left, two men spoke quickly to each other, gesturing intensely with their hands. One of them had a hold on a chain attached to two other younger men. They were in tattered tunics, and their thin, frail bodies were covered in mud and dirt. Their eyes were down, and hidden by scraggly strands of hair. Their slightly elongated ears told her they were wood elves. Probably from Umbrawood forest. I wonder if they came to Dirae on their own or if the slavers had taken them in a raid on their treehold.

The two humans shook hands. As DeFrantis and Antonerri continued moving, she saw one give the other a pouch. Then they were lost from sight in the press. We have to shut this down. So much suffering. But not yet. I have to stay focused.

She felt Antonerri stop and turn when someone with a deep, gruff voice said, "Let me see her!" A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Instinctively, her hand reached up to block, but she immediately realized it was tied to her other hand, and it reminded her not to react. She kept her gaze down.

The man standing in front of her wore tall boots of fine leather. His leggings and shirt were clean, and appeared to be expensive linen. He reached his hand up and grabbed her jaws and cheeks, then pulled her face upward and looked her over. His face was shadowed, but human and angular, bent in a scowl. With a look of disdain and a harsh shove on her cheek, the buyer turned back to Antonerri.

"I'll give you two gold," the buyer rasped, "And that's generous." He pushed her head down again.

She threw a worried glance at Antonerri and saw his jaw tense. Quickly, nervously, she dropped her head again, like the obedient captive she was supposed to be.

This could get ugly really fast.

+++++

Oh, oh, what is DeFrantis in for? It could get ugly! It could be fun, though...