With renewed resolve, Nora’s pace quickened further. She was headed for the servants’ quarters but was unsure if she would even reach the building.
A guard was chasing her, and judging by the increasing volume of the soggy thuds, that guard was catching up. That was quite a feat since Nora wasn’t slow. No normal being could match her pace.
‘This is impossible! Unless– he’s not human. Could he be a vampire? Maybe one of the other immortals, even. A werewolf? Ugh. I don’t know, but this is unfair. I didn’t come out here expecting supernaturals. Why didn’t Vicla warn me?’
Everyone on the continent knew their neighbor could be a shapeshifter, vampire, or any number of powerful beings, but beings like that kept their secrets well-guarded. If they didn’t, they had enough power to be conspicuous, but the Wraiths had enough spies to wrest that information from anyone, no matter how they tried to keep it to themselves.
‘This isn’t right. Was I set up? But there’s no reason to do that. Anyway, this isn’t the right time to think about it. I have to stop letting my mind wander and focus,’ Nora reminded herself.
It didn’t matter who or what pursued her or how his unnatural speed slipped by Vicla and Lannos. What mattered was losing the guard before he could catch her.
Unwilling to give up in the face of a challenge, Nora pushed herself harder, and her usually quiet steps became loud sloshing slams in mud. ‘It doesn’t matter if anyone hears me now. One of those guards is already on my heels.‘
Nora ran as fast as possible, and even though the steps behind her continued to dishearten her, she kept going. There was a building up ahead. ‘Maybe it’s time for that distraction.’
Soon, she’d be within reach of the servants’ quarters. Hope swelled within Nora’s stomach, easing the gnawing ache that had been there from the tension and desperation of before.
To keep her from thinking about the man chasing her, Nora counted the seconds in her head as the door came closer, ‘One. Two. Three.’
Snatching the iron handle of the door, she flung it open, threw herself inside, turned to face the door as quickly as possible, and slammed it shut.
Anxious faces of servants dotted the room as they clutched each other and stared in stunned silence. Even with only the dim light from a few candles bathing the room, she could tell the servants were afraid.
‘Do I really look so dangerous? Surely not.’ No one had ever looked at Nora with such terror before.
While the servants feared her, Nora worried about her hunter. She had to make it harder to catch her.
Combing what looked to be a communal living room with her perceptive eyes, Nora finally saw what she was looking for: a chair. Rushing over, she skidded to a stop, yanked it to her, then dragged it hurriedly to the door, where she barricaded herself. It would only buy her a small amount of time, but hopefully, it was enough.
In the corner of the room was a wobbly, worn-looking ladder that held the promise of another exit. ‘Finally, luck favors me!’
After reaching the ladder, Nora began climbing, and the wooden rungs felt rough under her palms and feet. As she neared the top, the door she’d blocked rattled.
“OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!” demanded the voice she recognized as the taunting guard from the balcony, the one who’d commanded the mages to cease their firebolts. He hadn’t been able to fit through the window, but he’d made up the time.
“That man is persistent,” Nora grumbled aloud, and shivers raced up her spine as a hurried shuffle of feet told her that the servants were rushing to do as commanded by the guard. ‘They’re going to open the door for him! Blazes! This is bad!’
Nora strung mismatched curses together as she reached the loft above the room, then went silent as she searched for what she needed. She saw it in the corner of the ceiling — a way out in the form of a hatch — but with the guard right behind her, she needed to waste his time, forcing more distance between them.
Steeling herself, Nora held her palms up, and purple mist swirled in front of her. She didn’t have enough energy left to create another mobile illusion, but a still image of a crouched woman in a hooded cloak might be enough. A cowering form, with its head lowered and knees hugged to its chest, began forming in the far corner.
While she worked, a BOOM of the door bashing open against the chair crashed through the air to her ears. Completely torn from the wall, the door clattered to the ground. ‘Well, that guard must be worried if he’s so impatient he’d kick the door off its hinges. Maybe he’s not so arrogant after all, but I know for sure he’s about to be very disappointed.’
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“Where is she?” growled the angry guard as his golden-brown eyes drilled into the nearest servant. As he waited, he pushed sopping wet black curls out of his eyes and shook the water off his hand. He’d run through the rain after a foolish thief, and his armor was soiled with mud. It would take ages to clean and dry it.
A middle-aged maid dutifully answered, “In the garret, Kalin, sir.” She pointed toward the ladder the disheveled, hooded woman had scrambled up.
The trail of small muddy prints would have alerted any pursuers, but seeing them in the dim light from the candles was difficult. At least it would have bought that girl some time if the guards had to search for tracks instead of asking for information.
The maid felt bad for snitching on the fleeing girl, no matter how unsavory she had looked. If only the captain of the night guards hadn’t asked, she could have kept the secret a little longer, but as it was, she had no choice but to answer or face punishment promptly. Her masters, the Taeguns, were not merciful.
Kalin nodded and walked to the ladder, which he wasn’t sure would hold his weight. It looked rickety and unreliable, but nevertheless, he had a duty to catch the thief. As he climbed, the wood creaked and splintered under his boots but did not break. Because of his height, his head peaked over the attic’s floor after only the second step.
In the corner, where the moonlight streamed through cracks in the roof, he saw a cloaked woman hugging her knees with her head tilted down to the floor. It didn’t look like she was even breathing. ‘Something seems off. Is she scared stiff?’
He cleared his throat and jeered, “Finally giving up? We could have avoided this ridiculous chase had you taken my hand when I offered it”. Now off the ladder, he had to duck to keep his head from hitting the ceiling.
Why was she not answering? He had expected some spiteful hissing about not wanting to touch him. His eyes became tight slits as he strode closer to her. Still, she was not moving, not even looking up at him. There was indeed something wrong.
His first observation that she wasn’t breathing was correct. Furthermore, she had no lingering aura. It was as if she wasn’t a person at all.
Even though he had already figured out what was going on, he instinctively reached out with his hand and swiped it right through the woman’s head. The image swirled into purple mist, which he shoved away in a rage.
“That wretch!” he snarled, and that’s when his eyes snapped to the hatch in the roof. It was not big enough for him to fit through, but that supple woman could undoubtedly hoist herself through effortlessly.
Not bothering with the ladder on his way down, Kalin kneeled by the loft’s edge, swung himself back down to the first level, and paced through the open door. He might lose his post if that blasted rogue got away from him. Not to mention, it would be a stain on his pride.
Just as he was about to round the corner of the building to keep searching for the thief in the direction she most likely fled, Lord Taegun called out to him from atop his palomino horse. Kalin grumbled under his breath about his wasted time but respectfully placed his arms behind his back and stood still as he waited for the Lord to ride over on his horse.
“Kalin, where’s that rat? Don’t tell me you lost her,” Lord Bertelis Taegun sounded disgusted by the thought that his guard captain couldn’t catch some worthless thief. “What do I even pay you for if you did?”
“My Lord, she didn’t get away. I’m-” Before Kalin could even explain, the Lord cut him off.
“If that’s the case, then why is she not here, kneeling before me?” Lord Taegun challenged.
“Because, my Lord, I am still tracking her. Every moment spent chatting means she is getting farther away,” Kalin stated willfully. He was tired of commands. Following them was beneath him. Usually, he didn’t have to deal with the Lord. He just did his job. Tonight was an exception.
Lord Taegun pressed his lips into a harsh line at his guard’s attitude but nodded and ordered, “Then be on your way, and don’t return until you have her and my wife’s ring. If you never manage to do so, then we won’t be seeing each other again.” The Lord trotted off on his horse, heading back to the stables.
Kalin’s right hand balled into a fist so tight that his palm stung, and his knuckles ached while his other hand pressed harshly into his forehead. Not catching that thief was a disgrace for someone like him, and he’d been told never to return unless he brought her back. It was offensive.
After everything he had done for the Taeguns, they still treated him like a stray dog that could easily be kicked back outside. ‘Well, then, maybe I won’t return. They can find another guard captain and be disappointed when they’re not even half as good as I am.’
Kalin forcefully exhaled and released the tension in his hands, lowering them back down to his sides again, then rounded the corner of the building to resume his search. He would find the thief and the ring for himself, not some pompous lord who had no idea who he was ordering around.
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