Broken Mirrors

Chapter Five

Misha, having struck a deal with Pemb, waited at the wall of the Southern Arch of the city for the owlin to arrive. He said he wouldn't be more than an hour, but to Misha, that hour was an eternity. Left with her thoughts, she asked herself, "What am I getting myself into, have I really just given the last of my money to an owl man I just met, what will papa think if, no, when he finds out that I've been up to this nonsense again?" 

Misha would do these "jobs" whenever her, or any of her family got into trouble, and often, it did not end the way she wanted it. She would get caught at some point of the burglary, and from there it was less about the goods and more about staying out of jail. The only reason she hadn't been put away was partly due to the right people looking away, and partly due to constantly being on the road, but this time there would be no riding away on papa and dad's wagon into the sunset if things go wrong, and what are the chances of anyone looking away this time? What would she do?

"Miss Nova?"

Misha gave a startled gasp and turned around to see the tawny owlin standing in front of her. Pemb burst out laughing as Misha tried to compose herself.

"What in the name of the hells do you think you're doing, you scared the shit out of me!" exclaimed Misha as Pemb continued to laugh.

"Oh, indeed, I'm sorry, I do sort of get a kick out doing this with new people. Perks of being an owlin, we move very quietly!" said Pemb through a hearty chuckle.  

Misha restrained the urge to turn Pemb into a poultry dinner for the sake of the job, instead, she pulled her hand over her face and sighed, "Well I'm glad you showed up at least, I was wondering if I'd given the last of my money for nothing."

"Indeed, you've taken a leap of faith, I appreciate that. Trust me when I say, this is an opportunity I'm not passing up myself," said Pemb with a serious tone. 

Misha leaned up against the wall nonchalantly, "Well, then let's get down to business then. What do you know of Mormaris?"

Pemb nodded and explained, "Well, like I said, we rangers are sometimes hired as security for the people in this city with particularly deep pockets, and on a couple of occasions so far I've provided overhead security for gatherings of Sahia and his similarly rich friends. If you go south east enough, you'll eventually find a part of the forest that's been really cleared out, and in the centre of all that you will find this conspicuous, fancy-pants, la-di-da mansion that looks like it's been taken out of Arico and plopped in the middle of the forest." 

Misha tilted her head, "Don't the people of this city enjoy trees? They've made the whole city out of them, typical for wood-elves I suppose, so I would have assumed that there would be an uproar about it," she asked.

Pemb nodded again, "There was, for a while at least, but Sahia allegedly contributes a fair bit to the economy for the city, so much so he has a seat on the chamber of commerce, which brings me onto my next nugget of information..." he said, now also leaning on the wall.

Misha felt fairly impressed with the information Pemb had provided her so far, she stood and listened intently to every word, and the more she listened to him talk, the more she was able to understand how his facial expressions worked; it was all in his eyes, rather than his beak. 

"Every so often, the Tèarman Sàbhailte chamber of commerce gets together at one of the member's homes to discuss the state of the economy, gossip, drink and generally, live deliciously for a night as if they don't do it every day. It's just lucky for you, Misha, that Mormaris Sahia is hosting one of these lavish parties tomorrow night," said Pemb, crossing his arms and looking at Misha.

Misha's face lit up, and she smiled, she gave Pemb a confident look for her next question, "I like where this is going, but do you know what he's got that's worth stealing? Not worth infiltrating a mans home if he hasn't got anything worth stealing?"

"Indeed, my friend, my colleagues who work the inside have spoke of Sahia's fondness for jewellery and decorative weapons and armour, but the real money would be in the deeds to the land and buildings he owns in the city. One of my co-workers claimed that one time she saw one of his servants putting something in a wall in the western hallway of the house and place a painting over it, which could be it, could also just be any old tat he doesn't want people seeing," said Pemb, answering her question. 

Misha thought for a moment. The deeds would good to find, with that kind of money her family could even start a new travelling guild. Then, what were the chances of those deeds being in a wall? Pemb had also made a point. What if it's something Mormaris didn't want anyone to find? It might be worth a look, or at least, keeping in mind. 

"This could be quite lucrative, I can see why you'd take the opportunity. What do you propose we do then?" asked Misha, placing a hand on her chin.

Pemb had a definite smile, "Haha, I'm glad you asked!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm, "So, I generally spend my time flying around, keeping an eye out for intruders and threats which, if I see, I call out with a series of calls."

Misha nodded, "Right?"

Pemb continued, "Now what if this time, I sound the alarm for an intruder on the opposite side of the estate where you would be, say, the servants entrance at the back of the house? When I call a false alarm of a thief approaching the house from the front, you could make your move, from there, well, it's more or less up to you. You could disguise yourself, be stealthy, do what you can to find yourself through the house and get enough goods for us to sell."

Misha deflated a bit, the idea of not doing this job solo was what gave her the confidence to do it, but learning she would be alone in Sahia's mansion made her feel nervous. "Pemb, it's a good idea, but, I'll be honest, I've never exactly pulled off a job without a hitch. I'm worried I won't be able to do this without screwing up somewhere," said Misha dejectedly. 

Pemb closed his eyes and stroked his chin, Misha assumed this was a pensive look. After a few quiet moments, he opened his eyes and said, "Not every job goes off without a hitch, most don't, I know a lot of mine haven't. People don't do these things without having a goal behind it, so I guess my question is, Misha, is this worth the risk to you?"

Misha hesitated, she wasn't sure what the answer was, but eventually she relented, "If I don't do this, my family and I will be miserable. The happiness of my dad and papa is worth any price."

Pemb smiled and held out his hand, "Indeed, then let us take that risk, shall we?"

Misha took his hand and shook, for Pemb was right, she needed to take this risk, the alternative was her family being left behind by Astura and having nowhere to go, and if they somehow found a place to live within the city, they would be paying out of the nose to a landlord like Mormaris, they would be miserable. Misha took a deep breath, feeling a bit better now, but curiosity took hold of her for a moment, so she asked, "Can I ask, why is it you want to take this risk, Pemb?"

Pemb went silent again, for a bit longer this time, until eventually he said, "I want out of the rangers, I joined to protect the forest, not the wealthy and their property, you get that, right?"

Misha nodded, "I can definitely get behind that."