Perilous Legends

Chapter Two

        Tannon hated the rain.  Rain meant wet clothes.  Wet clothes meant uncomfortable clothes.  Uncomfortable clothes meant annoyance, and annoyance could cause him to miss his chance.  He instead imagined the pile of coin he was going to own after this night was over. Tannon looked down below him once more.  The same rain-spattered cobblestones greeted his eyes.  He was perched atop the local tavern.  He chose this building in particular due to the fact that its inhabitants would all be too drunk to notice footsteps on the roof.   Not that Tannon's footsteps were easy to hear, but he liked to be cautious. 

            After an hour or two, Tannon noticed that the house he had been watching had gone dark.  He almost kicked himself for not noticing it sooner; he had lost enough time as it was.  Leaping into a nearby tree and quickly climbing down it, Tannon raced across the road to the back of the house.  It was an old home; it had belonged to the same family for more generations than could be counted on one hand.  It was two stories tall, with a large cellar.  He knew this from information given to him by the accounts of a few "friends".  The rear door was barred as well as locked; there would be no getting in that way.  Tannon looked up and saw that the upper floor had a large window.  He chose a few beams that could act as hand- and footholds.  Climbing up to the window, he was able to glimpse into the house.  He saw no sign of his target, a middle-aged store owner known for selling Joyroot on occasion.  He pulled out a small tool with a thin blade, slid it under the windowsill, pushed down, and was in. 

            Hitting the ground with absolutely no sound, Tannon crept across the floor, made from a very rare and expensive wood.  He located the staircase leading down to the ground floor, and walked down it.  Hearing voices, Tannon froze.  He realized they were coming from the cellar, and stealthily made his way to it.  The voices were coming from somewhere out of sight, but being this close, Tannon heard every word said.

            "So, you really think you can't deal with this yourself?"

"No.  I need someone to watch the place while I'm gone, this won't stop with my death.  Oh no!  They will come here next, and mark my words, this old house will burn!"

            "Ah, well, seeing as you are so confident that these people are so intent on destroying all record of your existence, why don't you move to another city, change your entire identity?"

"Don't you see?  One cannot simply hide from them; they have informants, spies, corrupt guards, in every city.  A leaf doesn't fall anywhere from Darkfall to Jamesland without them hearing about it."

            "Very well, if I cannot convince you that this is a terrible mistake, then no one can.  I will check the upper floors one more time, and then I will visit your store.  If I find any trace of someone in either, you will be the first to know."

            Tannon was so intent on the conversation, that he almost didn't see the man walking towards him.  Intent on using the element of surprise to his advantage, Tannon leaped upwards with such force, that the man fell over.  Reaching to his side for a knife, tannon catapulted himself over the man and, bringing his arm across in a swift arc, slashed the blade across his target's hands.  The wounded man toppled over like a felled tree, dropping the crossbow he had grabbed from a nearby table.  Tannon stood over the two figures.  The first man had apparently been knocked unconscious when he fell, and the second man was holding his hands to his chest and cringing away from Tannon. 

"Well hello, Mr. Carter.  I'm so glad we could finally meet face to face.  Don't look so naive, I heard you two plotting.  I know you are well aware I have been following you."