The Order of Dragonfire

Chapter 21

The night was on Alex's side; the sun had set by this point and the cloudy sky obscured most of the moonlight, so she was mostly hidden in darkness. With any luck the light rain would keep most people inside their own carts rather than visiting the others. So long as she didn't go too near any torches or draw attention to herself she would have little trouble passing for Rose. Although she was tempted to sneak through the caravan as stealthily as possible, if anyone noticed 'Rose' doing that they would immediately try to find out what she was doing. No, she figured that the best thing to do was to carry out her business inconspicuously and make her escape whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Clutching her hood tightly over her head, she meandered around the back of a few wagons and tried to get her bearings. Rain's cart would be near the front, and after a moment searching she noticed it between a few others ahead of her. Could she risk getting near to it, or even to go inside? She would have to if she was going to survive in the wilderness, especially since they would go looking for her eventually. Rain, however, was sat in the back drinking from a large brown bottle. There wasn't any chance of grabbing her pack whilst he was there. But, Alex realised, the things Rain had given her apparently weren't the only of Alex's belongings they had with them. If Miles had her map then some of her kit had clearly been sold or traded away, but if Rose had had her armour then perhaps she had some of her other things as well.

Alex walked swiftly towards Rose's carriage, careful to walk lightly and not draw any attention to herself. The canvas topped wagon wasn't too far from Rain's which would mean she had to be especially careful, but it would also allow her to keep an eye on him. She clambered up the steps and pulled aside the canvas flap. Once she was inside she took a quick peak around to make sure no one would bother her and then pulled the fabric closed. Doing so had blocked out the light and Alex found herself in darkness. Without a dragonstone she could barely manage a small wisp of flame, but that was enough to light the candle she could faintly see attached to the desk. The room filled with a dim orange glow, so Alex double checked that the canvas was tightly closed before the light caught anyone's eye. The carriage held a large wooden cabinet and a couple of chests on the floor. Could she find her kit in them? Even if she didn't Rose would surely have some equipment that Alex would find useful. She almost felt guilty to be planning to steal her belongings, but that was quickly alleviated by the thought of what Rose and the others were planning to do with her. She tried the cabinet only to find that it was locked. She was tempted to break in, and would if she had to, but didn't want to resort to anything that could make so much noise.

Alex froze at the sound of footsteps besides the wagon. They were loud and rapid, as if someone was in a hurry. Had Rose escaped so quickly? Her eyes darted around the carriage as she searched for somewhere to hide. There was nowhere, and even the canvas didn't seem to offer any way out. She could probably get to the front of the cart but that had been tied off. Would she have time to get through? Her breathing stopped entirely as she strained to hear the steps over the raindrops landing on the wagon. It got harder as the seconds dragged on, and to her relief it seemed that whoever it was had passed by and just kept going. She was safe. Safe for a little while, anyway. Grimacing and allowing herself a gently sigh to get her breath back, Alex resumed searching the room.

Alex looked down at the trunks. They were reinforced with metal so she doubted she could break in easily, and both had heavy locks upon them. One lock, however, was already open. It seemed that Rose had opened this just before she left and hadn't locked it again. Alex didn't want to get her hopes up as she edged towards it, but if Rose had taken something from it just before she went to see Alex then there was a high chance that it was her armour. Could the rest of her kit be there too? 

Gently lifting the lid, Alex smiled down at the familiar bundle beneath her. She didn't have anything particularly exciting but having her own items helped Alex regain her confidence. She carefully gathered the kit together, picking out the dragonbone knife in particular. She might still need it. Rose's cart would be a safe haven whilst she made her escape so she could keep her pack there for the mean time, but the blade could potentially be a lifesaver when she made her way over to Rain's cart.