Falling Feathers Book I - Rogue Without Fear

Chapter XVIII

>>> Autumn Rose <<<
Three months had passed.  Yellow and orange leaves littered the ground, cool breezes kept the weather comfortable.  I had almost completely forgotten about that fateful night when I had seen my unknown friend meeting with another familiar stranger.  I feel like I know everyone but also that I know nothing of them.  I asked myself why he had met her alone in the dark, late at night.  Besides plotting to kill Danny, what did they have to hide?  A discussion like that could have been done in plain daylight, if planned carefully.  No matter, I thought.  I'm sure he hasn't forgotten about killing Danny.  I just wonder how he intends to do it.
    By now I had near perfected my skill with a gun on horseback. I'd named the horse Phantom, as I saw it only fit. The stranger had come to tell me about his horse, whom he had named Spartan.  He was vampiric. He fed off of meat, and his eyes were red. The stranger warned me that Spartan had a poisonous bite, too.
    We all had special connections with our horses.  They were bonded to us in a way no other animal was.  With a whistle or some other sign they would come when called.  When wounded or in danger they would defend.  Phantom wasn't only my mount, he was my ally and friend.  He was a companion.
    We were riding through the woods, as I practiced shooting the wooden targets and straw figures.  I loaded my pistol and turned to my left.  I pulled the trigger and watched it strike the straw man, one ring away from the bulls-eye.  Phantom snorted and jumped over a log as I loaded my pistol again, preparing for the straw man I knew was coming.  Right as we turned off the trail into the trees I saw it.  There it was, at the corner of the road.  I pulled the trigger and watched the bullet struck the figure in the face.  Phantom slowed to a stop, and we both caught our breath.
    "Well?"  I asked between pants.  I turned to see the stranger, who was leaning against a tree with his hood up.  He was looking at the ground, and didn't look up.
    "You did well."  I rolled my eyes and huffed.
    "You didn't even look up."  I muttered.
    "I didn't have to."  I rubbed Phantom's neck, and put my pistol in my pocket.
    "Well what's that supposed to mean?"
    "You finished your gun training near a week ago, maybe more.  I just wanted to see if there was room to improve.  Which there was, however I can't expect you to be perfect.  And that is why we are moving on."  I  dismounted Phantom, and grabbed the reins in my hand.
"So what's next?"
"Your final skill to master is the finest art of all. I'm going to teach you how to be a master thief."  I grinned widely, feeling my spirits lift.
    "When do we start?" I asked.
    "Whenever you wish." He replied cooly. I took the bridle off of Phantom, and propped my hands on my hips expectantly.
    "Then let's start." I announced.
    "Alright. Come with me, I'll explain as we walk." He murmured.
    "The first thing you ought to know," he began, "is that there are certain techniques you need to master before you can practice out in the open."
    "Like?" I interrupted.
    "I'm getting there. Just let me talk."

>>> Soren Hawethorne <<<
    It was cooling down after the heat of summer.  Autumn's queer actions were still the same. I was starting to get worried about the town.  The more and more she disappeared the more and more I felt something bad was going to happen.
The local doctor said Alys wouldn't live much longer than a week. Her condition wasn't anywhere near good. A red rash that had started on her face had spread down her arms and abdomen. He advised Peter to stay away, unless he wanted to suffer the same fate as her, or worse. When the doctor told him I could see the pain in Peter's eyes. Nodding obediently, Peter agreed to leave Alys. He'd left her in the bedroom. The only times he went were three times a day, to give her fresh food and water that she barely ate or drank.
"I can't stand it Soren, I really can't," Peter used to say every day.  He would complain to me about Alys's condition, and tell me about all the times they had together.  He told me of how their arguments would turn into laughter.  Now Peter wouldn't say a word, not to anyone.  He served his drinks in silence, and refused to do anything more than tending his pub or Alys.  Most days I wouldn't pay attention to what he said or when he was talking.  But now, I'd give anything to have my old friend back.
Perhaps it was Autumn, I thought to myself.  Perhaps she got Alys sick, as a plan to take down our town.  I dwelled on that possibility for a few moments before stopping myself.  Don't be delusional.  She probably isn't doing anything suspicious at all. I knew that wasn't true.  She was doing something suspicious, and while it might not be killing Alys or the rest of us, I knew that it couldn't be good. I was going to know what she was doing, even if it killed me.

>>> Chase Ashfield <<<
    Now that we were in the market area of Shepherd's Rest, I started looking around for a merchant to steal from. There were lots of things to take, but I wanted something that wouldn't be a bore to steal and something that would be beneficial if I took it. Like bread, or money, I thought to myself. Those are good things to steal. My eyes searched the stands of goods hungrily, searching for anything that would be worth taking. Then, I found it - an apple stand. That wouldn't be a useless steal, I grinned to myself.  I leaned over to Autumn and muttered,
"Watch and learn..."  I approached the apple merchant's stand of apples.  He was a short round man, with a short red bristly and wiry beard.  He was balding in the center of his head.  His clothes were woven and dirty.  Just by standing near him with out using my sharpened senses I could smell the stench of manure and fertilizers.  This man had undoubtedly not bathed in a while.
    I combed over all the apples, looking for ones that looked ripe and shone when the sun struck them.  After finding two that appealed to me, I picked up them up, and held them both in my left hand.  I looked at them, checking for any bruises or signs of an insect inside. I threw a quick glance to the merchant, who was looking my way. His eyes searched up and down my body. I rotated the apples, making it appear that I was inspecting them further, while watching the merchant out of the corner of my eye. He didn't look away. I steadily ambled up to the man.  As I walked I swapped the two apples into two hands, one in each.
    "How much?" I asked, holding up the apple in my left hand.  The man stroked his beard, with a pensive look on his face.  He looked at my face, then at me, and then at the apple.  The hand that held the apple in my right hand slowly made its way into one of the pockets in my cloak.  The merchant payed no mind to my right hand.  He was too occupied looking the apple in my left hand.
"For you sir, I do..."  He replied in English, with a heavy German accent.  "I do one pence."  I nodded my head and put the apple in my left hand down again with the others.
"Thank you sir, good day."  I turned and walked away.
Autumn's face was drawn in a frown.
"Some stealing that was."  She muttered.  With a smirk that she couldn't see, I reached into my cloak and pulled out the other apple.  She gasped softly as I passed it to her.
"But how did you-?"  I chuckled.
"Don't worry, one day you'll be doing the same." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a smile on her face as well.
    "You'll start by pick-pocketing from me and some others. Eventually, you'll be stealing from the public. You'll have no need for a job or money. Food will come easily as this apple." I commented, gesturing to the apple she still held in her hand. She looked at it, and put it in her trouser pocket.
    "It's a fine apple, too. I think Phantom will quite enjoy it," She murmured.
    "Indeed," I agreed.
    In my conversation with Autumn and satisfaction of stealing successfully, the one thing I failed to notice was Soren, who had watched us the whole time.