Raena kept her chin high as Talete, her commander, pressed the dagger his hand was tightly holding against her neck, "Do you know what happens when someone disobey my orders, adorable Raena?!" he whispered in her ear. His orders were bullshit. Raena, her sister Khala and other thieves of the street were tired of starving, tired of blood, tired of fighting. That's why they decided to flee, somewhere better, for probably the third time in the month. None of them made it, alive but trapped. Freedom was just a dream, but she had to find her companions. Despite fear, despite concern and despite loss, Raena just smiled, silently trying to get rid of the cords that were keeping her from slitting his throat out. "Forgot to add someone of rapid" she said a second before her foot kicked his damn face away. Talete fell on the hard floor in the exact moment the door of the loft swung open... and there he was. Nafthan looked anything but the kind person everyone loved him for, he was armed to the teeth, probably teeth included knowing him, his favorite sword out, white hair tied back. Someone broke by the window behind her while Nafthan helped her with the cords. He didn't say anything but his expression was enough when he looked at her for the first time after days. He was furious.
Cords were now snapped, Raena finally on her feet. She ran for Talete, but Nafthan stopped her before she could rip him apart, "You're not going to kill him Raena. We have no time for that, everyone is waiting for you on the wagon, no time for funerals." he was speaking fast, breathing raggedly... but she knelt before her commander anyways, after banging his head many times against the cold floor, she spoke to him again, hopefully for the last time, "You taught me that torture is the key" now was Raena's turn to whisper "I have no time to torture you as you deserve and when I do something, I like to do it in big style" she smiled as his vision blurred, then she rose to her feet, "You will pay. For my family, for all the poor, little souls who are now dead because of you" she spat blood on the floor at the word, her face aching. "I'll come back and I'll kill you myself. Take it as a promise".She swallowed hard. Nafthan tried to meet her stare as she headed for the door, her sister Khala now behind her, but she refused to even look at him. Too angry for kindness and politeness.
Raena, Nafthan and Khala were sitting in a yard, tents there for the night. Some thieves were instead, sitting around a campfire . They all looked happy, satisfied to flee, Raena thought as she walked few miles away, to stay on her own for some minutes. While her heart was still pounding for the missing blow of hours before. Nafthan was right, they were all damned anyways. She looked up at the night sky. "Always look up at the starry sky, when you lose the way, my dear Raena" her grandmother used to tell her. She was afraid of stars, afraid of the mysterious line that laid between the sky, and the earth. But she did. Raena stared at the starry, beautiful night sky for hours, amazed by its beauty, but for a moment... She frowned. Something or someone was heading for her, them. It looked like a horse. Impossible. Magic creatures were for legends, fairy tales and books. Not for... reality. For that crap.
Yet the creature was getting closer, and closer. Similiar to a big, shooting star. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible. That was a mantra in her head. She tried to look away, but that wasn't possible either. Not when she caught the movement of a blade. Whatever that thing was, wasn't looking for peace. Quickly she understood it wasn't a vision, a dream. Thieves were screaming, running, some were covering their eyes too. But Raena wasn't afraid of Death, not when Death became defense. She thought about Nafthan and her sister, hoping they were safe. Everything was suddenly a mess.
The strange horse was now, very close. Raena was tempted to run like a coward, her legs were trembling. She fell on her knees as she saw it. Someone was riding that horse.
So her eyes met his. He grinned. She grinned right back.
YOU ARE READING
Hunt of the thief
Фэнтези"Always look up at the starry sky, when you lose the way, my dear Raena" her grandmother used to tell her. For her whole childhood, Raena wondered if her grandmother had a specific reason why. Raena was now twenty, her grandmother was dead so were h...
