Chapter 3: The cleansing|I|

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There are about a 100 rules in the guidebook of thievery but two golden rules in the art of theft:
1) Know how to spot an opportunity and take it.
2) Never get caught. Ever.

  Ash had been a thief most of his life. He knew these rules by heart. He had done a marvelous job in sticking to the first one but had totally blown the second. Though in his defense it was all that 'nosy little girl's fault'.

He felt so mad he could strangle the young lady but why then was she in his hideout, sleeping on his bed with his towel pressed against her head.

He could have turned away the moment things went bizarre and left the girl to her fate. But the cleansing was nigh and if she had been found by the guards it was quite possible that she would be killed.Curse his human heart for being so soft.

What ever had happened back there anyway? One minute he was picking up his Cloak the next he was being blinded by a terrible light and attacked by the wind.

While he had gotten off easy, the girl on the other hand? Not so much. She had been slammed on the wall pretty hard and God knows what that book had done to her.

  He was so done with stealing from old people. Maybe the old lady was a hag and had cursed the book or something. Lucky he didn't open it then.

  "Mmmm", Kay mumbled slowly waking up, "I feel like I've been stomped upon by a bunch of horses".

  "You might as well have been", Ash replied.

  "You?!", She tried to stand quickly but the action sent a jolt of pain through her head.

  "Easy there sweetheart, you can thank me later", he approached her. "Drink", he said as he shoved a bowl into her hands.

  "How dumb do you think I am? What you put in it huh?"

  "Because I'm going to gain anything from killing you", he rolled his eyes.

"Ahah. So it's poison then. Payback for ruining your thieving plans?"

"Are all norms this paranoid? If I wanted you dead, I would have slit your throat while you were unconscious. Now drink up. You're starting to piss me off".

  That shut her up and she drank from the bowl slowly. "So you have a problem with norms?"

"I have a problem with everyone"

"You expecting someone?"

He was leaning on the window looking out. "Could you keep it down before someone hears you?! Gosh".

"I wasn't even loud", she mumbled into her bowl. Then suddenly something clicked in her brain.

"What time is it? The cleansing! My parents!". She stubbled to stand ignoring the ache in her brain.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"I have to get home. They could be knocking on my door now and I'm missing. They could hurt my family".

"Well they could hurt me if you gave up my hideout. Sorry sweetie but you're going nowhere". He stepped in front of her swinging a stick. "I've managed to stay out of trouble this long. You, my dear are not going to change that".

She made a run for the door and he swung at her. Bruising her knee.

"How I hate to hurt a vulnerable woman".

"Vulnerable? Excuse you. I'd have you know that many have fallen to these fists"

Ash yawned as if bored, "yes I pity the many squirrels and rabbits you have slain"

"Argh!", Kay exclaimed, "you're insufferable. Let me be on my way and be gone from your presence".

"Many would beg to be in my presence sweetheart. Don't know if you've noticed but I'm quite the charmer", he smirked playfully.

"Save me", she said in sarcasm, "I'm basically tripping all over the place".

"It's alright, you won't be the first. Nothing to be ashamed of"

Kay tried  bolting for the door once more as he spoke. "Oh no you don't!", He swept her to the ground with his stick.

"Ouch! This isn't fun for me sugar. Just sit still would ya. Women", he shook his head.

"You didn't have a problem hitting me before", she shot back

Suddenly her eyes lit up, "you would let me go or I swear I would scream"

His eyes widened, "you wouldn't"

To prove her point she opened her mouth wide freeing air from her lungs.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

"Why the hell did you allow her to run off?", Came Lily's panicked voice.

Like there was anything Raya could have done and she knew it. Kamara was one stubborn child.

"This is what you get when you raise a girl with swords", she shot at Ironbeard. "God knows if the soliders have her by now".

"Kay can take care of herself", Ironbeard mumbled.

"You see this? This is exactly why she runs into trouble. You make it look like she is invincible. She's not El. She's not!", Her lips trembled.

Ironbeard stood and hugged his wife, "I'm sorry. You have to trust me on this darling. Kay is going to be alright. We've got bigger problems now".

Raya checked the curtains again. "They're at the Bloomer's".

"Two houses away", Ironbeard rubbed his chin. Deep in thought.

"Not far enough. How do we explain a missing member of our family? We're done for".

"Shh woman, let me think". Ironbeard paced back and forth trying to conjure up a solution.

"We could stall them", Raya offered.

"For how long? What happens when they eventually find out that someone's missing from the house", Lily panicked again.

"Hear me out mother. If there's anything I know about Kay, it's that she won't leave us hanging. She's probably on her way here right now. All she needs is time and we're going to give her that".

"So your plan is that we dawdle and hope Kamara jumps in through the window?"

"Mother, mother", Raya feigned hurt, placing her hand on her chest. "Is that a lack of faith I detect?"

"This isn't funny Ray"

"Have you got a better solution?"

Lily let out a breath, "so we stall them. How do we do that"

"That shouldn't be hard, we have two really good looking ladies in this house and a bunch of dumb guys outside", Raya grinned, mischief shining in her eyes.

Ironbeard made a strained sound in his throat, "new plan please".

  Lily smiled, "I kind of like this plan though".

  "Sure you do", he mumbled, "I could just cut through all of them".

  "Sadly not everything can be solved through violence", Lily touched her husband's hand, "sometimes you need to be subtle. Sometimes you need a woman's touch".

"Too late anyway", Raya said closing the curtains, "they're here".

And there came a pounding on the door. "Open up by decree of the king".

 

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