Sword and Mind

2

Rumah's blue eyes leveled at her opponent crouched just a few feet away. He was smiling with his weapon in hand, the dagger's tip dripping her blood.

Careless, she berated herself. Simply careless.

Faster than the man could register, Rumah's hand had something silver in it. Then didn't. The man collapsed in the dirt with a knife protruding his throat. The young woman bent down and retrieved an emerald pendant from his pocket.

"Never try ta steal from a thief," she told the corpse and placed the jewel in her own pouch before reclaiming her knife.

She pulled her cape close to her body and left the alley, trying hard not to limp. Her eyes settled on a nearby inn that she was staying at. It seemed little better than a rat's hole, but that was the best she could afford. She went to her room without anyone's protesting and stripped off her clothes. Whenever she went on a job she always made sure that water and bandages were waiting for her return. Just in case. There was no sense in not being prepared. With measured practice she cleaned and dressed her wounds as best she could. She slipped into her second set of clothes and set to cleaning her bloodied ones.

Her door flew open and then closed. "What happened?" asked Ocran.

"Don't ya know how ta knock? I could've been just in me skins fer the world ta see."

"That's not an unpleasant sight." He sauntered to her.

"Yeah well, some idiot stabbed me in me hip. What's this city comin' ta that a thief gets robbed frum her own kind?"

He kissed her. "Don't sound so disappointed, Ru. You know you love to fight."

She pushed away from his embrace. "Aye, but only when I'm not the one gettin' sticked. Bloody mess everywhere. Now these breeches are bloody with a bloody hole in 'em. How did ya make out?"

His dark eyes rested on her as he lounged on the bed. "I'm here."

"Don'tcha be lookin' at me like that, Ocran. I'm busy."

"You've done what you could with those things, love. There's a reason they're dark. Put 'em away."

"I will. When I'm done." She continued scrubbing her clothes.

"What's the city comin' ta when a husband can't get his wife ta bed?"

She flicked water at him. "It's a comin' ta nothin' new."

"You're such a tease."

She wrung the clothes and laid them out on the table. "Aye, that's why ya love me." Rumah suddenly felt his arms around her waist, and he kissed her neck. Ah, why did he have to do that? She smiled to herself as she kissed him.

"One of the reasons, dear."

****

Her eyes rested upon a nearby book and then to the candles dotting the room. She remained in the shadows, but her skin rippled with the unease of unseen eyes upon her. As a matter of course, thieves were edgy people, cautious and all at once risky. Again, Rumah had the strange feeling she was not quiet herself. Every time this sensation came on something strange happened. She would become violently sick for a moment and then it passed or something would fly across the room. One time Ocran was in the room, and the unmovable man went running out the room, swearing there were ghosts in their quarters. Rumah knew better. Before whatever object would move, she felt herself move it with her mind. It was not more than a brief thought, but the thing would move. Several times she tried to mimic the act, but it would never happen.