Sky Full of Stars

Chapter 8: A New Understanding

    I rushed through the front door of the tavern after Miznia, trying to catch up to her before she could get too far ahead. My eyes flashed back and forth across the busy street until I saw a figure that resembled her hurrying into a side alley, a hood over their face. Having nothing else to go on, I rushed after the figure, pushing through the morning traffic of Ravenwallow.

    "Miznia!" I called out as I reached the alley way, oddly disappointed to find that the figure had disappeared, though the alley led to a dead end. The wall it ended at was much too tall for anyone to climb over, and there weren't any boxes or barrels in front of it to act as a step. There were, however, plenty in the alley that could boost someone onto a roof. And if she was on a roof, I knew there would be no catching up to her, not with my full armor on.

    I sighed and sat on a nearby barrel, my head in my hands. "Of course I would screw up on day one..." I muttered to myself, knowing Miznia running out had to be my fault.

    I didn't hear anyone coming from any direction, but suddenly she was there next to me, sitting on a box beside my barrel. I jumped a bit in surprise. "Gods! Now I know just how sneaky you can be..."

    "What do you want?" She snapped at me, eyes filled with fury, and... Pain, I thought.

    "I want to apologize. I shouldn't have judged you for the skills you acquired through surviving. I just... Stealing from people doesn't sit well with me..." I found it easy to talk to her about this, despite knowing it would probably greatly offend her.

    However, she didn't seem all that offended. She looked me up and down, frowning. "If it helps, I don't keep hardly any of that money for myself. Only what I need to get my work done. The money I steal goes to the urchins in the city I steal from, so they can survive..." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

    I looked at her in surprise. "Really? Why is that?"

    She met my gaze carefully, calculating something. "I told you how I lived on the streets since I was seven..."

    So that hadn't been a dream. Any doubts I had about last night vanished in an instant. "Yes?"

    "Well, I didn't do so well at first. I went into it with no money, no weapons, no friends. Nothing. I only survived because another rogue, a far more experienced rogue, saw me and some of the other orphans and urchins struggling. He gave us each a sack of gold, more money than any of us had ever held before, and told us to spend it on food and other necessities to survive. Can you imagine? There were twenty gold pieces in that bag. I would've been able to eat off that and nothing else for five years! I spent most of it on food, but part of it went to getting a cheap dagger and a set of lockpicks. I didn't want to be without a way to provide for myself ever again. I vowed after that that the biggest portion of money I stole would go to others like me who needed a helping hand..."

    She was silent then, having finished her story, and she watched my reaction carefully. I was... Shocked, to say the least. "Do many rogues do that? Donate to the less fortunate?" I asked.

    She shook her head. "Not to my knowledge. There is a thieves' guild in most major cities that donates a portion of their funds to urchins and orphans, but it's not enough. If I can give five kids twenty gold a night, I have an amazing night, and I know they can feed themselves and one or two other kids for a few years off that, if they're smart."

    I listened intently, curious about this woman more than I had been yesterday. "Okay..." I said at last,

    "Okay?"

    "Okay. Will you come back to the group?"

    "That depends. Are you gonna yell at me again for my 'nightly activities'? Or are the others, for that matter?" Her voice was hurt, but if she and Cylqis had been travelling together for some time, shouldn't she be used to his questions? Or better yet, shouldn't she have told him about her actual activites?

    "Haven't you told Cylqis or the others about this?"

    "I've told them I'm doing good. They don't believe me. I don't really want to share more than that with them..."

    "Then why share it with me?" I was confused again. She had known Cylqis much longer than she'd known me. We had only met yesterday, yet she felt she could share this with me.

    She frowned, thinking deeply. "That... Is a story for another time, I think..." She murmured, her voice quieter. She looked back to me, head tilted. "So?"

    "No, I won't be yelling at you. I... Well, I wasn't mad at you to begin with"

    "Well, it seemed like you were" she growled.

    I shook my head. "No, I think... Well, it doesn't matter. I wasn't mad at you. And as for the others... If they start getting on you again, I'll put a stop to that"

    Her eyes flashed to my face, worried. "Don't tell them-"

    "I won't tell them what you're doing, just that it's not their business. Deal?"

    She nodded and smiled. We stood and started back toward the tavern, just across the still busy street.

    "Y'know, I didn't think you'd like me all that much, once you figured out what I do for a living" she commented, moving gracefully through the crowds.

    I shrugged. "Neither did I. But you're not all bad, Miznia. You're doing good, even if I wouldn't use the same methods. That's all I can ask" I smiled lightly. "Besides, it really isn't my business, is it? We work together, we'll be travelling together, but what you do with your life isn't my business, right?" I felt a strange sense of pain as I said that, but it was true. What she did shouldn't matter to me, and vice versa.

    It seemed like she wasn't too fond of that comment either. "No, I suppose it isn't..." She murmured, pushing through the tavern door.

    Cylqis, Emdrom, Alben, and Ulneak all looked up as we entered, their faces showing mixtures of relief, gratitude, and rage. The rage was mostly from Cylqis.

    "What gives you the right to-?" Cylqis started, storming toward Miznia, but I stepped in front of them as she shrunk back. They stopped short and looked up at me, surprised. I easily had 4 inches on them, making me the tallest of the group.

    "Cylqis. Don't. You are not her parent, we are simply travelling companions. As long as we fight well together, it doesn't matter what she, or anyone else for that matter, does at night. Am I clear?" I growled low, glaring at them.

    Cylqis stared up at me in shock for a moment. Finally, they backed down, and walked back to the table, this time taking Miznia's old chair. Clearly they didn't want to be next to either of us. This left two chairs side by side, between Emdrom and Ulneak. I settled into my original seat and Miznia sat at my left, scooting a bit closer to me, her arm brushing mine.

    I found myself lost in thought. That was twice now that Miznia had shrunk away from someone, and twice now that I'd needed to step in. Though I'm sure Cylqis wouldn't have done anything to hurt her, Miznia clearly didn't like being approached so aggressively. I made a mental note to ask her about that, then grabbed my journal from my bag and began sketching the rough outline of a woman.

    I had every intention of drawing Miznia, but I didn't dare add any details that might resemble her while she could see. Instead, once I'd done as much as I could without details, I looked to Emdrom.

    "So, tell us more about these vampires we're to face." I felt Miznia stiffen at my side.

    "Aye, an entire coven supposedly. Run by some ancient master that the town hasn't been able to get rid of. The plan is to lure 'em out at dawn, trap 'em outside, and rush 'em to some source of water. There's a river that runs straight through the heart of town, that oughta do it."

    "Don't forget their resting place, Emdrom..." I heard an unfamiliar voice whisper, and I looked to Alben, who was just finishing his sentence. I smiled kindly at him, and he smiled back sheepishly.

    "Ah, right, yes. Two of us are gonna need to destroy the resting place so the monsters can be destroyed. I was thinkin' Cylqis and one of the twins. That way the rest of us can handle the creatures and the two destroying the resting place can do so in peace and rejoin us afterwards" Emdrom finished, having lain his plan out for everyone to see.

    I thought for a moment, frowning. "It's a good idea... But getting into the resting place is going to be dangerous on it's own. And not that I don't trust anyone here to handle it, but there's no way those monsters leave it entirely unprotected. I doubt the master would bother to get their hands dirty if they can just send their coven out..."

    Cylqis looked to me, studying me. "What do you suggest then?"

    I looked to Miznia, who was also studying me carefully. "Send Miznia and myself in. She's stealthy enough to get passed the master and destroy the resting place while I keep it distracted" I said simply.

    Miznia's eyes turned hard. "There's no way in the nine hells I let you face it alone" she growled, sounding more protective than she probably should.

    I raised a brow at her. "It would only be for a moment, and I'm the most well protected of us anyway. The master will have a hard time getting through my armor, and even if it does, it'll have to do a lot of damage before I really feel it. And they like to use their necrotic energies on people, which I have a natural resistance to" I stated, meeting her gaze and hers alone the entire time.

    Emdrom nodded thoughtfully. "That's probably the best idea. And we'll need Cylqis especially to help chase the creatures to the river. Then the twins can use their magic stuff to burn the monsters."

    Ulneak and Alben looked all too happy about that, and Cylqis seemed satisfied with the arrangement. Only Miznia hesitated.

    "You're sure you'll be okay...? We don't know how powerful this master is..."

    I smirked. "Let's not forget you don't know how powerful I am. I can handle it, and it'll only be for a few minutes. Then I'll have your help again and we'll destroy it while the others handle the coven."

    She sighed, but finally nodded, relenting. "Okay... But please try not to die."

    "I promise I won't die"