"Are you nothing but a thief? Man." Aetricia's scornful voice cut through the darkness as he opened the pouch, pouring the contents into his palm.
"No, I am not 'nothing but a thief,' " he growled, looking over the contents of his hand. "Three muggers working together, who take the time to warn off a bystander before attacking their victim? Muggers willing to forgo a small, unarmored victim in the darkness for one in full armor in the light? Muggers wearing chain mail under their jerkins, bearing long swords for weapons."
"What do you mean?" She said more softly.
"What I mean is these were no ordinary muggers." He waved a hand at the bodies. "The Children of the Shadow work in pairs, not threes. Muggers don't waste money on mail, it stops them running away. They never pass up an easy target for a hard one, and they use weapons they can hide easily, like clubs and knives. Mail makes it a lot harder to pass in a crowd."
"So, this was no ordinary mugging, and you look for information, not profit." Her voice took on a questioning tone.
"Of course I wanted information" He replied. "People who go around attacking others in the middle of the night in my neighborhood worry me." He held up a small medallion that had spilled out of the pouch. "See, this man was carrying the arms of the House of lar Tamis. He was a guard for a local nobleman, not just a footpad."
"The House of lar Tamis. I will remember them. My rihalsa has truly begun. I have made my first enemy." She nodded to Gwion, finally sheathing her sword. "I will remember you, too."
With that, she turned on her heel and strode away, her warrior's stride carrying her down the street and out of sight. She is a strange one, Gwion mused, but this seems to be my night for it. Meeting the Wizard Amadar, being hired to burgle and attacked by the House of lar Tamis, and now meeting her. Time for me to sleep, and I'll talk to Kessa in the morning.
*
The story continues in Amadar, available now in the Kindle store.
Price of Imperium Page 26