time, though I know now that it was
small.” He smiled in remembrance at his naiveté. “From there I
traveled to different cities and countries. It was amazing.”
“That doesn’t explain where you learned the
sword,” she pointed out.
Tathan sighed and chewed on his lower lip
while deciding what to tell her. “I picked up the basics when I was
a caravan guard for a while. I had a natural talent for it.”
“A caravan guard? How long did you do that?”
Liselle seemed fascinated.
“For a while, but one caravan I was helping
to guard was attacked. Everyone died except me. I killed a few of
the attackers and the rest ran off when another caravan came
along,” he said with a dark look upon his face.
“Oh. It was good that the other caravan came
along, yes?”
He shook his head. “It was a rival company.
Their guards captured me and said they would take me to the next
town to accuse me of betraying the caravan and then I’d be put to
death.” His jaw was set in anger at the memory.
Liselle looked at him with a worried
expression. “I’m so sorry, Tathan. How did you survive that?”
“A guard I had worked with taught me how to
pick locks on shackles and I was able to get away in the darkness
that night.” He chuckled mischievously. “I traveled to the capital
city of Lasseria in the Kingdom of Deller, where I was caught
trying to steal some food. While running away from guards,
something hit me as I was passing an alley.”
“You certainly have a knack for getting into
trouble, Cousin,” she said in amazement.
He grinned. “Yes. Anyway, my theft and
escape had been noticed by a thief’s guild. They were the ones who
knocked me out. They took me into their guildhall and told me to
join them. So I did.”
“Tathan! You’re a thief?!” she asked in
disbelief. “Why would you join them?”
“Well . . . It was either I join them, or
they would kill me for stealing in their territory. I decided it
would be more enjoyable to live,” he said with a sad smile toward
her.
Liselle considered his words. It sounded as
though many things had gone wrong for him. Yet he rode next to her,
still alive. His story made her think the life of an adventurer
might not be quite so wonderful. “So . . . You really are a thief,
Cousin?” She studied his eyes to gauge the truth of his
response.
He didn’t answer right away. It was clear
that he didn’t want to answer at all. He pulled his horse to a
stop. “Yes. Like I said earlier; I’m a thief, a rogue and even a
killer.”
She stopped her horse and frowned. “What am
I supposed to do with that, Cousin?”
“Do with it? What do you mean, ‘do with
it’?” Tathan was frustrated. He hadn’t wanted to talk about it.
“You asked me questions. I answered them. If you don’t want to
know, don’t ask!” Then he galloped away.
***
Liselle stared at him in shock as he rode
off. Then the tears welled up once more. “No!” she yelled, not
wanting to cry again. It was ineffective and the sobs racked her
body as she sat on her horse, not knowing what to do.
It took a while for the tears to subside.
When they did, she looked around. Tathan was nowhere to be seen.
Clouds were thickening in the sky. The smell of rain soon to come
was sharp. “How could he just leave me here?!” she yelled in
outrage. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing her anger.
She gripped the reins and moved forward,
slowly at first, then into a gallop. The horse she rode was small,
but strong and the packhorse followed easily. Liselle leaned
forward instinctively and the horses ran even faster. It felt good
to ride hard with air rushing past her face and her braid thumping
up and down on her back.
She slowed after a while. Her anger had
subsided and she just wanted to find Tathan. Looking at the ground,
she saw the hoof prints he had left. She followed the tracks,
putting her jacket on and lifting the hood up over her head when it
began to rain.
Tathan was waiting
small.” He smiled in remembrance at his naiveté. “From there I
traveled to different cities and countries. It was amazing.”
“That doesn’t explain where you learned the
sword,” she pointed out.
Tathan sighed and chewed on his lower lip
while deciding what to tell her. “I picked up the basics when I was
a caravan guard for a while. I had a natural talent for it.”
“A caravan guard? How long did you do that?”
Liselle seemed fascinated.
“For a while, but one caravan I was helping
to guard was attacked. Everyone died except me. I killed a few of
the attackers and the rest ran off when another caravan came
along,” he said with a dark look upon his face.
“Oh. It was good that the other caravan came
along, yes?”
He shook his head. “It was a rival company.
Their guards captured me and said they would take me to the next
town to accuse me of betraying the caravan and then I’d be put to
death.” His jaw was set in anger at the memory.
Liselle looked at him with a worried
expression. “I’m so sorry, Tathan. How did you survive that?”
“A guard I had worked with taught me how to
pick locks on shackles and I was able to get away in the darkness
that night.” He chuckled mischievously. “I traveled to the capital
city of Lasseria in the Kingdom of Deller, where I was caught
trying to steal some food. While running away from guards,
something hit me as I was passing an alley.”
“You certainly have a knack for getting into
trouble, Cousin,” she said in amazement.
He grinned. “Yes. Anyway, my theft and
escape had been noticed by a thief’s guild. They were the ones who
knocked me out. They took me into their guildhall and told me to
join them. So I did.”
“Tathan! You’re a thief?!” she asked in
disbelief. “Why would you join them?”
“Well . . . It was either I join them, or
they would kill me for stealing in their territory. I decided it
would be more enjoyable to live,” he said with a sad smile toward
her.
Liselle considered his words. It sounded as
though many things had gone wrong for him. Yet he rode next to her,
still alive. His story made her think the life of an adventurer
might not be quite so wonderful. “So . . . You really are a thief,
Cousin?” She studied his eyes to gauge the truth of his
response.
He didn’t answer right away. It was clear
that he didn’t want to answer at all. He pulled his horse to a
stop. “Yes. Like I said earlier; I’m a thief, a rogue and even a
killer.”
She stopped her horse and frowned. “What am
I supposed to do with that, Cousin?”
“Do with it? What do you mean, ‘do with
it’?” Tathan was frustrated. He hadn’t wanted to talk about it.
“You asked me questions. I answered them. If you don’t want to
know, don’t ask!” Then he galloped away.
***
Liselle stared at him in shock as he rode
off. Then the tears welled up once more. “No!” she yelled, not
wanting to cry again. It was ineffective and the sobs racked her
body as she sat on her horse, not knowing what to do.
It took a while for the tears to subside.
When they did, she looked around. Tathan was nowhere to be seen.
Clouds were thickening in the sky. The smell of rain soon to come
was sharp. “How could he just leave me here?!” she yelled in
outrage. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing her anger.
She gripped the reins and moved forward,
slowly at first, then into a gallop. The horse she rode was small,
but strong and the packhorse followed easily. Liselle leaned
forward instinctively and the horses ran even faster. It felt good
to ride hard with air rushing past her face and her braid thumping
up and down on her back.
She slowed after a while. Her anger had
subsided and she just wanted to find Tathan. Looking at the ground,
she saw the hoof prints he had left. She followed the tracks,
putting her jacket on and lifting the hood up over her head when it
began to rain.
Tathan was waiting
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