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Posted on October 29, 2014 at 04:36:09 AM by
Who her parents were didn’t matter. What her parents did didn’t matter, nor did what they taught her as she grew up. The Duchess had cast aside everything from that life long ago to become what she was. Everything about her past was a mystery to those with whom she surrounded herself. They didn’t even know her true name. They had been a sad, pathetic lot before the Duchess had come and straightened them out. Though she was younger than some of them, they followed her lead as, it seemed to them, she was a good enough leader to keep them fed and together. And whether her father or mother had taught her that, or she had taught herself didn’t matter. What the outcasts cared about was that she could strategize and think forward.
Of course, her magic didn’t hurt. It had helped them out many times in the past to get in and out of sticky thieving situations, but it was also a latent threat to the group not to step out of line. Since the fall of magic, when move than half of the band had been captured by palace guards, there had been enough mistrust running rampant for her taste. Of course, Rhino had been loyal to the Duchess, as had Spider, but many of the others were doubting whether she was a good enough leader for them in this new age of Shaman. They’d started to rely heavily on her power, and now they once again needed more of the talents the other members possessed. Spider, for example, was the best scout in the troupe. Though he was not magical in any way, he had a way of moving that others never seemed to notice. He could slip quietly between shadows and watch the unsuspecting victims. He had learned to blend well enough as a child servant that even when they looked right at him, nobility rarely took notice of his presence. Now he was on watch along the perimeter of camp, away from the raucous laughter and bright lights of the campfire, his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It was he that saw the archer, followed her as she slowly made her way toward the camp. Quieter even than the careless squirrel he followed her, confined to the darkest shadows around. Dressed in deep gray, he didn’t stand out, but watches as her bow is drawn and remains that way, wood or whatever it was made from straining to be released. He was not an archer, but attempts to practice with the outlaws who were had taught him that to hold a bow in a position such as this girl was, was not only hard work on the arms and exhausting, but made for an weakened bow later as well. If she were going to remain sapping her own energy in fear of what might be, he would bide his time before alerting the crew to the intruder’s presence. A couple minutes passed, all the while Spider followed closely, as though he were the girl’s shadow. He stayed silent until he chose his moment, and then a series of whistles sounded a bird call. Almost immediately, the laughter and voices of the fire were silenced and the Duchess rose and walked toward the sound, Rhino – a large boned and well muscled woman – close at her heels. “All alone in a strange place and trying to get the better of us. I would think twice if I were you.” |
Replies:
- I drank liquor and ate a lighter, and woke up breathing fire - By Emerence Huxley October 30, 2014 at 09:37:27 AM
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