It seemed the healer was a lot more perceptive than Mara had anticipated. “Here,” she said as she offered what was sure to be a smelly poultice sealed away in a little clay pot, “Rub this on your wrists and any other contusions morning and night. Come see me for more when you run out.” Mara took it with a nod and a soft mumble of gratitude.
Before they could head out to their next destination - wherever that was going to be - a man burst into the room. Foregoing any greeted he jumped right to the point.
“Did you really threaten to Conscript the whole sodding crowd?”
Cauthrien’s response was measured and calm, if a little indifferent. If there was any hostility or defensiveness within her, she held it well beneath a composed face as she discussed the events of the day with the newcomer. Mara took him in while they spoke, trying to sort out exactly who this man was and where he stood within the pecking order of this place. Considering his shiny uniform, steady stance, and those slight wrinkles around his eyes, she guessed he held some weight around here, perhaps a bit more than Cauthrien if they could banter so easily with each other.
“I need you to tell me everything that you remember about the night you were arrested.” Mara pulled herself out of her thoughts just in time to hear the demand. “And I mean everything.” The healer slipped out of the room, giving Mara the few seconds she needed to start putting words together.
“Rabbit was the one who told me about the job,” Mara began. “He’s an old friend, and he knew I needed a hit, a big one, to pay off the man that was blackmailing me. That’s a whole ‘nother story in itself and…” Seeing his expectant look, Mara realized when he said everything, he very well meant it. “Right, so I already had a bounty on my head from another robbery out in the Bannorn. I cut off my hair, kept my cloak up, did whatever I could to not look like the description, but it didn’t work. A man caught me - bounty hunter, highwayman, I don’t know. He never gave me a name, never got a good look at him. He just threatened to expose me, hunt me down, whatever, unless I paid him off in time. It’s not like I had piles of gold laying around, so I was desperate.
Rabbit told me about the estate. He’d been scouting it for some time, sniffing around like he usually does. He’s diligent like that. Anyway, he had the place mapped out - guard rotations, locked doors, the works. It was everything I needed to get in, get the goods, and get out. It was supposed to be simple, and at first it was. I got in no problem, followed the route we’d planned, and had the old man’s chest unlocked in no time at all.
I should’ve been suspicious from the start - it was just too easy. I’d climbed in from an unlocked window on the first floor next to an alleyway. I didn’t even have to go upstairs, just through a door and down a hallway, that’s it. Hiding a chest in a study isn’t exactly my idea of secure, but who was I to judge when I felt like I needed the gold more than he did. It was tucked away behind an old bookcase I had to climb over, but the locked popped open easily enough, and in no time I had more than enough to pay off that man.
I left the study, made my way back down the hallway, opened the door to the room with the window to the alley, and a guard was already waiting for me there.” Mara had run the moment through her mind over and over and over again, thinking of any possible way she could’ve wriggled herself out of that room, out of the guard’s heavy gauntlets and despicable glare.
“It was a setup all along. The guard knew I was going to be there, and so did his partner - Rabbit tipped them off, I just know it. At that moment, I thought I could take the one guard. The other one surprised me - got in behind with a good kick to the leg to knock me down. She kept me on the floor while the other one checked to make sure they had the right person.” A small smile pulled at the edge of Mara’s lips. “I may have bitten his hand when he tried to pull on my pendant. Tasted awful and I didn’t break through the glove, but it sure as hell felt good.”
Mara let out a sigh. Remembering all of it, recalling all those details - she would’ve thought the weight keeping her shoulders down and her jaw tight would have lifted now that someone had finally listened to her story, but it didn’t. The weight moved lower, pushing the breath from her chest and making her stomach twist in all the wrong ways. She shook her head and found the right words to finish her story.
“The guards took me to Fort Drakon, locked me up for a few weeks, and next thing I knew I was being dragged out to the gallows. No trial, no inquiries. I didn’t even know there’d been a murder until the rumors made it back to my cell.” Mara looked down to see the pot of poultice shaking. No, wait, it was her hands, not the pot. She quickly placed the pot on the bed beside her before clasping her hands tightly together. “That’s all I know. Whatever anyone’s told you about me, it’s probably wrong. I’m not some wild, bloodthirsty murderer, I’m just...I’m just a thief, nothing more.”
Mara saw her knuckles turning white as she tried to keep her hands from shaking. Maker, how did she end up here? She couldn’t bring herself to look up at the pair in the room, all uniformed and fancy and disciplined and probably ready to tear into her story until even she would forget the truth. She’d heard rumors of it before, of guards that could make you admit to crimes you’d never committed so long as they’d talked you in circles first. Cauthrien didn’t seem the type, but there was no telling what the man was capable of doing. His interest in her story was the first time anyone had asked for it in full, but it made Mara wary. She’d know soon enough if he was here to help, or if he was there to twist her story into something it wasn’t.
Before they could head out to their next destination - wherever that was going to be - a man burst into the room. Foregoing any greeted he jumped right to the point.
“Did you really threaten to Conscript the whole sodding crowd?”
Cauthrien’s response was measured and calm, if a little indifferent. If there was any hostility or defensiveness within her, she held it well beneath a composed face as she discussed the events of the day with the newcomer. Mara took him in while they spoke, trying to sort out exactly who this man was and where he stood within the pecking order of this place. Considering his shiny uniform, steady stance, and those slight wrinkles around his eyes, she guessed he held some weight around here, perhaps a bit more than Cauthrien if they could banter so easily with each other.
“I need you to tell me everything that you remember about the night you were arrested.” Mara pulled herself out of her thoughts just in time to hear the demand. “And I mean everything.” The healer slipped out of the room, giving Mara the few seconds she needed to start putting words together.
“Rabbit was the one who told me about the job,” Mara began. “He’s an old friend, and he knew I needed a hit, a big one, to pay off the man that was blackmailing me. That’s a whole ‘nother story in itself and…” Seeing his expectant look, Mara realized when he said everything, he very well meant it. “Right, so I already had a bounty on my head from another robbery out in the Bannorn. I cut off my hair, kept my cloak up, did whatever I could to not look like the description, but it didn’t work. A man caught me - bounty hunter, highwayman, I don’t know. He never gave me a name, never got a good look at him. He just threatened to expose me, hunt me down, whatever, unless I paid him off in time. It’s not like I had piles of gold laying around, so I was desperate.
Rabbit told me about the estate. He’d been scouting it for some time, sniffing around like he usually does. He’s diligent like that. Anyway, he had the place mapped out - guard rotations, locked doors, the works. It was everything I needed to get in, get the goods, and get out. It was supposed to be simple, and at first it was. I got in no problem, followed the route we’d planned, and had the old man’s chest unlocked in no time at all.
I should’ve been suspicious from the start - it was just too easy. I’d climbed in from an unlocked window on the first floor next to an alleyway. I didn’t even have to go upstairs, just through a door and down a hallway, that’s it. Hiding a chest in a study isn’t exactly my idea of secure, but who was I to judge when I felt like I needed the gold more than he did. It was tucked away behind an old bookcase I had to climb over, but the locked popped open easily enough, and in no time I had more than enough to pay off that man.
I left the study, made my way back down the hallway, opened the door to the room with the window to the alley, and a guard was already waiting for me there.” Mara had run the moment through her mind over and over and over again, thinking of any possible way she could’ve wriggled herself out of that room, out of the guard’s heavy gauntlets and despicable glare.
“It was a setup all along. The guard knew I was going to be there, and so did his partner - Rabbit tipped them off, I just know it. At that moment, I thought I could take the one guard. The other one surprised me - got in behind with a good kick to the leg to knock me down. She kept me on the floor while the other one checked to make sure they had the right person.” A small smile pulled at the edge of Mara’s lips. “I may have bitten his hand when he tried to pull on my pendant. Tasted awful and I didn’t break through the glove, but it sure as hell felt good.”
Mara let out a sigh. Remembering all of it, recalling all those details - she would’ve thought the weight keeping her shoulders down and her jaw tight would have lifted now that someone had finally listened to her story, but it didn’t. The weight moved lower, pushing the breath from her chest and making her stomach twist in all the wrong ways. She shook her head and found the right words to finish her story.
“The guards took me to Fort Drakon, locked me up for a few weeks, and next thing I knew I was being dragged out to the gallows. No trial, no inquiries. I didn’t even know there’d been a murder until the rumors made it back to my cell.” Mara looked down to see the pot of poultice shaking. No, wait, it was her hands, not the pot. She quickly placed the pot on the bed beside her before clasping her hands tightly together. “That’s all I know. Whatever anyone’s told you about me, it’s probably wrong. I’m not some wild, bloodthirsty murderer, I’m just...I’m just a thief, nothing more.”
Mara saw her knuckles turning white as she tried to keep her hands from shaking. Maker, how did she end up here? She couldn’t bring herself to look up at the pair in the room, all uniformed and fancy and disciplined and probably ready to tear into her story until even she would forget the truth. She’d heard rumors of it before, of guards that could make you admit to crimes you’d never committed so long as they’d talked you in circles first. Cauthrien didn’t seem the type, but there was no telling what the man was capable of doing. His interest in her story was the first time anyone had asked for it in full, but it made Mara wary. She’d know soon enough if he was here to help, or if he was there to twist her story into something it wasn’t.