I tied the canvas sack to my pack with a bit of thick twine to keep my hands free. It had to be at least 30 to 35 pounds. I looked around the room one more time to check if I wanted anything else. I shrugged, grabbed a black silk sack roughly palm-sized, stuffed it in the folds of Felis’s dress, and walked upstairs. Drawing the sword, I tied it to the energy furnace, and by the time I returned to the office, it was glowing white hot.
After reaching the office, I found four guards in full plate with swords drawn staring at me.
“Greetings, gentlemen,” I said with a smile.
One man was kneeling next to the dead body of Denny.
“Murderer.” He shouted. “Cut her down.”
The men rushed forward. I extended my right hand, bathing them in fire as I retreated towards the stairs. I couldn't see much beyond the twelve-foot stream of spiraling flame, but the screams of agony were enough proof that it was potent.
Armor was ineffective, since my fire cooked the men inside in seconds. I cut it off and examined my adversaries.
Two were on the ground writhing in agony, while another man was cooked to death, lying prone as his armor smoked. The smell of burnt flesh, leather, and hair filled the room. Using my glowing sword, I ended the lives of the screaming men and continued through the hall, only to hear more boots thundering down the hallway.
I took a deep breath, extended my hand forward, and unleashed more fire. A dozen men turned the corner only to be met by a wall of spiraling flame. Paintings, drapes, furniture, everything in the hall burned as I walked forward.
Men tripped over themselves as they ran away from the flames. Someone shot an arrow at me, only for it to be redirected by my medallion.
Five men lay dead or dying on the ground. One after the other, I finished them off with my sword.
I stood still for a moment, considering an optimal path of escape.
‘I could head to the gardens, scale the keep walls, follow that to one of the outer walls…’
Shaking my head, I abandoned that plan. Even if I made it outside via the keep walls. I would be on foot; if they sent riders, they could catch up to me. Worse yet, if they sent one of their magi.
‘They don’t know I can climb the walls yet. That’s my advantage, right now, they’re probably fortifying all the exits. Then there is my plan to consider, I still need to get back to Lowtown.’
Sprinting through the halls, I headed back to the energy furnace, finding the entire house abandoned, save for a few terrified servants who shrank back in fear as soon as they saw my glowing sword.
I entered the energy forge and began taking off my clothes, rapidly replacing the maid uniform with my grey clothing and cloak. I found Felis’s body and draped the dress over her to cover her nakedness.
‘If I were them, I would send a message to the keep to mobilize the two magi against me.’
I pushed through the door, sprinted across the grass, and climbed over the wall.
‘A few minutes, to ride to the keep, inform the commander of the guards who would then pass it unto the count, then finally, he would command the magi to take to the streets.’
I landed on the ground and immediately headed east. I retraced my steps, hiding in bushes and shadows. From around a corner, I spotted nearly thirty armed and armored men heading inside Enoras’s home through the gilded entrance.
‘Looks like regular guards,’
Other houses noticed the commotion and doubled or tripled the guards outside their homes. Men, in various colored liveries, walked in groups patrolling the grounds around the manors.
‘Word is spreading. I just need to get out of the residential area.’
After waiting for nearly thirty seconds for a break in the patrols, I took to the streets.
My progress was slow but constant, and I managed to make it to the main road, eager to get to the next district. I sprinted across the street.
“You there, Halt!” A rider on a grey steed came sprinting around a corner. He reached to his neck and pulled out something metal.
‘A whistle?’
Even from a hundred feet away, the sound was deafening.
The smart move would have been to keep his distance from me, but the fool kept charging, sword drawn, and blowing the whistle.
I shrugged, “Can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, stealth is all but gone.”
I stood in the center of the road, unmoving as the man charged me, ready to end my life in a single blow.
The second he was within my range, I strengthened my binding on my protection amulet to its maximum and dodged to the side. The man was knocked from his horse, and his sword flew off into the distance.
‘By Anier, I love this amulet.’
The man lay prone, while the horse ran off down the street. I ignored him and chased after the horse.
It took a solid minute of chasing and calming the terrified horse down before I could mount. Just as I got myself in the saddle, a dozen men on horseback and three of those horseless carriages came barreling down the street.
I kicked the horse into motion, and the chase began.
~
I flew down the main road with men chasing me on horseback. My heart pounded in my chest. A small part of me was ecstatic; I felt so alive.
Every so often, someone would loose an arrow at me, only for it to be deflected by my amulet.
“Make way, make way.” The men from behind me yelled. I turned to see the metal carriage catching up to me.
In the driver's seat was a man in armor. He was controlling the carriage via two levers. I wasn't exactly sure what the levers did, but he was slowly maneuvering the carriage to my right. A man stood in the rear of the carriage holding a large metal crossbow.
Fear spiked within me, and I increased the binding to my protection amulet to my maximum strength.
He released a bolt with a loud crack that sounded like a whip. My protection amulet pulled a massive amount of energy from my reservoir to deflect the bolt. It ricocheted into a building and then exploded, scaring my horse and sending debris everywhere.
‘No normal crossbow could fire a bolt at such a high velocity. Much less produce an explosion.’
“Load another, aim at the ground around her; some magic is afoot. Archers, keep up the arrows, try for the horse,” the driver yelled.
‘Well, time to leave the main road, let's see how maneuverable the carriages are.’
I veered off to the right, following a much smaller road. The horses gave chase, but fortunately, those cursed carriages couldn't make such sharp corners.
~
That lasted half an hour, though I was weighed down by the jewels compared to the men in armor, I was practically as light as a feather. That meant their horses would tire faster than mine.
“Finally,” I muttered as I reached the street with the eatery. I glanced behind me to see a dozen horses a few hundred feet away and another horseless carriage trailing farther behind.
I activated my animus, bringing up the six rings I had floating in the river. One after another, I bound them to the plates in my hand, ignoring my right knee; I bound that ring to my reservoir.
Feeling the flow of energy into the reservoir, I grinned and prepared myself. I pulled on the horse's reins and directed it towards the wall.
“What is she doing?” A rider behind me shouted.
“Don’t know either way she’s trapped,” Another voice responded.
“She’s mad, I tell you.”
I couldn't blame them; I was galloping straight towards a wall. Turning the horse east, I pulled up alongside the wall. Then, with a deep breath, I stood on the saddle and leapt towards the wall. Activating all five plates, I extended my hands and was pulled quite violently to the fortifications.
I yelled in pain as my momentum was suddenly halted. My shoulder and knees hurt, but they didn't feel damaged.
‘That was easy. Perhaps I’m more acrobatic than I thought.’
Like a spider, I scrambled up the vertical face of the wall.
“By Anier,” The men shouted as they watched me.
“Arrows, Arrows, you fools bring her down.” I glanced down to see the metal carriage approaching with the man with the large steel crossbow taking aim at me.
I extended the sphere of influence for the pushing field to its maximum and pushed the binding to the limits of my ability.
He loosed a bolt with another loud crack. It was deflected to the wall on my right, around 30 feet away. The explosive power was impressive, and my ears rang from the power of the shock wave. If not for the strength of the bindings, I would have been blown off the wall to my death.
“Load and loose, we can’t allow her to get over the wall.”
They loosed two more bolts, only for them to be deflected, destroying the wall around me. The men on the wall started acting, loosing arrows at me as I crawled.
With the energy ring constantly replenishing my reservoir. They couldn't fire the bolts fast enough to outpace the energy being replenished, and normal arrows were useless.
‘Thank Anier, they only had one of those things.’
I reached the top and crawled over, finding a dozen men with swords being pushed away by the field. They fought it to get to me. This many people being pushed at the same time was a far greater strain on my reserves than the bolts.
I didn't pay them even a second glance and sprinted across as the press of bodies forced their way towards me. Halfway there, my reservoir ran out, but I was already in a full sprint.
Without hesitation, I leapt over the crenulations twisted in the air and fell with my arms outstretched towards the wall.
I didn't push the bindings to full strength; instead, I used the friction created to slow my fall and descended rapidly. The metal plates sparked and heated as I slid down the 150-foot wall.
At some point, I began laughing at the insanity of my situation. It took less than ten seconds for me to reach the bottom. I reduced the bindings and sprinted west.
I breathed a sigh of relief and jogged lightly since my amulet was recharging, and at this distance, their arrows would do little.
Something blew past me, through my pushing field, and collided with the ground, creating a massive explosion of mud and debris a few hundred feet in front of me, and tossed me to the ground. It drained the entirety of my reserve, and I was reasonably sure that it had almost no effect.
‘A ballista! If a crossbow could do that much damage, I can’t imagine what a siege weapon could do.’
I sighed in relief since, in the dark of night, they couldn't aim properly, though that bolt came very close.
As I ran through the pitch black field, using only the moon, stars, and river for guidance, they loosed more of those massive bolts, each resulting in a massive explosion, though they were clearly firing at random.
Eventually, they stopped firing entirely. I was gone. I sighed in relief as I found Cole half an hour later. Tossing my clothes into the river, I donned my armor, mounted Cole, and galloped off into the night. I tapped the sack of valuables and smiled.
‘It's time for the final gamble. Rennah, you showed me the power of words, how they can twist hearts and break minds. Now I will use it to control the minds of every peasant in the empire.’
~
Hours later, after sunrise, against all good sense, I tied Cole off near the edge of Lowtown and walked the streets holding a log in my left hand. The streets were bustling with loud conversation all centered on the daring heist committed by none other than Myr, the Maiden of Fire.
There were dozens of variations, but all suggested I escaped with a massive fortune. An hour earlier, a massive force of soldiers rode out of town to chase me down, completely ignoring me. I really couldn't blame them. Who in their right mind would return to the city? That meant the guards' force in Lowtown was nearly nonexistent.
I stood and stopped in the center of the main road between the industrial district and residential, where the most through traffic was.
No guards were around; no doubt most were assigned to search the surrounding countryside for me.
My heart raced. Fear? Excitement? I couldn't tell.
A few people looked at me oddly as I walked into the middle of the street. I removed my hood, revealing my ink black hair, a little past shoulder length. I combed and oiled it for the occasion.
Some stopped in their tracks and stared at me, though they failed to make a connection in their minds.
Holding the log in my left, I extended my hand to the air and strengthened the binding from my potential energy circuit in my glove to the reservoir and from the reservoir to dragon's breath in my hand.
A five-foot-tall stream of spiraling fire launched into the air, and everyone froze. Men, women, young, and old, all stopped in their tracks and watched the fire in unhidden awe.
After the log burned to ash and the fire stopped, their faces turned to me. As if everyone had the same thought, eyes widened, and whispers echoed through the crowd. The maiden of fire was not fleeing north, south, east, or west. She was standing right in front of them.
For a city to be completely silent in the middle of the day was rather ominous.
“You’re, Myr.” A child said. Staring at me.
“Yes,” I responded with a serene smile.
Breaths caught, hands twitched, the ones not struck dumb by awe realized that a massive fortune stood before them. But none moved. I was still a magus after all.
“Why are ya here?” The same child asked.
‘Alright, first obstacle cleared, they didn't try to mob me. Time for a performance. I have maybe ten minutes before the word gets to the guards.’
“I’m sure you're wondering if the rumours are true. Yes, I did reappropriate some wealth from Merchant Enoras.”
The crowd was growing larger, surrounding me, but they kept their distance. I was cut off from escape.
“Why ain't you runnin’?” a man asked.
“Why should I run? I’ve committed no crime.” Confusion was clear on their faces. I continued speaking. “ Hightown, even at night, is a paradise. Clean streets, well-lit roads, every building made of fine white stone.” I put some anger in my voice. “I grew up poor and hungry, working myself to the bone for just a bit of bread.”
A few heads nodded in sympathy. “I saw my friends and family starve in the winter. I thought that was just how the world was. Until I saw how the wealthy lived. I wanted to help those around me using magic. I tried to learn, and for that crime, I was sentenced to death. Anier’s blessing saved my life that day. How else could I explain how one lucky throw of a dagger kept me from being burned alive?”
‘I couldn't care less about religion, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it to my advantage.’
Everyone loves a story, and to hear a first-hand account was a treasure. For the moment, they cared more about my story than collecting coin.
“So you ain't plan to murder ‘em.” A woman asked.
I laughed without humor, “Murder? We were attacked by Farketh, and I barely escaped with my life. I risked my life for my baroness. Surian asked what I desired as a reward. I asked to learn magic. She laughed in my face and told me peasants should know their place. So I tried to sneak a peek at one of their books.”
“That’s when she ordered ya dead?” Another added.
I nodded, “I was scared. I didn't want to die, so I threw my dagger at Elis. I hit somethin’ important. And Surian came at me as well.”
With the deepest regret and sadness, I muttered, “I didn't want to die.”
I sighed and continued.
“I learned from those books and reached Grenwood, and I tried to help the people who suffer every day. I did well for some time, only for the Bastard Lord Heywood to butcher my people without mercy, destroying the homes of the innocent just to kill me. Even in the deep winter, the man had no mercy, even though I pleaded for them. Once again, Anier’s blessing saved my life.”
“I fled for months, helping as I could, only to find the Magisterium painting me as some cruel murderer without conscience or soul.” I affected an air of grief and exhaustion.
“Now I arrive in Greystone to see the wealthy nobility and merchants living like kings and queens in castles of their own. While my own people work themselves to the bone just for a meal and a roof over their heads.” I paced back and forth, my voice gaining in strength as if it infuriated me.
“They offer you five hundred golden royals as a reward for me. Are you really willing to believe their lies? Do you really think people who hoard their wealth behind those massive walls would spare even a single bit if you turned me in?”
I shrugged, hopeless, “Perhaps they would. They hate nothing more than someone else having even the slightest bit of power.”
I stared out at the crowd; most were enraptured, but a few were shifting, eyes focused.
‘Time for the grand reveal,’
“They offer you gold,” I laughed sarcastically. “Gold that you earned for them. Gold earned from the sweat of your backs. How many men die to black lung in bloomeries and forges every year, to make the iron that fuels their city? How many of your brothers, sons, and fathers die in the quarries to build their perfect stone homes? What do you get but a few copper bits?”
My voice grew in volume and power, “How many of us women work our hands to the bone sewing their clothes, cleaning their houses. Home, many times have those same noble lords used threats and intimidation to get us into the beds?”
I stared at the crowd, my eyes filled with accusation. “You think these people, content to sit by as you work yourself to death, will pay you fairly.”
I didn't have them quite yet, but the next part would surely cause a stir. “I didn't steal anything from Enoras; I only recovered what is rightfully yours.”
I reached into the sack and pulled out a handful of gold, silver, rings, necklaces, chains, sapphires, and emeralds, all gleaming in the sunlight.
“This does not belong to Enoras; this belongs to you. This is what your years of labor have earned you.”
Then I cocked back my arm and threw hundreds of golden royals' worth of gems and jewelry into the crowd.
People dove for the jewels and forgot me entirely. Before the people behind me rose to join the frenzied, I tossed more gold and gems at them. Then, my left and right, each time, throwing a handful of precious metals and gems into the hungry crowd.
It took several minutes before the crowd calmed down, and the sack wasn't even half empty.
Most who had picked a gem or a ring were running off, while others remained staring at the sack, ready for more.
“This is not even one in a hundred of what Enoras has hidden away. I, the Maiden of fire, return the wealth that you earned through your blood and sweat, to you.”
“Why do this?” Gorill asked. I smiled as I spotted her and her brother.
“Because I can.” I tossed a gold ring to them both.
“They'll hunt you down for this.” An old man said.
I shrugged, “Perhaps they will. Perhaps they will succeed, but I have no regrets.”
I reached into the sack again. “Be fair with one another; each family can walk away with a good fortune for those cold nights.”
I tossed some more valuables to the far back of the crowd. “You can use this wealth to build something for yourself.”
Again, I kept throwing away thousands of golden royals to them without hesitation. Some people who already had a ring or gem were tossing them back farther into the crowd.
“But be smart with this wealth, they will try to take it. Hide them away in the fields, under rocks, in trees for weeks and months if necessary. Wait it out, then you can use it to build a life for yourself.”
“What if we don't want any?” A rotund woman asked.
I shrugged, “Then pass it on to another or throw it in the river. This is yours to do with as you please.”
“Maiden over here, I need a new roof.” A young man said, waving his arms.
“My boy wants an apprenticeship.”
“My daughter needs a dowry.”
People kept shouting their needs at me, each time I tossed them something from the bag. Worried that I was running out of time. I threw caution to the wind and emptied the bag into the surrounding crowd as fast as possible. The cheers were deafening. Then I dropped the empty sack, allowing it to blow away in the wind.
“This is all I can do for you. You all will have to be smart with your gains. Remember, hide them away far from your home until you find the chance to use them to your advantage.” I reminded them.
“Guards are comin'.” Someone shouted.
‘Now for the most risky part of this. I will give them the choice to turn me in or let me go. Of course, if they choose to turn me in, I'll kill my way out and call this a failure.’
The crowd's emotions were varied; a few stepped forward, eyes gleaming, while others looked uncertain.
The question hung in the air. Before, it was not a hard choice, but now almost everyone around me had a ring or gem tucked away in a pocket. Why risk fighting a magus when you can just run with the fortune you already have?
“A magus’s abilities need a source to fuel their magic. I used wood,” I said, gesturing to the pile of ash next to me. They instantly realised what I was alluding to.
“Yes, right now, I am no magus. I have no magic to fight against you. And I cannot stop you if you wish to rush me now, tie me up, and send me to the hangman's noose.” I lied.
“I am just one woman, and now I am at your mercy; the choice is yours. I hold no regret in my heart regardless of your decision.” I said, then waited. The shouts of guards became louder as they made their way through the crowd.
Hesitation, fear, everything was warring on their faces, until a single voice shouted. “What’re you fools doin' make way for ‘er?” Urn shouted, and he ran across the distance, his sister following closely behind.
As they reached me, they spun me around forcefully and shouted at me, “Stop standing around, run, run, don't let 'em catch you.”
I turned around to the people blocking my exit, “I ask you, good people, will you give me leave to pass?”
They were silent for a handful of seconds before another man shouted, “Make way.” That was the spark that ignited the rest of the crowd. A few had shifty eyes, but didn't act.
‘I can deal with them later, if they try to collect.’
I walked forward, and the crowd slowly parted as shouts of ‘make way’ echoed.
“Goodbye, friends,” I said to Urn and Gorill.
They actually hugged me, then shoved me forward. I started running.
People yelled and cheered as I ran towards the edge of town. The emotion echoed through the crowd, and as one, they ushered me out of Lowtown.
I lost sight of Gorill and Urn as I reached Cole, still; the crowd followed. I mounted, reared Cole up on his hind legs, my hair fluttering in the wind, turned south, and galloped away. The crowd screamed in encouragement as I rode off into the distance.
‘Let's see how you handle that, Heywood. They're mine now.’