“Raven,” a voice called, rousing her from sleep. “Raven.” With a yawn, Raven came awake, wondering why, for the hundred thousandth time, why she hadn’t allowed Aven to install some kind of door to her bed chamber. She pulled the covers from over her face and pushed herself up so her pillows supported her back. She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes and covered her yawning mouth with the back of her hand. Onna was standing at the doorway, waiting patiently for her mistress to awake. The decoy smiled and bowed her head. “Raven, Master Yadrow is here to claim his spoils,” Onna said, her…
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Raven, Chapter 3-b
“Well, my little bird, it looks like you’ve got yourself some excitement.” Raven grinned up at her longtime friend. “So it seems. Now. Let’s plan out this steal.” Together, they pulled together large and small maps of the Sapphire District and began to pore over them. They stood side by side, upper arms brushing together, as they bent their heads over the parchment. “It won’t be a problem to get to the Almi Manor,” Raven said, spreading her hands over one of the large maps of the Sapphire District. “And getting in will be a cinch.” She shook her head. “These nobles with all of their feuds have relatively poor…
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Raven, Chapter 2-c
Raven barely suppressed a yawn as she held audience with Master Yadrow, one of the wealthier merchants of the Ivory District. Those were the upper middle class people. They were wealthy, but not of blue blood. That didn’t stop them from trying to emulate the nobles of the Sapphire District, though. The Ivory District had their number of feuds. It all bored Raven to death, but it was a living. She did what the lords and ladies and masters and mistresses wanted and they paid off the City Guard to look the other way whenever they saw her or her sigil. And the Yadrow-Alber feud paid quite well. They were…
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Raven, Chapter 1-d
They made their way out into the slum’s alleys and headed off for the bath house in Ninth Sector. They slipped along in the shadows, their group breaking off, but still heading in the same direction, to keep from being detected. They stopped within sight of the female bath house at the edge of the slums, the backs of the houses here backing against the towering wall that surrounded the entire city. The bath houses were pumping water from the Needle River, which ran a quarter of a mile from the city. They could see the place was deserted, so knew the other Thief Lord were already there. Onna and…
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Raven, Chapter 1-c
He tumbled into the crowd’s midst and, at his arrival, Raven stood up from her pile of cushions, where she had been reclining, listening with interest to her followers’ stories. The crowd parted as she made her way to her messenger and grabbed his hands to help him up. “Deri,” she said, her voice soft and smooth and melodic. “Was I right in sending you to your cousin’s home? Is he a member of another’s following?” Breathless, Deri nodded, his own hands clasping hers tightly, if only to keep himself upright. “Mistress, you can’t go to the bath houses tonight. They will be there to kill you!” At that, the…
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Raven, Chapter 1-b
He sucked in a deep breath and held it as he slowly moved away from the wall, creeping down the side of it, his back still pressed to the rough brick wall. It was uncomfortable, but he would do anything for his mistress. Breath held, he tested each step with his bare toes, careful to make sure each step didn’t make the boards squeak. He went this way down the hallway to the open window, from which he dropped down the side of the single story building to the dirt beneath. He landed on his feet, bending his knees as he went down. His fingers brushed the dirt alleyway and…