Dragon Rising

Chapter 2: Raiding the Castle

The sweet scent of fresh bread filled Ryadni's nostrils and made her mouth water. She slid two more loaves onto the potatoes in her sack, ears perked all the while on alert for the sound of approaching feet. The storage room stretched into an endless pit of darkness, hiding bloodthirsty eyes and invisible enemies. Ryadni's fingers fell onto the coarse surface of the loaves near the back and she carefully slid them forward, hiding any obvious evidence of stolen goods.

Today was a good raid, but she couldn't steal too much. It would be at least two days before they could return or else they aroused suspicion.

Something creaked overhead. She froze. All was silent for several minutes and then she slowly eased a breath out. Securing the bag of goods and slinging it over her shoulder, she tiptoed to the escape. The night stretched before her, cloudy and reassuring. Cool night air crept through the cracked open window, caressing her dark curls. The guard would be patrolling the opposite end of the corridor one floor above. Now would give her plenty of time to disappear.

Placing one gloved hand on the stone window pillar, she leaned out and gave one smooth, crisp whistle into the night. And waited. Seconds dragged on. A lower, quieter call floated from between the leaves below. That was her cue. The bag goes into the air, its plunge to the ground slowed by the rope gliding through Ryadni's free hand. The receiver tugged at the rope and Ryadni let go. The window closed with a quiet click.

Ryadni retreated noiselessly to the other pantry window higher up on the wall, leapt, and pulled herself through the narrow opening. Soft shoes hit the stone roof. She stole beneath the flamboyant banners of the warlord, silent as the whisper of an owl's flight. Swinging over the low walls and beneath protruding stone dragon statues lining the battlements, she made her way back along the familiar passage.

Still, there was no noise from the sleeping occupants. She almost envied them, so ignorant of the dangers in the outside world they could sleep without care all night. The fancy barons and their workers were none the wiser, lost in their blissful, ignorant dreams in their over-large stone castle. None of them knew what true hardship was like.

Ryadni pulled her hood up, keeping her eyes trained for movements. She spotted three shadows moving rapidly in her direction, one of them holding the sack. They were barely visible in the moonless night. She fell into formation as the third in line and shifted like shadows through the darkness, a euphoric sense of satisfaction in her heart.

With only the occasional snap of twigs beneath their feet and rustle of leaves signalling their movement, the three flew through the woods and reached the ruins after two hours. Ryadni stood as a lookout. All around them were collapsed stone archways, the skeletons of abandoned houses, and trees. Her companion tapped on a rusted, half-collapsed metal pole. He paused and then tapped again.

An inconspicuous stone slab slid away, revealing a hole into the ground. She followed her team down the rungs and let her body drop. The usual damp scent of home greeted her. The uneven ground was familiar beneath her soft shoes. She made her way down several more metal ladders and stone stairs. The hairs on her arms stood up when the temperature dropped.

She pushed her hood back and took off her gloves, rolling them into neat balls and tucking them into her satchel. Her dark curls were plastered against her head. The chilly air gave her a sense of calm.

Her teammate disappeared with their bounty into the food hall towards the kitchen beyond. The cooks would be relieved. Food stock ran low due to the nearer warlord territories raising their securities after one raid team almost got caught a few weeks ago and they had to travel further for resources. Ryadni passed the clang of cutlery and quiet breakfast conversation and descended further. The ground dampened with condensation beneath her feet.