Lissie sat on the tiny cot. Riley sat next to her, and Cora occupied the three-legged wooden stool. She had to move the candle off the stool to sit down. Lissie took it.
Cora’s eyes bored into her. She said, “So you did it, you rode the Wind?”
Lissie looked down at the flame, then down at her lap before replying. “I don’t know what I did. I did not ride the Wind, but I was able to find the owner.”
“Where is she? Is Alexander with her?” Riley always got straight to action. Lissie watched the flame tremble in her hand. She took a deep breath.
“The first door we passed on the right. It’s a fake room. She’s in another room behind it. I don’t know if Alexander is with her, I couldn’t see him,” Lissie replied.
Riley stood and toyed with her sword. This was devolving into a situation where Lissie was very grateful she wasn’t their only option. Wind blew cold over mountaintops in her mind.
Cora dropped her backpack and bags. “We should stash our packs here. Riley.” Lissie saw the pointed look, and Riley sheathed Ruskin’s Blade fully and took off her packs.
Cora never missed a chance to set down her bags, but Lissie often forgot she was wearing them. She dropped hers on the bed.
“The hall is empty,” Riley whispered. She dropped into a crouch and turned to the right. Cora scurried behind. Lissie rolled her eyes and followed.
There was no light underneath the door. Lissie watched Riley try the knob. The door opened silently. One hinge in this place is greased.
It was pitch dark inside. Lissie brought her candle, and it showed an empty stone room. No furniture. Cora began running her fingers along the walls. There was a click. “Here, help me push.” Cora motioned to Riley.
Together they pushed on the wall and it swung open. Lissie peered through the widening crack.
Firelight flooded the space, illuminating a bed and all the contents of Alexander’s packs and pouches flung all over the floor. Thrown into a shadow Lissie was grateful for, was Alexander strapped to the bed, all four limbs pulled tight into ropes tied to the bed frame. His clothes were in a pile on the floor next to a woman with an eyepatch.
The woman was cutting into the bottom of a pouch with a long dagger, muttering, “There has to be gems in this one.”
Alexander just made muffled cries. He was gagged with his underclothes.
Cora was the first to speak, “You’re robbing us! You see what happens when you go into a den of thieves, Alex?”
The woman spun around, swinging the dagger back and forth. Cora leapt back, and said, “There’s no point in robbing us—we don’t have any money.”
Lissie heard Alexander trying to talk through the gag. It sounded like “That’s what I told her.” But much more like, “mfmmammhoph.”
“I can’t let three pretty young things like you leave.” The woman started shouting, “Ian! Ian come here!” The woman approached Lissie with the dagger. Lissie took a step back and looked to Riley.
The room was small, and the doorway was cramped. Lissie watched as Riley grabbed the hilt of her sword and threw it into the air in front of her. The motion made the woman take a step back. Riley caught the hilt and the sword came down and through the woman’s wrist. Her blood was like fire erupting from her arm.
Her shriek was wordless. Lissie heard heavy footsteps behind her, and turned to see the massive bouncer. He was fumbling with the hand axe on his belt. Riley was so fast. She cut the belt from his pants, the axe tumbling out of his hands and falling into a pile of leather on the floor.
“You don’t pay me enough for this, Svetlana!” He turned tail and ran.
Lissie turned to the bleeding woman. Lissie went to pick up the leather belt on the ground.
If I can get a tourniquet around her arm, she might survive.
The woman was already pushing past her by the time she stood up. Lissie jumped when she felt a torrent of blood splash her face. She turned back to see Riley had already cut Alexander free.
Cora removed the gag from his mouth, and when she did, he said, “This counts as the third story.”