A visit to Lord Randall

“There’s gotta be some taffer who hasn’t had all his stuff stolen!”

Xila was pacing around her room, desperately trying to think of some lord or lady who had something worth stealing. She had considered many possibilities but somehow none of them had worked out, and she had wages to pay.

She had thought that Lord Bafford’s mansion would be worth a visit, since he had recently acquired a very expensive, if rather gaudy scepter. However, it had been stolen the night before she had planned to go after it (rumors said by Garrett), and she hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Lady Bafford anyway, so she would have had to find a way to the scepter without any information.

Ramirez had plenty of stuff lying around his house free for the taking, but Garrett had gotten to him first. Apparently, Ramirez had sent a couple of amateur assassins after him. Idiot.

And there was the baker’s diamond fiasco but Xila didn’t even want to think about that.

“I should of killed him when I had a chance.” Muttered Xila. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She had to find someone to rob before the end of the week or she wouldn’t be able to pay her servants and guards.
She heard a knock at the door. “Come in.,” she said grumpily. A female servant walked into the room with what looked like a letter of some sort.
“Um…milady?”
“What, Anna?” asked Xila heavily?
“A massager was just here. He had a message from Lord Randall.”
Anna handed her the letter.
Xila sighed and peeled off the seal to read the message within.

Lady Xila Xanell,

My wife and I extend to you an invitation to have luncheon with us and see my new vase collection. Please send your response with the messenger who bears this message.

Sincerely,
Lord Randall

Lord Randall. Vase collection.

Xila remembered hearing something about that collection. It was supposed to have Lord Randall’s pride and joy, a very beautiful sapphire vase.

Suddenly Xila knew where her servants’ next wages where coming from.
Xila slipped over Lord Randall’s wall, and headed towards the servants’ door. Locked. Xila smirked and pulled a key from her pocket. It didn’t fit. Xila pulled out her lock picks with a sigh. A few clicks later, she was inside.
“What did the key go to?” wondered Xila. It had to go to something in the house. She had gotten it off the belt of one of Lord Randall’s guards as she was leaving their house. Xila shrugged to herself and headed toward the display room.
There were two guards on the door to the display room. Xila pulled out a noisemaker arrow and sent it flying down the hallway. A few seconds’ later knocking sounds started. The guards were startled for a few seconds, but they went to investigate.
Xila slid silently up to the door. It was locked. Xila tried her lock picks. No result. Xila looked down the hallway. The guards were coming back! Xila thought of the key in her pocket. It was worth a try. She pulled the key out and slid it into the door. It fit! Xila walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Then she heard the voices.

“This’ll be a success for the Downwinders tonight!”

“Yeah, those guards couldn’t protect a henhouse!”

“Ha, ha, ha”

The voices cut off as a door across the room closed Xila stood shock still. Beaten to the punch again! Xila was about to go after them when the door across the room opened again and a guard walked in.
First, he saw the empty display cases. Then he saw Xila.

“Thief!”

Xila spun around and ran through the door. The two guards outside were too surprised to take a swing at her as she ran by, for which she was very glad. She sped though the house and hoped desperately that her luck would hold out.

Xila’s greatest quality was never being lucky.

As Xila cleared the servants’ door, she noticed the glimmer of a sword. She threw herself to the left as the guard swung at her, but the tip of the blade still caught her stomach.
She didn’t give herself time to think about it. She kept on and ran toward the outer wall. She quickly mantled up the wall and ran toward the city.
She head footsteps and looked behind herself. The guards were still on her trail. She wove through the alleys and the main streets and still they followed her. How could they still be on her trail?
And her side was beginning to ache…
She froze and looked down. Blood was still flowing freely from her stomach. She looked behind her. She was leaving a tail of blood and the guards were still hot on its trail. She couldn’t stop to bandage it…
Xila changed directions and started sprinting like she had never done before. Soon she came upon the river. Without hesitation she jumped in.
Bitter cold coursed though her body, but she didn’t care. She swam only enough to keep herself and the surface and no more. She watched the guards who had stopped at the edge of the water and were cursing at her now.
She watched as the City floated by and as she floated into the countryside. She couldn’t stay in the water forever. She had to be on land to bandage her wound.
Reluctantly she climbed up to the side of the river. She felt even colder than before and she was beginning to care. There was a large wall in front of her, covered with vines. That seemed odd. Then she heard voices.

Xila panicked and started to climb the huge wall. Pity it didn’t occur to her just how huge it was until she fell down on the other side.

She recovered long enough to bandage herself and then lapsed into unconsciouses. Her last conscious thought was that at least it wasn’t Garrett who messed up her plan this time.