FicWad

The house was simple; one story with a small attic addition, shallow cellar and three rooms. It was empty of life, but full of possessions, as fine as a middle class family of four could have possessed. The front door was locked, un-touched, as were all the windows; all the windows but one.

The window on the east side of the house, hidden in darkness, was broken and all but fallen into the house. The wall around it was cracking inward from the force that was put upon it moments before. To the simple passerby all looked well and good. Except, perhaps, for the two people climbing from the attic window onto an overhanging tree-limb bathed in shadows.

A woman with scarlet hair scaled down the tree quickly, gathering the sacks of loot from the ground that she’d dropped from the window and turned in time to see her partner hanging by his fingertips from a tree branch. She rolled her eyes as she watched the young man kick the air madly in an attempt to gain footing on the tree limb he’d aimed for and missed. Shaking her head, the woman slid through the shadows to beneath where her partner struggled and gazed up at him, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. Reaching up while standing on her toes, she grasped his foot, stilling him. Then, with a little tug, she watched as he lost his grip on the branch and dropped into a heap before her.

“I don’t know why we couldn’t have used the same way out as we went in,” Gavan complained, standing and stretching his now aching body. “And what’d you go and do that for?” He was unable to pull off angry with his ever-peaceful eyes.

Zuri laughed silently and shoved two sacks of loot into his arms, which he nearly dropped at the suddenness of their weight. “I couldn’t resist,” she said, grinning, the playfulness in her voice not quite reaching her cold, emerald green eyes. “And we didn’t exit through the same window because the longer we spent in that house the bigger chance we’d have of being caught. It would have taken more time to go back down the attic stairs to get to the window and climb out of it than it did to climb from the window a few steps away from us.”

Gavan sighed, defeated, and watched Zuri as she scanned their surroundings for any sign of another human being or anything that could give them away. Once satisfied she nodded and the two melted into the darkness of the night as though there had never been two thieves standing beneath a shriveled oak tree moments before.


As day broke, Gavan and Zuri were safely tucked away inside an old abandoned barn they’d taken residence in. The smell was nothing to boast about, but it kept them mostly dry when it rained and hidden from anyone who might be looking for them. It was located on the outskirts of the town they’d been in only hours before and lay crumbling beside a forgotten road that led into the dark forest every town resident insisted was haunted.

While the sky began to fade from midnight-blue to a blinding orange, Gavan lay curled under a pile of old blankets and hole-filled coats while Zuri sat in a pile of hay going through the night’s income. They’d come out of it pretty well. Two of the bags had been filled to the top with items that could bring a hefty amount of money to their tenure; jewelry, silver dinnerware, clothes and shoes without holes (these, she’d decided, could bring in a lot since many she’d be selling to had very little of anything), a pocket watch, some nice knives and daggers (if she hadn’t already had so many she’d have kept these for herself), and lots of children’s toys. They’d also managed to find a couple satchels of money hidden in one of the rooms under a feathered mattress.

The other two bags contained the things she and Gavan would need to survive if they were to make it to the town they intended to sell in; food, flasks full of water and, upon Gavan’s insistence, ale, new boots for both of them, a pair of pants each and a new tunic each. The food and drink would last them, if rationed well, until they reached their destination. The clothes would serve well as extras and the boots would be replacing the ones they currently had on their feet.

Zuri cast a glance at the sky through a hole in the roof of the barn. It was about five hours into the day. Time to take leave. She quickly packed the spoils back into the sacks, careful to keep the supplies for them separate from what they were to sell, then stood and walked to where Gavan lay asleep. As she knelt next to him she recalled how the two had met four years ago in Gavan’s hometown.



She had run into a bit of trouble stealing from a very high-ranking family. She’d spent the whole week hiding from the dogs and sentries that scoured the town looking for her. She often found herself in a ditch or someone’s cellar or attic in order to avoid being caught. It had been a night like the latter that had brought Gavan and Zuri together.

The dogs had caught her scent and chased her across town to a small shack, too small to be called a house, where Zuri had climbed through an open window and silently climbed into the attic. As she curled into a corner, her breathing began to slow and she became aware of breathing other than her own. Stilling herself completely, she listened for a good part of the night to the other being sharing the attic. She knew it could have been an animal, but she was all too sure the breathing was that of another person. By the time the sun had risen, Zuri had fallen asleep and was awakened by a woman’s screech of horror.

After the initial shock and a long explanation on Zuri’s part, the family had agreed to let her stay in the attic which had turned out to be their oldest son, Gavan’s room. Gavan spent most of the days doing chores, but what time he had free he spent sitting and talking to Zuri, listening to her stories of travel and plundering. He became fascinated with her lifestyle as well as Zuri herself.

A week passed before the dogs led their owners to Gavan’s house. During that time Zuri felt as though she had a real family for once. They were all so kind to her and paid no mind to the fact that she had broken into their house. When the sentries arrived and Gavan’s parents refused to hand Zuri over, they had killed the father, enslaved the mother, two young daughters and the youngest son. Gavan and Zuri had heard it all; the screams of the mother and children as their father was killed, followed by cries and screams as they were taken as prisoners. When they heard footsteps beneath the stairs to the attic, they did the only thing they could if they were to live; they jumped from the attic window, landing on one of the men searching for Zuri. Grabbing the sword the man had had, Zuri jammed it through his arm, pinning him to the ground then led Gavan away and into the woods. They lived roughly for a while after that, but finally had fallen into a pattern and began to feel as though things had gotten, at least, somewhat better.

Gavan had stuck with her through so much, even after his family was killed and enslaved for hiding her. She owed him her life, in her opinion, though he’d never accept that. They were friends, he always said, that’s what friends were for. Zuri believed differently, but she could never say that to Gavan. He meant too much to her for her to create a rift between them.


Now, as she knelt beside his sleeping form, she smiled softly and gazed over his features. His dirty blond hair was a mess, covering his forehead and eyes. Behind his eyelids were deep blue eyes. Like the ocean, she so often thought. Though she tried to avoid it, she found herself lost in his gaze more often than not. He was rugged, quite strong and muscled from so much farm work growing up and living as he had with Zuri the past four years. She knew beneath his shirt was a strongly muscled chest and arms. He was fast, reflexes better than he gave himself credit for. Given a sword or dagger, Gavan could be deadly. He had his flaws, though. He was afraid of heights, which had been the reason for his clumsiness the night before. And his ocean blue eyes could never hold anger or hatred. He was too kind of a man to show such a strong emotion as those. His biggest flaw was that he tried to see the good in everyone and every situation. He’d much rather try and solve a problem with words than fighting. She’d never seen him fight unless forced to, and even then the only thing reflecting in his eyes was regret.

Zuri reached down and gently brushed Gavan’s hair away from his eyes. She sighed slightly then felt him tense and began to pull back, but before she could pull her hand away his hand was wrapped around her wrist and he was sitting, alert and looking slightly confused. When he realized who it was, he slowly let go of her and shook his head.

“Sorry,” he muttered, though he didn’t need to. She’d seen him fight, yes. And she knew he had good reflexes. But he’d never reacted that way before. Deep inside that sensitive, childlike shell there was a powerful man that Zuri was now determined to set free. His eyes had even shown hardness she’d never seen before, but had quickly faded to that constant calm that she couldn’t stand.

“We need to take leave, get to the forest before someone realizes what happened last night,” Zuri said, covering her shock and slight excitement with her usual mask of cold control. She turned and went back to the pile of hay she had been sitting on while Gavan woke up a little more.

After changing their boots to the ones they’d acquired, Gavan and Zuri began their trek to the forest six hours into the day. They each carried a bag of supplies and a bag of items they’d be selling in the town of Gurshmak in case they became separated. Gurshmak was a good week and a half from where they were now and from there they intended to head another two weeks to the town of Surnal. The trek before them was undoubtedly long, but they had gone on longer without stopping.

Zuri hadn’t told Gavan that Surnal was her hometown. She was hesitant about going back there. Her past wasn’t the best of them and she didn’t want Gav wrapped up in it. Not to mention there were things she didn’t wish to remember or have Gavan learn. Gavan, however, seemed excited about going to Surnal. He hadn’t been there before and, until meeting Zuri, hadn’t traveled much at all.

Within a short amount of time the edge of the forest loomed before the two travelers like a solid wall of darkness. Neither of them had said a word to the other since before they left the barn. The sun now hung in the sky hovering between morning and noon and hunger gnawed at Zuri’s insides, but they wouldn’t stop for a meal until they were tucked safely within the belly of the forest.

“I’m sorry,” Gavan muttered, breaking the silence and Zuri’s train of thought. “About earlier, when you woke me. I don’t know what-what got into me.”

Zuri cast a calculating glance at her companion. She’d been wondering that herself. What she saw that morning when he woke was nothing she’d ever seen in him before. ‘What are you hiding from me?’she wondered then gave a short nod in response to his apology.

They came upon the edge of the forest quicker than she had expected and as she led the way into the depth of the forest day suddenly became night. She stopped and allowed her vision to adjust, sensing that Gavan was doing the same not far from where she stood. Once she could see again she started their journey again, Gavan following her

After about two hours, they came upon a well defined path winding through the more dense part of the forest. Stepping carefully out onto it, Zuri glanced up and down the path before nodding to Gavan to follow her.

“Why would there be such a defined path in woods no one traveled in?” Gavan asked frowning. Sometimes he could be so naive.

“Apparently it’s more traveled than we thought.” Zuri responded as calmly as she could then walked off. Gavan followed after staring after her for a few confused moments.

Another hour passed and the bits of sky they could see began to grow darker. Zuri cast calculating looks up at it several times before turning off the path and leading Gavan through the brush. They soon came to a clearing that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and was quite obviously not natural. There was a roughly built fire pit beside a small cave that was dug out of the roots of a fallen tree. A small pile of twigs and branches sat beside the fire pit along with what looked like the remains of a small animal.

“How’d you know this was here?” Gavan asked as they set up camp. Zuri glanced at him then went back to unrolling the blanket she had for a bed. He began to think she wasn’t going to respond when she stood and looked at him again.

“I just guessed,” she said with a sly grin. “I’m going to collect some more kindling so we don’t freeze to death. It’s going to be a cold night.” Gavan gave a nod of understanding, though frowned at her lack of answer, and finished setting up camp.

By the time she returned, Zuri was surprised to find that Gavan had started a small fire and began cooking a pot of stew. She silently dropped her pile of wood next to the fire pit and sat on her blanket to watch Gavan make their dinner. As he seemed to near finishing she grabbed two crudely made cups from one of their bags and filled them with ale. She handed him one while accepting a bowl of the stew. Testing the temperature and taste she looked up surprised at her companion.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” she said before taking another bite. A small chuckle came from across the fire followed by a shrug as Gavan took a bite of his own stew.

“You never gave me a chance to do it.” He said with a second shrug.

“Well feel free to continue, this is splendid.” Zuri grinned at her friend who in turn smiled back. They then proceeded to eat their meal in blissful silence, the only sounds coming from the nightlife of the forest.

Zuri glanced across the fire at her friend, wondering what he was hiding from her. That morning he’d revealed a side to him she hadn’t known existed. She hoped he’d show that side again, perhaps just enough to give her an idea what she might have missed these past two years. ‘Whatever you are hiding from me, Gavan, I’ll pry it out of you,’ She gave him a small smile and set her now empty bowl down then lifted her cup to her lips, taking a sip of ale. Somehow, some way, she’d release the strength Gavan had shown her that morning. It was how she’d go about it she didn’t know.