The Unknown Thief

Part 6

"I am not going to hurt you," Aubrey mumbled.  "I just want to know who the man is, and what the repercussions are."

"You have not felt it yet?" Aubrey shook her head in silent answer.  Cora nodded before continuing, "The banishing reversed itself.  Instead of making him stay away from you, I made it to where he could not be so far away."

"You bound him to me?" she hissed, not being able to keep the anger out of her voice.  As soon as the words left her mouth in that tone, she wanted to take it back.  Cora had slinked further back into the corner and was now regarding her with fright.

"I did not do it to harm you; I was only trying to help."

She sighed and shifted closer to her friend.  "I know, Cora, and I am sorry for taking my anger out on you.  Please, just tell me who this man is so I may deal with this."

"I cannot undo it, Abe.  I do not know how it happened; therefore, it will be irreversible until it plays out."

"His name, Cora, all I want is his name.  I do not blame you because you were only trying to help, but you know Daisy cannot be left unattended for long.  Your people may love her, but she has a sick sense of humor at times."

"Yes, I remember the last time she was playing with her fire."

Aubrey winced.  "It took us days to rebuild your caravan."

"It is better than before," Cora replied while rubbing a hand against the boards.  "His name is Nathaniel."

Nathaniel shifted on his feet, trying to process what he had just seen.  In attempt to talk to the red-head once more, he had searched the grounds.  At the last minute, he had checked the gardens, only to find Ainsely waving.  Nathaniel had gotten as close as he could in order to find out what the man was waving at, and, to his surprise, it had been the woman and her dragon. 

He had not seen her features, but the dragon was something he could not mistake.  There was no doubt in his mind that the woman who had just flown away was, in fact, his thief.  Nathaniel had just gotten his first lead; Ainsely.  The man knew the identity of his thief, and Nathaniel was going to do anything in his power to find who she was.  If that included questioning Ainsely, that is what Nathaniel would do.

A noise sounded out making Nathaniel snap out of his thoughts.  Glancing about, he watched as Ainsely bent down to pick up various pieces of clothing.  The man let out a laugh before plucking a slipper out of a nearby hedge.  "You may as well come out.  Lurking in the shadows does not suit a man of your caliber."

Nathaniel mumbled a curse before stepping out of his darkened hiding spot.  "I did not realize you felt my presence."

"I did not, but the land knows," he replied with a nod.  "You should understand how it feels, having your magic connected with you lands.  How must you feel being away from it?"

"My land does not recognize me," Nathaniel said through his teeth.  The man was bringing up past matters that were better left unsaid. 

Ainsely laughed at him.  "Do not try to appear less than what you are.  You're a powerful man.  Any man, who has your power and your family name, has no chance of blending in."

"I do not have land that recognizes me as its own."

"No land," Ainsely mumbled before shaking his head. "Then you have not found where you belong."

"Do you always speak in riddles?"

He nodded at Nathaniel.  "When a man I do not know spies on me, I find it pertinent to speak as I wish."

"Damn," Nathaniel whispered, knowing that he would not get far with Ainsely.  Shrugging, he tried another tactic.  "I was not following you.  I wanted to know who the lady is, the one with the dragon."

Ainsely's body tensed.  "What do you want with her?"

"She acquired a certain painting of mine; I just wanted to speak to her about it."

"I gave that back to you," Ainsely said with new-found anger.  "You have nothing on her because your painting is in your possession."

"Calm down," Nathaniel said while raising his hands, showing the man that he was harmless.  The action didn't make Ainsely relax. If anything, the man seemed more tense than he was before.  "I do not wish to harm the woman, only to speak to her."

"Why?" Ainsely asked in undisguised suspicion.

Nathaniel considered his next words carefully. Should he tell the man the truth?  That he was intrigued by this woman?  Or should he lie in hopes that Ainsely would be more forthcoming.  Nathaniel shrugged.  "I find her intriguing."

Ainsely laughed.  "To think that if she was not good with convincing people to do something, you two would already know one another.  You are intrigued by her, but I cannot tell you who she is."

Nathaniel listened to the man's words carefully.  He ran the first sentence through his head once more.  They had had a conversation only minutes earlier about something vaguely the same.  What was it?  He closed his eyes and concentrated on bringing the memory back.  In a rush, everything burst in his head.  They were talking about his sister.

"She's your sister?" Nathaniel asked in eagerness.  "The woman who stole my painting is your sister?"

Ainsely smiled at him, but instead of confirming or denying the accusation, he turned and walked away.  Nathaniel stared at his back.  He knew who she was, but how did he find her?