Runed

4 - I'm Too Lazy for this Bullshit

"Sometimes. But I'm poor, you're not."

"We're being funded by the Royal treasury-"

"Even richer!"

He scowled at me. "Taking too much money would be too noticeable. Until you can give me a logical reason to sleep indoors, we're camping."

"It's safer. Barricade the doors, lock the windows and it's near impossible to get in. You have the element of surprise if someone keep watch where they can't be seen. Set traps. Outside there's an openness. Anyone can come from anywhere, can even shoot from the bushes or trees. In a room, they'd have to get the perfect angle, one that you can look out for. I could give you thousands more, but I think you get the point."

"I think she's got you," Bryn said, stuffing something into the small horses saddle bag.

Zeke glared down at me. "I hate that you're smart."

"Eh, doesn't bother me."

"Come on you two," Bryn said, mounting his small mare. "We don't have time to stand around and bicker."

Zeke gave me one last glare before mounting his horse.

I took Bryn's outstretched hand and let him pick me up.

When I tried grabbing onto his shirt, I felt a twinge of pain up my left side. Damn, I really needed some alone time.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to sleep against Bryn's warm back.

---

"We're here," a voice said.

I opened my eyes to find that I wasn't face first in the dirt. Which was nice.

"I didn't want to get off this time. I was worried I'd accidentally drop you... again."

"I like you," I said, getting off and taking a look at the small city village thing we were in. "You're nice."

He gave me a small smile before dismounting and tying the horse to a pole.

"Why do you and Zeke grab provisions," Bryn offered. "I'll take a perimeter of the town."

"Why don't you stay here," I said. "It'll be faster if I take perimeter."

Bryn shot a look to Zeke who gave a shrug. "Alright," he said, looking back at me, "just don't run off. Be back in an hour."

"Twenty thousand gold crowns. I'll be back in half an hour, forty-five minutes if there's trouble. Make sure you get a lot of food, the south is cold this time of year, so thicker clothes too. Animals can be harder to catch so maybe a bow and arrow. Or a bear trap. Maybe a tent to shield from the wind."

They both looked at me.

"You travel?" Zeke asked.

"When I need too." I turned around, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword. "See you in a little."

When I was in the confines of the forest, and sure that no one could see me, I let my tune escape. My body grew smaller as I turned into a little smooth feathered raven.

I gave a flap of my wings and started to take perimeter of the town. At the same time, I released a layer of darkness around me, relieving myself of the darkness that was biting at the edges of my consciousness.

Still, I could make out a little camp in the corner of my eye. Three people, one of them definitely runed; I was sure because of the rancid brown that crawled from his neck to his cheek. Not like a skin mark, but like someone'd painted it in.

Sighing, I landed a few yards away from the camp, transforming myself before I hit the ground.

"Stop where you are," a voice said, male.

I stepped closer, into the camp until I could see them all. They were all runed and proudly flaunting it. The one girl that was there, standing and glaring at me, had a shirt that pulled a ways above her stomach, enough so I could see the purple that circled her bellybutton.

The other was a younger man, and I mean younger than me. Maybe sixteen. On his left arm, a blue rune swirled from his wrist until a few inches below his elbow.

From what I could see, all the runes were fairly small, but I had my eyes on the purple one. It was such a deep rich color that I could probably fetch thirty-five gold crowns for the rune itself. I could probably get at least forty-five if a client wanted me to do insertion myself.

I held my and up in surrender.

"I'm sorry, really, but, uh, I'm one of you, see?" Carefully, I picked up the corner of my shirt, revealing only a portion of the giant brand of 'target'.

Their eyes widened and their hands went down. Smiles crossed their faces. It was funny, the trust between strangers if they were runed.

"You guys are with that Howe guy, right?" I inquired.

Brown faced guy smiled. "You're here for him too, right? There's rumors goin' round that he's gonna free all us."

I smiled, then lunged. My fingers flicked out, so close that my rune easily jumped from them to his head, knocking him unconscious.

On either side of me, I could see the other two's shocked face. Too slow.

My darkness leapt out, wrapping around their mouths so they couldn't scream, their feet so they couldn't run, and their hands so they couldn't crawl.

I walked over to the unconscious one first.

Their runes were mine.