The Acolyte
Chapter 5
Reilyn stood fidgeting in the mouth of the dark alleyway, leaning up against the rough brick wall.
She was well hidden in the shadows, but still felt the thrill of nervous excitement surge through her body. She had done this dozens of times, but it was still a rush. She carefully peeked out from the shadows and up the empty street.
Where was he? He should have been here by now...
she thought, feeling excited and eager, but wanted to get this over with.
She fell back against the wall with a frustrated grunt. She decided to double-check her gear and quickly patted her sleeves. The throwing knives were still secure. Her belt knife, dagger, knapsack, and coin pouch were still in place. She quickly bent down and felt the small dagger tucked into her boot. Everything was still in place and ready to go. She peeked out again as she straightened, and quickly flattened herself against the wall. She finally spotted him stumbling down the empty street.
Reilyn stood still, waiting for the man to pass by. His slow shambling pace made her feel anxious. She had marked him at a tavern hours ago. His rich clothes, and the way he tossed money around, marked him as a minor nobleman, likely slumming it for the night. She had caught sight of his purse when she made up her mind, it was still hanging heavy on his belt. She slipped out of the tavern before him while he was arguing with the tavern keeper about his bill.
It wasn't much longer when Reilyn watched the man stumble past, while she stayed in the shadows. As soon as he did, she stepped out from the alleyway, sliding the dagger from its sheath. She quickly caught up to him placed the tip of the dagger on the back of his neck, and wrapped her arm around his neck, cutting off his air.
"Drop the purse and you'll live," she hissed softly into his ear as he froze.
The man tried to pull away but froze again as Reilyn increased the pressure on the blade, the point poking into his neck, a breath away from drawing blood. He immediately stopped trying to struggle free. Reilyn felt the man grabbing at his belt pouch and heard it drop the cobblestones with a satisfying ringing as a few coins spilled out.
"Thank you," Reilyn whispered in his ear and playfully planted a kiss on his cheek.
She shoved him away and watched as the man tried to run. But in his drunken and frightened state, he only managed a few yards before collapsing in a heap. Reilyn bent down to gather the purse and the spilled coins but kept an eye on the man. He didn't get back up. Reilyn cautiously approached him and kicked him in the ribs. The man groaned softly and almost immediately began snoring. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was a thief, not a murderer. Sure, she needed to defend herself on more than one occasion and had been the one to walk away from those encounters. But that was different. She hurried on, eager to get out of there in case the Watch happened by. They didn't typically patrol this street, which was why she had chosen it, but one could never be too careful.
As she made her way through the street to the inn where she kept a room, the familiar rush of adrenaline still coursed through her body. The thrill of a job, despite being almost too easy, still sent a tingling through her. The sense of danger, the excitement of it all. Reilyn thrived on it. The feelings of stealing something for the first time as a little girl never really went away. Every job sent those feelings running through her. That feeling is what she lived for.
When she arrived at her room in the inn, she tossed the heavy purse on the bed and began removing her knives, placing them carefully on the small nightstand. Her cloak and knapsack went under the bed out of sight. Only then did she plop down on the bed and empty the purse, counting the coins that spilled out. Sixty-five gold crowns, seventy-eight silver marks, and a handful of copper pennies. She giggled with joy. It had been a long while since she scored this well from a mugging. She stood, grabbed her dagger from the nightstand, and walked to the center of the small room. Bending down, she pried a floorboard up with her dagger and deposited the gold into a large purse she kept hidden there. Most of the silver went into another purse. The remaining silver and copper went back into the purse. She replaced the floorboard and tied the purse firmly to her belt. She glanced around the room and satisfied nothing was out of place, she made her way down to the common room. Tonight she was going to celebrate.
Even though it was late, the common room was nearly full. Pipe smoke made a haze in the room, and a musician playing some sort of instrument, not very well, in the corner. The music mingled with the loud laughter and shouts from winners and losers of several dice games going on. This was the type of atmosphere Reilyn liked. It reminded her of a festival, or at least what she imagined a festival might have felt like. She never had a chance to go to a festival, but the idea seemed fun. But this was close enough for now.
She pushed her way through the crowd and leaned up against the bar. It took a few minutes to get the innkeeper's attention, but eventually, she ordered a pitcher of wine and two glasses. She was alone but had no intention of remaining that way for long. She wound her way back through the crowd again and found a small table in the corner. She sat down and poured herself a glass of wine and began studying the room. She had seen more than a few good-looking young men who might be good for a roll in the sheets, but most of them seemed too drunk to even see straight so she continued scanning.
Then she saw him. A tall, muscular man standing nearby chatting and laughing with a couple of other young men. She felt a familiar fluttering in her belly, and her heart sped up a little. He was gorgeous. She sipped her wine and eyed him up and down. She imagined his strong arms wrapped around her, and his hands running up and down her body. She tilted her head as he turned and she got a good look at his ass.
Oh, this one will do just fine
she thought, images of him looming over her flashed through her mind.
The man turned toward her and made eye contact, catching her leering at him. She smiled and raised her glass with a wink and playfully bit her lower lip. The man grinned and turned back to his friends. A moment later, he broke off from the group and sauntered over to Reilyns table. Reilyn leaned back in her chair, and openly eyed him up and down, making it obvious that she was checking him out.
"Have a seat handsome," Reilyn said, gesturing to the other chair with her wine glass.
"So, what's your name?" she asked, pouring the second glass of wine and sliding it across the table to him.
