The Acolyte

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.

"Devin," he replied, lifting his glass as if to say thanks, and took a sip.

"So Devin, what's a handsome stud doing in a place like this?" Reilyn asked, feeling more than a little foolish.

She knew it sounded stupid as soon as the words left her mouth. She wasn't the greatest at flirting. She generally preferred to be more direct, but sometimes she had to play the game. Devin didn't seem to mind. He sipped his wine, laughed, and flirted back. He obviously knew the game as well.

By the time they had finished the pitcher of wine, Reilyn was more than ready to go. She stood up and took Devin by the hand without a word. She led him away from the table and up the stairs to her room. As soon as the door closed, Reilyn turned around and gave Devin a deep passionate kiss.

The kiss lasted only a couple of moments, before she pulled back, gave him a wink, and lowered herself to her knees in front of him. Her hands worked quickly and she undid his belt and pulled his trousers down. His cock sprang out, already hard, the tip glistening with precum. She looked up at him with a grin and ran her tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip. His sharp intake of breath sent a shudder of pleasure through Reilyn. Making a guy feel good was a major turn-on for her. She could already start to feel her pussy getting wet. She slowly took his whole cock into her mouth, relishing his gasps and moans as she did.

The next couple of minutes while Reilyn licked, sucked, and stroked Devin's dick. It only served to make Reilyn even more aroused. She had removed her shirt and let her breasts hang free. The sight of them made Devin twitch in her mouth. It was a seemingly endless cycle. Reilyn became more aroused, which caused Devin to become more aroused, which caused Reilyn to get more aroused. On and on it went. Eventually, Reilyn had to stop. She needed his cock inside her and needed it now.

She stood up and quickly slid her trousers off. She backed up to the bed and sat down, spreading her legs wide, inviting Devin to come and take her. Devin didn't waste any time removing the rest of his clothes. He stepped forward quickly with a grin and knelt down in front of Reilyn. He quickly drove his face between her thighs and immediately began sucking on her hard clit. Reilyn gasped in pleasure. Her hands buried into his thick hair, pulling him closer into her pussy. His tongue and hot breath increased the pleasure building in her. The steady rhythm of his licking was driving her wild. She threw back her head and moaned with pleasure. Her hips started bucking in rhythm to his tongue. She felt the orgasm building and cried out as it exploded within her.

She fell back onto the bed panting and feeling her body tingle with pleasure. Gods that was good. Just what she needed. She looked up as she felt him grab her ankles and spread them wide apart. She groaned in pleasure as he slid his cock deep inside her. She looked up at him in anticipation as he began fucking her hard. Each slap of his pelvis against hers, driving him deeper inside, brought a gasp from her throat. The pleasure was intense. It felt as if it were one long continuous orgasm, sweeping through her body. Without warning Devin pulled out and flipped her over, sliding his cock into her again from the back. He grabbed her by the wrists and hauled back, pulling her backward as he drove his cock in and out of her. The way he was dominating her and using her as he saw fit only increased the intense pleasure she was already feeling, driving all thoughts from her mind.

She didn't know how long it had been, but they both lay on the bed panting and sweating. Post-orgasm tingles still running up and down Reilyns body, her pussy throbbing with pleasure.

It took her a moment to catch her breath before she could speak.

"Well, that was fun. Thank you. Now it's time for you to go," she told Devin and tried to get out of bed, but her legs still felt weak and wobbly.

After a moment, she was able to get up and move to where she had discarded her clothes and boots and gathered them up into her arms. She wobbled to the small chair and piled her clothes on top of it. She would sort them out later. She turned back to the bed as Devin was climbing out. He didn't speak, just silently gathering his things, getting dressed in the process. When he was dressed, he stepped toward Reilyn who was now back in bed, trying to straighten out the blankets.

"Um... thank you," he muttered and bent down to give her an awkward hug and a kiss.

Reilyn didn't respond, just stared at him until he cleared his throat and left the room. She lay back with a sigh. It was a damn good fucking he had given her, but she wasn't trying to have any sort of relationship with this guy. The idea of having a random man sleep in her bed didn't sit right with her. Being fucked by random men was one thing. The other felt too much like a relationship for her. But it had been a long night, as fun as it was, and she was tired. She leaned over, blew out the small lantern and turned over, wrapping the blankets around her as she tried to fall asleep.

* * *

Anabel was in much better spirits since her encounter with the Oracle. Having some food and a wash certainly helped in that regard. She still wasn't sure where she needed to go, but decided that following the stream was as good a plan as any. She made her way more leisurely now, feeling more confident that she wasn't being followed or hunted. There wasn't as much brush and debris further from the stream, which made the going much easier and quicker. The stream wasn't completely out of eye shot though.

As she walked among the trees, her mind wandered back to what the Oracle had said about shadows. Had she meant actual shadows? Or was it more of a metaphor? She cast her mind back to her classes and training in the temple, but nothing seemed to stand out. Thinking of that brought images of that horrible day unbidden to her mind. She shook her head and tried in vain to get the sight of Sister Hall crumpling like a rag doll where she stood as her neck was broken out of her head. She could still see the dead eyes of the Sisters as their bodies lay broken and twisted. The smell of blood and gore was still thick in her nostrils. She bent over and emptied her stomach at the memories. She looked up to the sky as she wiped her mouth with her cloak and said a quick prayer for the dead. When she finished, tears were streaming down her face and she wept. She wept for all who had died that day. She wept for Sister Hall who had sacrificed her own life to save hers. All the pain and horror of that day burst out of her. She had been too frightened at the beginning to even think, but now all she could do was weep.

The day was growing late when Anabel was finally able to compose herself. She picked herself up from where she had fallen as she wept and scrubbed her face with her hand. She still needed to move. The day was growing late and she wanted to try to make a more proper camp before it got too dark. She still felt a little shaky as she walked through the forest, but was determined to try to put that day out of her mind. She had a mission to accomplish.

Anabel walked on through the forest for several more days, eating her rabbits sparingly and taking at least a few minutes to wash up each morning. She had thought about trying to lay out snares each night but had no idea how to even begin to make one, let alone the materials she might need. Hunger had been gnawing at her most of the day now, but she didn't know how far she would need to travel before she could find food again. She tried to make it last as long as possible. Having the water skin did help though, and with the stream nearby, water wasn't an issue.

The forest had begun thinning yesterday, making her traveling easier. She must be getting close to the edge of the forest. She had no idea what might lie beyond, but she hoped that she might be able to find civilization at least. The idea of maybe finding a farmhouse was encouraging and helped bolster her spirits. She didn't typically mind being alone, but out here among the trees, it was starting to wear on her. At least having someone to talk to would be welcomed.

The next day finally brought Anabel out of the woods. She looked out across a field of grain. A cultivated field like this only meant one thing. A farm. And where there was a farm, there was a farmhouse, and most importantly, people.

Her heart felt lighter than it had in days as she practically skipped through the young stalks, barely up to her ankle. She didn't have to go far when she spotted a thin column of smoke rising in the distance.

That has to be the farmhouse

she thought, and quickened her pace.

She felt as if she were in a race and the finish line was in sight. She felt like running, but her hunger had sapped most of her strength. She didn't want to end up collapsing at some good wife's door. So she continued her pace, each step bringing her closer to the farm.

As she got closer, a pair of large dogs came rushing out of the barn straight toward her. Their barking rang loud in the air. A man stepped out of the barn, holding a pitchfork as if he meant to use it as a weapon. Anabel stopped in her tracks as the dogs slowly circled her eyeing them carefully, deep growls coming from their throats. She lifted her hands to show that she wasn't a threat, and waited until the farmer came closer, pitchfork at the ready.

The man looked to be in his later years. Grizzled and worn, but tough as old roots. His eyes were clear and sharp, despite his graying hair, and he held himself as if he was ready and capable of defending himself and his farm.

"Who might ye be, traipsin' through my land?" The farmer asked, tilting his head to the side as he spat on the ground.

Anabel bowed her head, careful not to make any sudden moves, and spoke loudly.

"My name is Anabel, Acolyte of our Goddess Ishtara. I would ask for a bite of food and maybe a place to sleep in your barn, if it pleases you."

The man gave a whistle and both the dogs ran back to him, sitting down to either side of him, but still looked ready to pounce if their master gave the signal. He lowered his pitchfork and bowed low to Anabel.

"Apologies Mistress," he said, straightening up but keeping his gaze on the ground.

"Didn't mean to offend ye, Mistress. If I'd've known you was an Acolyte I would have greeted you proper like. Please forgive me. Of course, you are most welcome here Mistress. My house is yours, Mistress."

Anabel breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her hands. She knew that she had nothing to fear from this man.

"Thank you, good sir. May the blessings of Ishtara be upon you and your household for your generosity this day."

The man grinned and bobbed his head. He gestured for Anabel to follow him and led her to the small farmhouse nearby, bobbing his head and trying to make a half bow every few steps. Anabel found it amusing but didn't want to offend the man by laughing. She almost wanted to tell him to stop but decided doing so would deeply offend the man. One shouldn't offend those who are offering you help after all.

"Ma! Ma! Come quick! We have company!" the man called out as they approached the farmhouse.

It was a simple house, sturdy and well-built. Dark green shutters flanked the windows, and the rough boards of the walls looked freshly whitewashed. The yard and small garden looked well-tended and cared for. A few chickens wandered around pecking and scratching the ground, and a large orange cat sat napping in the sun on the porch.

A woman stepped out from inside the house, wiping her hands on her apron. She was older, with thin streaks of gray streaking her dark hair, kept in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She carried herself with an air of self-assurance and authority. There was no question in Anabel's mind as to whose house this was.

The farmer quickly hurried over to his wife and whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew wide as he spoke, and she quickly dropped into a low curtsy.

"Be welcome Mistress. Our home is yours, if you please," she said, keeping her gaze on the ground.

"Thank you, good woman. May the blessings of Ishtara be upon you and yours," Anabel said, giving a quick curtsy to the woman.

The woman stood beaming at her and gestured for her to come inside.

"Please do come in Mistress," she said, bowing her head.

Anabel wasn't surprised by their reaction and behavior toward her. She encountered the same often at the temple from parishioners and those seeking a blessing from the goddess. She graciously accepted the invitation and stepped into the house.

The inside was kept as neat and tidy as the outside. It wasn't fancy, but the furniture had the look of a craftsman who took pride in his work. A single countertop was covered in flour, and a lump of dough sat in the middle. The woman must have been making bread and had been interrupted by Anabel's arrival.

The man quickly pulled out a chair at the table and urged to her sit and make herself comfortable. The woman quickly busied herself with preparing some tea. A kettle was already hanging in the fire, heating the water. She pulled out her nicest tea set from one of the cupboards and filled the pot with the hot water from the kettle. She found a tin of what Anabel assumed was her nicest tea, and carefully measured it out into the teapot. When all was ready, the woman laid out the tea for each of them. Offering Anabel a small plate with bread and butter. Anabel smiled and said thank you before taking a slice. As much as she wanted to stuff the whole thing in her mouth right then, she only took a small bite.