I watched him enter the small shop from the corner of an alleyway and smiled. Nobody noticed me. I was just another beggar to them, filthy and stinking. My face and hands were smeared with soot from the fire. My clothes stank after seeping in the dirty washwater over night. The disguise was perfect. In many people's eyes, I didn't even exist.

'The hunt' was one of my favorite pastimes. I would chose my prey early in morning. Someone reasonably rich, but not so rich as to attract an overly large amount of attention. And then I would stalk him. I would follow him from house to market, through the streets and even, once, into a church. Sometimes, when I was well off, I would spend days doing this, just to prove I could. And when the time was right, I would take him. A swift crack to the back of the head was normally enough to drop them. Then I'd take everything they had bought that day and their gold, if they had any left.

But today things would be different. Today I would not take from my prey. I would give. Today my prey was Master Nightfall.

He stepped out of the shop and for one terrifying second he seemed to stare straight at me. Then his gaze moved on and I put it down to my imagination. No-one had ever seen me before. I had no reason to think things would be any different this time. I waited until he had started on his way once more, then tagged along behind. His route was winding and he stopped several times before he finally turned for home. I was just rounding a corner behind him when something tripped me. I was grabbed by the collar and hauled of my feet. Looking up, I saw him. "Master Nightfall..," I gasped.

My wits were scattered about as he slowly let go of my ragged shirt, and gently dusted me off with a few quick strokes of his gloved hand. "So," he said with a half smile, "the lynx stalks the tiger today?" He then smiled widely and sat down on a crate. As soon as I regained my bearing, I noticed that we were in a narrow alleyway, about fifty yards down from the main street. I suddenly remembered why I has been following him, dove into my pocket to retrieve my letter to him. I really should not have been surprised when he started reading it out loud to me.

Master Nightfall,

Captain Els, he is sick. He coffs much and his lungs do wees. The healer man did give him medsin. Said that captain should by fire stay til better he be. To the lodge as we planned cannot we go. I seek work, Master Nightfall. The streets be poor not, but I wish me for more... difficults. You understand? The word... Chalinge? For anything I would be grateful... Go to the Red Dragon In and make askings for me. Point you right they will. One last thing I would ask from you. Do you no of this lodge? The words we did find made little mention. Apresheatted and needed be your helps.

Your servant,
Jyre.

***

Leaving the city had become a pain in the recent month. After they had beaten the Trickster, the Hammerites stalked around as if they owned the place. As if they alone ruled the City, now.

Only a year ago, you could count the Hammerites with the fingers of one single hand. It was said that the Order would become extinct, because no-one wanted to join them anymore. But after their glorious victory upon the Trickster, after all the speeches and processions, they had convinced many young men to follow them. They gave a goal for the life to the purposeless, they gave rules to the uncertain, they gave security to the anxious. And they gave us more rigid laws then before.

And more patrols.

Startling from my thoughts by some footsteps, my reflexes led me into a shadow. As if they had heard my thoughts, some Hammerites walked along, full of self-confidence. I let them pass by and kept unseen. This time I had been lucky, once again. I sighed, and checked that my small bow was still well-hidden under my cloak. Then I stepped on the street again and continued my way to the northern gate of the City.

The main gate was heavily guarded in the recent days. It seemed that the Hammerites feared a thread from the outside. Probably they had annoyed the countries in the neighborhood, or provoked a war by invasions into the other countries.

Well, I don't care for politics. Politicians are only a bunch of corrupt nobles who try to rule. But in fact, they are only puppets on a stage. Leaded by fanatics who stay in the background.

I shrugged, and checked the bow and my quiver again. They were still hidden enough for the eyes of those arrogant guards. I lifted my hood, following the rule: If a guard thinks you are only a nice young woman with sandy hair, he will probably only molest you and never think you were his enemy. I forced a relaxed, friendly smile in my face, and stepped towards the gate.

Two Hammerite guards stood there, grinning in my face.

"Hello, missus" one of them said.

I nodded at him. The second rule is: If you feel so much hate against them, do not speak with them. Do a friendly smile, nod, shrug, but never say a word - they could hear the hate in your voice.

"Walking alone, do we?" he continued. They even tried to stand more upright and to look smarter. Damn bastards.

I shrugged, smiling. At this point, it discourages them. Somehow. But always. Must be the missing contact with women in the Order. Sissies.

"Well, then pass by, young missus" he stepped back.

Giving him a friendly smile, I left the city. I could hear them babbling in my back, but I did not take notice of it anymore. No need to waste more time than necessary with them. The friendly smile cracked out off my face as I reviewed my plans.

I would now break into that lodge in the woods. I had heard that there was more loot in the deeper floors than one single greedy thief could carry in both hands. Ideal for my purposes: I needed enough cash for the more important goals in my life. And I had actually only one goal, after I had found my sister, tortured and driven into madness by the bloody Hammerites. Revenge.

My last expedition into the central Hammerite temple had ended in a panicked escape. Somewhere in the temple I had lost the letter my sister had written in her unreadable signs. Confused as she was, she had signed it with my name. I wondered for a moment if it would cause trouble when someone found it. But I relaxed as I remembered its unreadability. I, myself, had not been able to decipher one single word. Only my name at the bottom of it, and the address on its top: "Master Nightfall". I had never met that guy, but heard some rumors about him. Well, making contacts was never my greatest skill. I prefer to rely on myself, rather than on some contact persons. You never know if they won't betray you.

But then, the picture of Thalias scarred face and the deformed hands came back into my mind. I had buried her corpse two days ago. A fresh grave in the wood behind her hut was everything that remained of her. She had survived only for tree months, after the Hammerites had let her free. Hate came upon me."

Not easy to write with once broken wrists. I would deliver them a payback. Thalia had been the last drop in a full barrel, and my hate had overwhelmed me. So heavy was it that I even wanted to leave my usual principle of staying unseen behind me. I wanted revenge. Bloody revenge. I wanted to see them on the floor, enjoy their fear, and destroy them.

Lost in those thoughts, I walked towards the hunting lodge of the Lady. I did not take notice of anything, until I almost fell into a ditch. Stumbling, I came back into reality.

The lodge seemed quiet. Almost deserted.

"Good for me", I mumbled, and crouched forward.

I think that it is always good to have a look at the target before entering it. So, I sneaked around the house. It had the shape of a pentegramm. The roof started immediately over the first floor. Every wall and the roof were built with wood. It did not look very special, apart from the five small towers on the edges of the wall and some windows with the Trickster's eye painted on them. I hoped that the rumors of deeper floors with much loot were right, because it looked disappointing from the outside.

The main gate was closed. Not that the idea of entering the house through the main gate ever touched my mind. Taking the main gates of a house has absolutely no style. And very often, it is trapped with an alarm system. Or with guards who are easy to alert.

I shot a rope arrow in the roof of one of the towers and climbed up. The tower had one chair in it, and there was not place enough for more furniture. I stumbled over it when I went to the door. Luckily, the door opened to the inside, else it would have been blocked by the chair. Behind the door was a narrow, winded staircase. I stopped in the small shadow of the threshold and listened to the sounds from the inside. Just another disappointment: Nothing to hear. Only the wind blowing over the roof. I took the stairs and entered the first floor. It seemed that every tower had its own staircase, and all of them led into a hallway close to the outer wall. The hallway surrounded the building. I avoided the main gate - not out off necessity, but out off training. The painted windows lit the floor in mixed colors.

I choose one door to the inner rooms at random, and entered a kitchen. Some fresh food lay on the tables, some plates were arranged on a border. They were had cheerful pictures of rural life painted on them. The rustic impression was completed by a tea service on the table. First cups had cute flowery patterns. The tea was cold. I relaxed and opened some drawers of the wardrobe. Only the normal cutlery and some coins. I took the coins.

The kitchen was formed in a triangular shape. It one door in every wall, two plus the one to the outer hallway. I choose the left, and found a living-room with a fireplace. The fire was not burning. Some shelves with books on the center wall. I read the titles, but found nothing incriminating: Only novels, and some love stories. I touched the walls, searching for trapdoors. I even crawled into the fireplace. Nothing.

I became slightly annoyed, and rushed through the other floors. A bedroom, a bathroom, and a small office. Everything nice and tidy. I found some jewelry in the bedroom, but nothing of much worth. A picture with a couple in front of a fireplace evoked my curiosity, but it was far too decent to be used for blackmailing - both were not undressed. The newspaper and the bills in the office revealed nothing. Only exciting for people who enjoy bets in the bear-pits. In a wardrobe were some weapons, a bow and a dagger. Items used for hunting parties. The bathroom revealed nothing but a huge bath. After I looked under the soap in the bathroom without finding anything, I got more annoyed.

Angry, I sat down and imagined a map of the house. I came to the conclusion that the nice tidy rooms combined perfectly to the inner pentagramm. The outer wall was not thick enough for secret passages.

I raised and entered every five towers. All of them were similar: One chair, occupying the entire floor. The walls of the staircases were solid. I climbed on the flat roof and found no trapdoors. I went back into the house. Leaving a mess is not my style, but this time I was so enraged that I threw some of the plates with the cute paintings on the floor. They splattered with a satisfying crunch. Grinning, I looked in every wardrobe, behind every furniture, again. I took the books from the shelf and searched for secret buttons. I found nothing and left the lodge through my rope.

Back on the outer ground, I realized that the house had indeed a basement - I could see a very narrow barred window, half hidden in the earth. I had a look into the basement behind it. It was mostly dark downstairs, but I spotted some shiny golden things.

I climbed the rope again, feeling that I strained my muscles far too much with this steady up and down. I entered the tower again, wheezing.

This time I wished that I had brought a sword with me. I went into the office and took the hunting dagger from the wardrobe, and started to cut the curtains down. No secret doors. I threw some of the pictures down to the floor. No buttons. I opened every drawer of every desk. No buttons, again. Nothing below the pillows in the bed.

Running through the house in mad anger, I threw almost everything on the floor. What enraged me even more, was that my footsteps sounded everywhere like I was walking over the ceiling of a huge hall. If I had found an axe, I would certainly have tried to break through the floor.

I must have run through the lodge for hours. At least, almost crying, I decided to give up. I did not even bother to take my rope arrow back. I headed to the main gate, just because it was so easy to access.

When I opened it, the deep sun shine into my eyes and blinded me. But I saw some shadowy, hammer wielding silhouettes. Both them and me stood quietly for some seconds, frozen of fear. I regained control over my body, first, turned and ran back into the lodge. Somehow, I stumbled over the flourish carpet. I fought to stay on my feet, but the lost second was enough for some of the smarter Hammerites to realize that I was no huge scary monster, but only a small person with a hood that tried to escape. One of them aimed with his crossbow at me, and shot, just when I continued my run. It went through my left shoulder and its momentum pulled me forward. I fell on my face. The sharp front end of the arrow went through the carpet into the wooden floor and nailed me to the ground. I tried to suppress the cry. I struggled to come free, but one of the Hammerites had already stepped beside me. A kick in my left side made me gasp for breath. Another kick broke my left upper arm. The sound of the crunching bone in my ears, I was overflowed with the heavy, sharp pain. Fighting for consciousness, I heard more Hammerites approach. They turned me on the back, ripping the arrow out off my shoulder. I tried to raise my hands to protect my head from the constant kicks, but I had no control over my muscles.

Fainting, I heard them say: "So, this is all we shall have for a trophy, eh?

"But... I hath seen this face before. Is this not the thief who tried to break into the old temple two days ago?" Someone tried to look in my face.

"Yes, I hadst seen her face when we chased her out. She is this thief. Left in a hurry, didn't she? A scared little coward she was. Feeling so clever." Another kick.

In the following laughter, someone said: "Thou shall not rob from the house I have built, so says the Master Builder! We should find out what she wanted in the temple. Take her to Brother Inquisitor."