Xila's Manor

Garret looked at the looming manor from the safety of the shadows

This was his most recent job. Foreign nobles often had at least a few curiosities worth stealing and he wanted to get his share of this one’s.

The house was three stories high and filled about an eighth of the grounds. Beyond that he didn’t know anything about it. He had gotten a hold of one of the guards but it turned on that taffers who guarded the grounds weren’t allowed inside. They had the grocers deliver everything to the house. The servants hardly ever set foot outside of the mansion. But Garrett was sure that the house had plenty of riches Now if he could only get in.

Garret was startled out of his musings by the soft rattle of carriage wheels. A dark carriage was rolling toward the gate of the grounds. It stopped at the gates. Suddenly, Garret knew how he was going to get in.

Thunk. Creak. Thunk. Ow.

Xila fell into the floor and quickly jumped back up but found herself too tired to resume hitting her headboard. She looked for another way to blow off steam.

Xila was still fuming about the baker’s diamonds fiasco. Her fence could have gotten 1500 for those gems, at least! So much money…gone. Taken by that bastard of a master thief Garrett.

A sound stopped her angry musings. The doorknob wiggled and she heard the familiar sounds of a lock being picked. A thief! Xila was beginning to be really irritated by life in general. She was the only thief allowed in this house. She grabbed a knife off her bedstand and slid to one side of her bedroom door.
Finally the door slid open. The thief walked through the door. Xila brought the hilt of her knife across the head of the thief.

Thunk. Ugh. Thud.

The man fell to the ground. Xila looked at him a moment and then shut the door. She didn’t want her servants seeing this.

She looked at him a moment more and started to divest him of his possessions. Maybe she could find out how he managed to get in.

A while later Xila had taken everything off him short of his clothes and she had split it into two piles: her items and other things that he couldn’t have found in her house. These included flashbombs, multiple types of arrows, lockpicks, etc.etc.” Mostly thieves’ tools” thought Xila ”Well, what did I expect?” A groan from the man on the floor caught her attention. The man on the floor was waking up. Xila quickly moved all the stuff on the floor under her bed. No sense leaving it in plain sight. Than she picked up her dagger and his sword and sat down in a chair.

A few minutes later, he had finally come to consciousness. He slowly shook his head and then saw he saw Xila. “Who are you?” he said, looking around. ”And where am I?”

“I’m the Lady Xila Xanell,” said Xila, “-and you are currently in my bedroom, though not for long if I decide to call my guards. Your turn. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“You’re the Lady Xila?” said the man with a sneer.” You don’t seem that foreign to me.”

Xila blinked. She could remember that sneer anywhere. “Garrett!” she said outloud. Then her anger overcame her surprise. She was going to gut this arrogant taffer right now and worry about the dead body later.

Then a knock came at the door.

Xila warred with the urge to kill Garrett then and there and the need to deal with the servant. They rarely knocked on her door unless it was important. ”Get over there.” she muttered to Garrett, indicating a shadowy corner that she could see him if he came out. After considering the two weapons she held in her hands, he went over to the corner, scowling but quiet. Xila repositioned her weapons so they wouldn’t be easily visible from the door. ”Come in.” she called.

An older female servant came in a panic.” Lady Xila, there has been a thief in the house! The guards are looking for him, but they haven’t found him yet. And Lady Bafford has decided not to stay tonight after all. I just wanted to warn you, milady.”

Xila sighed ”Well, now I’ve been warned, Tellia. Thank you. You may go now.”

“Yes, milady” said Tellia. She started to walk out the door but then seemed to think of something.”Uh, milady?” she said hesitaintly.”Yes?” said Xila. “I should think you might want to close your window. A thief could get in through there with the vines and all.

Or out. Xila had designed it that way has an escape route. She cursed herself mentally. “Thank you, Tellia.” The servant lady nodded and left. As soon as she was out, Xila flew to the troublesome window in the shadowy corner. She saw the carriage leaving and suddenly realized how Garrett had gotten in. And how he was probably getting out this second. She thumped onto her bed and found it felt lumpy. She looked under it.

All of her stuff, as well as his were still there.

Xila got up grinning. She could afford to let him get away this time. This was going to cost him alot more than it had cost her.”I wonder if he’ll be back”mused Xila

Chapter 3