Enmity's Lost Prodigy: Chapter 3 - Espionage

Camp on the lower ledge of a cliff side, far from where they were before, in the dark of a crevice and shadow of a lone tree they rested. Talia definitely done with the day, Farrah well past that point long ago. They sat looking off at a valley. At the end of that valley was a lake. The sun set behind them and the moon peeked out across the lake. It reflected the moon's rays and carried the two friends off to sleep. Talia however, woke up and stared a while longer until she would eventually drift off again. In the dark was a light that flickered like a firefly teetering for sleep. Someone had a camp site set up in a rather small glade. Talia dismissed this.

Though time went on, and she nodded a little Talia found herself uncomfortable and unable to really sleep. Her thoughts wondered but her nerves veered back to the horrors of earlier. Talia, brave as she wish to appear was rather shaken by being prey. Even now she looked above to see if the spider had followed so far out for revenge. Their plateau was safe, but the dark rustling trees above made it hard to convince the poor cat. The warden, he could be anywhere. Maybe they were even camped somewhere, somewhere in a small glade with lots of trees by a lake and at the bottom of a valley she thought. It couldn't be, but if it was, it was worth noting as a warning of their presence. Talia shook it off, she was far too tired to bother herself with the idea. She rested her head and laid for a moment before sitting up straight, irritated and restless. She could no longer deny it, she was not going to sleep for a while. Maybe even a long while. “Freaking spiders” She shivered, “Freaking warden, freaking uneven rock bed.”

Talia needed to go for a walk, something to reset her mind so she could rest her body. She was going to hold it off as much as she could, but the idea of checking out the camp would actually put her at ease more than not. Even if the idea of getting close to the warden was greatly upsetting. “Heck” she thought, “It's probably not even him.”

The flight was a long ways, though finding Farrah would be easy even in the dark, the greatest concern was flying all that way back up; which was hard work, especially for someone who mostly rode around on someone else's back “I guess if nothing else, that exercise should tucker me out enough to sleep through anything.”

The light grew brighter, it's flicker more potent and visible. Someone was still awake as the shadow of another log being tossed on and the sound that followed deeply echoed. A male voice asked if it was necessary that they needed more wood and the late hour would turn them in. Though faint. she did not recognize this voice and it relieved her. In the surreal silence of the night, the idea of spying was becoming increasingly enticing. Her small nimble body was proficient for the job of checking on her neighbours and her tan and blush brown colours blended her in with the trees more so than most. Talia fluttered down keen on adventure and struggled through the branches and leaves. Coming in from the top was not the smoothest, she had let a noise or two escape but it was unnoticed. Finally, a branch that laid out perfectly for spying with a little nest of leaves to peek through but not so big as to hinder her sight. Talia hid her wings behind her and made like a squirrel. Noticing her careless tail she whipped it down under her and began to prowl to the edge of the lookout, hunchbacked on all fours.

Soon the sight of the two figures became in view off the side of the bough as she left the thick of leafs and crawled to the split of the branch, lowering her hunch. There were two tents set up and a bedroll outside for watch duty. For now one of the figures became clearly birdlike. He wore a suit of what appeared to be thick cloth and deep in colour. On his chest he wore an emblem but before Talia could make out what it was her vision was blocked by another figure who refused to move. As she inched closer and closer to the edge, the branch began to bend making Talia sweat and regain her ill bent back. Finally she was beside a bunch of leafs that she could peek through. The figure blocking her sight was also in heavy cloth but had a few belts around him including one with a scabbard attached and the hilt of a single sword. They were talking about some matters that she couldn't understand, something about family at home, and then finally moving towards the map on the table. “Ah, a table” she thought, “Why would campers need swords and a table, adventures maybe, but...” As the figure turned to face the table she finally got an angle on him where the campfire illuminated his face. Surely enough, that was the warden all right. “What is he doing out here so close to us?”

“It was off the ridgework mill that it was spotted correct?” One of the soldiers mentioned.

The warder replied in a detestable raspy tone “Ay, and another at Fhen passing by one of our scouts.”

“That was months ago. It could be anywhere by now.”

“It's all we really got to work off of now.”

Talia was curious, had they been really followed for months now? Surely he couldn't mean Farrah.

“What about the other magpie?”

“Farrah?” The warden responded. “As I told you, she's as good as dead. There is no way someone that young would have the knowledge to escape a dark spiders cave. We watched that hole for a good hour, they would have been eaten by then. Shame really.”

“I knew it” Talia cussed under her breath “They knew very well and let us to die in there.”

“She and I never had the greatest history,” The warden continued mournfully “But I wish it went more peacefully than it did. Nothing much worse than putting down an old pet just to watch them walk it off to haunt you in your sleep. Any death would be better than that fate.”

“Just you wait until that black phantom comes knocking buddy.” Talia whispered gritting her teeth. She was furious that the warden would make such little out of it. Sure, he sounded sincere and sorry for the misfortune, but having coming out of the reality of the whole event left a bitter flavour for Talia to swallow.

The warden pulled out his flask, took a swig and meditated on his sip “We have a lot of ground to cover, for all we know someone might even be hiding our prime target in their homes.”

At this moment the second soldier appeared from the tent. He held a knife and some items he was preparing from inside. “Alright then, what is on the plate for tomorrow?” He asked, adding to the conference.

“We'll be searching this area tomorrow.” The warden pointed and circled on the map. “He is a class two target. Simple, but hard to find.”

“There is not many left.”

“No,” The warden stewed. “It's getting close to the time that we head back to the capital and return to our old posts.”

“It's been a long tiresome year.” One soldier reflected, worn and homesick.

“Indeed, now get some rest, it's a lot of survey first thing in the morning. You'll need your strength. Adjured.” The warden finished, rolling the map parchment along his side.

“Yes sir, and the fire sir? It's well set and blazing. Should we dim it?”

“No... It's an old superstition I hold to on days like today. We let it burn nice and bright and we may sleep without the vicious bite.” The warden finished before muttering. “I hate spiders.”

“Alright, I'll take first watch.” The other soldier opted.

“Goodnight.” The warden waved, turning into his tent, the off duty soldier following suit to his own tent.

In there he laid peacefully, watched, and being plotted against. Talia fed up with their mandate and pleased to give Farrah some good news, she watched the guard posted. With a little magic and cunning trickery she receded ominously back into the depths of shadow. On the table was once a parchment, now it laid bare, inside the tent was now the item of desire. Talia snuck around the site like a smart rat unseen by the guard surveying the woods.

Around the corner of the fabric tent, beside the bedroll was a backpack. Laying on top of it, ever so conveniently placed, was the map. The warden slept soundly, Talia was dumbfounded that the warden in his work could rest so quickly. Had he no fear? Was his superstition so strong to ward even spiders from his dreams? Talia’s thoughts rambled, cautious and ever still. The hardest part became much harder as her nerves were the greatest enemy. “Is he sleeping? Does he know I’m here?” Talia pondered untrusting. His snoring was very convincing. Talia inched her feet softly touching the ground. His snore changed. She stood a while longer before inching closer again, no change. Maybe it was coincidence she thought. Every sound inside was amplified, the fire muffled, her heart became distracting and annoying. All she needed to do was grab the parchment. It laid there, unstrapped, unanchored, unheld, only weighed down by only gravity itself. Her pace quickened, eyeing the warden attentively until she was close enough to snatch her prize.

In a moment she snatched it up. The warden still asleep, Talia scurried off. At the edge of the tent, the posted guard sat pondering over something. After one last look back, Talia was set at ease. He slept, the warden was still as sound as the moment she entered. Walking casually around the corner of the tent she turned and gave the guard a grimace that he wasn't paying attention to see. Talia’s face lined a smug grin. She knew she did it, she didn't need his disapproval to feel victorious, she knew she was an better than all of them and being unseen was just the icing that widened her grin. Then as the wind carried her in, the ghostly thief roamed off into the night.

Flying back as imagined, especially with a parchment, was difficult and by the time she arrived back up top, she needed a rest. Rather a fourth and final rest, having taken the liberty of stopping many times along the cliff side to catch her breath. At last, tucked under a rock behind the tree where it would not slip away, the map was secured. In the morning, she would inform Farrah of the nights findings. For now, she slept easy. One smug and very exhausted smirk laid on the feline who just marked the sheriffs leg and walked away without the boot; or so her dreams followed as she clunked out til daybreak, never to live down her own mastery.

Day broke in the valley. Two small yet rather adorable young girls came prancing along to pick flowers upon other herbs and spices. They made merry noises and awoke Farrah who unlike Talia was much better rested. She poked her head up and admired the free spirited. Talia was, and would be for some time, still asleep. By the time she did wake up however, Farrah reurned well fed and brought back a small leaf satchel of fruits back with her.

Tailia's eyes slowly lifted feeling under-rested and weary. The day came to meet her as expected, another wondrous day filled with adventure and other things she was too lazy to embrace. As you might imagine, Talia was not a morning person, nor ever planned on being one. “Right” Talia thought, rising quickly to her feet. Without a word, she scampered off to the tree to retrieve her prize. “Here!” She called out removing the rock from it's side, and the stones from the parchments belly. “Guess what I snatched.” Talia smugly asked prancing back with scroll over head. Farrah looked confused

“Snatched?” Farrah asked confused.

“Snatched, stole, robbed blind. It's all the same.” Talia gloated, starting to eye the breakfast beside her.

“You stole that?” Farrah responded shocked. She remembered the happy girls from before and their cottage she passed on her way for food. Surely Talia couldn't have taken it from those peaceful folks

“Yeah, you would not believe who was camped out here last night.”

“Shouldn't you give that back?”

“Heck no! The warden's got plenty to go around.” Talia said, reaching for a berry.

“...The...” Farrah eyes lit and questioned in a single, stopping, fearing word. “How?!” She turned around to see if they were in sight.

“Whoa, whoa, it's okay, they left long ago.” Talia assured, followed by an quiet aside as she ate “I hope.”

“You saw them?” Farrah began to panic

“Yeah, they were camped out.” Talia braked, parting from her food. “I couldn't sleep last night so I went to go check it out. They had some plans to find and raid someone, I’m pretty sure they said it was another magpie or something. Whom, as a heads up, they believe very well that you and I are dead in a spiders cave. They’re clearly looking for someone else. Don't worry about thanking me, I rather had simply spoil their plot for what they did to you yesterday.”

Farrah reached out and grabbed the map from Talia's side and quickly rolled it out.

Talia continued “They said they would go searching at first light so they are ahead of...” She was then cut off

“First light? Why didn't you tell me any of this? I was out there flying without knowing, we could have ended up in deep trouble. How far out?”

“They were just down there.” Talia pointed at the site, narrow eyed. “The point is... I was tired alright. The point is we have a lead on another one of your kind, or whatever. If it is, you don't have to be alone with just me anymore.” Talia finished biting into another fresh morsel.

Farrah looked over at Talia who seemed a bit burned. Her friend risked going out there and getting this map, Farrah was glad and honoured but, “I'm sorry...” She apologized

“Don't fret, I'm still pleased that I st...”

“No,” Farrah informed “I can't read maps.”

Talia's eyes closed. “Oh darn it all!”

“Sorry...”

“No sense in being sorry.” Talia strayed her sight “They are still without their parchment, not like they can check it to know where to go… And you are injured too, can you even fly at all?”

“Kind of,” Farrah admitted. “If I don’t push it. But… Even still, this map is useless to us too. I'm not even sure I can figure out how to read this if I tried.” Farrah sat back scratching the dirt.

“Well, had you never even seen one of these before?”

“I have, but, I...” Farrah was cut off.

“Then you must have some clues.” Talia said pressing the map. “It couldn’t be that hard.”

“Well, there was one map in my father's study that I used to look at all the time but I couldn't understand what most of the lines were.” Farrah said, running her finger along the side of what confused her.

“Well, If I had to guess, these look like they show cracks.” Talia assumed, pointing at the wobbly jagged lines. “And this blue stuff looks like rivers.”

“I guess they do.” Farrah said looking at it slightly less lost. It did look like it represented something like that. “But where are we?”

“Um, we're right here right?” Talia pointed to the centre of the map.

“It doesn't work like that, my father showed me on his map that we were in the bottom right.”

“Then why make a map where you're not in the centre?” Talia complained, frustrated.

Farrah laughed, explaining “They don't work like that.”

“See Farrah? You are a natural.”

“Hardly.” she admitted “I don’t even know which way is north?”

“North?... What is that?”

Farrah looked at Talia oddly. How could she not know what north was, everyone knew what north was. “You really don't know?”

“No... Remember, I've never seen a map before because I lived off in the middle of nowhere. Besides, our maps are a lot different.”

Farrah pondered. “Well, if it was night I could point us by the north star.”

“By then it'll be too late. What is north used for anyway?”

“It tells us which way the map is pointing. Here.” Farrah directed “In the top corner it says 'N' which means north”

“Then you do know where north is.” Talia stated as she picked up the map

“No, it tells me on the map but I don’t know where north is around us.” Farrah tried to explain. Talia tried processing the information but failed. “Alright, which way is north?” Farrah asked.

Talia pointed to the “N” on the map but Farrah shook her head and waved her hand around behind the map. Talia lifted her finger and pointed outwards, turning herself with the static map. “Oh…” She lowered her hand. “I mean…” She scratched her head “It shows hills right? We can use those to figure it out I guess. Ours maps work with symbols of landmarks and the sun's position. Their more simple… And better than this junk.”

Something clicked in Farrah's head, something she was told a long time ago. After some thought she discerned that “East” was where the sun rose in, and in the west where it set. “East is wherever the sun rises.”

“East now?” Talia questioned ever more confused.

Farrah took the map and pointed to the 'E' on the map “East.” Looking back up, locating the sun. “There.” Farrah pointed. “So, our morning sun points east.“

“The sun is a symbols then?” Talia was starting to connect the dots. “Alright, now if we had a marker we could figured out where that red circle is.”

There were many other lines on the map and many of them denoted previous searches as crossed out. Along the border of many of those expeditions was what looked to be a lake, the most sizable around. Farrah looked out to the lake they saw last night, “I think that is here on the map” Farrah pointed to the blue smudge.

Talia poked at the landmarks along the map as she followed them “Then, we are behind it, to get to the sun we have to cross the lake.”

They looked closer, sure enough, on the map there was a valley and a split which would perch the two of them where they currently stood. It was very small and hard to notice instantly. The whole map covered a lot of area, and the new circle that was drawn covered area larger than they could relatively see as is. The chances of finding the other magpie was increasingly more difficult than anticipated.

“What makes you think we'll even find it?” Farrah asked bleakly. “Besides, won’t we be running into the warden?”

Talia slumped, nodding solemnly before perking her ears “That's why we fly ahead of them and search.”

Farrah interjected. “They have a head start, and what if we can't find the other magpie?”

“They lost their map, their blind.” Talia exclaimed.

“We’re not that much better off.”

“But you know how to think like someone on the run.”

“And the warden is trained to think like that too.” Farrah informed, she didn’t like it but it was true. Their advantage seemed like a grim sentence

“Well... If we don't that poor bird's gonna get locked in a cage. Is it at least worth the chance? They said last night that he's probably living with someone. Their not going to hand over their friend, but maybe they'll let another magpie meet him.”

Farrah thought about it. She didn't like the idea of searching, she was apprehensive that it seemed dangerous and pointless. Nevertheless if it were her in that situation she would need all the help she could get. She, among all other magpies, was the only one who still had her wings. Whoever was in trouble would be tied to the ground, helpless. Farrah nodded softly. She knew that many of the magpies were hunted and for good reason, but another of her kind was out there, and not doing too well to be in such danger.

Talia noticed something in the birds glassy saddened eyes “Say, Farrah, you really want to meet this other magpie, don’t you?” She wasn’t sure what it was about it but those words sparked some ambition back into her friend.

Farrah wasn’t really sure what caught her interest so much but even she was moved. “Alright.” She pointed “Here. This is where I would hide.” Farrah announced.

“What makes you think there?” Talia wondered, looking up to see a glimmer of kindled determination.

Farrah made certain before calling it but everywhere else seemed too vulnerable and nonsustaining. “It's the deepest point around there and it's beside a stream. I know how to read that at least. It's the darkest shaded, and, it's got the heaviest Forest because it's so low. That means cover, shelter and food.”

“Does this mean we are going?”

Farrah couldn’t tell herself but something about it brought her closure. “Yeah.” Somehow, not being the only one comforted her, if only for a moment. Memories slowly returned then drifted away in an attempt to focus. Farrah studied the map, all the valleys were dark and the lakes were abundant in that area that Farrah pointed to. The lowest most point would be a landmark sure enough. There were three other places that Talia could find dark like that, one already was circled with an “x”, and two north above where searches were planned. If anything, if Farrah was right, it wasn't hopeless.

“Then we should get moving girl.” Talia rolled up the map. “We are losing time. That place you marked is just touching their circle. It's bound to be hit.”

Farrah agreed. She took the map and rolled it up into her claws. She had already flown earlier that morning, she was sore but she could push through. She knew if she was caught, she couldn't out fly them a second time. Ahead was a lake, a hill, and a valley that flew into the deep. She studied as much as she would need, routed out her search and was ready to take flight. Just before she did, as Talia mounted the nape, Farrah turned around. “Talia...”

“Yeah?” Talia replied, hanging off the side

“Thank you, I appreciate what you did.”

“No problem, they peeved me off so I just wanted to kick them in the shin.” Talia remarked. Farrah laughed at her hot headed little friend. “Besides, win, win. No one mistreats my friend, and this exile thing has really got me worked up.” Talia finished mounting and they took off rockley.

The whole ‘exile thing’ weighed heavy on Farrah who knew the dark past but she yearned to know what was ahead. If she was lucky, whoever they were risking themselves to meet would be one worth meeting. Secretly, she held a grudge against many of her own people for what they did and what became of her because of it. The danger was now in her hands, she wasn’t running away this time. She could only hope her time wasn't wasted for someone she assume walk away from.