[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Jaheira decided not to wince, even hearing the painfully audible creak of the floorboards under her step. Jaheira could scarcely see Snyd across the door, she was even unsure if she saw him at all or if it was just the unfortunate luck of having to see him every day that made her envision his face. He seemed as clueless as Jaheira was, but neither doubted the need to open the door. Jaheira readied her dagger in her hand, and she could see the glint of silver in Snyd’s hand from the light coming from the cracks of the door. Jaheira nodded and put her hand on the door handle, turning it slowly and steadily. It was about the only thing she could do right at the moment, without the thoughts of what was behind the door swarming through her mind. She heard the gears shift; the sounds were all too familiar for Jaheira. Even Snyd’s seemingly heavy breathing couldn’t drown out the sound of the locks inside the handle turn and rotate. Then Jaheira pushed the door open.

Waves of relief coursed through both Snyd and Jaheira, and both took in deep breaths for the air of nervousness had caught in their throat and lungs. Before them stood only Fidrohir and Vlad, and there was not a single other soul in the room that might indicate inhabitants to the homestead. Vlad was clutching Fidrohir’s tunic collar, and Fidrohir was flinching even though Vlad had loosened his grip when Snyd and Jaheira had entered. A candle was softly glowing on a nightstand by the window, and so Jaheira and Snyd assumed that it was the light they had seen and taken for a signal. Vlad let go of Fid’s tunic, and Fid began to relax as the outlaw’s leader moved away.

“What were you two doing in here?” Jaheira asked, her voice a heated whisper despite the fact that they were all confident that there were no people in the home. Jaheira wanted to roll her eyes, but she didn’t dare with the candlelight illuminating her face. Why did men have to be so immature sometimes? Even if Fidrohir was beat up and threatened on a regular basis, Jaheira would have thought that Vlad of all people would have known better than to have risked their raid by stopping to hit Fid. Jaheira sighed. “Acting like a bunch of children! You could have gotten all of us killed!”

Vlad glowered at her before going to the nightstand and picking up the candle, almost smothering the small flame in his large, calloused hands. He held it before Jaheira and Snyd, looking over at Fidrohir with venom in his eyes before he explained. “Fid here thought it would be smart to light a candle, for all the homes and their people to see. When I told him to put it out, he didn’t think it best. I was merely trying to convince him otherwise.”

“While we were on a raid, Vlad?” Jaheira retorted, hoping he would see that his side of the argument didn’t sound any better than Fid’s. Either one of them could have given away their plans. Jaheira passively wondered why Snyd wasn’t backing her up on this, but then she looked at Vlad and saw the flame lighting his patched-up eye and scar, showing his handsome but worn face that in turn showed anger and reproach. Snyd changed the subject, seeing the intensity of the glares being traded between Vlad and Jaheira. “You’re absolutely positive there’s no one here? What about food? Any food?”

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:46 AM January 25, 2004: Message edited by: Aylwen Dreamsong ]