The Magic Thief
Prologue
Rondi sniffed at the air, thinking. It was that quiet part of the night, the moon a silver disk hanging bright in the sky. She frowned up at it, trying to decide just what had her on edge. The lion that had been prowling nearby had finally moved on, and she hadn't found any signs of the trolls that she'd heard were roaming around. They were hard to !is, but with luck the lion had crossed paths with them. One way or another, Rondi's town would have one fewer thing to worry about if that had happened, though it would probably just mean a big, green brute had a new, dirty cloak.
Still, there was something else she couldn't place. Some feeling in the air making her hackles rise as she adjusted her grip on Little Fang and kept her ears pricked.
But the night was quiet. The only sound her heart thrumming softly in her ears.
A moment passed before Rondi realized that was what had her on edge. A quiet like everything had paused in place at once. No insects, no birds, no anything. Just silence.
Then, the darkness vanished as a light burst into the night sky, blinding Rondi as the ground itself shook. Just as she was able to see, though, it all stopped and night once more reigned supreme.
Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, Rondi frowned. There was a new scent in the air now. One she couldn't place and accompanied by a new noise to fill the night, oddly loud after all the silence.
Cautiously, Rondi made her way to the source. It wasn't far from her, only a few minutes away. The strange smell faded quickly though, leaving her with just her eyes and ears to find out what happened. It was an odd feeling that she didn't like. Scents faded, but not normally that quickly.
Still, she didn't need her nose in the end. Whatever happened, it had destroyed all the grass, leaving a perfect circle of nothing but dirt and ash. Nothing, that is, except for a single boy curled up in the center of the whole mess.
Rondi paused at the edge of the circle, wary. Glancing around, she didn't see anything, but a change of wind brought the scent of lion on the air. The past must have been curious about the light show and was coming to investigate. So much for the trolls having a new cloak. It did leave her with a problem though. If that really was a boy, and not some kind of creature that pretended to be defenseless to trick prey, then he'd never be able to handle a wild lion. He had absolutely nothing, and seemed to be completely out. Worse, lions were ambush predators, which meant little warning if Rondi was going to do anything.
Cursing herself and her luck, Rondi crossed the circle. She kept her dagger ready, Little Fang's bite hopefully enough to keep her safe if the boy turned out to be something more. But he didn't move a muscle as she got close, and to all appearances was just an ordinary child, about thirteen or fourteen summers if she had to guess. He didn't respond when she nudged him with her foot either.
Feeling a bit relieved, Rondi undid the clasp of her cloak and tossed it over the boy, finally giving him something to wear. Before she could pick him up, though, Rondi whipped around, Little Fang slicing out to bite into the lion as she pounced. The beast's claws raked over Rondi's arms, drawing blood and a growl as she danced back.
The lion fell back herself, circling around. Rondi followed its path, keeping herself between it and the boy. She tested it by jumping forward slightly, but the lion simply stared at her with glowing, amber eyes, prowling quietly as she waited for r chance.
Eyes narrowed and losing patience with the game, and all too conscious of the blood dripping from her wounds, Rondi adjusted her grip on the knife and, with a practiced flick, Little Fang flashed in the moonlight just as the lion leaped at her. The beast landed on Rondi, its body suddenly lifeless as she fell to the ground and rolled it off before pulling her dagger out of the lion's eye and wiping the blood off the blade with the dead beast's fur.
"Kid," she muttered as she sheathed the blade and picked the boy up. "You're going to be trouble." Rondi gave one last look at the lion and shook her head before heading back to town.
