Rose was exhausted.  She spent the entire day doing cantrips and small spells to the delight of her brother’s neighbors. But it was an excellent cover. No one who saw her working today would ever expect that she would be saddling up a horse and riding to rescue a mage two towns over tonight.

Her brother’s home was built on top of a series of caves, accessed by a tunnel in floor of a shed in his backyard. The tunnel, if you knew which turns to make and which traps to avoid, led to The Seeker’s lair. Robert had purchased his home from a pirate turned privateer who had accepted a commission as a regional governor in one of the provinces across the Great Sea.  Before the pirate left, he showed Robert the secret caves he had used to smuggle goods before he became a law-abiding citizen.

Robert had briefly toyed with the idea of smuggling, but he decided he didn’t have the stones it took to risk everything their family had built.  Luckily, Rose had no such compulsions. When she came across the caves by accident one day, she knew she found a base of operations she could use to become The Seeker.  Unfortunately when Robert was away at sea, she had to make due with stealing a horse and riding out of town.

Adjusting her mask so it lined up with her eyes, nose, and mouth, Rose climbed on top of Atalanta, her brother’s fastest horse. Dressed like a bandit all in black with a gleaming silver rapier hanging from her belt, no one would ever suspect that she was a mage.

When she first came up with the idea of the masked Seeker, Robert never thought she would actually go through with it.  They were both excellent fencers, having studied the art since they could hold a sword.  But when Rose's magical abilities blossomed at puberty, she was whisked away into the training rooms of the coven while Robert learned the way of the blade.  Feeling sorry for her, Robert continued to train with her in secret, and taught her everything he learned from his master from rapiers to the heavier two-handed swords. She preferred rapier and dagger and while she had to leave her sword in the cave when she returned from a mission, she always had a dagger or two on her.

At first Robert wanted to be the masked hero, but he found out the idea was better in his head than in actuality.  He got so nervous about his first ride, he couldn’t get out of the jakes.  Robert had a good heart, but he was a merchant and an explorer.  He didn’t have it in him to put himself personally at risk. But neither could he sit back and watch mages on this side of the Great Sea be abused, not when he had friends and business associates who were mages in Solace. And certainly, not when it could be his sister one day at the end of a hangman’s rope or thrown into a pit. Rose loved that about him, even though he would never come out publicly in favor of the mages.  He was a businessman at heart and was afraid it would ruin the family business.

Rose let the horse run down the familiar path and out to the road.  The night air was brisk and she wished she could feel it in her hair, but it was more important to have her long, blond curls hidden under the full mask. With the padded armor she wore and her breasts bound tight to her chest, she easily passed for a man.  It was dangerous at night for a woman to be out.  Even more dangerous if the woman was a mage. Rose was careful to deepen her voice if she had to speak, but always kept to the shadows, though, just in case.

Atalanta thundered down the road, never slowing, as happy to be out of the stable as Rose was to be out of Demerest.

They passed by several brave souls walking the roads.

"Sorry," she called over her shoulder as the dust kicked up by Atalanta's hooves choked them.

About a mile later, she saw the ambush only because the clouds moved away from the moon.  In the moonlight, the glint of steel from the swords the men held at the side of the road caught her attention.  Rose was going too fast for them to hope to stop her.  They'd be crushed by Atalanta if they stepped out into the road.  Besides, Rose was obviously not a merchant or carrying a heavy purse.

No, these gentlemen would wait for slower moving prey.  Like the travelers behind her.

Not my concern.

There was a mage to save and she still had a long ride to get there and back in one night.  Yet, it didn't seem right to leave the travelers to their fate.

Rose slowed Atalanta down. 

It's their own fault for being out at night.  They should be snuggled safe and warm in an inn.

And I should be in my bed in the coven.

"Damn it."  She hated when her conscience had a point.

Whirling Atalanta back to where the bandits laid out their trap. Rose approached at a slower pace.  "You there in the bushes," she called out. "It's not your night tonight.  Do us all a favor and go home."

"Why should we?"  A large man with a mustache and a shiny gold hoop in his nose asked.  He stepped into the middle of the road.

"I don't want to fight you."  Rose pitched her voice low and growly.

"I bet you don't.  You're out numbered."  He crooked his finger and three other men stepped behind him.  "Now, give up your purse and the reins of that fine beast and we'll let you leave."

Atalanta tossed her head and snorted.

"My feelings exactly," she said, patting the horse's neck.

Taking a deep breath, Rose called on the night wind to power the fear spell.  She let it build up inside her until the hairs on her arm rose and tingled.  "Run away," she bellowed, letting the magic carry her voice into the men standing before her.

Two of them shrieked and took off at a fast clip.  The leader squinted up at her while the remaining man shook his head in disgust at his fleeing friends.

Oh shit.

"Jonesy, I think we hit pay dirt.  If I'm not mistaken, we've caught a rogue," the leader said.

"Better than that.  I think that's The Seeker."

Rose kicked Atalanta into motion, charging them.

The leader squawked like a duck, but managed to toss himself to the side.  Jonesy wasn't so lucky and went down under Atalanta's powerful hooves.  Rose slid out of the saddle, pulling her rapier and dagger out in one swift move.

"I would have let you live," she said, aggravated that she would have to kill the bandit.

The leader brandished a cutlass and leapt for her.  His swings were wild and rage fueled.  She danced away, watching his form and looking for an opening.  He was going to tire himself out before he put a mark on her.  She cut him on the leg when he left an opening. He snarled as the cold air hit the cut.  With a flick of his wrist, he flung a dagger from an arm sheath at her and thrust at her stomach.  The dagger caught her shoulder, but the sabre missed as she dodged to the side.  Using his committed attack against him, she sliced the tip of her blade across his eyes.

Dropping his sword, he howled and clasped his hands to his face.  It was child's play to plunge the dagger into his chest through a gap in his armor.

"Should have ran," she whispered, twisting it before pushing him back.

He landed with a thud on the road.

Atalanta nickered softly.

"In a minute, girl."  Rose patted down the leader and found a small pouch of coins and jewels.  She left it with him.  His friends would need the money to bury him and Jonesy.  On Jonesy's body, however, she found a rolled up wanted poster for The Seeker.

The good news was it looked nothing like her and Atalanta. The bad news was bounty on The Seeker was one hundred gold pieces.  A family could live a half a year on that.  Rose would have to be very careful.  Tucking the poster in her boot to show Robert, she got back on Atalanta and continued to Divintry.