Capture
____
I'd never run faster in all of my life.
The trees, the trees. If I could just make it to the forest, I would be okay. I could lose them there.
But there was at least a half-mile of open field ahead of me, and between my gasping breaths, I could hear the bark and growl of the dogs and the shouts of the men gripping their leashes. Soon they would let them go, and their animals would pin me to the ground.
That was what you did to a thief.
My name is Myra, and tonight was not supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to happen at all, but I made a mistake. More than one, actually, but the first mistake was returning to the Baron's estate.
The Guild had agreed that Baron Eaves was too high-risk of a target, the valuables in his castle notwithstanding. As part of the Guild, I was obligated to go along with that agreement. Especially since I was the one who had failed in our last attempt on his estate, something which had haunted me in the week since it had happened.
There may be no honor among thieves, but there was pride, and I harbored a grand amount of it. Too much, perhaps, which was why I decided to redeem myself while also proving the rest of the Guild wrong about the security at Baron Eaves' estate. I decided to steal from the Baron, and do it right this time.
I told no one. And the night after the meeting, I went back.
I entered the castle easily enough, getting in the same way that I had before; a small window on a tall tower that was left unguarded because they assumed it was inaccessible. All it took was a rope and hook to get in. That, and many years of experience scaling the un-scaleable. Part of the reason I wanted to have a successful hit on Eaves' estate was because I was certain I was the only person who could pull it off.
Once inside, I was confident. The goal was the small coat of arms on the Baron's desk. It was easy to conceal and could be carried away without trouble. It was also one hundred percent gold, and the fences at the Guild would give good money for it. Most importantly, it very clearly belonged to Baron Eaves, and everyone at the Guild would know where I had gotten this piece. I'd end the night a richer and much happier woman.
But for the first time, I didn't have my mind on the job. I was too caught up in my wild fantasies of success. I didn't notice that there were hounds.
You can fool a guard in many ways. Sneak around him, distract him, and knock him out. I'd done everything on the list a million times. But a dog was different. Thieves feared dogs. A dog could find you no matter where you hid. A dog could detect you much easier and much quicker than a human. And that's just your run-of-the-mill mutt. A bloodhound, bred and trained specifically for the purpose of finding and catching outsiders? Nobody would go on a hit that involved those. Not alone.
The Baron hadn't waited a moment to improve his security. His estate had been targeted by us just a week ago, and since then, it had gotten ten times harder to move around on his grounds. I was ready for more guards. I was even ready for lethal force. But I didn't case the new estate, and I didn't know what I was in for until it was too late. I got into the study, had the coat of arms in my hands, and that was when I heard the snarl.
My blood stopped cold in my veins, and I jerked my head toward the door. It was hard to tell how far away a sound was when it bounced back and forth off of stone walls, but it was close. Down the hall, maybe thirty feet. My brain spun back into action.
Can't hide. Have to run.
With the prize tucked into the pocket of my cloak, I bolted out of the study. And as soon as I left the doorway, I heard an excited bark and the dangerous click of claws on the stone floor.
I didn't look back. I knew what was there, and getting a good look at it wouldn't make this any easier. I had to get back to the window where I had come in. My rope was still there, waiting for my escape. I'd go back down the side of the tower, hop onto the wall surrounding the castle, and be out and into the woods.
If I could outrun this dog.
Eyes ahead, I sprinted down the stone hallway. I was very aware of how quickly the steps of the hound fell on the floor behind me, and began to imagine—or not?—that I could smell his breath. I swept my fingers across the wall as I turned the corner, steadying myself and trying not to break my gait.
All too soon, I heard the scrabble of claws as the dog rounded the corner behind me. He may have had an infallible nose, but he wasn't as graceful as a cat burglar. I heard his bulk smack into the wall, his own momentum too much for him, and I allowed myself a small grin. The tower was right at the end of this hall. Just two hundred feet away was the slightly-ajar door I had left for myself.
The dog was slowed for a moment, but not stopped, and with another fierce bark, it was on my tail. Closer and closer still, but the sound of the beast's feet was closing in on me much quicker than the door was. But he wasn't fast enough—there was time!
When his teeth clamped onto my cloak, I screamed. Just a tiny one, but I cursed myself for doing so. In a fluid motion, I shed my cloak while slipping the coat of arms from its inner pocket. I chanced a glance behind me to see the dog buried in my cloak, shaking it off. It would have been comical if my very life wasn't at stake.
I knocked the door to the tower open with an outstretched palm, and it smashed into the wall loud enough to wake three floors. I didn't care. All I was focused on was my out; my escape. The tower window, beautiful and open, was before me, my steel hook still secure on the sill.
No time for careful alignment; the damned dog was on the move again. I leapt onto the sill, ducking my head low to fit, tucked the prize under my arm, and dropped out of the window.
I free-fell for just a moment before grabbing the rope that hung down the side of the tower. It burned my hands as it slowed me to a stop, but I hardly felt it. With quick movements, I dropped down the side of the spire, letting the rope fly through my hands each time I kicked off of the stones. Down ten feet, twenty, thirty, and then there was the wall, the barrier meant to keep me out. Normally I'd shake my hook free, but there wasn't time for that. With a last look up at the window to see the slobbery, vicious head of my pursuer sticking out over me, I kicked hard off of the tower and fell onto the top of the wall.
Shit! I landed badly. Not bad enough to hurt myself, but enough to lose my balance and slip over the side of the wall. I reached up for the ledge as I tumbled, the golden emblem falling free, and I managed to catch myself on the edge with one hand and snatch the coat of arms with the other.
I hung there for a moment, getting my breath. I would have preferred to lower myself off the wall with two hands, but I wasn't going to climb back up to ensure a safer descent. Ten feet to the ground, facing the wrong way. Easy. I dropped.
The wind whistled in my ears for one long second before I hit the ground. I let my knees bend and rolled backwards, tucking my arms to my chest, and ended up in a crouched position none the worse for wear.
But, nearly-flawless an escape though it was, I was not alone. I looked to my right and saw four dogs and as many men racing along the wall, heading right at me. I didn't have enough distance on them. Could I make it to the woods in time? I had to try.
I turned and ran, taking off like a shot, like a cannonball, like a mouse fleeing from a cat or a big, murderous dog. The grass was dry and easy to run on, but I wished it were wet or the ground were uneven. Anything to give me an advantage. In an even foot race, I wasn't going to beat a hound.
Every snarl that ripped through the night air made my blood pump faster. It was a wonder I could hear at all above my pounding heart and rapid breaths. I locked my eyes onto the tree-line like a drowning woman spotting a piece of driftwood. The forest. If I could just make it to the forest, I would be okay.
The sounds were getting louder, but my salvation was getting closer. I grew confident, seeing the grassy field begin to disappear into the thicket of trunks and bushes. Not more than a quarter-mile, now. I could cover that in record time. I was going to make it.
I really, truly believed that I was going to make it, right up until the moment that the heavy paws hit my back and dropped me down into the grass.
I gasped in surprise as my world tumbled downward. I hit the ground on my elbows, and the impact jarred the golden emblem out of my hand, sending it sliding across the ground. I planted my palms on the ground, ready to struggle, and then I felt the jaws close around the back of my neck and my blood froze into tingling ice. Sharp canine teeth dug into my skin. Hot breath washed over me. One hundred pounds of dog rested firmly on my back, holding me in place.
I waited for its jaws to crush the life out of me.