Jack led us out of the thieves’ guild and into the city. I was still furious with Jack for last night. His unimproved attitude this morning only added to my fury. I tried to keep track of where we were going, but Jack seemed to be meandering from one place to the next with destination in mind.
Jack stepped up to a booth with a seedy eyed man behind it. They spoke for a minute appearing to argue furiously. Finally, Jack handed him his backpack and accepted a new one from the men. The man reached below the counter and pulled out several daggers in leather sheaths. Jack took these too and added them to the pack.
“The daughter of moons is named; she now walks the earth. The Oracle has sent us to retrieve you. You have the destiny to fulfill.” a voice whispered in my ear. I moved to turn around, but hands on my shoulders stopped me.
“Who are you?” I asked in a hushed whisper. I strained to see the person whose soft voice whispered in year.
“I am a daughter of the Goddess. When you have, a chance come to the Temple of the Moon in the Holy District,” she whispered again and handed me another light blue flower. I took the rose and checked to see if Jack was watching. When I was sure he wasn’t, I turned around but the woman was gone.
“Are you ready to go?” Jack asked. I looked up and down the street but saw no one who caught my interest.
“Where the fuck did you get that?” Jack asked looking around wildly.
“It was a gift,” I said pointedly. Jack knocked the flower from my hands and grabbed my arm. His eyes searched wildly for whoever had given me the flower. He led me through the back alleys and across streets and finally into the overgrown garden of a small ramshackle cottage. The smell of fish was strong; I was positive we were near the docks somewhere.
We entered a single room cottage that has a small pallet of a bed, a leaning table, and a cold fireplace. I was so shocked I just stared. Jack set his pack on the table. His arms opened wide to encompass the room.
“Welcome home Princess,” he said dramatically. I wanted to rage and yell at him. This place was terrible. The apartments at the guild seemed safer, and this place felt like it would fall apart if I sneezed.
“Jack, I trust you, but this place is terrible,” I confessed. His smile annoyed me. I looked around again and accepted my fate.
“Nokomis, do you promise to be in a better mood if I show you a surprise?” Jack asked. I wasn’t sure I could handle any more surprises, but I lied.
“I Promise,” I replied and waited for the next thing to come in my life. Jack stepped up to the fireplace and pressed a brick in, a door on the side opened. Jack grabbed his backpack and smiled.
“This way Nokomis,” he said and slid into the doorway and down a set of stairs.
“What is this?” I asked
“Close that behind you,” he called up. I followed him down and ended up to a vast antechamber decorated with tapestries of all kinds. I looked around in amazement and found myself amazed. Jack headed for a door on the far end.
“Coming?” he called grinning again. How could I not follow him? He led me into a hallway with several doors. He pulled the door closed behind me and placed a security bar across the door and several locks.
“Afraid of thieves?” I asked with mirth.
“Afraid of assassins more like. What could a thief take from me I can’t take back,” he replied. He showed me to a spare bedroom luxuriously laid out in emerald colors. Next was the kitchen, which looked rarely used. Following that was a room dedicated to training.
“Jack, teach me,” I asked seeing the room he used for training. I stepped past a door covered in locks to a series of chests. The room had everything including a rack with several different types of weapons.
“Teach you what precisely?” Jack asked.
“To fight, to be a thief, to fit in,” I said touching the chests.
“Don’t open those. There are traps in them.” Jack warned. “Nokomis this life isn’t easy.”
“I want this life,” I said ignoring his warnings.
“Once you start I won’t let you quit. You ever betray me, and I will kill you, understand?” Jack told me, and I nodded. “We start tomorrow.”
“Done,” I said and stepped forward pecking him on the cheek. I unpacked my bags and curled up in the bed. This place was more amazing than the thieves guild. Strange as it was I felt free and better here than I had felt in a long time.
The following morning I woke to Jack knocking on my door. I got up to slowly, and he came into the room. I looked up just in time to scream as I was yanked from my bed and fell to the floor.
“Princesses sleep in; new trainees get up at zero five hundred,” he said and left the room. “Kitchen first.”
“Coming!” I shouted back. He taught me to make breakfast. After we ate and he made sure I left no scrapes, Jack took me to the training room. We fought with swords and knives, then hand to hand. By the time he let me go to bed I was sore and bruised all over.
I looked at my arms and saw several fine white scars.
The next morning and everyone after for the next six months we followed the same pattern of cooking and training. I trained every day until I could pick locks, disarm traps and fight better than I had ever learned before.
I learned to fight dirty and to use stealth. Jack took no pity on me and at first, I hated him more than when I saw him fuck Bianca. I had never forgotten that night. I used the memory as fuel to drive me harder. Most nights Jack would still leave me with bruises, but I earned fewer scars as we continued.
Eventually, though I grew stronger and faster and I learned to use my speed as an advantage. Jack trained me to strike and move; I was always moving. Jack had been serious about not mixing the business with pleasure, and I had not been able to entice him into bed since we started training.
Most nights I was too tired for sex regardless. On the rare occasion when I wanted Jack to lay with me, he would make an excuse to go topside. Jack always returned with more food and news from the world below.
My Uncle had been coronated king in my absence and taken a mistress. I bet my Aunt was thrilled with that. Several lesser nobles had been raised in stature as well as several new nobles from Mu had taken homes in the city. People forgot about the bratty princess who would have been Queen.
I yearned to go topside and see the world. I decided I would win my freedom. Jack had never wanted a student, but over time we had grown close. I knew if I challenged him and won; I could prove I was ready to go up to the city with him.
“Jack, I’ve been training for months and haven’t left this place. When Can we go out again?” I asked.
“No,” Jack said as I expected he would.
“Am I a prisoner?” I asked him, smiling coyly.
“No, you are in training,” Jack said, “when you’re ready.”
“I am ready now,” I told Jack confidently.
“Really?” Jack asked and stood up. He stepped toward me, and I smiled in victory. Fast as a bolt of lightning striking his blade was out and coming at me. I deftly dodge to the side, feinted right and struck his leg with my left.
Jack twisted, and the blow glanced off, showing a brief streak of red before the wound stitched itself back together. Jack neither flinched nor slowed in his assault. We traded several blows over the continued fight. Jack had stamina over me, and I was beginning to slow down after twenty minutes of prolonged fighting.
Most fights lasted seconds. If the daggers didn’t cause our wounds did not heal right away, this fight would have ended a long time ago. I deflected a blow and rolled, not away, but up toward Jack. I lashed out, and Jack turned taking the dagger deep into his hip. The blade caught, and he tackled me.
“Jack, are you ok?” I asked shocked and in dismay.
“Fine,” Jack whispered, mounting me. We fought for several seconds, and I ended up with Jack on top. Jack pressed his blade down toward me, and I struggled against his strength. This fight turned into a battle of attrition, one I was losing. The tip was sinking into the cloth of my top.
I switched the direction of my resistance and pushed the knife toward my stomach. The wound would be painful, but it was one I could survive with healing. The tip cut through my top, and I continued to push the knife south. I wiggled back and forth exposing my breast.
“Oh, Jack that air is cold on my nipples,” I moaned in feigned pleasure. Jack’s eyes left the blade we were struggling with and focused on my chest. I felt his resistance quaver. I wrapped my legs around his face and pulled him backward onto the ground. I took his knife and set the blade to his throat.
“Yield!” Jack hollered. I released him and jumped up in triumph.
“I won! I won Jack,” I screamed excitedly. I dropped the blade and helped Jack up with an offered hand.
“Ok, but we must be careful,” Jack warned, “Go get dressed.”
“Yes. We will be” I promised excited to be going out. Jack left the room, and I ran to my room. I was just changing when I heard a knock.
“Here.” Jack’s voice said through the door. I opened the door in my small clothes hoping to improve another aspect of our life. Unfortunately, Jack had his back turned. In his arm, he held our a bolster of knives.
“Jack, these are amazing,” I said inspecting the gifts. The blades were balanced and of the highest quality. I stepped around him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I don’t care what you say, you Sir have a soft spot for me.”
“Remember Nokomis it’s dangerous up there,” Jack warned again and stepped away, but not before I caught him peeking through the doorway. I made a mental note to leave the door open a little more often.
