Raiding in a Dream

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 13th June 2022
Series: The Assassin's Story

Characters: Lusilk, Varlin
Description: Lusilk remembers her first raid with Varlin in her dreams
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 11, day 24 of Turn 10

Lusilk

Lusilk felt the momentary tension across her belly and rolled over in
bed, restless in her dream. It was a pleasant, but painful dream
memory, one that caused a subconscious ache in her chest.

She crouched, hidden in by the bush and remained silent, not even her
slight, shallow breaths making a sound. She couldn't make a mistake,
not with this. It was her chance to really prove herself to the one
she desperately wanted to. All the group jobs she had done, all of her
mistakes and her multiple successes, they all led to this. Her eyes
flicked to Varlin's position, waiting for his signal and kept still,
her muscles coiled tight.

He had finally agreed to let her come with him; he'd always told her
that she was too young, too inexperienced, but she'd proved herself
enough that he'd finally relented. Perhaps it was because she'd
finally been able to sneak up on him, to steal his pouch without
immediately getting caught, or perhaps it was because she'd been able
to get a dagger to his throat. Maybe it was both. But he'd relented
and she wasn't going to fail him.

Varlin's gaze shifted from the road to the thick vegetation beyond,
where he knew Lusilk was waiting, though not even the smallest movement
gave her away. He felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest that he
found hard to explain. He knew she could be silent and swift, that she
was tough, she could fight. He'd heard the other holdless men admit,
grudgingly, that she was useful.

But those had been small jobs, lying in wait for travelers too poor or
mean to hire a guard to escort them through the remote outlying
territory of Beryl Peak. No-one who put up any resistance. This was
different. This was based on good information, from a source he trusted.
A rich prize. It wouldn't be easy alone, but perhaps he should have...

A faint sound instantly caught his attention, and all his concerns were
forgotten in an instant as he fixed his gaze back on the road. He made a
quick gesture - wait - then held still, listening. Distant hoofbeats,
coming closer.

After an endless time, they appeared around a bend in the road. There
were four guards, two grizzled, tough-looking older men, the third
middle-aged with a paunch and blotchy cheeks who slumped wearily in his
saddle, and a younger lad bringing up the rear. Riding in the middle of
the escort was a thin, greying man with a steward's knots, who eyed the
darkening forest warily. He was leading a second pack beast with laden
saddlebags. **Tithes.**

Slowly, Varlin eased a throwing knife from his belt, knowing - trusting
- that Lusilk was doing the same. His other hand moved, holding up two
fingers. **The older guards first. Wait...** Closer and closer they
came. He covered the blade with his hand to hide any tell-tale flash of
metal, waited until they'd almost passed, and then...

Now. His wrist flicked, and the knife blurred in the air, burying itself
in the neck of his target.

The moment the metal flashed in the air, it was followed by a slimmer,
lighter blade that whistled past the first targeted guard and sank
into the throat of the other older guard in an almost mirror image.
Then there was another flash of metal and a larger blade sunk
hilt-deep into the back of the middle-aged man, causing him to gurgle
helplessly and fall from his runner.

The younger guard immediately panicked, drawing his sword and looking
about while waving the blade with what was supposed to be some sort of
menace. The steward's runner reared and with a sudden burst of
activity, Lusilk darted out and slid beneath the runner, hands
flashing to hamstring the runner before it could run. She rolled out
of the way of flashing hooves, looking up with an almost feral grin as
the runner squealed and toppled over.

Varlin was already out of hiding and running for the remaining guard
when his gaze flicked to Lusilk diving straight at the runner's flailing
hooves. He slowed, his boots skidding in the dust, but she was out from
beneath them before he could react further, baring her teeth in the
wicked grin he'd come to know well.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the young man, ducking easily
under a clumsy sweep of the sword and coming up inside his guard with a
knife thrust to the gut. The boy gasped and staggered back, his weapon
falling from his fingers as he stared down, disbelieving, at the
darkening patch of blood on his tunic. Varlin didn't hesitate, kicking
him to the ground and finishing him quickly with a slice to the throat.

He turned back to see the steward cowering on the ground, his hands
raised in a gesture of surrender. Varlin crouched and picked up the
sword - it should fetch a decent sum, if sold - then walked back,
stopping to retrieve his knife from the first dead man as he did.

"Check the saddlebags. I'll get their weapons." He gestured towards the
pack beast. The steward had dropped its reins and it stood shivering
nearby, making no move to run.

Lusilk picked herself up of the ground with a hop, dusking off her
trousers as she strode towards the pack beast. As she passed by the
steward, she didn't hesitate in kicking the man in the jaw, not taking
a moment to listen to his pleas for mercy. She knew enough that he'd
seen them; he'd die momentarily, but she didn't want to worry about
him escaping while she checked the bags. He toppled over, unconscious,
and she reached the pack beast.

With a quick hand, she settled the beast, her voice dropping to soothe
the animal. She patted its neck, it was a valuable animal and could be
sold to the right buyer. It was a pity about the runner, but it had to
be done. She opened the pack bags and her eyes glinted at what was
inside. She gave a little whoop as she pulled out a couple of sacks of
marks, rolled correspondence from outlying minor holds, small bags of
gems and carefully wrapped fine jewelry."

Hurrying to the next, she was equally pleased to find travel goods,
packs of dried meat, fruit, and wrapped cheeses. "There's plenty. Lord
Rorrigraf will be annoyed to have this go missing." She smirked.
"Looks like gifts for a potential wife." She held up the
correspondence with a smirk. "Looks like we have information we can
sell too."

Varlin looked up from where he crouched beside the crumpled body of the
steward. "I know someone who knows someone at Flint Hills, says their
Lord Holder hates Rorrigraf's guts. He might be interested. If only to
have a good laugh at the wizened old watchwher's love letters." He
grinned and dispatched the man with a swift wrench that snapped his
skinny neck. It was a kindness, really. He wouldn't want to be the one
to explain to Lord Rorrigraf what had happened here.

"Then this was a perfect haul." She slipped the goods back into the
saddlebags with satisfaction, her eyes bright as she approached Varlin
with a raised chin. "I told you I could do this." Her eyes met his,
proud and with well deserved confidence.

"I never doubted it." Blue eyes held her gaze for a long moment, and
when he spoke there was a new note in his voice. Respect, and
underneath...interest, as if he was seeing something in her he hadn't
before. But they weren't safe yet. "Let's get away from the road, make
camp." He glanced up at the sky, which was grey and threatening rain -
all the better to hide their tracks, with luck. "I know a place, a cave."

The change in his gaze made her heart stutter for just a moment before
she turned and nodded. She looked at the pack beast, pursed her lips
and debated before taking the harness in hand. Her own mind was
following his own. Taking the pack beast was risky, but the price was
worth it and the rain would most likely shroud the tracks. Besides, it
would be several days before the steward was missed. Plenty of time to
make themselves absent from the area. "Lead the way. I've got this
one."

Varlin felt the tension ease in his shoulders once they were back under
cover in the forest. There weren't many travelers in this area, but
dragons were seen more often these last few Turns, patrolling above in
ones and twos. He led the way silently along half-hidden tracks, up
towards the hills where he knew there were caves, almost invisible
unless you knew they were there. Overhead, thunder growled and the first
drops of rain began to splash through the canopy of the trees.

"Here." He pushed aside the branches and creeping plants that had grown
over a narrow opening. The rain had begun to fall more heavily,
plastering his hair flat and soaking through to his shirt, turning the
trail to mud behind them. Hopefully it'd keep the dragonriders in their
weyrs, too. "We can tether the beast out here, there's enough shelter."
Turning back, he started to unbuckle the bags, looking across at her,
the thrill of a successful raid coursing through him. They were alive,
they'd brought away enough to keep them for months and irk the Lord
Holder into the bargain.

While he unbuckled the heavy bags, Lusilk worked quickly to tether the
beast securely. Despite her speed, the rain quickly drenched her to
the skin and despite her answering grin to Varlin, she darted into the
cave as soon as she was done. The cave was cool, sending a shiver down
her spine, and she saw with relief that it had been prepared ahead of
time with wood and basic supplies. She wasted to time in using the
fire starting kit and just as Varlin came into the cave, she had a
small fire started and was adding wood to warm the air. "There should
be enough wood for the night. You planned ahead."

"After too many nights spent shivering in the rain, I've learned to."
Varlin set down the saddlebags and crouched down by the fire with a sigh
of pleasure at the warmth. He glanced at her sideways, then turned and
opened the one with the supplies, leaving the valuables for the moment.
From inside, he dug out a clean shirt and a rolled-up blanket, both of
good quality - probably the steward's - and offered them to her. "Here.
You should get dry..."

She took the shirt and blanket after adding a larger log to the fire,
then rose. "Thanks. You should as well, if there's an extra one in
there." Though she was loathe to leave the fire and it's warmth,
staying in wet clothing wouldn't help warm her chilled skin. Going
just past the fire's light and barely in the shadows, and keeping her
back to Varlin, she stripped off the soaked tunic, it's frayed edges
nearly tearing from the movement. She wrung it out, then slipped on
the dry, much warmer shirt. It took more effort and wiggling to strip
off the wet trousers and they fell to the ground with a wet "plop".

The new shirt felt soft as it fell to her mid-thigh and Lusilk
smoothed the material with work-roughened hands, a smile of
satisfaction and pleasure on her face. She picked up her wet clothes
and came back to the fire, bending to stretch out the clothing to dry
near the fire, before settling on the blanket and stretching her own
feet towards the fire to warm her bare toes.

Varlin watched as she returned, the flickering light of the flames
reflected in his eyes, and with it that unaccustomed interest in his
normally unreadable gaze. The steward's spare clothes were too small to
fit him, but he'd found a guard's uniform tunic in the bottom of the
saddlebag. It hung loosely on his lean frame, but it was dry and he
grinned as he tugged at the collar. "Never thought I'd be wearing one of
these again. How does it look?"

Once again she caught that strange, interested gleam in his eyes; she'd
seen it before, with other men that visited her mother and sometimes
tried to catch her alone, but a sharp blade, quick wit, and a few
knees to tender areas had always kept those men at bay. She knew what
many assumed, that she was like her mother who shared herself with men
as she pleased and who might have a few marks to send her way. Varlin
had never assumed openly and he'd never before looked at her that way.
When she met his gaze, she felt her heart flutter momentarily in her
chest as an answering heat of attraction glittered in her eyes. The
sight of him in the uniform, however, made her wrinkle her nose. "It
doesn't suit you. You look better without it."

"You think so?" Slowly, he raised a hand and brushed back a loose strand
of dark, wet hair from her face, his fingers cupping her cheek. Their
eyes were locked and he was very aware in that moment of how fast she
could be with a knife if he was mistaken - he had the scar to prove it -
but the element of danger only heightened the thrill. When she didn't
pull away, he moved closer, his lips brushing hers lightly at first,
then with more heat, his arm slipping around her to draw her to him.

The moment his lips brushed hers, she gave a soft gasp, her eyes
fluttering closed as the heat increased. She hadn't even reached for a
blade, accepting the touch and kiss of this man felt completely right.
Lusilk relaxed into his arms and her own wrapped around his neck in
complete acquiesence.

"Lusilk..." Varlin caressed her back, exploring until his fingers found
her braid and loosened it so that her hair fell in dark waves around her
shoulders. He drew back for a moment to catch his breath and look on her
face. The exhilaration of the raid burned in him, the knowledge that
they'd risked everything and come through safe, but there was also an
unaccustomed ache in his chest. A feeling of tenderness that had been
absent for so long from his life, he hardly recognized it, and it almost
frightened him.

He pulled the guard's tunic over his head, then folded it, for a
makeshift pillow for her head when they lay down together beside the
fire. Then his hands slipped under the soft fabric of the stolen shirt,
bolder now, his breath coming faster as he kissed her again.

She welcomed the private touch, relaxing under his hand and becoming
pliant and more willing that she expected that she ever would. The
intimate embrace was unfamiliar, but when her own hands slowly
explored his back and sides, she gave herself over to it with a
willing soft moan. She knew what was going to happen, what Varlin
would want along with these touches, what he would want from her. And
she wanted him. Who else would be better for her than him for this?
He'd already taught her what she needed to survive, it would only be
right that he instruct her in this as well; she would trust no one
else to do so.

Lusilk pulled away from him just long enough to pull the stolen shirt
over her head to toss it away. Now bare beside him, she made no effort
to cover herself like an innocent shrinking flower. Instead, she
touched his chest and drew him back to her once again.

Varlin's eyes darkened with growing desire as he gazed down on her.
Firelight flickered over the slender, strong body that he had crafted
into a weapon, the girl he'd first met knowing nothing but thieving, the
woman that she had almost become. As they moved closer, he touched her,
guided her as he'd once shown her the way to wield a knife, to balance
her weight, to guard and block and strike and to withstand pain. All the
time his own passion blazed stronger, until he could wait no longer.
Their eyes met, again, and then he claimed her at last, mouth and body
joining with hers, gasping and sliding together, as one in a burning
embrace.

Afterwards, he lay with his arm encircling her, letting his breathing
slow as he idly caressed the smooth curve of her back, her cheek resting
against his chest. His gaze flicked to the cave entrance, never entirely
off guard. The sky outside had darkened to a deep blue-black and the
rain had slowed, the thunder now a distant murmur.

"Lusilk?" He bent his head, kissed the tangles of her hair. "Are you...
You're alright?"

"Mmm.." Sated and feeling more relaxed than she ever had, Lusilk
opened one eye as she felt his hand stroke down her back. Her own
fingers rested in a soft curl against his side, gently stroking the
warm skin that she felt there. The voice that emerged from her was a
soft purr of contentment. "Yes." She took a soft breath, enjoying the
quiet embrace that she knew would not last. "I didn't stab you."

His chest vibrated with a quiet laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment."
He'd heard enough grumbling from disgruntled men around her mother's
cothold to know that wasn't an idle threat, and he felt a kind of pride
that she'd chosen him, of all the others. For now, though, the outside
world seemed distant, as if nothing existed beyond the warm firelight of
their shelter. He smiled, fingers tracing light circles on her skin.
"You think I'd avoid being stabbed, if it were to happen again?"

"Hmm...I don't know. Let me think." Lusilk lifted her head slowly,
turning slightly until her head moved to rest her chin lightly on his
chest as she studied his face. "I think I might stab you if it didn't
happen again." Her lips curled upwards, then faltered just slightly as
a moment of uncertainty crossed her expression. "Was I" She paused,
lowering her lashes in a moment of real shyness. "I mean...did I do
alright? "

The light glittered in Varlin's eyes, the interest now clear and open.
"Oh, yes. Like how you fight..." He grinned. "You're a natural."

The compliment brought an answering grin, a light gleaming in her eye
that matched his. "Well, I guess just like fighting, I'll need some
practice then, won't I? Who..." She walked her fingers over his chest
playfully, "better to teach me, hmm?"

He brought his hand up to cover hers, their fingers entwining together
as his lips quirked in amusement. "I do know some tricks." Then he drew
her in to kiss her again, this time with slow, enticing care, savoring
every touch. "Mmm...and you're a fast learner."

She gave a soft sigh at the kiss, then murmured against his lips. "So
teach me everything you know." Her lips against his lifted in a
pleased smile as she fully relaxed against him once again. Her hand
squeezed in his own, then pulled away to once again tangle in his
hair.

"Very well, then. First lesson." The holdless man's smile turned wicked
as his hands slid down her body. "As in fighting, there are moves to
practice, positions...sensitive places, that if you use to your
advantage, you can render your opponent entirely helpless..."

In the dream, she felt her belly tighten again and the sudden ache of
pain forced her eyes to open. It was dark and for a moment, she
thought the warm body beside her, with the arm laying over her side
was Varlin. Then came the sudden pain of grief; no, it wasn't him. The
man laying next to her was nothing like him. She felt a callused palm
stroke her bare belly in his sleep and she settled back down before
she woke Lorican.

Lusilk shifted to try to get comfortable again, exhaling at the memory
of the dream. He had indeed taught her well; she'd had had to use the
skills he'd taught her with calculation in the past. But now... She
turned her head, and in the dim light, she saw her husband's profile.
There was nothing calculating about him. Even his lovemaking was eager
and honest; he held nothing back. Slowly, she laid her hand over his
and twined her fingers in his own.

Last updated on the July 15th 2022

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Raiding in a Dream