"How's everything coming along, Miwah?" Tamma left her assigned side of the stable to the first segment. The seamstress turned her head, giving the hunter a look of anger and frustration while being pinned between the wall and the angry donkey.
"Excellent. Just fine," Miwah said sarcastically.
"How did you get yourself stuck like that?" Tamma asked, holding back a giggle.
"This donkey is aggressive! As soon I went around to cut its rope... it just stepped to the side and pressed me against this wall." She placed both of her hands on the animal's side and gave it an awkward shove. "And now he will not move!"
"You've got to be gentler, Miwah." Tamma walked up to the donkey and massaged the top of his head with her fingers. "Like this." She then rubbed the animal behind the ears and the donkey let out a neigh. "See? Just like that."
"Not everyone is blessed to have the ability to be that good with animals."
With a bit of slicing, Tamma severed the rope that kept the donkey restrained. She stepped to the side as the donkey trotted out. She gave him a firm smack on the rear cheek and he went merrily on his way towards the heart of town. "Don't worry, you won't have to do anymore. I went ahead and freed the rest of the animals here."
"Good." Miwah stepped out of the stable and brushed the fur and dirt from her top. "What is the plan now?"
"The part where we burn this down."
"Ah, of course. How could I have forgotten?" She looked around among the empty sections of the stable. Crates, chests and other assorted objects were placed in them. "Along with everything else in here? You said that the items here were stolen. That means you'll be burning down the possessions of others."
Tamma was knelt on the ground, scouring the ground for sticks and stones to use. "Remember what I told you about being a woman of the forest? I know how to start fire smartly. I'm trying to get the attention of the Cutthroats, so the fire has to be visible. They show concern whenever loot is on the line, so I'm banking on them coming to the rescue if it means making sure their treasure is all right. I’m positive they'll find a way to put it out before any serious damage comes to it." She continued to dig around, coming across some sticks on the floor. "I think these should do."
"Oh, I see. Hopefully they will notice quickly."
"The sea is just a short walk down. They'll have plenty of time to extinguish the flames before any serious damage is done." Tamma placed one of the sticks in between the palms of her hands. Underneath the stick was a plank of wood surrounded by dried hay. She twirled the piece vigorously, making a small bit of smoke. Sparks flew out from where the stick contacted the plank and in a matter of moments a small glowing ember was at the tip of her stick. The hunter let out a small breath of air and the ember flickered before turning into a small flame.
"Where are you going to set the flame?" Miwah asked, keeping her eyes on the bright fire.
"Towards the roof. The wood that it’s made by is easy to come across and shouldn't be that hard to replace. Not to mention it'll be easier to see from a distance, take more time to put out and is furthest away from everything in here."
"You really have all of this planned out," Miwah said with surprise. "I am hoping that this is the first time you have done this."
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
"It is. But it's not the first time I've seen it done. Believe it or not, Cutthroats have done the same thing. They're about to have their tactics used against them." Tamma moved out of the stable. Using one of the posts outside of the building as leverage, she hopped onto it and then onto the roof. Looking down, she waved at Miwah. "Go back to our hiding spot from earlier. I'll meet you and hopefully Yalch there shortly."
The seamstress nodded and ran back to the building that gave a vantage point of both the tavern and the stable. She shifted her eyes between the two buildings, making sure that no one was leaving the tavern while Tamma carefully set the roof of the stable ablaze. It didn't take long for smoke to rise from the wooden roof. As the gray cloud grew thicker, she saw Tamma leap straight to the ground and sprint towards her direction.
"Any sign of Yalch?" Tamma asked with a hush as she ran to Miwah’s side. Both watched the tavern from their cover, focusing on the exit.
"Not yet." Miwah turned her head, her heart racing once she saw the fire on the stable grow brighter. "But I have a feeling we will see him at any moment."
Shouting came from Colligan’s. Both women's heads darted to the sound of noise simultaneously. One man left the building and ran towards the stable, his hands pressed against his head as he watched the fire burn. In seconds, another followed and stood at his side, staring at the scorching roof.
"Miwah! Tamma!" Yalch called out as he waved his hands above his head. The ghost flew to them as fast as he could. "It's a frenzy in there! Everyone's trying to get out of the tavern and to the stable! They're all shouting about their loot!"
"Told you," Tamma said as she nudged Miwah in the arm with her elbow.
"What about Narrita and her snake?" Miwah asked the ghost. "Did you keep an eye on them?"
Yalch bobbed his head. "Yep. They both looked mad. But they weren't hurrying to the door like the rest. From what I could tell, they were staying behind."
"Looks like we might be seeing some resistance then," Miwah said. She then looked at Tamma. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? If things get bad in there, I do not think I can guarantee your safety. And I know you still have Lug to look after."
"I'll be fine, Miwah. You focus on getting those Beacons back. I'll stay close by and give you as much help as I can in any way possible. Like Yalch said, if the Cutthroats are holding onto that much power, there's a lot at stake here. Probably more than some hunter and her brillick.”
Miwah nodded her headed once. "Understood. I will stay out of my Purifier form as long as possible and will only transform when absolutely necessary."
"Sounds like a plan, Miwah." The hunter stuck out one hand, waiting for the seamstress to grab it. "Hurry up and shake on it so we can get moving." Tamma looked at the stable and saw that a small crowd had formed around the area, with some going inside to pull out whatever treasure they could. "We don't have much time before those Cutthroats figure out how to extinguish that fire."
With a firm grasp, Miwah shook Tamma's hand. Once the embrace ended, Tamma sprinted with her body angled low towards the tavern. Miwah followed as best as she could while Yalch hovered right next to her head. All three arrived by the front door in a manner of seconds. Multiple Cutthroats left the building, focusing too much on the fire to pay any mind to the two women standing on the other side of the exit. Once there was a break in patrons leaving, Tamma darted inside first, her hand holding onto the knife still holstered on her thigh.
The seamstress followed, going in while keeping close to the wall. Frenzied patrons moved past the two women to make their way to the exit while everyone else was crowded against the wall, trying to get a view of the stable from the window. Among the cast of onlookers, Narrita and Pierce were visible with an upfront view.
"You two!" Yalch exclaimed. "Over there!" The ghost pointed to the far end of the room. With some squinting, the pouch that held the Beacons stood out among the plates and cups of the table.
"Try to stay low," Tamma said to Miwah without taking her eyes off the distracted Cutthroats. She crouched, moving underneath the tables to avoid detection. Miwah followed suit, paying no mind to the crumbs and spilled alcohol that covered the floor and made her shoes stick with each step.
The closer they got to the Beacons, the clearer the voices of the band of thieves became.
"This is a set-up!" One of the men shouted.
"All of you! Get out of here and make sure whoever did this gets caught! They've probably run off with our profits by now!" Narrita barked. Both Miwah and Tamma stopped their movement, hiding behind one of the counters of the tavern. "Who knows how away they are! I want everyone that’s in here to be outside now! Scan every single corner in this part of town! I don't want them getting away!"