4 March 2013
It was the fifteenth day of our journey to the Abyss when I began to wonder what Tpek had been hiding from when I'd found him. He'd been in hiding for three years until I had tracked him down. Although I'd managed to discover his location, I had never found out exactly what he'd been doing. That night, I crept out of my tent, trying to emulate the silent walk that Tpek made seem so easy. While not quite as stealthy as my criminal friend, I was confident that he wouldn't wake. As I crept across the camp to where we were keeping the luggage, I started to feel the thrill of stealth that Tpek was always chasing. I almost could see what he had meant the other night. When I reached the spot, I pulled off the canvas rain cover and began to look through Tpek's small bag for clues to my problem. I pulled my way through the first layer of clothes and supplies, until I found a small bag that looked as if it could hold some clues. I opened it up excitedly, to find a number of intriguing items. Firstly, I found a ring, made of iron, with a strangely bright ruby inlaid in it. Although this find was interesting, it didn't answer my question. I pulled the next thing out of the bag - a huge tooth or claw of some great beast. It was engraved, with carvings of dragons, and more mysterious creatures. If anything, this raised more questions than it answered. I pulled the last object out of the bag, and it looked promising. It was a rolled up letter. Excitedly, I began to unroll it and- Felt Tpek's sword blade of the back of my neck. I stood up slowly and turned around to face the thief. To my surprise, he was grinning. "You've got the heart of a thief, Kannec." He said, as if I had just passed some sort of test. "Did you read the letter?" "I, er..." I said, a little disconcerted by the way Tpek had reacted. Eventually, I managed to say, "No." "Good," He said, almost sounding relieved. He took the letter out of my hands, walked over to the fire, and quite calmly burnt it. "Now," He said, back to bed." As I was going back to my tent, I caught a glimpse of a few words from the burnt letter:
My beloved Tpek, BURN - see you again -BURN - danger -BURN - safety - BURN - love you forever - BURN Yours forever, Se -BURN
I never mentioned what I'd read to Tpek, and I have my suspicions to this day, but that's the most I ever found in answer to my question.
Five days later we arrived at the huge stone wall that surrounds my home. "Tpek," I said, "Welcome to Khea."
P.S. Sorry it's been an age to be written, hope you all enjoy it!
Heart Of The Thief - 5 • Opuss № I