13 - Foes

They call her the Red Fox. A master thief who has been plaguing the city's wealthy these past few months. They don't call her that on account of her clothes - they're grey - but because of the few times she's been seen, she has red hair under her hood.

How do they know she's a woman, anyway? I can tell you that, actually. I'm looking at her, and she is very clearly a woman. Well, soon to be was a woman, after she stole from our boss.

"Nowhere left to go, little girl?" the man to the left of me sneers. "Aw, what a shame. Tell you what, come over here and we'll make it quick."

The five of us are armoured, with spears and swords. All the vaunted Red Fox has is a tunic and a dagger.

She frowns. Not in a way that indicates concern, but like she's examining us. She doesn't say a word, but she grips her dagger tightly. I motion at the men on her flanks to move in. They circle around, blades at the ready. A moment of anticipation.

They strike! A spear reaches out for her stomach, but she flips backward, kicking the tip of it up into the air. The second blade also misses, its wielder crashing forward onto the ground.

"Move in! Get her!" I shout, pointing for emphasis.

The rest of my men charge. There's nowhere for her to go. She says something aloud, then vanishes in a cloud of silvery mist. She's a mage too? Before I can think, I hear a cry from my right. One of my men points up at the rooftops, as a flash of a cape cuts across the moon overhead. With all of our armour, there's no way we can catch her now.

I'll have to report back. I don't think us soldiers can catch her. We'll need someone specialised in killing little thieves.