Dream Thief

I crawled over all of the sleeping sorcerers, my furry paws leaving nary a hair on their heads disturbed as I went passed them, nobody ever suspected the cat.

I committed their scrolls upon scrolls of spells to memory as I stepped passed them, they generally worked till they dropped of exhaustion. After all my photographic memory was essential to my vocation.

I am known in my trade as the Dream Thief. I look like a black cat with violet eyes and slightly long fangs. With my appearance I can get in to any place I want, no matter how well secured. I am free to spy or to steal whatever I please, but I dealt most in memories and dreams. I had the ability to take an idea right out of a person’s mind, or I had it until it was stolen from me by Darien; The Soul Thief, who had placed it in an amulet which was then entrusted to the sorcerer’s guild by the magician who had hired Darien.

The amulet was created specifically to hold my gift, apparently my past jobs had finally caught up with me and I had stolen from the wrong person. I had conned one of their acolytes in to taking me in and feeding me. I had to wait a week before I was able to move about freely, then I began my hunt for that accursed amulet. I found it in the vault where they kept dangerous magic. It took two more weeks of patiently waiting and watching for my opportunity, and then I seized it.

I would need to find a way to unlock the amulets spells in order to get my powers back, and then I would be back in business. I hadn't lived for the past 3 centuries without running in to a snag or two; this was just another snag as far as I was concerned. A snag I would pay Darien back for triple fold, there was a code and he had broken it.

I knew he had done so out of pure spite, I often wonder if being spiteful brought him some sort of pleasure since it seemed his perpetual state of existence.

I was out the window with the amethyst amulet in my teeth when I turned back to look at the wizards. Better not leave any witnesses; I kicked over one of their indigo flame torches as I left and watched it fall into their main hall. My tracks were solidly covered and I proceeded down the cobblestone street, sticking to the shadows.

I needed to get to the ship that would take me to Arabia, where I could lay low and figure out this amulet.

I walked past a scruffy looking street urchin, who upon smelling her scent was a small girl, she looked at me, and then looked at the flames from the building that I’d just left and snapped her small fingers. The flames extinguished instantly. She looked at me and said “I hate cats!" Then she mean mugged me!

I was shocked! Everybody here in England loved cats! I mean mugged her right back "I hate meddling little street urchins." As I hissed at her!

Her eyes widened. Good that would teach her some manners! Whether she was a witch or not, I refused to tolerate her.

"You can talk?!"

"So can you, what's your point? Now I'm late. You're meddling cost me a perfectly good escape. You should carry me to the docks! Your legs will be quicker than mine!"

"I don't think so, cat." She crossed her arms and turned her head.

"Fine. Die in the gutter of plague. I'm off to Arabia. It was very unpleasant to meet you!“ I trotted off to her laughter.

It took longer than I liked but I made it to the ship in the nick of time, only to be brought up short by a woman with long black hair. She smelled familiar, but as I tried several times to slink past her as she refused to budge.

"I hate cats!" The woman snapped her fingers and an indigo flame rose up to block my passage onto the ship. I danced away from the fire and realized she smelled the same as the little urchin

"I won’t have them on board my ship! Looks like your voyage to Arabia has been canceled Cat! Die in the gutter of plague Cat, or be caught by the Sorcerers guild first!" She began to cackle and I knew I was in deep trouble.

"Witch!" I hissed

"Thief!" She snarled back at me. Her amber eyes held contempt for me.

"Captain! We need to set sail. The Harbinger is already ahead of us and we need to make it to the Sultan first if we want this contract!" A tall man in black called to her from the main deck.

"I can help you witch!" I was desperate to leave.

She debated and then eyed me "Can you stop a ship cat?"

"Yes. I can also make a ship lose its cargo. I am assuming that the ship that gets there WITH its cargo intact beats the ship that makes it there first?"

She looked at me and then stooped to retrieve me

"Welcome aboard Cat." She carried me to the steering wheel and unceremoniously plunked me on a barrel close by it.

"My NAME is Nigel for future reference." I sniffed

"Great, Nigel, I'm Captain Valentina. This is my first mate Louis and you’re on board the Wraith. Your target is the Harbinger, Captained by Darien La Blanc, if you wish safe passage." She stepped to the wheel and gave a slight push.

"Darien…The White?"

"Yes. His nickname is Soul Thief."