- Curse the day I decided that robbery was the best way to make a living, - Nuash muttered under his breath as he wandered through the dungeons of the Kalevrit Temple. The Shunian still could not believe he had survived all the adventures that had befallen him. He had narrowly escaped death more times than he could count, and in all honesty, he should have set foot in Teyos immediately after fleeing Covellie; however, Nuash doubted that a failed assassin who had botched an important mission and compromised his namhani's safety would be very popular. Therefore, he set off wherever the wind blew him, as a knight of the cloak and dagger can always find something to profit from anywhere. These wanderings brought the scorpion to Kalevritia. He intended to slip away from this land of crazed fanatics at the first opportunity, but the temptation to loot a secluded temple proved too great. And so now Nuash crept through the labyrinths of the catacombs, trying not to clink his eight gold chains and three dozen gold bracelets too loudly, which significantly hindered his movements. Fortunately, the local guards were too well-fed and lazy to even begin suspecting something was wrong.
A faint moan drifted from behind a heavy door at the end of the corridor. Nuash stopped and listened. Perhaps just a rat? The scorpion was about to move on, but the moan repeated. Curiosity prevailed, a lockpick slid into the Shunian's fingers, and after a couple of minutes, the heavy lock gave way. Nuash cautiously poked his head through the door.
The robber's gaze fell upon an exhausted girl in rags, lying on a pile of musty hay. It seemed she didn't even have the strength to lift her head. By all appearances, the prisoner had been here for a very long time, and it was unlikely she was tortured solely out of a desire to convert her to the true faith. The scorpion hesitated for a couple of seconds—he had eaten nothing for six days—but he involuntarily felt sympathy for the victim of the Kalevrit regime, and the voice of reason overrode the arguments of his stomach. Nuash cautiously approached the girl. She finally woke up and looked at the intruder with piercing golden eyes.
- Are you a Shunian too? – Nuash clearly couldn't think of anything smarter to ask.
The prisoner made a movement that could be interpreted as an attempt to nod. Yes, she was definitely Nuash's kinswoman, and now he finally saw her tail, which left no room for doubt.
- Then I simply must get you out of here, - the young man brightened. The girl tried to answer something, but she was so weak that she couldn't squeeze out a single word.
Unsteady footsteps and heavily drunken voices sounded from outside.
- Hey, Chris, did you see anything strange?
- Ha, Bart, do you think you can see anything over your beer belly?
- Screw you! I mean that door to the treasury!
- Ah, what's the big deal? Surely one of the priors forgot to lock it. Go in and grab a torch.
- I don't get it, you again?..
- By right of seniority. Don't worry, you'll get... Hey, what's this?..
The tipsy guards stumbled through the ajar door, but saw only the Shunian prisoner. Before they could process anything, the door closed silently behind them, and then Chris heard a dull thud of a falling body behind his back. Sobering up, the guard turned around, but the scorpion's sting aimed between his eyes was the last thing he saw in this life...
- Kalevrit-style shashlik over temple firewood isn't exactly gourmet, but it'll do on an empty stomach! – Nuash rambled, licking his fingers. The rescued Shunian smiled faintly, warming herself by the campfire. This suspicious type didn't inspire much trust in her, but his company was clearly more pleasant than that of the vicious inquisitors and arrogant guards.
- And how did you end up here, if I may ask? – the robber flopped down beside her unceremoniously. – I won't believe for a second that you ended up there of your own free will.
- Oh... - the girl shuddered. – I was caught by bandits as a child; they traveled through the northern lands and showed me for money, and then these horrible Kalevrits attacked them, and...
Nuash hugged his weeping kinswoman and began to confusedly mutter words of comfort.
- You probably need to go home... Everything has changed in Shun now, but we'll try to think of something... For now, you'll come with me, and we'll see from there.
Traveling as a pair turned out to be far more enjoyable. During their shared adventures, Nuash taught Gashan (the name of the rescued girl) his trade, and she, in turn, told him that she was the daughter of a very wealthy and influential priest, and the bandits had kidnapped her primarily for ransom. Together, the pair looted twice as much loot as Nuash could have carried alone, so after a few months, they settled down a bit and moved into a small house on the outskirts of Taosia, greedily catching news about their distant homeland. The robber told his companion about his dark past, and although she clearly didn't react to his story with enthusiasm, she accepted her savior and friend with all his flaws.
The rebirth of the Shunian kingdom came as a bolt from the blue for the scorpions. Gashan quickly packed for the journey, but Nuash did not share her enthusiasm, rightly assuming that all the sins of his youth would be remembered. He agreed to the trip only after the priest's daughter solemnly promised that she would not let him end his life on the scaffold.
The road home proved long and difficult, and the savings accumulated through the most honest robbery trade came in very handy for the couple. In the Shunian deserts, they were lucky once more—Gashan was happily reunited with her father, who had restored his influence after the fall of Teyos. The old priest was very grateful to his daughter's savior, even if the identity of this savior did not inspire trust.
- Leaving already? Just like that, without saying goodbye?
Nuash turned around. The beauty in rich attire looked little like the beaten prisoner from the basement, but Gashan's golden eyes had not changed. They glowed with sadness.
- Well... Yes. Thank you and your father for the financing and all that...
- Are you sure you've decided?
- Of course. All my life I only knew how to steal, kill, and burn Kalevrit temples. Now you've given me a chance. I'll travel the world, see Ertenia from a more civilized side, maybe learn something useful...
- You don't need to learn anything, just apply your talents differently, - Gashan smiled. – Remember how you entertained me with all those knife tricks? Or how...
- I understand what you want to say, but... Well... they don't exactly love me here either, and I...
- Nuash, please, stay, - the girl took the young man's hand. – I don't want you to leave me. My father is wealthy, and you won't have to steal to feed yourself. And if you go, I... I might not survive the separation.
The robber looked into the beautiful yellow eyes that held a plea. Something pricked his very heart, that part of him he thought was dead...
- Hili... - the Shunian whispered with his lips.
- What? – the priestess wondered. – Your executed friend? What does she have to do with this?
- I just noticed, - Nuash brought his face almost touching Gashan's, - you have the same eyes as her...
The girl opened her mouth to say something, but her lips were stopped by the robber's lips.
- And then Mom and I stayed here and had you two, - Nuash finished his story, lifting the twins from his lap. – Go have lunch.
- Is it Kalevrit-style shashlik for lunch today? – little Hili asked mischievously.
- No, sunshine, just mutton with vegetables.
- But I want Kalevrit-style shashlik! – the girl stamped her foot. – Daddy, catch a Kalevrit!
- Sorry, sweetie, Daddy can't do that right now, but someday I will definitely go and catch a Kalevrit. Maybe even two.
- Great! – the second of the twins, Sagar, lit up. – Will you take me to catch Kalevrits? Please! I'll be good, honestly!
- I'll think about it, - Nuash smiled. – For now, go eat so you can become brave and agile like Daddy.
The children ran into the house with joyful shouts, from where delicious smells were already wafting. The former robber watched them leave with a smile. Could he have dreamed five years ago that he would have a wealthy home in the center of town, a small pharmacy shop, a beloved woman, and two heirs? After all the trials that had befallen him, Nuash could fully appreciate how lucky he was. Very, very lucky. He had never been religious, and even Gashan hadn't managed to lure him into the ranks of her temple's parishioners, but now the Shunian acutely felt that everything that happened to him was not a series of coincidences. For some reason, fate had smiled upon him.
- Thank you, Iris, - Nuash whispered, looking up.
Ple-Sen
Siverfale
