A Trap?

He crossed the not too busy main road and headed to where the wolfdog was laying. He hesitated a moment before approaching the thing. Despite its peaceful and calm appearance, he couldn't help but feel someone nervous. He had come across the other woman's guard dogs before – he didn't intend to cross them again.

He took a deep breath and walked past the wolfdog, into the alleyway. He skipped over a shallow, wide puddle and slowly continued walking. The alleyway was empty save for him and the wolfdog seemingly asleep by the entrance, where the alleyway met the main road.

He couldn't help but feel as if the walls were pressing in on him. He gulped and glanced around. Why did he feel like something was off?

The alleyway took a turn a few steps ahead; too sharp a turn for him to see what awaited him. His steps slowed down as he neared the turn, and he stopped as a few steps worth of distance remained. The drizzle had stopped by now, and all he could hear was the drops of water dribbling from the rooftops, and the howling wind as it blew in between the buildings.

He felt a lump form in his throat. A feeling of dread overcame his will to move forward. He continued to hesitate. This didn't feel right. He bit his lip. No amount of money was worth dying. He was not going to walk into a trap. He had enough of this.

He turned around and came face to face with a tall man. "And where do you think you're going, little thief?" The man growled and grabbed him by his throat, or at least, tried to. Aoric ducked under his hand and immediately backed off.

"Who the hell are you?" He hissed as he tried to put some distance between them.

The man was at least a head taller than him. He had black hair, and brown eyes. His messy hair and somewhat dirty clothes gave him a dishevelled look. A homeless person, Aoric guessed, but quickly pushed that idea aside. The man's ripped muscles were visible from under his clothes, and his movements were terrifyingly similar to those of a trained fighter.

The man didn't reply, and instead lunged forward. Aoric didn't even think of fighting him, he turned tail and dashed further into the alleyway. His nimble steps gave him some distance he desperately needed as he turned the corner.

His run came to an abrupt halt as his foot hit something on the ground, and he tripped up. He barely had enough time to raise his hands to protect his face before he hit the cold, wet stone pavement. Footsteps sounded behind him, reminding him that he needed to get up and keep running.

Before he could even get up on his hands and knees, someone grabbed him by the neck, forced him up on his feet and pushed him face first into the wall.

"Ah, fuck! Stop, I'm done running!" His muffled shout sounded as he raised his hands to show he was unarmed. The hands pressing him into the wall didn't let go – he didn't expect them to anyways.

"That's good." A woman's voice sounded. "It would be a hassle if you made him chase you for much longer."

Aoric shivered, but not because of the cold wind. "Ma'am." He muttered. "Is this how you treat those who work for you?" It was the woman clad in black, he recognised her voice.

"Only when I think they have been compromised." The woman replied. "Check him." She added after a moment.

"Yes, Lady." The man gnarled.

"What?" Aoric asked before he felt the man's hands reach for the back of his cloak. "Hey, stop-" The man yanked the cloak off of him, snapping the tied threads on the front side of it.

Aoric took a sharp breath as the cold wind blew against his thin shirt. "I'm not armed!" He lied, trying to push himself off the wall, but the man's grip on his neck only tightened. How strong was this man that he could pin him in place with a single hand?

"Where were you last night?" The woman's voice sounded.

The man, in the meanwhile, reached for his shirt.

"Stop!" Aoric shouted. "What the hell are you doing?" He struggled to break free, kicking and clawing at the man. "What do you want from me?!" The back of his foot hit the man's stomach, causing him to flinch and loosen the grasp on his neck. Aoric quickly used this chance to turn and kick him again, pushing him back slightly.

The man gnarled, his brown eyes narrowed with hatred as he stepped towards him again, his hands extended like claws.

"Don't make this any more difficult." The woman spoke. She was standing not too far from Aoric, her back leant against the wall.

"I'm not making anything difficult!" Aoric shouted. "But what the hell do you want from my clothes, you maniac?" He stepped back as the man approached him. With his back against the wall, there wasn't anywhere he could run to. The drizzle wetted his hair, and drops of water ran over his face. He shivered with the cold.

The woman raised her hand ever so slightly, and to Aoric's surprise, the man stopped. "Your clothes are of no interest to me." She said with a sharp voice. "Where were you last night, when the bells of the cathedral tolled?"

"The mansion!" Aoric breathed out. He glared at the man's hands, seemingly frozen in the air, only a few fingers away from his throat. "I went to see if I could steal the case!"

The woman raised her eyebrows ever so slightly. "And?" She asked.

"I found it." Aoric hissed, hoping this would somehow help keep him alive, as he was very much afraid for his life. "I found the case. It had a bunch of documents in it, but nothing else. No vial, and no blade."

"What did you say?" The woman snarled. Her eyes open wide, she raised her chin. The man lunched forward, catching Aoric by his throat.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Aoric breathed out. "I didn't-" His voice faded as the man pressed against his throat. He gasped for air, but no air reached his lungs.

"A blade…?"