The plains were sweltering in the summer sun, miserably so. The grass stood perfectly still, undisturbed by even the slightest breeze. It would be impossible to tell from the road that a figure dozed there. She'd been resting in the grass, hoping to find some break from the heat by finding shade in the grass. It hadn't worked, but she still found rest in being off her feet, using her pack as a pillow. Her breathing was soft and even as she slumbered, then broke with a sudden snort as she jolted awake.<br/><br/>Pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes, she grumbled quietly and shook her head to clear it. Slowly, carefully she rose to a seated position and peered through the grass toward the road. The grass stood over three feet tall in this area, leaving her well hidden from view. As she caught sight of the road and its inhabitants, a fierce smile pulled her lips to expose her teeth. The expression was not merry, but strangely violent. Of course they'd come this way. She'd known they would.<br/><br/>These men... these petty, pathetic thieves had accosted her in the woods roughly a day before and she'd shown them how very much appearances can be deceiving. They'd seen only a lonely woman, unarmed and traveling alone when they'd ambushed her. But they'd found a fierce, strong, and fast attacker. Like a mountain cat, she'd sprung at them when they cornered her.<br/><br/>Leaping lithely, she'd sprung first the largest and rung his bell by placing a kick at his head, then whipped around and delivered blow after blow to the others. Always her blows were hard as iron and fast as a cobra, before she danced away and out of reach. Within minutes, she'd left them all unconscious and bleeding, relieved them of the burden of their gold, food, and some other possessions, then disappeared into the woods.<br/><br/>It was only an hour later that she'd laughed, finding a trio of horses tethered to a tree beside a stream. These had to belong to the bandits. She tied her burden to the back of one horse, mounted and led the others along with her, taking them to the nearest town. She'd left the horses there, taking only the money, the food, and her own pack of belongings. The stabler who'd taken the horses had nearly wept with joy as she delivered the animals.<br/><br/>"Be wary," she'd cautioned, "I took them from dangerous men. They may come looking."<br/><br/>He nodded, and she went on her way. Now, nearly a day later, she sat in the grass, watching the road, and what does she find? The same men, back to their routine of ambush and robbery. Tensing, she prepared to rise and attack, then hesitated as the leader of the group lowered his sword.<br/><br/>She'd been wrong in her original assessment. This was no ambush. This was a meeting of cohorts. There was no violence. As she watched, the man in robes removed the bandages and began treating the wound. But this can't be! She knew of no mage who would work closely with a savage bandit!<br/><br/>Senses tingling with suspicion, she watched from the grass, then crept toward the line of trees to follow the robed man from a distance, unseen. She would learn the truth for certain.