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Stealing from a Dragon
     
    Alara Branwen
     
    Copyright © 2013
     
    alarabranwen.blogspot.com
     
    All rights reserved.
    No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
    This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
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    There aren't many who have the guts to do what I do. It's a hard, nerve wracking job. You learn to savor the sweet taste of the morning air, because you know each breath can be your last. If you literally put one toe out of line, your life can came come to a quick, and rather messy end.
     
    My name is Marissa. I'm a hoard stealer. It's not surprising if you've never heard of one, there aren't many of us around. A hoard stealer is a thief that steals from treasure hoards. We target the ancient tombs of kings, kingdom treasuries, and anywhere else that there's a hoard of gold. We're known for being able to swipe large amounts of money in a single go.
     
    The goal of a hoard stealer is no different than the goal of any other kind of thief. Your job is to get in, steal as much as you can, and get out as fast as you can, as quietly as you can. However, stealing from a hoard is a little more difficult. The security around most hoards is tighter than a virgin on her wedding night. For a hoard stealer to pull off a job, they have to get past tons of guards, powerful magical wards, and other insane countermeasures.
     
    Because of this, you have to be the best of the best. No simple cat burglar can be a hoard stealer. You have to be on top of your game. You have to know the ins and outs of the area where the hoard is being kept, all defensive measures used to defend it, all escape routes, and collect the equipment you're going to need to get in and get out. It can take months of studying, just to steal from one hoard. You have to be patient and careful. If you're not, you've had it.
     
    Hoard stealers have a nasty habit of dying on their first job, which is why there aren't many practitioners. Either that, or they make enough on their first couple of runs to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Those that have been in it for a while, like me, do it for the thrill.
     
    Hoard stealers usually have certain specialties. Some steal from ancient tombs, some from royal vaults. Myself, I steal from dragons. Most of my colleagues think I'm insane. Any hoard stealer they know of that's ever tried to steal from a dragon has ended up as a crispy piece of ash, or as a crunchy pool of blood. But, that's because they didn't know what they were doing.
     
    If a hoard stealer wants to successfully steal from a dragon, they have to take the time and study dragons and their ways, on top of everything else. Simply studying the area won't do. This makes it hard initially. But, once you've got those big lizards figured out, you'll find that relieving them of their gold is a piece of cake.
     
    I'm a master at what I do, but thing weren't always so simple. On my first job stealing from a dragon, I was nearly killed. I remember the experience well.
     
    The night was black and amber fog hung over the yellow thumbnail moon.  I stood in a copse of trees, pressing myself against the scratchy bark of one, as I looked upon the entrance to a dragon's cave, several feet away. The cave entrance was about ten feet above the ground. The rock around it was jagged, and beyond, there was nothing but blackness. It seemed like the maw of a large creature, ready to swallow any unfortunate that dared enter.
     
    In my mind, that big, black hole turned into a dragon's maw. It gritted its teeth and snarled. My breath got short and I trembled. The lips parted, and a blazing stream of fire rushed toward me. I flinched and screwed my eyes shut. I slowly opened them again, and the dragon's maw turned back into a