There was a damp smell in the air, stuffy.
Flora glanced out the window. The sky seemed low, clouds thick, barely any light visible.
When they returned to the inn that evening, Flora stood by the window and looked out. She closed the window and turned around.
Ilya was already sitting on the edge of the bed, holding that book. She turned a page without looking up.
“It’s going to rain,” Flora said.
Flora walked to the table and poured a glass of water. The cup felt a little cold in her hand. She drank slowly, then set the cup down.
Then she went to take a bath. Bathing at night was her habit. Flora had told others before that if she didn’t bathe at night, her body would feel uncomfortable.
When she came out, Ilya was already lying down. The book was on the small table by the headboard, the lamp still lit. She lay on her side, back to Flora, the blanket pulled up to her shoulders.
Flora dried her hair, then walked to the bed, lay down, and pulled the blanket over herself.
Flora stared at Ilya’s back and suddenly spoke.
“Mother.”
“What is it?”
“I feel like I can’t sleep right now. I’m not very tired.”
Ilya was silent for a few seconds. Then she turned over, facing Flora. The lamplight fell on her face, softening her eyes a little.
“Come here,” she said softly.
Flora hesitated for a moment, then crawled over to Ilya until they were very close. Flora stopped only when she could feel the warmth of Ilya’s body. The scent of Ilya drifted through the thin fabric.
She turned on her side, reached out, and hugged Ilya.
Ilya didn’t move or speak. But after a moment, her hand gently rested on Flora’s back.
Suddenly, a dull rumble came from outside the window—a thunderclap, quite loud.
Then the sound of rain started.
At first, it was fine, pattering with a crisp, gentle sound. Then it grew heavier, eventually becoming a roaring noise, pounding against the window, crashing into the ground—violent.
Flora listened to the rain and buried her face deeper into Ilya’s shoulder.
“Sleep,” Ilya said.
Flora hummed in response and closed her eyes.
Her ears were filled with the sound of rain. Even though the rain was like a wild beast now, she still felt the drops falling on her heart. The sound slowly relaxed her tense muscles. Flora felt very comfortable.
She didn’t know how long passed before she fell asleep.
But the night seemed unsettled.
Flora was jolted awake by an extremely faint noise.
She opened her eyes. The lamp was off, and the room was pitch black.
Tap.
The sound came again, but it wasn’t the rain. Flora could distinguish the rain, and it was still heavy—this faint sound couldn’t be rain.
It was something else. It felt cautious. Could it be a thief?
Flora’s mind raced. What is that sound? Is it really a thief?
Tap.
Another sound.
Flora’s eyes went wide, her mind now sharply awake.
It was the sound of a lock. Someone was picking the lock.
A thief is here!
Why would a thief come here? Flora didn’t think much about it—the thought just flashed through her mind. What she needed to think about now was how to deal with the thief.
And it was midnight. She wasn’t sure if there were others. If she made too much noise, she might wake other guests or alert any other thieves that might be around.
She turned her head to look at Ilya.
Ilya was awake too, staring at the door. Her eyes seemed brighter in the darkness. Then she slowly closed her eyes again.
Neither of them moved.
The lock gave a soft click.
Then the door was pushed open a crack, and a dark figure slipped in.
The figure stood by the door for two seconds, as if observing the room. Then it crept toward the table, where Flora’s cloth bag sat.
Flora judged the person’s distance by sound. The footsteps grew closer, meaning the intruder had fully entered.
One step, two steps, three steps…
The direction and volume of the sound indicated it was nearly at the table.
Should be about right. I can act now.
***
The next second, Flora suddenly threw off the blanket, swiftly moved behind him, covered his mouth with one hand, and grabbed his wrist with the other. Mana flowed into her hand as she twisted his arm back violently.
Frost instantly spread upward from the man’s feet, freezing most of his legs.
“Mmph!”
The thief’s whole body stiffened, then he struggled hard. But the hand over his mouth was astonishingly strong—he couldn’t move at all.
From his trembling, Flora could sense the thief’s shock and panic.
“Don’t make a sound,” Flora said in a low voice. “If you do, I’ll cripple you.”
The man seemed completely panicked now, nodding frantically.
Flora raised her other hand, a wisp of chilling aura gathering at her fingertip, and lightly touched his forehead.
A layer of frost spread from his forehead, sealing his mouth and hands.
The whole process was silent—only the faintest crackle sound, which was drowned out by the rain outside.
The man’s eyes widened even more, but he couldn’t move or make a sound.
Flora gently lowered him to the floor, then looked at Ilya.
Ilya was already sitting up, staring toward the door.
There was a faint, flickering light beyond the door.
Obviously, someone was downstairs.
That meant there were accomplices.
Flora stood up, gently pushed the door open, and slipped out.
The hallway was pitch black, with only a little light coming up from the stairwell. She pressed close to the wall and moved downstairs, her steps so light they were nearly soundless.
When she reached the stair landing, she saw the situation downstairs.
Two people were rummaging behind the counter.
The drawer had been forced open, and the ledger along with some loose coins had been set on the table. It looked like they were trying to grab every valuable they could find.
Flora looked toward the door.
One person stood at the entrance keeping watch, holding a lamp.
Flora rushed down quickly, reducing her sound as much as possible.
But the lookout still spotted her.
However, Flora reacted faster.
Just as his mouth opened, before he could make a sound, Flora had already reached him. She covered his mouth with one hand, pinned him to the ground, and pressed the other hand to his chest.
Frost spread.
He collapsed on the ground, unable to move.
The two behind the counter heard the commotion and reacted quickly. They looked up and saw Flora, who had just taken down the lookout.
The two stiffened for a moment, then both lunged at her.
Three seconds later, both lay on the ground, their mouths and limbs sealed, eyes wide open. One of them was even twitching, looking quite comical.
Just then, Ilya also came downstairs and stood beside Flora.
Flora crouched down, hands on her knees, and stared coldly at the three men.
“Anyone else?”
The three shook their heads frantically, like rattles.