"Fire and Ice" by H D Leonard

The Fire-fox strutted into the tavern, balancing precariously on ridiculously high heels of boots that were currently the latest fashion. With an elven grace (very difficult to manage on those damned boots) he stepped towards a woman who seemed to be a cool icy mirror to his fiery gorgeous looks.

"Darling," he drawled, ignoring her companion and draping an arm over her shoulder in a gesture that might be interpreted as possessive, "we need to talk. Dump the bimbo please," he glowered momentarily at her 'friend,' the man sitting beside her, then smiled a deceptively sweet smile at the Ice-Vixen.

With cool eyes, the Ice-Vixen took a sip of her drink and then snapped her fingers. The 'bimbo' looked like he was going to protest, but one look up to the face of the Fire-Fox was enough for him to give up his whimpering. He moved out of his seat and found himself a corner to wait.

The Ice-Vixen eyed her companion, "What brings you out in public with those horrible boots? You really could get better ones in my cobbler's trash heap." Her right eyebrow was quirked up in what could be considered interest.

"These boots? Why they're my pride and joy. You wouldn't believe how much they cost me. Practically a Prince's ransom, but at least it means I don't have to carry a knife, I could probably stab someone to death with these heels. Ah now what brings me here? The music of course in this delightful bar I hear they have one of the best performing tonight. Well, I'd fancy a little after show performance of my own and I hear that the delightful Romance Fire-Heart as he is called, is ever so keen on a pretty face so I figured that you were the girl to ensure that he comes along with me quite happily. Of course you'll get a share in the nights entertainment."

Whilst speaking he let his fingers flicker the language of rogues, so fast he doubted any but Ice would catch what he was saying, ::I think a singer will be able to shatter the security crystals everyone with lots of money seems to be using to protect their properties nowadays. I need my theory tested so we're going to 'persuade' a singer to help if you can seduce him.::

With a flick of her fingers, she lit up a smoke. Bringing it to her lips, her hands flickered just as quickly ::Of course I can seduce him.:: Dragging in a puff of the smoke, she covered her ice-cold eyes with her eyelids and then re-opened them, "Well, this amuses me enough to do so. Though we all know that most entertainers tend to swing towards the same sex." In a lighter tone that still sounded icy and frozen, she asked, "Would you like to share a glass of this wine? My bimbo bought me the finest ice wine that this place has to offer and since he doesn't deserve to drink it, I'll let you drink with me."

The Fire Fox poured himself a glass of the wine and downed it a bit too quickly, then serving them both another glass trying to hide his shaking hands he smiled at his companion, the slight touch of panic fading from his features, "that's just a rumour about entertainers. No truth at all, besides I'm sure one look at you, my love, will be enough to change any man's heart," he chuckled, the sound however was a touch too hollow to be anything but false. "Ah you were right about this wine, it is one of the better vintages. Though nowhere near as delightful as the one I had with a meal last night, now that was pure heavenly nectar. I do believe I have another bottle at home, remember me to allow you a sip."

The room suddenly hushed as a flamboyant young looking man stepped in from the back door, clutching an elaborate stringed instrument. His presence seemed to fill the entire bar, crimson waves of hair fluttered to his slight shoulders, delicately exotic features were carved into a seductive smile.

"That's our man I do believe" Fox whispered softly to Ice.

The musician made a show of studying his surroundings, disinterested for a moment, then ignoring the chair set out for him stepped onto the stage and began to sing.

He seduced the audience with every song, dragging them along on heroic journeys, tales of love, hate, and things you could barely dream of, strutting, preening on stage, violet cape sweeping around his figure, crimson waves fluttering to his slender shoulders, the entire evening faded till nothing was left but him and the music. And when the music finally stopped even it was but a haze filled memory.

Romance stepped off the stage and over to the bar, predatory gaze scanning what had been his audience settling on the two most beautiful creatures in the room. Running his tongue over his lips, he ordered a goblet of Firesbreath and sauntered over to them. "Mind if I join you?" he asked and not waiting for an answer sat down.

Cradling the goblet in both his hands, inhaling the warm spicy smell, he smiled at the pair of them, "so what did you think of the performance?"

Ice-Vixen yawned, "Interesting if you _like_ that kind of thing."

Expecting to have been praised, Romance took a couple of seconds before he realised he had not been. His look was sure horror, except, being the excellent entertainer that he was he masked it quite quickly. He then politely asked, "You are not a great romancer of the finer art, are you?" He probably thought his play on 'romance and finer art,' making it sound almost like his name, was witty.

"I am, but music is not the finer art."

She could see the nervous glances that Fire-Fox was shooting her, but ignored it. Instead she continued on, "What I saw was a bunch of frivolity and gimmicks up on that stage. Perhaps you weren't even singing. I have seen enough magic shows in my lifetime."

Horrified, the musician swept his cape back. "You think that I was using MAGIC to aid my voice?!?!" His hands were shaking in anger at the insult, making his goblet full of Firesbreath spill a little. He had raised his voice and some of the crowd was watching. Those that had overheard Ice-Vixen's cold words were livid. Romance was the king of the tavern. There were none that shared his mastery of the art nor his style. To say such a thing was like blasphemy to the gods.

"I believe I said that." Although her words were cold, she gave Romance a look that ignited in him a kind of feeling he had not felt for quite some time. He wanted to prove himself to her. He wanted her to kiss his feet and then beg him for other things.

But Ice-Vixen knew that it would only be just a matter of time before that want disappeared and he would leave the table looking for that same gratification that came from any one admirer in the room. Not toying with him much longer, she brought herself to the point. "I have a wager for you. My friend here, with the terrible boots, is a great critic of 'music.' If you can prove to him that your 'music' is actually good, then you will receive my ministerings of my 'art.'" With a smile she spread her legs and leaned forward.

Romance's cheeks were reddening. Entertainers, despite all their flamboyancy, had so much difficulty with pure seduction. "And... And if _I_ don't?"

"A confident person never asks that."

Like a sponge, he regained his sense of self-absorbency and surety. Turning his head to Fire-Fox, he did the same pretentious fluttering about that he had done upon the stage. Ice-Vixen was absolutely bored of him already, although she knew she had to pretend to be 'interested.' He took another swig of his goblet, letting everyone see his better angle. Ice-Vixen had the right sense to just chop out his adam's apple and let the cretin squirm, but that would be for later.

"Well then, my friend," Romance Fire-Heart turned to the other companion he had almost forgotten, "I will go up on the stage if you wilt grant me a song to play."

"No." Ice-Vixen interceded, "This will be a private performance in my quarters of the Inn."

"You want a private performance?" he asked Fire-Fox, trying not to let Ice-Vixen speak anymore. If he could get the other crimson-haired man at the table to say something, perhaps he would get an idea of what the man wanted to listen to. Then he would show that upstart woman a thing or two about who was in control.

The Firefox smiled a soft smile, seemingly amused by all that had just gone on. "Ah yes, a private performance," he slipped to his feet. "Though not at the inn, Ice, I have a better idea. Anyone can sing, singing under pressure however," he removed with a flourish a black silken scarf from a pocket, then glided round to behind the musician.

"You're not going to..."

"Oh surely a man like yourself is not scared of a little dark. Besides it will be exciting and who knows what rewards you shall receive in return."

"But..."

Firefox moved so he was gazing into Romance's face, expression full of soft thoughtfulness, as he raised a single finger to the singers lips. Romance shuddered despite himself. "Sssshhh it will be alright. We wont let anything happen to you, besides the entire tavern has seen you with us. We cannot do anything to you without their retribution now can we?"

Romance seemed unsure but he nodded. There was something about this couple that was compelling, he hated it, and in the same breath he wanted them both. The blindfold slipped around his eyes and the evening descended into dark. Soft words cajoled him out of the bar, he stepped, absolutely unsure of himself, yet confident that nothing would happen to him. He did after all have one ace up his sleeve that they did not know about. Besides he was an empath, he would know if they were planning to kill him, and somehow he sensed that that was their last intention. Besides this was an adventure after all. He had always craved a drop of excitement in his life.

::Might as well take him straight there,:: Firefox announced in swift gestures. ::I was thinking of acquiring some of Lord Alivan's jewellery for a start. Now, I am not sure if this will work or not, but if it doesn't we have ourselves a hostage. And if it does, well...:: he chuckled leaving the sentence hanging. ::Unless you have a better idea.::

Ice-Vixen nodded and then signed back to him, ::Lord Alivan,:: she smiled, ::a good choice.:: She was putting her entire faith into Firefox willingly. ::Do you realise, you look absolutely smashing in those boots? Where did you buy them? I'd love to get razor sharp spikes on the bottom.:: She whispered some more commands into the musician's ear which made him shiver, but he followed them.

They led him around the corner of the main square, bringing only a little attention to themselves. After all, here were three beautiful people walking together after dark. Two with heads of crimson fire that floated behind them and one with shortly-cropped white. And it certainly looked to other people that they were the kinky sort and should not be bothered with.

::You take him alone down this street. And back up a couple of times. And take him on a labyrinth tour. I want to confuse him even if he is paying attention to where we are walking. The sounds alone can clue him in. Then meet me down by the alley which goes past the temple district.:: She pointed up the street and waited for his nod. Then took off down the street.

Romance finally decided it was time to ask questions, "Where did she go?"

"She's not gone, she's still here," Fire-Fox replied, letting the rest of the entertainers questions wash over him, not bothering to answer, concentrating in leading Romance the longest way he knew to where Ice wanted to meet them.

Running down the alleyway, Ice-Vixen checked it out for guards. Since this was the easiest route directly into the backyards of the wealthy merchants and lords, it would be heavily guarded. Though, even she had to admit that the coverage had been slack ever since those crystals came into existence. Lords were getting lazy. She loved it when Lords got lazy.

Sure enough, there were only a few places guarded. And those men looked utterly bored and terribly young. "Oh poor sods," she thought, "perhaps they need a little... entertainment." She ran past them in utter silence, sticking to the well-used roads of the waste carts. They really weren't that alert and although Ice-Vixen was an excellent and swift shadow jumper, any guard would probably notice her running with the brightly coloured outfit she had on. She reached the end of the alley, where the alley met a wall that was partly covered in the stink heap that belonged to Lord Alivan. Looking up, she saw that there were perhaps only two guards. No big deal.

Since she had been running, she turned around and headed back out the alley, but this time, screaming at the top of her lungs. "HELP! HELP!" She could see all the guards ruffling up on their perches as if they had just woken up. Their stances became more alert and even their blades glinted off the little light coming from the manors. "HELP! HELP!!" Her voice would become hoarse if the dolts didn't get down from their guard stands and help her out.

Sure enough, the guards began to grunt loudly and move from their perches. She knew exactly how they were trained. Stop the girl and find out what the problem was. Then afterwards, if you found the chick good looking, take into your perch and have your way with her. Too bad that they had never run into her before.

She had gotten herself quite the audience chasing after her by the time she pretended to trip and fall over. Some of the younger ones had caught up with her and were panting. When they saw her lying on the ground, her legs spread out and her face contorted in pain, they felt something stirring.

Just by sense alone, she figured she must have gotten at least one guard per manor along the route. And they were grunting to each other, like good guard dogs, about who was claiming this one as their own. It seemed that all of them had heard her screams before the other. But there was one voice of reason, "Why don't we _all_ get a bit of her? Starting with the manor closest and working our way back to the end?"

Lord Alivan's guard put up a good protest, but the rest of the lugs didn't see anything wrong with it. In fact, one reached down and touched her leg. She whimpered in innocence. Like a pack of hyenas to a small rabbit, they were definitely ready to devour her.

She went partly limp as one of the lugs lifted her up. "I think this one's from the manors. Perhaps a serving wench or mistress. Should we turn 'er in?"

"By the Gods! No! After we're done with her... she'll be dead anyhow. Just send her over after you're done."

"What if she bolts?"

"She won't. If she knows what's good for 'er." He placed his knife right between her eyes and Ice-Vixen pretended to whimper in fear. And so, she was carried into the guard hut, while the two guards salivated at the idea that they would be the first to take her. Besides, the Lord had those crystals and no one had tried anything for a couple of weeks. Just as they began to unbuckle their belts, their eyes began to get heavy.

Ice-Vixen ran down the alley, past the silent guard huts and empty perches. She spat out the heavily-scented pill into a pile of refuse. She looked dirty, ragged, and one of the brutes had ripped her sleeve, but she arrived at the end of the alley and awaited the FireFox.

Fox sauntered down the alley, eyes wide with momentary shock at Ice's state but he didn't say anything. He turned in the direction of Lord Alivan's house, wondering what the easiest way to break in would be with the entertainer in tow. He could probably get into the house blindfolded himself with ease, but he doubted Romance could. Besides they didn't want to let the man know this wasn't their place.

He glanced upwards at the balconies, should be easy enough to get onto one of them, trouble was getting the musician up. Or they could just walk in the servants door, but that led to it's own set of problems. Nothing he couldn't handle with a little bit of sweet talking though. He turned his attention upwards again. Stealth did have its' benefits too though.

He removed a small hook with a thin, thin, rope attached, from one of his many pockets, with a spin of his wrists sent it flying up to the nearest balcony. He tugged sharply, once, twice, and with an agile, catlike ease, scaled his way up the wall. He peered into the room. Tried the handle of the window. Locked. It didn't faze him for a moment, he removed a wire from his pocket and with a few clicks the window was open. Stepping into the room, he went straight for the cupboard and returned a few moments later with a rope ladder.

Lord Alivan's daughter, of whom this room belonged to, was notorious for the visitors she received every evening. Of course she had some way of letting them into her rooms and most of her unwieldy suitors wouldn't have been able to get up any other way. Tying the ends of the ladder to the balcony rails, he let it fall down to the ground. Then leaving Ice to get the entertainer up into the room, he began to rifle through the young womans' jewellery boxes pocketing the cheap, gaudy baubles that he found. They'd fetch a pretty enough sum, but nowhere near as much as he hoped to get from breaking into the treasure room.

"Climb," Ice-Vixen commanded Romance. The sound of her voice startled the singer enough to pause in his movements. She forcefully took his hand and placed it on the rope ladder.

He began his ascent, groping at the ladder. It seemed to be a strange way to be entering the house and he began to worry. Still, if they had planned anything dangerous, he would have felt it. When his hand touched a railing, he felt relieved beyond belief. This was definitely a good idea for a song. He began to think of the chorus when a hand squeezed his ankle. He moved up and over the railing. There was sure footing here. Perhaps a balcony of some sort.

A little shove made him lose his balance a bit and he reached out. His hand hit a wall. Ice-Vixen was certainly more violent than her companion. Romantic ideas were running through his head and he swore that he recognised the perfume coming from the room. It certainly smelled a lot like the perfume of one of his lovers. "But I..."

"Be quiet. Only speak when spoken to," came the cold command from Ice. She helped him inside and then climbed in behind him. Looking at Fire-Fox she surveyed the room, ::Lord Alivan's daughter. Later, would you share the secret of how you got her out of here tonight?:: she signed quickly to him. ::Lead us to the treasury. I'll keep control of the imbecile.::

Fire-Fox stepped out of the room and glided down the corridor to the last room. He picked the lock on the door and let it swing open, stepping inside. He gazed around the room, and strode through it, moved one of the large, ornate tapestries, revealing a secret door. Motioning for Ice to pull a candlestick on the far wall, the not so secret door slid open, silently.

Stepping into the dark tunnel, Fire didn't dare bring a light. Waiting for the other two to catch up, he ran his fingers over the wall to his left, then to his right, a soft wave of satisfaction filled him as he found what he was looking for he pressed a small, near invisible button and smiled with triumph as the door slid closed.

They made their descent down the stairs, at the bottom was another door. The door to the treasure room if the Shadow-Cat's information had been accurate. He picked the look of the door carefully, sliding the door to the side. Pulling a small container of very expensive gem dust from his pocket, he threw a pinch before him.

A criss-cross of iridescent lines showed up before them, scattering right across the room, and seeming to highlight the wealth of gold, art and jewellery that lay before them. Agile as he was, Fire Fox knew there was no way he could make it through the tiny space between the bars.

"There are some crystals in this room, I want you to shatter them with your voice," he said simply.

Romance almost choked, he whipped off the blindfold and stared at the treasure before them. "You want me to..."

"Shatter the crystals with your voice," Fire Fox said matter of factly.

"I can't," the entertainer announced, looking very nervously at Ice. "Why'd you want me to do it anyway. That's theft, that is. I know where this place is. It's Lord Alivan's house and you... you aren't him."

Ice-Vixen knew that this was the precise time for her to do something. She lightly feathered Romance's neck with her fingers, "Do it. You'll be rewarded." Her eyes narrowed until she had only pinpricks glaring at him.

He felt a shiver down his spine and began to worry about what the two of them were not saying. He suddenly realised that although he had empathy, these two creatures were very excellent at hiding their emotions. From Fire, he only got the feeling that the man was impatient with him and from Ice, he could barely feel anything at all.

He hesitated a little bit more, turning to Fire for a little bit of help. He never had stolen -- well not that anyone could prove -- and certainly not on this scale. If they were going to clean out the treasury of Lord Alivan... Except, his eye caught sight of a golden harp lying next to a small pile of gems. Lord Alivan's instrument. His mind began to fill with thoughts of revenge.

~~~

The tavern had been filled to the brim with people willing to see the new entertainer. Although he had been new to the city, his reputation had spread from far and wide. All were considering him a gift from the gods to the people. Some had even said he played better than Lord Alivan himself.

Halfway through his musical wanderings, when the crowd was caught in the palm of his hand, a loud clattering came from the back as someone knocked over the table. Everyone turned their head, angry at who the brawlers could be. Lord Alivan stood with his minions, letting his fat aura spread around the room. Romance instantly smelled a rat and felt that from this man he would get no peace.

"Entertainer," he began moving towards the stage, "I hath heard that you are excellent. Perhaps ye would like to step up to a challenge?"

Ugh. Lord Alivan's upper-class talk was so obnoxious. Only the most arrogant of the Elves used it these days, even the younger ones had given it up for something that made more sense.

He moved up to the stage, not caring about who or what he knocked out of the way. And the tavernkeep could do little about it, no mere human would even dream of messing with an Elven Lord. Lord Alivan strode between his goons, then stepped up onto the stage. One of the men handed him a hard leather case and he opened it. Romance nearly gasped when he saw the harp that came out. Most likely it was handcrafted by one of the master craftsmen at the Entertainer's Guild and then was gilted with soft gold dust. It looked as though a god had kissed it.

Then he heard Lord Alivan touch a single string. He felt that familiar sensation when the entire audience was caught in his hold. Except that the harp was forcing it upon the people in the room. It was Magicked!! No Entertainer in his right mind would ever use a magical instrument to better his skills. That only led to ridicule. But obviously, Lord Alivan had no qualms about it. And he had used that beautiful thing to gain himself an audience and to humiliate Romance. Of course they loved his performance - who wouldn't if they were awe-struck with a spell?

~~~

"Before I sing," he smiled at the two thieves, "Might I ask for a one single thing, nay make that three?"

"You can ask, we might not give it to you."

Romance smiled "You'll have to otherwise you wont get into the room. Now, there's an instrument of minor consequence, it's just paste and gold coloured paint but I know a girl who might like it as a gift," he wasn't about to let them know how valuable it was. "And a kiss from both of you."

Fire's eyes widened, for a moment Romance could almost swear he'd caught a touch of fear emanating from the thief. Fire-fox slowly nodded in response, not quite his plucky self anymore. Not waiting for Ice's reply, Romance tilted his head back, letting the vibes of the room fill him. He opened his mouth and released a note almost too high to hear and held it.

The crystals began to shake in their settings and finally shattered.

With a slight smile, and an elaborate bow, Romance stepped straight into the room, "No need to applaud."

Fire looked at Ice, then cautiously stepped into the room. There was enough here to make them both rich beyond their wildest dreams. Surely she wouldn't grudge the entertainer one trivial item. Yet Romance was admittedly a liability. Entertainers were known to brag, and boast and squeal when you applied just a little bit of pressure. If Romance didn't get drunk and blab the whole deal to an entire bar full of people then there was always the chance he might be persuaded to tell the guards or something if they caught him.

Fire-Fox removed a bag from his belt, his own special bag, and tugged on the opening, making it as wide as he could. Whilst he wasn't so sure about magic at times, it did have it's uses. Especially this bag. The bottom of the bag led to a storage room else where in the city. It would be a breeze to transfer all the contents of Lord Alivan's treasury.

Ice didn't care. If the little entertainer wanted something to remember this by, he could. And her worries were more along the lines of how fast she could clear the place out. Quickly, she began to gather things and just dump them in Fire's bag. Most of the gold would be melted down and the jewellery would be reset so it wouldn't be branded as stolen.

Playing these games had their rewards. Now that the crystals were no match for the thieves, she was starting to feel quite happy and willing to finish some kind of contract with Romance Fireheart. He was quite good-looking. She watched Fire-Fox clear out his side of the vault and she continued clearing hers. Every so often, she looked over at Romance who had that little instrument within eye contact at all times. She wouldn't begrudge him his little reward, after all his services were used, but he wasn't helping much just standing there.

When the last golden trinket was cleared, Ice-Vixen let her eyes rove around the empty chamber. They had done quick work, but she knew that their timing was thin. She turned to Fox and fingered, ::What do you want me to do with the Voice?:: While she said out loud, "That should be all of it. You ready to leave?" to Romance.

Fire-fox glanced over at the bard for a moment then back at Ice, considering their options. For a moment he considered stuffing the entertainer into the bag along with the rest of the treasures but he dismissed that thought. He hadn't a clue what the bag would do to people thrown in, and the entertainer was far more valuable alive than dead. ::Don't kill him. It would be useful if we could keep him for a while. Perhaps, if the thought isn't too abhorrent you could string him along a bit, he's obviously hooked on you despite everything.::

Romance cradled the harp in his arms, nodding at Ice, "yes I'm ready to go." He was feeling far braver than he'd felt the entire evening, in fact he had to admit that this was the most excitement he'd had since that day he'd... no even the time with those three priestesses didn't compare to this, and he still had his other reward to collect.

Firefox rolled the bag up, pocketing it and began to ascend the stairs, getting out of buildings was usually far easier than getting in. When they reached the top of the stairs, he pressed his ear to the nearest door, to judge if it was empty, then swung it open, striding in to what looked like an elegant suite for entertaining visitors. He stopped himself from grabbing any more pretty baubles, they had, after all, just about cleaned out the majority of the family treasure, besides they shouldn't linger longer than they had to know. Striding over, and then through the large ornate windows he strolled through the garden as if he was meant to be there. Whilst many people questioned those going into houses, few questioned those going out, assuming they must have business.

Never one to chance luck however, he made his way quickly out of the gardens into the back alley disappearing into the maze of streets. Only then did he pause to let Ice and Romance catch up.

Before giving the thieves a chance to flee, Romance asked, no longer worried about any danger to his life, "what about my payment?"

Ice Vixen gave Firefox a rather bored look, but turned towards Romance. "By the light of the full moon when you least expect it I will arrive. You will not know where and you will not know which date but it will be the most unforgettable event of your life. Keep singing handsome but keep this night to yourself. My word's my honour." She seemed to just melt into liquid as she came towards Romance Fireheart. His world narrowed along with his focus. It seemed that everything became just that face. Two icy cool eyes grew wider and wider until all he could see was just that.

He blinked. It was only for what he thought was a moment. But when he opened his eyes, he was alone in an empty cobblestone roadway. There was only the sounds of the night around him. Firefox and Ice Vixen were long gone.

He cursed. Even though he didn't consider himself to be just an amateur musician, he had been played like a pawn. Rogues were not to be trusted. They knew more tricks than any magician. That had been the best disappearing act he had ever been witness to.

He shook his head and began walking towards his flat in the center of the city. He smiled to himself, patting the leather strap which held his prize to his back. Even if Ice Vixen never arrived to give him the 'payment,' he had already gotten just what he wanted. Let Lord Alivan know that his musical talent had been stolen.

This was the stuff ballads were made from. He could imagine how the song would weave. Two beautiful creatures enter a bar and steal from the richest, cruellest Elven Overlord. Only he doubted that they would give to the poor. Still, there was something romantic and full of bravado about the whole thing. If only he could just sing it.