g.e. "doc" holley                      

The night had been a long one, but in a little while it would be all over. The mark had come to his room around an hour and a half past middle night. It had been Thign’s experience that a mark who had been asleep for about two hours was hard to wake up; just give him fifteen to thirty minutes to fall asleep, wait two hours, then move in. 
The man whose room Thgin had been watching was a merchant from the port city of Kusti. Sources that Thgin felt were reliable said the man was in to Capitol city to buy men and women to sell in the slave market overseas. This made him a perfect mark for Thgin. Thgin always felt like he was smiled on by the Gods when he hit a mark that really deserved it. 
The mark would have lots of money or jewels in his room if he was in town to buy slaves. More to the point, to hijack people off the streets to take back to Kusti. It takes a lot of money to pay the right people to keep their mouths shut about his dealings and to hire the always available scum to do the dirty work. 
Thgin had been in position since two hours before middle-night behind the chimney of the roof across the alley. The night was bitter cold on this early winter night, so Thgin stayed close to the chimney for what little warmth it gave off. Still his legs were stiff and his fingers were almost numb. 
For about the fiftieth time Thgin looked at the moon. Of course at half full it was actually too bright for such work as he had in mind. It did seem however, that sometimes the moon would bring a fever pitch from the time it was full until it was in its last quarter. As it were, Thgin had pulled seven jobs in the last five days. He didn’t need anymore money at this point in time, but this job was too good to pass up. Anyway most of the money had been stashed away, for he knew that someday he wouldn’t be able to do this kind of work and would need something to live off. He had already traveled to a distant district and bought a small piece of land on which to retire.
Thgin had come upon this school of not spending very much of the money he took from something his mother had said before she died.
* * * 
He was just nine years old and had spent three days working for a man who had built a large house outside of town. He had worked hard during those three days. The man had given him a place to sleep and two meals a day in exchange for cleaning-up work he did around the house and yard.
The man had promised his mother two silver pieces if the boy worked hard and earned it. He really loved those three little days of his childhood. The chance to sleep in a real feather bed and eat meat every day. In the evening he would sit by the fireplace and listen to the old man tell stories of great adventures and heroes from days gone by. Thgin’s mind would soar to distant lands within the kingdom and across the seas as the old man would weave his tales.
When the three days work was finished the old man told him that he had done the work of three men and so paid him six silver pieces instead of the promised two.
The boy reached home all excited and showed his mother the six silver pieces. His mother took four of the coins and told him to go to the market and fetch two weeks worth of food. As she started to put the other four coins away the boy went into a rage. He began to scream at her about not spending the money on things they needed, that they may never have that much money again. When his mother did not respond he accused her of stealing the money he had worked so hard to earn. That brought a swift backhand from his mother that sat him hard on his backside. 
He sat there for several minutes, upset with himself. He knew that he deserved the quick backhand. His mother worked hard and honest, never asking for a hand out, even with no man to help her. He hated himself for saying those words to her. When he looked up to apologize to his mother for his errant words, he saw her sitting on her bed sobbing.
They found comfort in each others arms, as she explained that if he showed up in the market with so much money people would think he stole it. She would not let anyone accuse her son of being a thief. She also explained that if they put most of the money back they would have enough to buy food for the next few months. Then she handed him a copper piece out of her savings for him to spend on himself.
When he left for the market he put the copper piece away and vowed to save up enough money to buy his mother something nice someday.
He worked for his benefactor off and on for most of the next three years. After several months he relayed the story of the confrontation with his mother and the six sliver pieces. The old man listened with great interest and then told him that his mother was honest and very very wise.
"Half of what you are is what you appear to be to others." He told the boy. The boy didn’t think much of it at the time, but later it would become the by words for his way of life. 

Thgin, The Night Hawk

PART 2 Within weeks after he had told his story, a King’s messenger came to the town and announced that the great war was over, and that the King had chosen a hill outside of the town for his new peacetime headquarters. Lotea was to become the capitol city of the Kingdom. Full of excitement the young lad ran home to tell his mother the news. However, when he reached home he found his mother in bed and unable to speak a single word. Not knowing what to do he rushed to the one man who always knew what to do. When they both returned his mother looked even worse than before. The man took one look at her and handed the boy ten gold pieces and told him to find the best healer in town. 
It seemed forever before the boy found the healer woman whom he knew to be the best healer in town, but in reality scarcely half an hour had passed before he and the healer returned to his mother’s side. He waited outside as the healing woman went in. The boy prayed to every god whose name he could recall, making promises even a lad of ten knew he could not keep. The minutes passed by slowly until at last the old man came out of the little hovel with his head bowed Nary a word passed between them but the boy knew his mother was dead.
The old man took him in after his mother passed away and began to teach the boy the trade of being a merchant. Even under the shadow of his mother’s death the boy was happy living with the old man. He worked around the big house, followed the old man to his store to help, and spent the evenings listening to the tales of adventures. 
The town began to grow and prosper, and when the King arrived there was great rejoicing in the streets. But with prosperity came a new kind of business man to the growing city of Lotea. These men had only one god, and that was gold. Soon the greedy men began to visit the old man demanding money for protection. The old man was stubborn and proud and so refused to pay them. 
One day, after returning from his mother’s grave site, the boy was working in the backroom of the store. He heard a great commotion in the front of the store. Three men had come into the store to confront the old man one more time. The boy, peeking out from behind the heavy drapes that hung over the doorway, recognized one of the men as one who had been there before. This one seemed to be the leader of the group. 
Demanding one last time money for protection, again the old man refused. The leader of the three said he would have to make an example of the old man so the other merchants in town would understand that they needed his protection. The three men began to beat the old man. The old man put up a good fight mortally wounding one man as the boy cringed behind the drapes too afraid to move. The leader of the group finally got a good blow in with his cudgel. As the old man lay unmoving on the floor they continued to beat him.
When the two remaining men left the store, shame filled the young boy. He realized that he had not lifted a finger to help the old man whom he had come to love as the father he never had. When he checked the old man for any signs of life he found none. Picking up the finely crafted dagger the old man had used in the fight he too left the store to follow the two men. Eventually they ended up at a house the boy knew belonged to the leader. He could tell they were drinking and laughing, he heard them curse the old man for killing one of their own. 
The boy waited outside until all the lights went out, still it took several hours for him to get his courage up. Taking a deep breath he entered a window and quietly made his way to the room of the leader of the extortionist, and sat down beside him. Taking the dagger in hand he tried to wake up the man so he could see his face before he must do what must be done. He had to shake the man several times to wake him, and when the man’s eyes opened he looked at the boy quizzically. The boy leaned over the foul smelling man and whispered the name of his mentor and friend.
"Thgin." 
When the eyes of the extortionist and murderer showed signs of recognizing the name, the boy cut his throat.
The boy wondered what to do next after dispatching the second extortionist in the same manner as the first. He decided to rob the house so the King’s guard would have a motive for the killings. He then left and went to the old man’s house carrying a large bag of goods from the crime scene. He burnt his bloody clothes, bathed and waited for the King’s guard to inform him of his benefactor’s death. The words of his mother and the old man raced through his mind, words he would live by. No one would ever know that for the next fifteen years he would be the greatest thief the city would ever know. The Night Hawk. 
He always managed to put a good portion of his money away and give some to some poor hard working person anonymously. All anyone knew was that he was a poor hard working boy who had taken the name of the man who took him in.
**** 
None of these thoughts passed consciously through Thgin’s mind for they were implanted forever in his brain. But now his mind was on thoughts of the Gray Mouse Inn across the alley. The time had come. Slowly moving to get the flow of blood back into his hands and legs, Thgin began to unwind the rope he had brought with him. Forming a loop and due to many years of practice put the loop over the chimney of the inn across the alley on the first try. Securing the rope to the chimney he had been hiding behind he now had a straight and taunt tight rope to use as a bridge over the alley.
Thgin spent several more minutes loosening up his cold and stiff muscles before he slipped easily onto the rope as if it were one of the many cobblestone streets of the city below. There was little wind on this winter night, but it would have made little difference if there had been. Thgin had done this so many times it was second nature to him. Quickly walking the rope bridge it was mere seconds and he stepped lightly onto the roof of the Gray Mouse Inn. He produced another much shorter rope and secured it also to the chimney of the Inn. Quickly and quietly he repelled down the side of the inn to the window he had been watching for what seemed like the entire night.
With deft and quick movements the window slid open. Thgin sat on the ledge of the window and peered into the dark room. His audience of the moon and stars had effected his eyes enough that he could see almost nothing in the room. He waited until his eyes adjusted enough to see the outline of a man sleeping in the room. Quickly moving into the room he started toward the bureau closet where the man’s money may well be hidden. Thgin had taken no more than two steps when he heard the slightest of sound from behind.
There was a great flash of light bursting within his head as he lost consciouness. 
Upon awakening Thgin found himself bound up tightly on the bed in the room he had entered. There were four men in the room. Three of whom he recognized as the city Sheriff and two men at arms for his department. The fourth man he did not recognize, but from his dress he could tell he was of the royal family.
One of the men at arms was talking to the Sheriff.
"I tell you, this can not be the great Night Hawk we’ve been looking for." He said. 
"Why I know this guy, he’s just a common laborer who picks up odd jobs around town. His name is Thgin and he’s never had two coppers to rub together, much less the treasure of a great thief." The man said emphatically!
"You te l l me," r epl ied the Sheriff, "who else do you know who could walk that rope out there and then almost surprise us in the room where we were expecting him. 
The other man looked somewhat perplexed, and then just shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was one of the mysteries of life.
The man of the Royal Family then spoke. "I’m convinced that this man is the Night Hawk. Take him to the dungeon for tonight, the King will see him in the morning." 
There was a smile on Prince Dorman’s face that made everyone in the room wonder as he thought ‘Papa will make good use of you, Mr. Thgin or Night Hawk, whoever you are.’