Chapter 1
This was less than ideal.
The plan was perfect. There was no place for errors. It was a new moon night, very dark, and the sky was threatening to cry any seconds. During the switch of the guards, I had to run. Use the ladder to get to the roof without drawing any attention on me, morphing into the shadows until I’d find a window, or something to slide inside, near the noble’s room. Grabbing the lady’s jewelry box, I’d slip back in the darkness, carefully travelling down to the basement to get to the tunnels, where the guards should not be anymore. Simple, effective, and very lucrative.
And yet, I still ended up waking in a cell.
My first reflex was to scan my surroundings. There were about threes cells other than mine, all empty. The room had a low ceiling, a little higher than 6ft, and the cramped-up space in the cages had barely enough room to walk in between the bed and the chamber pot. On the far left, there was a narrow staircase that should lead to the servant quarters. Before that was a small round table at which two guards were sitting, loudly laughing as they seemed to play a dice game. It was still dark outside, so I hadn’t been here for too long. The night’s darkness could have been quite the advantage, were it not for the Nully cage; iron bars from the Northern dwarf’s realm, that neutralized every kind of magic.
I gritted my teeth, curling up at the bed’s end, trying to remember what had happened, what had betrayed me. I had studied everything; the blueprints of the mansion, the come and go of everyone in the vicinity and had learned the guards’ and servants’ schedule. I had located all the different possible exits and had made sure than none of the jewel had been tainted by the possible expensive locating spells. Even so, as I was getting out in the tunnels, where nobody ever ventured, I ended up walking right into a giant man, that screamed and violently hit me straight to the head with a shovel.
I raised a hand to my temple to find the damages. Taking a sharp breath through my teeth, I felt the long sensible part on the right side of my skull, then brought my fingers before my eyes to see the already half dried blood that had come from the wound.
- Well, well, well, look who finally woke up, a sly voice exclaimed.
I look up to see that two men had entered the room. The man that spoke was dressed in a luxurious night gown, his arms elegantly crossed over his chest. All his being was irradiating nobility, his piercing eyes meticulously analyzing me. Behind him was one of the guards that was previously sitting at the table, who kept his focus on me as well. I brought my attention back to the lord. He certainly had a spark of perfidy in his eyes. It was not the first time I had come face to face with a noble, but it was without a doubt one of the worst times I had feared for my life.
- I see that I’m not dealing with an amateur, he said with a hint of amusement on his face. I could not even find how you got into my mansion; no one in the residence even noticed anything strange. Your plan was perfect, if I had not sent this servant clean up the tunnels, we would never have catch you.
I bit back a dry laugh while rolling my eyes. Who punishes a servant by making them clean the tunnels? They were barley used and disgusting.
- So, I am wondering... how does one punishes a very skilled thief? I could easily and rightfully have him hanged for his crimes...
He brought a hand to his chin, pretending to think about it, and even if my heart had almost stopped when he mentioned the hanging part, I immediately reassured myself, noticing that the man had probably something else in mind. He didn’t say anything for a while, making me more and more anxious. Trying to calm myself as best as I could to appear stoic and careless, I scanned the room once more.
The guard behind the nobleman was still carefully watching my every move, an arrogant smile painted on his face. He was pretty tall; his head almost reached the ceiling, but he wasn’t particularly intimidating. Though he looked in shape, he had not the typical built of a knight. It did seem, though, that he could use speed very, very efficiently. The prison keys were hanging from his belt, slightly behind his thick body.
There were still two people sitting at the guards table, but one of them was no knight. I vaguely recognized the newcomer eyes and nose, the shape of his head, though I did not know where from. As the noble kept fake thinking, my plan worked itself in my mind. I could grab the lord clothes and pull him to me, causing the guard to react by trying to separate us, and I would be close enough to the key to grab them without a sound by the time they’d manage to get me off. Then I’d wait for a few hours, maybe a day, for their guards to lower and for the perfect opportunity to flee this retched place.
- We could work some sort of... deal, the lord finally announced.
I needed a few seconds to realize what he had said. He did not tell me about the time of my impending death, nor the ways he would use to torture me, but offered a deal? What could he possibly want from a petty thief like me? I already knew that no matter what he asked of me, it would undeniably be worse than death.
- I hear that you are a... most wanted man, notorious for your skills, and I happen to be in need of someone with these kinds of... talents.
If you believed everything that was said about me, you’d be led to think I was some kind of... shadow monster that relentlessly stole and killed everything on its way. That there was so much darkness in my soul that I became it. well... maybe this part was not that wrong, but I did not kill nor steal from innocent people. And most of all, I only worked by contracts, I was not some kind of rogue, looter... thing...!
- Yes... an assassin such as yourself would have no trouble in accomplishing this task. I want you... to kill the prince’s new fiancée.
Assassin? The future princess?! There it was! I raised my eyebrows at him, gauging his stance, expression and that gleamy shine of darkness in his eyes. He was more than serious. Therefore, I couldn’t help myself and stopped suppressing my laughter. Stunned, the noble only stared at me as I was thrown in a fit of giggles and guffaws. The guards and the stranger jumped, taken aback, their eyes flying between their lord and me. I felt they could not believe the noble’s demand and were most... scared by my maniacal laughter. Oh, good gods.
- Oooh, this is too good, I finally spoke. Sorry to disappoint, but I’d rather face death than bend the knee to a selfish noble-baby-man. I am no assassin, nor a sell-sword; you have the wrong person.
Smirking, the lord elbowed the guard behind him. The knight was immediately snapped out his trance and mindlessly stared at his employer. I had to stop another wave of hysterical chuckles as the moment seemed to last an eternity, the noble just smirking at me, his hand in the air waiting for the guard to put something in it, before his face melted in annoyance. He finally turned around and threw a fit, yelling on the poor man to give him something. He jumped and immediately obeyed, pulling out a scroll from his belt. The lord snatched it, almost hitting the knight before turning back to me. Opening the thick paper, he showed me the almost accurate moving drawing of me.
My face was shown, though it was not a hundred percent accurate. The nose was wrong; the tip was too long compared to my round ended nose, and I had thicker lips than depicted. I surely didn’t think my chin was that large; with my elven origins, my face had more feminine features, round instead of squared, and my cheekbone were higher. They also draw my ears to be round, but mine had a more cat-liked pointy tip. They got the eyes right, though. But the worst was when the whole drawing morphed into a huge pitch-black shape of nothingness. I immediately flinched and looked away.
- I believe you are, he snorted. Reports are that you stole hundreds of people from all social classes and killed at least a dozen that stood in your way. And now, this is the only thing that is keeping you alive. You will kill the prince’s new fiancé.
- Why, I lashed out.
- My own daughter, my Frenya, was the prince’s second choice. Were it not for this stupid girl that came out of nowhere the night of the ball, he would have proposed to my sweet angel.
- Middling into nobles’ affaires is not something I do. Find someone else.
- Oh, but you will do it, the lord nickered. A man like you most have a reason to keep going, and if you are not afraid of the rope that awaits you, you will be of the... amount of information my resources can find. And I will not be so kind to offer whoever it is you hide the same kind of deal. Do you understand?
My mouth went dry as my heart stopped for a second. I did not doubt this nobleman’s power, and though there was nothing but a slim chance he could find them... I didn’t really think I was willing to risk it.
- Even if I say yes, what makes you think that the second I step outside this cage I won’t just run for it.
Damn my stupid big mouth!
- Mmm, good point, he mumbled. I’d have to assign you one of the knights... though I cannot really afford losing a guard in these perilous times. I suppose... Ah yes! Percevin !
The stranger that was sitting at the guards’ table suddenly stood up in surprise. As he walked to approach his master, I thought of this... mission. Was there a way I could get out of it by fleeing? This would be too easy. I could get my loved ones to a better, safe, hiding place. But there was little chance that they would listen to me, and he would follow me. Could I alert the king, or the prince, about the intents of this Lord? They would never believe a shadow master, even less one that was highly wanted throughout many kingdoms. Could I go through with it?
- Percevin is a very naturally talented and strong Knight-in-training, and a most devoted manservant. His family has been serving mine forever, and they are... very grateful for my generosity toward them. He is like a son to me.
I swear, this guy is so full of himself, I thought. I barely resisted the urge to laugh once again, seeing this poor boy hearing such praises, probably for the first time in his life. Though it did seem like his modest ego was touched by his master’s compliments, as he softly smiled, his head still hanging low.
- It pains me to send you away, son, but I believe this is for the best, the lord said with a tear of fake concern in his eye. I trust you will keep this... miscreant on track and fulfil your mission. This is my last offer, thief.
I had no choice. Even if I chose the rope, this man would track down everyone I cared about and have them... I would think of something on the way to avoid it... but for now, this plan was as far as I was going to get.
- Ok, I finally agreed. I’ll take this manservant of yours, but I cannot guarantee his safety, and frankly couldn’t care less about it.
- If he dies, they all die, he warned me. So, you better bring him back in one piece after the deed is done, or I’ll make sure that every kingdom and realm will track you and your loved ones down like the beasts you are.
Wow, he must truly care about the boy, I thought to myself. Or did he? It felt like he mostly cared that his plan doesn’t fail. I eyed the manservant from head to toes, analyzing his posture, muscles, and stance. He must have been between 20 and 25 years old, which was a bit old to be still in training for knighthood. The auburn short messy hair and forest green eyes indicated that he has some sort of elf genes, but nothing that jumped to the eyes physically, nor in terms of power. He did look like he was working out, probably from both the hard work and knight training, giving him a squared and intimidating first impression. On the other hand, his stance showed that he had a submissive personality, by the way he brought his head and shoulders slightly forward to appear less tall and large than he actually was. The way he was twisting his hand from nervousness is almost adorable for a man that tall.
Though it might require some work, there should be something to do with this guy. I gave him one last scan from the corner of my eyes as I turned my head back, and sighting, I looked back to his master.
- Ok, I’ll try.
- For yours and everyone else’s sake, you better do more than that.
With those final words, the noble turned around and left the room, his main guard following him. Both the other guard and the boy remained on the spot, their eyes fixated on me. The young servant still seemed a bit out of it. Even without being able to feel his thoughts, I could see that he had conflicted feelings about the adventure imposed on him. I imagined he was leaving behind a family that probably needed him, but at the same time was offered a chance to get away from this village for the first time in his life. I got closer to the bars, to him, while still staring at him, and his eyes finally found mine.
- Let this be clear, I stated. I don’t care who your master is, what you think of me, or any sense of responsibility you might feel toward this... mission, but you greenhorn better listen to everything I say, obey my orders immediately and never, ever, get out of my sight, as the consequences could be disastrous. The outside world is a dangerous place and I have no time to teach you everything. Watch and learn. Do you understand me?
The light of excitement disappeared from his face. He took my words with a strange seriousness I didn’t think was possible for him. It almost sent a shiver down my spine as his whole behavior changed, giving him this intimidating, fierce expression. He did understand, maybe from a loved one’s experience or a loss that reminded him of the dangers of being in the wilderness. He lost himself in his memories for a moment, looked back up to me, frowned, and left the room in turn. I exchanged a look with the prison guard before getting set on the bunkbed, closing my eyes, only seeing the green lushes of a dark forest in my dreams.
