The Way of Thieves

by K.N. Lee

  “Come in,” she called.

  He stepped inside. The room was elegant. Candlelight lit the room, and a pleasant aroma of potpourri lingered in the air. Three large bookshelves stood at three corners, with a desk at the third corner, and Mirabelle sat behind it in her chair.

  Maps and scrolls littered her desk, and she wore a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles as she peered up at him. Normally, Brenden didn’t find glasses appealing, but he decided to change his mind right then.

  “Brenden, it’s good to see you,” she said.

  “You called for me?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes I did. That young squire is quick. He will make a fine thief one day.”

  “Yes, he will,” Brenden agreed.

  “I have another special mission for you.”

  “About that … I’ve noticed many of the other thieves have become jealous of my activity.”

  “Hmm?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Well, it seems I’m spending more time outside of the city than inside of it. Perhaps it would be best to let someone else have this mission. Besides, I would like to wait for my sister to return.”

  He also wanted to talk to his sister about his visit with Uriah. Brenden was beginning to get the same suspicions as his sister, and he wanted to talk to her about it. Besides all of that, he loved his sister. Brenden loved spending time with her. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but they were family, and their bond was stronger than anything he’d ever felt. It seemed no matter what was going on in each other’s lives, Brenden and Keira were connected, and Brenden could always sense her feelings. He knew if she were mad at him, or if she were happy. The connection was strong, and he felt incomplete when she wasn’t around.

  Mirabelle’s hand dropped slack as she smiled. “Don’t worry about the others. Soon, all of us will have plenty to do. Brenden, the reason I need you, is out of all the thieves here, you’re the only one who doesn’t make mistakes.”

  Brenden’s eyebrows touched his hairline. “No mistakes? I make plenty of mistakes. The last theft went very poorly. We were caught fleeing the castle, and someone was found dead, which had nothing to do with us, but it wasn’t a mistake free theft.”

  “And if it had been anyone else, they would have been caught at that point. You weren’t. Do you know why?”

  Brenden shrugged.

  “You always have three exit plans. No matter what the job, you plan for every scenario.”

  “I didn’t plan for that last one.”

  Mirabelle smiled, shaking her head. “No, you didn’t. But, because you planned so thoroughly for every other outcome, you were able to transition easy to a new escape plan.”

  Brenden shrugged.

  “Don’t sell yourself short.” Mirabelle smiled.

  “What is this next mission?” he asked.

  She knew the right words to encourage him. He was still cautious of her, especially her tactics, but she always made him feel good about himself, and that was what kept him moving forward. Brenden craved the praise. He didn’t have too much of it growing up. Uriah was a hard father figure. Keira had praised him often, but it wasn’t the same. She was supposed to encourage him; she was family.

  “This is a delicate mission, and it must be handled with more grace than the last one you had. It is much more dangerous.”

  He raised a brow, cautious of her words. “Perhaps another thief will be needed—”

  “No,” Mirabelle interrupted hastily. “You must tell no one. Not even your sister.”

  His eyes widened. “Why? Why me? And why do I have to keep this mission from her? She is as skilled a thief as I am.”

  “Yes, she is. But she also has her doubts. Don’t think I don’t know about them. Remember, I know everything. You are one-hundred percent dedicated to the Thieves Guild. She, is not. We need dedication if we are to continue with our plans.”

  “What plans?” Brenden asked. “We are thieves, not some politically run Nobles Guild.”

  “We are so much more than ‘just thieves’, and soon, the whole world will know it.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Don’t you concern yourself with the politics. All I need from you is a job. This is a delicate matter. You are the best. And I need the best.”

  “What is the job?” he asked.

  She handed him a sealed parchment. The wax on it was deep purple, and held a wyvern with a dagger—the seal of the Master of the Thieves Guild. He took it carefully.

  “That scroll has everything you need to know. Don’t open it until you leave. Be careful, Brenden. This one is dangerous.”

  “What is the job?” he asked again.

  “I need you to steal something from the Sorcerers Guild.”

  14

  Keira stepped into Forscythe.

  Her pack was full, and she was ready for another break. It seemed the required thefts had tripled in the past few months. Keira enjoyed the thrill running through her as she took what was forbidden, what was not hers, but she did enjoy her relaxing time at home as well. Most of the missions were for other people, but she always found trinkets along the way for herself. She knew better than to take from the mission she was tasked with.

  Many years ago, she saw what happened to a thief who tried to steal from his mission. A hanging would have been a mercy compared to what he endured. The Thieves Guild prided themselves in their community, their missions, or rather—their thefts. A thief could steal whatever they wanted to on their mission, but the merchandise had to come back, all of it.

  She ambled over to the Thieves Guild Account Office. An elderly man with a mostly bald head and long, white wispy hair around his ears greeted her.

  “Good morning, Keira. Did your job go well?”

  “Good morning, Haldjar.”

  Haldjar was one of the most cunning assassins more than twenty years ago. He’d long since retired, and was now the account manager of scheduled thefts. He was one of the nicest old men in the town, and kept care of the account books maliciously.

  “Yes.” Keira dropped the box of gems on the counter.

  He opened a leather bound book and wrote a few notes into it.

  “Excellent,” he said as he dropped a large bag of gold on the counter.

  Keira turned to leave.

  “Oh, and Keira?” he asked.

  “Yes?” She turned her head over her shoulder.

  “Mirabelle is looking for you. She wants you to meet her in the Manor.”

  Keira’s eyebrows crunched together. “All right. Thanks, Haldjar.”

  Keira made her way to the keep. When reaching Mirabelle’s door, she paused, her hand reaching toward the door to knock. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

  “Come in,” a voice called from the inside.

  Keira’s eyes snapped opened. She hadn’t knocked, and she wasn’t loud when she entered the hallway. Keira prided herself in being swift and silent. How had Mirabella known she was there? It seemed the Thieves Guild’s leader was hyper-aware all the time. The more Keira thought about it, the more she realized the woman had always known when she was there, whether she’d made a sound or not.

  Keira gulped, then opened the door.

  The room was dim, lit by candlelight. Each candle was strategically placed throughout the room to cast a low glow on the face of Mirabelle and Keira. The air tasted like dried flowers and wax. Pleasant, yet disgusting. Her mouth twitched as she stepped forward.

  “Please, sit,” Mirabelle said.

  Keira approached carefully. She gently pulled the chair away from Mirabelle’s desk as she sat to look at the leader of the Thieves Guild.

  “You wanted to see me?” Keira asked.

  “Yes. Yes I did.”

  Mirabella’s eyes twinkled. Small wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes, like they were smiling. Yet, her face held no such expression.

  Besides the look in her eyes, set with determination, slightly opening further as she spoke to Keira, and the wrinkles
that formed at their edges, no one would ever knew the woman’s excitement of talking to Keira. Keira knew.

  She could see it.

  She could sense it.

  Keira was adept at recognizing facial expressions, more so than anyone else she knew. It was why she did so well at being a thief. Besides her talent for feeling where the object she needed to steal hid, she also could read people better than anyone else. Her brother, Brenden, preferred to stay in the shadows, to be silent as he went on missions for the Thieves Guild.

  Keira, however, was the opposite. She wanted to meet her opponents. Keira wanted to know them, their fears, their desires.And most of the time, she could read all need needed right on their expressions. It made it much easier for her to complete a mission. She always knew when someone was lying, and usually, what was behind the lie.

  “What is this about?” Keira asked.

  “I heard you’ve returned from Areshia. I trust your mission went well?”

  “Flawless,” Keira replied.

  Knowledge was power. And Keira didn’t plan to give Mirabelle any knowledge that was unnecessary. Keira already didn’t trust the woman. She was the leader of th Thieves Guild, and so Keira respected her. But lately, she’d grown to mistrust the direction of the Thieves Guild. They had always been in the shadows, receiving jobs from the highest bidder.

  However, something had changed. Keira saw it in their expressions. The desire for more. She had a feeling they were no longer content with staying in the shadows. Someone in the Thieves Guild wanted the spotlight. And Keira wasn’t sure whether that someone was Mirabelle, or someone else.

  Mirabelle’s eyes faltered for an instant. The wrinkles at their corners straightened. Then they returned as she gave Keira a forced smile. Her wrinkles changed slightly. Instead of being straight from the corners of her eyes, they curved downward, showing mistrust. Mirabelle didn’t care for Keira’s vague responses.

  She always imagined that’s why she hadn’t gotten the important jobs from Mirabelle, and why she chose her brother instead. Brenden was a follower. He did what he was told. He never questioned anything. Ever. Keira was trying to break him of that fault, as she knew it to be a fault. Keira always wanted to ask questions. Why? Why was a very important question.

  “Excellent,” Mirabelle said through her false smile.

  Keira nodded, studying Mirabelle’s long blonde hair, falling in curls to her shoulders and behind her back. Her hazel eyes twinkled as she looked for a way to express her request to Keira.

  “Can I help you with something?” Keira asked.

  “Yes. I have a very delicate theft I need completed.”

  “For who?” Keira asked.

  “Don’t concern yourself with that.”

  Keira wrinkled her nose. “Urgent, or leisure?”

  “Urgent.”

  “Is it for you?” Keira asked.

  “I said not to concern yourself with the client.”

  Keira raised her eyebrows. “What is the merchandise?”

  “A pendant?” Keira asked.

  Mirabelle’s eyes widened slightly. She recovered quickly, but it was too late. Keira saw the action.

  “Yes.”

  “Similar to the one you had Brenden steal from Cappria?”

  Mirabelle’s arm twitched. It was slight, but Keira saw it. She also saw the hair on her arms stand up. The woman was nervous.

  “Similar, yes.”

  “What does the pendant do?” Keira asked.

  “Excuse me?” Mirabelle asked.

  “I know it does something. It is not a simple necklace. There is power within it.”

  “That is not for you to know,” Mirabelle said.

  “Fine,” Keira said. “Where is this new, similar pendant located?”

  “Utopolous.”

  “Another noble?”

  “Vaeterno.”

  “The Baron?”

  “Yes.”

  Keira’s lips pressed tightly together. “It will be done.”

  “Oh, and Keira?”

  “Yes?”

  “Be careful. I’ve gotten word that this time, the pendant will be protected.”

  “Protected … how?” Keira asked.

  “It is likely there will be a sorcerer protecting him.”

  “Him?” Keira asked.

  “The Barron. And, he will be wearing the pendant. I don’t believe we’re going to catch them unguarded any longer.”

  “Wait …” Keira inhaled a large breath. “You’re telling me that I’m to travel to Utopolous to steal a magical pendant that is on the neck of a Baron while a sorcerer is guarding him?”

  “Precisely. And that is why I can trust no one else with this. You have qualities that few others have. Don’t think I haven’t been watching you, Keira. You are quite talented.”

  Keira wrinkled her nose. “I know I’ve been able to deliver on a lot of thefts, and everyone thinks I’m good at what I do, but I don’t know if I’m that good.”

  “Do whatever it takes to bring that pendant back to me. This is no small matter, Keira. It is imperative that we get it.”

  “Are you stealing all of the pendants?”

  “We are taking what is needed.”

  “How exactly am I supposed to defend myself against a sorcerer?”

  Mirabelle reached into her bosom and pulled out a necklace. She handed it over to Keira.

  “Take this.”

  Keira held out her hand. Mirabelle dropped the necklace into her palm. Keira brought the necklace to her face and recognized the same pendant they’d stolen from Cappria. Her eyes widened.

  “So, I was right. This pendant does protect the wearer from harm.”

  “There are few of those to go around. I expect it to be returned with the new one you acquire,” Mirabelle said.

  Keira dipped her head. “As you wish.”

  “You are dismissed.”

  Keira stood and shuffled over to the door, staring at the pendant in her hand. She turned to look at her leader, an eyebrow raised on Keira’s face. “What exactly are we planning to do with all the pendants we acquire?”

  Mirabelle smiled. This time it was a genuine smile. Light radiated out of her eyes. The corners of her eyes creased more than ever before. “You let me worry about that. Just concern yourself with helping me acquire them.”

  15

  Footsteps. Soft. Gentle. Echoing.

  Uriah strode down the long halls. He hadn’t been in the manor of Forscyhte in a long time. After retiring, he had only one mission: watch Brenden and Keira. He knew the time would come, but he hadn’t expected it would be so early. Scratching his white beard he stood in front of a door. He reached out to knock once.

  “Come in,” a soft, feminine voice called.

  Uriah entered. He’d stopped being surprised that she could sense him. There were times when he too could sense when she was near. And often times, he craved for it. He craved for her.

  Mirabelle smiled at him. “Please, sit.”

  Uriah did as he was told. He inspected her carefully. Her eyes were drooped, hair a mess—curly and red, falling over her exposed cleavage that desperately tried to burst out of her corset. He focused on her cleavage and tried to will it free, but sadly, it disobeyed him.

  Her eyelashes extended long and thick with black mascara. He wondered what she put on them to give them a darker look, but it was obvious that something was there.

  A purple haze glittered on her lips. Her skin, silk, and rosy red cheeks showed heat that made Uriah wonder if the heat was for him. Or was this another trick she’d done. Had she rubbed rose petals on her cheeks to make her seem as if she were blushing? Uriah adjusted himself as he sat.

  “What brings you here, Uriah?” she asked.

  “Do I need a reason?” he asked.

  “You should. You can’t just waltz in here. Matters are a little too delicate right now.”

  Uriah remembered the days when he was invited to her chambers more often. He misse
d those days. All of that had changed the day he’d returned to Forscythe with the two children. He thought he’d done a great thing, bringing the innocent children to the city.

  After all, they no longer had parents to look after them. And the two of them were young enough that with the right training, any memories they had would fade. Mirabelle had actually praised him for the idea, and she grew the idea deeper, especially after she couldn’t get the reversal spell to work the first time. She decided to use the two of them to do it for her. After all, they had it in their blood. Besides being sorcerers, they also descended from the same people who’d created the spell.

  It would be intuition. However, that meant he had to train them. Mirabelle had to lead the guild, and she seemed to have other reasons for wanting to stay away from the two children in the beginning, but he however, had all the time in the world to train them. She had made sure of that.

  “I’ve noticed,” he grumbled.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Have you now?”

  “Brenden came to me.”

  “Did he?”

  Uriah nodded. “He’s suspicious, as is Keira.”

  “Has Keira spoken to you?”

  “No. Keira has never had the same bond with me as Brenden has. She’s older than he, and a bit more suspicious. Brenden, however, was very young when he came to us, even younger than Keira.”

  Mirabelle nodded.

  “In fact, it seems Keira was the one who tipped him off. She raised his suspicions. He’s been asking why there’s been so many more thefts lately, and why he’s one of the only ones who’s been tasked with them.”

  Uriah had never been good with kids. When he’d raised the two of them, he really had no idea what he was getting himself into. Mirabelle had given him the cover story, and she’d told the rest of the Thieves Guild about it. She made them all believe it.

  Hell, some days even Uriah believed it. He raised them for ten years. Then they’d left, and got a place of them own.

  With them gone, it’d gotten lonely for Uriah. But his mission wasn’t complete yet. He was tasked with watching them every single day and reporting back. He was also to keep a relationship with them. With Brenden, it had been easy, but Keira was a different story. She’d always been close to Brenden when growing up, but she’d kept her heart guarded, and wouldn’t reveal much to Uriah. He’d always worried about her as she grew; he’d worried that she’d mess up their plans somehow. Uriah had written as much to Mirabelle over the years, but it seemed she always disregarded his warnings.