The Way of Thieves

by K.N. Lee

  She shivered.

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll stop by the brothel tonight and buy you for the whole night. I’ll be gentle, and by the time morning comes, you’ll be begging for more.”

  He touched her below the neck and she trembled in his arms.

  “Do you promise?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  She took a step backward. “I really must be going. I don’t want to be late my first night.”

  “I will be there shortly. Very shortly. Wait for me.”

  She smiled at him. “I will.”

  Keira clutched all the bead necklaces to her chest, and ran toward the brothel. She had the captain in her snare. Now all she had to do was convince the brothel to hire her, which she knew wouldn’t be difficult, then let the captain pick her. The rest, well, the captain would soon find out she was the naive, innocent girl she’d been playing, was nothing compared to the real her. She hadn’t yet decided how far she would go with him, but one way or another, she would get her answers from him. Keira threw the bead necklaces in an alleyway as she passed, and secured her rope around her shoulder. A grin came across her face. She would make sure the captain wouldn’t escape the room tonight, and contrary to his belief, it wouldn’t be him who was going to have his way tonight.

  As she suspected, the brothel was easy to secure a job. She waited as requested for the captain. And as suspected, he arrived shortly after she had. He gave the brothel owner a bag full of coins as he pointed at Keira. The owner’s eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets as she directed Keira to show the captain to a room.

  Keira smiled shyly, grabbed his hand, and led him upstairs. Keira had already set up the room. She pushed him inside, and when the door closed, their lips met. His tongue was soft, and fierce as it entered her mouth. She accepted it, sucking it deeper inside her throat until she nearly gagged on it.

  His hands wandered to the strings on her corset, where he eagerly undid the knots. He pulled it away from her, exposing her toned upper body. He didn’t wait but a second before attempting to remove her bottoms as well, his eyes fierce, desperate, but she pushed him back. Clenching his teeth, he took a step back and began removing his clothes.

  “As promised, I will be gentle … the first time.”

  Her hazel eyes blazed with desire. Full, red lips scrunched together in a tight line. Keira’s tongue licked her upper lip. She put her hand over his throat, squeezing hard. His eyes bulged.

  “I made no such promise,” Keira said.

  She tossed him over to the bed. He tried to get up, confusion setting in his eyes. Keira pounced on him. Her lips met him once again as she eagerly kissed him, both to settle his nerves, and because she wanted to. She fished her hands under the pillow on the bed to retrieve her rope.

  He looked to the rope in her hands with uneasiness. She smiled at him, wrapping the rope around his arms and neck, tying them tightly against the bedpost. He fidgeted as he tried to escape, but Keira was too swift.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice shaking.

  She ignored him as she began tying his feet to the posts at the end of the bed. Once she was confident that he was secure, she climbed on top on him, sitting on his groin. She smiled, her tongue resting between her upper and lower teeth.

  “I have a few questions for you,” she said.

  “Questions?” he asked nervously.

  She beamed. “Yes. Questions. And depending on how you answer—” she paused as she unsheathed a long dagger, tracing its tip across his bare stomach. “This could be very painful, or…” She ran her hand up his thigh, stopping just below his groin. “Very pleasurable. The choice is up to you.”

  He took a deep breath as he studied her. Respect and fear showed on his face. Also desire. Raw need. His nose twitched, wrinkles forming on its left side. Keira raised her brows.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  She smirked as she lay the dagger off to the side and moved both her hands to his bare chest, biting her lip.

  “Pleasure it is,” she whispered.

  39

  Uriah inspected the crate in the dark alley.

  It was an exact replica of the crates used to move priceless artifacts into the castle. Uriah had already seen once such shipment come through the city on their first night. He studied every square inch of the crate to be sure.

  The one he looked at in front of his was close, but it wasn’t perfect. Instead of being made of oak, it was made of cedar, and so the coloring was slightly off, being a pinkish red rather than a light to dark brown, but its size and appearance were nearly spot on. He hoped the type of wood wouldn’t cause problems.

  The crate was small, only up to Uriah’s waist and a single arm span wide. He looked into it and frowned. He was unsure if his plan would work. Uriah knew he couldn’t fit inside, and they still had to layer the top with protection in case it was opened for a peak inside before being moved into the vault.

  “Are you sure about this?” Uriah asked.

  Seraphina stepped next to him. She grinned. Putting her hands on the edge of the crate, she leapt into the air, and slid into the crate, her buttocks first. Her legs touched her stomach as she slid into it.

  Uriah looked down into the crate an saw her with a little over a foot of clearance. He shrugged. While he couldn’t get in, he had to admit Seraphina had plenty of room. He wished he was half as flexible.

  “Ah, but can you get out?” he asked.

  Seraphina used her hands and feet to move up the crate. The process was slow, but after a few minutes, she had gotten completely out of the crate.

  Uriah nodded. “Good. Will you be able to be as effective with a bit of hay and jewels on top of you?”

  “It will be a little bit slower, but yes, I will be fine.”

  “Once you’ve been delivered, and make sure that you have been delivered into the vault and no one is around, but you will have only a few hours, five to sit hours max before you run out of air. Also, it’s very important that once you set the explosives, you get far away from the door.”

  Seraphina nodded.

  Rycroft strode over holding a bag over his shoulder and a black cylinder with a fuse in his mouth. He placed his hands on Seraphina’s shoulder and inspected her from head to toe. Nodding, he began strapping sticks of explosives to her.

  “Watch where you put your hands,” Seraphina hissed.

  “That’s not what you were saying last night,” Rycroft whispered with a wink.

  Seraphina closed her mouth and blushed, her copper cheeks reddening.

  Rycroft made sure every inch of Seraphina was covered with an explosive.

  “Don’t smoke a pipe in there,” Uriah said.

  Seraphina’s eyes bulged as she looked down at herself to see all the explosives strapped to her body. “Are you sure this isn’t overkill?”

  Rycroft shook his head. “Naw. We want to make sure we blow the door clean off. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about. These explosives have been created to only go off with the other explosives. A simple flame won’t ignite them. It has to be a lot hotter than that.

  “Well, at least that’s reassuring,” Seraphina said.

  “Are you ready?” Uriah asked.

  Seraphina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then nodded. Uriah helped her to the top of the crate, where she slid inside. They looked down at her for a moment to make sure she fit secure, then they began covering her with hay and expensive jewels. They needed the crate to look important just in case it was opened. It was all about presence. Uriah took one last glance inside, hoped Seraphina would be all right, then put the lid on the crate.

  Uriah had worked with Searphina before a few times, and each time, she’d been dependable, but he still worried. This wasn’t just another mission. This was the mission to end all missions. And it needed to be perfect.

  “Are we in position?” Uriah asked.

  “Yes. They are maybe three hundred feet from interception,” Tedl
yha said from the edge of the alley where he observed the street.

  “Then it is your turn. Rycroft, Tedyha … you know what to do.”

  The two thieves nodded at him, then stepped out of the alley. They were dressed in the guard robes they’d acquired the night before, and so blended into the street. They carried a large golden plate with a chest on top as they veered into the main street.

  “Are you ready, Brenden? I’ll need your help making the swap.” Uriah said

  “Ready,” Brenden said.

  Uriah moved closer out of the alley to watch the scene before him.

  Rycroft and Tedyha moved the opposite direction of the two guards who’d just walked past the alley carrying the crate of goods toward the castle. When they neared the two men, the golden plate they were carrying slipped out of Tedyha’s hand, effectively blocking the path of the two real guards. Uriah watched the situation from behind.

  “What are you doing?” one of the guards asked.

  Rycroft dropped his side of the golden plate, letting it clatter to the floor, echoing metal ringing through the street.

  “Yeah, buddy. What are you doing? You’re clumsier than a drunk wyvern! How could you be so careless?” Rycroft shoved Tedyha.

  “I’m doing the best job I can. It’s not my fault the bloody metal plate is slippery. Why do you grab the slippery side you no good weasel loving goat!”

  “Weasel loving?” Rycraft asked. “What the bloody ashes is wrong with weasels?”

  “You love them. That’s what’s wrong with them.” Tedyha shoved Rycroft.

  The two guards abandoned their own crate as they tried to break up the fight between Tedyha and Rycroft.

  “Now,” Uriah whispered.

  Brenden and Uriah carried the crate outside of the alley, and set it to the side of the other crate. Then they hurriedly grabbed the guards’ crate and moved it into the alley. A few people walked on the street, but everyone was paying attention to the fight between Tedyha and Rycroft, which had escalated to fist punches. They moved the real crate deep into the dark alley, then went back out into the street to check on matters. Uriah motioned to Brenden to help him, and then moved the crate slightly to take the position of the one they’d moved.

  After their task was complete, they stumbled through the crowd, past them, and ambled forward, bumping into Rycroft and Tedyha along the way—the signal everything was all right. They slipped into the next small alleyway to the right, where they planned to regroup with Rycroft and Tedyha after their fight.

  “That went well,” Brenden whispered.

  “Yes,” Uriah admitted. “Now it’s time for your part. Have you learned of a way to reverse the lanterns?”

  Brenden’s mouth twitched. “I have.”

  “Excellent. Once we regroup, cause chaos with the lights, that will allow us to get closer to the castle. You’ll need to reach out with your senses again to check for any traps on the way to the door.”

  “Understood,” Brenden said.

  “And then, all we have to do, is hope your sister comes through on her end. We’ll need the key.”

  “She will,” Brenden whispered.

  “I hope so,” Uriah said. “For all of our sakes.”

  40

  Brenden pulled his hood over his head, dipping it down to keep from being noticed.

  He didn’t wear the guard uniforms like Uriah, Rycoft, and Tedlyha. They had only collected three. Instead, Brenden wore his black and deep red armor, hood and cloak, and leather boots. He had a commanding presence as he walked with the other three dressed like guards.

  “Can you sense any barriers?” Uriah asked.

  Brenden closed his eyes. He could feel all the firelight torches all around him, but that was easy now. Now that he knew what he was looking for, they all lit up in his mind. Brenden reached further, pushing his limits toward the castle itself. All he saw was darkness, but he pushed through it and searched to anything irregular inside of it.

  He imagined the castle in his mind, and then zoomed into the entrance. At first he saw nothing, but after further inspection, he noticed a light green allure on the door, which seemed out of place since it was wood and brown. He reached for it in his mind, and found resistance, as well as a sense of foreboding as his hand neared touching it.

  Startled, he moved his hand away. He crouched near the ground as he inspected the door. Brenden still didn’t know a lot about all the magics, but he had a speculation that each color represented something different. He just needed to figure out what each color meant, and more importantly, what the opposite of that color was. Brenden imagined green would represent life, and so he imagined the opposite of life would be death. He took a deep breath, the tried to throw a wave of blackness over it. The door flickered, but didn’t fail. The color turned from green to blue.

  Brenden bit his lip. Blue magic he speculated could be water, so he tried throwing a blast of yellow lightning at it. Again, it flickered, and the blue disappeared to be replaced with purple. He had no idea what purple magic could be. Frowning, he dropped his hood and ran his hands through his hair, exhaling loudly with frustration.

  He put his right hand in front of him, and imagined purple magic. His hand glowed a deep, dark purple. He tried to feel the magic, to inspect it to see what might be its opposite. Brenden didn’t know what type of magic it was. He moved his hand toward the door, and felt no resistance this time. His hand flinched backward, and his eyebrows furrowed. He reached forward again, and tried to touch the door. Instead of contacting it, his hand went through it. His eyes opened, and the world of blackness disappeared.

  “Brenden?” Uriah repeated.

  Everything felt like a haze. He turned to face the old thief. “Hmm?”

  “Can you sense any barriers?”

  “Yes. The door is protected by color shifting magic. I can get through it, I just have to use the color it is at the time.”

  “I don’t understand anything you said,” Uriah said.

  Brenden smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Yes, I should be able to get us inside.”

  “Good. I need you to keep your mind open to sense anything else that may be astray.”

  “Understood.”

  “And you need to learn how to do it with your eyes open.”

  Brenden nodded. “I know.”

  Magic was still too new to him. He saw sorcerers use magic all the time, and they could do it like it was second nature. Brenden was new at this. He didn’t know how to use it. Brenden didn’t have any formal training. Instead, he had to learn it as he went. But he needed to get better.

  “Where is your sister?” Uriah asked.

  Brenden shrugged.

  “She should be here by now. I told her to snag the keys for the castle and meet up with us. That shouldn’t take too long.”

  Brenden raised his eyebrows.

  “Unless she’s dallying. I know her reputation. I told her to only seduce and snatch, not seduce and finish before snatch.”

  “You will watch your tongue about my sister,” Brenden said, stepping closer to Uriah.

  Uriah grinned. “You know … it’s too bad I didn’t know she was so easy earlier.”

  Brenden’s fist glowed purple as it met Uriah’s chin. Tedlyha and Rycroft grabbed Brenden and held him back. Uriah had staggered back several feet. He wiped the blood off of his lip with a grin as he approached Brenden.

  “Listen, boy. I’m the one who’s in charge here. You will not touch me like that.”

  Brenden clenched his teeth. “The way I see it is you need me. Without me, you cannot break into the castle.”

  Uriah glared at Brenden, surprise showing on his face.

  “And I will help you if you’re going to disrespect my sister.”

  It was Uriah’s turn to grind his teeth. “Fine. I’ll leave off the comments … for now, but she’d better be here soon. We won’t get far without those keys.”

  “She will be.”

  Though Brenden said the words
, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. They continued forward toward the castle. He was on the edge of his toes, looking around with his eyes nervously. Brenden hoped nothing was wrong with Keira. Dusk had arrived, and the darkness would soon follow. It was then that they would begin. Uriah wanted total darkness, which meant the city had to be dark and relying on the torches. The torches that Brenden would reverse.

  They hid in the shadows for a few more moments, but Keira still hadn’t arrived. The darkness had.

  “Brenden, it is time,” Uriah said.

  “Keira isn’t here yet.”

  “We can’t any longer. Seraphina will run out of air in there, and those explosives are set to go off if we don’t get to them soon enough.”

  Brenden’s eyes widened. “I thought you two said they wouldn’t go off unless your other explosives went off.”

  “Yeah, we lied,” Uriah said.

  “Why?”

  “If we don’t make it to the vault, and she is trapped inside, and the sorcerers find her, she will not be able to hold back interrogations against magic. They will learn everything. We cannot have that.” Uriah grinned. “Call it an insurance policy.”

  Brenden gritted his teeth. “You’re sick.”

  “If you want to save her life, we need to go now.”

  Brenden’s nails nearly drew blood from his palms. “Fine.”

  “Turn off the lights,” Uriah said.

  Brenden nodded as he left the shadows. He marched toward the castle, a new goal in his mind. Save Seraphina, and strap some dragon bombs to Uriah and demand some answers. He was tired of being pushed around.

  “Brenden? The lights,” Uriah said from over his shoulder.

  “Don’t worry about the bloody lights,” Brenden grumbled under his breath. “Follow me.”

  Uriah, Tedlyha, and Rycroft all looked nervous, but they obeyed. Each man fell into step behind Brenden, letting him lead them toward the castle. They walked past sorcerers, guards, and nobles. No one paid them any mind. Brenden was determined. And he wanted a flair to start the night.

  They nearly made it to the door when they were stopped.