A Shadow Thief's Magic

by D. R. Rosier

  She nodded curtly, “At once your majesty.”

  -Gabby

  Lady Gabrielle woke to the sound of her mistress’s voice and took a look around. Erin was right next to her, still asleep, and she smiled when she spotted the princess wrapped around Daniel as they slept in an embrace. She was happy for them, and also glad she’d seduced Daniel. He was talented in bed, confident but not arrogant, and his cock filled her up completely. More than that though, he was becoming a good friend.

  She wasn’t anywhere near ready to settle down, as she liked her work too much. But she hoped she’d find someone like him when she was ready, in the meantime hopefully the princess would continue to share once they were married. Assuming they all lived of course.

  She looked at the shadow with her mistress’ face in it, “Report Gabby.”

  She replied, “Yes mistress, we’re on schedule in Ashbridge.”

  Aria asked, “Do you know what their mission is?”

  She shrugged, “I’ve been assuming they need something from the keep to help them for when they reach the crown city. The goal of course is to get the princess in her rightful place, on the throne as queen, but I don’t know the particulars.”

  Aria nodded, “Perhaps it’s better that I don’t know anyway, just in case.”

  Gabby smiled, “It’s why I haven’t asked, although I believe I’ll have a good guess later on tonight.”

  Aria raised an eyebrow.

  Gabby shrugged, “The duke would feel the princess’ magic if we went in to early, I think they’re hoping he’ll be asleep, as well as most of the keep. It’s why I was sleeping.”

  Aria nodded, “Fine, contact me when you get out of the city, and be careful.”

  “Yes mistress, you too.”

  The shadow winked out and she thought about what was going on. She’d been on important missions, but nothing like this before. What happened would determine the course of the kingdom for years to come, and if they failed it would mean an end of a royal legacy, and in some cases their failure could lead to the elves destroying them to claim the land.

  Then who would remember them? Three hundred years of peace and prosperity wiped out because of one asshole’s greed and lust for power. She’d come a long way from that angry young girl that tried to steal from a king, but it still scared her. She’d do her best, but what if it wasn’t enough?

  She rolled over and tried to get some more sleep, they had a long night ahead of them.

  -Katherine

  She woke up to a soft kiss on her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access and stretched like a cat. He scratched the sensitive skin of her neck lightly with his teeth, then licked and sucked the same spot, she felt her core flush with heat and her stomach tighten with desire. Gods, her body was truly his, every time he touched her it drove her crazy.

  He kissed her one more time and said, “Time to get up love.”

  She quirked a smile and her voice came out a little sultrily, “Oh, I’m awake. How about the others?”

  He replied, “Still asleep.”

  She smiled and rolled away from him, and started to change. His eyes narrowed when she pulled out one of her flowing dresses, but he held his tongue. There was no way she was going to run into Cynthia while wearing a commoner’s dress, besides, they shouldn’t run into anyone at all tonight if it went to plan.

  He asked, “So… assume for a second everything goes to plan, what exactly will be my place as your husband?”

  She froze her stomach sinking, “Why do you ask? What place would you want?”

  He shrugged, “Gabby mentioned to me I’d be her boss, and it got me wondering what would be expected of me. Loving you as my wife will be easy as breathing Kat, but where do I fit in with the rest of your life? I have no interest in power, but I will want to feel useful.”

  She sat next to him on the bed, “I think I understand. Officially you’d be the prince consort with no power but what I give you. If you want to run the spies, I have no problem with that, you’re probably better suited to it than I am. Unofficially you can expect the other nobles to try and use you to get to me but I don’t expect you’ll allow yourself to be used that way. You already know I listen to you, and I’ll always value your council in kingdom matters, but in the end, I’m queen. Honestly I’ve been a little worried about it myself, I hope I’m worth the bother of it all.”

  “Now our bedroom suite is a different story, there I’m just your wife, and happy to go to my knees whenever you ask,” she added with a sultry smile.

  He smiled at her flirting and kissed her long and deep.

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, “I’ll do whatever I can to help, I just don’t want to add to your burden of ruling. As long as we’re talking about serious things, Erin mentioned we should talk about partners.”

  She sighed and kissed him, “As a royal couple we can’t be as open as most marriages are. Especially me as the queen, I can’t afford to have a child by anyone outside of you. Erin is a given, and on discrete occasions I could see Gabby dropping by, but I won’t approve many beyond that, if any.”

  He kissed her passionately which took her breath away.

  He explained, “I’d be happy with just you, more than happy. Being with you is more than I would ask for, and even more than I would dream of. The question was more about wanting to know, than worrying about what the choice would be. Why is Erin a given? Not that I mind, I’m just curious.”

  She felt her heart beat speed up, as every word he’d spoken was true. She felt a bit ashamed she’d worried he was asking her for power earlier at first, and was incredibly turned on by the fact that all he cared about was her.

  “Erin is dedicated to me, she won’t even hear of leaving my service or getting married. I love you both, if in a different way, and it would be incredibly selfish of me to prevent you two from enjoying each other.”

  He kissed her again, and held her a moment before he said, “We should wake them?”

  She smiled, “Probably a good idea, before I jump you.”

  He shook his head with a wicked smile, “Now hold on love, let’s not be hasty.”

  She laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth the wait…”

  She was truly happy, as she felt a weight leave her shoulder she hadn’t really known was there. Some part of her had been worried that once he knew what he’d have to deal with, he’d change his mind about being hers.

  She got up reluctantly, having dismissed her second thoughts about sucking him off and having his lips between her legs, she was addicted to him, but knew they really didn’t have time to play right now and woke the others. They needed to get in and get the information, and make it out before the duke woke up in the morning.

  Chapter 16

  His shoulder blades were itching as they walked down the long tunnel. Was it because it seemed too easy, or because it hadn’t been him planning this little break in but the princess? If she was right, they should be able to get around the keep without anyone seeing them, if she was wrong…

  He felt a little better after talking to her, he’d just had no clue what a prince consort did, now that he knew he wouldn’t have any problems. It wasn’t like he needed to continue his life as a thief, he only ever did it to pay the bills and have a little spending money. That wasn’t an issue anymore, and running a spy network kind of sounded like fun to him, and would help keep his wife safe, which was what he was all about.

  They reached the end of the corridor, and he turned on his spell to detect others nearby. There was no one on the other side of the door, so he nodded at Gabby. She melted into the shadows and disappeared, a moment later they heard the door click and open, and they all entered the keep. From there they went down the hall, and up some servant stairs. He could feel a number of shadows, but so far they were all stationary and not very close.

  So either people sleeping or guard positions.

  They entered an empty bedroom, and Katy led them to a large p
icture of a war scene between human and elven armies. She ran her hands along it, and with a click the picture swung from the wall to reveal a thin passage behind it. He didn’t like that the princess was in the front, but she was the one that knew which way to go.

  He felt one of the shadows start to move.

  He said in a whisper, “Someone is moving about.”

  Katy nodded, “It’s Cynthia, let’s hope she doesn’t wake her father, or turn us in.”

  He frowned, “And if she does?”

  Katy sighed, “We run for it. On no account can we afford to fight, it would create a schism between us that couldn’t even be fixed if I take the throne.”

  This just got better and better. If this was a job at home, he’d have abandoned it by now, hell, he wouldn’t be doing it at all. Not that he had a choice, this wasn’t about money, the stakes were much higher.

  They reached another door, which turned out to be a bookshelf. It slid out slowly and they slipped into the room one by one. Katy created a light above them and they started to work through the library, looking for the castle blueprints.

  He said in warning, “Cynthia’s almost here,” and the only reason he wasn’t freaking out was because the woman seemed to be alone.

  The door opened and he felt her magic as she glided in. She wasn’t as strong as Katy, but the woman had a powerful presence that dwarfed his own. At a guess she was three years or so older than Katy was, maybe twenty two or three. She had long curly golden blonde hair, blue eyes, and her face had a severe beauty to it with high cheekbones and thin lips.

  She was in a similar type of dress as Katy, but in a bright red color, and it was a bit more form hugging as well, but still subtle enough to leave things to the imagination. Where Katy was lithe, and graceful, Cynthia was voluptuous and moved her body sensuously as she walked over with a grin.

  She hugged Katy tight and kissed her on the cheek, “It’s good to see you, but you shouldn’t be here Katy. If my father wakes up…”

  Katy shrugged, “We won’t be here long before we move on. I don’t think it will be long before my uncle’s betrayal is exposed.”

  Gabby came over and handed him a manuscript, he started to flip through it as he kept an eye on the shadows around them, and Cynthia. This was what they were looking for, and he started to read it over and look for key points, just in case something happened and they couldn’t take it with them. He was barely paying attention to what Katy and Cynthia were talking about, but he could tell a great deal from Cynthia’s expressions, and the fact she hadn’t even acknowledged the rest of them, almost as if they didn’t matter.

  Katy didn’t seem to realize it, but her best friend wasn’t making a great impression on him. She seemed… disconnected, like the world revolved around her, and that Katy’s problems, and Lianeth’s betrayal meant nothing to her. She was sexy as hell, but he wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot pole. Sure, he could be wrong, but he doubted it, he was good at reading people, and although he’d admit to being overly pessimistic at times, he was a good judge of character.

  Or maybe Katy did realize it, since she hadn’t introduced them to Cynthia either.

  A picture was forming in his mind, the royal treasury and treasure room were actually below the throne room in the public area, as they were the farthest from the entrance in the back of the castle. That didn’t help though, because it wasn’t just a floor of stone to break through if they went that way, there was about thirty feet of rock as well. He already knew shadows were out, so it would require a different way.

  He’d already found a secret way from the public kitchen to the royal side of the castle, but that was worthless if they couldn’t get that far. He kept reading through it as quickly and as thoroughly as he could, but there were no tunnels inside like this keep had, it was over the drawbridge, or nothing. They might manage that, get into the kitchen, and find their way back to the royal side. But as far as he could see there was no secret entrance to or near the vault rooms, and the vault rooms were the only basement rooms, so there was no alternate way unless they wanted to dig through stone. They’d be caught long before they’d gotten through.

  This whole mission seemed like a waste of time, and would only help them get through one of many obstacles. The gods had a terrible sense of humor, because he had no idea how they would get into the vault. Unless… could Lianeth be carrying around the scepter? It seemed like a long shot, but he’d have Gabby check with Aria when they got out of here. If he were power hungry enough he might be checking it a lot in the hopes that Katy was dead. There were enough private ways in the upper castle to enter the regent’s rooms. Still, surely he couldn’t be that stupid.

  He handed the book to Gabby and shook his head subtly. It was time to go. An hour had passed and Cynthia was still talking a mile a minute seemingly undisturbed. It was suspicious, wasn’t she supposed to be nervous about Katy being here?

  “We should go,” he said in a firm voice.

  Katy looked over at him startled, Cynthia looked outraged by the interruption.

  Katy turned back and gave Cynthia a hug forestalling whatever she was going to say, and then they went back out by the bookcase.

  He said in a low voice, “We need to move, something wasn’t right about that. Gabby, when you talk to Aria next, have her verify where the scepter is. I’d hate to break into the vault if that idiot has it on his person and in his rooms.”

  Katy laughed, “That would make it easier, and more difficult. My uncle has a lot more experience with magic than I do, and Mal won’t be far from his side. What did you find out?”

  He frowned, “I found a way from the public to the private side without using the throne room, but that’s about it. Outside of that, tonight didn’t pay off very well. How do those protections work for the shadows, is it something you can turn off, or dispel?”

  Katy shook her head, “No, they’re inscribed spells that use the power of the people in the castle to power them. So if I attacked them, they’d just draw my own power and others to defeat my attempt. It would be like overpowering everyone else and myself, it’s essentially impossible.”

  He shook his head, as he apparently had a lot to learn about magic, he’d only gotten the basic course of useful stuff.

  They exited in that same room and made their way down the stairs, and through the portrait. He thought they were home free when he picked up all the shadows at the end of the tunnel when they were barely halfway through. There had to be thirty people down there. Then he felt a number of people coming from behind as well.

  “Stop. I’m sorry Katy, but Cynthia set us up. The end of the corridor is full of soldiers at the least, and they’re moving in behind us as well.”

  Katy sighed, “I’m sorry too. She really isn’t the same person as when we were kids. I guess no one is, but she’s really different.”

  He held up his hand and summoned shadows, and looked out of a few shadows he sensed above.

  He said, “Nowhere to go but up, I can take Erin, can you two see where I’m planning to come out?”

  They looked in his hand, and closed their eyes a second, then disappeared. He saw them reappear in his globe of shadow. He took Erin’s hand and pulled them both into the Shadow lands, and exited in the same spot. It had taken a lot of magic to move them both; luckily they had only been about thirty feet down.

  They were in a house, and he walked over to the window and looked out. It appeared to be clear, but he knew it wouldn’t be for long. They exited the building and ran for the tavern against the west wall. So far the soldiers hadn’t come up, he could feel them and they were waiting below.

  Gabby said urgently, “I’ll get our stuff, the rest of you saddle our horses,” and she summoned a shadow that enveloped her and disappeared.”

  They ran into the stable and started to saddle the horses.

  “Won’t the gates be closed at night?”

  Katy looked at him blankly for a second, “Why would they?”

>   He was about to give an answer when he realized they would have magical lights, they didn’t need to close for dark, or worry about a sneak attack when they couldn’t see, because they could see.

  He shook his head, “Never mind, something from my world, I wasn’t thinking.”

  Gabby appeared in a swirl of shadow with a tired face, and four saddlebags at her feet. They strapped them on and started for the gate, which was close to where they were staying. The soldiers that came in behind them must have met up with the others, because he felt them coming up like hornets from a nest.

  “Any idea why she betrayed you?”

  A voice rang out up ahead as he stepped under a light, “I can answer that, because my daughter is an obedient child.”

  Fuck.

  The guy in front of them was dressed in a richly embroidered suit, and was clearly the duke here.

  Katy asked in a resigned tone, “And why would you order her to do it? Surely you know of my uncle’s perfidy. Let us go.”

  He felt the buzz of Katy’s magic around him, some kind of shield perhaps, against destruction magic. The older man in front of us looked almost bored.

  The duke said lightly, “I could do that, what is your intention?”

  Katy frowned, “You know my intention, to claim my birthright and unseat my traitorous uncle.”

  The duke nodded confidently, “Very well, you can go… if you give me an oath.”

  Katy looked confused, “What oath?”

  The duke said, “That you will release us from ours once you are queen. We wish to be a separate kingdom once again, and not beholden to yours.”

  Katy looked thunder struck, but he got it right away.

  “Why?”

  The duke laughed, “Really? You don’t know… because your family has enslaved ours under that oath for fifteen generations. Every time a child of my line reaches the age of majority, the parent is forced to order their child to take the oath, because they are under oath to do so. My ancestor enslaved our line to yours in perpetuity.”

  He felt the soldiers come behind them and stop, apparently under orders to let the conversation play out.