A Tale of Thieves (Part Two)

In case you missed Part One. Continue reading for Part Two.

“Right.” I agree, snapping out of my stupor.

Jumping to action as I lead the way. Silently jumping from rooftop to rooftop, until we have a completely unobstructed view of the palace. Only a single row of houses from the last one, just outside the palace grounds.

From there we scale down the side of a small bungalow and creep through the shadows until we can see the palace from the shadows of the closest home.

From ground level, the palace looks even more magnificent and foreboding in the dusky darkness of nightfall. The shadow falls over the front of the palace, muting its majestic gold features. I watch as each of the windows is bathed in flickering candlelight, one at a time. As the breeze tickles the flames they dance in the night air and add to the elegant feel of the scene before us. It has this timeless sort of feel to it, that beckons our soundless feet forward, past the rusty gate and into the grounds.

We emerge from the shadows and creep forward, stopping at the iron-barred fence that encases the palace grounds.

With a sigh, Jed peeks over the top and nods to me an indication that Corbin has made it in, to his checkpoint.

I pull myself up to peek over the top of the fence, barely able to see anything other than a motion that I assume is Corbin signalling us to jump the fence.

Jed boosts me up and over, then hoists himself. Landing beside me with as little grace as a bull in a china shop. Luckily, no one is near enough to hear the ruckus he causes at that moment.

We scan the grounds to be sure the coast is clear and then sprint across the grounds together.

Reaching the door, Jed pulls my special multi-lock picking tool from his backpack.

I immediately go to work, twisting and turning the device. In tandem with jiggling the lock and pressing my ear against the door until I heard the click of the lock.

The gears sound sticky and this takes longer than I thought it would.

“Gregory says the guards are just having shift change, there will be about 5 minutes before they start their rounds.” The voice of Carla rings in everyone’s ears.

“Did you hear that?” Corbin hissed in my free ear, a note of panic in his voice.

“I did and I could do my job a lot faster if you weren’t breathing down my neck,” I mutter back, still working my own form of magic.

A bead of sweat runs down my temple as I finally hear the click of the lock releasing.

All three of us file inside, Corbin remains at the door to monitor the grounds through a crack opening that he maintains.

Jed and I approach the display case, treading lightly as we navigate the pitch-dark room. The only inside emanates from The Source itself, its purple glow filling a small space around the display case.

Within meters of the case, Jed and I are bathed in the radiant purple light of The Source.

With no time to admire The Source, I begin to pick the lock. I traded the device I used on the front doors for a couple of hairpins, and began manipulating the mechanism inside the lock. This should prove to be an easier lock than that of the front door.

“They are starting their rounds, you need to hurry. Gregory estimates they will be in the entrance hall in 5 minutes.” Carla’s voice echoes through our minds.

Before Corbin can say anything, I hiss a hush in his direction.

From my peripherals, I see Jed point at Corbin with a finger to his lips and I make a mental note to thank him for the backup, later.

I continue picking the lock, hearing the encouraging clicks as I move barring after barring. I am almost there when snap, one of the bobby pins breaks. Forcing me to start over, pulling out my spare pin and rushing to get back to the place I was at. Feeling sweat begin to trickle down the back of my neck as nerves start to well up inside me.

I am almost done, I just need one more minute when we hear from Carl again.

“They are right on top of you! Corbin set off the smoke bombs and everyone gets out of there.” She calls into our minds, the note of panic very apparent in this message.

“Right.” I hear Corbin mutter, then the ruffling sound of him digging in his pockets frantically.

Which is only interrupted by the sound of a pair of footsteps coming down a dark hallway.

Finally the lock clicks and the display case swings open, as I sigh in relief.

Jed secures the backpack with an extra strap on his chest and turns around. Crouching below the case with his back turned to me, waiting for me to place The Source inside.

As I reach out to grab The Source, a small bang erupts in the entrance hall and we are encompassed in a murky white smoke. So thick, that I can barely see The Source as I hold it in my hands. 

I must be disoriented because I think I see the light inside it flickering, but I dismiss it as a trick of my eyes.

Pausing in the transfer as I lose track of where Jed’s backpack is located, I hold The Source to my chest and wait for some of the smoke to dissipate. My heart is in my throat as I try to remain calm, knowing the smoke bombs are meant to shroud us in mystery and stop the guards from identifying us when they arrive.

As I hold The Source I feel a surge of heat coursing through my body. Starting at my hands and working its way up my arms, through my chest and down the rest of my body. My muscles shake under the weight of holding The Source for so long as I blindly begin to search for Jed’s backpack. Lucky enough to brush it with my arm, I locate it and place the glowing purple bowling ball inside. My eyes continue to play tricks on me as I take one last look at The Source in Jed’s bag, I swear I see it go dark. Completely devoid of light in any way, but I give myself a shake and close the bag. Telling myself that it’s just the stress getting to me.

Sighing in relief, just in time for the peace of our heist to be interrupted.

“Hey, who's in here?” A guard yells, causing a tremor of fear to course through my body.

“What’s going on?” The other shouts, only increasing the panic I feel.

Suddenly, an alarm rings out and my voice catches in my throat. I freeze in response, still shrouded in the now fading white smoke as I wait for my exit to make itself known.

Part Three: