Lucia woke with a terrible pain in her neck. She had fallen asleep sitting up, and despite her best efforts, she hadn't found a comfortable position. Light beamed in from the top of the secret room's entrance, reminding her where she was. She heard voices. They were muffled, but she could make out the words as they came closer.
"I believe they were searching for something in this room," a man said. "This is how it looked when we found it."
"Chancellor Reginald would have been furious with people throwing his books around like this," another said, sounding appalled.
Chancellor Reginald, Lucia thought she recognized the name, although she wasn't sure how. Another thought came to her. They said the house owner was Thomas Frival-something. She had a weird feeling like she was directly in the middle of a set-up.
"Poor Tannus," the first man said. "They found the bodies this morning and said it was too ugly to talk about."
"I think they killed him to rob the place, but they also killed everyone else." The other man said.
"I would spit, but I wouldn't want to further soil the chancellors…" the voices wandered off.
Did they get caught? She thought dismally to herself. She decided she would find out soon enough, but she couldn't rush. She was going to wait for as long as she needed to before escaping. Her stomach grumbled, but she had been through worse hunger.
She took in her surroundings, eager to find something that would occupy her thoughts while she waited for the place to clear out. Her hand fell to the lock on the chest. Excited for something to keep her busy, she slipped a small lock kit from her boot and got to work as quietly as she could. She had gotten some training with the kit, but most of what she learned was for locked doors. Fortunately for her, she had nothing but time to learn something new.
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Benj sat in the cell and listened to the other prisoners complain about the same story over and over again. The complaints came from three men in the cell directly adjacent to his. At first, the conversation was interesting to listen to, but after a while, it began to wear on his nerves. It also seemed to be bothering the rest of his crew.
"I'm telling you, he didn't even know where the money was, let alone how much was inside," a man with a hawkish nose said from the next cell over.
"When they detained me, I thought I had gone crazy because he clearly said, "This money is uncounted." I just wanted to see if they would notice that anything went missing."
"Give it a rest," Jafa engaged them through the bars. "Someone obviously knows that all three of you are as crooked as a cork hole, and you fell right into their trap. It hurts my heart to hear your story; it really does. So, I'm going to give my sensitive little heart a break while you all shut up about it for a while, eh?"
The three men glared at Jafa, and one of them said, "What are you going to do about it? Bend the bars with your sensitive little hands and come over here?"
"Yeah, you can't just tell your superiors to shut up," another one chimed in. "That's a good way to get your words smacked out of your mouth."
"If I ever see you on the outside, we'll see who is smacking whom," Jafa threatened.
"It'll be us smacking you, is what it's going to be," the man with a bent nose clarified. "What, you get in a few schoolyard scuffles? Is that where you learned how to fight?"
"Draiden, are you going to get in on this?" Jafa asked with the first smile he'd had since they arrived. "I don't want you to miss out on this."
Draiden wiped his puffy eyes, turned towards their newfound foes, and offered, "He learned it from your mother."
The verbal fight that ensued seemed to improve their moods. Draiden's disposition improved as the joys of throwing insults lightened his heart. Even Pots offered a few.
Benj sat horrified at the thought that he would see these three outside of their respective cells.
"Bird, do you have anything to offer?" Jafa prodded.
"Not really," he said and then, throwing all caution to the wind, added. "I don't want spend the next hour trying to explain my insult to them."
Draiden and Jafa hesitated as the meaning set in and then let out a roaring laugh and patted him on the back.
"Yeah, because they're dumb," Pots said, eliciting more laughs.
"Their dumb, meh, meh, meh," Hawk Nose mocked Pots in a petulant voice. "Nice one."
"Did you hear that, Pots?" Benj said with a listening hand to his ear. "He said nice one."
"When I get out of here," the other man said. "I'm going to gut every single one of you like a pig!"
"That's probably not the only thing you'll do with a pig when you get out," Draiden said, smiling.
"Nice one!" Pots complimented.
Their laughter was cut off by the clicking sound of footsteps. The seven of them went quiet.
A uniformed man walked into view and appraised the newest prisoners. "Ah, if it isn't my little thieves," he said. Benj noted that he wasn't looking at the four of them, but at the three they were just exchanging insults with. "And my other thieves," he said, finally looking at the four of them.
"You tricked us," Hawk Nose yelled and then followed it with, "sir."
"I simply gave you three an opportunity to prove you were trustworthy," the man said calmly. "You proved me otherwise."
"You lied!" another man yelled. "You said the money was uncounted. Who's untrustworthy now?"
"Did I?" the uniformed man asked. "I must have made a mistake, kind of like you three."
Another uniformed man approached with the same woman who had captured Benj. She was holding a piece of pie.
"I think I'm going to change this up a bit," the uniformed man said. "I'll take…" He pointed around the cells until his finger landed on Benj. "You."
One of the guards pulled out a key and opened the cell door. "Come with me, and don't try anything."
"Don't tell him nothing," Pots encouraged him as he was led away.
Benj allowed the armed men to click manacles around his wrists and lead him to a back room. The group moved through a heavy door, and one of them motioned for Benj to sit down in a chair across the table.
"My name is Captain Castor," the man said. "Can I interest you in some apple pie?"
The woman who had captured him held out a cloth-wrapped pie for Benj to inspect.
"You know, I'm sure there is a decent baker in Royal City," Benj said, dissatisfied with the baked good. "No offense, but it looks like whoever made this pie handled the crust too much. The trick is to use cold water and just barely mix the dough long enough for it to come together, but not too long that your body heat will melt the fats. That way, when you bake it, you get a crispy crust that flakes off, not crumbles."
"Enough," Captain Castor said, cutting him off. He gestured for the other three guards to leave. "I want to talk to this one alone for a moment."
After a moment of silent protests, the other guards left the room.
"What do you know about pies?" Castor asked, showing a slight irritation.
"I'm a baker," Benj said solemnly, "Or I was one before I got roped into this mess."
"You mean before you joined the Crownsmith?" He asked carefully.
"No, I mean, yes," Benj finally answered. "I kind of joined by mistake."
Castor considered a moment. "Very well then, tell me about your mistake."
"I'm a baker. I was coming to Royal City to start a new life when I was robbed by a man named Gallows Reese," Benj said, recounting his story as concisely as possible. "All my clothes were ruined, so I took his jacket. I didn't know that he had a pocket with a ring inside that was somehow a symbol of the Crownsmith. I was pickpocketed, and when they found it, they brought me in, and I had to pretend that I somehow knew Gallows. I'm kind of stuck here until I can find a way to escape. If they found out that I killed him, I'm as good as dead."
"You killed Gallows Reese?" Castor asked with a skeptical tone.
"Yes, that's where I got the ring," Benj said. "It had a crown on it."
"Did the crown look anything like this," Castor said, pulling up his coat sleeve and showing a Crownsmith tattoo on his forearm.
Benj paled. "I… Oh, pits of ash, I'm as good as dead, aren't I?"
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Gallows was the lowest sort of trash. I just need you to answer some questions," he said, putting his sleeve back down. "Why is Darius targeting Crownsmith members, and why did he put a job on Tannus Reginold?"
"Who?" Benj asked. "I was told we were after some guy who broke into the queen's room and tried to… Well, you know what he did."
"No, I don't," Castor said frankly. "Tannus was a Crownsmith and the representative for the Overseers. Furthermore, he is not the type who would break into anyone's room. Who was leading your operation?"
"Priest was, but your guy killed him last night," Benj said solemnly. "Reese is usually in charge, but Darius sent him to Thannon to look for… Gallows."
"Of course, he did," Castor said, putting the pieces together. "Larkin would never allow Darius to target his friend. It makes so much sense. If what you're telling me is true, I'm going to need your help. I can get you out of town, but I need some time to prepare. If I get you out of here, will you warn me before Darius targets anyone else?"
"Yeah, but if he lied about who we were supposed to rob, then how much help would it be if I gave you a false name?"
"All I need is his timing; I can handle the rest," Castor said. "Whenever you get a job, put whatever information on a letter and seal it with wax if you can. Take the letter to Gretta's on Alpenrose and tell her to take me the letter immediately. I'll pay any associated fees."
"Gretta's on Alpenrose got it. So, you're going to let me go?"
"Oh, no," Castor nearly scoffed. "If I just let you walk free, your life would be forfeit as much as anyone would trust you. You're going to have to break out on your own."
"I'm going to what?" Benj asked incredulously.
Castor leaned back in his chair and pondered his conundrum. "Who's the best pickpocket you have out there?"
"Jafa, by far," Benj said, not wanting to discuss how he had robbed him blindly in broad daylight. "He's the skinny one."
"When you go," Castor held stern eye contact. "Just make sure you get out of here quick."
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The lock opened with a click and Lucia could barely believe it. Her hands were sore and smelled like metal from holding the picks. She rolled them back up and tucked them away in her boot. She stood infront of the chest, back against the entrance to the secret room, and lifted the heavy lid open. It squeaked and groaned causing her to stop and listen before lifting it all the way up.
The light coming in from the top of the bookcase had dimmed, but it was still bright enough to see by. Her eyes drank in the chest's contents as she crouched to move things around. She found a silver goblet with jewel inlays. She moved it aside and ran her hand over some books. She held one to the sliver of light; it read, "Complete Runic Sentences." She held the other one up, "Poetry of the Trembling Heart." She could just see the looks on everybody's faces as she and Benj recited poetry to each other. She made a mental note to take that one with her.
She set the books aside uncovering a large, velvet bag. She hefted it up and opened it revealing a gold covered skull. It looked like the one at the cathedral. She put it back in the bag and shivered.
Pushing everything back to the other side, she pulled out a half-empty bottle of spirits. Next to the bottle were three heavy coin purses. She picked them up and tucked them away under her shirt. One of them left a noticeable bulge, so she opened it to distribute the coins better. Her eyes bulged when she noticed it was mostly gold and silver. She tucked the coins in as many places as she could without being too noticeable. She stood up to move around. Nothing jingled if she didn't jerk around too much. Kneeling, she inspected the bottle further. It was a similar bottle that Priest had found and sold for so much. She wanted to taste it, if for nothing else than to see why someone would keep it locked away in a hidden room.
She lifted the elegant-looking bottle and twisted off the cork. It dislodged with a pop. She almost lifted the bottle to her lips when she remembered she had a cup. Placing her hand back in the chest and pushing a book out of the way, her hand found the silver goblet. She poured the amber liquid into the cup and smelled the contents. It smelled of wood and flowers. She took a sip; it cooled as much as it burned. The flavor was hard to describe; it was almost like tasting the colors green and gold. It tasted like late spring or early summer. It teased at her hunger. Before she knew it, she had drunk the entire cup.
"I see why that's so expensive now," she said out loud and then clapped a hand over her mouth. Why did she talk out loud? It dawned on her; she just drank a full goblet of spirits on an empty stomach. That might have been a bad idea, but maybe it was completely worth it.
She stood up, but it felt like she pushed the world down. "Oh no, I'm drunk," she said and then clapped her hand over her mouth again. She stood there listening and breathing. It was dead silent.
She had waited long enough. If someone had been in the house, she would have heard something by now, or they would have heard her. If someone caught her leaving, she would just tell them she was a maid. It was a solid story. Unfortunately, it meant she would have to leave the silver goblet behind for now. A maid can't be seen trying to smuggle silver cups out of the house.
Feeling resigned, she took the sword Benj had left for her and began to pry the bookcase open. She had to alternate prying it from the top and the bottom but eventually opened it enough to put her hands through. She peaked out at the empty room and then pulled the bookcase out of the way. When the crack was big enough for her to squeeze through without dislodging any coins, she grabbed her book of poetry and exited.
The room was cool and refreshing. She quickly put her shoulder to the bookcase and moved it back into position. She would have to come back for the rest one day. Maybe she wouldn't come back at all.
She made her way through the house like a specter, peeking through each doorway before slowly moving through it. She still felt light-headed and had to use the handrails to walk downstairs.
The dimming light over the front door suggested the sun was setting. She opened the door and walked out.
"Halt where you are," a man said to her. She turned to see a guard standing watch just outside the door. "Who are you?"
"I'm a maid," she said, holding up her hands, heart racing in her chest.
"How did you get in here?" the man asked.
"The servant's entrance," she said as calmly as she could, slowly turning to face the voice. She saw a young and handsome man standing with his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"I guess I mean, how did you get in here without anyone seeing you?" the man asked softer after seeing her.
"I was running late," she said, making up a plausible-sounding tale. "I didn't want to get in trouble again, so I snuck in like I usually do when I'm late. Please don't tell Master Reginold. I'll lose my job."
The man relaxed. "Reginold… I mean, the chancellor is uh, well you're not supposed to be here." He said. "What is that in your hand?"
"Oh, this?" she said, looking at the book she was holding. "The reason why I'm late. Sometimes, I get so enraptured in these poems that I lose track of time."
"Love poems?" the guard asked, hiding a grin.
"Yeah, they are my favorite, do you want me to read you one?" she asked fearlessly. What was she doing? She should excuse herself, not talk to the lion in his own den.
"I would love that," he said, smiling. "What's your name?"
"Lucia," she said, surprised that she had just given her real name. "And yours?
"Alrick," he said with a half bow. "That's a very pretty name."
"Thank you, the pleasure is mine," she said.
"What are you going to read?" he asked, still smiling.
"Let's see…" she said, opening the book. It was filled with complex paragraphs and runes. She quickly flipped to the first page, it read, "Complete Runic Sentences by Zilez Kalizar." The covers had been switched on the two books she had found. She immediately turned so the guard could not see what she was reading, went to a middle page, and cleared her throat.
"This one is called true love: True love is like spices that you can season things with," she pretended to recite, looking at undecipherable runes. "What would life be like without nutmeg and cinnamon? Mint leaves are herbs, but they can be dried and sprinkled around if you want. However, a heart can't be dried, crumbled, or sprinkled. If your heart dries out, you'll find yourself alone and then die.
"Anyway, that's one of my favorites."
"I, uh," Alrick reached for something positive to say. "I'm afraid I might never understand poetry. Thank you, though; that was lovely."
"Thanks," she said, tucking the book away. "I should probably go."
Alrick took her arm and stopped her from leaving. "Can I see you again?"
"I'm afraid I am already courting someone," she said. It wasn't a complete lie. At least she was becoming more comfortable with the idea.
"Lucky guy," Alrick said wistfully. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Lucia. I will consider your poetry for as long my mint leaves are fresh."
"That's very sweet of you," she said and then left. She decided to pay a visit to her father and drop off the money before heading back to the cathedral.
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"Who killed Tannus Reginold?" Castor yelled at a stony-faced Jafa.
"I've never even heard of him," Jafa replied honestly.
"You're testing my patients," Castor said, walking around the table and grabbing the man by his collar. "I'll ask you one more time, who killed him?"
Castor had put the spare key to the prison in a place that would be easily seen and hopefully easily stolen. It was attached to a string that dangled irresistibly from his pocket. He held fast to Jafa's clothes, putting the string close to his hands. He looked away a few times to give the thief ample time to take the key. He pushed back and walked towards the door.
While facing away from the prisoner, Castor checked to see if the key was still there. He turned around with a hint of a smile, "I'm done talking to this trash. Put him back with the others."
As soon as the guard removed Jafa, Castor addressed Key and Trudy. "This is going to sound strange to you, but nevertheless, I need one of you to relieve whoever is standing at the prison entrance. When you hear footsteps coming towards the door, I also need to abandon your post. Stretch your legs, relieve yourself around the corner, whatever it is that you need to do to not get clubbed in the head."
"Key, this sounds like something you would be better at," Trudy said.
"I'm on it," Key volunteered. "What do you want me to tell the guy outside?"
"Tell him that I need his help inside."
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"They really want to find out who killed this Reginold," Jafa said, standing in the middle of the cell.
"I have the feeling that whoever's house we hit last night was not Thompson Frivolton," Benj said.
“Thomas Frivalvais,” Draiden corrected. "But you're on to something. Last night, I saw some things with the name Reginald on them. The name looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. I think someone lied to us, and I think that's why Priest died."
"I just have some questions for you in the back," the captain was saying, leading three guards past their cell. The captain pointed at their three enemy neighbors. "Questions about these three, this could take a while, maybe a whole hour."
After the sound of a shutting door echoed through the prison halls, Jafa let out a satisfied smile and held up a key. "We'll have our whole lives to mourn Priest's death; let's not waste time in here."
Everyone stood up as Jafa stuck his hand out of the bars and put the key in the lock. The lock slid open and the four of them creeped into the passage way.
"Hey!" Crooked Nose got their attention. "No hard feelings about earlier, eh?"
"No hard feelings at all," Jafa holding the key by the rope just out of their reach. "I suppose you want me to stick this in your little keyhole and let you three out, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," one of them whispered. "That would be really big of you."
"Come on," Benj rushed. "We have to go."
"First, I want to hear them say sorry for all the hurtful things they said," Jafa smiled, swinging the key back and forth.
"I'm sorry for all the hurtful things I said," another one of them said.
"I want all three of you to say it at the same time," Jafa said, smiling at them.
"We are sorry for all the hurtful things we said," the three of them said in unison.
"Now, say something nice."
"You're a handsome man," one of them offered.
"And you tell really great jokes," another one said.
"Come on," Draiden tugged on Jafa's tunic. "Quit playing with them; we have to get out of here."
"Those were beautiful sentiments from all three of you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," Jafa said, laying the key in the center of their empty cell. "Unfortunately, there isn't enough time to unlock your door."
"Just give us the key," Nose said. "You wouldn't leave us in here like this, would you?"
The four thieves ran towards the entrance and away from the shouts of the three prisoners. At the door, Jafa started formulating a plan to attack the guard just outside. Benj unlocked the door and went outside. No one was there. He waved the others out.
Once everyone was outside, Benj began to run, but Draiden grabbed his arm stopping him. "Now we walk as calmly as if we were browsing the flower market," he lectured, beginning to relax his pace. "No need to run if nobody's chasing us."
They made their way down the street at an infuriatingly slow pace. After rounding a few corners, they all started sprinting home.