Ranloo went up the stairs, hunger burning through his guts even though he'd killed the animal in the basement. How long could he resist it? He knew the animals weren't enough now. Last time it had taken around two weeks. That's how long he'd been hiding in the guild. The hunger grew greater every night like he was slowly starving himself. Eventually, he'd get too famished and an animal wouldn't be enough. Would it help to get two now and then? He'd have to try it out. He'd talk to Sern about it. See what could be done. Before it was too late.
Gesald followed him as usual and Ranloo glared at him, wishing he'd stay away. Gesald's pulse increased noticeably and he wanted to bite him. It was so tempting.
He knocked on Sern's door and it opened almost immediately. The boy looked out with a welcoming smile, like always. Ranloo wondered how Sern had come to trust him like that. It wasn't exactly earned.
´You're just in time,` Sern said and, to Ranloo's surprise, got out of the room and closed the door behind him. ´Come on, we're meeting the others soon.` He and started down the corridor Ranloo had come from.
As they passed by Gesald, Ranloo sneered at him. He paled and Ranloo heard his heartbeats increase. He didn't complain, but followed them at a slightly greater distance. Ranloo wasn't sure why he was so annoyed by him, but took slight pleasure at the ease he could scare him with.
They headed upstairs to the backstage room to meet their team. As they entered the door, Felisei and Listarl greeted them. They were bent over a table with a map on it. Ranloo and Sern walked up to them. Felisei smiled brightly at them, her eyes lingering on Ranloo.
´The house we need to get to is right here.` Listarl pointed to the map.
´What are we doing?` Ranloo asked and peered curiously at the map.
´We're going to a house in the Haysem district. It's a break and enter.`
Ranloo glanced sideways at Sern, who nodded encouragingly, a small smile on his lips. He looked back to Listarl. ´Alright. And then?`
´I'll tell you more when we're all here but we're stealing things.`
Swallowing his pride and the insistent feeling this was wrong, he focused on the map again. ´I assume that's where we're going?` He pointed to where Listarl had indicated earlier.
The big man nodded, combing his black curly beard with his fingers.
´And where are we?` Ranloo asked.
´We're right here,` the big man answered and moved his finger to another spot on the map. ´It's not too far away, but we should get going as soon as possible. It'll probably take us about an hour to get there.`
´Do we go on foot or some other way?` Sern asked.
´On foot,` Listarl said, drumming his fingers on the table.
Ranloo felt uneasy at the thought of walking in a large group, especially as hungry as he was. He had to be out in the streets with people he didn't know well. What if they met a city guard patrol, or worse, Eldon paladins. A tremble trickled down his spine. But he couldn't do anything about it. He'd simply have to try and stay out of trouble if that happened.
The door opened and Pei and Aedil entered, talking and laughing. A few minutes later, the small chemist arrived.
´Hello,` Diquarl said meekly and made a quick wave with his hand as they turned to him. He was so awkward it made Ranloo cringe just looking at him.
´Alright,` Listarl said and clapped his hands together. ´We're all here. There are a few things you need to know.`
Ranloo was still fascinated by Listarl's size. Was he really just a human? Humans were so very varied, all so different from one another. Elves were more alike.
Listarl continued, ´We're going to an estate, a big house. It's surrounded by a stonewall that we need to pass.`
´No problem,` Felisei said with a confident smile.
´We all need to get over it,` Listarl added.
The woman pouted in theatrical disappointment for a few seconds.
´There's a big gate in the front, of course,` Listarl said. ´But there's also a servant's entry at the back, through a much smaller gate. We're going in there. We have to avoid the guards. They're stationed around the front gate and door. But they're taking rounds around the house now and then. We can probably enter and leave in the back without being spotted if we're careful. There are four guards. Could be more indoors.`
´I can pick locks,` Sern said.
´You don't have to,` Felisei said. ´I'll be doing that.`
He gave a resigned sigh but didn't protest. Somewhat annoyed, Ranloo glanced at her. She smiled and moved a lock of her brown hair back behind her ear. He turned his attention back to Listarl.
´We can enter the house either through a window or through the back door. It leads to the kitchen,` Listarl explained. ´From there on though, we're pretty much on our own. We have to find out if they're keeping anyone hostage in the house.` He eyed them sternly. ´This is not a rescue mission. We just need to find out.`
Ranloo squirmed. If there was a prisoner there, wouldn't it make sense to save him? Not just look and leave. It didn't sit right with him. Unless the prisoner was a criminal, of course. It could be, he thought.
´We also need to try and find important documents about trading routes. So, anything about ships, trade routes and such that we can find, we take and bring with us.`
´Who's doing what?` Pei asked.
´Aedil,` Listarl said. ´You and the vampire will stand guard outside and warn us if anyone is getting too close.`
Aedil eyed Ranloo with an unreadable expression. Ranloo met his stare without wavering. After a moment, the man turned back to Listarl and nodded.
´I can whistle like a night flicker as a warning,` Ranloo added.
´A what?` Pei asked.
´A night active bird.` Ranloo whistled and they nodded.
Sern looked impressed. Diquarl fiddled with something in one of his many pockets, muttering to himself.
´Felisei, Pei, and Sern, you go inside the house and try finding the documents. I will take Diquarl with me and try to find the prisoner,` Listarl continued.
The chemist jerked his head up and stared, his blue eyes wide. ´Do I have to come inside the house?` he said in a strained whisper. He swayed from side to side in a distressed manner.
Listarl eyed him sternly. ´Yes, you do. We're testing the team.`
Diquarl nodded and bit his lips.
Distracted, Ranloo listened to his heartbeats, quick and fluttering as he stood there, swaying like a piece of grass in the wind. He must be more nervous than I am, Ranloo thought.
´Alright. Do you have your tools and weapons ready?` Listarl asked. Everyone nodded.
Ranloo had his sword as well as a dagger. But he probably wouldn't remember to use them anyway if a situation arose. He hadn't exactly used weapons since he'd become a vampire. He couldn't seem to remember their existence when he needed them. He sighed, sincerely hoping it wouldn't be necessary to fight.
´Let's get moving then,` Listarl said with his booming voice. ´We move out in pairs, not too close to each other. If we all go at once, we might attract unwanted attention. We're not exactly your average citizens. Especially not you,` he said and looked at Ranloo.
Ranloo didn't like being pointed out constantly and anger flared up inside him. ´You're one to talk,` he snapped at the huge man, then almost bit his tongue to silence himself.
Sern's hand closed around his arm to keep him quiet.
´You know precisely what I mean,` Listarl replied calmly, not rising to the bait.
Ranloo brushed off Sern's hand and inhaled to steady himself. ´I'm sorry,` he mumbled, feeling stupid for getting angry at such a small thing.
Listarl nodded and started packing things away.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The burglars filed out from the guild in pairs. The twins went first, being the least suspicious-looking pair. Listarl and Diquarl followed some time later, looking very mismatched. Listarl, a big mountain of a man, and Diquarl, just a short thin stick beside him. They were going by a different route. The chemist glanced back towards the guild several times as they went, a disappointed look in his eyes.
Ranloo, Sern, and Felisei waited together for some time. The woman stood on Ranloo's left and Sern on the right. He wasn't sure he liked being in the middle. Temptation on both sides, he thought and glanced at them. Sern held a calm and unconcerned stance, his heartbeats and breathing slow and steady.
Felisei on the other hand seemed excited, her pulse quick. A faint, interesting scent emanated from her. He perceived so many different smells now but wasn't always sure what they meant. It was confusing sometimes, but pleasant too. This was similar to a scent he was used to from Sern at times. He drew in a breath carefully, not wanting them to notice what he was doing.
´Alright,` Felisei said, startling him. ´We can't see them anymore. It's time to go. Don't drag your feet.` She beamed at Ranloo and set off at a brisk pace.
He huffed in feigned indignation. ´You're the slow one,` he replied with a slight smile.
She looked back with a smirk. ´Oh, really?`
Ranloo's smile widened. ´You've seen nothing yet.`
´He finally talks,` she teased. ´And when he does, he boasts.`
Ranloo laughed. Sern watched her, his eyebrows drawn together in a deep frown.
´What is it?` Ranloo asked, noticing his agitation.
Sern's head snapped up with a guilty smile. ´Oh, nothin'. Just thinkin',` he said nonchalantly.
Ranloo wasn't so sure. He seemed to have something against Felisei. But what? He'd have to ask later. But for now, there were more important things to do. He took a deep breath of the night air, catching a faint whiff of another smell he recognized. Listarl and Diquarl. Momentarily amazed, he smelled the air again. He could actually sense they had been here. It was crazy! He could almost track them. A sudden gust of wind brought a stink of rotting refuse from an alley beside them and he gagged. Both Sern and Felisei turned to look at him, surprised.
´What?` he said, embarrassed.
´You sorta sounded like you were gonna be sick there for a mo,` Sern pointed out and tried to suppress a laugh.
´Didn't you smell that stench?` he asked in disbelief.
´Yeah, we did. But it wasn't that bad,` he laughed.
Ranloo couldn't believe they hadn't gagged on the reek. He made a face. ´It was terrible. Be glad you don't have my sense of smell,` he snorted.
Sern laughed and Felisei joined in.
´Is that an elf thing?` she asked. ´Or is it because you're a... um...` She hesitated.
Ranloo regarded her, noticing how she got a bit nervous as their eyes met. ´It's a vampire thing,` he said.
She blushed and looked away.
´I can smell everything. I think I might have become a dog,` he continued.
Sern guffawed at the comment. ´Maybe you're mistaken. You're really a werewolf an' not a vampire.`
Ranloo smiled and pushed the boy away from him with his right hand. Sern grinned as he stumbled sideways by the force of the shove, then swerved back to his position beside him.
´How much can you smell?` Sern asked then.
They looked at Ranloo, waiting for his answer. He liked the way they looked at him, with intent interest, not fear or apprehension.
´I could sense that Listarl and Diquarl had passed this way,` he said, a smile tugging at his lips. They both gasped.
´No way!` Felisei exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. ´You can smell that? That's incredible.` She looked with admiration at Ranloo. ´That can be really useful,` she added then in a more serious tone. ´D'you ever use it when you... hunt?`
Ranloo's smile vanished in the blink of an eye. ´No. I don't hunt,` he replied in a flat voice.
´Oh, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean...` Her brows tented over her wide eyes.
´It's okay. You didn't know,` Ranloo shrugged.
´He eats before goin' out,` Sern added helpfully. ´If he didn't, he'd be eatin' us right now.`
Ranloo glared at Sern who smiled brightly at them both.
´He's near wasted me several times,` Sern happily continued. ´I had t' run for my life! An' I've seen 'im kill people. It's scary how good he's at it.`
Felisei paled more and more the further Sern talked. Her pulse increase as well as the smell of fear. It was a nice scent, Ranloo thought and almost smiled before he realized what he was doing. He shook his head angrily, reminded of his hunger.
´Sern. Stop it,` he said sternly. ´You're overdoing it. Besides, I cannot hurt anyone in the guild. You know that.`
Sern quieted, giving Ranloo a disappointed look. ´I was only jokin',` he excused himself, thrusting his hands into his pockets, pouting.
Stupid boy, Ranloo thought, smiling to himself. Was he trying to scare Felisei on purpose? As usual, he didn't think his actions through. If she got too scared, it could trigger his hunting instincts, and he didn't want any accidents. Especially not on their very first mission. If he could call it a mission.
They moved on in silence and entered the Haysem district, a nicer part of Jaris. The streets were wider and brighter here, and walled gardens surrounded the big buildings. Some even had guards walking around. Lights flickered in some of the windows still, but most were dark at this hour.
Ranloo took in the sights and smells. He liked this part of Jaris. He wouldn't mind living here. Maybe some time in the future, he mused. A vampire living in an estate in one of Jaris' nicer parts. He almost laughed at his own silly idea. Then he realized they were almost at their destination and focused his attention on the task at hand.
A few blocks later they arrived at the target building. They gathered in the shadow of the wall behind the house. In the narrow alley between the two mansions, some trees partially blocked the view from the street. The tall stonewall was crowned with iron spikes. Ranloo wondered briefly if he could jump over it. It was taller than the one surrounding the ranger school, and this one had less space for a run-up. Probably not, he decided. Not now. He'd test it later when he was alone. They huddled together and whispered about how to proceed. Felisei took out her lockpicks and started working on the small wooden backdoor in the wall.
A faint crunching drew Ranloo's attention. Taking a few quick steps up to Felisei, he grabbed her arm. She spun around, causing her hair to fly about her face, and opened her mouth to protest. But seeing Ranloo, a finger pressed against his lips for silence, she relaxed and listened.
Ranloo let go of her arm. The others had stopped whispering too, watching the vampire. They all heard it then. A regular crunching on the other side of the wall. Faint at first, but increasing as the guard on the other side passed by, walking on a gravel path. If they had opened the door at that moment it would have spelled disaster.
As the sound dissipated, Felisei smiled and nodded to Ranloo before continuing on the lock. Everyone stood tense, waiting for it to open.
The click as the lock opened screamed in Ranloo's ears, making him wince. Felisei pressed the door openv with a faint creak. Everyone froze. Ranloo sensed the tension in the air. They were all nervous. Diquarl was the worst off, standing back from the door, nervously stepping around.
Felisei and Sern entered first, quickly slipping across the yard to melt into the shadows of the house. They crouched behind some rose bushes close to the wall. Ranloo pulled the door almost shut and spied for anything moving in their direction. He saw well in the dark and would be able to spot any guards immediately if they approached.
* * * * *
Sern followed Felisei across the grass, avoiding to step on the gravel path. They moved swiftly and silently up to the house. Sern hunched down by the big rose bush by the back door. Felisei started working on the door as he kept watch. He could see the small door in the wall was opened a crack, allowing the others to look in. They had to work fast. Get the door open and get in, make sure it was safe and signal the others to enter before any other guards went around the house. He glanced over his shoulder at Felisei. It seemed to be a better lock because it took much longer than the door in the wall had.
´Do you want me to try?` he whispered to her.
She shook her head, her long hair bouncing around her shoulders. She never even looked at him.
Sern sighed, feeling useless. He turned back to watch the garden. It was a nice place, he thought. Wide lawn with well-kept grass, a few trees offering shade on hot summer days, some flowering bushes here and there, and nice winding gravel paths. A small pond lay half obscured behind some bushes.
A sharp click made him twist around. Felisei had a pleased smile on her lips and beckoned for him to follow as she put away her lockpicks and eased open the door. Sern got up and quickly followed her inside.
Like Listarl had said, they entered a big kitchen. It was dark and hard to see anything. But it was easy to traverse due to its orderly state. Everything was neatly sorted on shelves and tables. A big stone oven over a fireplace took up half a wall. Sern had never seen such a big one before and peered at it through the darkness. He wished they had a light to see by, but knew it wouldn't work in their favour. A short stairway led out of the kitchen and into a big dining area. Several big windows lined one wall, letting in the cold moonlight. It looked kingly, he thought and admired the room with its many tables, fine carpets, and paintings on the walls. They saw no one in the silent gloom.
Felisei motioned for Sern to leave and he sneaked back the way he had come. Carefully peeking out, he waved for the others to come. Ranloo cracked the small door in the wall open and nodded. Shortly after, Listarl, Pei, and Diquarl ran crouched across the grass.
He knew they tried to keep quiet, but flinched at their too loud passage. Pei was quiet enough, but neither Listarl nor Diquarl were very good at sneaking. He waved them in hurriedly, scared that a guard would come around the corner and spot them.
As soon as they were past him into the kitchen, he inched the door shut. They spread out in the house. Listarl and the chemist went in search of a basement where they might hold the prisoner. Pei came with Felisei and Sern as they sneaked through the house, looking into rooms in search of a study.
It took longer than Sern had anticipated and he was sweating from the stress. After a long and tense search, they advanced to the second floor, opening doors, creeping through hallways, and rummaging through drawers. Sern hadn't understood why they had needed so many to go into the house, but after seeing the size of the mansion, he realized if they had been fewer, the search would have taken all night and more.
Sern opened a door and froze. Someone lay sleeping in a big bed a few feet in. Another door could be discerned further into the dark room. He had to go inside to find out what kind of room was back there. Biting his lips nervously, he kept his eyes on the sleeping figure in the luxurious bed. A bearded man lying on his back, breathing heavily. The covers rose and fell with each breath. It could be the master bedroom, he thought.
Slowly and carefully he tip-toed inside the room, trying not to breathe too loud. Every time the man moved or made a sound, Sern froze in his tracks, taut like a bowstring, sweat beading on his forehead. A faint thunk came from a nearby room and he glanced towards the door, hoping it was Pei or Felisei. The man on the bed grumbled drowsily and turned around in the bed.
Cold sweat ran down Sern's back as he started forward again. He reached the door without mishaps and slowly pressed the handle down, pushing at the door with his other hand. It didn't budge. He frowned and pushed harder. Nothing happened. Locked.
Cursing inwardly, he looked about the room. Where could the key be? He could pick the lock, but it would go faster and be less noisy with the key. A big desk stood by a large draped window. He stole towards it to see if the key was there.
A loud snore made him jump, twisting his head around to make sure the man was still sleeping. To Sern's horror, the man lay on his side, looking straight at him.