Missed William, princesses?
"Right on time!" I commented, showing a genuine smile.
William didn't hesitate for a second. He pushed off, dodged the impact… and shattered the window.
"I tied the rope to the chimney… The resistance should pull you up just fine. Now move your butts! Things are getting ugly out there! Lara's distraction team can only hold them off for a few more moments! She's alone, with the other two!"
I bit my lip and let out a frustrated tsk. The Old Man didn't keep his damn word!
"I'll go first," Sirius declared, starting to pull himself up the rope to the roof.
He didn't take long, thanks to the mana helping him with the physical effort. William went next, and I followed right after.
"Come on, Mordred! We'll pull you up!" Sirius shouted from above.
I sighed and began climbing, but I didn't have enough strength… nothing like my friends. I tried sheer muscle, hauling myself a few meters before my hand began to ache unbearably. Was I already exhausted?
What the hell was happening?
"Leave it to us! Let's go, William!" - Sirius shouted, and the two of them combined their strength and magic. With that, I was up on the roof with them, and finally, the ticking clock had stopped.
We were safe… for now.
"There! Absolutely classy! Now we just have to get back to the orphanage!" William said enthusiastically, glancing at the patrols below. Then, in peak airhead fashion, he asked, "So… how do we get down from here?"
Sirius and I sighed almost simultaneously. I took the lead, guiding us toward the same window that had given us access to the house.
"Better be careful," I warned. "It's a long fall from here, so don't risk using your magic, got it?"
"Oh, come on! Where's the fun in that? We could get down in seconds! Easy!" William joked, peering down.
"And trigger every magical guard's sensor returning from patrol, genius? Remember what you just said?" Sirius flicked the back of his head.
"Just follow me," I said, grabbing a rope from my backpack and tying it around the chimney. I looked down a chill ran through my legs.
My friends watched, waiting for me to act. Honestly, going down was easier than climbing up. A bit of strength and gravity would do most of the work.
Still, I couldn't help feeling jealous they made it look effortless. When my turn came, my eyes froze on the drop below.
"Don't look down too much, Mordred!" Sirius called, his voice low but clear. "One step at a time. No need to rush!"
I took a deep breath, followed the same pattern as before, adjusted the rope carefully, and after long, nerve-wracking minutes of tingling legs, I finally reached the ground.
"Hallelujah! You took forever, like some cranky old lady!" William teased, laughing.
"Easy for you to say when you've got mana to soften your fall, huh? Bastard!" I shot back, irritated.
"Let's just move! We can argue later!" Sirius cut in, scanning the streets.
They both came down without much concern, of course. Then, we made our way to the stables and slipped through the back gate onto the dirt road leading toward the city center. We blended into the crowd, keeping our heads low and pace fast.
Turning left into an alley, weaving through piles of trash and stacked boxes of who-knows-what, we stopped before a faded red door protected by a metal gate.
"We're here," Sirius said, pointing to the bag. I slid it off my shoulders and handed it to him. He knocked on the door four times in a strange rhythm.
"Will this guy even answer, Sirius?" William asked, still glancing nervously at the street. "Can't we just grab the jewels and get out of here?"
"Quiet!" I scolded him again. "I think that they are going to appear soon.
Straightening his black hair and puffing out his chest, Sirius coughed twice and narrowed his eyes, trying to look intimidating, as intimidating as a scrawny thirteen-year-old could, anyway.
After a few seconds, an old, thin man in a worn-out suit appeared behind the red door. He eyed us through the metal bars with suspicion.
"Ah, the boy's persistent. I see you brought another friend," he said, eyeing William without opening the gate.
Sirius cleared his throat and spoke in a lower tone than usual. "We brought a few items you might be interested in."
Surprisingly, it didn't sound fake. He opened the drawstring bag, showing the man a glimpse of the jewels we'd just stolen.
Raising an eyebrow, the man unlocked the gate, opening it slightly with a metallic screech. He glanced around before kneeling to inspect our bags. "Not a bad haul. What'd you do, rob your mothers?"
"No questions, remember?" I said flatly, tightening the bag's rope before he could peek inside. "Now, can we go in and discuss the price?"
Suspicion lingered in his eyes, but he finally let us inside. "Close the door behind you."
The shop was small easy to mistake for a lost-and-found… or better yet, "found-and-stolen." The smell of smoke, specifically cigarette smoke hung thick in the air.
Two men sat nearby: both tall and muscular, though one was ugly as sin with spiky hair, and the other had a jaw so square it could cut glass. We ignored them when the thin man said:
"Come, kids. Let's get this over with." He scratched his unshaven cheek. "The Old Man will be here soon."
We exchanged glances. After a dry swallow, we stepped closer to the main counter.
While we waited, I drifted toward the book section and found something interesting an old manual on magic. Half the front cover had been torn off, and beside it was an oddly gleaming metallic artifact not shiny, but strangely alluring.
What was that?
I didn't know why, but something about it called to me. I tried to put it back, not wanting to look too interested, but my fingers moved on their own, flipping through pages and picking up the relic. Inside were sketches and diagrams of a person in various poses, surrounded by arrows and runes, with a name below: Afendor Luciferius.
I wanted it badly but restrained myself.
Before I could think further, a rough voice filled the room. "Done snooping around, or can we finish this?"
The Old Man himself had arrived, walking with a cane, dressed far better than his thugs.
"You must be the oldest," he said, sitting down and lighting his pipe. "Tell me… what have you brought?"
His voice was raspy but calm, heavy with fatigue. I sighed and studied his face, keeping my expression neutral.
"Well, I carry a lot of things. Let's evaluate them carefully."
I pulled out the first bag mine, intentionally lighter to test his reaction. I spread the loot across the table. His eyes widened briefly before narrowing.
"You're kidding me, boy. You think I don't notice something missing? That wasn't part of the deal."
"True, sir," I said, feigning confusion.
In truth, only he and I knew how much money was meant to come from the bailiff's house. And our deal was supposed to be face-to-face which he had failed to do. He'd also left Lara alone to handle the distraction.
So I tossed Sirius's bag into his chest.
His thugs stood up. "Hey! You little brat! How dare you"
"How dare I!? Fuck around and find out, you piece of shit!" I shouted, glaring. The thug froze, not because of me, but because the Old Man raised his hand. "What the hell did you do, huh? You forgot your part of the deal? You take me for a fool?" I narrowed my eyes. "Need I remind you that I am not?"
The Old Man smiled faintly. "Are you even a child? Terrifying… heh." He coughed, laughing at his own irony. "Sit down, boy. I've seen scarier people than you. And trust me, no one lives this long in this business without doing a few bad things. So please, have a seat."
I sat and handed him the sack. "Money. Now."
He nodded, signaling his men to pay up. As expected, they had the bag ready. They threw it at me like I'd thrown his.
I caught it with both hands the weight alone told me it was full. When I opened it, I saw lilies and even a few silver dragons.
A real payday.
"This concludes our business, yes? Pick two items of your choosing."
I smiled but I didn't choose the things I'd wanted earlier. Instead, I picked what Sirius had been eyeing: copper ropes and conductive crystals.
"That's all I want," I said simply. "Our business is done."
I looked him in the eye and no, we wouldn't be shaking hands.
Sirius pulled William along, and the three of us left.
Without another word, I slipped the book into my bag and whispered a thanks. As we exited through the back, Sirius unzipped his jacket and showed us the pouch of gold coins, making William and me gape.
"See? Told you it'd work out," William grinned.
"I guess so," I replied, still uneasy. But at least we'd gotten enough to save the orphanage.
"We could get rich like this! Imagine! We'd pull more heists and never get caught again!" William rambled.
Sirius laughed. "That's if we don't get caught by the Crimson Guard of Zlodale first, right?"
"And don't forget the Silver Dragons!" I added. "They're terrifying! You've seen their helmets? They look like dragon heads!"
William snorted. "Are you always this scared, Mordred?"
"I'm careful, idiot! That's different!" I snapped, glaring.
"Enough, you two!" Sirius demanded, earning a mutual tsk from us.
Hours later, when we finally reached the orphanage, I exhaled in relief. The farther from the crime scene, the better I felt.
"Remind me again, Sirius… you got what I asked?" I asked, dodging passersby.
"Hey, you got a book out of it, didn't you?" Sirius smirked, patting my shoulder. "Besides, it was fun. And you got everything for me as well… I say we schemed the scammer."
"We're being followed," William interrupted, whispering. And indeed, I'd felt two sets of eyes burning holes into my back since we left the shop. Glancing sideways, I recognized one of them one of the card players.
"This way," Sirius muttered.
We reached the edge of the city, turned right into an alley, and vaulted over a trash can to clear a locked fence.
I landed on my feet as Sirius steadied himself. We ran through the foul-smelling alley rat droppings and rotten eggs everywhere and hid behind a heap of garbage.
We waited.
Until we saw the two men pass by, unaware of our hiding spot.
"They're the guys from the shop!" Sirius cursed, ducking back.
"I knew it," William muttered, clicking his tongue. I scanned for anything usable as a weapon.
"They're either here to take the money back… or keep it for themselves," I deduced, eyeing the pouch in Sirius's hands.
Then a shadow loomed over us.
"Surprise!" the big man shouted.
"Run!" I yelled, shoving Sirius and William ahead.
They bolted down the narrow alley, walls towering on both sides.
The muscular man swung at me I ducked, feeling the air crackle past my face, grabbed a broken plank, and slammed it into his ribs.
He bent over, more surprised than hurt. I sprinted toward my friends, but the second thug had tackled Sirius. William, however, kicked him square in the chest, mana bursting from his leg the man flew back several feet.
They picked up Sirius and ran again.
I turned the other way. "Over here, pig!" I roared.
"What did you just say!?" he bellowed, turning toward me.
I didn't stop running. My heart pounded. My lungs burned. I darted through alleys, blending into the crowd whenever I could. Then I saw a narrow gap between buildings just wide enough for me to slip through. I squeezed, scraped, and finally made it to the other side.
I thought I'd lost him… until he circled the block and caught me off guard. Instinct kicked in, and I grabbed a loose metal bar and struck his shin hard enough to drop him.
"Get back here, brat! I'm not done with you!"
I didn't look back. I ran and ran until, by sheer luck, I met up with my friends again. Sirius grinned like an idiot; William looked grim.
"Let's go," I urged, pulling Sirius up. I checked behind me.
Nothing. Thank the gods!
Panting and drenched in sweat, we made our way past the city limits and back to the orphanage.
Leaning against the wall, too tired to care about the drunks vomiting nearby, Sirius lifted his shirt to cool off.
"Now that's why we came!" he gasped, slapping my shoulder. "Man, if you could've seen yourself, Mordred! You flew like those kings in war stories! And William my hero!" He hugged him playfully, earning a shove.
"Get off me, freak! You owe me a snack from the canteen!"
I laughed at their banter, though I still kept glancing back paranoid as ever.
Sirius slowly opened the back door, wincing as the old hinge squeaked. We crept through the dark corridor, almost at our rooms when
"Mordred. William. Sirius. Could you come here for a moment?"
The voice of the orphanage's director. Calm yet terrifyingly firm.
Sirius and I exchanged looks pure fear. He threw his jacket and bag into the room and shut the door.
"You think she knows?" I whispered.
"I'd normally say impossible… but we're talking about her," Sirius muttered, his usual confidence replaced by dread.
"We're screwed," William concluded bluntly.
We entered the brightly lit living room, dirty clothes, messy hair, and all.
Sitting perfectly straight on the couch was the director a middle-aged woman all the kids called "Witch," thanks to her sunken cheeks clinging to her skull. Beside her stood a girl our age, with silver hair like dusty moonlight and creamy skin. Next to her were another girl and a boy twice our size.
The director raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on our appearance. Holding the silver-haired girl's hand gently, she said,
"I've heard about your little outings outside the orphanage… Care to explain why the three of you are sneaking out at night? Lara? Sirius?"