Chapter 2 #2
Garrett shifted, his grip on my arm loosening just slightly. Tomas exhaled through his nose, a sound half scoff, half uncertainty. The third guard—whose name I hadn’t yet learned—looked torn, as though inclined to believe me against his will.
“Close,” he echoed, as if testing the word on his tongue.
I kept my eyes lowered, letting the silence work for me. A well-placed pause could be more persuasive than a dozen words. But when the silence stretched, even I grew uneasy.
The weight of my own words slowly settled over me at his skepticism.
Years of thievery had sharpened many of my skills—but lying relied upon the gullibility of my victim.
The thrill I found in waltzing with danger had a tendency to favor the fantastical over the plausible while weaving falsehoods, spinning elaborate tales when a simple lie would do…
a bad habit that had likely just betrayed me in a moment far too treacherous for missteps.
I inwardly cursed myself. This time, I might have gone too far.
It took enormous effort not to allow my panic at how far I’d pushed my luck to seep through my carefully schooled expression, caution urging my silence before I further entangled myself in the predicament I’d created.
In my earliest days of stealing I’d learned that when there appeared to be no escape, the only way through was forward.
I swallowed hard, curling my trembling fingers as if trying to hold onto the made-up memory itself.
“He always said he wished things were different; the fewer who knew, the safer we’d both be.
” I hesitated, letting the ache fill the silence.
“But before he disappeared, he made me promise—if anything ever happened to him, I’d know where to find what he left behind. ”
Tomas growled and brought his sword’s deadly point back to my throat. “Enough. That silver tongue of yours might have worked on the streets, but it’s not enough to escape punishment in the royal court. You truly expect us to believe you’re the missing prince’s significant other?”
I smiled sweetly. “Only if it helps.” I forced myself not to shrink back from the blade.
He snorted in disgust. “You dishonor his memory. The prince was a serious, studious sort who kept to himself. He would never bring dishonor to the crown by consorting with the likes of you.”
Further dishonesty wouldn’t be enough to persuade this threat.
But though it made escape more difficult, being arrested by a group had its advantages.
More minds meant more opinions to exploit.
The sword-wielder remained resolute in his doubt, but my lie had taken root in the others—threading through their resolve like a finely spun spell, subtle and persuasive.
“I don’t think she’s lying,” Garrett muttered, though his voice lacked conviction.
Tomas turned towards him, incredulous. “You think this common thief was his lover? And that she’s just now coming forward, after all these years?” The scorn in his voice belied the very imagination that had conjured the notion to begin with.
Garrett held his ground, meeting the taller man’s eyes. “The prince was always secretive, and seemed to be hiding something in the days leading to his disappearance. Her outrageous claim would at least explain why she risked stealing something of such value.”
The guards’ gazes all flickered towards the crystal shard pulsing faintly from where I’d dropped it on the floor.
Whatever its invisible powers, they were effective enough for the sword to lower a few inches.
I held my breath, calculating the time it would take me to reach the still-unlatched window.
“Are you suggesting we let her go?” For all his incredulity, Tomas’ tone had lost its edge.
“I’m only reminding you that we don’t know what the prince was hiding. Until we do, we don’t make any rash decisions. I’m suggesting it’s a possibility we explore.”
Their uncertainty thickened. I didn’t dare breathe too deeply, lest I shatter the illusion I’d so carefully begun to weave. A moment’s doubt, an opportunity created through hesitation…that was all I needed.
Though even the most careful planning couldn’t account for their reaction to the object I’d stolen, one that appeared far more valuable than I’d initially assumed. My pride in having successfully chosen the perfect object to take was eclipsed only by my unquenched curiosity.
I found myself staring at the unassuming shard glistening in the slants of silvery moonlight in hopes of peeling back to discover its mysteries…
but without touching it, I couldn’t explore its quiet whispers that tantalized me from a distance.
My powers tingled at my fingertips, yearning to reach for the object again.
It appeared its secrets went deeper than the quick perusal my magic had investigated.
Tomas squinted through the gloom and followed my gaze to the shard now faintly thrumming, a pale pulse of light shimmering beneath its surface like a heartbeat. His eyes widened in sudden recognition, as if only now just recognizing its worth.
“That shard…” In a single movement, he sheathed his sword and dropped into a crouch beside the object, eyes narrowing as he studied it without making any motion to touch it. “This isn’t just any object, but…”
Whatever conclusion he’d reached died on his lips. He beckoned sharply to his comrades. They both obeyed, Garrett keeping a firm grip on my arm as he dragged me forward. The moment he caught sight of the shard up close, his entire body went rigid and a curse slipped past his clenched teeth.
“No…it can’t be. That’s impossible. I thought she’d stolen a trinket, not—” He couldn’t seem to finish.
The third guard crouched, slowly reaching for the shard. Before his fingers could brush it, he drew back. “Its protective magic won’t allow me to touch it, but I’m certain she was holding it just before we apprehended her. None of the others…” He paused, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Then does that mean—”
Garrett’s voice fell away as a faint glow pulsed from within the fragment’s broken edge—so faint it could almost be imagined, causing the warmth in my palm that still lingered from when I’d held it to tingle…as if was responding to me.
As if they’d arrived at the same conclusion, the guards all looked at me. My heart stuttered, but I forced a slow, dangerous smile. “I told you. I’m not just anyone.”
An unspoken exchange passed between them—tense, uncertain, laced with disbelief.
I could only watch, confusion clouding every attempt to piece together any clues…
other than the undeniable fact that whatever was transpiring had veered drastically off course of their training, the only silver lining in a situation where I otherwise was at a distinct disadvantage.
But not all was lost; distraction, after all, was a thief’s greatest ally. And I was nothing if not resourceful.
With a flick of my wrist, I tossed a small handful of glinting powder—swiped earlier from a perfumer’s drawer—into the candle’s flame. It exploded in a brilliant flash of gold and smoke, the scent of crushed spices and rose oil bursting into the air as the light seared across their vision.
I moved before the first shout. Dropping low, I drove my heel into the back of the second guard’s knee. He crumpled with a grunt, granting me the opportunity to lunge for the balcony and its promised freedom.
But I’d barely taken a step before a body slammed into mine, driving me to the floor. The breath wrenched from my lungs as cold stone met my cheek and steel kissed my shoulder.
“Should’ve stuck to stealing tapestries like a normal thief,” the guard growled.
I’d escaped worse odds—larger groups, tighter quarters, more impossible circumstances—but never had I faced guards this quick and precise. The royal guard, it seemed, earned their reputation. I had underestimated them…a mistake that might finally be my undoing.
Even with my failure looming, I refused to give up.
I cursed and kicked, twisted and flailed, my limbs a flurry of motion.
When brute force failed, I sank my teeth into the firm hand cinched around my torso.
Garrett hissed a dark oath, but his grip remained unyielding, a vice forged by discipline and training.
“She’s a rabid animal,” he spat, rubbing his bitten hand. “The furthest thing from a royal possible. There’s no way this thief is worthy to lay hands on such a sacred object.”
The weight of the lie I’d spun about the prince pressed harder against my ribs. I had never claimed to be royal…but even I had to admit: pretending to be the secret lover of the missing prince had been bold, even for me.
Tomas’s jaw clenched. “Our orders were clear—no exceptions. Anyone who touches—”
“I know the orders,” Garrett snapped before he leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a near-whisper that still reached my ears.
“One would think a common thief couldn’t be the one, but the prophecy does claim found where none would expect.
” I stilled, listening intently to every word and inflection.
Tomas’s expression faltered. His eyes darted to me, and for the first time, they didn’t just hold suspicion, but unease…and a flicker of something bordering on belief.
“You can’t possibly think—” he began, his voice hushed. “She doesn’t look like—”
“But we can’t deny what we saw,” Garrett replied, his voice low and strained. “Against all odds, it clearly responded to her.”
Their silence grew heavy, thick with a wordless exchange I couldn’t begin to decipher as they stared at me again—this time not as a criminal, an unfamiliar shift I found unsettling…and dangerous.
Tomas straightened. “Whatever we do with her, she’s too dangerous to interrogate here.
We need to secure her. She snuck into the palace, stole something only a royal can touch, attacked the imperial guard that includes an officer, and claims to be the prince’s secret lover.
Either she’s mad, a witch…or telling a truth no one’s ready to hear. ”
“I vote mad,” the third guard muttered darkly.
I stiffened instinctively at the sound of rattling metal signifying the chains that I had yet to learn how to escape. “What are you going to do?” I asked, feigning bravado I didn’t feel.
“Until we understand what you are, we’ll let someone higher decide.”
Rank meant the power to enact punishment—imprisonment at best, execution at worst. My blood chilled at the thought. That might have been their plans for me, but I refused to go along with them. I put in greater effort to escape, refusing to give in.
This second round of thrashing wasn’t nearly as impressive of the first, tainted by the exhaustion beginning to wear my limbs and the guards’ lack of surprise. Yet it did yield a few successful injuries, forcing the third guard to join in to pin my legs.
“She’s all claws,” he muttered, breathless as I bucked hard enough to nearly unseat him. He shook his blond hair out of his eyes as he regained control.
“She bit me,” Garrett snarled. “Twice!”
“Do you need a royal pardon for that?” I panted, my voice thick with defiance even amid my growing exhaustion. “Or just an embroidered handkerchief to cry into?”
An olive-skinned fist slammed into the stone beside my face, close enough for the air to sting my cheek. I didn’t flinch; I refused to give them the satisfaction.
Tomas wiped blood from his knuckles with a snarl. “Reckless woman. I’m not even sure the dungeon can hold her.”
“She’ll chew through the bars,” Garrett said dryly, clutching his own wounded hand. “Or charm them into opening for her.”
Despite my damning circumstances, my desperation hadn’t sunk me low enough not to find amusement in their reactions as I pretended to consider it. I smirked. “Depends on the bars.”
The blond guard pulled iron cuffs from his belt.
I struggled once more, but the endless fight—along with using my magic earlier—had made me weak.
My limbs ached and the adrenaline was wearing off.
Cold metal snapped around my wrists, then ankles.
Their grip dug into my arm as they hauled me upright, half-dragging, half-carrying.
My head lolled, but I forced a grin through bloodied lips.
“I told you I was important to receive such an honor as a private room in the palace.” No matter how secure the dungeon that was to be my next destination, make no mistake: I would escape.