The sprawling city lay dark and silent under the slither of sickle moon. A splatter of stars stretched through the centre of the midnight blue sky. Clouds scudded past, flicking shadows across the snow-covered roofs. The cobbled streets were empty, the only sound was the groan of the snowy pine forest covering the mountains behind them. The icy wind plucked at their hoods, carrying the pine scent as they hid in the shadows of a chimney.
They moved off at the same time, blending in with the rhythm of the shadows. If anyone had been watching they’d be hard pressed to see the two figures leaping between the tightly packed roofs. The city changed as they moved, spreading further apart with small towers popping up between the chimneys. Snowy gardens spread out below them, and although the jumps between roofs grew larger they didn’t dare use their wands for assistance. This mission was strictly no magic, they couldn’t risk the Enchantress tracing them.
As they got closer to their target they slowed. Slipping behind a tower, they peered around either side at the building below. A huge three-storey stone manor stood in a large walled garden, the silver window frames shining in the moonlight. Snowy dormers poked out of the slate roof with a chimney at each corner and a tower in the centre. A wide drive curved in front of the manor leading to two ornate iron gates either side of the estate. In the front garden a large marble water feature broke the silence with a soft tinkle.
With their heightened eyesight they could make out two cloaked figures standing guard either side of the portico. Another two stood at each gate and six more on the roof. The house was dark. They’d surveyed the manor and its occupants for the past three weeks and knew what they were looking for would most likely be in the library on the first floor.
As they watched they heard the slight squeak of boots on the fresh powdery snow. Two of the circling sentries would be crossing in front of their position soon. Flashing an evil grin at one another they made their way to the alley side of the roof. With the precision of a decade’s practice, the pair of shadows grabbed the stone gutter and silently flicked themselves over the edge.
They quickly scaled down the wall, booted toes and gloved fingers easily finding cracks in the stone wall. The deep shadows of the alley allowed them to move freely. They dropped the last few metres, landing at the same time with feline grace. Moving to the end of the alley they paused. A second later the two guards crossed paths right in front of them, exchanging a quick nod.
Waiting only another couple of seconds to get the rhythm of the clouds, the shadows moved, heading across the street to the garden wall. They’d only have five minutes before the next set of guards came across their footprints in the soft snow, but it was five minutes more than if they used magic to obliterate the footprints.
They moved silently, the guards hearing nothing even though they were right behind them. Blending perfectly with the clouds they quickly scaled the five metre high wall, rolling over the top in a quick flash to avoid the sentries seeing their silhouettes. Falling over the other side, they landed with a roll in the side garden. Listening hard, they heard no indication they’d been spotted. Keeping close to the wall’s shadow, they circled around until they could see the portico. They dipped across to the shadow of the house, moving silently behind the two sentries.
Perfectly in sync, the two shadows grabbed a sentry each. In the same movement they clamped a hand over their mouths and sliced a dagger across their throats. Each felt a familiar prickling on their skin as the sentries went limp. Carefully they propped them up against the columns of the portico to look like they were still standing guard, before turning to ease open the huge timber doors.
The marble entry hall was deserted. Through an arch and up a couple of steps embers sat dying in the fireplace, giving the room a warm orange glow. To the right was a small door, presumably the entrance to the servants’ quarters. On the left, a wide sweeping staircase opened to a large arched window, the silhouette of a vase just visible against the moonlight.
They snuck up the staircase, halting at the same moment as three shadowy figures came into view on the landing. Their hands dropped to their daggers, but the figures didn’t move. Statues. They rounded the corner and continued on, hurrying up the staircase to the first floor.
At the landing, stairs continued winding up on their right. Straight ahead and to the left stood two identical sets of double doors. According to their surveillance and the floor plans they’d managed to piece together, the library would be to their left. They slowly eased open the door, gently lifting it to stop the hinges creaking.
The shadows slipped into the room. It was cold, the fireplace dead and curtains closed. They paused for a moment, letting their supernatural eyes adjust to the almost pitch black room. Thousands of books covered every inch of the walls, framed paintings hanging high above. In the centre of the room were two huge couches set around a low table. Behind them was a desk with a winged armchair and globe.
As planned, they moved off in opposite directions. Starting with the bookshelves, they scanned the black and gold leather-bound books for tell-tale signs of secret doors or hidden levers. Unsurprisingly they found none. Since the rise in popularity of false bookcases several years earlier, people had finally realised the bookshelf would be the first place thieves would look.
Without speaking they moved off to different parts of the room. The first shadow headed to the plush black couches in the centre. The cushions at one end were squashed and the day’s newspaper lay half folded on the corner of the low pine table accompanied by a half drunk mug of tea. They turned over the cushions, rummaged through the table draws, and searched for hidden compartments under the couches and table, but came up short.
The second shadow had moved to the desk. Silently they slid the black leather armchair out of the way. The pine desk was tidy, with a stack of blank parchment, clean quills, and an ornate ink pot to one side, the black globe with gold etching and a crystal ball on the other. They searched the draws either side of the desk, inspected under the table, and even checked the globe for hidden compartments, but also came up short.
They couldn’t have more than a minute left before the sentries would come across their tracks in the snow. Moving back toward the bookcase at the start, one of the shadows effortlessly threw the other up in the air, catching their feet. Balancing with ease they moved around the room inspecting the golden framed paintings above the shelves. Finally, a painting of an elderly bearded man moved. Identical wicked grins spread over their faces.
Holding steady they swung the painting forward, revealing a stretch of blank wallpaper behind. The top shadow found the outline and lock of a hidden panel. Reaching under their hood, they grabbed a hairpin and got to work. Luckily they’d bothered learning trivial non-magic skills like lock picking. They’d just started picking the lock when they heard a shout from outside, but they didn’t falter.
Working quickly, the lock opened with a small click. They gently swung the panel forward, reaching into the dark hole in the wall. Long fingers wrapped around a thin, cold cylinder. Extracting it, they quickly closed the panel and pushed the painting back into place as the shouts reached the entry hall. The top shadow gracefully flipped to the floor, landing silently. A long black staff with a crystal orb clasped in a dragon's claw extended from their hand.
Just as they were about to head toward the window there were shouts outside the library as the door began to open. Without hesitation the shadows flicked a couple of throwing knives across the room. They landed with a heavy thud, buried in the wooden door right where the sentry’s head would have appeared a second later. The door quickly snapped shut. Without waiting to see what would happen, the shadow with the staff strapped it to their back and they sprinted for the window.
Flicking the lock, they slid the window up. Curtains billowing in the cool breeze, the shadows sat on the window sill. A shout came from behind them, but they’d already pushed themselves off the edge. Rolling as they hit the snowy ground, they were on their feet and sprinting for the same wall they’d climbed over. Shouts floated down to them from the library window. There was a flash of white light behind them, and they instantly began weaving as they ran.
A bolt of magic crackled as it hit the ground where one of them would have been a second before, the snow sparkling like crystal. More light flashed and magic crackled as the other sentries made it to the edge of the roof and came running around the manor, but the shadows were too quick. They reached the wall and climbed quickly, weaving as they did on the ground. Magic blasted chunks out of the stone around them. They rolled over the top, dropped to the ground, and ran back to the alley over their original footprints.
They ran further down the alley before breaking into one of the houses, smashing the door in with a kick. Shrieks came from one of the rooms down the hall, but the shadows had already mounted the timber stairs. They’d only reached the second floor when they heard the shouts of their pursuers from the ground floor. After a brief pause the pursuers started thundering up the stairs after them. Flashes of light shot up through the centre of the winding stairs, sizzling as they hit the ceiling. The shadows increased their pace, taking two steps at a time. They whirled around the banister at top, launching themselves at the window.
Their throwing knives shattered the window just before they would have, glass falling to the floor with a tinkle. The curtains billowed in the sudden gust of wind. Without pausing the shadows leapt. They flew across the gap, grabbing onto the downpipe of the building across the alley. Racing up the pipe, they grabbed the stone gutter and flung themselves onto the roof. The second shadow ripped the downpipe out of the wall, letting it clatter onto the frozen cobbles below. A bolt of magic shot past their heads as they sprinted up the roof.
Shouts and bolts of magic followed them from the ground as they ran, but they quickly pulled ahead, choosing a path that forced their pursuers to zigzag through the maze of alleys below. As they reached the edge of the city the air was dark and silent again. Conveniently, fresh snow started floating down from the cloudy sky to cover their tracks. With matching evil grins, the shadows slipped into the pine forest, turning right to circle back around to the drop off point.
***
Read Sorcerers Part Two - Drums now!