The Royal Thief

Chapter Two: Jaden

Like all thieves, I work best in the dark.

I rolled out of bed and into a dark tunic and leggings. My feet slid right into my soft-soled leather boots like a key into a lock, and I didn't have to look at the night table to grab my bag of tools (padded, so the metal picks and screws don't jangle). I tucked the bag into my belt and tied back my hair before pushing open the window. It was thirty feet or so to the ground, but I didn't intend to fall.

A cool wind rushed past me as I sat on the window ledge and swung my legs around so they dangled over empty space. The sky was black, and the moon was behind me, but I could make out the wall that encircled the castle. It was ten feet thick, and patrolled by the night guards, and around that part of the grounds it ran very close to the walls of the actual castle. None of the guards pacing its top were looking at me, though. They were far to concerned about people trying to get in to be careful about people getting out.

The two guards walking along the stretch of wall in front of me met in the middle and turned smartly on their heels to pace back the other way. On my ledge I stood up, holding onto the window frame to steady myself. I wiggled my feet until my toes were hanging over the edge of the ledge. The two guards kept walking farther apart, the gap between them lengthening with every step. I took a deep breath.

And I jumped.

I landed silently on the stone walkway in a crouch position, almost toppling over. Landing on the wall was hard because there was no room to run as you landed, and you had to be absolutely silent to not draw the attention of the guards, who were very close to the points on the wall where they would turn around. I had maybe three seconds before they turned and saw me. I planted my hands on the short ledge that served as a railing  and hoisted myself over it.

I hit the ground and let out a harsh gasp. Sparks of pain shot up my side, feeling like someone had struck a match on my hip bone. It was all I could do to let myself roll down the shallow hill and rest on my stomach at the bottom. Deep breaths of dewy grass, taking a moment to close my eyes. I was fine, I told myself. I had only underestimated the damage done to my hip earlier. So I had to get up. I clenched my hands deep in the soft dirt and lifted myself a few inches. My breath came in a sharp hiss through clenched, grinding teeth. But I couldn't make a sound or the guards on the wall would hear. I picked myself up silently.

The castle wall surrounded only the castle, the gardens, and a few other buildings. The training yards where Nemia and I had practiced, as well as the guards' barracks and archery range, basically any place for weapons training, were outside the walls. There were some dueling courts within the castle, too, but those were for the nobles who couldn't bear rubbing shoulders with common servants and lowly guards. 

I headed for the training yard, relying on my night vision and experience of navigating the grounds after dark to guide me. Even limping and cursing under my breath, I could have found my way with my eyes closed.

The training arena was lit with torches in brackets on the wall. The flickering flames cast a circle of  orange light on the ground between the fence and wall. Leaning against the wooden rails was a slender figure in a dark cloak. I pushed myself over the fence to face him.

Grey eyes hidden in the shadows of his hood, he looked at me calmly. "I heard you had a match with the Auxiliary Captain."

His voice didn't imply anger and I didn't know how to read him.

"Yes."

"I heard it was not an even match."

"Well, he told me to choose a weapon, but I didn't want to fight, so I kind of--"

"What did I teach you in regard to choosing weapons?"

I lowered my head. "You can always drop a blade if you need to, but you can't pause a fight to grab one later."

He dipped his head to look me in the eye. "I also heard that you won."

I could read his face now, as his hood slipped back a few inches. I could tell he was pleased and so I was pleased all over again with my match. "Yes. Well." I tried not to seem to smug about the victory. "He said I didn't beat him fairly. He said the only weapon I was allowed was the one I chose and so kicking him in the chest was not fair."

Jaden waved one hand in dismissal as he removed his cloak, draping it over the fence. "All is fair in a fight. Only those too weak to accept defeat try to justify their loss with petty rules."

I nodded, smiling to myself as I thought of Joshua's face if he could hear Jaden's words.

"Don't get cocky," He warned, seeing my grin. "Joshua is not a man to underestimate. Remember that by revealing the extent of your abilities you have given away the element of surprise. The most foolish person in a game of cards is the one who smiles at their hand, for it reveals he is pleased with what he has. You retain your most valuable assets by pretending you don't have them." It was a typical speech of his, reproaching me for being too proud of myself, and one I heard often.

"Yes, Jaden."

"Morane." He sighed.

"Yes?"

"Listen to what I said."

"I did," I insisted.

"Listen and remember and act on my words. Do not gloat and do not let this victory cloud your judgment."

"I won't. I promise." I wondered why he was so insistent about it. It seemed such a little thing, one victory in the castle training yards, quickly forgotten by everyone there. It wasn't like one match would make Joshua my enemy. In the grand scheme of things, I thought, we were still on the same side.

He nodded slowly, seeming convinced. "Good. Now, we have been neglecting your escape skills as we focused on hand-to-hand combat. We will fix that tonight. Come." He jumped on the fence, retaining his perfect balance, then leaped for the wall, several feet away, and grabbed the top of it. He swung for a moment before pulling himself up, and crouched on the top of the three-inch thick wall. Grinning, I followed, leaping and grabbing and swinging for a while longer before I managed to pull myself up.

This was the training I loved, not the knife-fights with Nemia or staff-work with the guards, but running and balancing and jumping and rolling, all in the dark. Seeing the smile on my master's face as I learned his craft, the thrill of using my muscles and mind the way I wanted to. In the night, alone with Jaden, my mind woke up and yawned stretched itself out. I saw more, heard more, sensed more. Daylight and company weighed down my reflexes, slowed my reactions. At night I was alive.