Kidnapping the Prince

Kidnapping the Prince Installment III

Kidnapping the Prince Installment III

Marse took the pass from me and rolled it up again. “Actually, we really have to thank Duke Slewin for this,” she said as she tied the purple ribbon around the scroll. “He gave me his own pass from the king to copy, and he gave me this purple ribbon.”

“Well, isn’t he nice?” I murmured, leaning forward and resting my chin on my arms. It was late, and I was getting tired.

“D’you think this pass will really get us in without complication?” Ryan asked, casting a skeptical eye over the piece of paper.

“Don’t worry about that,” Marse reassured him with a wave of her hand. “This pass is identical to the one Duke Slewin has. And if need be, he can vouch for both of you.”

“Can we skip the preamble?” I yawned. “Just tell us what brilliant plan the Duke has cooked up for us,” I mumbled. Marse complied and began to shift through the papers still strewn on the desk. When she finally found what she was looking for, she began to talk.

“This letter is from Duke Slewin. In it he explained exactly how we were to carry out the job. He said that he wants his plan followed very precisely; we are not to change anything. If we do follow his plan wrongly, the Duke has the right to restrain our payment.” Marse frowned slightly at this.

“Well that sucks!” I exclaimed, sitting up. “Where’s the fun in anything if we have to follow directions? Hello,” I added, “I am, after all, the city’s best thief. He doesn’t need to give me directions to follow like a child.”

“You should be thankful that he has a good plan. I’ll remind you again, Lynn; this is not a normal job. Your lives are at stake here. If you make a wrong move, you won’t live to see another sunrise,” Marse frowned at my behavior and arrogance. I tried to put myself in a better light.

“Look,” I said in a calmer voice, “I just don’t like being told exactly what to do. Yes, I like the fact that we have a ready plan. No, I don’t like how we have to follow it exactly. If something unpredicted happens, we would have to do something, and it may not be a part of the plan.” Marse seemed to find this an inadequate argument.

“Well, luckily, Duke Slewin has provided us with a list of emergency situations and what to do.” Seeing my ungrateful expression, Marse ruffled through the papers again and passed me a stack of papers. I glanced at it, trying to appear uninterested, but even I had to be impressed with the amount of though Duke Slewin put into this project. Among the common emergency situations we could encounter in the palace, the duke had added in things like “kitchen set on fire” and “chicken running loose” as well as (ridiculously) “thief makes blunder.” I snorted, tossing the stack of papers back onto the table.

“Thief makes blunder?” I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Who does he think he’s dealing with? I am the best. I don’t make mistakes.” I paused for a second to consider Ryan and Marse’s scathing looks and added, “Often.”

“Anything is possible Lynn, and you would do well to remember that,” Marse said. I glared at her, crossing my arms angrily. So what if I was being arrogant? I did not appreciate people hurting my pride. I seemed to have crossed over the line separating frustration and pure annoyance because Marse’s lips were pressed into a tight line, and her arms were crossed stiffly. She sent a murderous look my way before saying, “Lynn, this job, as I have said countless times, is much more than your typical job, which is why Duke Slewin chose you for it. He knows you are the best suited for this job, but he and I both have no problem with handing over the job to someone else.” She uncrossed her arms and pulled a sheet of paper and a quill towards her and began to write. I fought the urge to sneak a look at the paper.