Kidnapping the Prince

Kidnapping the Prince Installment V

Kidnapping the Prince Installment V

Somewhere in the middle of the Merchant’s Lair I drifted off, my head resting lightly on the velvet lining of the carriage. I slept light, and Ryan’s gentle snores punctuated my hazy dreams.

“Lynx,” a familiar voice whispered in the darkness, “are you sure this is the right house?” I turned to look at the speaker who was crouching behind a barrel across the dank alley. His dark brown hair was black in the moonlight, but his silver-flecked blue eyes still shone brightly. The rest of his face was in shadows, but I knew without a doubt who he was.

Turning back to face the large mansion, I hesitated. To be honest, I had long forgotten which house Marse had instructed us to visit, but there were no lights in the windows of the mansion, and it was next to the Lake, just like Marse had told me.

“I’m sure,” I decided. The blue eyes regarded me suspiciously but didn’t question my response. I glanced up at the glowing disk suspended high above us as a gust of chilly night wind blew across my skin. I shivered slightly but didn’t move.

After waiting what felt like hours, a lone cloud lazily found its way to the moon where it refused to let through any light. A stroke of luck had the patrolling guards circle to the back of the house at the same time. The figure shrouded in shadows motioned with a wave of his hand to move. I complied, jumping up from my hiding place behind a large potted plant and springing into action. My muscles, stiff from lack of movement for hours, relished the exercise.

Resisting the urge to laugh with pleasure, I followed the dark figure to the low, fern covered wall surrounding the mansion. With an easy grace he scaled the wall and disappeared behind it. I reached up and found a slightly protruding rock and hoisted myself up. By the time the cloud had released the moon’s light again we were in the house.

Luckily no guards had been posted within the house. No one important who resided in the mansion was supposed to be home, so it seemed the guards had not felt it necessary to watch an empty house so closely. My companion led me up the grand staircase at the front of the house to the second floor. The landing introduced us to a dark hallway that split off in two directions. I motioned for the figure to go to the right. With a brief inclination of his head he was gone.

I turned and set off along the left side of the hallway, careful to keep my footsteps light and silent. I breathed shallowly and walked in a strange manner so as to keep the rough material of my breeches from brushing against each other. Although they were made of the softest velvet, they still made some noise.

Upon reaching the first door, I gently wrapped my hand around the shiny brass doorknob and turned it. The room I’d entered into appeared to be a guest room. An undisturbed bed covered in fresh linen sheets stood against the far wall. The open drapes let in the moonlight from the window, casting a silvery sheen over everything. A single wash basin stood in a corner next to a simple desk and wardrobe.

Although it was obvious my Object wasn’t going to be in there, I snuck over to the bed anyway and lifted the pillow carefully. Nothing. Opening up the single drawer in the desk, I rummaged around in it but found only some paper and a quill. No sign of incriminating letters. I finished searching the sparsely furnished room and left, satisfied that the letters weren’t in that room.

The next door down was met with some trouble. I turned the doorknob gently, but it didn’t yield. With a soft sigh I removed a silver lock pick from my pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. Within seconds the lock had been tumbled. Shutting the door quietly behind me, I stepped into the brightly lit library. Immediately, warning bells sounded in my head.

A man in his late forties knelt in front of the fireplace, gaping at me. Evidently he had just stirred up the dying fire, which would have been why I hadn’t seen a light from outside. A quick scan of the room told me he had fallen asleep in the library while reading, and had woken up when the fire died down and the room had become cold. Eyes widening, I quickly tried to leave the room but before I could open the door, the man had shouted.