A Pirate's Tale [COMPLETED]

Chapter 24 - "What are you doing here?"

Isla and Hawk cut their way through the city, retracing their steps from earlier that day. The moon overhead gave light to their passage. Though the day had shifted into the next, lanterns could still be seen glowing in windows. The sign was not one of late-night revelers but that of workers. The city held a quiet that spoke of artists lost in the throes of creating.

Isla and Hawk didn't speak as they neared the appriser's shop and lodgings. Their plan was already laid out, talked over, and discussed until it was all they could think about. As they approached the brick building, they searched for indications that Pascal had returned but there were none.

They rounded to the back of the shop, stopping at the rear. Above they jutted out a balcony that gave a view of the park nestled between the other houses. All lay in darkness, the only illumination was the descending moon. Without a word, Hawk took a stance by the wall, his fingers locked together for a foothold.

With the heat still gripping the city, they'd had to forgo the hook since there was no way to conceal it. Their tactics for entry would rely on strength and agility.

Hawk nodded to Isla. She backed up a step before running at him. She placed one foot in his hands and felt as he lifted her. As she rose, she pushed off the wall with her other foot and twisted in the air, grabbing hold of the iron railing and swinging herself over. She landed in a crouch with a soft tap on the balcony.

When there was no noise from inside, she rose.

Hawk glanced up at her and she nodded. In the dimness, she could see his want to follow, but they had agreed that stealth was their greatest advantage. If Pascal was not home Isla could quickly find the information they needed.

If he was home, one person was less likely to be detected than two. Forcing himself to remain below, Hawk leaned against the wall and took out a pipe. The least he could do was act as a lookout.

Slipping a dagger out of her boot, Isla wedged it between the doors and unlatching the lock. When she nudged the doors open, they moved without protest. She slid inside and pushed the doors back until they were a breath away from clicking shut.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she found herself in a library. The scent of leather and dust hovered in the air. Shelves covered the walls and a desk lay off to one side while the other contained winged back chairs.

Isla went for the desk and struck a match, lighting the single candle. She rifled through the drawers, searching for a ledger or anything that would lead them one step closer to the emerald. Even as she worked, she had little hope. None of the drawers were locked. A man like Pascal wouldn't be so thoughtless. Her theory was confirmed when the desk revealed nothing of value.

Snuffing out the candle, she left the library. Behind the heavy oak door, lay a silent hallway. Doors were dotted along the length of it, each closed, each seeming to promise the chance of something worthwhile. Even with the stillness, she paused, waiting for a breath of noise. The quiet persisted.

The plush carpet muted Isla's footsteps as she crept from one room to the next. Her heart kept a steady rhythm, even as her nerves hummed, alert. The first two were empty bedrooms and yielded nothing. The third door - stationed before a set of curving stairs - gave way to a windowless study.

Inside, Isla found another desk, larger than the one the library held and all four walls covered in stretches of antics. Ignoring the hundreds of drawings that showcased items varying from vases to necklaces to statues, she rounded the desk and knelt before it. She tested one drawer and found it locked. The barrier lit a spark of hope.

After locating another candle and lighting it, she went to work on the lock. She dug a slender knife into the keyhole while driving another into the seam of the wood. As she twisted one, she leveraged the other, straining the lock from different sides. Eventually, it gave way and she tugged the drawer open, finding a stack of leather-bound ledgers.