A lot of nods and a lot of verbal affirmations. Brighten just watched.
“Right now, you’re gonna be taken before the bos—the headmaster.”
Brighten heard that mix-up clearly. Belarus had started to call the man his boss, then corrected himself.
“You get into a single file line and follow me, then you’ll meet Headmaster Hemmons.”
Headmaster Hemmons? Brighten had never heard the name in his life. If anyone were to teach this type of class, it would be Prefect Slidell.
Lucie was right. Something was definitely wrong here.
Kris was worried, but she didn’t do that shit in front of Brighten. That poor boy might lose his mind if she said a word about what worried her.
She never felt anxiety about Brighten, though. She’d known him her whole life, and they’d been running the streets together since they were old enough to run ‘em. He wasn’t as athletic as her, but his senses were out of this world, and he was the smartest person Kris had ever met.
What she worried about right now was getting up in that tower.
Of course, she would never worry as much as Brighten.
She watched the group of kids walk into the new “Royal School of Magic Training.” What a dumb fuckin’ name that was. They needed something more exciting—the Mage Academy, maybe.
Yeah, that would work.
Kris waited until they’d left and then stepped out from the shadows. The sun was going down, and the young thief needed to slip into the Prefect’s castle. Shift change was comin’ up for the guards, so she sped across the pavilion.
The castle was close to this newly repurposed magic building, but she wasn’t slippin’ in through the front.
She stuck to the growing shadows, and she moved quickly over the cobblestones. Kris was an excellent thief, maybe the best in the whole homeless population.
Connor would disagree, she told herself.
Then, Fuck Connor.
She hoped she’d never have to see him again.
The castle was large and had a tall concrete fence around it. At the front were metal gates and a sentry.
Kris wasn’t heading anywhere near that, though.
She made her way around the circular fence, staying in the shadows of the buildings a bit farther away.
Sentries were placed every hundred feet, but that was mainly for show. No one had ever attacked the castle or tried to gain unauthorized entrance—except for Kris.
Fuckin’ Connor never tried, she thought with some satisfaction. Claims he’s the best thief in Sidnie, but ain’t never tried to get into the tower.
It was a going bet among the homeless kids—who was fast witted and athletic enough to make it up to the top of the tower?
Kris and Brighten had done it once.
Connor had never even tried and then attempted to tell everyone else that Kris was lyin’ about it.
Quit thinkin’ about him, she told herself as she slowed down. You got stuff here to worry about now.
So she did. The shift change was occurring, and she watched as the new sentry took the day shift guard’s spot. She waited until the day shift guard had walked far enough away, then stepped out of the shadows.
The sentry stared straight ahead as if he didn’t hear or see her.
She walked right up to him, and still the sentry didn’t so much as glance down. He was a foot taller than her.
“You look idiotic in that hat,” Kris said loudly.
The sentry didn’t look down.
“I mean, really. You look like a damned moron, Billy.”
“Hush your mouth,” Billy whispered harshly.
Kris smiled. “Oh, so you can see me. For a second there, I was thinkin’ I ain’t exist.”
“What do you want?”
“Ya gotta let me in.” Kris grinned wildly.
The sentry broke countenance and looked down at her. “Fuck, no. No way. I did that once for your little fuckin’ game with them kids, but I ain’t doin’ it again. I could get put in the stocks if I get caught.”
“Didja get caught last time?” Riley asked.
“That’s not the point.”
“It’s the only point I see. Now, come on, quit playin’ around. I need to make some moves while the castle is at dinner. You know it’s easier right now.”
The sentry looked up as if he had heard nothing, staring forward again.
“Billlllllly,” Kris whined. “I won’t getcha caught. What the hell would Mom say if she was alive? Probably somethin’ along the lines of, ‘You need to help your little sister.’”
Billy didn’t look down. “If she were alive, she’d tell me to do everything I could to keep this job and to not do anything you ask me to. Especially not dumb pranks.”
“All right, all right, I hear ya. But this isn’t a prank. Last time it was. This time, I need to get in because somethin’ bad is goin’ on.”
Billy looked down. “How do you know?”
That told Kris all she needed to know. He’d noticed too.
“It’s all over the damn city. The guards are meaner, not to mention that fuckin’ magic school they got. Shuttin’ down all the normal teachers.”
Billy’s eyes narrowed. “What business do you got goin’ up there? Even if things aren’t right, what are you gonna do about it?”
“Billy, just trust me. I’m your damn sister. There are other people involved. Foreigners, not from here. They’re the ones asked me to come. I need your help.”
Billy looked left and right, checking his surroundings. The other sentries weren’t visible, given the fence’s curvature.
Kris dropped all pretense of joking. “I’m serious. This is important. It ain’t no bet with the kids.”
“Damn it, Kris.” Billy sighed. “I swear, you’re gonna feel guilty if I get in trouble for this. They’ll see us both hanged.”
“Well, then I won’t have to feel guilty for long, will I?” Her grin returned.
Night had arrived, and the entire area was darker.
Billy turned around and faced the fence. It was too high to jump over, but that wasn’t their plan.
He took a step back. “Did you tell any of your dirty-ass friends about this?”
“Of course not. I’m not evil. I’m just a bitch.” She winked at him.
He sighed again and knelt, then pulled a ring of keys from his belt and moved the grass around in front of him for a moment. Finding what he wanted, he stuck the key in and twisted.
“Help me, nimwit,” he grumbled.
Kris got down on her knees and felt for the secret door with her hands. All the sentries stood guard over one, and only their keys would open them. It was, truth be told, silly to even have them; no one was going to try to break into the damn castle.
At least, that was what Kris had thought.
Now she knew that wasn’t the case.
They lifted the door, the dirt and grass ripping apart at its edges. Billy would have to fix it later.
He stood up, still holding the door.
“Thanks, bro.” Kris smiled at him. “I owe ya one.”
“You’re damn right ya do. First, take this.” He handed her a key. “You’ll need it to open the other side, just like last time. Get it back to me tomorrow, and don’t ever ask me to do this again.”
“If I don’t tell ya no promises, I can’t ever be a liar.” Smiling, Kris dropped into the blackness below.
She fell only about seven feet, and she landed without any pain. Kris was light and athletic, so a short drop didn’t matter.
“Touch the wall panel for a few seconds,” her brother whispered into the hole.
“I know!” she shouted back. What did he think she was, an idiot who couldn’t remember six months ago?
She touched her hand to the stone on the right and waited a bit. It started glowing green, then lights fluttered on down the hallway.
“Thanks again!”
The door slammed shut above, and she took off. The hallway wasn’t lo
ng, but the quicker she got out of it, the less likely Billy was to get caught.
He’d worked his ass off for that job, and it was something no kid from the streets should ever get. He said five years ago he was done stealin’, done lootin’, and was turning straight no matter what it took.
And now he was workin’ as a sentry for the damned Prefect. Kris was proud of him.
She reached the end of the tunnel and thoughts of her brother dissipated.
Metal bars were screwed into the wall, creating a ladder.
Kris climbed it rapidly and used her brother’s key to open the door.
I love that sonofabitch, she thought.
She climbed through the hole and then was inside the castle walls, then turned to her left and looked at the tower.
The lights were on inside, shining brightly into the night sky.
“Yeah, something’s goin’ on up there,” Kris whispered.
She got her bearings by looking around the large yard in front of her. This was when she needed Brighten’s damned sharp eyes. He’d have been able to pick out any guards before they were even out of the hole.
Kris didn’t see any, so she hurried across the yard. The large trees planted there helped shield her from anyone who might be looking.
She could see into the Royal Dining Room, servants coming and going and people sitting at a large table.
Which was where Kris wanted them.
She skipped the rest of the way across the lawn and flattened herself against the building.
“Yeah, fuck ‘em.”
The words came from Kris’ left, just beyond the building’s curve.
“Something ain’t right about ‘em,” another voice said. “It ain’t just that they think they’re in charge. They actually are in charge now, and I don’t know how the Prefect decided that.”
“Ha! Prefect. More like puppet. That merchant must have bought him off with a pretty hefty bribe,” the first voice growled.
Kris needed to get into the building, but she wanted to hear more.
She slowly crept around the side of the building, ducking to avoid the windows.
“What can ya offer a Prefect? What kinda price would make him trade his kingdom?” the second guard asked.
“I don’t know, but have you seen ‘im?”
“The Prefect?”
“Yeah,” the first guard answered. “I saw ‘im last night before I came out here to smoke. Saw him shuffling to that dining room in there. That merchant has him drugged or something. He looks half-asleep, eyes barely open.”
“You think that’s it?” the second guard asked.
“I don’t know what it is, but something is different. His damned advisors need to do their jobs and see what the hell is goin’ on.”
Kris moved no farther; if she did, she’d be right in front of them. She pressed herself against the building, trying to disappear as best she could.
“Hard for them to say anything when he’s holed up in that tower all day,” the second guard continued.
“Then they need to grab ‘im when he comes down to dinner. Something’s gotta be done before this goes too far.”
Kris turned away from them. That was all she needed to hear. The Prefect would come down to dinner, which would probably last an hour or an hour and a half at most.
She had to move if she wanted to get up there.
Kris went the opposite direction of the guards, the smell of their cigarettes fading as she rushed away.
She slipped in a side door. The dining room was on the south side of the building, the tower on the north.
It didn’t matter how fast Kris was—there were simply too many people in this damned place for her to run straight for the tower. She’d be seen and brought down before she made it another hundred feet. Getting this far inside was unheard of.
She needed different clothes.
Last time she and Brighten had found them in the kitchen, and that was where she headed now.
She didn’t run as she had outside—that would be entirely too obvious. Instead, she walked, keeping her head down and doing her best imitation of a servant.
Her memory might not be as great as Brighten’s, but she remembered how to get to the kitchen.
It only took her a minute or two to get to the tall doors.
“Who’re you?”
A fat man was standing right in front of Kris.
“New help,” she answered.
“Ain’t order no new help.” The man’s bristling mustache hung over his upper lip.
“Didja talk to Brad?” Kris asked. She had no clue where this was going, but she’d been in more jams like this than she could count.
Confuse the marks—that was her and Brighten’s motto.
“Brad?” the fat man asked.
“Yeah, Brad. He came out yesterday askin’ for help.”
The fat man’s eyebrows raised. He was at least a foot taller than Kris. “Who the hell is Brad?”
“I don’t know. Said he works for you.”
“For me?” the fat man asked.
“Yeah, said he and Cheryl were lookin’ for more folks to work the kitchen.” Kris would introduce as many names as possible to confuse this fat bastard. If she didn’t, she was goin’ to the stocks.
“Cheryl? Girl, what are you talkin’ ‘bout? You ain’t even dressed for kitchen work, and I don’t know no Brad and Cheryl.” The fat man was growing pissed.
And that wasn’t good.
“Well, let’s go look for ‘em. Brad said he works nights.”
The fat man turned to the kitchen staff, a whole host of women and men shuffling to and fro with pots and pans.
“Listen up!” he shouted. “Anyone know any damn Brad that works a night shift?”
The staff stopped and stared at their boss.
“Welp, this isn’t the way I wanted it to go,” Kris whispered to herself. “Fuck it.”
She rushed forward, going low, and grabbed the fat man’s left foot. She pulled as she ran to her right, and his legs slid out from under him. He landed with a loud crash, pans raining down on top of him.
“HEY!” someone shouted, but Kris hardly heard them.
She was past them, moving as easily here as she had on the cobblestones outside.
All of ‘em were marks, and right now she had to steal a single thing and then get lost.
Kris rushed to her right as the group finally started to move. She glanced at the fat man, who kept slipping as he tried to regain his feet.
Kris wanted to get to the back of the kitchen, but the damn problem was, she’d have to get to the front right after.
Focus on the item, not the getaway, Brighten always said. You focus on the getaway, you’ll never get the item.
She rounded a large sink and saw what she wanted—the hanging aprons and what looked to be a chef suit.
“GET HER!”
Kris reached the hooks, and, hardly slowing, grabbed both items.
She turned around—
“Aye, girlie, you done fucked up now.” The fat man blocked the front door.
“Did you find Brad?” she asked.
“Brad? You must think me an idiot.” More people were coming behind him now, creating a barrier for her. “Ain’t no Brad, and you just stole from the Prefect right there.”
“With what?” Kris asked. “What’d I steal?”
She walked slowly forward, gaining ground. She knew the marks wouldn’t consider her a threat because of how small she was in comparison to the fat man.
“That apron right there in yer hand. Same with the clothes.”
“This stuff? Naw, Brad told me to grab ‘em.”
“THERE AIN’T NO FUCKIN’ BRAD!” the fat man screamed, his face growing red.
Kris couldn’t help but smile.
She was five feet from him and needed just a couple more to make the plan work.
Brighten would be proud, all this quick plannin’.
“Brad?” Kris asked, pretend
ing to look over the man’s shoulders as she kept stepping forward. “Brad, where the hell are you? Quit playin’ games here! You’ll get in me serious trouble!”
“Oh, it’s too late, girlie—”
The fat man wanted to say something else, but Kris didn’t give him time.
His legs were spread just wide enough; she launched forward feet first, sliding through them and grabbing his ankles once more.
Her weight pulled them out from under him a second time, and he hit the floor with a loud smack.
“AHH!” he shouted, but it was gargled, blood probably pouring from his nose.
Kris didn’t have time to look, though. She ducked and shot into the crowd before her. She’d done this shit for years, creating a distraction and then simply running out.
She pulled at people’s aprons and belts and feet. Some tripped, some only yelled, but the confusion was growing.
Kris reached the edge of the crowd, bursting through. Only the ones in the back saw her rushing away.
“There she is!”
But it was too late for the crowd. Kris already had the items, and these marks weren’t gonna catch her.
This is harder than last time, she thought as she rounded a corner, looking for a closet to hide in for a second.
She grinned and thought sarcastically, No worries, though. All I gotta do is climb to the top of the Prefect’s tower. Should be a cinch.
Kris slipped into a closet. There were noises coming from the kitchen, but those idiots weren’t going to find her. They weren’t even going to raise a stink, because fat man wasn’t gonna want the whole castle knowing a teenager had broken his nose.
She closed the door, a wide smile on her face. Brighten would be pissin’ his pants right now, but she loved this shit.
Brigthen was nearly pissin’ his pants, metaphorically speaking.
He didn’t know how he’d let Kris talk him into this, but it wasn’t going to end well.
The group of kids—the class, as Brighten was coming to think of it—had entered a capacious auditorium.
“Now, y’all sit your asses down in them chairs and wait until the headmaster gets here. I don’t want no questions, and no fightin’. Just keep quiet, ya understand?”
Chasing Magic (Hand Of Justice Book 2) Page 16