Chapter 2: Stealing from a thief

I looked up from my meal and glanced from Silver to his daughter. Dragon lifted her head too but the drakes continued to rip and tear at the rare chunks of meat on the plate. Silver shook his head as he sat, “I never thought of feeding them instead of...”

His daughter frowned but absently reached out to pet a drake. He looked at his daughter and sighed, “I need something. My daughter had an ... assignation with a mage name Poulo. While she was ... recovering, he took a flask of liquid fire from my workroom.”

I looked at his blushing daughter, “How do you know he took it?”

Silver sighed, “My watcher saw him and he refuses to speak with me or my daughter.”

I thought about breaking into a mage’s home or workroom and sighed as I looked at Silver, “A day and night with your daughter.”

He raised an eyebrow as she opened her mouth. I smiled, “If she could do it for a strange mage she can be my paramour for a day and night.”

Silver looked at his daughter and sat back, “Your choice.”

She looked at me and narrowed her eyes, “Fine.”

I nodded and looked at Silver, “Describe the flask.”

Silver smiled but did not look at his daughter, “Silver with an engraved sunburst. Two hands tall, a hand wide and two fingers thick. It will be warm to the touch and I need to caution you not to open it.”

I nodded and stood as I picked up Dragon, “Call your children Dragon, we have work.”

I started towards the door as the drakes leaped into the air to follow. I made a side trip to a small room I leased and then headed towards what was called Wizard’s Walk. It was an area with fancy gardens and towers. I slipped into the bushes near a garish tower and watched the strands of magic as they glowed and shifted.

Dragon took flight as the drakes settled in a tree. It was past midnight before I moved towards the tower. I avoided the strands of magic on and above the ground as I got closer. I stopped next to the stone wall and studied the glow it gave off. I pulled out a ball of string and tossed the end into the air in time for Dragon to catch it.

She flew up past the line of windows and then over a thick roof beam before tucking her wings and dropping. I caught her and took the end of the string before putting her on my shoulder. I tied the string to a strong cord that I had made special. I pulled the cord up and over the beam. When the end was back in my hand I removed the string and made a loop.

I slipped a foot into the loop and began pulling myself up. When I reached the window I stopped, I held myself in place and used one hand to toss a light gauze onto a window sill. The gauze was made from spider silk so the mage spells would ignore it. I lightly stepped onto the gauze and carefully checked the room.

I finally stepped down and crossed to the door. I checked it before opening it and stepping out, magic strands of spells went everywhere. Only one door was free of magic and I silently crossed to it. I checked the door carefully and cracked it open to see a tall rangy mage working at a bench. I slipped in quietly and moved towards him.