Chapter 3: A lesson in bragging

The next two days were busy as a lot of merchants made their way to our inn. Over large glasses of ale they talked about what I had done. We even had a few nobles wander in. The city guard had decided they liked the food and could always be found in the inn after their shift. The whole city was still talking about someone stealing a thousand gold pieces from merchant Sims. They called me the Shadow Thief. The bodies of Sandoval and Sweet had been found a day later.

The word on the street was that the thieves guild was furious and had set the whole guild out to find me. Then a noble started becoming the center of gossip. It was Earl Garlan and he bragged that this Shadow Thief was afraid of nobles. He told everyone that I would not dare steal from a noble and they were safe. If he had only said it once I would have ignored him, but he kept bragging and it finally got to me.

The center of the city with the homes of the nobles was separated from the merchant section by high walls called the Curtain. There were four gates through the wall and undoubtedly the thieves guild had a way through as well. The wall was manned by guards that walked back and forth all night. It was after midnight when I slipped over the stable wall and into the narrow alley.

Although I had been doing this for over four years, I never tired of doing it. I moved through the shadows as if I was one of them. At the Curtain wall, I slipped across to stop beside the wall. Where I was it was almost completely black. Two of the street lights had gone out early and there was no one to relight them. I slipped the two steel claws onto my palms and reached up the wall.

The wall was thirty feet tall and it took me a minute to reach the top. I hung there for a few minutes until the guard went past. A minute later I pulled myself over and crossed to the other side. I slowly made my way down and quietly slipped into the shadows of the Nobles retreat.

There were more guards walking the streets that passed me and did not even realize I was there as I blended with the deeper shadows. Earl Garlan’s manor was completely dark as I easily climbed the ten foot wall and slipped over. I looked around and smiled to myself when I saw an open window. The climb to the second floor was simple and I did not even have to use my claws.

I quietly stepped into the room to the sound of very loud snoring. A simple glance showed the room empty of anything valuable. I drifted across the room and checked the door before opening it slightly and looking out. I opened the door wider and stepped into the hall. I walked quietly down the semi dark hall to the narrow servants stairs.

I carefully moved down, testing each step as I went. On the first floor I peeked out and then stepped into the dark hallway. I moved down the hall to the far end where a set of double door were. It only took a moment to pick the lock and then I was slipping inside. I looked around at Earl Garlan’s study and moved behind his desk. There was a large cabinet to one side and I smiled, ‘It couldn’t be this easy.’

Half a minute later I was opening the cabinet and unshuttering the tiny dark lantern I carried. The shelves of the cabinet were full of stacked coins. I quietly gathered all the coins into my pack and looked at a small pouch gathering dust on the back of one shelf. I opened it to see several large gem stones. I closed the pouch and slipped it into my pack.