The Secrets of the Castle

Chapter 3

I sat in the library, a book set in my lap. My eyes drifted to the window, watching Reliu practicing out in the yard. He was agile, I'll give him that. Skilled fighter, too. Learned that firsthand. The door to the library opened, Ajay and Aryn coming inside. I set the book down on the table, turning my attention to them.

"We're going to be busy for the day. You're on your own until a bit after midday." Aryn said.

"Everyone?"

"Pretty much. Dad is going to be working with Ajay and Mum is going to be working with me. Only the maids will be around in case you need anything."

"Thanks."

Aryn nodded, a smile on her face. Ajay remained silent, staring at the floor. Mum's voice called from down the hall for Aryn. The smile disappeared for a moment, returning as she muttered goodbye. Ajay walked over to where I was sitting and sat on top of the table.

"Are you going to be going out?" he asked.

I glanced away, muttering, "Maybe."

"Well, don't destroy the world," he chuckled, "just stay safe."

I nodded, a tight-lipped smile on my face. Dad yelled out for Ajay. The older boy patted me on the back once and left the room without another word. The door to the library closed, leaving me in silence again. I waited for a few more minutes, rereading the same passage over again. After waiting for a while, I went up to the door and blocked it with a wooden plank I had hidden in the room earlier. I made sure it was secure before heading towards the far left wall of the library. Books stacked the shelves, filled with various knowledge and stories. I trailed my hand down the rows, stopping at the third one. The row held useless books. Most of them were some sort of history that we never covered anymore. My eyes locked on to one with a dark blue and silver laced spine. I pulled the book out, listening to the familiar clicks.
Taking a step back, I watched as the bookshelf split open to reveal a small tunnel. I entered the tunnel and grabbed one of the torches off the wall. The flickering light illuminated the stony walls, my shadow floating besides me. On one of the hooks was a black cloak along with a bandana. I wrapped the cloak around my shoulder, fastening the clip, and placed the bandana over my mouth. Satisfied with it, I made my way down the passageway.

~~~~~~~~

I strolled through the streets of the city, watching as people passed by. Keeping my head down, I made my way to the market area. The marketers called out to passerby's about the deals they were offering. 3 silvers for a loaf of bread, and then someone can give you a luck potion for 2 gold. Amusing. I stopped by one of them, looking over the various fruits they had laid out.

"Hello there, good sir," the stall tender said cheerily, a wide smile on his face, "What can I offer you today? We have apples for 4 silver, berries for 2, and -"

"Just looking, thank you," I interrupted, my gaze lingering over the apples.

"Alrighty then, let me know what I can do for you," he turned away to help another costumer.

I glanced up, making sure his back wasn't looking. The second the coast was clear, I swiped one of the apples and placed it into my cloak pocket. Calmly, I walked away from the stand like nothing happened. My body froze as I heard the stall tender yell out from behind me. Turning my head, I saw the soldiers start to chase.

I bolted off, my feet pounding against the cobblestone ground. Angry soldiers yelled from behind me, their armor clanking as they ran. My heart drummed in my ears, blocking out every other sound, and my lungs burning as I pushed myself to run faster. Sweat rolled down my face, my hood falling down. Messy brown hair fell in front of my eyes. I weaved past buildings, cutting across alleyways.

After what seemed like forever, I finally stopped, leaning against the wall. I could no longer hear any of the soldiers, though my heart pounded louder than anything else. I gasped for breath, trying to calm myself down. Taking a quick look around, I found myself in front of a magic shop. It was famous around the town, most of the mages coming here for their supplies. The shop was dark now, nobody was inside. I looked around before heading inside.
The bell chimed as the door opened. I walked around, looking at the variety of potion ingredients and spell books on the shelves. There was one fascinating potion. It contained a black liquid, tiny red flecks floating in it. I picked it up, smiling as I put it into my pocket.
The door chimed again, my head snapping up. A young woman stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as she saw me. I froze, my mouth hanging open. The two of us stared at each other for a few moments until she finally said:

"What are you doing?"

The woman watched, her hand holding onto something in her pocket. Well, shit, I thought. Still facing her, I reached out to put the bottle back on the shelf. I let go, thinking it was stable, yelping as it crashed onto the ground. I leapt backwards, the black liquid spreading across the floor. In a flash, the shopkeeper was already cleaning the mess up. She placed a container over the puddle. As she looked over to me, I could see her eyes wild.

"Come with me," she said, grabbing me by the wrist.

She dragged me outside, muttering something under her breath. I couldn't make out what she was saying, her voice accented.

"Thanks for that," she said, "now I have to deal with that."

"Sorry-"

"Sorry? Do you even know what you just did?"

"Did I release an unknown evil?"

She sighed, unamused by my comment, "You nearly killed us both."

I looked away, trying to avoid the fire blazing in her eyes. If my parents didn't kill me, she definitely would.

"Please, don't call anyone," I mumbled.

"Why not?"

"I, uh," I hesitated, biting the inside of my cheek as I tried to think of a reasonable lie, "They'll kill me."

A flicker of sympathy and shock crossed her face. Good. The sympathy card usually worked. She sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"We can work out a deal," she finally said.

I tilted my head, "What deal?"

She paused, her brow furrowing, "You can work off the debt."

"Uh, work?"

"Yeah, work. Unless you pay, which is doubtful, you have to work it off. Help with the customers, stock the shelves, organize, run errands, that kinda stuff."

I stared down at the ground, thinking about it for a moment. There was likely enough money to pay the entire thing off, no doubt. Yet, doing a commoners job would prove interesting. What my family doesn't know can't hurt them.

Looking back up, I smiled at her, "When do I start?"