"You know what we're doing, yes? You remember the plan?"
Thaleara was pacing in front of the couch in her apartment, with the twins, Declyn and Cara, seated to face her and their identical hazel eyes following her as she went.
"I knew it off by heart around the sixth run through. I think the fifteen times after though were a bit much," Declyn deadpanned at her.
"I don't think so," Edan added from the kitchen, swinging his legs back and forth as he sat on the bench. "It might be good to go through it once more. You know what they say, eighty-seventh times a charm." He winked at her, and she scowled.
He wasn't helping. This needed to be perfect. The plan was precise. One wrong move and they were in prison for the rest of their lives. Worst case scenario, they were dead by dawn.
"You're not helping. Either of you," Cara rolled her eyes at Declyn and Edan from her seat. She was sitting on the very edge of the couch, looking poised to get up at any minute. She still shot Edan furtive glances every once and while, clearly suspicious of him.
Edan's easy smile dropped and his tone turned serious as he turned to Cara.
"You're right," he muttered. Then he looked at Declyn. "We should listen to Female Declyn."
Thaleara huffed at the same time as Cara. If this is how he was going to behave during the heist, then they could say goodbye to their freedom right now.
"Stop calling me that. I already told you, my name is Cara," Cara seethed.
Declyn snorted at his sister, and gave her elbow a small shove with his own.
"At least we know who the memorable twin is now, huh?" he joked, grinning widely at her.
"Enough. We need to focus if we're going to do this," Thaleara cut in. While Declyn and Cara turned to her attentively, Edan started to pick at a chip in the kitchen counter, ignoring her gaze.
Thaleara didn't have time to stop and try to get his attention, she just needed to trust he cared about this ring and his freedom enough to follow the plan.
"The winter solstice celebration begins in two hours. I want all of us dressed in ten minutes. Edan and Cara, your invites are on the table. Declyn, I hope you brought the smoke bombs and they're on you. We separate in an hour."
They all nodded, apart from Edan who had moved on from picking at the kitchen counter and was now picking at something in his teeth. Declyn and Cara left their seats, heading towards the four seater table opposite the lounge area, and Thaleara moved towards Edan.
There was something about Edan that infuriated Thaleara like nothing else. It was almost as though he didn't care what happened tonight. Did he not understand that if this went wrong, they were all done for?
As she approached, Edan watched her, eyes tracking her movement across the apartment. He lifted an eyebrow at her, those golden eyes amused. In fact, Thaleara didn't think she had ever seen Edan when he didn't seem amused.
"I need you to focus on today's plan," she said as a way of greeting.
His response was a smirk, and half-assed response where he lazily said, "stop worrying. Worst case scenario, we end up in the gallows."
Thaleara could feel her anger rising. Did he take nothing seriously? The anger grew around her, until it almost felt as though the air around Thaleara was sizzling. She seethed at him, "I need you to take this seriously. If we fail, our lives are forfeit and you don't seem to care," The air continued to sizzle around her, growing into a cloud that only fueled her anger.
The shadows at the corner of the room seemed to darken, curling inwards as the sconces on the wall lowered their flames. Even the air full of electricity seemed to crackle in anticipation. Edan didn't seem to care about Thaleara's words, but his eyes flickered to the walls, eyes watching the shadows. His head tilted slightly, and his golden eyes flickered back to Thaleara's, narrowing, as though he was trying to solve a complicated puzzle.
He looked into her face for a moment as if searching for something in its shadowed depths. Then Edan sighed, turning his gaze away and muttered quietly, "Okay."
Thaleara nodded, satisfied with the response.
"Then let's begin."
YOU ARE READING
The land of the Gods (Complete)
Fantasy"I thought a tree that symbolises life would be a fitting companion to Death." Thaleara Sullivan has a debt to pay. Five years ago, she was found by Glenham's thieves guild and provided a life. Little did she know that she would have to return the...
