The Stableboy's shadow (BL)

Chapter 1

This was less than ideal.

The plan was perfect. There was no place for errors. It was a new moon night, very dark, and the sky was threatening to cry any seconds. During the switch of guards, I had to run. Using the ladder to get to the roof without drawing any attention on me, morphing into the shadows until I'd find a window, or something to slip inside, near the noble's room. Grabbing the lady's jewelry box, I'd slide back in the darkness, carefully travelling down to the basement to get to the tunnels, where the guards should not be anymore. Simple, effective, and very lucrative.

So, why was I waking up in a cell?

My first reflex was to scan my surroundings. There were about threes cells other than mine, all empty. The room had a low ceiling, a little higher than 6ft, and the cramped-up space of cages had barely enough place for a bed and a chamber pot. On the far left, there was a narrow staircase that should lead to the servant quartier, if I remembered the manor's plans correctly –if I was still in the manor-. Before that was a small round table at which two guards were sitting, loudly laughing as they seemed to play a dice game. It was still dark outside, so I hadn't been here for too long. The night's darkness could have been quite the advantage, were it not for the Nully cage; iron bars from Northern dwarf's realm that neutralized every kind of magic. What kind of rich man had a whole cage made of the stuff and not the usual Nully cuff I woke up so often with.

I gritted my teeth, curling up at the bed's end, trying to remember what had happened, what had betrayed me. I had studied everything; the blueprints of the mansion, the come and go of everyone in the vicinity and learned the guards' and servants' schedule. I had located all the different possible exits and had made sure than none of the jewel had been tainted by the expensive locating spells. Even so, as I was getting out in the tunnels, where nobody ever ventured, I ended up walking right into a giant, that screamed and violently hit me straight to the head with a shovel.

I raised a hand to my temple to find the damages. Taking a sharp breath through my teeth, I feel the longue sensible part on the side of my skull, then brought my fingers before my eyes to see the already half dried blood that had come from the wound.

- Well, well, well, look who finally woke up, a sly voice exclaimed.

I look up to see that two men had entered the room. The man that spoke was dressed in a luxurious night gown, his arms elegantly crossed over his chest. All his being was irradiating nobility, his piercing eyes meticulously analyzing me. Behind him was one of the guards that was previously sitting at the table, keeping a cautious eye on me. I brought my attention back to the lord. He certainly had a spark of perfidy in his eyes. It was not the first time I had come face to face with a noble, but it was without a doubt one of the worst times I had feared for my life.

- I see that I'm not dealing with an amateur, he said with a hint of amusement on his face. I could not even find how you got into my mansion; no one in the residence even noticed anything strange. Your plan was perfect, if I had not sent this servant clean up the tunnels as a punishment.

I bit back a dry laugh while rolling my eyes. Who punishes a servant by making them clean the tunnels. They were barely used and disgusting. 

- So, I am wondering... how does one punishes a very skilled thief? I could easily and rightfully have him hanged for his crimes...

He brings a hand to his chin, pretending to think about it, and even if my heart had almost stopped when he mentioned the hanging part, I immediately reassure myself, noticing that the man had probably something else in mind. He doesn't say anything for a while, making me more and more anxious. Trying to calm myself as best as I could to appear stoic and careless, I scan the room once more.