The Stableboy's shadow (BL)

Chapter 1

This was less than ideal.

The plan had been perfect, with no room for mistakes, everything so precisely calculated. It was a new moon night, very dark, and the sky was threatening to cry any second. During the guard switch, Riley made his move. Using the ladder to get to the roof without drawing any attention to himself, he slipped into the shadows until he found the window he had singled out near the noble's room. Grabbing the lady's jewelry box, he slid back in the darkness. Carefully scanning the room, he made his way to the trapdoor that led to the tunnels, where no guards were supposed to be patrolling. Simple, effective, and very lucrative.

So why was he waking up in a cell?

A sharp pain jolted through the side of his forehead. Riley eyes struggled to adjust to the dim light of the room. When the dizziness became bearable, he slowly sat up on the hard surface he had been passed out on, his hands finding the rough wooden panel. He touched his forehead, finding a large, throbbing lump above his left eyebrow.

As his vision cleared, his first instinct was to assess his surroundings. He seemed to be in a basement -no windows, a low ceiling barely six feet high, and three tiny jail cells, each barely large enough to stand in. All were empty, except his. At the far left of the room was a narrow staircase that –if Riley remembered the manor's layout correctly- should be leading to the servant quarters - assuming he was still in the manor. In front of the stairs was a round table at which two guards laughed loudly as they apparently engaged in a dice game.

Judging by the torchlight on the stairs -again assuming he knew where he was- it was still nighttime, so he hadn't been there for too long. Instinct kicked in, and Riley began formulating an escape plan. The darkness could have been quite the advantage to sneak out unseen, if the shadows responded to his commands. That brought a frown to his face.

He inspected his wrists. Though he was wearing cuffs, linked to long chains tied to the top of his cage, none of them seemed to be enchanted to suppress magic. Confused, he lifted the bottom of his pant leg. In doing so, he discovered two things; one, there was no cuff on that ankle, and two, as the movement caused his elbow to bump the bars, an electric shock ran through his arm and chest. He recoiled in pain and froze, his eyes falling on the bar he just hit. He wasn't wearing a Nully Cuff, forged from the dwarves' magic suppressing white iron. He was in a Nully Cage.

What kind of man had a whole cage made of this ridiculously expensive stuff in his basement?

Riley absentmindedly gritted his teeth and curled up at the edge of the "bed," trying to remember what had happened, what had betrayed him. He had studied everything; blueprints, guard rotation and servant schedules. He had identified all possible exits. He had ensured that none of the jewel were marked by expensive locating spells. And yet, as he had navigated the tunnels, where no one usually ventured, he had ended up walking right into a very tall man who, startled, had screamed and swung his shovel straight at his head.

Riley raised his hand back to the bump on his forehead to assess the damage. He hissed as he touched the tender area, feeling the swelling reach his temple. When he looked at his glove, the dried blood confirmed what he already suspected – his face was caked with it. With no urgency, he thought he ought to do something about it. He pressed the cool leather again on his bump and it slightly eased the throbbing.

"Well, well, well, look who finally woke up" a sly voice said with a laugh.

Riley looked up. Two men had entered the now quiet room. The speaker was dressed in a luxurious night gown, his arms elegantly crossed over his chest. All his being was radiating nobility, his piercing eyes meticulously analyzing the thief. Behind him was one of the guards that was previously sitting at the table, who kept a cautious eye on Riley. The prisoner brought his attention back to the lord. He certainly had a spark of cruelty in his eyes. he had encountered wicked lords before, but this one... this one made his blood run cold and fear for his life.