The Shadress (MCD x Reader)

Ch. 01- Stolen Books

Present day...

I creep my way through the dark oak halls, the ornate ruby red carpet cushioning the sounds of my footsteps. Not that I would need the help with silence, I didn't wear shoes for this exact reason.

"Where?" I hear someone behind me ask.

I unconsciously speed up. After coming this far, I'm not getting caught with these stolen books. Besides, these O'Khasis guards would just take me to the High Priest and all he seems interested in these days is trying to make me his bride after he saw my display of power.

A bride is something I don't want to be.

"What do you mean the books are gone?! They were just imported for the High Priest!" Ivy's voice echoes down the hall. Her high pitch makes me cringe.

The window I climbed in is still cracked open, held up by a little gray stone I placed between the window and the sill. I shuffle the books to my left arm, lifting the window with my right hand.

Stepping out onto the terrace roof, the wind almost pushes me over. Why does it always have to be windy on the days I steal from him? I very gently shut the window behind me, taking hold of the rock as the window and sill meet. "Well, find her! She's got to be here somewhere," are the last words I hear before the window slips silently shut.

To free up my hand again, I put the stone in my pocket, determined to leave behind no trace of my existence.

The climb down is always worse, but to climb down with only one arm, carrying a bunch of books which offsets my weight is almost impossible. Almost. I hear the door around the side of the house slam open as I start my careful escape.

"You heard the Venom Scythe! Find that damned woman! And bring her to me!" The High Priest's words make me roll my eyes.

Find me? If that's what it takes to let him sleep again.

Once safely on the ground, my escape becomes much easier. I take half the load of books back into the hold of my right arm, slinking my way through the back alleys until I reach the wall farthest from his quarters. The tall stone wall harboring my escape is in my sight when I slow my pace to a meander.

"Do you need help with that?" A kind voice sounds behind me.

I turn to see a lady holding open a cloth bag. She looks middle class with her dress and I feel bad for taking something from a woman who doesn't have that much to begin with. "No, no, I couldn't." I politely refuse, shaking my head and listening for the sounds of approaching guards. They never expect me to move fast, so at least it takes them forever to reach the walls.

"No. I insist. I don't need it anyway." She holds it open as I carefully slide the books into the bag, taking care to not show her identifying features. "I make bags for a living, I'll just make a new one."

At that, I relax just a smidge to make her feel relieved. "Alright, thank you very much."

As she turns away, I continue my trek to the secret escape in the walls. The hole is no bigger than the width of my chest and I have to turn my head to squeeze inside, but the crevice does its job to mask the person I am.

Once I am encased in shadow, I feel my power dance along my nerves, washing away my disguise as an O'Khasian peasant. The bag in my hands changes color and removes all identifying features of who it could have belonged to. The comfortable feeling of shadows hugs my face, removing all upper facial features I have.

The space between the stones of the walls is damp and smells of mold. The chill clings to my arms as I move quickly, rounding the wall's corner before slowing to a crawl, not quite stopping so I won't be caught. I slip my shoes on as I pass their hiding place, careful to keep my footsteps as light as possible.