THIEF: THE MIDNIGHT VEIL

12: "SNAP DECISION"

Garrett had never been particularly fond of stairs. The uneven nature of their steps made it tough for a swift getaway in the event of an all-out muck-up, much less a quiet one. When it was an option, he avoided them entirely.
Right now, he had the option - and with the guards so riled up because of Declan Chauncey's attack on one of them, the manor seemed to be newly abuzz with patrols, not unlike a provoked beehive.
Garrett had decided against venturing up the winding staircase in the tower near the butler's room, not wanting to chance being caught in an enclosed space when guards were on high alert. Instead, he waited for a gap in patrols and weaved his way back to Kessler Hall and its many displays and adornments.
Kessler Hall's towering windows lining the west side of the grand room gave way to moonlight and the gardens and hedgerows outside. Garrett could tell it was a celebratory hall, complete with a polished marble dance floor near the windowed wall. Empty tables and their empty chairs sat quietly, clustered together to serve as the dining area for large events. Enormous oaken double doors, ornately chiseled with beautiful, intricate designs and flourishes, stood watch over the grand hall like two silent sentinels guarding untold secrets.
An impressive number of valuables, some encased in glass, were placed on display throughout the hall for all to gaze upon. Items boasting various levels of luxury were everywhere.
A jeweled goblet. An ornamental dagger sheathed in a jade scabbard. A silver crown with sapphires set in its center, two of its many pointed pinnacles chipped off entirely. A collection of otherwise ordinary-looking stones, placed in a shallow pool encased in glass. Particularly eye-catching was a full Hammerite uniform on display, donned by a faceless mannequin and complete with the hefty hammer that those of the order favored.
Having made his way to the butler's room from the eastern side of the manor, Garrett had not yet seen Kessler Hall and its many riches.
The man was almost beside himself. Caution fought excitement in his mind.
He couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much treasure in one room. He couldn't take it all even if he had wanted to.
Lightning flashed outside and threw large columns of bright light across the dark hall. Garrett instinctively melted into the shadows of the far corner, safe from further light flashes exposing his position.
Caution won over quickly.
So many riches on display, left untended? Sure, the House Guard was on high alert and searching for a possible intruder... but what, that meant they abandoned patrol formation? They left this entire hall unguarded?
Lady Arden's reputation preceded her. Clearly she was not worried about being robbed, with all these trinkets and treasures laid out for the world to gaze upon. Nobody would dare.
What was unsettling was not one guard was in sight.
Garrett's jaw clenched. He waited for a long moment, scouring the darkest edges of the grand hall very slowly, his mechanical eye clicking every few moments as he adjusted.
Lady Arden openly condemned Karras and his Mechanist movement, and as such Garrett had determined by now that there were likely no mechanical devices in Arden Manor... but he knew damned well there were plenty of ways to maim or kill an intruder using conventional methods.
One did not need a machine to punish an inattentive trespasser.
Footsteps drew near, accompanied by low voices that were too faint to understand. Soon a torch's glow floated into view from the top floor, casting its light over the upper balcony railing.
Garrett looked up at two guards as they sauntered into view. Both had their swords drawn - even the one leading with the torch - though they were rather relaxed with their poise.
One was a woman, and she was dutifully casting glances here and there, no doubt on the lookout for possible intruders.
"— if one of them really did it," the man with the torch was saying. "Hard to believe."
"It is," came the woman. "But you never know. Gotta consider all options. Could've even been one of us. Who knows?"
"Careful now, Mosley. Your 'City Watch' is showing. Ha! You all must love the 'who-dunnits.'"
"Pah. You can take the 'who-dunnit' and cram it right up your arse, Wade. You never know. Trust me. Even the—"
Their voices faded as they marched on along the upstairs balcony, silhouettes with shining armor against the torch the man carried.
Garrett frowned upward. There it was again.
Mosley? City Watch? Did she work private security now for Lady Arden?
Impossible. He would have heard about Lieutenant Mosley leaving the Watch, or any other changing of the guard under Sheriff Truart. Hell, Flor would have mentioned it at the very least.
The two guards stopped in the distance, at a corner of the balcony that wound out of view deeper into the manor. They were both talking in low voices, their words lost to the unwavering downpour of the storm outside.
Garrett watched them as they talked, and zoomed in to try to catch a glimpse of the woman's face. She did seem to have strawberry blonde hair, as a few strands fell from her helm and trickled down her forehead like golden streams.
He could not imagine Lieutenant Mosley would give up her post as a ranking officer in the City Watch to join the House Guard of a noble.
     Mosley was "one of the good ones." Even the criminal underworld of The City had some respect for the woman, even if much of it wanted her dead. She was unflinching in character and her integrity was a standing stone. She could not be bought.
     Then again, this was Lady Arden - not just any noblewoman. If anyone could poach Lieutenant Mosley from the City Watch, it would have been Gwyneth Arden.
If that was Lieutenant Mosley, Garrett knew he had to be even more careful than usual. She was known to be sharp as an investigator, shrewd and infallible with her cunning.
Garrett sighed through his nose softly and took stock of the hall again. There were so many marks of opportunity to consider. Many of them were too large to properly stow and transport safely out.
He needed to get upstairs, but perhaps he could snag one or two of Lady Arden's precious relics before he went.
The thief scanned the floors carefully, focusing intently on the marble tile in an attempt to pick out any waiting pressure plates or tripwires. The tall series of bookcases provided ample cover, but they also could become a difficult perch to get stuck in if patrols happened to box him in.
Garrett eyed the jade dagger. At the very least he could tuck that away with no trouble.
He waited patiently for the guards upstairs to continue on their way out of sight and earshot before quietly pulling a moss arrow from his quiver and nocking it to his bow.
Lightning flashed again, and thunder erupted overhead. Garrett seized the noisy moment and loosed the arrow. The storm masked the snap of his bow and the quiet - but still audible - thwock of the moss arrow as the tip found its mark on the floor.
Green patches of moss sprouted on impact, covering much of the tile and providing a soft-padded surface for Garrett to move across and reach the jade dagger in near silence.
But he barely had a chance to shoulder his bow when the sounds of more approaching footsteps reached his ears - this time from the ground floor, not far away from where he stood - and sure enough, he could see the warning glow of torchlight on the stone walls of the hallway where they had apparently discovered the unconscious guard earlier in a washroom.
A warm glow suddenly faded in to sight at the other corner of his vision, gradually emerging from the stormy darkness outside the nearest window. It was a lantern making way for an outdoor patrol, and he could hear the voices of the guards outside muffled by the storm.
There might have been more than two.
And not two seconds later, the woman guard and her partner on patrol seemed to have doubled back towards the hall up above him. They would soon be at the indoor balcony again overlooking his position and the entire grand hall. Garrett could hear Mosley's voice faintly, and a jeering laugh from the other man.
Guards were converging on his position from three different directions.A less experienced intruder likely would have panicked.
Garrett took a deep breath and surveyed his options while also taking note of the darkest parts of the hall. He might have been able to stay cloaked in the shadows and wait for them all to pass, but they would likely see the moss on the floor.
Maybe it would simply baffle whoever found it. Maybe they'd scratch their heads and move on without incident... or, it would lead to his capture. They were already antagonized enough, and with the guards having found moss earlier outside the Leisure Room, they would likely be quite vigilant in checking every nook and cranny of Kessler Hall.
His Keeper mentors had taught him long ago that instinct was not to be ignored.
Garrett made a snap decision.
He stepped forward from his hiding place and brandished his bow mid-stride, taking care to still remain outside of the moonlight shining through the windows. He hurriedly nocked a rope arrow to the string.
It was risky, but not as risky as staying put.
He aimed straight up, past the second story balcony overhang and all the way to the wooden rafters above, and loosed his arrow.
The rope arrow bit into the wooden ceiling, and Garrett was already reaching for a noisemaker.
He would need to be quick.