A Thief's Shadow

Jack vs the Giant

Two massive fists slammed down on the table with the force of a giant. "There is no such thing as ghosts, or wraiths, or living shadows! There are only men and animals!" The table groaned pitifully. Sadly, collapsing would mean death by fire, so it heroically continued to wobble on unsteady legs. "The Guild of Shadows can't be behind this - they only steal from the camps! Besides, they are rarely seen. This so-called wraith either wants to be seen or likes to watch his prey. He can't possibly be part of the Guild." The General's eyes glowed with the anger of a raging fire.

He stood, rising to his full, massive height. His fury melted into a wicked smile. It was a smile that had greeted thousands of criminals before their deaths. Even his own, elite knights couldn't help but take a tentative step back. "What we need to do is set a trap. A trap that he can't resist. If the Guild or rogues come instead, we will kill them. If he comes, we will capture him. No matter what, we will win. Then we can leave this accursed city and return to the palace."

A knight spoke up, "Where do we set up the trap? We'll need to do it soon. Looking at how suddenly his larceny began, he could be a traveling thief. You know, like a nomad. Traveling from place to place, only staying and stealing for short spans of time so that he doesn't get noticed and...caught..." His voice slowed as he realized he had attracted unwanted attention. The unfortunate knight was the youngest among his peers. As a tall man, he was made for the job. As a talkative man, he wasn't.

Teeth grinding together, the General glared down at the young knight. "What is your name?"

The man realized his mistake. There was no backing out. "Cal, sir." He stared gravely up at the General. There was nothing else he could do, now. In the worst case scenario, the General would take his rank away. He had worked hard to reach knighthood at such a young age, though. Most boys reached knighthood in their late twenties. Cal was only twenty-one.

"Cal, keep your mouth shut in the future, or I'll shut it for you. Understood?"

Cal swallowed and nodded. His mouth remained shut.

"Wonderful." The General continued, "Soldiers, I want you to find the... women with the largest stomachs. And dig out your best dress clothes. We will be sending you in carriages in groups of three. In each trio, two soldiers will act as knights, and one as a lord. Those of you who will be acting as lords must find a large woman with whom you can get along for a day. You may organize your own groups. Just get it done and stagger your departure times at least an hour apart. Complaining about the cold would be a good reason for leaving Desantis and the King so early."

The lords and ladies tended to visit the King for the Winter Feast, which would happen in a month. They visited in large groups four times a year for the winter, fall, summer, and spring feasts. It was like heaven on Earth for the city's thieves. While the General had claimed the Guild of Shadows only attacked camps, they didn't. They had grander schemes to fulfill. Just two years before, only a year after the Guild of Shadows had formed, the Guild had stolen the King's crown, scepter, golden cape, and the royal gem all in one night. The whereabouts of all four items remained unknown.

As Cal thought about the Kingdom's most valuable items, one of the General's only failures, he searched the crowd of knights. He knew nobody, and all of them were at least ten years his senior. A gloved palm slapped him on the back as two of the younger knights approached him. "You took the General's ribbing pretty well! I like you already. I'll tell you a secret; he's actually a softie underneath all of that tough exterior. Like a baked potato! Just replace the potato skin with something a little tougher."

The other knight smiled. "I'll tell you a secret, too; he's actually stick-up-his-arse serious through and through. No soft spot whatsoever. Otherwise he would have a wife by now." Both knights burst into laughter and Cal couldn't help but join in. Their cheer was contagious.

The knight who had spoken first had brilliant red hair and a well-trimmed beard. He stroked his beard as he continued, "Allow me to introduce myself and my unintelligent friend. I am Nikolas and this is Nikolai." 

Nikolai rolled his eyes. His brown hair seemed dim in comparison to his companion's. "You can call us both Nick if you'd like. I'm actually the smarter one. Don't trust anything he says. The only thing he's good for is finding large lady friends, so today we're in luck." Nikolai burst into giggling laughter and didn't stop until Nikolas elbowed him in the ribs. Nikolai cleared his throat and pasted on a serious face. "Anyway, we will need to procure surcoats. They need to have the symbol of that sea lord... What's his name? He never comes to any of the feasts except for the summer one. Lord Cyrus, that's the one. I've always thought he looked like Nikolas."

Cal shrugged. "I've never seen him myself."

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