Nevermore

An Unstealthy Heist

It is universally acknowledged that one cannot pull off a good heist with a crying wizard and ten armed security guards chasing them. Still, Elliot made do with what was given to him. The pair lost the guards as they rounded a corner. The halls of Alisvern were furnished with wealth beyond any mortal man's dream. Golden suits of armor stood at every corner. Silver tapestries and antique vases littered the hall. This obvious, not to mention gaudy, display of power was what made it difficult for the young thief to focus. It took every ounce of Elliot's strength not to grab a vase and make a quick exit out the nearest window. His companion wasn’t making things any easier.

“Wow, is that table made of real rubies?” The redhead prattled.

 Elliot groaned. Wizards were insufferable. Why couldn’t he have been paired with a Warlock? At least they knew how to keep quiet.

 Gritting his teeth, they moved closer to their prize. Elliot couldn’t believe the priests would be so careless as to leave it wide out in the open. Then again, the Priests of Alisvern were well known for their arrogance. He watched as the wizard, Ian, touched the glass case. Elliot laughed. The priests were so theatrical. Glass case? Empty hall? It was almost too predictable. He was sure as soon as the case was lifted an alarm would sound and hundreds of masked guards would appear...

 His inner monologue was broken by soft chanting from Ian. He was staring at the case with a look of utter concentration. Words of a language Elliot didn’t know spilled from his mouth.

            "Ich befehle dir, offen, ich befehle dir, offen, ich befehle dir-"

 “Can you hurry it up? We don’t have all day for you to mutter spells to yourself,” Elliot growled.

 The boy swallowed hard, a look of petulance on his face. “Look, there are complicated spells on this case. I might not be able to-”

Elliot cut him off. “You weren’t hired for what you can’t do, so hurry up and break that case or I’ll break you.”

 The last was said in such seriousness that Ian almost whimpered. It was obvious to Elliot that he was new to art of theft. For one, Ian seemed not to have learned the meaning of stealth. His steps echoed against the harsh cobblestone of the temple. Elliot was genuinely surprised they hadn't been caught.

Filled with a new sense of determination, the wizard picked up the pace.

"Im Namen des Merlin, ich fordere Eingang. Im Namen der Merlin ..."

He raked a hand through his hair, sweat dripping from his forehead. “Done,” he said at last, looking exhausted. “It’s done. Are you happy?” he said it with such insolence that Elliot wanted to smack him.

“Finally,” he murmured. Breathing in, Elliot reached out and removed the case. No masked guards, no alarms. Setting the case down, he grabbed the watch inside.

 Brrrrrrriiingggg!

“Son of a-!” he swore. For a moment his cool facade was shattered as he thought about their imminent capture. The priests didn't take kindly to thieves. He didn't make a habit out of listening to the gossip of the magical world, but even he had heard of what the priests did to those who committed crimes. Elliot was pretty sure theft of magical objects counted.

Willing himself to remain calm, he turned on Ian, sending a menacing glare. The boy wilted under the fierceness of it.

“Sorry,” he mouthed.

Elliot tucked the watch into his pocket. Turning around, he made to leave the hall.

“Where are you going?” A panicked voice reached his ear.

“Out the way we came. You don’t think I plan to stick around and get caught?” said Elliot.

Ian shook his head. “They’re bound to have sealed off all of the openings.”

Elliot raised an eyebrow. “Then how do you expect us to get out of here?” he was getting sick of this whiny wizard.

“If you transfer all your energy to me, I could teleport us-”

“Like hell,” Elliot interrupted. He wasn’t about to give this kid all of his power. Wizards were notorious for taking, but not returning. Weaker wizards used power transfers to absorb the energy around them. It allowed them to perform more complex spell work, but left their victims devoid of any magic.

“I’ll find my own way out.” With that, he turned on his heels and exited the hall. He tried to leave out the window they had come through, but, to his immense frustration, Ian was correct. All openings were sealed.

Growling, he hid in a small alcove near the kitchens. Numerous guardsmen ran past him, taking no notice of the dark shape hidden in the corner. They’re getting paid way too much, he thought dryly.

He pulled the small object from his pocket. The Aeternum Bellum was as beautiful as Elliot had heard. The outer shell of the watch was completely gold. The only color difference was the blood red petals etched along the edge of the watch. The hands, thin, twisted black needles, swung around carelessly. Unlike other watches, it didn't seem to follow the time. The hands would occasionally stop at a Roman numeral, but it only lasted for a few second.

In Elliot's opinion, it wasn’t much to look at. For an item rumored to have immense power and the ability to break the time-space continuum, it was small and girly looking. Shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, he closed his eyes and focused all of his energy on said item.

Not a natural wizard at birth, the thief had a hard time controlling magic, but simple transfer spells he could do. “To Isaac, to Isaac!” he whispered. The trinket flickered, and then remained solid. He groaned, “I don’t have time for this! To Isaac. To Isaac!” The last was said with a shout. It caused the item to disappear, but revealed his hiding spot to the guards.

Leaning back from exhaustion, he smirked. Cue the evil leader monologue.