The Tales Of Esmeralda

Chapter 29: The Couple From Afar

Eirinn used the small piece of rope around her wrist to put her hair up as Jason spoke.

"Okay. So, you do your thing and go up onto the bars up there near the ceiling. If you go to the right eventually you'll end up in the room you need to be in. Chances are they'll have trip wire everywhere so you'll have to do even more of your thing before you're able to get it."

Eirinn finished putting her hair up in a secure bun at that point. "Okay," Eirinn said in a slightly different accent than Jason's. "And what'll you be doing during this?"

Jason smirked. "Please. One of the guards will eventually come and see what's up and I'll knock him out and steal his clothes. Then I'll just say it's my shift to guard the door. A door that big with something that expensive? They'd have guards on it at all times."

Eirinn nodded with a smirk. "Alrighty, baby. Give me a boost."

Jason smirked, too, as he bent his legs and locked his hands together. Eirinn put her foot in his hands, bent her legs as Jason's hands went down, and Eirinn pushed off of Jason's hands as Jason pushed her up. Jason watched Eirinn to make sure she made it. She didn't land on one of the bars but she grabbed onto one with her hands. She was able to pull herself up before standing on it. She hopped on it a couple times to make sure she wouldn't fall. She didn't. So she waved at Jason with a smile. He smiled back at her with a wink and left to go knock out a guard and take his clothes.

Eirinn turned and walked to the direction she was supposed to go in. The pathway narrowed. It was at an odd shape. She turned to one side and went up in a handstand. She then walked into the narrow pathway like that and sure enough she fit. She thanked her mother for her skinny, short body. She walked like that for a little while, not knowing how long exactly she would have to do it. When the pathway opened up again she put her legs down and sat on the beam. She stretched her arms slightly as she took a look around. She was in the room with it. As she looked down she saw it. She decided to take the safest route instead of just jumping down to go get it. She found a ladder, which was probably used by the decorator earlier that day. She climbed down the ladder and stood on the edge of the room.

Eirinn looked out at the lines of rope that stood between her and the podium in the center of the room. She was no stranger to this; she knew that if she moved one of those ropes something or someone would come out and try to kill her.

That's where she had the advantage.

She looked at every strand of rope and determined what she would have to do in order to not move it. And after a few seconds of being 100% sure she moved.

She took a couple running steps before doing a roundoff back walkover. Then she stopped and turned. She took a couple steps forward before doing a cartwheel, a roundoff, and a front tuck. Now she was in the center of the room with the podium. She stared at the object with interest. She couldn't believe she was actually here...

Eirinn had always heard about the Jewel of Athena, but she didn't think it was real until recently. It was made of smoky quarts, so it was a glittering brown. It was larger than any other jewel of its time, and was rumored to have magical abilities. It would grant whoever it needed most one wish... At least it would be one wish per century.

So, of course, when a king found it he had it locked up in his castle and decided to throw a big festival where it would be presented. That's how Eirinn and Jason were able to get in. The festival was today. Which meant that Eirinn didn't have a lot of time to steal it.

She picked up the jewel. Nothing happened. She stuck it in her pant pocket and decided to go in a different direction so as to not have to do a tuck with the jewel in her pocket. She went a little ways off to where she originally was with the ladder and did a one handed cartwheel. She then did a one-handed handstand and walked forward a bit. Then she almost fell, so she fell into a split. She moved her front leg back and was laying down on her stomach. She put her knees up towards her hips, her toes going into the floor. She pushed forward as hard as she could and was away from all the rope. She stood up, walked back over to the ladder, and climbed it. She went onto the beam she was on before, switched the jewel to the opposite side, and did the other hand for her one-handed cartwheel.

When Eirinn went out to where her and Jason originally were there were four people walking around the castle. Eirinn crouched on the beam to listen to what they were saying. There were two men and two women, as far as she could tell. The woman with the red hair spoke first.

"Yolanda, are you sure they're here?"

Then the blonde woman spoke, "Yes, Esmeralda, I'm sure! Stephan wouldn't have lied to me!"

"I doubt Stephan was lying," the blond man spoke next. "This castle is holding the Jewel of Athena. What thief wouldn't want to get their hands on that?"

The blonde woman, whose name was probably Yolanda, smiled at the red head, Esmeralda. "Seeee? Petros gets it!"

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. Lets just go find them."

They all walked away. When they were out of site Eirinn jumped down from the beam. She moved the jewel to be in between her breasts instead of in her pockets. The guards would check her pockets. They wouldn't check her breasts.

She walked over to where Jason said he would be, and sure enough he was there in a suit of armor.

Jason smiled, his chocolate brown eyes dazzling as he did so. "Hey, baby! You do everything you need to?"

Eirinn smirked. "Indeed I did! You need help with the armor?"

"Yes please!"

Jason and Eirinn took Jason out of the armor quickly.

"So?" Jason asked when he checked to make sure no one was around.

"Down my shirt," Eirinn said. As Jason looked to see if the jewel was there she kept looking back and forth.

Jason was staring at the jewel in between Eirinn's breasts. "Wow. I'm seeing three beauties at once."

Eirinn laughed. "Stop it!" She lightly smacked him. "Now come on. Before we get caught!"

They started heading for the exit when somebody yelled, "HEY, YOU TWO! WHAT'RE YOUR NAMES?"

Eirinn and Jason didn't reply. They looked at each other, then ran out of the castle.

"NO, WAIT!" another voice said. Eirinn recognized this one. It was the red-headed woman she saw earlier. "WE JUST WANNA TALK TO YOU!"

Eirinn and Jason ran into the village, and luckily since everyone was already in the castle they wouldn't get caught running.

"What did you do with the horses?!" Eirinn asked.

"Uh..." Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda...sold them."

"WHAT?!" Eirinn shrieked.

"I'm sorry! We were running out of money for food! This man said if I gave him the horses he would give us food!"

Eirinn grumbled as she ran. Then she grabbed Jason's hand. "Into this house. Hurry!" They ran into somebody's house at random and decided to hide in there.

"Do you think that they saw us running into this house?" Jason asked.

Eirinn shook her head. "No, they probably didn't... At least hopefully..."

Jason took a deep breath, and so did Eirinn. "Okay," Jason said. "We should go and make sure that they're not in the house right now." Eirinn nodded in agreement.

They walked out of the hallway into the living room. In the living room they found the four people that Eirinn had seen earlier.

"Hey!" the red-head said. "You guys! We wanted to talk to you!"

"No!" Eirinn said as the red-head tried to step closer. "Not a step more!"

The red-head turned and looked at her friends with an eyebrow raised, then looked back at Eirinn. "Huh?!"

Of course Esmeralda didn't understand Eirinn. Eirinn wasn't Greek, so she didn't tend to speak it. She was speaking Common Celtic.

Eirinn looked at Jason and then back at the red-head. She then spoke in Greek, "Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh, was speaking my native language. I try to make sure people don't follow us from our homelands..."

The red-head smiled. "It's alright. Now, would you two happen to be Jason and Eirinn?"

Jason and Eirinn looked at each other. Then they both looked at the red-head as they said, "Yes."

The red-head smiled. "Good. Because we could really use your help with something."