Dragon-Bound Thief: Teaser Chapter

Dragon-Bound Thief: Part 2

He was about to step out onto the balcony into the rain when he had a thought. He felt the curtains. The inner edges were damp from the blowing rain, but away from the opening, they were still dry. He took the punk from his mouth. The glowing coal on the end was hot, useful for starting fires in his shop. Now he held it against the richly embroidered fabric and blew gently. The punk gleamed hotly, and the material started to smoke. He blew again, and a flame flickered into life. The fine gold wires woven into the fabric separated and curled back from the dancing glow of burning fabric. Gently he blew twice more. The small flame stretched out and started licking up the outside of the curtain. Eldin and his friend would arrive in moments, but even a small fire would require immediate attention—the distraction he needed.

Chaif stepped out onto the balcony. He could not go down. The straight brick walls below were smooth, with no protrusions. It prevented thieves from climbing up, but it was just as effective at preventing him from climbing down. The drop to the street below was too great. No, he had to climb higher yet. The roof line outside the bedroom lay just above the window. It was part of a dormer extension, but it would take him to the main roof.

He shrugged the cloak back from his shoulders and felt for a handhold in the carved stone trim around the window. Although wet from the rain, there were edges deep enough to provide a grip. He put his right foot on the slim edge of the balcony's railing and found a second grip around the corner of the dormer.

Climbing in the wet was treacherous, but his foot did not slip as he put his weight on it. The bricks around the window alternated between three bricks laid vertically and three laid horizontally. The horizontal courses were inset slightly from the verticals to emphasize the decorative pattern, but the real benefit was Chaif's. He had a series of edges to support his boots. He scraped his foot along the wall until he found the next one and pushed himself up.

Above the balcony rail, rough nibs of brick scraped and pulled at his leather outer jacket each time he moved. After another step, he finally caught the edge of the roof gutter with his hand. He eased the weight off his feet for a moment and took a deep breath. His next step took his feet as high as the top of the window. He bent forward and put his chest on the roof for a moment's rest. The tiles were wet and cold.

A commotion started in the bedroom below. A woman screamed, and a man cursed. Chaif ignored the sounds. He had to move. Although he had reached the roof, he was still visible from the balcony.

A pulse of lightning showed a dragon gargoyle just to his right in the junction between the two roof lines. A decorative element, the stone figure also functioned to split and control the flow of rainwater down the valley between the rooflines. It was tall enough to give him a grip that would allow him to swing his foot up onto the gutter. But was the dragon mounted only to the surface of the roof deck, or was it fastened more solidly into the bones of the house itself?

A crash echoed through the window below. Chaif paid no attention to the noise. He reached for the gargoyle with his right hand. The stone was slippery and wet, but the wings projecting from its shoulders were stout and had an edge to grip. Before he released his hold with his other hand, Chaif gave the figure a hard jerk. It felt solid, but he had to trust it with his life. Flexing his fingers, he took a careful grip. There was no way back.

He stretched for a foothold in the angle where the main wall intersected the dormer. The brick ledges were a fraction less deep here. The grip of his boot's sole on the little ledge felt tentative. He did not trust it. He flexed his fingers before he took more weight onto his hands. He slid his right foot forward a little father until more of the lip of brick was under his foot. Now his boot's purchase felt more certain. He took a deep breath and let go of the gutter with his left hand. He had both hands around the stone carving, and now his face was only inches from the gargoyle's fanged snout. A flicker of distant lightning illuminated the snarling face of a dragon. He took a deep breath. It was only a stone carving. He had no desire to ever be this close to a real dragon.