Weather Control

Chapter 19

We were given a half hour to socialize before they were going to shut off our lamps. I sat on my bed, but I didn't pack anything up. If anyone suspected that I planned this, I would get caught before I did anything wrong. 

When Sunshine came over, I motioned for him to sit on the bed. In the few short days I had been here, the other people had started making friends and the noise their conversations was going to cover up the conversation I was about to have nicely. 

Without changing the expression on my face I said, "We leave tonight."

Sunshine was less subtle. His eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder to see if someone heard me. "Tonight?" he asked.

I smiled like I had just told him a joke. It had to look like we were having a normal conversation. "Yes. After they fall asleep. Down the hall and through the front door. We are going to the Chase's home until the morning. Then down to the earth. 

"That's the entire plan?" Sunshine asked. If his eyes got any wider, they were going to pop out of his head.

On the inside I was banging my head against the wall behind me. Outwardly, I managed to keep the pleasant smile on my face. "Maybe you don't get out much, but simple plans tend to work better. Most of my plans, as I'm sure you've heard from rumors, tend to go well." I wasn't the Obsidian Thief because I could tailor suits, and Sunshine seemed to realize this as well.

"Then we leave tonight," Sunshine muttered to himself in disbelief. 

"Get back to your bed," I growled. It seemed that I would never in my life find another boy as annoying as this one, and he was content to keep it that way.

I sighed and dropped my head onto the bed. Getting Sunshine down to South Dinala in broad daylight was going to be easier that nighttime, but I was still going to end up causing trouble. I wondered to myself if I could let him just walk from North Dinala and have him cross the border himself, but he would probably end up getting robbed somehow. I ran a hand over my face. 

I was not ready for the stress of having people's lives depend on me. Especially when it was the life of a annoyingly nice boy. He wasn't even an adult yet. 

Even with the ugly thought of murder running through my head, I managed to fall asleep before the commander came to shut off the lights. I planned to wake up before the night was even close to over.

I couldn't have slept more than two hours, but whatever that case, it was time to go. I nudged Sunshine on the shoulder and clamped a hand over his mouth before he could say anything. 

"If you make a sound," I said so softly I could barely hear myself, "it could be your death, understand?" 

He nodded and gathered his things. I noticed how quiet he was trying to be, but every sound he made still set me on edge. 

I gathered my own things in my bag and slung it carefully over my shoulder. Everything was padded so it wouldn't clink together, but I was taking no chances.

I grabbed Sunshine's arm in one hand and gripped Jace's knife in the other. I opened the door to the hall and immediately pushed Sunshine further back so he wasn't visible. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. There was a guard right outside the door. And he was staring straight at me. 

"Just looking for the wash room," I said before the guard could open his mouth to say something.

He moved to let me pass. I started to walk away from him, keeping the blade hidden on the other side of my body. Sunshine was still back in the room. With out letting myself think too much, I spun and slammed the butt of the knife to his head. I caught him as he collapsed and lowered him quietly to the ground. I had to hope no one heard it.

I went back into the room and motioned for Sunshine to follow me in the dim lighting. When I ran down the stairs, I winced before there was anything to be upset about. Sunshine was going to make a whole lot of noise limping down those stairs. 

I cursed his missing leg while a small thump sounded every other step he took. When he made it to the bottom, he shrugged.

"I tried, Thorne," he said. He didn't say it sadly, he said it like the devil himself was creeping up behind me. Sunshine was terrified. 

"Let's go before they figure anything out," I muttered. I barely remembered how to get out of the building, but somehow I managed to find the door we would need. I opened it and I was glad to find no guards. 

I knew the streets by memory, and it was not hard at all to navigate in the dark. I took Sunshine in and out of alley ways to avoid all the people I knew would be watching. Nothing changed since the last time I traveled through this part of the city. Crazy old people kept doing the same things over and over. It never changed.

We walked by the old run-down building, and I was tempted to retrieve the sword. I left it. There would be time later. 

I led Sunshine to the back of the tavern, careful to keep an eye on the neighbor's window. She had the rare ability to look out at just the right time to spot a thief breaking into homes. 

I gestured to the back door. "Wait there," I told Sunshine. "I'll be out in a bit."

I scaled the wall. It was no harder than it had been three years ago. Using one hand to hold onto the wall, I grabbed my picks and opened up the window. I had always complained that anyone who knew anything could break in, but Mrs. Chase said only few people would ever care to break in and, as long as i was one of those people, she wasn't going to do anything about it. 

I slipped into the bedroom and locked the window back with a soft click. Being the mother she was, Mrs. Chase woke up. 

"Just Thorne," I assured her. She sighed and leaned back into the bed she shared with Mr. Chase. This wasn't the first time I entered through the window late at night. 

I traveled down the stairs to the back door and I opened the door for Sunshine. he jumped when the door creaked open. 

"You made it," I laughed softly, grinning at him. "It's as simple as that."

His eyes were wide and I noticed his hands were shaking as well. "Simple?" he asked. "There was nothing simple about it." 

I shook my head at his claim. "Come upstairs and get some rest before tomorrow."

He ran a hand through his hair and followed me up to the bedrooms muttering something about crazy thieves under his breath.