Memory of AUSOS

S1| Ep08: First Snow II

Year 20 of the Reign of Enduring Militancy, 3rd Solar Month

Zeke blew on his hands, trying to force some life into his numb fingers. But the warmth from his breath only lasted moments before the cold came seeping back in. He gave up with a sigh and leaned against the wooden alley wall.

They were late.

Sure, Tuyet and the rest loved teasing him about his compulsive punctuality, but surely it was taking too long even for the others. According to the plan, the signal should have gone up ages ago. And none of Tuyet's plans had ever gone wrong before.

On the other hand, if something had gone wrong, surely they'd have found a way to contact him regardless. Tuyet always made sure they had backup plans in place. Even if Zeke suspected she mostly made them up on the spot.

He glanced up at the darkening sky. The celebrations would soon be under way. Perhaps it was just the quivering excitement of the city getting to him. In his mind he could imagine Tuyet laughing at him. What a silly worrywart you are, she'd say, leaning up on tiptoe to tweak his nose. And most of the time, she'd be right.

But this time, he had every right to fret. They'd never taken on such a big job before. Sure, they'd stolen from rich officials before (even now Zeke couldn't help but smirk at the memory of the look on that fat bastard's face when he realized he'd been duped by a bunch of street brats), but that was different.

This time, their target was none other than the head of Clan Rusli, come to attend the festival of lights in person with his wife and young heir in tow.

Or more precisely, their target was the Rusli heirloom, a valuable jade pendant worn by the lady of the clan only on important occasions. And today certainly was such an occasion. The festival of lights marked the last of the new year's celebrations; this year in particular, gossip on the streets claimed that the childless king intended to make an announcement at long last about his successor. Zeke didn't care much about the rumors. The king had adopted some nephew or other relation years ago, but simply never made the designation of crown prince official. But in the end, what did it matter who sat the throne?

What really mattered was this damn job. He'd been reluctant about taking it on, even before he learned who the target would be. They'd never taken a contracted job before, and he'd heard plenty of horror stories. Never knew when your employer might screw you over. As the eldest, he felt responsible for making sure they didn't jump head first into anything too risky.

But though Zeke was the eldest, it was Tuyet everyone followed. When Tuyet said they could pull something off, everyone damn well believed it. In all the years Zeke had known her, she'd never failed them.

And Tuyet had convinced them all it'd be worth it. The promised pay was more money than all of them put together had ever seen in their lives. There'd be no more jobs. No more scraping by on the streets. No more hungry nights.

Zeke thought of the day they'd received the first half of the payment. Recalled the looks on the younger children's faces.

A distant flash caught his eye, and the memory faded. Zeke squinted. A faint red light blinked. Once, twice. Three times in all, and then two more times, at a faster beat than before.

The signal. Zeke exhaled and stuffed his hands into his pockets before slipping down the alley, back into the crowds gathering at the central plaza. He'd been prepared to act as backup if necessary, but now that the pendant had been obtained, it was his responsibility to get it safely into the hands of their waiting employer.

Everyone's eyes were trained on the procession of Clan representatives making their way down the main avenue; Zeke watched as well as he headed to the agreed-upon meeting point. Most of the nobles, Zeke couldn't recognize. But soon enough, he spotted the infamous redheaded Ruslis astride their ceremonial horses, surrounded by armed retainers.