Revealed

PROLOGUE

It was dark and cold in the desert that night. Actually, it was pretty much like every other night in this godforesaken country. The figure wore all black and disapeared into the shadows created by the palace walls in the small amount of moonlight provided.

There would be a shift change soon. Soon another torch appeard by the gate, revealing two gaurds in conversation. It was time. Conscious that their short window was closing, the hooded figure slipped down to the gate on the far end. There weren't any gaurds because this gate always closed at sundown, but for some unexplained reason, there was always a lit torch. Whoever decided it was a good idea to waste expensive kerosine was probably the same idiot who thought it would be a good idea to leave a lit torch right next to a dry cart full of straw.

A pale hand reached out of the darkness and grasped the torch. It was heavier than they had thought. The budding arsonist accidently dropped it onto the cart, allowing themself only a quick smile before fleeing back into the shadows. Soon, the fire became a blazing inferno. The alarms started ringing and in the ensuing chaos, no one bothered about an out of place serving boy with no business being within the palace walls at night. Pulling the hood lower to cover their face, the thief passed through ungaurded door after ungaurded door until finally reaching the vault. A lone soldier remained at his post. The thief smiled, finally someone who isn't totally inept. After retreating into the shadows the intruder could examine their opponent without being seen. It was a man, that was no surprise, however, he was barely out of boyhood, maybe eighteen years old. That was surprising.

He wore the usual uniform of the king's gaurd, chainmail, and lots of it, with a gaudy gold belt, leather sandals and a ridiculous berete like hat. It all hung loosely on his scrawney frame. There were two daggars tucked into his belt and an iron sword in his trembling hands. There was only one option if anything in that vault was to be liberated from the possesion of King Cor.

Emerging from the shadows, the thief's face took on a mask of indifference as if the situation was completly normal. Actually, for me there's no such thing as normal, but I guess this is as close as it comes. The cloaked figure actually had trouble biting back a laugh. Smiling was rare, laughing was unheard of. If I'm not careful, this might actually become a habit. It was a disturbing thought.

The young man suddenly realized he was being approached. It wouldn't be hard for him to figure the short, slender person wearing a hood that covered nearly all their face wasn't a palace gaurd and was up to no good. The hand whipped out and had one of the boy's own daggers at his throat before he could even open his mouth to call for help.

"What do you want?" He seemed to realize how foolish his question was and quickly added, "other than to rob us?" And we have a winner.

Speaking soft and low to hide their identity, his assailent answered, "Right now? Right now I want you to open the door to the King's vault. Then we'll see what else you can do for me."

"And if I won't?"

"Do I really need to dignify that with a response?"

Silence, then a small, "You just did." Snarky reply aside, the boy cooperated. He opened the door and watched in silence as the trespasser examined the roof and ceiling. "You look like you've been here before."

The thief smiled at his courage. If he only knew. "Are you trying to gain clues about my identity, or distract me until the other guards get here?"

"A little of both." I think I might actually be enjoying myself. I'm begining to like this kid.

"So tell me, how does someone so young and so smart end up gaurding the king's palace?" Finally, the slight figure found what it was searching for. A bit of black cloth had been placed over a section of the ceiling in the far corner of the windowless room. "Move this please." He moved the chest under the cloth and after the thief climbed onto it, they could reach the ceiling. They grabbed the edge of the cloth where dried, sandy mud held it in place and pulled. It came away to reveal the one foot by one foot square grate that let in a shaft of moonlight. The boy stared, "What in Inan is that?" "That," the thief replied, "is a ventilation grate. Did you know the architect who designed this palace had a terrible fear of suffocation? He had these installed in all his vaults incase he got trapped. They work quite well as an escape route too if you can fit through such a tiny space, which I can of course. But, I don't think you answered my question."