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"He won't tell us what its about," said the boy.
Night had fallen on the world outside, like a cape drawn over a candle. The streets still glowed though with steady flames. People left their houses and met in the streets. Some walked to taverns, some to theatres. Women in extravagant costumes moved around like lost peacocks and drunks wandered after them like entranced tourists. Esterham came alive even as Nia counted down the days to her doom. How quickly all of this could unravel. If the letter was an invite, they would have to visit the palace and the moment a royal or an ancient guard remembered, Nia's life would unravel. Which was exactly why she needed to know what was in the letter.
"You were trained as a Felis," she said.
"I don't see how - ," he paused as realization dawned on his face. "You want me to steal it."
Nia nodded. His face looked queasy. "You stole documents from Asmia from under their nose. I think you can steal a letter from a circus master," she said in her most convincing voice.
"We both know he's not just a circus master," he said. "And I haven't stolen in so long, I honestly think I've forgotten. Nia, I've walked the path to honesty and decency. Stealing is no longer -"
"Empty your pockets," she idly commanded.
He took a deep breath, and pulled out his pockets. Three wallets, two sets of keys, a pearl earring and half a grape fell out.
"You were saying?" she asked smugly.
"Fine," he replied, defeatedly. "But you're going to have to draw him out of the room. I'm not stealing as long as he's in there."
She stood there, absolutely still like a human turned stone. But anyone who knew her well enough knew that she was anything but still on the inside. The gears of her mind frantically turning, thinking, planning. "Fine," she said at last and left the room.
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The hallway was dimly lit outside by mosaic sconces casting somber shadows of color on the wood. A door on her right was opened, light filtering through in a single beam. Nia peeked in to see Hera and her twin sit on the floor with their legs crossed facing each other, talking in low voices. She silenced her breathing and listened.
"He won't be dead long enough," said one of them.
"Then it's a good thing, knives can be reused," replied the other.
Fear inched its way into her thoughts. What?
"His wife has filed a report to the guards. Calls us the two shadows," one of them said. The crinkle of paper filled the silence. One of them snorted and the light thud of paper hit the wall Nia was standing on the other side of.
"I'm flattered."
"Admetus is getting anxious," murmured a twin. That name... it sounded familiar. A baby blue broken piece from one of the mosaics of her past, except she couldn't tell which.
"Why? Did he find out his daughter's sleeping with his butler?"
"He found out that people know about us."
Nia's ears strained as their voices grew lower and dimmer.
"She said shadows, that isn't the same as knowing us. I doubt she or anyone could identify us based on that description."
YOU ARE READING
unraveled
Fantasía"I've seen rats with better attention spans than you," she said onto his face. And then the boy was there pulling her onto her feet and off of him. "But have you seen them with such beautiful faces?" he asked, standing up, brushing off th...
