Prologue
Arryk Talon stands near the castle wall. It is a harsh stretch of stone, an iron door locked and bolted at its center. There is a narrow gap between the door and the rock, when the breeze is right, it carries the scent of summer and the distant warmth of the sun.
There is no breeze tonight.
There is no moon, and yet he is bathed in moonlight. It catches the edges of his threadbare coat. The light shines on his skin. Arryk follows his hand along the wall, searching for something. With stubborn strands of wild grass growing between the stone slabs, Arryk jabs his fingertips into every fissure, and nearby, Arryk feels a bit of stone breaking free as it tumbles to the ground, exposing a small brass key. Arryk bends his head as he checks the knife at his waist. Then he pulls the small key out of the opening in the stone.
Arryk smirks. He hears the whispering of men as he quickly moves away past the slot and begins to scale up the side to the window near the top of the wall.
As Arryk ascends, he can hear the footsteps of guards patrolling and the faded moans of a noblewoman echoing throughout the palace grounds. As this would distract anyone, Arryk loses his footing as he glances around, preoccupied with the source of the sound. Arryk slides off the wall with his right hand but narrowly recovers.
"Shit," he whispers. "Keep your head on."
Arryk begins again with his immense climb, and soon he reaches his destination. Launching his body over the barrier, Arryk quickly hides behind a group of barrels of blackberry ale. Arryk wipes the sweat from his forehead and scratches his beard.
Arryk notices a guard moving toward the exit nearest to him. The guard is dressed in black robes with dragon-scale-like armor hung on his chest and arms. As the sentry emerges from the dimly lit tower, Arryk readies himself for a brawl when a throwing knife is thrown into the unsuspecting guard's back.
Carver Blackmont, an elf, leaps from the tower. The humanoid creature removes his hood before smirking warmly at Arryk, wearing all black to complement his inhuman pale skin and silver hair.
"I had that," Arryk whispers while nodding his head before putting his dagger back in its sheath.
"I figured. Now. "What's the plan again?" Carver looks around the empty palace.
"They keep the jewels in that middle house," he says as he gestures to a gravel building in the middle of the clearing.
"What about Aerwyna?"
"Oh yes... She's in that tower." He points over to the tower across the way, surrounded by four guards.
"Draw reeds?"
"She's your sister." whisperers Arryk
"Humor me." Carver sighs
Arryk reluctantly removes a fistful of reeds from a pouch in his coat before presenting them in front of Carver. Carver chooses a reed from the group. Then Arryk does the same. Arryk's reed is longer.
"Well, it's not the first time I've had something longer than you," Arryk says as he smirks.
"Funny." Carver grins as he climbs back up the lookout. "Remind me why Dargo and Aelfraed aren't here again?" he continues before splitting up.
"I think he said he had something he could get out of." Arryk chimes before leaping off the wall.
He lands with a thud, battering two sentries each near the opposing side of the wall. Hitting one in the chest, leaving him breathless and dazed, he elbows the other in the face before whipping him off his feet and snapping his neck. As the other regains his balance and stumbles forward, Arryk withdraws his knife from his sheath and slashes his neck wide open in one quick stroke before continuing his painstaking walk forward.
