Tick

Chapter 5

                 
The sound of footsteps echoed down the dark tunnel as Isabelle walked. The light was dim and she was forced to squint as she tried to keep her eyes on Micah walking in front of her. Her feet splashed in the puddles underfoot and cobwebs brushed against her head and fell in her hair. She really had picked a bad day to wear her new dress.

She wasn't even sure why they were there at all. Turns out Tash and her didn't have as much in common as she thought. She was a little crazy actually, spewing some nonsense about the magic of the clockwork pieces and the corruption of the government. Why had they even agreed to meet her?  Probably because she was a dangerous master thief who threatened black mail and memory erasing. Her thieves hadn't let them out of their sight since they spoke so it wasn't really like they much of a choice. She said she had something to show them, so I guess they had no other option then to go see.

"How much farther do you think it is?" Isabelle asked, reaching up to swat away another spider web.

"Shouldn't be much more" Micah replied, staring straight ahead "She said this tunnel would take us right there, the quickest way apparently."

Isabelle let out an irritated sigh. This was not how she wanted to spend her evening. After a few more agonizingly long minutes they saw light ahead and soon broke out into the main cavern. It was a circular chamber with several tunnels leading off it and a large pool in the middle. Balconies raised on rickety scaffolding ran along the wall. Everywhere she looked thieves and undergrounders were milling about. She had heard about the underground but had never seen it. She hadn't expected it to be this large and organized and to think, it was happening right under her city.

As Isabelle looked around in awe she could feel the thieves stop and their eyes pour into her. She looked around and met the eyes of dozens of thieves, all looking at her with contempt and disgust. Micah stood beside her and stared back at them with a defiant look. It was clear that they were not well liked here.

"Ah! You made it! I knew you would!" The crowd parted as Tash walked up to them.

She was no longer the well dressed, noble lady Isabelle had previously seen but now wore a set of light armour that hugged her body close. Black, fingerless gloves covered her hands a hood hung from at the back of her neck. Weapons, no longer concealed, hung from her belt, along with a few other items Isabelle couldn't identify. Her black hair still fell over her shoulder in perfect waves and despite all the dirt around her she was still beautiful, but now with a darker, more dangerous undertone.

She beckoned them forward and led them over to an open area next to the pool. A tan skinned boy with shaggy brown hair was already waiting there and Isabelle knew from the gold clockwork piece peeking out from his pocket that he was the fourth member.

He looked them over as they approached, taking in their tattered attire. 

"Did you two come through that small tunnel? Why didn't you just take the main entrance?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

Micah and Isabelle paused, unsure of what to say before looking at Tash. She just let out a small laugh.

"I'm terribly sorry" She said smirking, her voice full of sarcasm "It never even occurred to me to send you that way"

Isabelle sighed in irritation and Micah rolled his eyes before glaring at Tash angrily. Tash only smiled in false innocence, while a brown haired thief next to her laughed under his breath. It was clear to see that the undergrounders weren't going to make life easy for them.

"I am truly sorry" Tash said with a little more sincerity, shooting them a winning smile "I suppose teasing you is not the best way to make you join my team."