Amongst Thieves

10.

Forge's assumptions that they'd enter the castle undetected were true, and there were no incidents as they unloaded from the lowboat and trudged their way up and through the castle. In all her missions, Maize had never infiltrated anywhere more glamorous than a higher lord's residence, and though the Den wasn't anywhere near a slum, it was nothing compared to a castle.

Even the dungeons seemed upscale, Maize noticed as they walked through past the cells. Each one was clean and surprisingly dry despite being so close to the sewer canals that ran beneath the castle. They also remained empty, leaving her to wonder if they chose to move any prisoners elsewhere while the Remembrance Day celebrations carried on up above, or if there weren't any prisoners worthy of the crown's time.

Or if they just disposed of them quickly enough to not need to keep them in a cell.

Maize hoped she wouldn't find out the legal processes on a personal level as she quickly followed Forge to a spiral stairwell that led up through the servant's quarters. She and Ress both kept their heads covered and down, while no one seemed to notice as Lawson Forge led them through back hallways and corridors until they walked up another stairway.

This one opened up to a much brighter and wider hallway, with a window at one end as tall as the wall that overlooked the main upper-class merchant quarter of Dreduor. The sun was peeking over the rooftops and it appeared to be a pleasant day. Maize wondered if she'd be able to actually get out and enjoy it during the next two weeks she'd be stuck there.

"You're never going to find the Legacy if you're staring out the window all day," Forge sneered from beside her.

She only gave him a glance before turning on her heel to proceed further down the hallway. She wondered if he realized how quickly she could have pulled a knife and shoved it through his eye...

"This is the courtiers' wing," Forge explained as they walked past large wooden doors on either side of the hall. "And this is where you'll reside during your time here in the castle, and though you'll be allowed to come and go as you please, I expect a certain level of decorum during your stay."

"Why do you assume that my decorum will be anything but proper?"

"Because underneath the cosmetics and coiffed hair and the finery, you'll still be a thief from the Den, and you still have a mission to complete without getting caught."

"He does have a point," Ress mused.

Maize scowled at her partner.

"Here," Forge said as he stopped at the door on the corner where the hallway intersected with another. Pulling a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door and opened it for them to enter.

The room was unlike anything Maize had ever seen before.

Much like the hallway, one wall of the room was a large window that looked out not over the city, but the castle gardens teaming with shrubbery, rose bushes, and fountains. Courtiers and landscapers alike traipsed through the colorful arboretum while birds and wildlife called the greenery their home.

Maize was convinced the furnishings within the remainder of the room cost more than the coffers of the Den. In the center was a large four-post bed easily large enough to sleep three people. Armoire and dressers lined one wall, a small table and plush chairs on the other. A chaise stretched before the large window and in the back of the room was a door to the bathing room complete with a tub that could easily sit two.

She would never want to leave the room again.

"So which side do you want?" Ress asked cheerfully as he moved towards the bed.