Page 4 of Cursed By Gold

The shadows welcome me like a friend as I sneak past the clueless guards.

Staying low, my steps are light and measured as I walk across the open courtyard. Grateful that this job requires pants instead of a skirt as I stalk over areas that would have snagged my hem. I occasionally pause to check my surroundings, listening for any signs of movement. But so far, the castle seems asleep.

At last, I reach the castle wall. I study it carefully, looking for any signs of a breach. But the wall seems solid and intact, without any prominent weak spots. I sigh in frustration. Gettinginside the castle is going to be more difficult than I had anticipated.

What are my options? The wall has no doors or windows, and I can see no way of scaling it. It’s far too smooth with no cracks or vines. The only way in is through one of the guards' posts. But getting past the guards will be tricky.

There is no other choice, though. I have come too far to turn back now. The client has given a two month's timeline to get the Bodian crown and is offering a hefty bonus if it is stolen within the first few weeks. I need this money. Taking a deep breath, I begin making my way toward the nearest guard post.

As I move closer, the low murmur of voices comes from inside. The guards are talking, seemingly unaware of my presence. I creep closer, my heart in my throat. I am almost there when one of the guards suddenly steps outside.

I freeze, but he doesn't seem to notice me. He steps away, and I quickly take advantage of the opportunity. I slip through the gate behind him, light and quick as a breath.

My dagger poised, I catch the lone guard inside unaware, and end him with regretful necessity before he can raise the alarm. As his body slumps down, I offer a whisper of prayer for his soul.

The room is silent now, but I know the other guard will soon be back, and if they find me here, it will be straight to the dungeons. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I make my way through the narrow space toward the castle's inner chambers.

I am in.

I take a moment to compose myself before continuing. While I’m not new to this, I hate breaking into larger places. The bigger it is, the harder it is to get back out. The king’s castle? It’s massive. So many more people to avoid. Not to mention, King Remme is not known to be kind. Many who come in never make it back out. It’s never a public execution. There’s never anannouncement of any sort. They just disappear as if they never were there.

The castle's inner courtyard is even darker than the outer one, and I can barely make out the shapes of the buildings. I wish the clouds would part for only a moment to let me catch a peek before covering the full moon again, but luck is never something I can rely on. In fact, I am often called a very lucky, unlucky person in the guild. Rather confusing, but that’s how it goes for me. If it can go wrong, it probably will. And on the rare occasion that it doesn’t, it’s as if fate has been saving up all of my good luck to happen at once. At this point I just expect it and have become very good at pivoting and finding new opportunities to complete the missions I take on.

I begin walking, keeping close to the walls for cover. I peer inside the windows as I pass, trying to get a sense of where I am. After a few minutes, I come to a large, imposing building. I recognize it immediately—the towering spires and grand arched entryway mark it as the royal palace. My target stands in front of me.

A shiver runs down my spine, but I push my fear aside and move closer. I will make it out of here. I send up a quick silent prayer to Halisar, god of thieves, that I won't run into King Remme tonight.

Guards are patrolling the palace grounds, but I manage to stay out of sight. Finally, I reach the entrance of the palace. A large metal door bars my way, but I know how to open it. Going into my pocket, I pull out two thin metal tools. I insert them into the door's lock and begin to pick it.

It only takes me a few seconds. The door clicks, and I push it open just enough to slip inside. I have made it into the palace. Now all I have to do is find the Bodian crown and make my way out without being caught. Hugging the shadows, I creep down the deserted halls, my eyes slowly adjusting to the new levelof darkness. I move swiftly but silently, glancing around warily with each step. Fairy Godmother's map guides me up concealed stairwells and along back passages. I don't belong here, and discovery means certain death.

Up and up through the castle I climb, avoiding any signs of life.

I stop in front of the door made of solid gold that slides inside the wall, it matches what Fairy Godmother told me to look for. It seems an odd choice for a door. The wall must have been carved out through solid stone to make this possible. Why would they put that much effort into something when a swinging door would work just as well? Gold is so heavy and soft. A poor choice of metal to keep things out if you ask me.

On the first try, the door doesn't budge. Pulling my tools out, I slide one through the tiny crack and slowly work around the seam, cautious to not mark the soft metal, until I feel resistance. With a wiggle and a quick flick, I hear a slight clink. I reach my hand out, careful to avoid making any noise, and slowly slide the door open.

The room is too dark to really see. The only light coming from large open windows with a golden frame. The cold floor feels like a frozen golden lake beneath me. The dust that lingers in the air is fine and powdery, like a mist made of the same warm metal that makes all other furniture in the room. What kind of egotistical, wealthy, and extravagant person would live in a room like this?

I creep inside, looking around for something that could be the Bodian crown. I search through bookshelves and chests but can't find anything. Around a corner I find only a giant golden bed which I can only see the very end of clearly. I am about to give up when I notice a faint glimmer from a box on the desk. Squinting in the dark, I realize it is the perfect size to fit what I’m looking for in it.

Heart pounding, I pull out my lock picking tools again and go to work on the tiny lock. After several tense moments, it finally clicks open, and I open the lid with trembling hands. Inside is an exquisite crown made of emeralds—the Bodian crown! Quickly grabbing it, I start to turn away when suddenly a deep voice speaks from behind me.

"Stop!"

My heart skips a beat as I whirl around to see who has spoken. A tall figure stands in the darkness—a man completely naked save for golden tattoos covering his muscular body from head to toe. He is beautiful in a strange way—his dark brown eyes are piercing, short blonde hair a mess, and his features sharp. Yet despite his intimidating presence, there is something strangely hypnotic about him that holds me in place.

His gaze shifts from me to the crown I hold in my hands. "So you've come here for this," he says softly, admiring its beauty. "You must have courage beyond your years if you think you can take this from my palace."

He pauses thoughtfully before turning back to me with a smile playing across his lips. "But courage alone won't be enough if you want this crown."

I grasp the glimmering Bodian crown tightly in my hand and prepare to run, but before I can take so much as a single step, my foot catches on the leg of a chair. I crash to the floor with a heavy thud and watch in horror as the crown flies from my grasp and skids just out of reach across the cold hard ground.

Frustrated, I scramble on my knees to grab it, but just as my fingers are about to wrap around it, a large foot suddenly stomps down between me and the crown. I look up at the man in alarm—he has moved with lightning speed. I meet his piercing dark brown gaze, but my eyes quickly travel down his bare body, taking in the chiseled muscles of his chest and shoulders. Theway the golden tattoos flow all of the way down his abs and down to…

My eyes dart back to the floor as my face grows hot. Well, that isn't so wee, now is it?

He towers above me, his golden tattoos glowing. "You should have known better than to steal from me," he says quietly. His voice is like ice water down my spine—cold and calculating yet strangely hypnotic at the same time.

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