Reality was disappointing. I felt that steeling something expensive would be a far more thrilling task. So far all's we did was climb twice, walked across a rooftop, and sit down in the shadows away from the waning gibbous moon light.
We waited too, a lot of waiting. In retrospect it made sense. The act of stealing was just the grab, no different than the apple I picked up a lifetime ago. What made the difference was what you did around that grab to not get caught.
In the case of stealing a pricy stone, it was an advance set of tools designed to prevent magic security measures. Add not getting spotted and you were 99% of the way to the snatching part.
"Hand me the reflecting patch." Louis whispered to me as he looked at the hatch part of the skylight. It had been there awhile, as evidence from the yellowing found at the bottom of the glass panes. It was hard to find with the moon light, but I managed to dig out a piece of card stock to hand to him.
Gently placing it next to the latch, the blue ritual symbols on it glowed softly before diming, casting a teal light on the brown-haired thief. He wasn't a terrible looking person, a clear cut up from common average. Compared to the Prince she was supposed to be marring he was woefully inadequate. Xavier may look a bit soft and feminine, but there was now competition for his stunning good looks. Had he been taller, he would have been mobbed every day with women looking to marry him.
Not that I would give him up.
As a bodyguard! I wouldn't want the best to lose the best knight in the kingdom to some trollop.
"Ill need the prism." This one had been easier to find in the bag, as it refracted rainbows in the moon.
"Thanks." He took the prism slowly running it just a bit from the glass panel and its steel frame. He looked to see what happened to the distorted light.
"When using a prism if it blends to red, its long form, purples are the short form, and if goes white they are using the refracted form." He muttered softly. "These are long forms, so the shortest rod set please."
I knew a bit of what he was speaking about. Magic effected its surroundings complexly. So, it was simplified into something clean we could uses, short, long or refracted. Since it was long, it needs a short interference. Something about its field form, and flow rates and force applications…I think.
Here handing him the short rod. He gently attached two brackets on the other side of the patch, than attached two on the hatch panel itself. Lastly, he connected two rods to each set and then placed a small box with wires on the matte rods. Taping them down to the rods, he grinned.
"Lockpicks." While I had been learning to pick locks myself, I did very poor in that regards breaking two sets. So, I handed him the small box with them in before simply plopping down on the roof to wait. We didn't have to wait long as the night terror proved to be adept at picking the lock.
He investigated the floor below, before quickly unlatching and pushing the hatch pane over, letting it rest on the top of the sky light. The gap itself was large, more than enough for either of us to climb through without trouble.
"Now we rig up." He stood and shifted over to the bag to get the pinions and pulleys that were going to be needed to lower one of them down. Curiously I leaned forward and investigated the opening. The floor was low carpet, ideal for moving things over, in a speckled gray. The stone itself was…a rock. It was just a rock shaped like a bean. In the center was a small set of polished stone that shimmered and glowed slightly.
What a letdown, we should have just ransacked the hall of gems. There were some other items on the floor, some other small minerals, and magic rocks; pieces that no doubt had some historical significance. If the profit we are to get was correct, we would net the equivalent of the yearly budget for a small town. I wondered why my family bothered with taxes and the like.
Clattering and clanking, it sounded like my partner was almost ready to start so I turned back when my neck Itched. Reaching to scratch I shifted my gaze up a bit and found the source of my sensation.
I hadn't had to many moments when I was truly terrified. Against the waxing moon, was a silhouetted shadow, void of all definition except its black human shape and glowing pink eye. The silvery ax handle shimmered behind the shoulder as I stared trying to comprehend what I was viewing.
It was those eyes, those devastating destructive eyes. Without thinking I blasted Louis out of the way, failing to brace myself, I was thrown back into the open hatch window. I wasn't unfamiliar with this falling felling, as a wind mage I often floated around, normally however it was upright.
I couldn't think, the feeling of being dragged down into the lit hall, forty feet below me stunned me. It didn't stun Xavier, who grabbed the opening and dove after me without a second thought. If the hunting eyes were devesting, the eyes filled with worry were like warm sun.
And then he had arms around me, and the world spun as he flipped over to land on his feet. I think I was still breathing and gasped a few times to check.
"Are you ok Harmony?" He asked me franticly laying me down. In the light I could see him in is sleeveless amour. I was right about his face, even with some of the shadows from the lighting. His arms tighten and I could feel the stone hard muscle that came with being a knight…distracting.
"I…I…" It was a bit hard to speak, I had never seen my bodyguard look at me with this deep-seated concern. Just behind his head, I saw movement at the skylight, though it was nearly impossible to tell what it is. Really, I think I kind of wanted not to move and stay forever. Alarm bells started ringing, klaxons blaring I recovered my senses
"I'm Fine!" I accompanied my exclamation with a powerful blast of wind magic. A mass of air whipped the man away across the gallery floor. If I could just knock him out…
Bad plan.
The ax that I had never seen him use was unslung and he drove it into the ground to anchor himself from my wind currents. What a cheat, I couldn't even get him that far away. Replanted he ripped the ax out of the stone floor scattering small debris that got swept away. I don't know how he was holding himself steady but as he dropped into a stance, silver war ax held across himself, lightly crouched and those dammed haunting eyes.
There was no movement as my wind tunnel died out, it would be a waste to maintain it when it did nothing. What a terrifying man, this look of prey he affixed upon me. To hunt and capture, to stand against me as an opponent rather than a vassal. Moister formed across my body…my entire body. I drew blank while trying not to fall into those pink eyes.
"This way, the magic detectors went off!" Heavy footsteps were barely heard in the bellowing cacophony of the bells. Men in security uniforms barged into the room. Slack jawed at the man holding an ax threating a women there was a moment before they responded.
I used that to slash at the pedestal containing the first stone. It was enough to break the simple lock placed on it to deter tourist. Xavier surged forward and using more wind to slip to his side. It helped that several guards attempted to dog pile him. Slamming the case open I snatched the stone and screamed.
"This stone has been Appropriated by the Beautiful Music Typhoon Thief!"
Leaping by magic to the skylight I let a single teal card fall to ground from my pocket. Glancing back, Xavier had already thrown the men off him, and fixed his fierce gaze on me. Immersed in my role as an amazing thief, I blew him an exaggerated kiss. He snatched the card from the air as I disappeared drop his ax as the guards sounded him.
"Let's go!" I said shoving the stone in the bag. We sprinted forgoing stealth. It didn't matter since the appearance of an axe monster had attracted all the attention of the guards. I would have to remember such distractions for the future. In a blur we made it back to our hotel and left in middle of the night, leaving the city on foot. It was a shame that we wouldn't get to stick around and see the headlines we would have made.
Since it was such a blur, I hadn't had time to put the exact details of my thoughts in order, but a few things had been determined from this event.
In my entire life I had never experienced such heat, heart throbbing desire as I had when I saw his eyes as escaped. I wanted him to chase me just so I could feel that again. I knew enough to know that running from that Knight was a 'turn on' if what the maids gossip said was right.
I couldn't wait to do it again.