Kaya's eyes blinked open slowly.
Her first instinct was to scream bloody murder upon finding herself in a dark, musty godown, lying on a bed of hay, but her mouth was tied with something decidedly unappetizing.
Whispers floated over from two goons loitering in the corner.
"—we are so doomed if Count Clipton ever figures out Marquess Estelle made us kidnap his beloved daughter," one was saying, his voice dripping with anxiety.
Marquess Estelle? Kaya let out a tiny, inadvertent gasp.
Her gasp alerted the goons to her conscious state. One of them looked over, his face a mix of sheepishness and annoyance. "Oh, she is awake. Hope she didn't hear us. Hey, go call Boss."
The other goon scurried out.
Of course, it's that sniveling snake! I warned Father he wasn't trustworthy! Kaya thought to herself until that goon returned moments later with the man who had orchestrated her kidnapping.
He was still sporting a ski mask like last night.
As he approached, Kaya's instinct was to back away, her heart pounding in her chest.
"No, no, don't be scared. I won't hurt you. You are our precious treasure, after all," he crooned, reaching out to remove the cloth gagging her.
His voice was unsettlingly familiar as she narrowed her eyes on him.
Wait a second. Doesn't that sound like Marquess Estelle's pompous son? Lord Lyon, was it?
"Stay away," Kaya warned, her voice shaky but determined.
"Tch, kindness has no value in this world anymore," the masked man sighed dramatically. "I just wanted to take off your gag and check on you. But if you insist, I will keep my distance. We will release you tonight anyway, assuming your father coughs up the ransom."
She gritted her teeth and shouted, "He will pay you! Now, leave me alone!"
"Geez, woman, make up your mind. Do you want me to stay away or do you want me to leave you alone?"
"Stay away! Leave me alone! Just go away!"
"Fine, fine. I am going. Bye," he huffed, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.
Once the boss was out of the godown, he yanked off his ski mask, revealing golden blonde hair that practically sparkled in the dawn light.
"Hello, Lyon," chirped Vyan, a grin spreading across his face.
The man rolled his eyes, and with a shimmer, his eyes and hair morphed into a shade of light gray and his height grew by a few inches.
"Hello to you too, Clyde," Vyan greeted again, his tone dripping with faux cheer.
"At least one of us is enjoying this," Clyde retorted sarcastically.
"As a matter of fact, I am. I am positively tingling imagining the consequences Marquess Estelle will face for this. Who says revenge doesn't bring happiness? I sure am happy."
"Well, I am thrilled for you," Clyde said, running a hand through his hair and grimacing at the sweat ruining his style. "But not for me. This mask is the worst," he groaned in annoyance. "You can shape-shift too, can't you? Then why am I the one doing all the work?"
"Shape-shifting makes me feel all, I don't know, weird," Vyan cringed.
"And what makes you think I enjoy it?" Clyde frowned.
"Well, our plan is going smoothly so far. We have just got tonight's hand-off left," Vyan said, completely ignoring his aide's complaints.
"Yes," Clyde sighed, realizing Vyan was hell-bent on maximizing his suffering. "I will wear this mask one last time. I just hope nothing goes wrong."
"Okay, to ensure that, let's go kidnap that asshole now."
"More kidnapping?" Clyde groaned again.
"Yes! More kidnapping. It will be fun, trust me." Vyan's eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Fun for you, maybe," Clyde muttered. "For me, it's just another day of wondering 'why do I work for this guy?'"
———
In the Valley of Divos, Vyan and Clyde stood with Kaya, whose hands and eyes were tied. The two men were wearing masks so elaborate they could have doubled as disco balls.
The moon cast a dim glow over the bridge as a carriage came to a stop. The tension in the air was thick as a man in a black suit stepped out.
Vyan and Clyde exchanged casual glances.
'No matter what, do not use magic,' Vyan telepathically warned, his mental voice dripping with exasperation. 'You are not Clyde now. You are Lyon Tylor Estelle—someone who cannot use magic.'
'Yes, boss,' responded the blonde, 'but it doesn't look like he brought anyone.'
'That is exactly what makes me more suspicious. I mean, not even a guard?'
Clearing his throat, Clyde spoke up, his voice carrying across the still night, "Have you brought what I asked for?"
"Yes, the gold coins are in a trunk inside the carriage. You can take the carriage along with it. Just give me back my daughter!" Marlo bellowed, his desperation evident.
"Father!" Kaya cried out, her arm gripped by Clyde.
"We will cross the bridge and hand over your daughter. Don't try to outsmart us or you will pay for it," Clyde warned, as the three of them took cautious steps over the bridge.
As they reached the other side, Clyde pushed Kaya into Marlo's waiting arms.
Marlo hugged his daughter tightly, while Vyan muttered under his breath, "Next time, I want less dramatic outfits. These sequins are killing me."
"Careful, my lord, you are breaking character," Clyde quipped, taking revenge on his boss for making him wear the ski masks earlier. "Remember, you are supposed to be a ruthless kidnapper, not a disgruntled fashion victim."
Vyan sighed, "I will keep in mind to not let you be in charge of our outfits. Now, shall we?"
"Absolutely," Clyde grinned. "Onward to more fabulous crimes."
On the other hand, Marlo inquired, pulling apart from the hug, "Oh, Kaya, are you alright, my dear?"
Kaya started crying, finally feeling the sweet release of relief.
Clyde and Vyan didn't linger to watch their touching reunion; they had more important matters to attend to, like getting their hands on those gold coins.
Vyan, who was armed with a sword, dramatically pulled it out and pointed it at the coachman. The poor man's eyes went wide with terror and he quickly scrambled down from his perch, allowing one of their own men to take his place.
"Is the money alright?" Vyan hollered, more for show than concern.
"Yes, they are perfect," Clyde gloated, running his fingers through the gold coins as if they were his lover's—er, Althea's— hair. "Let's be off. It was great doing business with you, Count Clipton!"
Marlo gritted his teeth, fury radiating off him as the carriage drove off with his hard-earned ransom.
"Everything went perfectly, but—" Vyan started to say when the carriage came to a screeching halt.
"There are rocks in front of us, my lord," the coachman reported. "There seems to have been a landslide. I will go remove them."
"It will be quicker if someone helps him." Out of habit, Clyde opened the door first to assist, because, of course, he wouldn't let his liege do manual labor, even if Vyan was pretending to be the lackey in this heist. "Let's hurry up. It's already late—"
Before Clyde could even step a foot out, a pair of violet eyes narrowed like a hawk and a sharp dagger came flying at him.