It's not like I like to kill. I'm just rather good at it.
There were three crimes that were considered unlawful in our kingdom—stealing, burglary and using magic. Guess which laws have just been broken?
Apocalypse's three-step plan to pull off the perfect heist was simple: distract, steal and flee. Obviously, it was easier said than done.
The towering castle sat nestled in the centre of the city, casting a cautious glance over the courtyard. It seemed almost impervious with high stonewalls and fierce metal fences. Key word? Almost.
"Stick with the plan," I said, "We go in, get the money, then get out. Is that understood?"
Naerys was the first to go. She shut her eyes, her head dipping back as she took in a breath. As she exhaled, something below her—dark and eerie—reached from under the dirt. It's was a shadow from down below, a wisp of darkness as black as night. The shadow began to mold, shaping long, slender fingers as thin as twigs. They latched onto her ankles quickly before snagging her under the ground.
I know. Creepy right?
I turned at my heels, starting to make my way for the gate when a hand stretched out in front of me.
"Don't forget to start the countdown," Kierren's tone was laced with animosity.
"Of course I didn't forget-"
Fine, so maybe I did forget, but it wasn't like I was going to tell him. I had a reputation to uphold!
"That's what you said last time and-"
"Can we save the arguing for later?" Neo stood in between the bloody war, waiving a white flag wildly in the air, "We have a job to do."
Look kid, it wasn't like any of us wanted to work together, anyways. The monetary reward just happened to be quite persuasive.
I pulled out my pocket watch, a trinket passed down from a figure long lost, "You've got ten minutes. You ready?"
He nodded and I started the time.
His eyes were the first to change. No longer a warm shade of black, they were now a solemn cerulean hue. His nose was next to follow. The short bridge had stretched and the once rounded tip was now sharp. For the finishing touches, his cheeks had reddened and his jawline was sharpened—he had seemed to look the part.
"Come on, let's go!" he smiled. Neo was a good kid, but an odd one. What kind of messed-up kid smiles as he's about to go and commit theft?
He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head to veil his face and marched towards the castle.
"We'll be right behind you," I promised him.
As he faced the daunting castle, a guard posted at the gate let out a gruff, "Name?"
Is that any way to speak to me?" Oh, this kid was good. This kid was good! Neo pulled at his hood, the revelation sending the guard down onto one knee.
"Your highness! Forgive me, I didn't recognise you."
The kid let out a scoff, "You're excused."
Once past the gate, we began the heist. Our footsteps could be heard pattering across the floor—an unusual disparity between the strange silence shrouding the castle and the hustle-and-bustle of the villages past the gates. A myriad of stern glares from the time-worn portraits of late monarchs kindled a sense of unsettlement in us. As we entered a winding corridor, we gawked at the fine silk tapestries that hung proudly on the walls. Maybe we should be stealing the tapestries instead.
Before I was able to give that thought some merit, the kid cried out my name. I turned to see a tall and slender young man, the point of his blade dangerously close to the nape of the Neo's neck.
"Tell me who you are and I might just let you live." Ah, death threats. They're always fun.
Neo was scared, but he didn't let it show. He lifted his nose into the air, his head held haughtily high. "Is that any way to speak to your Prince? I'll have you know, I could have you thrown in the dungeon!"
"Well, lucky for me, you're not the Prince," the stranger retorted, his blade inching closer, "Now, I won't ask again, who are you?"
Kierren stole a glance at me, a tell-tale look painted on his face.
I shook my head in warning, "Kierren, don't!" He did it anyways.
He pressed two fingers against the young man's forehead. "You're going to listen and do exactly as I say. Go back to doing whatever you were doing and forget this little spat. Is that understood?"
The young man nodded, then turned at his heels, disappearing into another corridor.
"That wasn't part of the plan! We stick to the plan!"
Kierren crossed his arms, "Would you rather we got outed before we got any of the money then?"
"We don't have time to argue!" Neo pointed out before I was able to retort, "We only have six minutes left!"
We roamed around the castle, unnoticeable like shadows trailing the walls. Nobles dressed in fine garbs made of cloths fetched from exotic corners of the world sauntered past us, gossipping as nobles do; servants clad in less lavish garb stalked their masters, humouring their every whim.
The kid had memorised every inch and every corner of the castle's layout, but I had the folded piece of parchment (a gift from Apocalypse) hidden in the pocket of my cloak just in case.
"Make a left at the end of the hall. There should be soldiers posted at the door."
The kid was right. Two guards were patrolling the corridor, their heavy footsteps pounding like thunder.
"According to the plans, it takes two minutes for the guards to walk from here to the end of the hall, which means we have two minutes before we have to start to run."
"Better run fast then," I smirked.
We slipped past the guards like foxes darting behind bushes.
"Light?" Kierren turned to me as we past the door. Demanding much? I closed my eyes and clenched my fist, letting my breaths come slow and steady. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. When I unravelled my fist, a small, gentle flame illuminated the shadows. The yellow flicker pulsed and danced with wrath and fury, lighting our way past the veil of darkness.
We shuffled cautiously, wary of traps. I called for Naerys, my voice echoing off the walls.
"I'm in the vault!" she shouted.
"We're coming in!"
Inside the royal vault, Naerys was cramming golden coins into a burlap sac. Three were already brimming, ready to teeter over. I pulled out my pocket watch as she grabbed another handful of coins.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
"We have to go!" I pulled at her arm. We each nabbed a sac and started up the stairs in search for an exit. As we approached the door, I held a finger at my lips - signalling for silence.
We heard a loud, rumbling voice bellow for the guards. Footsteps trampling like a herd of wild horses followed soon after. Once the echoes of footsteps silenced, we peeked out heads out the door.
"Stay where you are and drop what you stole," a venomous voice sneered at us. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. "Now lift your hands and slowly walk out."
"You know, you're making an awful lot of demands for-"
"Do not speak!" the voice barked. I rose my hands into the air, parting with the sac of coins beside me. As I made it into the corridor, I lifted my head. A ring of soldiers stood ready surrounding us, the tips of their sharp blades pointed at me. Standing in the centre was a young man—broad-shouldered, sharp-featured and blue-eyed. At that moment, I had realised that I had met my end. It was the Prince. The real Prince. An actual prince with the power to call for my execution or worse, toss me into a cell to rot with Kierren until the end of my days!
The young man—the one Kierren sent away—emerged from behind the Prince's tall stature. He kicked the four burlap bags towards the soldiers, "Check the sacs."
"Coins, sire, all four are filled with coins!"
"So, you're merely just a bunch of low-life thieves," the Prince let out a scoff.
The corner of my lips turned upwards into a wry smile, "A bunch of low-life thieves who got into your vault, Your Highness."
I guess the Prince doesn't appreciate humour.
He came barrelling at me, his face contorting in rage; his nostrils flared, his brows furrowed and blood boiled in his veins. He held me by the collar of my shirt as he demanded, "Names!"
"Call us the Four Horsemen."
"Who do you work for!"
I didn't reply, relishing at his fury.
"I said, who do you work for!"
"I work for Apocalypse and he wants you to know, your end is coming."
The prince released me, casting me aside before telling his guards, "Throw them in the dungeon!"
Kierren stepped in front of a soldier, his two fingers drawn and pressed against the soldier's forehead. "You're going to listen and do exactly as I say," he demanded, "Hand over your sword." Like a puppet on a string, the soldier gave his puppet-master his sword. With that in hand, he swung wildly—thrashing and thrusting about. "Neo!" he called as he blocked a parry, "Find us a way out of here!"
We edged towards the other side of the hall as Kierren clashed with the soldiers flooding into the corridor. We verged another step backwards until we collided into the wall behind us. Dead end.
"I could have sworn there was a turn here!"
The soldiers advanced closer, their raucous clamour cloaking the drumming of our beating hearts.
"Naerys! Now!" I shouted over soldiers' war-cries. "Do it now!"
She took in a deep breath, calming her mind for the destruction she was about to wreck. Closing her eyes, her head lolled back. The soldiers stiffened as something black and sinister stirred beneath their feet. We watched as she brought her hands together into a thundering clap. Those who had stood on top of the shadows were dragged under the pool of darkness. Their horrified screams were curtly interrupted, never to be heard again.
Naerys let out a sharp gasp as she fell limp, collapsing into Neo's arms. "I've got you!"
Those who were lucky enough to escape unscathed stood a healthy distance away from us. They stood trembling, their swords drawn close to their chests, afraid to move another inch.
"Magic is against the law!" the Prince's remark was laced with venom.
"Laws are meant to be broken, Your Highness!"
The young man that stood beside the Prince daringly raised his sword at me, "Where's your mark? Magicians are supposed to be marked!"
The mark was a iron chain that hindered our magic—a supposed peace accord. Huh, so much for peace. Once a symbol etched onto our skin, all that remained was a faint outline of the mark. How the mark faded away? We have absolutely no idea. Perhaps, it was the first gift from Apocalypse.
"You may have our people in chains now with that little mark of yours, but we will find a way to break them free. Magic finds a way! That's what makes it magic!"
"Magic is dangerous and uncertain! The King's laws are for the good of the people!"
Naerys parted her lips, raining judgement on the Prince, "Your King bullies magicians as if we're beneath you, sending us off to the far corners of your kingdom where opportunity is scant. You have burned down our villages, murdered our people and pilfer whats left in the ashes. We are merely returning the favour!"
"Please, for the good name of your people, surrender yourselves to the crown! My father will have you burnt at the stake for this offence!"
"Good thing fire doesn't scare me then." I unravelled my palm to reveal a small flame flickering. It leapt out of my hand like an uncaged beast prowling after its prey. The flame swallowed the tapestries, lighting up the corridor in a passionate dance of embers. It filled its path with smoke and stench, gagging the soldiers before it. "Go for the windows!"
One by one, we scampered towards the windows. Kierren hurled the hilt of his sword at the ornately-coloured glass, shattering it into pieces. He went out first, his calloused hands which were familiar with drudgery, gripped onto the stone blocks embedded into the wall. Neo, who's delicate hands had never once met a hard day's work, hurled sturdy rope out the window. I held onto it as he climbed out with Naerys over his shoulder. He had almost gone over the edge when a soldier came darting out of the grim fog of smoke.
He raised his sword, slashing it violently in the the air. The blade nicked my side, opening a slight gash and I let out a groan as I felt the sharp ache. I turned to the soldier and swung my leg, hitting him square in the chest. He stumbled over and a metal clang echoed in the corridor. Reaching over to my side, my fingers dipped into the river of scarlet running down the gash. I let out a sigh.
"Do you know how expensive this was?" I asked as I bent my knees, levelling with his terror-stricken gaze, "It's not everyday I get to steal nice things."
The soldier's lips pressed into a thin line. Ah, so we have a challenger. "I've heard of you Four Horsemen. You go around slaughtering lords and looting their wealth. What makes you any different than the king you condemn?"
"Your king swindles the very people he rules, while we merely give back to the poor. There's an obvious distinction if you couldn't already tell."
"Our king-" the soldier attempted to defend his sovereign.
"Your king preaches justice and virtue, yet he turns a blind eye at the corruption marring his kingdom simply because we're magicians."
The soldier snarled in retort, "You magicians are the bane of our kingdom! Our noble king did right by ridding you dangerous creatures!"
"Magic does not have to be dangerous."
"You say that, but you've just set the entire castle up in flames! Magic is a risk we can never take again!"
The soldier settled his two feet against the floor, propping himself upright with the palms of his hands. He stretched over, reaching for the hilt of his sword. Before his fingers could clasp around it, I seized his weapon.
I turned to Neo. "Don't look, kid."
He shut his eyes tight.
Quick. Clean. Painless. Like I said, I don't like to kill. I'm just rather good at it.
"Come on, kid. Let's go."
With Naerys still saddled across his shoulder, he climbed down the rope. Once his feet kissed the ground, I hurled the sacs of coins out the window. I gave the soldier another glimpse before scaling down the wall. When I reached the ground, we ran merrily along, dragging our winnings along with us.
ns13.58.37.107da2
