TRICKSTERS, Episode 4

(New to the series? Start with Episode 1)

The dead girl was still on the bench when her assassin opened the door. He tucked the pick into a slot in his vest and looked around. A tattered, faded tapestry, the girl, a low wooden bench; these were all the tower presented to an incoming visitor.

The tower lied; it insinuated something which the unobservant might allow to pass, but the assassin was no fool. He’d seen this trick before. And now he was curious about what lay up the stair that hugged the inner wall.  He checked to be sure the girl was actually dead; she was, and he could collect his fee.  Satisfied, he climbed the stairwell.

The study at the top of the stair was a series of wonders. A desk made of a wood that was not native to the Duke’s realm. Books written in a language he had never seen before. Costumes. Shoes made of something that was not leather with soles that were not the hide of any beast he’d ever seen. Cloaks with sleeves and metal fasteners whose teeth would mesh for a secure seal with the pull of a metal tab. Odd. Wonderful. Possibly lucrative.

What were these two? Wizards?  Priests?  Some odd sort of tinkers?  He could not tell.   He did know that certain nobles would pay well for something novel, something unique. He crossed the room to the desk and opened drawers, looking through for anything that might sell for a decent price.  He found a long silver metal tube which shed light when a button was pressed…that was tucked into his belt, along with four short tubes which wrote like quills but needed no liquid ink.  Walked over to the bookcase and pulled down a good-sized tome and tucked it under an arm. He grimaced, wishing he had more time to explore the room.   He crossed back to the desk and ducked down to look beneath it. He straightened, smiling. Pulled out a small chest with a brass handle, hinged and locked. He spent a moment trying to pull one of the four small drawers open but to no avail. He sighed and, lifting the small chest by the handle, he hurried back downstairs.

It was tricky, but the assassin managed by the end to hoist the dead girl over one shoulder, carry the book under one arm, and hold the chest by the handle. He fled the tower, leaving the front door hanging ajar, already mentally counting the coin he would gain from this single job. It was a good day, a very good day indeed.

Related posts:

1. TRICKSTERS, Episode 2
2. Tricksters: Episode One
3. TRICKSTERS, Episode 3

1. 

   Rachel says:

   March 12, 2010 at 11:38 am

   Uh oh! They needed a better security system. Like, maybe a dragon.
2. 

   JJ says:

   March 15, 2010 at 2:24 pm

   Nice. Looking forward to the next episode.