CHAPTER 16: A Clash of Blades and Lies - Part 2
A hedge maze surrounded all four corners of the palace, providing ample hiding spots. The garden also had several ponds inhabited by swans. Swans are territorial and can be more sensitive than guard dogs. However, the placement of the ponds prioritized aesthetics over security, leaving many gaps for him to exploit.
The palace walls and their rooftop ornaments grew taller as he moved from one hiding spot to another. Even here, the security was not as stringent as it should be, though this time he suspected some deliberate manipulation. Someone, likely that woman, had tampered with the security. The loopholes were not visible to the untrained eye but were enough for Ryse and those of his trade.
The sweet scent told him he was near the palace even if he could not see it, as the most fragrant flowers were usually placed closest to the main rooms.
The light from the palace windows and ornate braziers reduced his hiding spots. To get closer, he pretended to be one of the human-sized statues in the garden corners. Simple, maybe silly, but this very thought made the guards overlook him.
Once he reached the palace wall, the hardest part of the infiltration was over. The wall ornaments were like steps to him. With precise timing, he climbed while torch-bearing guards passed below, and reached the roof.
The palace had a trapezoid-shaped roof with grated windows on each face. Ryse stepped on the slate roof tiles, ensuring his foot always landed on rafters or ridges, and was careful of signs of leaks. It would be awkward if he fell through the roof amidst armed soldiers.
He checked each roof window until he found the treasury. The window had sliding glass, and he opened it from outside. His serrated wire then made a soft sound like a sword being unsheathed as he cut through the grates. He did not cut the grates at both ends; just one end was enough, then he bent the rest.
He hung with both hands before dropping to reduce noise. The treasury was full of treasures – a fact not as obvious as it sounded. He had often broken into treasuries only to find them empty, their contents spent on the owners' lavish feasts.
Tempest hung on the wall. He took it along with a handful of gem-studded rings as compensation. He then jumped to reach the window ledge and pulled himself back to the roof. Passive use of Prana to strengthen the body did not trigger the Sense Field.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
He was contemplating the best way down when the roof window beside him lit up. Ryse lay flat before anyone noticed him.
The room below was a war room, evident from the maps on the walls and the large table in the center filled with miniature soldiers and fortresses. Three men surrounded the table, pointing and discussing.
One of them used a scepter to push a group of mounted soldiers on the map. He had the typical wizened look, with a thick beard and a corpulent body. Ryse recognized him as King Ordofel van Jofiter of Isofea. Beside him was Isfan van Jofiter, his second child, whose belly curve was no less prominent than his father's.
“Advisor Marfas, Princess Revionne demands our response by this evening.” Ordofel's words became well-separated as soon as Ryse enhanced his hearing.
Marfas, older and leaner than Ordofel, clasped the edge of the table with both hands. “Princess Revionne's proposition for an alliance neither confers significant advantages nor poses detriment to our interests. Nevertheless...”
Ryse’s attention diverted when he caught the sound of a fourth person’s breath. In a dim corner of the room, a figure in a brown cloak descended from the ceiling just as he had done earlier, without making a sound, like a drip of a candle. A sharp, hand-long blade protruded from the slit of the cloak as the figure poised to strike the King from behind.
Ryse unleashed a Prana technique, Ether Edge. Blades of energy extending from his four fingers sliced through the window bars, and he dove onto the table amidst falling glass shards.
“Guards!” Ordofel raised an alarm before he could say anything. Explanations could wait because the intruder now lunged with a drawn weapon. Ryse pushed Ordofel aside with one hand while his Ether Edge in the other hand parried the assailant's weapon.
The assailant retracted the weapon and stepped back. “Fool!” she exclaimed.
Ryse’s jaw dropped and his eyes rounded at the turn of events. Accompanied by a groan, a dagger protruded from Ordofel’s chest, piercing through his layers of orange-themed clothing, staining everything red.
Ordofel fell to his knees. He and Ryse shared the same dazed look when they saw the blood-stained dagger in Isfan's hand.
“Please refrain from displaying excessive astonishment, Father. You expected that something like this would happen sooner or later,” Isfan said.
Marfas rushed to the King's side. “Healers! Summon all the Healers!”
The look of shock faded from Ordofel's face as his expression slackened, no longer showing signs of life. However, the same shock still froze Ryse's face. He had plunged headfirst into a botched job.
His divided attention gave the cloaked assailant the chance to bypass him and target Isfan. Ryse deployed another Prana technique, Somatic Drive, granting his entire body a brief burst of rapid movement, and rammed his shoulder to the assailant. She staggered a few steps but did not fall.
Before Ryse could plan the next move, the door burst open, and five fully armored soldiers rushed in with drawn swords.
“He murdered the King! He murdered the King!” Isfan shrieked, pointing at him with a bloodied finger.