chapter 24 heist in the night

Pentos. Where my dragon eggs will be. But taking them presents two choices: I could march my khalasar into the city, killing my way through the streets, but that would mean splitting my forces once i take the city, leaving us vulnerable in a city far from our stronghold. Or, I could focus on the nearby cities, but the moment I expand too quickly, fear will spread, and all will rise against me.

No. To take everything, I must move slowly. And for now, this task requires only me and a handful of men.

"Hound," I call.

He steps into the room, towering as always. "You called?"

"Yes. Fetch Drogo, Tom, and David. I have a task for them."

An hour later, they stand before me—Drogo, the Hound, David, and Tom, my best men. All tested in battle, hardened through three wars if you can even call them that and countless fights.

Tom is the first to ask, "What's this about my lord?"

"We're going after something I want," I say, "but we can't afford to split ourselves across a city so far from our reach. Not yet."

The Hound steps forward. "What city? And what's the target?"

"Pentos," I say, watching them carefully. "And we only need to kill one man: Illyrio Mopatis. What I need from him is private. We go in as merchants, slip into his mansion at night, kill him, take what I came for, and leave everything else behind."

Drogo smirks. "Simple enough. When do we go?"

"We leave now. No army, just us five. We'll be disguised, quiet. The moment we have what I want, we leave. No looting, no glory. Any questions?"

The Hound grunts, "So, no real plan then?"

"We don't need one. We're the best fighters in the world. We'll wing it."

"That's madness," the Hound growls.

Drogo grins. "I like it."

Tom and David exchange glances before nodding.

"Good. Now get dressed—we leave tonight."

---

Months and a half later, Pentos:

The city is cloaked in darkness as we approach in a cart with food, water, and goods to sell. It's been two weeks of travel, cutting down bandits along the way, their skulls hidden for my collection on the return trip.

Bribing the guards at the gate, we enter the city, heading straight for one of the taverns I own across Essos and Westeros. There, the barkeep gathers information for me, just like all the others. It doesn't take long to confirm Illyrio's mansion: 300 guards, 150 servants. Too many for a frontal assault.

"This will be a stealth mission," I tell the men. They're not pleased, but I don't care. I won't split my army for one city so far away.

"Ready?" I ask.

"This is madness," the Hound says, his tone resigned.

Drogo laughs, raising his drink. "This will be a tale passed down for generations!"

Tom and David join him in laughter, but the tension remains as we all don black, covering ourselves head to toe, disappearing into the shadows like assassins.

---

We reach Illyrio's mansion just before midnight, scaling the back wall where the guards are few. Once over, we move silently, killing any who cross our path, dragging their bodies into empty rooms. It takes an hour to find Illyrio's chambers—an hour of death in the dark, bodies hidden in silence.

Finally, we reach his room. Two guards stand watch, but they don't see us until it's too late—knives from me and the Hound drop them where they stand. Tom and David drag the corpses inside, closing the door behind us.

Illyrio lies on the bed with two women. I step forward and slit the throats of the women without hesitation, their blood soaking the sheets as Illyrio awakens, panicking as I clamp a hand over his mouth.

I lean in close, whispering, "Where is your vault?"

He shakes his head, refusing to answer, so I snap a finger with my other hand. He tries to scream, but my grip muffles the sound. Slowly, he leads us to the vault, his body trembling. My men move silently, killing any guard who crosses our path.

At the vault, we dispatch the last of the guards in our way. Illyrio unlocks the door with a key from around his neck, and inside we find piles of gold, silver, and gems—enough to drive most men mad with greed. But that's not why I'm here.

After searching for twenty minutes, I find the chest I came for—three dragon eggs, nestled within. The power to conquer kingdoms lies in my hands finally and fire made flesh soon under my control.

Illyrio realizes what I've taken. He tries to scream, but before the sound tries to escape his throat, I plunge my dagger into his neck.

I turn to my men. "Take whatever you can carry, but nothing that will slow you down anything you take is yours to keep."

They fill sacks with rubies, emeralds, and gold, moving quickly. Once we're done, we slip out the same way we came, climbing over the wall and heading back to the tavern for our cart and horses.

At the gates, a guard stops us. "We need to search your cart."

I toss him a pouch filled with gold. He catches it, grins, and waves us through.

As we ride back to Meereen, I think of the skulls I left behind in Pentos. One day, I'll return for them. One day, the entire city will be mine. But for now, I have the dragon eggs.

Nothing can stop me now all i have to do is seize it all and one woman must be found for my next step of the iron throne.

Thanks for the power stones zero requim, tharuz and faisal