• To Raid The Bastion

"I think we better fill the boy in on our plans," Jion, the thief in cascadean boots, spoke up. "The Duke has returned."

Everyone looked over the tower rails and down at the bastion. A carriage had just arrived into the premises, a troop of marshalls entering with it, moving about with purpose as they escorted the Duke into the building.

Spheris perked an eyebrow. The bastion seemed very busy. Servants hurried in and out of the stone corridors, marshals whispered amongst themselves, marching and patrolling in a manner that didn't seem like their conventional.

The bastion itself was as formidable as he had imagined it to be. The walls were hewn from rugged land stones and lined with crenellations. Torchlight flickered along the parapets, creating shadows of the marshals who patrolled the perimeter. The drawbridge was being raised from the moat signaling that the bastion was about to sleep.

However, Spheris was still intent on the atmosphere of exigency that engulfed the fort. "There's something going down there tonight," he asserted. "That's why you chose tonight. The entire bastion is busy and won't pay you much attention... or the dungeon."

Dunnam grinned. "Yes! You see, Nephta. I told you the boy was smart."

"Hmph," Nephta only murmured, glancing momentarily at Spheris.

"Regardless, Jion is right. So let's have one last rundown of the plan." Dunnam's eyes slowly moved to Spheris. "Meanwhile Spheris, you should send that bird of yours to do the scouting. You know, like we talked about? We need to know the amount of marshals they've left on patrol."

Spheris remained apathetic, with arms still folded and a scrutinizing look in his dark eyes. "Alright, Talon go." The bird jumped into the air and glided down to the bastion. Everyone else was staring at him, flabbergasted.

"What?" Spheris voiced.

"Did you just tell your bird to go and it went?" Dunnam asked.

"Yes."

"And it knows exactly what it's meant to do?"

"Yes."

The bounty hunter frowned, still as bewildered as he was before he asked the questions. "How?"

"Ugh, I dunno about this kid, Dunnam," Acko spoke up again. "He gives me the freaks. Why is he so reserved? And look at his eyes. By the Gods, I don't like his eyes."

Spheris rolled them. 'I wonder if it's because mine are still complete,' he thought.

"By Obadiel's grace, Acko, will you shut it!" scolded Dunnam, berating the timid thief. "Unless you've a mind to skulk into the bastion and get the key yourself?"

Acko drooped in surrender. "No, not at all."

"Good! Now, let's revisit the plan for the boy's sake." Dunnam paused for any dissenting voices, finding none, he shifted his attention to Cascadean Boots. "Jion?"

The thief nodded and stepped into the center of the group. He gave everyone a quick glance and cleared his throat. "We tread through the minor streets and then into the sewers, the channel from there to the dungeon is quite easy, only there is a lot of Guard Magic there. Hopefully, Nephta will be able to sniff them out and unlock them before they alarm the Mages that placed them."

Spheris eyed the female thief. Was that what her powers were? To hack through magic?

"Now the boy, if he's as good as Dunnam says he is, will sneak into the second level of the bastion and retrieve the key from the emporium." He then turned to Spheris, giving him a piercing, meaningful look. "It's a giant silver key, you can't miss it."

Spheris gazed at him disdainfully. Who did he think he was? Speaking with such high grammar and proud chest while still leading a thief's life?

"When you retrieve the key, descend through the lowering stairs leading to the dungeon. That's where we'll rendezvous." Spheris frowned, so far his part of the heist seemed the riskiest.

"We'll unlock the main door, and Nephta will dismantle the Guard Spell shielding the treasure. Acko will distribute the folding bags, and we'll fill them with as much as we can carry—nothing more. Exiting the dungeon, we lock the door behind us, and the boy returns the key. After that, we retrace our steps exactly, going back the same way we came. No one would suspect a thing and it will be months or weeks until they realize that the dungeon has been breached."

"Well done, Jion! Well done!" Dunnam praised, tapping the learned thief on his back. "Does anyone have any questions?"

"I have to return the key?" Spheris quietly asked.

"What? Of course," Dunnam chuckled nervously. "We don't want them noticing it's gone."

"And where do I meet you guys after so we can share the money?"

"Well, right here of course! The same place where we planned it all. Only difference is we'll be richer then, ha ha!"

Spheris scowled at the bounty hunter's abhorrent laughter. "I see."

"Oh come on, Spheris! This is not the time to be so hangdog and paranoid. We're about to be rich!"

But Spheris's demeanor didn't change, and it would have been silly of Dunnam if he expected that it would. "I'll be there with the key," he simply said.

"Ay! Your bird is coming back!" Acko reported. Spheris turned slowly up to the night sky as Talon slowly glided down and rested on his outstretched hand. He patted the raven fervently before retrieving a berry from one of his safe pockets and feeding it while the other thieves watched.

"Good boy," he said to the bird as it ate. "Now what did you see?"

Talon simply cawed a reply. "Well done, Tallie," Spheris gave the raven another treat.

"Hold on, did the bird just speak to you?"

"Four marshals at the guard towers, six at the keep, two patrolling the corridors, five at the back and two at the gatehouse," Spheris announced.

The three thieves and the bounty hunter shared glances. "You got all of that from that one caw?" Nephta asked with amused skepticism.

"He pretty much did," Acko replied for him.

"Now you all see what I've been saying," Dunnam said boastfully. "The kid's special. One of a kind."

"It's getting late," Spheris pointed out. "Are we going to do this or not?"

"How do you plan on getting inside the bastion?" Jion asked him. Spheris turned to the thief, doing little to hide his scorn.

"That's for me to worry about," he replied. "Just do you part, and I'll do mine." And with that, he turned around and descended down the tower's stairs, leaving behind the rest of the team and ignoring Nephta's prying gaze. It seemed she was just as curious about him as he was about her.

However, it didn't matter at that moment. All that was on his mind was to get the job done and return to his mother with his prize. It was showtime.