The Princess and the Pea Page 4

  There—she heard it.

  The softest hush of cloth and the barest puff of his breath.

  The so-called legendary thief had arrived.

  Perhaps Apex is a better thief than I give him credit for. He obviously waited to learn more about us—we’ve been here in Mersey for four nights now…

  Lis remained motionless, hopefully luring the thief deeper into the room, which would make it that much harder for him to escape when they closed in on him.

  The quiet scuff near the foot of her bed meant he had reached the carpet Vorah had purposely repositioned to manufacture the change in sound.

  But it was so soft, and Apex was so silent, Lis almost doubted her hearing—a very dangerous position for her to be in.

  Vorah snorted in her “sleep,” and smacked her lips—a long agreed upon cue to attack in tandem in fifteen seconds.

  One…

  Lis started the count, though it took every ounce of her will to remain relaxed while she felt a presence drift closer.

  He must be leaning over me…but why did he pass over Vorah so swiftly? She had to carefully regulate herself so when she reached the count of fifteen, she didn’t tense or breathe in deeper, she simply flipped over and struck out with the heel of her foot, connecting solidly with a thigh.

  Lis blinked, trying to clear her vision as the intruder—Apex—grunted in unexpected pain.

  He was tall and clothed in tight, dark clothes made of soft fabric that barely whispered when he staggered backwards. A hood covered his hair, and a black cloth was wrapped around his jaw and nose, making it impossible to see his face.

  No weapons—but his belt is worn where a sword scabbard should be strapped, and his left boot was definitely designed to hold a hidden dagger. So why doesn’t he carry them?

  The door smashed shut as Vorah flung herself from her bed and into the frame. She was barely visible in the dim flame of the oil lamp positioned on an end table at the far side of the room—away from the danger of being carelessly knocked over.

  Lis flipped the covers off her bed in a single smooth movement and leaped to her feet.

  Apex jabbed his fist at her torso, but Lis deflected the blow by smacking the inside of his elbow, forcing the strike wide. She followed up the deflection with a throat jab, but her main goal was to back the thief away from her bed and into a more open area where she could use her sword that was still strapped to her side.

  Apex caught her fist in his palm, but Lis relentless pushed on, kneeing him in the stomach.

  The painful move barely made him stagger, and Lis adjusted her stance to his fighting style.

  She gritted her teeth when Apex recovered and rushed her before she had the chance to follow up and keep pushing him backwards.

  She twisted to the side to avoid a powerful kick that would have nailed her in the shoulder, then blocked a jab to her chest.

  Though her arms absorbed the blow, the contact stung, and it almost knocked her off balance with the strength of the strike.

  Pound for pound, he has more muscle than me and is much stronger, but while he hits heavy and fast, he’s by the book. He doesn’t fight dirty—ironic, considering he’s a thief. But that’s easy to exploit.

  Lis aimed a punch to his throat, which Apex raised his arm to block, but it was a feint. Instead, Lis slammed her knee into his unprotected side, then dragged her leg back and ground her heel into his gut. The combo made him back away from her bed, but then he merely moved to skirt around the other side of her bedframe.

  What alarmed her most was not the swiftness with which he recovered, but that he never stopped edging towards her mattress.

  Does he know the Pea is there?

  “Vorah!” Lis shouted. She threw herself onto her bed and rolled across it, popping to her feet on top of the mattress, just in front of Apex.

  She kicked at the thief’s face, but he caught her foot and twisted it.

  Lis dropped to the mattress rather than let the thief drag her straight off the bed, but Apex—still holding her foot—forced her leg high into the air.

  Lis grinned at the crystalline jingle of Vorah’s chained daggers.

  Vorah flicked one of her chained daggers so it wrapped around the hand Apex held Lis’ foot in, then pulled tight, wrenching his arm backwards.

  Lis jumped to her feet as Apex stalked towards her friend. She launched herself into a jump kick—slamming Apex between his shoulder blades and smashing him into Vorah.

  Vorah intercepted him, but instead of colliding with him, she ducked, slamming into his legs and knocking him over her shoulder.

  Lis glided past her friend, moving to keep Apex wedged between them. She started to unsheathe her sword, but something about the situation stayed her hand. She felt uneasy at the idea—and she hadn’t gotten to be a top-ranking warrior by ignoring her gut.

  Using my sword shouldn’t be necessary. The thief is a better boxer than I, but no matter how skilled he is, he doesn’t stand a chance with Vorah and I working together.

  Apex grabbed the chain still wrapped around his wrist and pulled—trying to yank Vorah off her feet.

  Vorah tossed her dagger to Lis—who now stood behind Apex. Lis caught it as she planted her foot on the thief’s back, pulling his arm over his head. A swift tug, and the chain dropped free.

  Lis threw the daggers back to Vorah and readjusted her stance as Apex burst to his feet.

  He twisted, facing Lis as she hooked his legs and tried to drag them out from under him. He held solid but didn’t see Vorah behind him.

  She leaped into the air and kicked him in the lower back, making him grunt in pain.

  Together, Lis and Vorah batted him back and forth like a child’s ball, picking apart his defense and opening holes so the other could strike him.

  Twice Apex tried to fight his way out from between them, but to no end.

  Vorah and Lis had worked together through endless nights and shadowy days. Their movements were efficient, precise, and timed perfectly as if they were dancing together.

  We’re wearing him down. Just a bit longer, and we’ll be able to restrain him.

  Lis chopped the edge of her hand at Apex’s throat.

  He blocked the move, but this was only a distraction, meant to occupy him while Vorah yanked his arm up behind his back.

  With the choice of either breaking his arm or going down to his knees, Apex dropped into a forward roll that dragged his arm from Vorah’s grasp and carried him across the room.

  “He’s fleeing!” Lis snapped when she realized he had given up on pushing towards her bed. She sprinted across the room, jumping onto the edge of Vorah’s bedframe as the thief fumbled with the blocked door.

  “Vorah, daggers!” Lis jumped from the bedframe to Apex’s back. Her arms snaked around his chest as she swept her legs up and to the side, making Apex bend to the side as well.

  He stilled for a moment, until the jingle of Vorah’s chain daggers snapped him out of his inaction. He liquidly staggered back, and the dagger Vorah had thrown at him only sliced his side instead of sinking deep into muscle.

  He swung around and rammed his back into the wall, squishing Lis between him and the unforgiving stone blocks.

  Lis grunted in pain and fell in a heap. Though she couldn’t breathe, she still had her wits about her and thrust her legs out as Apex ripped the door open, entangling his feet with hers.

  He staggered and almost fell but recovered in the nick of time and ran down the hallway—almost perfectly silent.

  “Lis, are you injured?” Vorah asked as she raced to the door.

  “Summon the guards,” Lis wheezed. “If they close up the castle now, we might still catch him.”

  Vorah nodded. She snatched up her daggers, then sprinted down the hallway, shouting. “Guards—alert! Apex is here!”

  Lis shook her head as she recovered, pausing only long enough to snatch the Pea of Primeorder from under the mattress and place it carefully in the pouch on her belt.

&nb
sp; When she scrambled into the hallway, Vorah was already out of sight.

  Apex had left a few spatters of blood behind. Unfortunately, he must have bound the wound as he ran, for the droplets only led the way down the hallway before stopping entirely.

  Lis mentally reviewed the most likely escape path he had taken—she and Vorah had spent their days going through the palace, memorizing all the hallways and routes—and ran down an intersecting hallway.

  She had to hold onto the hilt of her sword to keep the scabbard from smacking her leg as she hurried through the castle.

  Guards cycled through every few minutes, and Lis stopped long enough only to ask them if Apex had been caught.

  We need to catch him, or he’ll come back again—and this time better prepared!

  Lis traced out the likeliest escape paths, searching for any sign of the thief—a drop of blood or a scrap of cloth—but there was nothing.

  It was if he faded into the palace like a ghost!

  Lis’ breath came in steady puffs as she pivoted, readying herself to dash up a flight of stairs, when two short whistles made her pause.

  Vorah trotted down the hallway, her lips pursed in irritation. “You couldn’t pick up his trail either?” she asked.

  Lis shook her head. “No. Is the castle closed up?”

  “As tight as a merchant’s purse,” Vorah said. “I got word to the gatehouse; it should have closed in time.”

  Lis nodded and glanced around the hallway, her eyes lingering on the wood-paneled walls that glowed in the torchlight.

  “You don’t think he’s still in Mersey, do you?” Vorah asked.

  Lis nodded again. “Though he was sloppy in attacking us, his escape was flawless.” She sighed. “It’s going to be a real pain trying to catch him when he makes another attempt.”

  “You think he’ll try again?” Vorah asked.

  Lis snorted. “Given that we nearly had to knock his brains out to keep him from making for my mattress, yes.”

  Vorah stretched her arms above her head. “That’s the truth. Come—we’ve been summoned by King Albion and Queen Theodora to meet them in the library.” Vorah ambled back up the hallway, though she did raise an eyebrow. “And I do feel that I need to point out if you had used your sword and stabbed him through—as you very well could have instead of engaging in a fist fight—he would be pinned to the floor of our room right now.”

  “I don’t like unnecessary bloodshed—and he was unarmed,” Lis said as she joined her friend. “But mainly, there was something about him.”

  Vorah laughed. “If anyone else besides you said that, I’d think Apex, the legendary thief, had gotten away with something tonight after all: your heart!”

  Lis frowned as she tried to recreate Apex’s image. “I was more thinking that there was something almost familiar about him.”

  The idea silenced Vorah’s mirth. “Do you think maybe he didn’t get away so much as he cast off his clothes and became unrecognizable?”

  Lis was silent in thought, and the only noise in the hallway was the faint shout of guards clearing various hallways and floors, and the quiet tap of their synched footsteps. “It’s a possibility.”

  Another minute of walking, and they reached the library.

  Lis rapped on the door, then opened it. “You called for us, Your Majesties?”

  Inside, King Albion paced in front of the lit fireplace, his expression anxious. Queen Theodora looked markedly less worried. She was seated in a chair besides one of the giant harps that stood in the library, her hand caressing it as if it were an old friend.

  The queen smiled when she saw them. “Lis, Vorah, come in.”

  “Apex struck?” King Albion stopped pacing and instead rubbed his chest nervously.

  Lis bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty. The guards have been notified, but I’m afraid he has escaped.”

  King Albion’s expression was unreadable as he plopped down in an armchair. “Then he successfully stole the Pea of Primeorder.”

  “No, Your Majesty.” Vorah said.

  The king blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The jewel is still under our protection.” Lis grabbed the jewel out of the pouch and held it up for inspection.

  The power locked inside it made Lis’ fingertips tingle, and light from the fire cast extra sparks of light on its green surface as she held it out to the king.

  King Albion stared dumbly at the jewel. “You still have it?” he asked, sounding rather shocked.

  Queen Theodora smiled. “As we could expect of two brave and skilled warriors such as Lisheva and Vorah!”

  King Albion was still slack-jawed. “Apex didn’t take it?”

  “No,” Lis said.

  “You still have our apologies: we failed to capture him—though it was a near thing,” Vorah said.

  Queen Theodora’s smile briefly blossomed into a grin, and King Albion sank lower in his chair.

  “You almost caught him, you said?” The king’s voice was rather mild considering they were discussing a famous thief who had nearly succeeded in stealing a national treasure.

  “Yes. We heard him enter our room and remained silent to draw him in…” Vorah launched into a description of the encounter as Lis returned the pea to the pouch on her belt.

  How did Apex know the gem was under my mattress? He must have known—there was no other reason for him to approach it. But only a select few knew of its location…

  The night they arrived, Lis and Vorah had explained the security measures they were taking, and had told King Albion, Queen Theodora, and Prince Channing where they intended to stow the Pea of Primeorder at night.

  The chamberlain and Haywood were present then as well…but they appear to be among the most loyal of servants. Unless they ran their mouths later—an unlikely event considering the esteem placed in them—only those in the room would have known of the Pea’s location.

  Lis glanced at Queen Theodora and King Albion as Vorah continued with her explanation.

  Queen Theodora appeared amused—perhaps even delighted. King Albion stared blankly at Vorah as he listened.

  Lis rested her hands on her sword belt and mentally reviewed the encounter with Apex. There are too many abnormalities to this evening. Nothing has happened quite as logically as it should. The king appeared shocked that we protected the Pea when our skill was the reason we were hired to begin with.

  The library door creaked open. “Father, Mother,” Prince Channing greeted them as he swept into the room, Haywood on his heels.

  The prince was dressed in chainmail and a leather surcoat, though he was unarmed.

  Behind him, Haywood looked mussed. His clothes appeared to be frantically thrown on, and, hidden from the king and queen’s sight by their son, he tugged his belt straight.

  “Haywood tells me Apex struck.” Prince Channing swiveled so he faced Lis and Vorah, his expression as unreadable as ever. “Did he steal the Pea of Primeorder?”

  “No,” Lis said.

  The library was heavy with silence, until Vorah cleared her throat. “We were unable to capture Apex, but there is a chance he is still in the castle.”

  Channing nodded once. “What measures have been taken?”

  Vorah tapped the daggers strapped to her belt. “The guards have closed off all exits—including the gatehouse. But it’s possible that he has fled through unusual methods—for instance, escaping through a window and scaling the castle walls.” She glanced at Lis, who gave her a discreet signal—a brief look down before looking right. It was a request to keep talking.

  Vorah nodded—though she covered it up by widening her stance folding her arms across her chest. “Additionally, he may simply be lying low, biding his time until we loosen security again.”

  Lis turned her attention from the conversation to Haywood and Channing, who stood across from her.

  The men were of similar size and build. Though Haywood appeared slightly winded—either from running through the castle or something else
—he watched Prince Channing grip the back of an armchair.

  Slowly, Lis felt the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Knowing where the jewel was kept, the strange reactions, his unlikely escape…it all makes sense.

  As Vorah continued to spout logical but unnecessary theories, Lis fixed her eyes on Haywood and slowly sidled up to him.

  When he offered her a grin, Lis returned it, then started to turn back to the fire. She purposely knocked into a footstool that made her stumble, letting her pinwheel her arms.

  In her show of falling, she jabbed Prince Channing in the side—the very place where Vorah had wounded Apex.

  Channing grunted and his body stiffened.

  Chapter 5

  Lis dropped her pretend falling act and glared at the prince. “You,” she snarled.

  “Haywood!” King Albion said in a pleasant voice. “Please check in with the guards and hear their reports to see if any of them have caught sight of Apex.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty!” Haywood bowed and glanced curiously at Lis and Prince Channing before he slipped from the room.

  Lis shoulders were tight with anger, and she barely noticed the servant’s exit. “You’re Apex—and you knew!” She swung around to accusingly face the King and Queen of Torrens.

  This whole thing was a set up! A farce!

  “You have the wrong idea, Lisheva,” King Albion said soothingly.

  Lis ignored him and pulled back from Channing to join Vorah. Together they slightly angled their bodies so they nearly stood back-to-back.

  “Us against a royal family, huh? That’s a new one.” Though Vorah laughed, it was a harsh sound.

  “We’re not against you,” Channing rumbled.

  “Oh, really? You set this act up, then, for the fun of it?” Lis asked, the bite of her anger bleeding through her voice.

  “Channing is the legendary thief, Apex,” King Albion admitted.

  “You don’t say?” Lis asked.

  “I love your humor when you get grouchy, Master,” Vorah said as she discreetly tugged on her daggers, loosening them on her belt.

  King Albion waved his hands in the air. “But this isn’t what you think…probably.”