Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 30: The Art of Thievery

Toren Daen

"Do you know what makes or breaks a heist?" Karsien asked, leisurely walking down the streets of East Fiachra. He wasn't wearing his Rat ensemble, but a simple half-mask covering his forehead and eyes. "And I don't mean getting caught or failing to lay out a contingency plan. Tell me, Toren, the essence of thievery."

We were touring the northern parts of the district. There was a dampness to every surface that seemed to seep into the heart of the suburb. The small coating of snow from a few days ago had begun to melt, making the dirt roads muddy and wet. Small orange firelights burned within shuttered windows.

A few toughs around an alleyway stared Karsien and me down, watching us with dark expressions as we moved by. Those men were fighters.

"Wouldn't it be the element of surprise?" I asked, unsure. "A plan to steal something will never work if it's expected."

Karsien tisked. "Not quite," he said, turning down an alleyway. Sensing something behind us, I shifted my stance and glanced behind me. Was it the toughs from before? "You can steal from somebody, even if they're expecting you all along."

"That's because the essence of theft," Karsien said, drawing my attention back to him, "Is misdirection."

He was twirling a dagger in his hand, deftly whirling the steel through his fingers. A very familiar dagger. I squawked in outrage, grabbing at my belt. Sure enough, my weapon was gone. The man had swiped it in the split second I had looked behind me!

"How?" I said, baffled. There was a good four feet between us, and I had only looked away for a moment!

Just that instant, the ruffians I had noticed earlier crowded into the mouth of the alleyway. There were five of them, each tall and strong. There wasn't much meat on their bones, probably from lack of food. But they were imposing and held a palpable bloodlust.

"Looks like we've got a few new neighbors in town," the lead man said. There were only a few hairs on his head, which were weathered and worn. He was missing more than a few teeth. "How about we show them the ropes?"

I thrust my hand to Karsien, my palm open. "Give that back," I said, ignoring the men. I spent good money on that knife and had grown attached to it in the past month. "You've proven your point."

The ruffians snickered. "They think we're playing about, don't they? How's about we show them why they shouldn't ignore us?" the lead man said, nudging his fellows.

"Touchy about your things, are we?" Karsien chided me, tossing the dagger in the air. Sensing an opportunity, I pulled on it with a flare of white telekinesis, causing it to lurch toward me. I caught it by the handle, deftly sheathing the weapon once more.

At the sight of my obvious magic, the men trying to box us in suddenly looked very, very unsure.

Karsien shook his head. "You've ruined half the fun already, Toren," he said with a sigh. "Now they'll run."

Sure enough, the men turned, shuffling to get away from two people who were obviously mages. They shouted apologies as they bolted out of the alleyway, scrambling to get away from us.

Karsien whistled. "That was faster than expected." I raised a brow, crossing my arms in irritation. The Rat ignored me, continuing on. "But as I said, the art of thievery is misdirection."

A form materialized out of mist at his feet, growing from the ground like a sprout. In a second, a mirror image of Karsien stood by his side. The clone dropped a pouch into the original's hand, then gave a deep bow. The illusory form of mist dispersed into the alleyway, its task complete.