Sorry it’s taken me so long to get the next chapter out like it’s gotten in the way again it will be a while before the next chapter I’m currently in the process of moving and with work being what it is finding time to sit and write have become increasingly few and far between

The subtle almost imperceptible snick of the crossbow followed by the telltale hum sounded like a cannon blast to Jace’s magically enhanced hearing. It gave him just enough warning to drop from the eves to the roof of the house below him as the bolt slammed into the wall where he had just be with a discharge of blue sparks. “Shit a caster” Jace said quietly to himself as he rolled and took off at a dead sprint clearing the low wall at the end of the rooftop patio vaulting across the narrow alleyway to the next block of warehouses.

“I thought you took care of the guards” Jace whispered to the slight shimmer floating next to his head

“ How was I supposed to know that they had a roaming caster” Laxus whispered from where he ran parallel to Jace a good twelve meters away on the other side of the main cart road for the warehouse district

"Shit I’ve got to lose this guy” Jace thought as he dove to the right as another bolt slammed into the slate shingles beside him. They had maybe three city blocks as the crow flew to reach their destination, but their pursuer meant a more circuitous route would be necessary. It was time they didn't need to waste, but couldn't risk not taking.

“Intel and scouting was your job!” Jace whispered angrily as he leaped to the next rooftop “forget it lets just get this done before he sends for reinforcements.”

“Just hurry you get in, get it and get out just like we practiced, we weren’t even here.”

“I know, I know. This isn’t my first job you know.” Jace sighed as he swung from an exposed beam supporting the roof of the warehouse to his right

“We’ve never done anything this big or risky before Jace I mean stealing from the archduke I mean his wife is the Queen!”

“Not the true Queen.”

“Queen enough for me I mean Gods Jace look at what she and the Duke did to the Royal Family. They massacred them, all even the newborn princess!”

“Didn’t they like bring in a Necro or something dark like that? Besides, that was what sixteen years ago we were just babies back then.” Jace said as he scurried up the side and onto the roof of the building he just jumped to.
“I think I lost him.” He breathed

“You should know it was your birthday Jace.”

“Shhhhh! Father said never to talk about that if it got out that I was born on the Dark Day we would never get any work that is if we weren’t run out and killed on the spot. I mean seriously dad told you about the Purge of the newborns the archduke and his soldiers went door to door slaughtering every newborn in the city.” Jace admonished as he picked his way down to the next rooftop.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would the Archduke kill all the newborns if the entire Royal Family was wiped out?”

"Maybe they weren't? Maybe -- shit! No time for stealth now!" Jace called out as a blast of magic lit the night sky.

“Just grab the box and anything else that looks valuable and toss the place make it impossible to know what’s missing … better yet torch the room.” Laxus called back

“WHAT? I’m not going to burn down a building for this job. What if someone is in there?”

“Don’t worry the vault will contain it. Besides, the mage corps will be here soon enough thanks to that flair. They will get it under control before anything happens, just be sure to get the box and anything else before you do.”

“I don’t like this Laxus.”

“I know Jace I know but this way the Archduke won’t know what we took and the fire will get rid of any evidence that it was us. Just so long as we don’t get caught now or fencing the other stuff we’re golden.”

“There has to be another way to do this without torching the place.”

“Listen Jace this has to be done it’s the only surefire way to erase our tracks.” Laxus sighed as they came to a halt at their destination

“Fine Laxus! Just shut up and keep watch. I’m going in” Jace said as he threw a black crystal the size of a quail egg at the wall of the warehouse in front of him. The crystal shattered on impact and opened a temporary hole in the warehouse wall and the vault immediately on the other side. Jace sprinted the last few yards to the edge of the rooftop and dove across the two-meter gap and through the hole. He landed In a tucked role. As he rolled past the column in the center of the room his arm flashed out like a snake and hooked the edge of the fluting. Using the momentum from the roll Jace slid around the pedestal like a wheel around a post coming to a stop facing the vault door which was securely sealed and warded from the outside. As soon as he knew it was safe, that no one was going to come bursting through the door as soon as he moved, Jace uncoiled his lithe frame from the defensive crouch that he had adopted. Even though Jace hated his small stature he had to admit that it was a definite benefit for doing jobs like this. Jace stood and surveyed the room around him. The vault it seemed wasn’t overly large just a twelve by fourteen-foot box made of two-foot thick walls and as stone ceiling and floor with a granite door set into the recessed entrance way. The walls were lined with all manner of documents and small items but his true goal lay in a small recessed cutout in the center column of the vault. Jace mumbled a few words and a shimmer appeared by his right ear.

“Ok, Laxus I found what we're looking for.”

“Great Get it and anything else that looks valuable and hurry the Magic Corp is on its way. And Jace, don’t forget to burn everything else.”

“Gods I really don’t like this plan.” Jace said to himself as the shimmer disappeared “But what am I going to do? I can’t leave any evidence that it was us behind.” He let out an audible sigh “I guess it has to be done.” Turning from the column Jace began to chant quietly as a small pinprick of light materialized next to him and began to grow to the size of a small round shield or was it a buckler he never could tell the difference no matter how many times Trax had told him. Trax was Laxus’s father and Jace’s stepfather. Even though Trax had married Jace’s mother when Jace was still a babe and had raised him from infancy as his own Jace was still a Nightwalker and Trax was a Graves. Don’t misunderstand Jace loved Trax and he was the only father he had ever known he was never mistreated or anything but Jace was still not his blood and thus could never inherit he would always be the adopted son, not even a bastard.
“What would Father do in this situation?” Jace thought to himself as he gently took the small box, that was about half of the size of a clay brick, and slipped into the pocket dimension that he created in the disk of light.

Deep down Jace knew that Laxus was right that this is exactly what their father would do if left in this situation. “Just more proof that I’m not HIS son. I just can't think like him I never could.” He sighed. Laxus always knew what their father would do in whatever situation but Jace was always at a loss.

Jace turned from the central column and began ranging around the room taking anything that looked valuable, several important looking scrolls and a large bundle of old books stood out to Jace, not because of the possible value but instead because of their very nature as books and scrolls. Jace loved to read her read anything he could get his hands on. “These I’ll keep for myself.” Jace thought to himself as he tucked them into the light.

“Time to go Jace.” Laxus’ voice whispered in his ear

“Alright, Alright. I’m leaving now.” Jace whispered as turned away from the last shelf. On impulse, he reached back and grabbed the small leather bound journal that was laying there. “Might be an interesting read.” He whispered into the nothingness.

“What was that?” Laxus whispered back

“Nothing.” Jace muttered as he waved a hand through the light which immediately vanished into darkness.

“Ok, burn the place and get out of there the Mage Corps are almost on top of us.”

“Shit! How are we going to get out of here Laxus?”

“Don’t worry I have a plan.”

“No!”Jace groaned. He could hear the smile in his brother’s voice“You’re not thinking what I think you are. Because if you are.” He moaned as he tossed two red crystal eggs at the far wall shattering into two intense balls of heat which instantly engulfed the surrounding shelves in flame. Once he was sure that the room was well and truly ablaze he sprinted for the hole he had made when he came in.

“Come on Jace its not for long and its the perfect alibi”

“But you know I Hate it.” Jace cried as he vaulted through the hole. Stretching out as he sailed through the air he grabbed hold of the lip of the roof of the warehouse he started from. Pulling himself up to the rooftop breathed a sigh of relief.

“Did you get it?”

“Of course I did.” Jace sighed looking up into Laxus’ beaming face.

“Good now get rid of that hole and let's get out of here.”

Jace tossed another small black crystal at the hole where it stopped in mid-air and began to glow with a faint purple light. The edges of the hole seemed to collapse in on themselves and stream into the crystal. With the hole now gone the glow from the crystal winked out and the crystal itself turned to dust that was carried away on the breeze

“Alright let's go. But before we do.” Laxus smiled maliciously as he handed over a bundle of cloth

“Do I have to?” Jace wined

“Just do it so we can go.”

“Fine but not up here.” Jace groaned as he took the bundle and climbed off the roof down to the alley below and began stripping out of his clothes to dawn the disuse that Laxus gave him.

“Are you done yet?” Laxus asked as he materialized next to Jace who was putting the finishing touches to his disguise

“I guess. Let's just get out of here.” Jace whispered as he raised his hood and stepped out into the late evening traffic of the south market street

Half a mark later the two were just entering the Northern Market Square when a Gruff voice called out “You there! Halt!”

“I knew that this wasn’t going to work.” Jace hissed just loud enough for Laxus to hear him

“Relax, they don’t know anything.”

“I haven’t seen you around here before. What is your business in this part of town?” a hulking Guar asked

“Just a touch of shopping with my stepbrother,” Jace muttered

“What was that?”

“Were just out shopping before the market closes.” Laxus said, “see we couldn’t find what we were looking for at the southern Market so we had to come here.”

“There are thieves about, so I’m going to need to search you both.” The guard Sargent said staring at Jace with a wicked little gleam in his eye.

“You shall do no such thing.” A stern voice called out from a doorway off to their left

“Who do you think you …” The Sargent snarled as he turned to face this newcomer his voice dying in his throat

“I know exactly who I am Guardsman.” A tall raven haired woman dressed in a fine azure blue silk skirt and bodice. The deliberate misuse of the Sargent’s title was not lost on any of those gathered there nor was it lost on the small crowd that had begun to gather.

“Lady Ravencloud.” The Sargent sputtered “I am but attending to my duty’s. Surely you can understand that.”

“Since when have the Guards Duties been to accost innocent shoppers in the street.” Lady Ravencloud stood there glaring at the Sargent

“But my Lady, they might be thieves.”

“Do you have any proof to that? If you do I'll have it now” Lady Ravencloud stated

“No my lady.” The Sargent grumbled

“Then be off with you Guardsman, and be warned should I hear of you accosting any more innocent people I will have you arrested as it is I will be speaking to your lieutenant.”

“Out of the way!” The Guard Sargent yelled as he strode off into the crowd

“Well then my dears now that that’s settled please accept my apologies on behalf of that brute, I believe he was an abused child” Lady Ravencloud snickered a grin crossing her beautiful face “You know I have a daughter about your age she will be attending the Royal Magic Academy her name is Misty perhaps if you two are also attending you will see her there.”

“Perhaps we shall. You have our many thank My lady.” Laxus bowed

“My lady.” Jace muttered, “Please excuse us but we must be off.” As he quickly turned his hood slapped from his head revealing his long golden red hair delicately breaded in a single plait

Lady Ravencloud stood in shock as a memory of a time long past played behind her eyes. “Déjà vu” she thought as she came back to herself Gazing around looking for that familiar flash of golden red which was now nowhere to be seen.

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