An easy job (generic fantasy)

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The older guard at the mansion gate removed his right gauntlet to scratch his backside again, and said something to his partner.

Dressed in indigo clothes and wearing a dark hood, Colthrun was nearly invisible among the leaves of the big tree atop which he was hiding. He was too far away from the two men to hear what they were saying but, after two hours of waiting, he welcomed the meagre entertainment that they were unknowingly providing. Most city pubs favoured spicy food to encourage patrons to drink more, so it was very possible the unfortunate man was suffering from some serious burning down there. Cooling ointments and salves against haemorrhoids were a must have in any household these days. The young rogue was trying his best not to chuckle every time the guard scratched and grimaced.

He had had enough time to study the place he was about to break into. The mansion was not one of the largest in the city, but it was still big. Four floors high, it was wide enough to fit five or perhaps six common houses within. A wide balcony could be seen at the front, right on top of the main entrance, on the second floor. The windows of the first floor were protected with iron bars, and Colthrun imagined that those in the ground floor would be similarly protected. The property was surrounded by a generous garden, and separated from the rest of the world by a tall, thick stonewall. Torches hanging every ten meters in the outside lighted the wall, and the guards were careful to ensure that not a single one went out. There were also some trees here and there. One of such tree, right in front of his hiding place and slightly bent towards the wall, would provide his entry point. The only thing was, there was too much light not to be noticed by the patrolling guards or those two at the main gate.

Colthrun looked at the sky for the hundredth time. 'It will rain somewhat fierce this evening lad, you should stay in’, his neighbour had told him while rubbing his knee with a gnarled hand. His old neighbour's bones were more reliable than any diviner predicting weather changes, so Colthrun was counting on the rain to put out those torches. This night, however, there were no clouds to be seen. The rogue bit his lower lip in frustration. Perhaps the geezer’s bones were losing their touch, after all.

Out of nowhere, a flash of lightning accompanied immediately by the deafening roar of thunder lighted the street like a thousand torches. Shocked, Colthrun nearly lost his grip on the tree branch. Cursing under his breath, he checked that the guards hadn’t noticed him, while more lightning was crisscrossing the sky. The two men seemed oblivious to his presence, and totally unconcerned about the strange meteorological phenomenon. Then it started raining, a drop or two, at first, followed by many more in quicker succession. The torches surrounding the wall sputtered and went out. The guards simply shrugged, pulled up the hoods of their heavy coats, and continued their quiet banter.

Colthrun couldn’t believe it. There he was, soaked to the bone by a rain curtain falling from a cloudless sky. There was no wind that night that could have brought the rain from a more distant place. The rain was, in fact, falling straight down. In any case, that wouldn’t explain the thunder and lightning that seemed to converge exactly over the big mansion he had been watching for hours. The torches were out, anyway, and that was good enough for him. Now if he could only think of a suitable distraction for the guards…

The older guard by the gate farted loudly, then doubled over in pain, dropped his halberd, and clutched his backside with both hands while muttering all kinds of vile oaths. The younger man started laughing so hard he was crying with mirth. He tried to sit down and missed the doorstep, falling flat on the ground, his own halberd joining his partner’s on the floor. There, he started laughing even harder. Still recovering from his soreness, the older man started laughing too.

Colthrun hadn’t wasted this chance. When the younger guard had started laughing, he had dropped to the ground from his branch, landing in all fours. Then ran to the wall of the mansion and skilfully climbed to the highest branches of the nearest tree on that side of the road. There, he allowed himself to take a small break. His leg muscles were sore due to the sudden effort after hours of inactivity, so he stretched them the best he could while trying not to lose balance. The rain was making his clothes stick to his body, but he was grateful for every single drop. The deafening sound of thunder and the rain hitting the pavement had concealed any noise he could have made.

From his branch he could easily see over the stonewall. The garden had some small flowerbeds, and a large area at the back, probably used for parties, was covered with smooth cobblestones. There were no trees or statues he could use to hide behind. No guards could be seen patrolling the inner side of the wall, however, and there were no lights in the house.

The downpour was stopping. Colthrun gave one last glance to the guards, who had recovered some amount of composure but were still giggling, and then stretched his right arm to grab the top edge of the wall. Ever so slowly, he climbed to lay face down on it. He was careful to check for loose stones that could give his position away should they fell. A quick glance towards the garden revealed that no flowerbeds or bushes were under his section of the wall. Colthrun rolled over, shifted his weight in midair, and landed in a crouched position with both arms extended to help keeping balance. He stood there for a second or two, listening. When he was sure the guards hadn’t noticed him, he headed for the house.

He found a small side door on the opposite wall to that of the main entrance. It took him about ten seconds to assess the locking mechanism used, and even a shorter time to unlock it. He was in.

[ December 31, 2005, 12:41: Message edited by: Colthrun ]