Chapter 55 - Sneak

Evanna and Axel joined the others by the bridge's side. They split into two groups; Cilv led Ronan and Axel on her side of the bridge, while Evanna led Ger on the opposite side. They snuck forwards, their footsteps light, with their backs crouched, low enough to only be shown slightly above the bridge's sides.

As they approached the endpoint of the bridge, the statuesque gate the girls were used to seeing grew taller as they got closer. The guys stayed back while Evanna and Cilv sprinted forwards and simply tapped the guards on the back of their armour; once they turned around, they blew the powder in their face. The guards coughed, and the pair ran around them and done the same to another couple of guards.

Evanna stayed by one of their sides, waiting for him to drop. When he did, she caught him, looking over at the others, feeling relieved when she saw each of the guys carrying a guard. Luckily, Cilv noticed an unguarded carriage and opened the door, signalling the others to put the guards in there.

Evanna was the first to drop her guard in the carriage, keeping as quiet as possible. She snuck to the side and surveyed the area; there should be two more guards, but where were they? While the men put the remaining guards in the carriage, Evanna rushed towards the fountain and hid out of sight from the palace view. Her eyes were the only thing Cilv could see, but the shifter knew nobody else had a clear view of the princess, especially if they were looking outside the windows and arches of the palace.

The princess observed the area, her only movement being her head and eyes. They needed to take the other two guards out, so the alarm was not raised. Evanna ducked immediately after seeing two figures walk to the balcony's edge on the first floor that overlooked this part of the palace. She held her breath as her muscles tensed in anticipation; she couldn't look now in case they saw her. Evanna could only hope that the others were hidden.

After seeing Evanna duck, Cilv signalled the guys to stop moving; Ger looked at Cilv's line of sight, and instead of halting, he climbed into the carriage with the sleeping elves. Axel and Ronan followed suit. But Cilv closed the door on them and instead ran up the wall, extending her nails and used her hands to claw her way up to the balcony's edge.

Cilv readied herself; her right hand came out, her nails lengthened even more, but she stopped when the guards retreated from the balcony edge. They sounded drunk. She could not tell what they were saying, but Cilv could see them walking unsteadily towards the stairs after looking through the balcony gaps. She dropped to the ground silently, not bothered by the height and kept herself hidden in the shadows, her back flat against the wall.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Evanna sprint forwards; her eyes widened, and she went to signal her to hide, but it was too late. The voices of the men laughing and stumbling on the last steps caught sight of Cilv; before they could say anything, Evanna blew the powder in their faces.

*cough* "* What is- *"

The girls grabbed the last of the guards and dragged them over to the carriage. Cilv climbed in and closed the door behind her, leaning out of the window she 'psst' Evanna over.

"That was incredibly reckless. You should have left that to me," Cilv scolded in a hushed tone.

"You were going to kill them," Evanna whisper-shouted.

"So?"

Evanna didn't bother replying; unlike the shifter, she had a conscience and only killed when she needed to. With that in mind, she climbed onto the front of the carriage and 'tsked' the horses forwards, leading them into the cellar. It was rather comical that this was their only entry and exit strategy after the days of their reconnaissance.

Maybe the elves built it in such a way so no one was foolish enough to try anything. Well, they were the fools and about to find out if they were to succeed. But from those days, Cilv and Evanna were able to map out the palace, not to the full detail of knowing what each room was used for, much to Cilv's dismay. But they couldn't let an opportunity like tonight go to waste. The primary target was the treasury, and even when they initially found the room, their riches were to such an extent that the mere minutes they were there was not enough to look for the gem. 

Evanna pulled on the reins and stopped the carriage, making sure to keep it partially hidden behind some of the barrels in the cellar. Unfortunately, she could not do much more, but it was better than leaving it out in the open. After checking the area, Evanna made a quick whistle sound and the group dispersed from the carriage.

Evanna rolled her eyes at Ger and Cilv, shoving one another as they left the carriage. She sighed as the shapeshifter joined her side again, and the men followed behind them. They ascended the small slope the led out of the cellar; Cilv eyed the corridor before stepping out, Evanna repeated and followed, creeping towards another pillar and hiding there. They waited as each of the men done the same before they continued down the quiet halls.

The only sounds they heard were from the celebration in another part of the palace. After sneaking around, the girls made sure that the festivities would be away from their destination, and so it was. The previous days showed the servants decorating the throne room, another great hall and a few side rooms for their guests. 

The hallways were lit by floating lights in the high ceiling, giving off a show of a starry night sky but with enough light to keep the shadows at bay. As they continued down the hallways, their gazes ever so vigilant and their steps silent; the noise from the celebration decreased the further they got away.

Cilv ran across another corridor, jumping onto the ground into a silent roly-poly and hiding behind another pillar.

Evanna looked down the corridor and repeated the action, landing swiftly on her feet after and leaning her back against another pillar. Ronan eyed the hall, then walked casually, followed by Ger and Axel, all sauntering to a spot behind the same post, across from the girls. Evanna gave Ger a pointed look after he smirked at her. This was not the time for jokes! She screamed with her eyes. He pouted in return then held his hands up in surrender.

While Ger and Evanna were having another mini discussion with their eyes, Axel tensed after seeing an approaching guard and tapped lightly on the back of Ronan's shoulder. He looked in the direction Axel was looking, and his eyes widened. Unlike the girls, they didn't have the sleep powder to knock them out with, but any more guards taken out might cause suspicion at their non-existent return. Sensing the men's alert postures, Cilv waved at them to stay put.

Although Cilv and Ger did not like each other, they had to work together tonight, which meant Ger trusting the girl. After this crazy quest, Ger would be more than happy never to see the conniving girl again.

The guard's footsteps grew louder as he came closer to their position. The group held their breaths and tensed in anticipation at what would happen next; Axel grabbed one of his throwing axes and lightened his grip, ready in case the elf found them. But the guard turned around a corner. The group released their breath the moment they heard the retreating footsteps. Evanna and Cilv, though they knew the guards patrol routes partially, it still embedded fear into them.

After a few more twists and turns, the party arrived across from the treasury room. Cilv and Evanna once again merged into the shadows. Axel and Ronan scanned the area, searching for the girls, to see if they could find them, but they could not. Whereas Ger scanned their surroundings and kept glancing at the two guards standing in front of a pair of tremendous golden doors. Within the next thirty seconds, the girls suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and blew the sleeping powder in their faces.

Axel and Ronan came forwards and caught the guards before their bodies hit the ground and echoed the armour's crashing sound. With the pair pulling the guard's motionless bodies away into a secure area, Ger and the girls eyed the doors before them. The golden doors were a sight to behold, with intricate details going up the sides and white markings of a white tree growing up the long length. 

Evanna took a deep breath in, trying to calm her nerves while her heart thundered against her chest. Everything they had contended with led up to this moment right before her.

The gem was behind these doors.