ততততত

𝐓 𝐎 𝐁 𝐈 𝐍

Evergreen trees.

They're rare in Lagulon, but strangely common around the lakeside dipping down from the highest peak—Mt. Elora. I reckon from years of experience that this is the only damn location in the kingdom that has towering pines like this.

I always come to this place, considering it's been abandoned for generations. Not a damn person knows about it. Er, maybe a few that I trust. There's an old homestead and stable just off the edge of the shoreline, as well as an overgrown meadow. Once upon a time, it would've made a great family home or farm, but it's not like I'll ever have the time for that.

Not with the royal knights about to spear swords into my back if they discover who I am.

Somehow, this secluded haven is a place where Neph and I find ourselves more times than not. Nephthys—my dumbass stallion who runs like midnight shadows. Her and I have been everywhere, done everything, seen everything.

As Neph rides into the meadow, I catch the silhouette of another rider by the homestead. I recognize the tan horse with white speckles on its hyde. Gareth, or so I thought. The man waiting at the abandoned homestead dresses in dull iron armour, twirling a blade around in circles in boredom.

I draw my own sword, just to ensure that if this does go rogue, I'm not ending up on the chopping block.

I swing down off Neph and approach the armoured man. He spins around, and his blue eyes lock on mine in an instant.

I lower my sword at the recognition. I was right. It's just Gareth.

A beaming smile crosses his lips. "Thought I'd find you here."

"I told you never to track me down," I laugh, but grim memories of the fallout remain fresh, as if adding salt to an open wound. "How long did it take you?"

Probably days. Months even. Gareth wouldn't have a fucking clue where I'd be if he'd started searching for me yesterday. You see, I'm pretty good at cleaning up my tracks. I wrap dark fabric around my facial features when I perform a heist to conceal my identity, only to remove them in the daylight to stroll the streets unharmed. The nicknames the people of Lagulon have for me are endless.

Nightwalker. Moon Thief. Those are my favourites. Close contenders include asshole and fucker. But they don't know of my identity, of who I am. I'm just a story, a myth.

Gareth groans. "Two months. Didn't get a lead until a month ago when I heard the Duke of Summervale lost his entire month's earnings," he crooks a brow at me. "You never used to be this greedy, you know."

I shrug. "Only kept a few coins. The rest I gave to this family at the edge of the city."

"You were always soft on the inside," Gareth mutters.

It's the damn soft spot that sent me running as a fugitive and thief in the woods in the first place. The fallout never occurred between Gareth and I directly, but it happened to my father. He couldn't save himself, and the last I could do was run as fast as my legs could carry me.

All because I was soft. I simply cared too much.

I crack my neck, gazing upward at the setting sun. "Why did you track me down?"

"I have a request," he begins, his breath catching a bit. It must be dire if he had to waste his precious energy trying to find me. The directions I gave him when I left were minimal, almost undecipherable. In fact, all I said was 'I'll be somewhere.' That's probably why it took him so long to find me. I told him never to contact me unless it's an emergency.

I break a smile. "You must be fucking desperate."

"It's a last resort," he confesses, "but you're the only one who has the skills that could possibly pull off a heist of this scale."

"What the hell are you having me do?"

"Well, we don't need you to do the heist. We need you to clear a path, to figure out directions. You're an expert at breaking into heavily guarded facilities undetected. Always have been. That's the skill set I need but can't find."

I study Gareth. His dull iron armour always suited him well, considering he's a member of the royal Adoridian ranks—a kingdom at odds with the one I find myself in. I trusted Gareth before my escape, considering he was my best friend before shit hit the fan. Years have gone past since then.

There's a flint of mischief in his eyes, and it ignites like a matchstick. "The castle."

Lagulon's castle. A fortress atop a hill, keeping watch over the city of Summervale beneath. It's seen from nearly all directions—from the glistening waters edge of the Great Blue ocean to the peaks of Mt. Elora. I've always wondered what laid inside those stone walls, but never let curiosity get the best of me.

There's a difference between sneaking inside a duke's estate and into the royal castle.

I reach into the bag attached to Neph's saddle, searching for a bottle of amber whiskey. I pull it out, popping it open and taking a large swig. It burns a trail down my throat.

"You've lost your goddamned mind," I crack a crooked smile and hand the bottle over to Gareth. He takes it, warily taking a small sip.

"So you'll do it?"

I grunt. "It's a death wish. There's a reason I haven't scaled the walls of that castle."

"It's not like you haven't done it before," Gareth retorts. "You could get around the royal castle in Adorid with your eyes closed."

I hate to admit that it's true. I've scaled a few castles in my day, but I've avoided Lagulon's like it would poison me. The walls remain taller, the guards thicker than mosquitoes. From the outside, I've already transcribed routes in my mind that would bring me within those thick guarded walls, but there's no telling what lies inside. I can't even forge a plan without knowing.

Gareth returns the whiskey, and I down it like water. Instead, Gareth reaches into his own bag and pulls out a scroll.

"This is what I've found about the Lagulon castle within the royal archives," Gareth scrawls the paper open, revealing a half-finished map with intricate details. Fortunately, due to my pious upbringing that my father and mother forced me into, I know how to read. So does Gareth. "From what I reckon, the best route to take would be to run atop the library and sneak through a window. There's a blindspot there from most of the guard towers."

I point to a higher peak on the main body of the castle. "And what the hell is this?"

"A bedroom, presumably a low-threat," Gareth mutters. "What we want lies in here."

He points to a room near the heart of the castle, plastered in footnotes and annotations.

"And what's in there?" I ask.

"Hell knows," he answers. "Apparently, there's a room in the castle that's more guarded than the king's own quarters. The walls around the room are impossible to scale, so entering through the windows isn't an option."

"So you want me to get inside there," I take another burning swig of the amber liquor. Oh, damn him. "I don't know what the hell you need me for if you have this fucking map."

"Because if I go in, I won't be coming out of this alive," his jaw ticks a little, unveiling his slight unease. "Take it as a reference for now."

"And what makes you think I'll agree to this?" I look down at the makeshift map. Half of the Lagulon castle hasn't been documented.

"Because if you do, I can get your name cleared," Gareth smirks, crossing his arms. "And clearing your name means seeing Aspen again."

I wince. Aspen.

Oh, Aspen.

My younger sister.

I never said goodbye, because I couldn't. Back when my father and I were in the Adoridian ranks, the night when everything went to chaos, he told me to run. I never said goodbye to my sister, nor my mother. Not even my father, but there's no way in hell he's still alive.

So I fled Adorid and crossed the border into Lagulon, off their territory and into another. Except, back then, the kingdoms were at peace.

"Aspen," I haven't spoken her name in years.

Gateth strikes a cord in me, one that I never wanted to awaken. The ancient tune inside of me now seems to sing Aspen, Aspen, Aspen. I abandoned her when she needed her big brother most, but it's not like she'd remember me. I'm a stranger now, hardly even blood bound.

Gareth runs a hand through his charcoal black hair. "Look, you just need to find the best route inside and then report back to me. We can start by stealing mediocre trinkets as proof that you've gotten inside, then I'll know you're true to your word. I'll be in Summervale for the next while—undercover, of course. You can find me at a tavern near the shipyards."

"Will doing this be enough to clear my name?"

"I can't make false promises, Tobin, but you're doing this for your kingdom. For Adorid. I can't reveal the details of it all, but I promise it will be for the greater good," he mutters, but there's a spark of hope in his blue eyes. "Are you in?"

I hold my breath, but the chorus continues: Aspen, Aspen, Aspen.

I take a large gulp of amber fire, then extend my hand to Gareth. "When do I start?"

Gareth grins, and for a moment, I almost regret tying myself to another one of his schemes. "Tonight."

── •✧• ──

I hope you are both in love with Imogen & Tobin, because I am. I can't wait for you all to watch the fire between them just burn. Because it will. It will tear down villages and forests and even your own little heart.

Make sure to add Only After Nightfall to your libraries and reading lists! And comments and votes are greatly appreciated :)