Memory's River
Chapter I
"This can not be happening!" Autolycus muttered as he rattled the very sturdy bars of the cage surrounding him. Caught! By the oldest trick in the book! He was the King of Thieves! He shouldn't be in this position… it was… well… embarrassing.
Pride cometh before a fall, they said… in his case, Pride had stuck its size ten boot out and sent Autolycus base over apex. It was Autolycus' insatiable need to prove himself that had gotten him into this mess.
Autolycus' journey to his sad situation had started four weeks earlier in a tavern on the road to Boura. A clearly drunken soldier had started bragging about how King Astrocies had recently obtained the Star of Pia, reputed to be the world's largest uncut diamond. Said to be the size of an apple, the Piaian Star was a treasure beyond value. Kings and warlords had obliterated entire landscapes fighting over the ownership of it. To have it in one's possession not only brought wealth, but a certain amount of awe from one's neighbours.
To hear the guardsman talk about King Astrocies' acquisition of the Star made Autolycus' immaculately trimmed mustache twitch. Visions of glory ran through his head as the ramblings of the guard turned to the state of art security system the King had installed to keep the Star safe.
"He's paid top dinar for this thing…" the soldier slurred. "Nowt could get through the tricks and traps that thing's got!" Lurching to his feet, the intoxicated man stumbled a few feet towards the bar. "The King of Thieves himself couldn't even steal it!"
A few patrons of the bar murmured disagreement at the guard's statement. I wouldn't like your chances bucko! Autolycus thought, as the man continued.
"Autolycus is nothing but a second rate swindler who wouldn't… wouldn't even make it into the palace grounds… let alone the gem room!"
Second rate swindler! Autolycus instantly bristled at the comment. What did this braggart know anyway!
Gulping down the last of the beer in his tankard, Autolycus clomped out of the tavern into the cold night air. Even if his professional curiosity hadn't been tweaked by the guard, now there was a principle to uphold. He couldn't allow a statement like that to pass idly by. Autolycus took it personally when there was a suggestion his skills might be in doubt. If he let comments like that erode his legendary exploits, then people would start believing them to be true! He had a duty to his believers to prove their faith in him – and… if he happened to come away with an uncut, priceless gem – well that would be the burden he would have to bear… wouldn't it?
As far as breaking and entering went, the job was remarkably easy. For all the guard had extolled the virtues of their new security system, the great machine was only as good as its human parts. Automation didn't work if the operator forgot to reset it. For nearly a week Autolycus observed as the last watch of the night grew more and more lackadaisical in their work. Yes… this was the watch to make the attempt on. Now he just had to understand how the system worked.
Disguising himself as a tourist, getting information on the intricacies of the security system was nothing simpler than taking a tour of the vault King Astrocies had set the Star up in. The tour guide was more than happy to explain how the King had protected the precious gem. Autolycus was surprised to find, for a system that had been so expensive, how wonderfully average it all seemed.
Tagging along at the end of the tour as they moved into the great hall, Autolycus' musings on the apparent ease of this job were broken by a ruckus at the end of the hall. Spinning around with the rest of the group, he watched as cluster of plated guards jostled in a tight formation diagonally across the floor towards the door that lead to the throne room.
"I wonder what that was about?" the man next to him murmured.
"Hera's temple was desecrated this morning," a woman on the other side of him said. "I heard one of the guards say they had a suspect under watch as we came in."
"Oh… that…" the man replied non commitally as the group moved on.
The moment over, Autolycus turned his thoughts back to his plans, plotting his next move.
That move was to occur two weeks later at the dark of the moon. Moving as silently as a mouse, the King of Thieves launched his assault on the palace. As slickly as an otter in water he moved through the palace to the vault. Side stepping patrols and traps alike, Autolycus found himself a handbreadth away from the object of his desire.
"Oooh come to papa!" Autolycus whispered
Delicately reaching out, he gently plucked the gem like a ripe apple… and it was at that precise moment everything went pear-shaped!
Through no fault of his own, (the jewel was nestled in a satiny cushion), Autolycus had failed to notice a small thread attached to the bottom of the gem. He even failed to notice the tiny 'plink'ing sound the thread made as it snapped. He could NOT fail to notice the sudden grinding crunch as the thin veneer of plaster secreting the final cage trap recessed into the ceiling violently dropped down around him, triggered by the snapping of the thread. The awesome clang of the cage hitting the cold flagstone floor rang out like a giant bell. Autolycus suspected the sound could be heard in Tartarus… what were the chances of the guards missing it?
As the door burst open and heavily armed guards poured into the room – Autolycus couldn't help but think… Not good!
The Secret – Chapter 1VERSION 1