Chapter four

One down Two to Go

Percie and Nuada stood in the pouring rain and assessed the perimeter.

"So what's the plan here?" Percie peered at the building with its many windows and impressive size.

"Take out the guards, get the crown piece, release the tooth fairies, and then run like Hell." He listed off each steps; Percie shrugged "I like it, short, simple, easy to remember".

They slid down the muddy hill toward the target building and walked around the outside of the auction house looking for unlocked doors or windows.

"I don't suppose you could blow through this wall could you?" Nuada pressed his hand to the solid brick wall.

"Not without bringing a horde of New York's finest on us."

Percie looked up and pointed at a tinted glass pane with a latch on the outside as well as the in, "Look, a safety window. Some buildings have them for window washers so they can get into the building in case of emergency."

She backed up to see how high the first floor roof was, seeing as there was a large hill behind the building, and the top of the hill was about ten feet above them.

"Wink, come here for a second." she beckoned as she moved under the window.

Wink sat the metal box in the mud and stomped over to the girl, "Be a dear, and give me a boost, then I'll pull Nuada up and we'll both help you up."

They all nodded in agreement and Wink made a step with his hand and boosted Percie up.

She scrambled on the wet cement window sill and pushed the window open "Okay, now grab my hands and I'll pull you up."

She finished pulling the older man up and they both set to work pulling a two ton troll up the side of a building and onto the balcony

Percie analyzed the steel padlock that bolted the steel bars on the other side of the window shut then snapped her fingers removing a rusty old bobby pin from her hair and blew the stray curls from her face.

"Come on baby work with me." She muttered and she wiggled the pin in the lock for several seconds, "Eureka!" she grinned as the lock popped.

"Where did you learn to jimmy a lock?" Nuada inquired,

"When you live on the streets you pick up things, when the storm season hit I would pick the locks on warehouses, tool sheds and storage units to get shelter." She explained, swinging her feet over in to the window.

It was a good 14 foot drop to the ground, a particularly easy feat if you don't look down.

She looked back at the pair, "you two coming or what?" she winked at them playfully and dropped through the window and looked back up when she hit the ground.

"Okay, Coast is clear, Come on down."

She moved from the spot and watch as Nuada gracefully landed and the carpeted floor.

"Wink will be here soon," he started, "then we set the fairies out and grab the crown piece…"

"WATCH OUT!"

Percie yanked him from the opening as the large box fell to the floor with a thunderous crash, barely missing Nuada.

Percie looked back up to see Wink peering sheepishly down at them. "Little warning next time Kay buddy?"

Wink grunted apologetically, "I will take that as a yes."

Nuada grabbed the box. "We need to move fast, a noise like that is sure to cause unwanted attention."

Percie nodded in agreement, "Wink you go around to an unlocked back service door I saw and take out as many guards as you can." Wink disappeared from sight, and Nuada stared at her in disbelief

"Wait, you saw an UNLOCKED window?!" Nuada groaned.

"Yep" Percie said plainly walking down a hallway.

"Then why did we just waste time going through the roof!"

Percie rolled her eyes, "Well where's the fun in that?" she continued walking down the darkened hall. Nuada just stared dumbstruck at her.

"Come on, the auction room is this way"

After a few minutes of twisting and turning hallways they came across a pair of guards that had been knocked unconscious.

"You know I like your friend Wink more and more every minute." She turned to Nuada, "Okay you get back stage and I'll find wink to tell him we're here."

He raised an eyebrow, "I do not take orders from you little one."

"Fine." She sighed, "PLEASE get back stage." He grunted obviously not happy about taking orders from a 21 year old girl, but concede none the less.

Percie met up with Wink in the main lobby outside the auction hall.

"Okay I'm going to shut off the power , Nuada will tell them way they're about to die, then me and you make our appearances."

Wink seemed to smile at the plan, or at least smile as much as a troll could. Percie located the circuit board at the end of the hall,

"And. Here. We .Go" she emphasized each syllable as she flipped three switches one for each floor of the building.

Wink crashed through the door knocking out two guards. "Wait for the signal, WAIT FOR THE BLOODY SIGNAL I said!" she growled.

Since Wink had already taken out the guards Percie decided to go assist Nuada.

As soon as she arrived through a side door Nuada roughly pulled her over and crossed his blades over her neck, "Give me the crown piece, or I kill the woman."

Percie tensed up and her heart began to race.

She wasn't sure if he was bluffing or not so she didn't have to act scared.

"Please. Take anything you want." The auctioneer began to ramble; Nuada reached inside his shirt and removed a writhing organ like thing that looked like a live heart with teeth.

The creature leaped for his hand onto the auctioneer's face, who began to scream in agony, "Shut Up."

He muttered and removed the remaining blade from her throat, "Retrieve the piece Percie, I'll take it from here."

Percie was never one to leave a job half-assed but wasn't about to question a man who just seconds ago held her life in his hands.

The crowd was in a frenzied panic, "SIT DOWN!"