Finally I needed to reread parts of Take a Thief to check the time line, sorry I didn't get this out sooner. Good thing I did wait to reread it, I got some ideas to add to this story.
Ch 6 Disbelief
Reven was sitting in the common room eating another excellent meal, when his contact handed him a slip of paper, he frowned slightly and tucked it away to read in private. He wondered what Finald wanted now. He took his time, Finald could wait, finally he finished and taking his glass with a skin of the wine they had been serving, he retreated to his room.
Once he was comfortable, sitting on his bed, wineskin within reach he pulled out the note. Frowning he tried to make out the writing. It seemed to say that Finald had a commission for him, not in so many words of course.
None of them were so stupid as to put it in writing. He sighed and put away the wine, no more for him tonight if he was to work this evening or the next.
He was ready when he heard the knock at his door, he opened it and allowed his contact into the room. "You have work for me" he drawled.
His contact grinned "This one's a freebie, because of Finald's appreciation of your help".
Reven frowned, this wasn't common. He sat back and waited for the other man to speak, he could always turn it down if he didn't like it.
"There is a merchant by the name of Trenor Severik, he had a priceless collection of miniature silver figurines. Your would be patron wants a good portion of this collection, I have the list here" he said passing it to Reven.
Reven glanced at the list before turning back to his contact "I assume this is a local job" he said.
"Yes, it's another merchant who wants to hire you, your reputation is spreading in certain quarters"
Reven frowned, that was something he had been hoping to avoid, he would have been happy if they didn't link his jobs to one 'master' it just gave the guard someone to look for, namely him. He looked up at the other man "And what's he going to do with the stuff afterward" he asked.
"Well, that's where the bonus comes in" the man said.
Reven waited and the silence stretched on, he knew there was something strange about this gift . "Well" he asked.
His contact looked uncomfortable "The man wants you to wait to leave until the merchant comes home, he wants the man to see you leaving with his things" he said.
"Why" Reven asked in a deceptively even voice. To do something like that would cut down the time he could stay here.
"He figures that if they know it was a master thief, they won't look in the city, and the man just wants it for a private collection, he doesn't plan on showing it to anyone else"
Reven shook his head, the man was mad, he gave him a year, two at the most before he was found out. But he might do it, if the price was right "What's he offering" he asked.
His contact sighed and relaxed, then he named a sum that had Reven leaning forward.
"If I do it, he's not to see me directly" he said to his contact.
The man nodded "That's what he wished as well".
"It's under bond" he asked.
The man nodded. "Good, then tell me what I need to know" he said.
The next evening he started as he had done many times before, once on the roof, he started, still keeping his eyes open for another with any skill, occasionally he would see a local, but as before he didn't see anyone with any degree of skill. He shook his head, where was the man. He was starting to wonder if the man was using the high road as he did, after all, it was a local. He probably knew many routes through the city, it was a thought anyway.
Finally, he found himself on the roof of his target. He paced along the edge counting windows, until he found the one he had been looking for. He pulled out his tools and rigged up his anchor and lines, he swung down the edge of the roof. It was very dark here and he risked using mage sight, it was a passive magic, if something was looking for mages they would never see it. When nothing happened, he continued and soon had the window open. Then he rigged up a crude line to the window frame.
He was not leaving any of his good equipment behind, this was for the benefit of the guard. They would see it and believe that he had been startled into leaving his equipment, not that he would ever do such a thing, but it added to the impression his patron wanted to leave. He grinned slightly, this could be fun.
He found and liberated every item on the list in plenty of time, he grew bored waiting for the man to come home and wandered the room, idly picking up the odd piece and putting it back, one ear ready for warning. Finally the man came home and he heard the sound of distant voices, slowly growing clearer as he came up the stairs. Reven had been told that this Trenor always checked his collection each night before retiring for bed.
When he heard the man was almost to the door, he picked up one of the heavier items that was going to be left and let it drop, he winced at the dull crack it made as it's arm broke off, oops. He thought to himself, amused.
He heard the man yell and the door rattled as he struggled to open the lock quickly, Reven positioned himself by the window and waited. He shook his head, if you were going to lock the thing get a good lock, he thought as he waited for the man. Once the door opened Reven glanced back to make sure he was seen and pulled himself through the window pulling his line up behind him.
His contact took his time, it was several days before he came to pick up the night's haul.
"Are you getting careless" the man asked as soon as he was in the room.
"What do you mean" Reven asked.
"Dropping your goods across half of Haven" the man said shaking his head.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Reven said. He pointed to the sack of silver miniatures on his bed "They are all here, I dropped nothing".
"Not that, I mean last night" he said.
"I was here waiting for you" he said in an annoyed tone, he hadn't appreciated having to sit on this stuff for so long.
"It must be the other one" he said, grinning. "He's surely ruining your reputation" the man said.
"Tell me" Reven said turning all his attention to what the other man had to say.
"I'm going to kill him, I'll wring his scrawny neck when I see him" Reven said, he was no longer amused.
