Chapter 4
They didn't set out until the wee hours of the night. The stars shone from the sky with such brilliance as to illuminate their way. The air was crisp, but all in all it was an auspicious night to be out.
Going slowly, they darted from shadow to shadow, seeing no one about. At last they came up along side the inn.
"Okay, let's go over this one more time." Autolycus instructed. "You," he pointed to Xena, "are the point man. You let us know if anyone's coming so we can scadattle our rear ends out of her if need be."
"You," this time he indicated the boy, "come up with me. Once I get the window open you go in and get the necklace. Being the smallest of us, you'll make the least amount of noise going across the floor. Not to mention you can hide easier, if the countess there is a light sleeper. Got it?"
The boy gave a quick, decisive nod.
"Alright then. I guess everyone's set, so let's get this show on the road." Reaching down, he boosted the boy onto the drainpipe.
Xena stopped him. "And what about you?" She asked, an eyebrow arched.
"Supervisory position. I'll follow the kid up and watch 'em through the window, make sure everything goes smoothly. Besides, someone's got to get the shutters open."
"Uh, huh..."
Up the boy scurried, followed by the equally fleet Autolycus. While Xena remained on the ground on the lookout.
Reaching the second story, the boy crept out onto a narrow ledge, scooting over to make room for Autolycus, who urged them over to the window that led to the Countesses room.
Extracting the necessary tools, Autolycus made short work of the shutters. One brief 'snick' and they were good to go.
"You remember what we told you the pearls look like, right?" Autolycus whispered.
The kid nodded.
"Okay then. Go to town!"
Edging the shutters open, Autolycus allowed the kid to slip through and drop silently to the room's floor. Standing stock still, the kid surveyed his surroundings.
To the right, there was a dresser, equipped with a vanity mirror. Next to it stood an overstuffed chair. And behind it was a door. A washroom most likely.
To his left there was just a large closet, encompassing that entire wall.
And finally, on the wall facing him, set slightly to one end, was another door. Leading out of the room he guessed. But the object that most held his attention was the gigantic bed directly in front of him.
With four large posts and a canapé, it looked more like a tent than a bed. But for all the material draped over it, the curtains were sheer, and it afforded him a great view of its occupant.
Lying in the center of the bed, on her back with her face turned away towards a wall, was the Countess.
And there, resting around her neck, were the pearls.
He was both excited and appalled. Excited that he was here, and everything was working, but appalled that the Countess was wearing the necklace. How would he ever get it off without waking her?
Back tracking to the window, he wanted to know what to do.
"She's wearing it!" He urgently whispered to Autolycus.
"So what? You wanted to be a thief, well, here's your chance. She's leaving tomorrow kid. It's now or never."
Gulping, the boy looked back over his shoulder at the sleeping figure. He was the one who wanted to be like Autolycus... Taking a deep breath, he turned back around and slowly made his way over to the Countess.
She lay so still that he could have mistaken her for a statue. It was only the flesh colored skin that indicated otherwise.
G-e-n-t-l-y he parted the curtains. She gave a snort in her sleep, causing the boy to stop stone cold, his heart threatening to burst from his chest.
Backing up a step, he saw the Countesses breathing settle down again. Screwing up his courage again, the boy slowly reached his hands towards the necklace. He should of known, he thought to himself. The clasp was at the back of her neck.
Weaving his hands under her head, the boy sought to take up the pressure of the pillow. Worming one hand down, he managed to feel the clasp.
Holding his breath, he undid it, a slight 'snap' reverberating in his ears like a thousand drums. It was almost too much for him to take, but he held on as the Countess continued to sleep.
Silently, and with infinite care, the boy slid both his hands and the necklace out from under her head. Finally.
He looked down at the Countesses face one last time before leaving, and in doing so noticed something was different. The position of her head had changed, and while it was still too dark to make out her features, something was different. It wasn't long before he realized what it was.
She had opened her eyes.