The Prince, the Thief & the Artifact

Chapter 5: Revelation

Summer knew they were looking for her.

The guards very rarely, if ever, ventured this deep into the woods. This evening, however, almost all of them were combing through the forest surrounding town. Their attempts at being sneaky amused her, for they sounded like stomping giants to someone who lived almost all her life in the woods.

She knew it was her they were seeking because the guards were chatty. She caught snippets of their conversations from her perch on the trees. All she got was something about a theft, royal guards, and the orphanage.

All she could think of was the coin purse she'd taken from one of the outsiders that morning. Did they know she was the one who'd taken it?

She had taken the money from the pendant and the coin purse to Rose before going home. Now she worried that Rose would get into trouble.

Some people knew she was her friend. What if they searched Rose's room and found the coin bag? What if Rose got in trouble for it? Obviously, the outsiders were powerful people if they'd gotten the guards to do their bidding.

With growing concern, Summer waited for the guards below to go past her, then she climbed down and dashed to the orphanage. She encountered more guards on her way, so it took her awhile to get past all of them unnoticed. It wasn't difficult, she knew the forest like the back of her hand, and she could climb a tree with the speed of a squirrel.

When she got to the orphanage, all her doubts were confirmed.

She climbed a tree and jumped from one to another until she was within sight of the clearing where the orphanage was located. Then she sat on a branch, concealed by the foliage, and observed.

There were four of them. The two she'd met that morning: the dark-haired handsome man and the smaller ginger; with another massive man with shoulder-length black waves and piercing dark eyes she could see from the distance, standing next to a tall, dark skinned woman with short hair and strikingly beautiful features.

The bigger guy was the one in charge, even though he wasn't the one talking to the head guard. Summer could tell from the way the other three flocked around him like chicks to a mother hen, and how the man speaking subtly glanced at him for confirmation every now and then. Even the quiet, dignified way he bore himself screamed confidence and authority.

The orphanage's headmaster and a guard got out at that moment with Rose stomping behind them.

The guard was holding the coin purse Summer had taken from the ginger outsider that morning, and the headmaster another, smaller purse in which Summer knew Rose kept all her savings.

Damn it. So they were doubting Rose.

Heart beating loudly, Summer got closer while staying on the trees. Rose's voice rose to a high pitch, echoing in the evening woods. "That's my money, you thief!"

"If you know what's best for you, stay quiet Rose!" the headmaster said as the guard handed the purse to its original owner.

The small auburn-haired man looked from Rose to the purse now back in his hands with clear confusion. He probably wondered how such a sweet-looking tiny brunette pickpocketed him. Summer would have been amused if her friend wasn't in a serious predicament. All because of Summer.

"We found it in her room," the guard said. "With more money. The headmaster says it's his."

"It's not his!" Rose said, her voice desperate. "He's lying!"

"Why, you-" the headmaster began, taking a threatening step toward Rose.

Summer crouched on the branch and pulled her dagger out. She had a good aim, and if that asshole laid a hand on her friend...