The Calcite Chronicles: The Thief

Chapter 2B:

I nodded and reached for my belt, untucking the medium-sized leather kit from it and holding it in my hand as, just as Elandor said, the corridor opened into an empty rectangular chamber, the doors of the treasury directly ahead.

We stood in front of a giant double door that had a strong metallic smell. The darkness obscured most of it, but the ample light from Ren’s moonstone’s light orb was enough to see that it was huge. It was made of some metal, which I assumed was a combination between stainless steel and other alloys, since despite the underground humidness, it kept its deep blue color and didn’t show any signs of rust.

“Let’s try the key first.” Elandor said.

He reached the master key to the keyhole, but then he suddenly stopped.

“I almost forgot.” He muttered under his breath as he knelt next to the keyhole, peered inside and nodded to himself. “Need to take care of the sealing rune first.”

“Do you even have the mana to break a rune of such level?” Ren asked him.

“The ever-questioning Ren is back at it again…” Elandor teased her, a grin spreading across his face. “We wouldn’t be here if I thought I didn’t, now, would we?”

She rolled her eyes at his comment, but a soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

As Elandor walked away from the door, seemingly recalling something, I knelt beside the keyhole and looked inside. There was an ethereal blue barrier – a seal created using runic magic - protecting the treasury. From what little I knew about runic magic, and sealing runes in particular, there were many possible runes that could be cast on doors and locks. And whatever the royal mages cast on the kingdom’s treasury, I assumed would rip to shreds any intruder who tried to open it.

“Step aside.” Elandor ordered us as he returned to the lock and held his right hand next to it. “I’m going to un-enchant it.”

“Un…un-ench…un-enchant? Is that even a word?” Frenkie asked after struggling a bit.

Elandor chuckled. “If it already isn’t, then it is now. You heard it here first, folks.”

We stepped away as he asked, and he proceeded to amaze us once again.

“Glient.” He spoke in an ancient language which none of us knew. Then, his hand shone brightly, and shortly after, the blue barrier from within the door seemed to gravitate toward his hand, before it disappeared completely inside of it.

“It’s done.” He said as he looked at his hand. “You can pick the lock now, Luca.”

We all exchanged confused glances.

“Did you just bypass the kingdom’s treasury’s sealing rune in like five seconds?” Will asked, dumbfounded.

“Not bypassed.” Elandor corrected him as the grin on his face widened. “Un-enchanted.”

It didn’t explain how he did it, of course. Runic magic was a difficult discipline that none of us could even understand completely. None of us except Elandor, apparently.

“I’ll explain it to you one day.” He said, before turning to me. “Luca, the lock, please.”

“Don’t you want to try the master key first?” I asked.

Elandor shook his head and held up the key. “I’ve taken enough looks on that keyhole to know this key won’t fit.”

I quickly scanned the key and eventually nodded. It seemed like he was correct.

I approached the door and knelt next to it, laying my leather kit on the floor. The dark leather, combined with the abundance of light, made it difficult to distinguish from the floor.

“Can you light my tools, Ren?” I asked.

She nodded, a soft smile on her face. “Sure thing.”

She moved her left hand in a similar circular motion as before and created another orb of light, which she directed to shed light on my tools.

With her moonstone light shining on my kit, I opened it and revealed the contents: a torsion wrench – the most important tool in the kit. Its metal surface was worn to a muted sheen, as it was one of the oldest tools in my kit. Yet, the grip, wrapped in supple leather, felt smooth to the touch, just as it did when I used it for the first time what seemed like ages ago. Alongside it were my picks, each honed and ready: The hook pick, a delicate curve of steel, offered versatility in handling a large variety of mechanisms. The rake pick, with its notches, provided adaptability whenever it was required. And then there was the disc detainer pick, a relatively new addition to the kit - it was a slender, elongated tool designed specifically for manipulating the discs of a disc detainer mechanism – a type of advanced lock. The tool’s rotating handle allowed for precise control, which was essential for aligning each disc to its correct position. Lastly, tucked discreetly withing a hidden compartment was a small set of gear disengagement tools – fine, delicate instruments designed to manually override different mechanisms. There were also two sticky red phosphorescent glow rods to light the dark machinations of the lock, and a small folding magnifying glass, which could be worn as glasses, for careful and precise analysis.

I twisted one of the rods, and the chemical reaction produced a faint red light which didn’t hurt the eyes. I attached its sticky side to the door, right next to the keyhole, for maximum visibility of the lock’s mechanism, and then unfolded the magnifying glass, placing it on my nose, leaning closer to analyze the lock.

As I scrutinized the lock, I immediately recognized the hallmarks of a high-security disc detainer mechanism. The keyway was narrow, designed to accommodate a unique key that would rotate a series of internal discs. Each disc would need to be aligned to allow the lock to turn. I’d studied these before and even got the disc detainer pick especially for it, but I had yet to face one in the field. Still, I was confident enough I could pick it.

“It’s a bit of a complex one.” I echoed my thoughts. “But I should be able to unlock it.”

“That’s a relief.” Ren said, exhaling lightly. “You looked a bit nervous when you first looked at it.”

“I don’t want to pressure you, Luca.” Elandor said. “But you’ll have to work fast on this one.”

All of us looked at Elandor with questioning glances, but he just smiled. “Look around.” He said. “Aren’t we missing someone?”

I ran through all the faces and realized Joven was gone.

“Where’s Joven?” Will asked.

Frenkie laughed. “Looks like we lost the old man.”

Will chuckled. “No, but seriously, where is he?”

“He’s probably calling the guards on us as we speak.” Elandor said, a calm yet disgusted expression on his face.

Frenkie and Will laughed as if it was a joke, but Ren and I just exchanged nervous glances. This was one of the rare occurrences where Elandor was a hundred-percent serious.

“What do you mean he’s calling the guards?” Ren asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

“It is exactly as you heard, Ren.” Elandor answered calmly. “Joven has been planning to betray us for a long time now.”

Frenkie and Will immediately stopped laughing, their faces turning as serious as I’d ever seen them.

“Wait, so you weren’t joking?” Will asked, his voice carrying a hint of panic as well.

“I wish I was, but it is how it is.” Elandor exhaled lightly.

“But how did he bypass my enhanced hearing?” Frenkie asked. “I didn’t hear him leave us.”

“He has a topaz ring of his own.” Elandor explained.

“I mean, I always hated the guy, but betraying us? I didn’t take him for a rat.” Frenkie said, anger creeping into his voice. “Why would he do that?”

“I’ll explain shortly, but first.” Elandor said as he pointed at the doors and addressed me. “We don’t have much time, Luca. I need you to open this lock as fast as you can.”

“Who cares about the lock?” Ren shouted nervously and voiced my concerns as well. “If we’re getting ratted out, let’s get out of here!”

“We will.” Elandor tried to assure her. “After we get one specific treasure from this treasury.”

Will seemed nervous. “Yeah, but Luca said the lock’s complex. What if he doesn’t get it opened before the guards come?”

“He’ll make it.” Elandor said confidently. “Isn’t that right, Luca?”

His gaze locked with mine and I couldn’t help but nod. I quickly turned around and began working the lock.

First, I inserted the torsion wrench into the keyway, feeling for the tension points. The discs inside will need to be coaxed into alignment, one by one. Next, I retrieved the disc detainer pick, and carefully slid it into the keyway alongside the wrench, feeling it glide over the smooth surfaces of the discs. Starting with the first disc, I rotated the pick slowly, applying gentle pressure. The disc resisted at first, then yielded with a soft click as it slotted into place. A good start. I continued, moving to the next disc as I listened to the rest of the group speaking behind me.

“Some of you might’ve guessed it already, but The Blood Moon Foxes isn’t my first dive into the world of thievery.” Elandor began.

“That much was always obvious.” Ren pointed out.

“And what does that has to do with Joven betraying us?” Frenkie asked.

“I’m getting there.” Elandor replied. “Ten years ago, my previous guild was tasked with robbing a newly discovered mineral mine that the kingdom had found near a small village. You know how valuable mineral mines are in this day and age - some stones you find there could actually turn a kingdom into the strongest in its region, maybe even in the entire world. So, protecting it from both internal and external threats was the kingdom’s top priority. That’s why it was heavily guarded by knights, mages, and mercenaries hired for additional protection. It was an incredibly risky job, but as the guild leader, I decided it was worth the risk. If the stones we stole turned out to be the rarest of the rare, we could sell them for tens of thousands of golden crowns. But that was just a dream…”

The beginning of his story sounded like something I read years ago, back when my mother was still alive…Was he referring to the mine near Peltragow? The one which collapsed ten years ago?

“What happened then?” Ren asked.

“The worst-case scenario, really.” Elandor admitted. “We managed to sneak inside the mine undetected, but then we stumbled upon the real problem. The miners were probably working hurriedly – the tunnels they dug were so narrow and low that we had to crouch and sometimes even crawl to progress forward. A thief is no good if he can’t remain undetected, and in such cramped tunnels, there was literally no way to stay hidden. Looking back, we should’ve turned around the moment we saw the size of those tunnels, but I got too greedy.”

“You got caught?” Will asked the obvious question.

“Eventually, yes.” Elandor replied. “By some divine miracle, we remained undetected until we reached the main area where the miners kept all the minerals they’d collected before they were packed up and sent to the outside surface. That’s when we got compromised. We had to fight our way back up through hordes of knights, mages, and mercenaries. We managed to put up a good fight, but we were thieves, not warriors. Eventually, my good friend Fin decided he wasn’t ready to be arrested and executed, so he used the minerals collected in the mine to create an explosion.”

“I remember something about an explosion in a mine when I was a kid.” Frenkie said, and I was glad I wasn’t the only one who recalled it.

“Explosion in a mine…” Elandor chuckled. “Sometimes I forget how young you all are. This event was talked about for many years afterward – they called it the Peltragow Mines Incident.”

“What kind of stone can create an explosion?” Ren asked.

“It’s probably sunstone, right?” Will ventured, echoing a fair assumption I also had, since sunstone was the stone that granted fire magic.

“No.” Elandor replied, breaking the news. “All of them can explode.”

His comment had surprised me, and I suddenly froze.

“Don’t stop, Luca. Keep going.” Elandor noticed me stopping.

I nodded and continued quickly, reaching the last disc. It was the most stubborn of them all, resisting my efforts no matter how hard I tried. I decided on a different approach, so I took a deep breath, and adjusted the tension wrench, backing off slightly, then carefully increased the pressure on the pick. Slowly, the disc began to turn, and with a final, satisfying click, it fell into place. But the lock didn’t turn.

I felt a jolt of anxiety – a time-delay mechanism. Of course…the lock of the kingdom’s treasury wouldn’t be complete without an additional hurdle. A time-delay mechanism which had ensured the lock remained sealed unless a certain amount of time had passed since its last opening.

“Is everything alright?” Ren whispered to me, and I noticed I was the center of everyone's attention.

I nodded, a soft smile tugged on the corner of my lips, excited by the challenge. “Yeah, yeah, I got this.”

I quickly retrieved the gear disengagement tools from the hidden compartment, before I reinserted the disc detainer pick, this time feeling for the secondary gear mechanism hidden behind the aligned discs, which was responsible for the time-delay defense. My hands moved with precision, searching for the tiny gear that controlled the delay's lock. As I felt the faint resistance, I gently inserted the smallest of my gear disengagement tools, a tiny hook designed to nudge the gear out of its locked position.

Meanwhile, the conversation behind me continued.

“What do you mean all of them can explode?” Will asked.

“Exactly that.” Elandor answered. “Each magical stone holds incredible power. Whether it’s a sunstone or a simple moonstone, we can direct our mana through each stone, in an outwards direction, to use its unique ability. But we can also reverse the flow of our mana inwards and create a magi-chemical reaction that can cause it to explode.”

Ren glanced nervously at her ring, and to my own surprise, I felt a sudden relief that I didn’t have any of my own.

“Relax.” Elandor said. “You really have to try to make it explode; it won’t just happen spontaneously.”

“Direct it…inwards?” Will asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Ren sounded just as confused as she joined in. “What the hell does that even mean?”

Elandor chuckled. “It’s mostly uncommon knowledge, and I ‘d rather you didn’t learn it since it’s too dangerous. By the way, Frenkie, how close are they now?”

There was a short pause before Frenkie answered, his voice shaky. “Uh- uhm, not too far. Gods, Elandor, they’ve got a small army out there. So many footsteps…”

“Yeah, he brought them from the right pathway we saw earlier. That’s why he wanted us to take it - they were going to ambush us.” Elandor said.

“But I didn’t hear them earlier.” Frenkie said, panic creeping into his voice.

“Since they wanted to ambush us, I assume they had a topaz stone of their own as well.” Elandor said before he tried to calm us. “But don’t worry. Worst case scenario, I use the tourmaline and teleport us out of here, even if it means we leave empty-handed. I am not the greedy person I was ten years ago.”

“That bald bastard.” Will muttered. “But why would he do that?”

“Money.” Elandor said.

I think none of us were ready for such a simple answer.

“Just money?” Frenkie asked. “It’s that simple, huh?”

“Sadly, yes. Ol’ Joven got tired of waiting for The Blood Moon Foxes to reach stardom. Instead, he decided to make money the alternative way – by ratting us out to the authorities.” Elandor replied calmly.

Everyone grunted angrily, and I could hear Frenkie muttering some swear words under his breath. He never liked Joven, and now he had every reason to turn his disdain into pure hatred.

“I doubt we’re worth that much.” Will commented.

“Well, they’re mostly after me, but give yourselves some credit, Will.” Elandor said. “We robbed Folter not that long ago. They were looking for us for quite some time now.”

“Can you finish your story?” Frenkie asked, trying to change the subject. “The mine collapsed, and then what happened? How did you survive?”

“By sheer luck, honestly.” Elandor said. “I was protected from the initial blast by the knights who stood between me and the crate holding the stones. Then, the force of the explosion sent me flying into a tunnel behind me. The tunnel collapsed both above and below me, and I fell deeper, landing in another chamber the miners had dug out. Most of it had collapsed as well, and I couldn’t find a single tunnel that wasn’t completely destroyed by the explosion. I was the only survivor, but with no food, water, or much oxygen, it was only a matter of time before death found me as well.”

“But you managed to survive. How?” Will asked.

“I told you - I was lucky.” Elandor replied, and even though my back was turned to him, I could tell he was smiling. “Anyway, back to the present – my partner, and our dear friend, Joven, somehow found out about my involvement in that historical event and decided to turn me in, along with all of you, as part of the deal. Frenkie, where are they?”

“Not too far. A-a few minutes away.” Frenkie answered nervously.

“Luca?” Elandor turned to me.

“I’m on it.” I assured him, as I was close to finally unlocking the doors. “Almost there.”

“So that’s why he proposed we rob the king? So he could bring us right into a trap!” Ren said, her voice filled with anger.

“No. That was actually me.” Elandor admitted.

“What?” Everyone asked in unison, puzzled.

“I knew he was going to betray us. I could’ve waited for him to make the first move, but then he would’ve caught us by surprise. I had to use the advantage I had over him to reach the best outcome for us.” He explained. “I proposed this crazy scheme because I knew he would take the bait. Coming here voluntarily made his job easier. Of course, he’d agree to that. That’s why we saw little to no guards on our way here - Joven already took care of that. Try to recall what happened tonight: the flimsy ‘changing routine’ excuse, how he knew there was a hidden lever, how he tried to make Will stop using his ring, so the ambushing guards would realize we took the left path and intercept us sooner.”

“So, that’s why you were so adamant we keep our minerals activated.” Will said, the realization dawning on him.

“Yes. He kept slowing down all the way here because he tried to slip outside your silence area, but both Luca and I caught him doing that, so he wasn’t able to pull it off. That’s why, eventually, he used his own topaz and retreated to the guards.” Elandor explained, and suddenly it all made sense. “He was leading us into a trap all along. The only thing he wasn’t prepared for was that I already knew about his plan.”

“The tourmaline.” I whispered, yet Elandor still heard me.

“Exactly…The tourmaline.” He echoed. “He had no idea I had a tourmaline ring. That’s why he reacted the way he did when I showed it to you. Since he already laid out our initial plan to the guards, he realized that the tourmaline could be a game changer. That’s why I had to reassure him that there was no change of plans.”

“But why is he leading them here?” Will asked. “He knows you have a tourmaline, and it’s obvious we’d notice his disappearance. For all he knows, we’ve already used the tourmaline to get away from here.”

“He thinks he knows me.” Elandor replied. “That I’d risk us all to get something from the treasury.”

“Which isn’t exactly wrong, it seems.” Ren remarked, taking a jab at Elandor.

“But he is wrong.” Elandor assured her. “As I said, worst case scenario - we bail empty-handed. I want to steal from the treasury and teleport us away. I want to leave Joven behind to face the wrath of the king and the guards for leading us here.”

I was close to unlocking the door, but one question still nagged at me.

“Wouldn’t the king just hunt us down to reclaim what we stole?” I asked. “Joven will definitely tell him where to look for us.”

“He will.” Elandor agreed. “That’s why I was planning to take us far away from this wretched kingdom.”

“Away from Morthryga?” Ren asked, though it sounded like she was talking mostly to herself.

“How is that possible?” Will asked. “Even if we could cross a border, we’d be considered refugees. Not exactly a better life.”

“That’s why I’ve already planned everything out.” Elandor said cheerfully. “I have a house in the Kasean kingdom. I was planning on teleporting us there right after we finish here.”

“A house in Kase?” Will asked. “But…how?”

“Where do you think I've been for the past two weeks?" Elandor grinned, his voice reassuring. "Anyway, the details don’t matter right now.”

“But our stuff?” Frenkie asked.

“Already taken care of.” Elandor said, his voice playful. “I have some pirate friends who owed me a few favors. I believe they’re on their way to Kase with our stuff as we speak.”

“But what would we do there? It’ll take us years to learn the layouts of a new city - the busiest streets for pickpocketing, the best food stalls to steal from, the – “ Will began, but Elandor cut him off.

“No.” he said firmly. “We would start a new life there - a good and honorable life. We won’t be thieves anymore.”

“We won’t be thieves anymore?” Ren echoed, her voice carrying the same hopeful tone as before.

We won’t be thieves anymore, huh? And moving to Kase? I didn’t even know what to think. I spent all eighteen years of my life in Willox - almost half of them as a thief. Surviving through thick and thin, with or without food, under the heavy sun, rain and even snow. The Blood Moon Foxes were a welcome change. I finally had a place where I could stay, a place I might even call a home. Is moving to Kase a bad thing? As long as I’m still with these guys, wouldn’t it be okay? And an honorable life on top of that? It sounded so unreal, but when Elandor said it, I really wanted to believe it could be a reality. For us. For me.

“You really thought everything through…” Will whispered, his voice carrying a weird mix of disbelief and hope.

Meanwhile, I rotated the disengagement gear slowly, my hand steady, applying just enough pressure to release the gear. For a moment, it felt like nothing was happening, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. But then, with a barely audible click, the gear disengaged.

I exhaled lightly, feeling the tension drain from my body, pleased that I finally managed to yield the lock to my whim. “We’re in.”