The Market Thief

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I try to observe the questioning but it is so boring, asking the same questions and getting the same answer over and over again. Instead I try to focus on the monk, looking though the swirls of color. I can make out that he is the same height as Alfred but has a lot more meat on his bones. His hair is jet black and combed straight back from his forehead. My head starts to hurt from focusing so hard. I look away and towards the dragon then back at him. For a brief second I see a silver cord running from the dragon to the monk and then out of the room. No I’m tired and my head is starting to hurt I must have imagined it. But what if I didn’t? I turn my head slightly and look at something other then the monk or the dragon. Yes there it is again; I can only see it out of the corner of my eye.

The monk from earlier comes in, “I thought you might be hungry and thirsty from sitting here.” He puts his load down next to me.

"I think the monk is still draining the dragon from his magic.” I whisper.

“What should we do?” the monk whispers back.

“Do you think we can slip out without being noticed?” I ask.

The monk nods, “The dragon won’t miss me, will Alfred miss you?”

I shake my head. “Alfred forgets about me quite a bit.”

“Then lets go.” The monk turns and leads the way out of the great chamber. “Where do you want to go?”

“I’m not sure.” I’m trying to find the silver chord but I can’t locate it. I stop and concentrate. I turn my head this way and that, and then I remember that I can only see it out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head again but this time I try looking out of the corner of my eye. There it is.

“This way,” I motion to the monk. We follow it as it leads us down many hallways that twist and turn and comes to a stop in front of a wooden door.
I turn to the monk, “where does this lead?”

“This is his room,” the monk turns the knob. “That’s funny, it’s locked.” He puts his shoulder to the door and forces it open. Inside the room it looks like disaster has struck. Clothes are thrown all over the room; piles of paper and scrolls fall off the desk and are stacked around it. The closet is standing open with piles and piles of swords and daggers in it. “Almost looks like he was expecting friends.”

“I’m sure that once the dragon was weak enough from his magic being drained off that his friends would come and finish the job.” I had lost the chord when we came into the room. I look around trying to find it again. Finally I find it going to a trunk over in the corner. I carefully life the lid. The trunk is lined in black velvet; in the middle of the velvet is a large green crystal. The silver chord is putting the dragon magic into the crystal.

I turn to the monk. “How do we break this chord?”

The monk looks at me puzzled. “What chord?”

“You’ve been around dragons all your life and you can’t see the chord? Do you have any magical ability?” I ask.

“None, that’s why I work so well with the dragon, I have no magical ability to get in the way.” The monk replies. “I’m sure that the chord is magical energy so we would need something pure.”

“Something pure?” I look around the room. Over in the closet I start rummaging through a pile of swords. I see a beautiful short sword but when I pick it up it doesn’t feel right so I discard it. Then I see a plain simple sword. There is nothing fancy about this sword but when I pick I up I feel the tingle go through my arm, the same tinge I feel whenever magic is being done. I hold it up to the monk. “I think this might work. Where should we cut it at?”

The monk looks into the trunk. I would cut it a close to the crystal as possible.”

I nod my head. “Wait a minute, what happens to the chord of magic coming here?”

The monk shrugs his shoulders. “I have no knowledge of magic. I can’t tell you.”

“Ok, you pick up the crystal. I think you should keep it wrapped in velvet. You sneak in behind the monk and I will cut the chord right behind him.”

The monk picks up the crystal wrapped in velvet. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” We head back the way we came. We sneak in the side door and get right behind the monk. Before anyone has a chance to say anything I raise the sword and sweep it down.