Since this was the royal castle, patrols were carried out and guards were stationed at regular intervals, even during the night. It was a well-planned security setup meant to prevent intruders. But what if said intruders knew exactly when the patrolling guards made their rounds and changed shifts?
Luxion had gathered that information beforehand, and his mobile unit was proving adaptable even on the fly. He was using everything at his disposal to gather additional intel in real time to map our route. Marie and I depended on him entirely for guidance. Our confidence in him wasn’t misplaced; en route to our next destination, we never once encountered a single enemy. There were spots along the way where guards stood watch, but the special optical camouflage suits that Luxion had made helped us blend in with our surroundings perfectly. No one was the wiser to our presence.
“These guys are way too lax for palace guards,” I said. It was hard to believe how many of them we’d seen yawning and bleary-eyed.
Marie shrugged. “It works in our favor that way. Now, where’s the other flute?”
As we neared a door, Luxion lurched to a stop. “I must warn you, acquiring the next one will be particularly difficult.” He explained that it was kept in the royal quarters of the younger princess, Hertrauda Sera Fanoss, and that guards were posted outside her room.
“Great. More guards.” I shook my head. “I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but still.” I slipped the pistol from the holster on my hip. It already had a silencer attached, and I took aim and squeezed the trigger. Muted pops sounded as I fired off each successive round. “Take a little nap, why don’t you? This’ll be over before you know it.”
The guards were momentarily shocked by the sudden pain. They reached for their weapons, only for their eyes to roll back before they could do anything, and then they collapsed to the floor.
“I know you’re just using a stun gun, but that sure was gruesome,” said Marie.
Luxion urged us along. “We only have thirty minutes until the next shift change. I suggest you make this quick.”
I understood why time was of the essence here, but I couldn’t get on board. “Look, it’d be way too awkward for me to go into a girl’s room.” I turned to Marie. “You get the flute.”
Marie glowered at me. “What?! Why do I have to do the dangerous part? Get your butt in there with me!” She snatched my hand and yanked me along, shoving me through the door before I could figure out how to slip out of her grasp.
Several women were inside the room already. They were all taken aback by my sudden entry.
“Sorry about this,” I said, aiming my gun and stunning them before they could process what was happening. All the women slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Now that there was no one to impede us, Luxion began scanning the room. “I have located the flute,” he announced. He activated a secret switch, and one of the paintings on the wall swung aside to reveal a small vault.
Marie stepped up to the closed vault. “What’s the security code?” she demanded.
“That dial on the front is fake. To open the vault, follow my instructions,” Luxion said.
She did so, and in no time at all, we’d completed our mission.
“The second flute is ours now!” Marie cried in a hushed voice, cracking the attaché case open to place the two flutes together inside.
It had proven surprisingly easy to retrieve both. This would be a huge step toward preventing the war that had broken out in the game. Marie and I looked at one another. We nodded and, careful not to make any unnecessary noise, gave each other a soft high five.
“Done,” I said. “Mission complete.”
“Phew. What a relief it is, too.”
All that was left now was to sneak out and make our way back to—
“Who’s there? Father? Mother?” Hertrauda called out, stirring.
I lifted my gun, ready to fire at the princess, but Marie smacked my hand. “Dummy! She’s still a child!”
“You’re the dummy here!” I retorted.
Luckily, Marie and I were fully decked out in black, including ski masks that hid everything but our eyes. Still, it wasn’t a good sign that Hertrauda had spotted us or heard our voices. Worse, while Marie and I bickered over how to handle her, she was blinking away the last dregs of sleep.
Hertrauda spotted the repositioned painting and the unconscious women on the floor. Her eyes widened. “Y-you rogues!” she cried loudly. “Who sent—”
Marie leaped at her, clamping a hand over the princess’s mouth. “Quiet! If you shout like that, you’ll call attention to us!”
Pretty sure that’s the point.
While I aimed the stun gun at her, hesitating over whether to shoot, Luxion drifted toward me. “I have completely soundproofed the room so no one outside can hear anything,” he said. “Any violence you enact will not call attention to us.”
“Not sure I liked how you phrased that,” I replied.
After all, the girl in front of us was still quite young. She had long, straight black hair, porcelain skin, and gleaming red eyes that spoke to a strong spirit. She was probably only Marie’s height, but she had one prominent feature Marie lacked: Despite her youth, she was particularly well-endowed.
I kept my gun trained on Hertrauda and stepped forward, hoping to intimidate her. For a girl her age, being confronted by a man with a weapon had to be terrifying. Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she glowered at me courageously.
What a strong princess.