《Queen of thieves》 chapter 1 The city was home to the biggest den of thieves rapits and murderers the world had ever seen, most who went in did not come out and anything of value had to be nailed down to avoid it being stolen. Every citizen in the city from the youngest children to the oldest man and woman carried a weapon and none were safe, save for one. The young girl wandered down the main street walking calmly through the mass of people, she was draped in beggars clothes, covered in dirt and soot and carried a bundle with a small cherry blossom mark on it on her back that appeared to hold all she owned in the world, and yet despite her supposed lack of weapons which should have marked the girl as an easy target, not one thief approached her. In fact it was the opposite no one dared to get closer, as soon as the girl was spotted anyone in her vicinity immediately moved away skittishly as if afraid to touch her. It didn''t help that the girl herself did not discourage the behaviour but instead gave a sharks smile to anyone unlucky, or stupid, enough to meet her gaze. The girl continued to make her way down the main street unobstructed despite the huge number of people, much to the surprise of new arrivals to the city who stared at her in curiosity wondering why so many people both young and old were taking such pains to avoid the small girl with the bundle. Unfortunately not all were smart enough to take the warning. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. A large and brutish appearing adventurer stepped directly into the girls path much to the shock and dismay of the surrounding bystanders, "Oy little girl, give me everything in the bag and I won''t be forced to hurt you." the girl nodded in a submissive attitude while the man smiled with unquestionable arrogance. If the man had been paying more attention to the bystanders he may have realised he had not picked an easy a mark as he had believed "poor man." an elderly woman whispered while slowly backing away, meanwhile some of the younger viewers nudged each other and moved closer as if to enjoy the show. Alas the man did not listen and instead carefully watched as the girl slowly but surely removed the bundle from her back "hurry up girl, i don''t have all day!" growled the man impatiently, it was only then the man noticed the girls unusual crimson eyes "Of course," leered the girl an evil grin forming on her face "It''s all yours." The man never had the chance to respond as his head fell from his neck, his last view of the girl grinning evily holding all the valuables he was sure he''d left in his bag behind him. Silence reigned as the man''s body fell to the ground and the girl once again retrieved her bundle and continued on the path she was walking. Chapter 2 The young girl continued her journey unhindered until eventually she arrived at a small and unassuming restaurant building, walking into the building she was met by the sight of a handsome young man and an elderly woman both who noting the cherry blossom mark on the bundle immediately bowed their heads in respect for the girl ""my lady."" said both in sync while the girl simply smiled in acknowledgement of the two. Walking into the back of the restaurant without bothering to comment further the girl silently glided up to a well hidden mahogany door and knocked on it quickly with impatience "password?" asked a barely visible pair of eyes shown through a slit in the door "Sakura." said the girl still maintaining her grin. The door swung open and the middle aged man behind it bowed down "My lady." the girl nodded and continued her journey down the flight of stairs that until now had been hidden behind the door. The flight of stairs connected, like so many others, into the secret passageways of the city. Entering the passageways the girl started to walk in a relaxed but purposeful manner as if she was simply strolling through the streets not the pitch black tunnels until finally after an array of twists and turns the girl stopped and turned left into another staircase from where she emerged. Walking up the stairs she was confronted with another mahogany door "password?" asked a similar sounding voice to the last door "Sakura." replied the girl once more before entering through the door, once inside the girl smiled serenely and walked up to the largest bedroom in the house before Collapsing on the bed. She was exhausted. Removing the dark brown wig she had been wearing as well as the soot and dirt smeared across her face and changing her peasants clothes for that of an upper middle class girl left an entirely different looking girl in the room, she had auburn hair a delicate looking face and a sweet demeanor, in other words she looked like a different person. And that was exactly how she wanted it. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Although the girl was this cities most famous person she was also it''s most infamous, changing her appearance on a daily basis the only indicator of her or her people was a cherry blossom mark clearly displayed on the bag of the carrier. It was not only a mark but a warning, in past many had tried to gang up on some of the weaker messengers and as such were made an example of. In a city without rules she was the closest thing to the law, mess with the cherry blossom mark of the queen of thieves (as she had so affectionately been nicknamed) and you will be dealt with in a very public manner. Of course this did mean that people didn''t try to copy the mark to gain safe passage or infiltrate the Queens organisation but such people were dealt with swiftly and painfully and after seven public hangings people were reluctant to try anything. Still the girl let out an exhausted sigh and a grin, today she had finally pulled off the impossible. She had stolen the ocean gem from the bank. Now this may not sound like a big thing but to avoid being stolen from in this city of thieves something had to be very well protected, and that wad exactly what the bank was. Protected by the highest number of mercenaries in the city the bank was constantly surveyed, of course the girl could have slaughtered her way in there but where was the fun in that? Afterall it would be hard to be known as the queen of thieves if she couldn''t actually get away with stealing the most secure thing in the city, the most useful to. The ocean gem had been enchanted by clerics and makes to speed up natural healing by 83% making it a useful item to have, as well as a beautiful one. Still, now that she had stolen everything worth stealing in the city she supposed it was time to move on, the queen of thieves also known as Morgana let out a grin, it was time to pick a new target. Chapter 3 And so, just like that Morgana left the next morning. There were no adoring crowds to send her off nor any loyal officials, afterall although some people sought safety in exchange for work from the queen of thieves, in a city of thieves having one less competitor, especially where she was concerned, could only be seen as a good thing. Had she been a less notorious thief it was certain there would have been those who attempted to steal her belongings or the recently "liberated" ocean gem she wore openly around her neck, but with her being who she was alk potential thieves knew only death awaited those who tried. And so it was that at seven the next morning Morgana left unhindered, a bag on her back marked with her signature cherry blossom. She could have bothered trying to disguise her face but seeing as no one had ever seen it before they would probably just assume it another disguise, besides it''s not like she was coming back so soon that keeping her face secret mattered anymore. Walking straight out the city Morgana looked back and sighed, although she had not been raised in the city but it had been her home for the last four years and she did have some find memories there. However even Morgana knew her potential would be wasted if she continued living there and so giving one last rueful smile she continued on the main road out of the city limits towards the largest city in the country Aegis, the capital city. Although Morgana was filthy rich after her years in power she found it funnier to leave most of her money back in the city to be fought over in the power struggle she had probably created for the next person who attempted to own the seat of the king or Queen of thieves. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Instead she had taken with her a middle-class pair of travelling clothes (which she was wearing now) as well as a similary looking, although slightly nicer, pair of spare clothes, the ocean gem and enough money to last her a year without doing anything all hidden in a high quality bag that had been disguised to look low class. Of course wearing the ocean gem openly was a sure fire way to attract bandits and thieves so the easier thing to do would be to hide it, however Morgana found travelling boring and what was she to do for entertainment if not destroying a couple of bandit holdings on the way? A sharks grin emerged on her face and the unlucky thief lying five meters away hiding in preparation for an ambush had a sudden premonition that maybe this was a terrible idea, of course by the time he''d thought it it was already to late. Moving faster than the mam could track the girl attacked in a fluid motion and a split second later the poor thief''s head fell to the ground, Morgana laughed "I wonder how many people will be stupid enough to attack me today?" she mused aloud as she continued on her path towards Aegis a smile still on her face and a hand on a weapon, not that anyone could see or tell so much. Time to conquer a new city. Chapter 4 Morgana joined the queu to enter the city limits purposefully hiding the cherry blossom mark on her bag in case any of the guards or travellers had been to the city of thieves (the cities agreed name) and new the meaning of such a symbol, afterall if she was caught out this early in the game it would make things considerably harder to maneuver from the shadows later, not to mention the fact it would hurt her pride considerably. As Morgana looked around she saw people of all different sizes and raced including a few elves and some goblins in the line, but what caught her attention most was a young boy around her age who was obviously attempting to disguise himself as a peasant. He had golden blond hair and a plain and simple tunic, any thief however could tell you that the tunic was made of high class magical beast skins, the bulge in said tunic was gold and the thinly disguised "big brother" next to him was clearly a bodyguard. Morgana smiled as she noticed three more unsavoury looking people also staring at the boy, this was interesting. Purposefully walking near the boy she stopped at the larger guard next to him who was staring at her with thinly veiled contempt, "Excuse me sir," she said in a small and pittyful voice, the guard almost snarled when the blond boy shook his head and smiled gently "no need for the sir my name is Arthur and this is my....brother Cain, what can we do for you?" Morgana hesitated as if trying to decide something before nodding firmly to herself "You''re being followed." Cain quickly tensed and Arthur looked around worriedly "can you point out who?" he said clearly distressed, Morgana nodded trying to hide her laughter before pointing to the three unsavoury looking men. The three who noticed scowled and groups together trying to look intimidating, seeing that Cain was staring at them Morgana turned to Arthur and "tripped" Arthur quickly went to catch her "thank you Arthur." said Morgana in a sweet voice ignoring Arthur''s blush "Your welcome, thanks for your help with the people following us, they must be thief''s." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Morgans hid her smile before nodding and waving goodbye, making sure to loose the two in the line Morgana smiled and held up the bag of gold that had previously been in Arthur''s tunic, it was way to easy. Sneaking past the guards Morgana finally entered the city limits, ducking into a nearby alleyway Morgana opened the bag she had stolen from Arthur. Inside was twenty gold coins a necklace and a ring, the necklace had a solid gold chain and a sapphire blue pendant dangling from the bottom, Morgana whistled Arthur must have been a seriously high class noble to have this, turning eagerly to the ring Morgana froze. "Shit." she recognised the crest on the ring, afterall how could she not? It was the crest for this countries royalty, that meant that Arthur was a prince and not only that he had seen her real face and voice "Shit." she repeated aloud again before sighing. In truth in past she had had limited dealings with royalty and though one of them knowing her hardly mattered on her rise to power later on if anyone happened to put together the uncommonly talented thief girl together who arrived around the same time as the on the rise crime boss who used a little girl as her carrier it could be troublesome. Morgana sighed again but was let out a huge grin anyway, afterall no matter how troublesome she claimed it to be she did love a challenge,still smiling Morgana headed towards the city slums, afterall where there were desperate people there were people willing to abuse that desperation and that was her first target. Chapter 5 Entering the slums Morgana wandered through ramshackle shacks and collapsing homes until finally she entered the seediest establishment she could find. Entering the rundown bar all eyes turned to her in one moment of confused silence while everyone wondered what business a girl who looked to only be about ten years old could possibly have here? They didn''t wonder for long however as she approached and instantly sized up all the men there before going to the side of who she picked out as the leader of the group. "I''m here to discuss some buissness with you." stated Morgana in a clear and confident voice, the lean and elderly looking man gave a condensing smile as the crowd stared in astonishment. "Well now this is a surprise," he said "and what could the little lady want with me?" Morgana let out a slow smile "Hmm well I believe I have something that might interest you." very slowly, almost agonisingly so Morgana lifted the ring to the old man''s face. The man stared at the ring for a moment before his eyes widened and his mouth opened "tha...that ring...it can''t be???" He stared at Morgana once more "well now, it''s seems like you were right. We do have some buissness to deal with." Morgana kept smiling "I''m glad you think so." the main gave out a painful smile before walking to the upstairs of the bar motioning for the girl to follow him, and so smiling lightly Morgana followed. A hand on her hidden weapons Morgana followed the old man into an upstairs room, sitting down at an old mahogany desk in the center of the room the old man gestured for Morgana to sit down "Alright," he said seeing she had sat down "Who the hell are you and why do you have that ring?" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "My boss stole it," said Morgana in a cool voice "they said they wanted to meet the boss of this area to discuss business with them, and as proof of their abilities they thought it would be quicker to steal something of obvious value with unquestionable authenticity." the man''s mouth dropped open as he heard her answer before swallowing nervously. "And am I allowed to check the ring?" Morgana let out a light laugh "of course, the boss has nothing to hide." holding out the ring Morgana watched as the old man let out a gasp of wonder before returning the ring "my apologies for doubting you, but I am not the boss of this city. I can however take you too him." Morgana smiled "much appreciated." however a troubled smile appeared on the man''s lips "are you sure you want to get mixed up in this buissness though miss, the boss he is not a kind man, he is not someone your age should be meeting." Morgana let loose a careless smile "Ill be fine, trust me on that much. Now when can I meet this boss of yours?" the man let out a resigned sigh "tomorrow morning at eight." Morgana smiled once more before turning to leave "Until then then. First of all though, what''s your name?" the man let out a rueful grin "Trystan the names Trystan, ask for me tomorrow morning at the bar below." giving one last nod Morgana nodded and stalked out the room a sharks grin forming on her face. Chapter 6 Leaving Trystan''s office Morgana quickly exited the building and hid herself within the shadows of the nearby alley, if Trystan was really going to let her meet the boss he would need to get his approval first which would lead her right to him. Surely enough several seconds later Trystan, while thoroughly checking his surroundings exited the building before walking off through one of the many hidden streets. Followed shortly by Morgan. Following Trystan through the labyrinth of twists and turns Morgana traveled covertly by rooftop or within the shadows of the shacks. It was several seconds later that Trystan stopped by a small ramshackled building before knocking once and whispering the word "Fidelis." Morgana rolled her eyes, it was the Latin word for loyalty, how clich¨¦ could you get? Still seeing Trystan was safely inside Morgana calmly perched on the buildings wall intent on listening to the voices inside, settling down she heard Trystan''s voice ring out "it was a young girl Boss, claimed her boss had business with you." there was a pause before a cold voice rang out "And you''re sure the ring was authentic?" there was no pause this time "Yes, one hundred percent so." The cold voice rang out again "this could be a problem, this theif, the girls boss might just be too skilled." Trystan paused once again this time in confusion "What do you mean?" The boss sighed "currently the young Prince Arthur is out on a quest, his whereabouts are regarded as a national secret, even my spy network would have a hard time tracking him down.....and yet not only did this theif accomplish that but she managed to steal off him in the first place and get away from him." The boss paused " such accomplished thief''s don''t just appear out of nowhere, it seems fishyto me, almost too perfect." Trystan gasped in understanding "you think she must have been sent to spy in us from the kingdom?" the boss said nothing but Morgana assumed he was nodding his head. "It''s a possibility, you said the ring was authentic however it may have been possible to create an exact copy of the ring if this person had the royal families full support for the sake of espionage, not only that but if this thief''s apprentice sought you out intentionally then they must have been watching you a while so must have acquired the ring a while back, and yet no theft of the ring has been reported, the coincidence seems to perfect to me." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Morgana stopped listening temporarily while she tried to muffle her laughter, the conclusions they were drawing from recent events were in all fairness logical, however it was made more hilarious by the fact her stealing from the Prince was a complete accident. Still Morgana let out a smile, this situation could definitely be used to her advantage seeing as she now knew their thoughts on her and her "boss" she could easily manipulate the situation. Staying on the wall Morgana waited for an extra hour while Trystan and his boss exchangened facts and figures,before she eventually returned to where Trystan''s office was and settled down on the roof to sleep. Several hours of sleep later and Morgana awoke before entering the establishment below, walking calmly up to the bartender who was polishing up beer glass''s while staring in exasperation at the sleeping drunks surrounding him she spoke quietly "I''m here to see Trystan." Staring at her in surprise and slight recognition the barked motioned to the upstairs "he said to come up whenever your ready little miss." Morgana smiled sweetly before nodding her thanks and walking up the stairs, nodding on Trystan''s office she heard a "come in," and quickly entered "hello little miss are you ready to meet the boss?" asked Trystan with a fake smile "of course." replied Morgana with an equally fake smile, time for her first official meeting with the boss. She was looking forward to it. .................................................................................. Author''s note Hi everyone reading this, first of i just want to say thank you so much I can''t believe I have over 100 average views!!! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a comment or review so I know how you feel about the story and how I can improve it. Chapter 7 Following Trystan Morgana purposefully stayed one or two steps behind and made it look as if she was attempting to memorise the way as if unaware of her final destination. Finally arriving at the building Morgana had seen last night Trystan paused and turned around to look at her "Do you have the ring?" Morgana nodded keeping a calm appearance "Of course, is this where your boss works?" Trystan neither confirmed nor denied but simply knocked on the door in a slightly different manner than yesterday, forgoing the password altogether the door opened silently. Upon seeing this, Trystan, followed by Morgana, entered the build leading Morgana through a variety of stairs and corridors he finally stopped in front of a large oak desk. "Is this the girl?" asked the cool voice she recognised as the boss''s, Trystan nodded and Morgana from moved out from behind him getting her first look at the boss. Contrary to her expectations he was a good looking boy who had shoulder length white hair tied back in a pony tail and icy blue eyes, he also only looked to be about sixteen years old. "Do you have the ring?" asked the boss clearly watching her like she was watching him, "Of course." Taking out the ring Morgana passed it to the boy who examined it for several tense seconds before returning it "Well either it''s real or its a highly convincing fake, so who is your boss and what business do they want with us?" Morgana grinned "I''m glad you asked but before that I have a question," ignoring the confused glances Trystan and the boss gave her Morgana removed her rucksack and turned it around so the cherry blossom mark was facing the boss. Tapping the mark she spoke again "Do you recognise this emblem?" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Trystan once again stared in confusion while the boss paled "That mark.....I see now...no wonder there''s no announcement." Morgana gave a sharks grin upon seeing his understanding Trystan stared at the two of them "Boss, what does the mark mean?" the boss gave a rueful smile. "Trouble, that''s what it means but also that something interesting is about to happen, and so," the boss turned back to Morgana "what buissness does the queen of thieves have with me?" even Trystan gasped then, ignoring it Morgana spoke "My lady has grown bored of the city of thieves and sought a new target, she decided on Aegis." The boss had a troubled look on his face "I see...and so how can I help?" Morgana burst into laughter "How can I help? That''s a first usually people just swear to fight my lady and that never ends well." the boss shook his head "I am no fool and my wealth is not worth more than my life. Besides," he said with a sly smile "I feel I would get just as much out of the bargain as she would." Morgana grinned "Clever boy, now for the sake of conveinience I am known as the carrier, and you are?" the boss grinned "It''s Malaki." Morgana grinned "thank you for your cooperation I will be in touch the next few days with instructions" Malaki nodded "Of course, but what is it that the queen of thieves wishes to steal that requires my help anyway?" Morgana''s grin widened "the city, my lady wishes to steal the city." Chapter 8 Exiting Malaki''s house, Morgana made her way towards the middle class area of town towards a property dealer. Now as previously mentioned Morgana had enough money to live comfortablely for a year without any new income, however once combined the total sum was actually quite a lot if spent all at once, and that was exactly what Morgana planned to do. Entering the property dealer Morgana changed her demeanor from a calm and confident young lady to a meek and sweet little girl. Approaching the front desk Morgana stared at the elderly man in charge "Um excuse me?" the man looked up at her "Yes, what is it girl?" he asked impatiently Morgana looked around as if trying to be secretive before putting her mouth to the old man''s ear "My master is looking to by some property discretely." The old man sighed in didaproval assuming it was just another noble sending his servant to help acquire a house for their new mistress. Ignoring his personal opinion the old man immediately put on a business face "of course, come this way." getting of his chair the old man led Morgana to a smaller room in the back "Now, where does your master want this house to be located?" Morgana gave an uncertain smile "he said in the slums." this gave the man a pause "Are you certain that''s what he wanted?" Morgana nodded "positive." the old man sat for a moment in curious silence, obviously the purpose the property was meant to serve was far more complicated than he had originally thought. "Ok," said the man shaking himself out of his thoughts, much to Morgana''s amusement, "I have three suitable properties available the first is a cottage of modest size on the outskirts of the slums, it''s close to the borders of the magical beast forest but is also equipped with protection runes against such creatures." the man withdrew a picture of a small picturesque cottage that didn''t quite manage to hide the view of the slums in the background. Morgana shook her head, it didn''t match the purpose she had in mind for the house, the old man seeing this nodded and brought out a second picture "The second one is an old manor in the center of the slums, it is however perfectly safe and surrounded by high walls. Though it may have fallen into disrepair over time." Morgana stared at the picture of the tall and gothic Manor surrounded by an iron fence and allowed a slow smile to spread to her face. "Perfect, no need to see the rest, this is exactly what my master wanted." the old man looked at her doubtfully "Are you sure?" Morgana nodded and quickly checked the price at the bottom of the picture, it would cost three-quarters of her money. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Morgana smiled she had never planned on being idol anyway and money was always easy to find for a thief of her caliber. Withdrawring the money from her bag Morgana paid for the property and collected the key from the old man, smiling thankfully Morgana exited the shop and immediately made her as towards the slums, picking a few pockets as she went. By the time she made it to the manor she had replenished about an eighth of her original funds as well as viewing the slums poverty first hand, although it was harsh Morgana ignored the beggars and thief''s she passed. Afterall she wasn''t a hero, and though she had basic compassion she would only look after herself and those that were useful to her, besides no one had helped her when she was suffering. Shaking herself out of her thoughts Morgana ignored the curious gazes that arose around her as she opened the tall iron gates and entered her new residence. Immediately shutting the gates behind her Morgana took out a small hidden knife and made a small cut on her hand, walking up to the gates Morgana carved two protection runes and wiped her blood on them. Runes were a common thing in this world and though most were temporary and only used short term or for fighting some runes, if the caster had enough power and focus, could be carved into objects or even tattooed onto skin to be made permanent, which was exactly what Morgana had just done. By using the iron fence as a medium and wiping her blood on the runes she had created a spell that would kill anyone who entered the property without her adding their blood to the runes. Of course this only applied inside the property, merely touching the fence would do nothing. This not only provided protection but gave Morgana the element of surprise as not many would expect such a young girl to have such power that she could create a permanent rune. Morgana let out a blood chilling smile, now that she had a residence and contact with the criminal underworld it was time to get started. Chapter 9 Now that the runes were set in place Morgana turned her attention back to the actual manor and sighed. Although from a distance the building looked very impressive on the out, up close it was very easy to see the buildings flaws, such as the crumbling walls and near collapsing roof. Entering the property Morgana noted that while the property was stable for the moment the foundations would not remain so for much longer. The easiest course of action would be to destroy the manor and then recreate it from scratch, the destroying part was easy and any number of runes could be used for that but unfortunately there was no such thing as a house building rune, however convenient such a thing might be. Sighing Morgana walked up to the house and concentrating the magic in her fingertip, drew a rune in the air. Once she had drawn out the rune Morgana then launched it towards the old building, a light engulfed the manor and within seconds all remained was a huge patch of land with all the raw materials used to make the manor on it. Now that the rune had activated Morgana sat down in exhaustion, the rune she had used was known as a time reversal rune and to say it was advanced was an understatement. The rune couldnt be used on living creatures but any other option was fine, the only other things that the time reversal rune couldnt be used on was objects that already had runes on reversal as the runes would cancel each other out. Although Morgana had restored the materials back to their prime condition, she was still going to need help assembling the house, and for that she would need a significant amount of money. Although she still had over a quarter of her original funds left Morgans decided it was time to replenish her funds a bit. Grinning evily Morgana headed towards the nobles district. Two hours later and Morgana had stolen jewellery and funds from most of the surrounding nobles houses, of course she''d not taken so much it that it would be noticed. Afterall if any of the nobles noticed and added runes to their security it would make it significantly harder to steal from them in future, of course she could still do it it would just take longer. Although Morgana had only stolen a small portion of wealth from each house that amount had quickly added up to replenish the entirety of her original funds, smiling Morgana headed towards the craftsmen district. It was time to build a house. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. And so it was that 2 days later that a brand new manor house had appeared in the slums, although there was no runes to build a house there was runes to speed up the workers, not that the workers noticed the subtle increse in working speed. Morgana also had to create a temporary rune using their blood to allow them inside the property without dying, this temporary rune was merely drawn on and easy to wash off removing their acces to the manor once the building was over. Now that the manor was fully built Morgana had added yet more security runes to the inside, she had also had the builders, for an extra cost, add a basement safe below the house. For the fun of it she had also let all the workers catch a glimpse of the money she put inside it as well as the ocean gem around her neck. She was intrigued to see how many corpses ended up on her lawn tonight. Smiling evily Morgana decided it was about time she paid Malaki a visit, afterall although it was easy enough to break into the lower nobilitys houses that didn''t even have rune protection, Aegis being the capital city was home to royalty and upper nobility. Both of whom not only had wealth but important documents concerning the kingdom as a whole as well as the city, of course the funnest way to steal from such people was to go right under their noses, afterall the way to the parents was through their children and Morgana already had the pleasure of being in the good grades of fair Prince Arthur who was still probably unaware that she was the one who had stolen from him. And even if he was aware Morgana was happy to take the time to persuade him otherwise. The evil grin once again emerged from her face as she strolled off in the direction of Malaki''s house, whistling cheerfully as she went. .................................................................................. Author''s note Hi guys sorry the chapters late, hope you enjoy feel free to leave a raring or review and please point out any corrections you may have :) Chapter 10 Quickly making her way through the slums Morgana took a quick detour to the noble district where she "acquired" several different wigs and make up for the sake of changing her appearance. Hiding her long Auburn hair in a short mousy brown wig Morgana hunched her posture and smeared dirt on her face and clothes giving her the appearance of a slum dweller, she did however keep her signature cherry blossom backpack displayed prominently. The now disguised Morgana silently crept through the slums before finally arriving at Malaki''s building, quietly knocking on the door Morgana listened silently "Password?" asked a gruff male voice, Morgana let out a sweet smile "My name is the Carrier, I''m sure you''ve been told to expect me. If I''m not talking to Malaki in the next two minutes my boss will take her business elsewhere." Morgana heard the hurried footsteps of the man as he rushed to confirm the truth of this statement while she held back her laughter, of course she wouldn''t really take her business elsewhere now she''d found such a convenient place but it was good to make sure there was no complacency. hearing the rushing of footsteps Morgana snapped out of her thoughts and straightened her posture smiling knowingly as the door swung open while the man who she presumed to be the one who asked for a password bowed in apology "my apologies for holding you up miss carrier." morgana let out a sly smile "Just dont let it happen again." the man visibly gulped and bowed once more letting Morgana slide past him, walking slowly up the now familiar staircase Morgana was faced with an exasperated looking Malaki "Its wonderful to see you again but was there really any need to scare the shit out of my men?" he asked in a dry tone that still showed respect. morgana let out a snort "Just because i didnt mean it this time doesnt mean i wont next time, my boss has given me full permission to abbandon this buisness at any moment." Malaki showed a slightly tighter smile "Duly noted, now what instructions do you bring? i assume you have some?" If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.Morgana nodded "My boss wishes to know if there are any orphanages in the slums?" This brought Malaki up short "Wai...Orphanages?" Morgana burst out into laughter seeing confused expression "Dont worry its not nearly as charitable as whatever youre thinking. Grateful children are highly likely to be willing to put their respective talents towards aiding their benefactors, how do you think my boss ended up with so many loyal workers and carriers in the city of thieves?" Malaki paused for a minute considering this "true the idea has merit but such children would have to be handled carefully." Morgana smiled "exactly but my boss will manage. so orphanges?" Malaki shook his head "unfortunately orphanages are a privelige of those who have some measure of safety in place. youll find none of that here." Morgana nodded a bitter smile on her face, true such a result was not unexpected but it was irritating none the less. "wait," said Malaki suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts "there may not be an official orphanage but theres a group of five orphan kids who might fit your profile. They''re a small group who regulary attempt to pick pocket any visiting representatives of the kingdom." Morgana nodded and secretly took note of the distaste in which Malaki spoke of these representatives. "i''ll have a look for myself and decide whether or not to take them to the boss." Malaki nodded respectfully "As you wish, their usual haunt is on the outskirts of the slums, nearer to the merchants district." Morgana nodded still deep in thought "Well then ill be off. Continue buissness as normal and i''ll bring anymore instructions the boss has." walking off without looking back Morgana made her way towards the merchant area. ............................................................................... Author''s note hi to everyone reading this im really sorry how late the chapter is ill try to give more regular updates from now on. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a commet or review so i know how to improve the story :) chapter 11 swiftly moving between streets Morgana soon found herself on the edge of the merchants district, settling on a street corner Morgana maintained her beggars personna occaisionally holding out her hands at passersby keeping an eye out for any of the pickpocket group. it was about an hour later when Morgana first noticed the young beggar boy carelessly stumbling through the crowds of haggling merchants occaisionally stoping to apologise to those he bumped into. A slow smile spread to Morganas face as her eyes silently followed the boy, the supposedly clumsy boy who had very quick fingers and had single handedly stolen off every single one of the people he had "accidently" bumped into. The boy still maintaining his clumsy demeanor easily retreated back into the slums alleyways without drawring any attention to himself. Smiling slightly in aproval Morgana followed the young boy through a long and complicated route obviously designed for shaking off persuers before the young boy finally entered a ramshackle hut tucked discreetly behind another larger shack. Entering the door without any discomfort or hesitation proved to Morgana that with a doubt that this was in fact the youths home. Her customery sharks grin growing Morgana walked over to the door and knocked loudly, a tense silence settled over the hut as Morgana heard hesitant and worried shuffle within the hut. Several seconds later and finally the boy she''d followed earlier opened the door a gruff expression on his face that soon dissapeared when he saw her slovenly appearance. Afterall in his eyes law enforcement didnt look like bedraggled slum girls, but then again she could be so much worse than any law enforcement there was. "Yes?" asked the boy still slightly weary, Morgana gave a harsh grin that made the boy flinch "Im here to talk with you and your siblings." the boy surveyed her, finding no obvious weaponry he gave a tense nod and aloowed her to pass through the entrance where she was met with the faces of four more young children none of them older than eight. pushing past her and sitting in front of his sibling protectively the boy stared at her again "So what do you want with us?" Morgana gave a slightly softer smile "I want to adopt you." the siblings stared at her in shocked silence before finally the eldest spoke "You''re lying. You''re not much older than us, and besides," he said casting a glance to her current bedraggled state "You dont look to be in the position to be helping anyone. We may be from the slums but were not stupid, now what do you want?" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Morgana burst into laughter much to the surprise of the children "you''re smart kid ill give you that much." the boys guarded state reappeared but Morgana simply continued speaking calmly "However in this case your also wrong, you said i was in no position to help anyone? You''re wrong, but that doesn''t matter i''m not here to help you. I''m here to use you." the boys guard relaxed slightly, slum children knew as well as any merchant that such easy deals never come as cheap as they seem, using and being used were much more familier ideas for such children. "And what would we get in return?" Asked the boy a cocky smile appearing on his face, Morgana grinned and silently lifted the Ocean gem from beneath her clothes while watching the expressions of greed and wonder that appeared on the youths faces. "My name is Morganna known as the Queen of Thieves, i am offering you all a chance to work for me." THe five watched her with expressions mixed with disbelief and wonder with only open fear and hostility shown on the face of the eldest. "We agree." He said simply ignoring the protest of his siblings "But brother.." started the youngest child, a girl who looked to be about six "No buts, the marking on her bag is proof enough and besides...." he gave Morgana a long look "Theres no way she''d leave us alive now we know all this. Morganas grin widened "Clever kid, but howd you know about the mark?" The boy lowered his gaze "You spend enough time around merchants and youll here about the queen of thieves and her carriers.....especially what happens to those who oppose her." Morgana nodded "Correct, stay with me and i will help you rise, try to betray me and you''ll be dead before you can." The oldest boy nodded and displayed a cheeky if not somewhat nervous grin "Well i never liked this countries royalty anyway, not a bad idea swearing to a new queen." And with that the boy, followed by his siblings, kneeled to Morgana. And so it began. chapter 12 Smiling at the now kneeling children Morgana gestured at them to stand "Ok enough kneeling we have work to do. you have ten minutes to pack your bags." the oldest child nodded and immediately moved to gather all of the meager posessions they owned scattered round the shack, while the other four stared in confusion "Pack for what?" asked the youngest sister, Morgana grinned "You''re moving to my house, you didnt think i''d leave you here unmonitered did you?" the eldest child upon hearing this continued packing while retaining his wary smile. Five minutes later and the eldest nodded to Morgana "We''re ready to leave my lady." Morgana nodded back and quickly surveyed the meager posessions grasped between the five children as well as the reluctanct expression of the eldest child. Looking at the five children she smiled honestly and looked at each child individually "Now before we leave i am going to tell you a simple truth about your new life, while you are with me i will protect you. And as long as you are useful to me there is not a person in this kingdom who can harm you, I will also tell you that this is not because i care about you but because from the moment you knealt to me you were mine. And i protect what is mine." All five nodded but morgana could tell that only the oldest two truly understood what that meant, they may be safe but their lives were hers to do with as she pleased. However neither objected despite knowing that, probably because in their eyes if she truly was who she said she was there may not be a place in the kingdom safer than by her side. Abandoning the shack the five children followed Morgana through the slums labyrinth of streets and alleyways until finally they arrived at her manor. stopping several meters in front of the gate Morgana once again turned towards the children "Hold your right hand out." Said Morgana simply and calmly ignoring the childrens confusion, walking up to the eldest Morgana withdrew a hidden knife from her clothes much to the shock of the younger children. The eldest however remained unflinching as Morgana made a small cut on his hand before making a similar cut on her hand and mixing the blood before she walked up to the gate and rubbied the blood on one of the hidden runes ensuring the childs safety within the manor. Quickly repeating the process with the now docile children Morgana finished wiping their blood on the runes and opened the gates revealing the manor behind it, smiling dryly at the childrens expression of awe Morgana made a welcoming gesture "Welcome home." The eldest clutched the hands of his siblings and smiled at them before bowing to Morgana "My thanks my lady." Morgana gave a sad smile before turning to the house "You dont need to thank me. This is buisness. Now before we continue any further i need to know your names." The eldest nodded "My name is Merlin," he gestured to the second oldest, another boy, "this is Lance," he pointed again to the two twins boys standing beside him "this Gwain and Elliot and last but not least is Gwen." he said pointing to the youngest sibling beside him. Morgana nodded "Ok, as you already know I am the person known as the queen of thieves, you may address me as your lady for conveniences sake." Merlin nodded with an expession not quite trusting but close enough "Yes my lady." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Morganna grinned "Good. Now you may each pick a room within the manor or you may stay together in one of the larger rooms, decide now." Merlin looked the others for only a second before giving a deciscive nod "If its fine with you your grace we would prefer a room together." Morganna nodded "I expected as much, now as for the house the top floor is off limits but other than that you can go anywhere. Any questions?" The five shook their heads "No my lady." Morgana grinned "Good. Now go pick a room i''ll call you down shortly for food as well as to brief you on your future roles from now on." the five nodded and dissapeared into the upstairs of the house, removing her disguise Morgana sighed for a moment and got to work on cooking some food. Now many may ask as to why someone called "The queen of thieves" might know how to cook and the answer to that was simple, people find it much harder to poison your food if you''re the one cooking it. Finishing off a simple dish of salad and roast chicken Morganna called the five children down to eat, gathering them all round a table she grinned as she noticed the children completely disregarding her change in appearance but instead devoted all attention to scarfing down the food in front of them. Once finally finished Morgana gave a light cough and gestured for attention "Ok rest up for tonight because tomorrow the real work starts." All five children made a grim expession as they remembered once more that they weren''t here for fun "Tomorrow i start training you to decide what your roles will be in assisting me, any questions?" Gwen gave a hesitant nod "What roles are there?"Morgana grinned "The best way to conquer a city or even a kingdom is to turn its organisations against it, and the easiest way to infiltrate such organisations is to join young. the main forces of this kingdom are its mages and its knights, Now tell me what would happen if the leaders of two such powerful organisations rebelled against the crown?" Merlin gasped "Revolution?!" Morgana smiled "Exactly, royalty has power in name alone. Its true power comes from its supporters, there are other such driving forces like the thieves and the merchants and to take over this city all of them must be in my power. Which is why i will have each of you infiltrate one such organisation and work your way up, any objections?" The children looked at Morgana who''s plan not only gave them a roof over their heads but gave them the chance to do something more...and bowed their heads in respect "No my lady." Morgana smiled, tomorrow the real work would begin. Chapter 13 The next morning Morgana silently crept out of bed and went into the kitchen, seeing that none of the children were awake she quietly made some bread dough with the ingredients she had only stopping to add a sprinkle of hemlock. while Morgana was still infamous and mostly unknown within the kingdom for now that would change at some point or another, and when it did both she and the children would be targets, she was already immune to most poisons but it was better to build up the children''s tolerance now while it was still safe for them to do so. Smiling slightly and Morgana left the bread baking and moved towards the garden to prepare, using a sharpened stick she drew several runes on the ground below as well as using charcoal to draw some hidden runes on the surrounding shrubbery. Grinning evilly and Morgana turned and left the garden, quickly taking the breakout the oven Morgana let out a loud shout, "FOOD!" the effects were immediate as five hungry children immediately descended from the stairs hungrily anticipating the food. waiting until all five were sitting and staring hungrily at the fresh loaf she''d just taken out Morgana looked at each child. "Before you start eating I''m warning you that the bread is poisoned." almost instantaneously merlin had shoved the loaf away from him and turned to confirm his siblings were ok, Morgana chuckled "don''t worry, I''m the one who poisoned it." Merlin stared at her weariness and confusion waving it''s way into his eyes, seeing the distrust Morgana shrugged ¡°don''t worry it''s not enough to kill you, I plan to give you small non lethal doses of hemlock until your resistance builds up.¡± Morgana calmly surveyed Merlin¡¯s still weary face, ¡°I want you to know that I could do this any time without telling you but I''m warning you because I want you to trust me. Mutual trust always works much better than forced coercion which is why I fully intend to be as honest as I can with you, more than one aspiring conqueror has been killed by dissatisfied subordinates.¡± Finally relaxing once more and Merlin nodded ¡°you promise we''ll survive.¡± it wasn''t a question but Morgana nodded anyway ¡°yes.¡± Merlin grabbed a knife and cut himself a slice of bread. Grimacing slightly he took a big bite of the still warm bread his eyes widening slightly, ¡°it doesn''t taste poisoned¡­¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Morgana nodded chuckling ¡°it shouldn''t, the amount I gave you is only enough to give you a slight stomach ache. It''ll get worse later but for now your not going to feel many side effects.¡± Merlin nodded and continued eating, twenty seconds later and the four other children did the same. Leaving the children to eat and Morgana walked up to the top of the house where her magic supplies were, carefully picking up a large crystal ball, Morgana walked back downstairs to join the children once more. Upon seeing the children cleaning up and the bread eaten Morgana let out a small smile before placing down the crystal ball on the table and letting a small smile come to her face, ¡°ok.¡± she said clapping her hands together for attention ¡°I want everyone over here now in a line.¡± Gathering behind Gwen who had arrived at the table first the children stared in curiosity as Morgana held up the crystal ball towards Gwen, ¡°put your hand on the crystal.¡± ordered Morgana, Gwen nodded without a word placing her skinny hand on the crustal only to stare in amazement as it let out a faint glow. Morgana let out a small frown and nodded at Gwen to move out the way before beckoning Lance to try next, the small dull glow appeared for Grain but not Lance or Elliot until finally it was Merlin¡¯s turn. Silently spreading his hand out on the crystal a bright glow started emitting only increasing in brightness until eventually a small cracking appeared on the crystal ball. Immediately removing his hand Merlin backed away head bowed in shame ¡°I''m so sorry I cracked it.¡± Morgana let out a happy laugh and patted a surprised Merlin on the head a happy gleam in her eyes ¡°that''s fine, after all you''re worth a lot more than that crystal ball. Besides you''ve just shown a very high aptitude for magic,¡± Morgana grinned ¡°this is very useful.¡± Nodding with a slight grin on his face Merlin retreated back to his family, ¡°Right,¡± said Morgana ¡°ad you may have guessed that crystal ball was used to test your magic potential to which only Merlin showed a particularly high aptitude which is why we''re now moving on to a second set of tests for the rest of you.¡± Morgana grinned evilly as she looked at the children, ¡°let''s get started.¡± Chapter 14 Calmly walking out to the garden Morgana calmly handed sharp iron swords to Lance, Gawain and Elliot and a wooden bow to Gwen with steel tipped arrows. Turning to face the children Morgana surveyed the natural posture at which Lance held his sword and the uncomfortable feeling with which Gwen held her bow. Interestingly it seemed the young boy had fought before though from the look of it the girl had always been sheltered from it. Snapping her out of her thoughts Merlin raised a hand ¡°What about me, my lady?¡± Morgana said nothing but handed him a book entitled The basic use of runes. ¡°You are going to study, you seem to have a high potential for magic which will be a deadly enough weapon once you''re proficient in it. I will not have you waste the time you could be using on magic to learn basic defence and you don''t have time to learn both proficiently.¡± Merlin accepted her reasoning with silence and a short bow, ignoring him she turned to face the other children ¡°As for you four, I am going to use magic to summon a single golem which you are going to fight together using the weapons I have just given you. Any questions?¡± Despite how brief her explanation was, nobody asked any questions, Morgana grinned ¡°Good.¡± tapping on one of the runes she had drawn in the dirt earlier an earthen golem warped to life. Turning to face Morgana it knelt down. ¡°Mistress what is your command?¡± looked at the shock on the children''s faces Morgana grinned. ¡°Attack those children, you may do anything you want to them short of killing them or creating any permanent damage, once they are knocked out you are to ignore them and failure to do so will result in your immediate destruction.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The golem nodded, ¡°Understood Mistress.¡± And then the golem attacked, moving with an almost impossible speed for something so large the golems drew back a large fist launching it towards Gwen¡¯s face. Only to be stopped by Lance¡¯s sword. Morgana let out a slight smile, the golem she had summoned may have been using the simplest runs available but that didn''t mean it was a small feet for a child to stop its fist. The advantage didn''t last long though as the golem''s strength soon overwhelmed Lance leaving him flung into a nearby tree. ¡°Lance!¡± Screamed Gwen who immediately started to make her way towards him before being stopped by Gawain ¡°Stop Gwen, he''s fine. We need to focus on doing what we can for now.¡± He let out a sigh ¡°The golem won''t kill him.¡± Gwen reluctantly nodded her head as the golem turned its attention back towards them it''s fist drawn once more, it only took ten minute more for the golem to knock out all of the four children. Morgana tried not to laugh at the sight of the children, she supposed she should have expected as much but it was still slightly irritating. Waking up the four children Morgana turned to them a neutral expression on her face. ¡°I have some business to see to today so I am going to leave all of you here. Merlin I expect you to be able to perform at least one basic rune when I return. Only attempt those from the book I gave you.¡± turning to face the others Morgana continued speaking. ¡°And as for you four I want you to be able to last at least twenty minutes with the golem next time, I will leave it unsummoned for practice. Lance help Gawain and Elliot with their stances feel free to spar, Gwen do some target practice and attempt the golem once more when you feel ready.¡± A cold look appeared in Morgana¡¯s eyes ¡°Stay hidden do not leave the house for today.¡± The children bowed down. ¡°yes my lady.¡± allowing herself a small smile Morgana nodded and went up to her room. Disguising herself as a nobleman''s daughter she left towards the merchants district. Morgana smiled her sharks grin for what she had planned she was going to needsome more.... dubious supplies and for that she need Malaki. Chapter 15 Walking at a relaxed pace in the general direction of Malaki''s Morgana leisurely wandered throughout the crowds of busy shoppers leaving only missing valuables in her wake, it was a busy day and busy people didn''t notice things until it was far too late, including thieves. Cheerfully grinning Morgana continued towards the slums when all of a sudden her eyes widened in surprise and she stopped in front of a small and dusty book shop. There was nothing remarkable about the book shop on the outside, it was looked cramped and seemed to be tended by an elderly man, however if one was to look very closely they might just noticed the small cherry blossom motif painted on the corner of the stores name ¡°Queen¡¯s Books¡±. Morgana smiled and rolled her eyes, of course she was well aware that her spies had placed several venues throughout several countries to gain information but she had been unaware of their exact location. Smiling in nostalgia Morgana went into the bookshop, hearing the tinkling of the bell the old shopkeeper looked up in alarm, seeing how it was only a young girl the man relaxed and gave a kindly smile. ¡°What can I do for you young miss?¡± Morgana smiled as she noticed the purposeful way in which the old man coveted his hands with a thin binding ¡°You can show me your hand.¡± The old man froze but held out the bandaged palm nonetheless. ¡°As you wish little miss, though I don''t know why you would need to see my hand?¡± Morgana continued to smile pleasantly. ¡°Show me your bare hand.¡± The man looked in shock as he unwilling unwrapped the binding and showed her his hand, the hand with a glowing red rune on it. The man paled, ¡°As I suspected,¡± drawled Morgana ¡°you''re someone who went against the queen of thieves and are now stuck working for her due to an obedience rune.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The man''s face sharpened as he lost his nervous persona and kept his voice even ¡°That''s correct young miss, they caught me trying to steal from the queen so I ended up with this.¡± The man held up his palm before looking back down at Morgana, eyes narrowed. ¡°The real question here is why you know about this, and more importantly why the rune responded to you when it''s only meant to respond to those higher up in Queens command.¡± The man knelt down his head bowed in respect as his tone turned formal ¡°Mind telling me who I am currently addressing young mistress?¡± Morgana laughed aloud ¡°Oh I like you. It''s nice seeing one with the common sense to kneel!¡± Morgana let a shark''s grin slip ¡°I am the one known as the carrier of the Queen of thieves.¡± The man''s face trembled with all too real fear ¡°I apologise for any insubordination on my behalf my lady.¡± Morgana let a light smile touch her lips ¡°It''s fine, if I''d wanted you dead I would have done it already,¡± The man stiffened ¡°but that''s not what I''m here for. My lady, the Queen, has requested that I gather information on the city of thieves and it''s new leader.¡± The man nodded ¡°Of course my lady, after her majesty left no one has yet to claim the title, though some have tried, the current leader of the thieves is a young man named Lamorak who despite being in charge claims he still holds allegiance to the queen.¡± Morgana grinned this was not unexpected, Lamorak was another slum dweller she had picked up who had later sworn loyalty to her. Although the city of thieves was useless to her at current times it would certainly help things if she was still in charge later. Looking back at the old man Morgana smiled sweetly, ¡°Thank you for your help. Forget me and our entire conversation.¡± watching the old man''s temporary confusion as the rune on his hand lit up once more made Morganalet out a small grin as she left the shop not looking back, having a useful supplier of information always made things easier, especially when they couldn''t remember you. Still smiling Morgana continued on into the slums until she finally reached Malaki''s Base of operations. Knocking on the door Morgana smiled as she recognised the man from last time who let her straight through to the boss face paled at her arrival. Walking into Malaki''s office Morgana paid no heed to his shocked face as she smiled ¡°I need you to forge some documents for me.