"Ain’t ever met nobody that was afraid of me just cause I’m part demon."
Jillian smiled at the cute, but rather naive, youth standing beside her at the bar. There were plenty of people terrified of anything that remotely resembled a demon. The religious fanatics in Annib even had a nasty habit of tossing what they called holy water on anyone that didn't look quite human. She could still remember the day a centaur wandered into the city only to be bombarded by rocks thrown by the priests of some god whose doctrine prohibited association with such creatures. Jillian surmised most demons got a bum rap because of all the horror stories told about them. Who could blame someone for being frightened of something supposedly born from the fires of hell purely to torment the human race with chaos? Jillian had no such fear of demonkind, thanks to her witchcraft dabbling mother.
Immediately her thoughts turned from demons to money when Cas mentioned that Rowan was rich. The acknowledgement didn't come as much of a surprise since she'd already presumed as much. Rowan's manner of speech, as well as the way he acted and chose to attire himself, reminded her of many young nobles she'd dealt with in the past. But unlike those nobles, the elf seemed to have room in his heart for more than money and power alone. She could respect him for that.
She sipped the mulled wine while mentally filing away the rest of the information Cas gave her about his companions. Rowan's obvious attachment to Soran made sense now that she knew the boy to be his student. Cas wasn't very helpful when it came to filling her in on details about Xue, Kato, Alex, and the absent Jeremy, but that really didn't matter since Rowan seemed to be the leader, and she already had a good handle on him. The elf and his little band of retrievers piqued her interest. She viewed them as retrievers rather than adventurers because they'd been hired to retrieve a wand for some old biddy body so the name seemed to fit. It was a shame she couldn't spend more time with them, but if Rowan agreed to her terms she'd have Soran's name cleared within a matter of hours and then they'd have no further need of each other.
Her mind was already going over her plan to get Riley arrested as they made their way back to the abandoned building. Rowan took her by surprise by announcing he didn't have 3000 gold on hand for her required payment. Obviously, he wasn't in possession of any jewelry or gems worth that much either or he would have offered them to her in lieu of cash. Her eyes drifted to the pile of coins sitting on the table that they'd manage to gather together while she listened to Rowan state he had more than enough money to pay her with back in Bizmar. It's not doing either one of us any good over there.
She glanced at Kato then frowned. He might know a teleport spell but judging by his youthful face, he probably didn't have enough experience to cast it properly yet. And even if he did, such a powerful spell took an awful lot of energy. The mage would, no doubt, have to rest until tomorrow night when he'd finally regain enough strength to teleport back to Annib with the money. She wouldn't have time to work on clearing Soran's name then. Jillian had big plans for tomorrow night that would earn her a lot more than 3000 gold for a lot less aggravation if everything went as smoothly as she hoped it would. She'd have a much better chance of succeeding if she had a few trusted accomplices aiding her in distracting the thieves Lazareth would send to obtain the same item she intended to steal. Having someone keep an eye on the security guards would also be beneficial.
Her eyes flew to Rowan. The elf wouldn't have any problem portraying an aristocrat since he oozed nobility from every pore. Knowing she could get Soran, Kato, and Cas in as part of the serving staff eliminated the need to forge any invitations. There was one major risk with her idea; she'd have to reveal her true identity to these people. If she cleared Soran of the charges against him tonight would they reciprocate by helping her get away with the heist of a necklace worth thousands then keep their mouths shut afterwards?
Jillian paced the length of the room. At some point in her life she'd have to start trusting someone. Her legs finally carried her to Rowan. She looked up into his eyes and saw them riddled with worry for his student. "Since you don't have 3000 gold stuffed into a backpack I've decided to trust you to help me with a theft I have planned for tomorrow night in exchange for clearing Soran. Now, you're going to have to trust me as well by handing over the ruby brooch. I need it to make the charges stick against the real criminal."
When the elf balked, she pulled a knife with a gem-studded hilt from her boot and handed it to him. "That's worth a lot. I'll come back to pick it up once I'm sure Soran can walk the streets without being arrested." Rowan finally consented to her demand, slipping the brooch into her waiting hand. "Enjoy your dinner," she called as she exited the building.
Although tired, Jillian broke into a run, stopping when she reached the charnel house. "I needs me a body of a young, blood male," she told Yarnel, the proprietor. The ugly, old man had workers who cleaned dead bodies off the streets on a daily basis. She'd heard he sold them to the healing school for apprentices to work on, or to anyone else willing to pay the small fee he charged for a fresh corpse unclaimed by family or friends. They talked for a bit and agreed on a price once Yarnel promised to disfigure the face of the dead youth, and leave a couple of knife wounds in the chest area before he had one of his men dump it in an alley on 5th street within 20 minutes.
Jillian hurried off to the small home Riley rented on a monthly basis. The lack of light coming from inside suggested he was asleep, but Jillian presumed him to be out searching for the gem he'd promised to deliver to Lazareth by midnight. Because Riley was such a sloppy thief, he neglected to trap his back door. Jillian picked the lock easily and made her way across the kitchen like a wraith. After depositing the brooch in his bedroom, she ran out into the night again.
She stopped to purchase two bottles of rum from the nearest tavern then paid a visit to the alley where Fiona slept each night. The homeless, middle-aged, ex-hooker would do anything for booze, drugs, or a lousy cigarette. Jillian's Huck persona promised her the rum if she stopped a guard patrol and told them she heard Riley Harris from Harper Street talking about how he murdered Talem's son and a young boy who'd accidentally picked up a ruby brooch in the fountain where he'd stashed it last night. "Tell them the boy's body is in an alley on 5th Street."
Once Fiona was able to repeat what she had to say three times without error, Jillian let her take a quick sip of rum then sent her off to Sparrow Street where a guard patrol could normally be found. She trailed the woman at a distance, keeping to the shadows of buildings that lined the streets. With the aid of her spyglass she read Fiona's lips from a block away, smiling when she delivered her lines perfectly.
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It was well past midnight when Jillian slid aside the plank of wood hanging by a single nail and stepped into the kitchen where Kato boiled more water for tea. She greeted him with a yawn then went directly to Rowan. "The real criminal has been apprehended by the guards. They believe the boy they saw at the fountain is dead and have taken down the wanted posters. No one will pay Soran or the rest of you any mind if you walk down the street now." She held out her hand, a half grin coming to her mouth when Rowan returned her dagger.
"I'm too tired to make my way home right now," she said, lying down on the floor near the front door. "I have a lot to do tomorrow to get you all ready for the masquerade ball you'll be attending tomorrow night, but we'll talk more about that in the morning. If you decide to return to the Cracked Goblet tonight make sure you blow out the candles before you leave." She yawned again then laid her head down in the crook of her arm and tried to get some much needed sleep.
