Page 123 of Lady Knight and the Thief

“How did you get in here?”

Cypress floundered for a response long enough that Torren chimed in with “We snuck away for a little…alone time. The wall moved. We’ve been stumbling around looking for a way out since.”

Cypress had to admit that Torren thought quickly on his feet. Maddock could fire an arrow directly at their hearts at any moment and kill them if he thought for even a moment they were up to no good.

Thankfully, though, she and Torren had not removed the masks draped over their noses in addition to the slight glamourthat disguised their features. Maddock had never laid eyes onCaptain Cy,but he was familiar with Lady Cypress.

“Follow me, I’ll take you back. No more sneaking off into the castle, though. This part is off limits.”

“Of course, sir,” Cypress gushed and rushed to follow the guard.

“She’s a pretty thing. Can’t say I blame you for sampling the goods before buying the whole cow.”

Cypress glared daggers into the stone wall.

Torren huffed a laugh, though from experience, Cypress knew it was not one of amusement.

“Why buy the cow when I can get the milk for free?” Torren replied.

Again, Maddock laughed. Then the guard turned and walked back down the hall, where another entrance to the passages lay.

Quiet as a mouse, Cypress crept up behind Maddock. Then, with the same hands that had clawed their way through Torren’s hair not even an hour earlier, Cypress circled Maddock's throat and twisted violently to the side.

She had always felt as if it were too easy to snap someone’s neck. As if the body was built incorrectly for such a fragile set of bones to support the weight of one’s head.

As Maddock’s body fell to the floor, Torren let out a sound she couldn’t name.

Glancing back at him, Cypress found him staring at her, slack-jawed.

“Ready to keep moving?” She asked, brushing her hands off.

Maddock had always been a disgusting little shit. His death would not lie heavily across Cypress’s shoulders.

“You are something else,” Torren said, and shook his head.

They were running out of time.

The thought compelled her forward. Cypress ran as silently as she could the rest of the way down the corridor.

Hopefully, they could get out of the Keep without further incident.

Before opening the hidden doorway, Cypress pressed her ear against the stone to listen for sounds of people inside the atrium.

All was silent, though she couldn’t be sure if that was due to the thick stone dampening minimal noise, or if she and Torren were truly alone.

“Be ready for anything,” Cypress whispered, then pulled the mechanism to open the door.

She slipped through before it was fully open, eyes darting to the corners for anyone lurking.

Thankfully, she and Torren were still alone, here at the top of the Keep.

“The vault is through those doors. Go find the scepter. I’ll stay here and keep watch for anyone coming out of the tunnels.”

“We shouldn’t split up, Lass.”

“Don’t argue, Thief. Go do what a thief does best, and let's get the fuck out of here,” Cypress said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Torren opened his mouth as if he were going to push back again, but Cypress silenced the urge with a sharp glare. “Go.”