Shiel crept quietly through the ruins, guided only by the light of her thieves' lantern. The narrow beam of light only illuminated a small portion of the floor in front of her, but it was enough for the eighteen-year old thief to make her way without stumbling.
She had learned about the ruins only recently. It had cost her several gold pieces, but if the information was sound, she was sure to find a good haul in the old castle. Rumors of it being haunted caused her to snicker to herself once more.
Few thieves bothered with places rumored to contain ghosts or specters, but she had never put much faith in such rumors. There was no such thing as a ghost, after all. It was just a story parents used to frighten their naughty children.
An owl screeched overhead, and the young girl froze in place for several long moments, listening intently to her surroundings. Not a sound came from the ruins, and so she continued in her slow trek towards the tower where the lord and lady were supposed to have dwelt.
Overhead the sky was dark and filled with flitting shapes, but she paid no attention to them. She had never been afraid of bats. Besides, they'd be out in the sky hunting while she prowled through their lair.
It was small work squeezing into the entry of the tower, and then she was climbing the stairs, moving eagerly. The rumor she had spoke of a hidden chest of jewels in the bedroom, though it wasn't specific on where exactly they might be.
Normally she would have ignored such a flimsy rumor, but the promise of such wealth, coupled with the rumor going around about the haunting of the place, had lured her in.
As she approached the door leading to the master's chamber, she nearly fell backwards in shock as a light suddenly came from the door. Swallowing, she crept forward, cursing the fact that someone else had beaten her to the score.