Author's note: This story is the first in "The Imperial Spy" series. Following chapters share the same high-fantasy setting and main character but don't require any previous reading. Enjoy!
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Eyda looked down the torch-lit hallway, and after making sure nobody was coming, pressed her bare palm on the stone brick she knew would open the secret door. As the mechanism hidden behind the wall slowly revealed the passage, she slid a hood over her half-elven ears, concealing her short, reddish hair. Once inside the tunnel, she made sure the door closed behind her and produced the map the Emperor had drawn for her. The ink on the parchment indicated that she had to go up and make a few turns around the castle before she would reach the room she had to sneak into. Eyda whispered an incantation and activated the magical artifact she had on her left hand: a copper ring that shone dimly, like a candle. It wouldn't be enough for a human to navigate with, but for a half-elf, whose eyes could easily adjust to the penumbra of twilight, it was a valuable tool.
For an imperial guard, Eyda had an uncanny ability for maneuvering through secret passageways, which made the first half of her mission unchallenging. The Emperor's faith in her skill and his trust in her character were the only reasons she had gotten where she was. Not every thief gets a position in the castle guard, let alone under the direct command of the Emperor himself. Humans, Eyda thought, must depend on that. Lacking the natural gifts the other races had, ingenuity and perseverance were the only ways for them to get ahead. And thus, knowing when to cut a deal to their advantage was a human virtue. At least that's what she believed was the reason why the Emperor had offered her a position in the castle after she had tried to steal from him. To be fair, she had managed to sneak past all of his guards, deactivate the magical traps warding his chambers and find the small chest hidden there. But she hadn't accounted for the Elf seers that had followed her every move since she had climbed into the castle. Though her heist had been ill-advised and would have earned her a life's imprisonment under the Empire's previous ruler, the new Emperor had spared her. Barely off age, the young human was ready to take advantage of every opportunity and saw a potential in Eyda that merited her a place in his forces, albeit not as a standard guard. Though the young half-elf could put up a fight, he wanted her for the skills that had gotten her into his room in the first place: stealth, agility, and resourcefulness. The traits that had once made her an exceptional burglar now had turned her into an agent, a spy for the Emperor to keep an eye on the vast court that lived within his castle.
And that was precisely what he had sent her off to this night. They had met as they always did: in secret, in his chambers after his servants had left him to slumber. She would climb through the window, to avoid altering the guards stationed at his door. He would whisper his instructions, which were for her pointy ears only. She would nod in silent agreement, and head off to prepare for the task ahead. She knew failure or betrayal would mean a miserable life behind bars, while success and loyalty would ensure her a comfortable life among the rulers of the empire. The choice was obvious.
This night was no exception. The young Emperor had made his concerns clear: Countess Kiara Silvercrown, a dwarf noblewoman renowned for her family's riches and their generous sponsorship of the empire's campaigns, had recently been spotted in town talking with a dwarven traveler, who slipped a package her way in exchange for a generous amount of gold. She had, however, pretended it had not happened, hiding the package and failing to account for the coin she had spent on it. This on itself wasn't terribly suspicious, as the people of the court weren't expected to be under constant scrutiny. But the Emperor believed that the fact that Kiara's husband was away on a business trip on the dwarven territories when this occurred could potentially mean a plot against him. In life, his father had confided in the young Emperor that some dwarves had turned against their king in his favor purely for economical gain, benefiting more from the empire's policies. The Silvercrowns were among these, their treason to their king especially odd since they were relatives of the dwarven royal family. As such, Kiara's actions had drawn the curious attention of the Emperor, who had, in turn, sent Eyda to investigate the Countess's chamber in the castle to unveil what the package contained and whether she was plotting against the empire.
As Eyda squeezed through a narrow section of the passageway, she was glad she had replaced her guard armor for a more appropriate outfit. Lightweight boots, a pair of leather leggings and a tight, hooded linen shirt had supplanted the defensive metals she wore while on duty. She had a thin scabbard fastened to her lower back with a set of belts, where her dagger waited for danger. The ring's magic illuminated a path that drew to an end, and Eyda sighed, knowing that the easy part was over. She inspected the wall, and after a few seconds spotted an oblong area on the smooth surface she knew would let her into the room. Checking once more the instructions the Emperor had given her, she pulled from a short chain on the side of the wall, and the smoothed out stone panel descended slowly, revealing the wooden back of a sizable wardrobe.
Eyda nimbly undid the tiny latches keeping the back panel in place and removed it, placing it silently against the wall of the tunnel. The dark passageway was now connected directly to the interior of the wardrobe. A wall of fine garments stood in her way now, all sized for a dwarf and exquisitely expensive. Eyda made sure not to disrupt their order, thinking it best to leave no trail of her presence. With a careful motion, she cracked the doors of the wardrobe open, barely enough to peek out. She could see no one in the darkness.
Eyda had expected Kiara to be sleeping this late at night. The dwarf's absence made her job easier, and she sighed in relief as she stepped into the room. The place was of considerable size, with ornate furnishing and invaluable decorations. The thief in Eyda was almost tempted to take something with her, but she refrained, knowing too well the consequences she would face. Despite belonging to a dwarven family, the room's furniture was of regular size, if not larger than Eyda was used to. Raising her palm, Eyda closely inspected her surroundings in the dim light. Next to the wardrobe was a tall, oval-shaped mirror, slightly curved upwards. Reflected there Eyda could see a four-poster bed, with maroon curtains that matched a pristine bed skirt below. To one side there was a door which certainly led to the main hallways of the castle, and to the other, there was a square window, shut to prevent the winds from invading the room. Below the window a large desk was set, with stacks of papers, quills, ink bottles and leather-bound books spread across the surface in precise order.
The room was littered with unlit candles in almost every surface: across the desk, above the wardrobe, on shelves among valuable artifacts and antiques, on the bedside tables and even some were perched atop an armchair. Eyda hoped that the fire that lit them was of a magical nature, lest the dwarves planned to set the castle ablaze. As she followed the trail of candles, her eyes spotted a slightly open drawer on a bedside table. She carefully made her way towards the side of the bed, and without making a noise, pulled the drawer towards her, revealing what was inside. Resting atop a scattering of personal objects was a small bundle of woven wool. Eyda took it and laid it on top of the bed. The fabric had red and black patterns that resembled the dwarven designs spotted in the package Kiara had been seen receiving. The half-elf cautiously unwrapped the fabric and had to stifle a gasp when she caught a glimpse of what it held.
Robbers, thieves and burglars feared many things, but nothing frightened them as much as dwarven manacles. These artifacts, cast in the blistering forges deep in the dwarf homeland where the most effective means of keeping someone captive: once locked, they couldn't be opened unless a divine rune was whispered in the language of the dwarves. No lockpick could crack them open, no muscle-bound warrior could snap them in half, no blade could cut through them. They magically adjusted to the size of the prisoner, and the chain that kept them together could be fastened practically anywhere.
Eyda had never seen a pair with her own eyes... until now. Kiara had acquired four sets of these manacles, which Eyda hastily wrapped up again and put back where they belonged. Their purpose was a mystery to the thief, and knowing that her discovery wouldn't be enough information to soothe the emperor's suspicions, she approached the desk to search for more evidence. But as she rummaged through half-finished letters and blank parchments, the sound of a key clicking into a lock shattered the silence Eyda was so comfortable in. Without hesitation, the half-elf dropped the letters and turned around, dashing towards the closest hiding spot she could find. Though her instinct was to flee, her duty was to spy on Kiara, and the manacles had piqued her curiosity.
With one swift motion, she dove below the four-poster bed and whispered the arcane word to dispel her ring. As the bed skirt settled back into place, concealing Eyda, a loud female voice muttered an incantation, and the room was flooded by dim candlelight. The noise of the lock clicking came once more, followed by two pairs of steps walking into the room. This surprised Eyda, who wasn't expecting anyone besides Kiara. Hoping to find out the truth behind the Countess's strange purchase, she approached the edge of the bed and tried her best to eavesdrop on the two who had entered the room.
"You aren't too talkative, are you?" asked a female voice with a thick, harsh accent Eyda was certain belonged to the Countess.
