Chapter 31: going through tunnel

The collector backing away his back hit the wall of the house, his hands up to protect his face from another punch. "I’ll talk! Don’t touch me! I’ll tell you everything!" he cried out, his voice completly shaking with fear.

I leaned down, holding the open page out so he could see the names he had been writing. "Speak clearly. How do we get inside the main house without the guards at the main gate seeing us?"

"There is a water route," the man gasped, pointing a shaking finger toward the north hills behind the village. "An old pipe runs straight under the back wall of the estate. It feeds the fountains in the center gardens. The magic shield only checks for weapons at the gates, it doesn’t check the water flow. You can crawl right through the gap."

Before I could ask for a map of the pipe route, the collector’s face went completely white. He pointed down the main road, his teeth chattering with fear. "But you have to go right now! The Prince’s personal elite soldiers are already on their way to this exact spot! They are coming to collect the special crystals from the village vaults. They will be here in less than five minutes!"

Suzy’s face went totally serious. She grabbed my arm, her fingers tightening around my wrist. "Barry, we have to move. If the main guard force catches us in the open street, we are trapped by their numbers."

"Right," I said. "Let’s take the back path."

We ran away from the main road, heading straight into the high weeds behind the houses to avoid the incoming horses. The trail was narrow, covered in wild grass and low branches that kept catching on our clothes.

As we hurried up a steep incline to reach the cover of the big trees, Suzy’s foot caught on a root hidden under the grass. She lost her balance completely, letting out a short gasp as she fell forward into the brush.

I spun around instantly, reaching out my arms to catch her before she hit the ground. My new human balance was still a bit off from the transformation. Instead of standing firm, my foot slid on the wet moss, and we both tumbled into a soft patch of ferns at the base of a large tree. i landed flat on my back, and Suzy crashed right on top of my chest.

The area went completely quiet for a second. Our faces were just an inch apart, her eyes wide with total shock as she stared straight into mine. Her breath was warm against my chin, and her long hair fell like a curtain around us, cutting off the rest of the world. Because the silk clothes she gave me were so thin, I could feel the rapid, frantic thumping of her heart right against my chest.

For a long time, neither of us moved. The sudden, intense closeness made the air feel completely hot. Suzy’s cheeks turning burning red, and she looked entirely flustered, her usual tough boss attitude melting away completely into pure shyness.

"Barry..." she whispered, her voice incredibly soft and low, her fingers curling slightly into the fabric of my shirt as she stared at my face.

"I told you, manager," I murmured, my voice a bit low as I looked at her lips. "The paths out here are a major safety hazard."

Suzy blinked, suddenly realizing how intimate the position was. She scrambled off my chest in a huge rush, turning her back to me as she stood up and quickly brushed the leaves off her trousers. Her neck was still completely red, and she couldn’t keep her hands still. "You... you are incredibly clumsy for an Ascendant," she stammered, refusing to look at me as she adjusted her traveling bag. "Let’s just find that water pipe before the soldiers trace our route."

I stood up, coughing slightly to hide my own embarrassment, and checked the mental map the collector had given us. The route to the Prince’s estate was clear, and the real heist was just ahead.

We left the ferns behind and walked deeper into the trees. I kept adjusting the shirt Suzy gave me because it was still riding up my stomach, but I stopped complaining about it. Suzy walked next to me, her face completely calm now, though she was still keeping her gaze strictly on the path ahead.

After ten minutes of walking up the hill, the trees cleared out, and we came face-to-face with a massive stone wall that marked the border of the Prince’s land. Right at the base of the wall, a wide stone pipe popped out from the masonry, pouring a steady stream of clear river water into a small pool. The opening of the pipe was blocked by a large grate that was jammed deep into the stone.

"This is the water route the collector mentioned," Suzy said, stepping up to the edge of the pool. "But that grate looks solid. We can’t just kick it down without creating a massive racket that will bring the guards."

I stepped up next to her, looking at the bars. "Stand back, manager. Let’s see how this thing handles a quick balance check."

I reached my right hand out, my fingers wrapping tightly around the middle bar. I focused my level power, sending the energy straight from my core into the metal. The moment my hand connected, the iron didn’t bend or snap. It let out a soft, wet sound and instantly melted down into a thick stream of silver coins that splashed straight into the water pool.

A gap opened up in the center of the grate, big enough for a human to walk through.

"Perfect," I said, leaning down to look inside the dark tunnel. "The path is clear. Let’s get inside."

Suzy looked at the empty space where the bars used to be, shaking her head. "Your power is completely ridiculous, Barry. You’re literally turning the kingdom’s security into pocket change."

"It’s called smart resource management, Suzy," I smiled.

We bent low and stepped inside the stone pipe, leaving the forest daylight behind as we entered the complete darkness of the tunnel. The stone walls were slick and narrow, forcing us to bend our backs to keep from hitting the ceiling. The water was cool, running right past our ankles as we walked deeper into the hill.