Coin

Kneeling down in front of the locked door, Merrin pressed his lockpick into the lock and jostled it around for any signs of weakness. It had already taken them four hours to get down into the vault, and several dozen traps and runes later, Merrin had finally managed to reach their goal. 

It was Orlia who had suggested this in the first place, and Matthias was happy to come along for the thrill of it. Danny wasn’t exactly looking forward to eventually getting caught, but his lack of faith only made Merrin want to get through it all without getting caught once. And, as it turned out, Merrin was very much able to get past every single trap laid out for budding thieves.

The vault lay in the basement of the old manor, and the maze that lay beneath the surface was more than enough to turn away most of those just looking for a quick fix. But Merrin had a point to prove, and if he was able to pull this off, he could be set for life. 

All he needed was one priceless artefact, or even just a handful of jewels, and then he’d need nothing else in life. As long as he had enough to give to the farmers, the blacksmith, and whoever else might play a key part in the rest of Merrin’s life.

The door was surprisingly easy to open, and it didn’t take long before the pins inside were set into place and the all too familiar sound of the door unlocking echoed through the dark hallway. Merrin let out the breath he had been holding and carefully twisted the door handle to push the door open…

[to be continued]