Renae looked around carefully, making sure none of the customers were eavesdropping on their conversation. She leaned forward and began whispering softly, “You see, I want to raid his treasury in seven days, on the night of the feast.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Andyr asked, unsurprised.

“What do you even want from his treasury?” Sera mused.

“Well, I want to steal King Myghell’s old crown jewels and—”

Renae’s tale was interrupted by Andyr’s bout of laughter. Even Sera was holding back a snort!

“What?” Renae pursed her lips as she tilted her head to the side, “What is it?”

“No, no, it’s nothing.” Andyr cleared his throat, “Go on, tell us all about how you want to steal the king’s jewels.”

“Anyway,” Renae continued, her cheeks now slightly flushed,

“I want to steal Myghell’s old crown, you know, the one from when he was a prince, and sell it to that Fence fellow.”

Andyr rubbed over his stubble, “Well, from what I’ve seen so far, you’ve got about twenty guards between you and those jewels, since the others will be busy keeping an eye on the king’s guests. Not to mention, the patrolling guards who make their rounds every half hour or so, so we’ll have a small window to get in and get out.”

“A small window is a window all the same,” Renae smirked.

“I suppose you had me apply to work in the kitchen so that I could drug said guards. It won’t be a challenge. It’s definitely feasible. I heard the cooks talking about making a hearty meat stew for the guards to eat during the feast.”

Renae smirked, “Perfect! You just need to make sure you don’t drug anyone near the king’s feast, then.”

Sera shrugged, “I heard the cooks mention that the guards who are attending the feast will be eating earlier in the day. Those on patrol will be switching rounds in the late evening. Isn’t that right?”

Andyr narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nodded in agreement, “Yeah, that’s what we were told too.”

“More importantly, Renae, how will you be getting inside the castle?” Sera inquired, “It’s not easy to sneak in unnoticed, you know.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Had to take a few detours on the way here to avoid the city guards,” she responded, “but, I’m planning on sneaking in by crossing the river, climbing up the cliff and making my way into the castle from the window on the west side.”

“Are you sure there’s no other way?” Sera asked, “I don’t feel comfortable with you climbing up there by yourself.”

“It’s not too bad, as long as I don’t think about it too much.”

“So, you’ll sneak in through the window. Are you sure you can even scale the cliff without falling to your death?

“I tested it last night and it worked out well enough. As you can see, I haven’t gotten caught and I’m not dead.”

“Yet,” Andyr muttered under his breath and took another swig of his drink.