Saving Summer

Chapter Seven: The Heist of the Golden Chalice

Larissa waited until everyone else had gone to bed before making her move. She grabbed the night watch uniform that she stole out of the laundry and put it on. Walking over to the large, stand-up mirror in her room, Larissa examined her reflection. She bit her lip. There was no change to her appearance. If anyone saw her, Larissa knew that she would be recognized right away. She needed to do something to hide her true identity. 

Getting an idea, Larissa waved a hand in front of her face. As her hand fell to her side, Larissa looked back into the mirror and grinned. Her round face with wide grey-blue eyes shifted into a square jawed, dark eyed man’s face with a tiny beard. It was a simple illusion spell that would only last for a few hours but Larissa was satisfied. By that time, she would have the chalice in her possession and be well on her way back to Queen Ingrid.

She opened the door and peeked her head outside. The corridor was dimly lit by the small rays of moonlight pouring in from the windows. On the other end of the corridor, a guard dressed in the night watch uniform approached the head of the stairs. Larissa waited until the guard descended the stairs to step out into the corridor, shutting the door behind her. Even though she now looked the part, Larissa did not wish to draw attention to herself. She had a mission to accomplish and stopping for idle chatter would only put her back further from her goal.

 However, there was one little problem that she faced. Larissa had no clue where the golden chalice was kept. The palace was enormous and she knew that it would take more than a few hours to search the entire place. She needed to discover where the chalice was before her illusion charm wore off. Otherwise, she would be in danger.

“Stop right there!”

Larissa froze. She shut her eyes tightly and cursed silently. Someone found her. She had been careless and allowed herself to get caught. Turning on her heel, Larissa faced the newcomer.

The man that approached her was as broad as he was tall. He had a long, thick mustache that twirled at the ends. His bald head had a bit of stubble on top as if he was just starting to grow out his hair. A badge that read Captain of the Night watch in bold red letters was pinned to his chest. His bright green eyes narrowed as he glared at Larissa.

“Montgomery, what are you doing on this floor?”

Larissa could have sighed in relief. Apparently, this man thought that she was a fellow named Montgomery. He did not know her true identity. Larissa decided that she would play along. She thought that it was possible that this man might know where they kept the chalice. 

Larissa’s dark eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to speak, “Sorry, sir, but I got lost.”

The man scowled, “Don’t tell me that you forgot where your post was already, Montgomery!”

Larissa nodded and lowered her eyes.

“You are supposed to be guarding the golden chalice tonight. Orson thought that you were ready for the responsibility but clearly he was wrong,” the bald man said, still glaring at Larissa.

Larissa perked up. This almost seemed too good to be true. She was to guard the golden chalice. Larissa could have laughed as it sounded ridiculous but she knew that she needed to focus on playing the part. It would not do her any favors to have anyone be suspicious of her.

“He wasn’t, I swear!” Larissa protested. Then, she added, timidly, “Though I did get lost. This castle is so big that I forgot where the chalice was located.”

The mustachioed man grumbled, “Well, I should make you figure out the location for yourself but as we are short on guards tonight and you are the only one guarding it, I will make an exception.”

Larissa fought hard to contain her glee. This was far too easy. Everything was lining up perfectly for her. She would have the chalice in no time at all. 

“The chalice is located on the floor below this one. Fourth door on the left,” explained the bald man. “You are to stay there until morning until your replacement comes. Do I make myself clear?” He eyed Larissa with an intense glare as he waited for her answer.

“Crystal clear, sir,” Larissa responded. 

“Good. Now, off you go,” the mustachioed man said, waving a hand as if sweeping her away.

Larissa did not linger any longer. She had exactly what she wanted. As she turned her back towards him, a huge smile appeared on her face. The chalice would soon belong to Queen Ingrid and she would be rewarded beyond her wildest dreams. Larissa could not wait to see the look on Queen Ingrid’s face when she handed over the golden chalice. She descended down the stairs and kept walking until she reached the door that the man had mentioned. Turning the knob, Larissa opened the door and stepped inside. She shut the door behind her and locked it. She did not want anyone to come barging in and ruin her plan.

The golden chalice sat upon a pedestal made of gold bricks. Shimmering light overflowed from the top of the chalice, making the darkened room bright. Runes in a language that she could not understand were etched upon the bricks. Normally, Larissa would have been intrigued enough to want to decipher the runes but now was not the time. She had a job to do and it would take up too much of her time to try and read the runes. Edging closer, Larissa stretched her hands out towards the base of the chalice to grasp it. As she wrapped her hands around the golden chalice, Larissa was surprised at how warm it felt. But as she thought about it, the warmth made sense. After all, this was the source of the Summer Kingdom’s power and the reason why Summer reigned year round here.

Larissa could hardly believe how easy it was to get to the chalice. She heard stories about how many foreign nations had tried to steal the chalice over the years. None of them had ever succeeded. But now, she was going to be the first person ever to steal the golden chalice away from the Summer Kingdom’s palace. And all she had to do was win a simple talent show to do it. Larissa chuckled softly to herself as she vanished into the thin air, knowing that in a few short minutes, she would be back in the Winter Kingdom to present the chalice to Queen Ingrid.