Chapter 28: Closing the Doors
Outside, beneath the shadows of the bleak stone warehouses, Edward's men worked with calculated speed rather than chaotic haste; every movement was as deliberate as a chess move. They stopped before the massive iron vault, its dark surface bearing the scars of years of use and absolute secrecy. One of them pulled out the tattooed coin; it wasn't merely a magical guide, but a key to understanding a hidden mechanism. Within the delicate engraving on its edge was a symbol that matched perfectly with a near-invisible indentation on the side of the vault.
Silas himself leaned in, running his expert fingers over the cold metal, then pressed the specific spot. Nothing happened at first, and the men exchanged tense glances tinged with the suspicion of the night. He pressed again—this time with a slight, firm twist of the metal edge. A muffled internal friction sounded, followed by a heavy click, as if giant iron teeth were moving after a long slumber. Everyone held their breath, and then... the lock opened. Slowly, the heavy door was pushed back, and the glint of gold appeared inside like a faint flash under the torchlight, tempting weary eyes.
There was no time for celebration; chests began to be dragged out one after another. Every liberated slave filled their pockets and bags until the muffled sound of coins resembled the hum of bees trapped in a metal jar. The wagons were lined up, and the horses pawed the ground with nervous hooves in the night cold, ready to depart. Everything was going according to plan... until that moment.
Above, the hall was boiling. Edward demanded his money in a calculated voice filled with pride, while nobles exchanged sharp accusations, and suspicion swelled with every whisper. Then... the side door opened with an unnatural quietness, and the representative of the Ravencroft family entered. There was no anger in his face, no confusion; it was the face of a man accustomed to absolute control when others lose their nerves. He stepped coldly to the center of the hall and gave a short signal with his hand.
The back doors burst open, and a new group of guards entered—fully armored, with merciless expressions. They were not the usual auction guards but the elite. He spoke in a calm, steady voice that pierced through the noise: "All exits are closed." The whispering stopped abruptly. He continued in an icy tone: "No one leaves... until we find out who thinks they are smarter than a Ravencroft." The words weren't raised in an overt threat, but they fell in the hall with the weight of a drawn sword waiting for a victim's neck.
Outside, the last chest was being loaded onto the wagon when the ground shook beneath the impact of a violent metal crash. The sound of chains being pulled across the main gate echoed, followed by a long iron screech, like the moan of a gate being buried alive. One of the men froze as he was about to climb onto the wagon, and everyone turned at once; the gate was closed, and the massive lock dropped into place with a final, decisive strike.
In a corner of the courtyard, Silas stood in the shadows. He didn't shout or show panic; instead, he sat slowly on a wooden crate, his eyes moving rapidly behind the stillness of his face. The wagons were loaded, the gold was ready, the gates were closed, and the interior was about to ignite. Escaping through the gate was not an option, but the gate had never been the primary plan in his mastermind. Silas raised his gaze toward the high stone walls, then toward the dark river flowing behind the warehouses, its waters moving with deceptive calm. He gave a short smile, closer to a suicidal decision than relief: "We didn't come to leave from where we entered."
In the hall, the Ravencroft representative added in a low voice, enough for everyone to hear and feel their blood run cold: "And anyone caught trying to flee... will be treated as a traitor, not a guest." Tula's eyes moved toward the closed doors, then met Edward's. They exchanged no words, but both realized the bitter truth: this was no longer a robbery, it was a siege... and the second stage had begun now