FSE

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Chapter 1

Mal lay on the roof, watching the lit window below as the wind ruffled his fur. Straining his ears, the ferret was able to hear muffled voices over the strangely silent street below. Unable to hear much from the wind, all Mal could tell was that there was two, no, three individuals in the room. One was female, the other two were male. Occasionally, shadows moved across the window. Thunder boomed out in the distance. There was going to be a storm, a bad one. Good reason for the silent streets tonight. As much as Mal hated smelling wet, it couldn't be avoided. The job had to be done tonight. Besides, the weather would provide some cover for him, and eliminate any evidence he left behind. As he waited for his chance, Mal reflected back on the commission he had been given. A professional thief and criminal, Mal preferred working for himself. He felt there were always problems when it came to payment otherwise, namely getting them to pay. But on occasion, when times were a little tough or just for fun, Mal would agree to do some work for richer clients. The pay was good on these occasions, and it provided some dirt on the upper class. One never knew when having such information would be useful. And Mal made it a habit to be prepared for anything. Of course, those were normal run of the mill jobs from upper class trying to make a dent in the underworld; rob this person, spy on that one. Mal avoided assassin jobs as much as possible; he was a thief, not a killer. Sometimes, though, violence was necessary to get the job done. But his current job was definitely the strangest one he'd ever agreed to. It seemed too good to be true, which meant something was up. Ever since he agreed to this job, Mal couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go very wrong for him. It had been about a month ago that he was first approached with the job. The city of Medrain had been sweltering more than usual in the mid-summer heat. Mal had just finished up some last minute things on a rather promising jobs, collecting the money doing and doing a little celebration shopping. As the ferret made his way home, he stopped by a clock store and picked up a pocket watch for himself. It was a simple one, with some of the gears showing through the face. Once Mal made it to his modest flat, he was stunned to find an older, well dressed badger waiting for him in the parlour. "Ah, Mister Treymond, I presume," the badger was the first to speak. Slowly, Mal made his way towards the center of the office, doing his best to keep his face expressionless. "I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. My name is Edward." Mal ignored the badgers offered hand. "What the hell are you doing here?" Mall asked, anger in his voice. "How did you get in? How did you find me?" "Well, Mr. Treymond, I'm here on business." Edward slowly placed his hand back down to his side. "You see, my employer would like to higher you for a rather delicate job." "And why should I agree?" Mal was trying to hold his temper in check. "You break into my home, withhold who you are, who you're working for, how you know where I live, and have the gall to offer mea job!" The badger backed away, startled by the barrage coming from the smaller weasel. "Give me one good reason why I should listen to what you have to say instead of shooting you right now!" The badger stared at Mal, who was breathing heavily. His temper had gotten the best of him. Edward didn't say anything, he simply reached into his coat and pulled out a letter that he handed to Mal and a bag of money that he placed on the desk. The weasel silently took the letter and opened it without breaking the seal, glowering at the letter as he read it:

Mr. Treymond, Forgive me for not introducing myself and extending this business opportunity in person. I cannot allow my presence to be known in this venture for reasons that will become clearer in time. For now, however, I must be careful about how I move in this rather tight position. This is why I sent my servant with the proposition. I have heard of your shining reputation, and quite frankly, your talent is precisely what I need. Do not worry; I will keep the location of your home discrete, as will my servant, Edward. I have trusted him with many important tasks in the past, and he has performed admirably. So you can rest assured he can be trusted. Now, to business. What I need done requires your utmost discretion. Should you choose to accept the job, you will be paid handsomely, half now and half for a job well done. For the sake of your safety, as well as that of my own, I cannot tell you in this letter what it is I need you to do. I will send instructions to you via letters that cannot be traced back to either of us. This way, should they fall into the wrong paws, no one will suspect our involvement. I await your decision.

That was all. There was no signature, no initials. Just a strange design drawn in the right bottom corner of the paper that matched the seal on the back of the envelope. Mal turned the page over in his paws, thinking hard about what he just read, before looking up at Edward. The badger just smiled slightly. "I can't deny the offer seems interesting," Mal slowly began. Edward looked a little excited as he heard this. "But once again, why should I take the job? What happens if I choose not to accept?" The badger looked a little crestfallen at this. "Well, if you choose not to, two things will happen." Edward explained. "One, we'll be forced to hire another master thief. One not quite as good as you." Mal frowned at this. He knew this meant Theo, a rat who had a dangerous habit of boasting over several mugs down at the bar. Theo also had a nasty tendency for fighting. This, combined with a hatred for Mal, combined to make Theo the nastiest piece of fur to walk the streets. If what he had read in the letter was true, then Mal knew that this whole operation would fall apart rather quickly if Theo was in charge of the actual lifting. However, Mal was still cross at the whole deal, and a warning was sounding in his mind. "And the second?" he asked. "Well, you've taken great pains to keep the location of your home hidden," Edward began slowly. "I imagine there are those who would love to know this. Enemies, rivals....." Edward didn't need to finish. The threat hung on the air between them. "Very well." Mal sighed at last. "I guess I have no choice but to take the job. When can I expect further instructions?" "I will inform my employer of your decision." Edward said. "He will contact you within a week." With that, the badger turned and left, leaving Mal alone and fuming in the room. True to what Edward had said, the first letter had arrived about a week after their meeting. It was unaddressed, with only the wax seal signifying where it came from. The other letters Mal received arrived in the same manner, in timely intervals. Each letter went into exact details, everything from what the item looked like to where it was likely being kept. Mal didn't know how this mysterious person knew all of this, but it made his job just a bit easier. Mal still took the time to check out the house, double checking the information he had been given, as well as to formulate a plan for the job. Mal also kept the letters tucked safely away, in the safe he kept under the hearth in the parlour of his house. Even if they knew where he lived, Mal was certain they didn't know about the safe. The weeks passed, and Mal continued to plan and prepare for tonight. Everything had been set into place. The only thing Mal hadn't counted on was the storm, but he didn't want to put it off for another night. He might not get another chance. As much as Mal hated the rain, this was the one night he was glad for it. He was certain the weather would help him with the theft. Mal tensed as the murmuring grew louder. Two figures appeared in the window, checking to see if anyone had overheard. Satisfied, they returned to the room. After a few minutes, they left the room, leaving the window dark as they turned the gas lamps off. Mal waited another half hour, making sure they weren't going to return. Satisfied, Mal moved and got to work. Tying the rope he had brought with him, Mal climbed down to the window. As carefully as possible, Mal managed to slide the window open. The ferret then slowly slid into the room. Mal paused after climbing through the window, waiting to make sure no one had heard. The ferret took this chance to glance around the room. Even though it was dark, Mal was able to get a good look of the room. Directly in front of him stood a large wooden desk with a chair behind it. Two walls were covered with large bookshelves filled with large tomes. Priceless antiques were arranged on the shelves as well. On the wall across from the desk hung a painting of a racoon in regal clothing. Mal didn't recognize the picture, but it didn't matter anyway. He wasn't there to appreciate art. Silently, the ferret moved further into the room. Mal made his way to the bookcase on the wall to the left of the desk. He began to shift through the books and objects on the shelf. As he did this, a small section of the bookshelf near the floor moved unexpectedly. Mal paused, then pushed it again. A square section with not much on it swung out, revealing a compartment with a small safe hidden inside. Mal smiled to himself, and went to work cracking the safe. He didn't know how his employer knew the safe had been hidden there, but it certainly made his work easier. This made Mal just a little uneasy. No job was ever this easy, even with some outside help. Something about this whole deal rubbed Mal the wrong way. Putting these thoughts aside, Mal leaned in and placed his head on the door to the safe before carefully twisting the knob on the lock. Gently, Mal turned the lock, listening for the small clicks that were barely audible. After minutes that seemed like hours, Mal heard the final click. The ferret smiled as he swung the door open. Inside, there didn't appear to be much. There were what appeared to be legal documents. Mal wasn't surprised by this. This was the home of a lawyer, after all. The object Mal was looking for sat on the second shelf. Even though he had been told what it was, Mal was still impressed by the sight as he pulled it out. The pale moonlight glinted off the hilt of the magnificent gold dagger Mal held in his paws. Even the sheath was made of gold. Small precious gems-rubies, sapphires, and emeralds-graced the elegant bronze hilt and sheath. A large sapphire, as deep blue as the ocean, was placed in the pommel. Power seemed to emanate from the dagger. As Mal held it in his paws, he felt almost invincible. For a brief second, Mal considered just taking the dagger and running. He could live quite comfortably in another country just from the hilt. Mal quickly brushed that idea aside. There was no doubt in the ferret's mind that he would be hunted down by the person who had hired him. And once found, it would be a slow, painful death. Besides, Mal always paid his debts and finished a job. It left little that could be used against him later. The sounds of footsteps coming down the hall brought Mal out of his reverie. Quickly, he stuck the dagger into his belt under his coat and began to rearrange the bookshelf. As he finished, the footsteps paused outside the door. Mal could hear the voices of the two males on the other side. "You are sure it is safe?" One of them asked. His voice was deep and gravelly. "Yes, yes, there's no need to worry," the second on reassured in a softer tenor voice. "The dagger should be quite safe in my office. No one knows I'm keeping it here for you." Mal quickly finished his work and moved toward the window. As he did, a vase fell from the bookshelf and shattered on the floor. Mal silently cursed to himself for the rookie mistake as the porcelain scattered across the carpet. Never had he been so careless on a job like this. The voices outside the door paused when they heard the noise. From the other side of the door, the sound of a key being hurriedly placed in the lock could be heard. Rain had begun to fall, softly at first, but quickly picking up in speed and intensity. Lightning arced through the blackened sky, lighting the city below. Mal climbed out the window and grabbed the rope. As he began to climb back to the roof, the door suddenly burst open, revealing two figures in the light of the hallway. One was unmistakably a white rabbit wearing what appeared to be a three piece suit. A wolf stood behind him, towering over the rabbit. Just out of the reach of the light, Mal couldn't see what he was wearing. Both just stood in shock, staring between the open safe and the window where Mal could be seen climbing to the roof. As they ran to the window, the ferret had already reached the roof and disappeared into the storm. * * * * * * * * * * * *

Several streets away, Mal made his way to the spot he had been told to in the letters after the lift was done. The ferret was upset with himself. Not only was he soaked through, which was bad enough, but had been seen. A novice mistake. As he approached the street, mentally berating himself, Mal noticed a carriage sitting in the middle of the dark, abandoned street. Mal made his way over to it, knowing it was what he was looking for. Drawing close, Mal noticed it was rather plain. He was actually quite surprised, really, at the simplicity of the carriage. It was obvious the person who owned it had plenty of money, yet they chose to use an unmarked carriage for an operation like this. Mal couldn't help but to be impressed at this; no one else had shown this kind of sense or foresight. Once Mal reached the coach, the creature in the drivers seat jumped down to open the door. It was hard to tell in the darkness and the rain what the cloaked creature was, but Mal thought it might have been a rat. When Mal entered the coach and sat down across from a figure hidden in the shadows, the door was closed. The sounds of the driver climbing back into the seat could be heard, and soon the carriage was moving along the cobbled streets. The rain lashed at the windows as they drove through the city. The creature across from Mal broke the silence first. "Mr. Treymond, we meet at last." The owner of the voice leaned forward, and Mal finally got his first look at his employer in the dim light. A young-looking fox gazed back at him with golden amber eyes. If Mal had to guess, he would say that the fox had just reached adulthood. Twenty one, at most. The russet and cream colored creature also had the regal, handsome face. The kind that could make any young female swoon and faint with just a smile and a wink. Mal smirked at the fox. "Indeed. Although, it appears as though you have me at a disadvantage. I don't know anything about you." Mal said as politely as possible. The fox smiled this time. "Yes, of course. You wish to know who I am, and my interest in the dagger." If Mal was surprised at the way the fox knew what he was thinking, Mal didn't show it. "However, with the completion of our business tonight, I see no reason to tell you anything." Mal didn't say anything. He was still upset with himself for the mistakes he had made. For a few minutes, they both sat in silence as the carriage drove through the storm. Finally, the fox broke the silence. "I trust everything went well, despite the inclement weather." Mal smiled. "It went well enough. I would have prefered not to have gotten wet, but the rain should wash away any traces I may have left." "Excellent. So, you have the item in question?" The young fox seemed eager and anxious to get his paws on the dagger. Mal could see the hungry gleam in his eyes. Mal didn't say anything as he reached behind him and pulled out the dagger in question. The dim light once again reflected off the gold hilt and sheath. The fox's face immediately changed from one of cool demeanor to that of awe and wonderment. Without a word, he took the dagger gently in his paws from Mal. He pulled it out of the sheath to reveal the bronze blade, sharpened to a razors edge. Ancient markings that neither could read covered the blade. As quickly as possible, the fox sheathed the blade again and hid it in a box under his seat, out of sight. "It seems you have performed your duty perfectly." He stated with a sly grin on his face. "Better than I anticipated, actually. Now, for the rest of your reward." It was then that Mal realized they had stopped. Before he knew what was going on, the door was opened and Mal was roughly grabbed and pulled out. Thrown on to the ground, a foot kicked him hard in the stomach, causing Mal to double over and gasp for breath. Wreathing in pain and struggling for breath, the heavy booted foot made contact with the ferrets nose. Blood began to flow from his broken nose, pooling on the rainswept pavement and staining his fur. The ferret struggled to stand and defend himself as he was relentlessly beaten. He felt his attacker reach into Mal's pocket. "Nice watch. Thanks." The strange figure poketed Mals watch before dragging the ferret over to the bridge. He wasn't sure, but Mal thought he recognized the bridge before being pushed over the railing. Mal was unable to comprehend that he was falling, or even why, before he splashed into the raging river. Blackness swept in, and the ferret was carried away by the river and unconsciousness.