Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1) by Nicole Pendragon Page A

was as good as others claimed her to be. Mina, one of the Crows in their guild had even offered Ange training to become one of their assassins. She had told her it would be a waste of her talent to just stay with the Black Owls and that with the life of an assassin, she could live a rich and comfortable life if she never got caught and still be a thief.
    Ange had been thrilled and flattered by the offer but she didn’t believe she had the propensity it took to kill other people in cold blood, and often. The thought had actually given her a shiver of dread. So she had graciously denied, though Mina had insisted that she give it a try first before making up her mind. Ange had no response to that proposal at that time and she still didn’t quite like the idea.
    Ange peered over the rocked warily as she pulled up her hood and her own mask over her face. Tensely, she waited for a sign, a slight movement in the dark and she wasn’t the only one looking, Vera was also peering into the gated area, still and patient.
    Suddenly one of the guards fell over without a sound, the second guard on the other platform followed not a second later, his illuminator clattering down the beams of the platform and to the floor, rolling as it lit out into the darkness of the mountains. In the guards’ places crouched two dark figures, in the black they shined their blades in an ‘all clear’.
    The guild didn’t hesitate, they all leapt over the rocks and ran for the fence, snow crunching quietly under their feet. Vera was the first to escalate it, others followed quickly behind her, quietly landing on the other side.
    Ange leapt up and quickly crawled up the fence before making a handstand, stretching her entire length into the air at the top before flipping down lightly and landing quietly on the balls of her feet. She felt proud of the quiet yet graceful entrance and satisfied with the leather armor’s flexibility.
    She looked over and noticed Daren didn’t bother in such shows, he climbed the fence and swung his body over and landed quietly into a crouch, without a glance at her he ran after the other thieves, his short curly brown hair waving behind him.
    Ange felt suddenly rejected and annoyed by his behavior and obvious effort to ignore her. She darted rapidly after him and quickly overtook him and ran after Vera, disregarding him completely and not bothering to see his reaction or if he even had one.
    She quickly caught up to Vera and Garrett as they made their way for the mine, all the thieves followed in a more loose formation. Ange glanced up as they passed the two guard towers that shadowed their path from the moonlight and the two assassins on watch. Somehow, Ange felt unsafe under their scrutinizing and blank eyes as they passed, a shiver crawling up Ange’s spine. The thieves stopped at the entrance of the mine and Ange gazed at the padlock held steel gates. She glanced back, feeling uncertain and worried.
    Vera gently placed a lock pick into the keyhole and softly turned the thin metal, her ear turned to the lock. Ange listened intently, hearing the little mechanism and cogs move inside the lock and then the tiny click. A satisfied grin spread across Vera’s face as the lock snapped open. Ange felt excitement thrill through her, her smile hidden by her cloth mask, warm over her face in the cold air.
    The large doors creaked open, slowly and oddly loud in the silence. A yawning chasm whispered hauntingly as air quietly was sucked in, they stared into the darkness before diving in without a glance back. Ange swallowed feeling her anxiety damper her enthusiasm. Lights suddenly flickered to life as rows of crystals down the cave suddenly lit into existence as their metal shutters pulled away and revealed the yellow sol gems. The mine was bathed in afternoon light.
    Ange rushed in, relishing the sight of mine carts filled with sol crystals of every color and size as the thieves of the guild removed the lids off the carts and