Lanai, the little thief, was the notorious head of the guild of thieves.

When Kyon invited her for a cup of tea, she was curious if the boy was really willing to pay that much money just to be with her. It turned out he was just fooling around. A shame. She wanted to tease him, saying something along the lines of: "You can't afford even a cup of tea with me, boy," and enjoy the disappointment on his face.

When he mentioned her stealing the ring, the girl had no intention to reveal her skills - he didn't need to know that. And when he insightfully called her Lanai, she had no choice but to deny everything stubbornly. Why? Because she didn't want him to know everything about her, to be an open book in his hands. He should mind his own business.

«My respect, lady Lanai!» – A man exclaimed at the entrance, nearly falling to his knees.

Numerous people in elegant evening clothes, mainly of dark colors, hurried to greet Lanai. They felt a deep reverence for their leader, who had created the guild almost from scratch.

The girl watched over all those present and nodded majestically. – «I am happy to see you all.» – Then she headed to the banquet hall with her confident, graceful gait. The absence of Timoshka, her first and most talented student, struck her as strange. He always followed her, looking for any opportunity to please his lady.

The crowd of thieves followed her with a look of awe. Two strong young men of the highest rank in the thieves' hierarchy went on each side, exactly one step behind their leader. Who were they to go with her as equals, after all?

Someone grabbed one of them by the hand and hissed menacingly:

«After the failure in the last mission, you've forfeited the first rank, as well as the right to go next to lady Lanai! I've been a.s.signed the first rank, so know your place, Silver!» – He said and proudly stood next to the leader. Only the first rankers were given the honor of following Lanai by her side and filling her gla.s.s with wine. These two seemingly insignificant privileges were enough for everyone to strive to get the 1st rank in the guild.

Lanai had earned her authority for a reason. She perfectly combined the greatest thief skills and confidence, as well as unsurpa.s.sed grace, beauty, and charisma.

Those who were privileged to take private lessons quickly learned new skills and held a high rank in the guild. It was all thanks to their charming leader.

The girl went into the main hall, where another hundred of smartly dressed people of all ages respectfully greeted her. The tables were heavy with all kinds of expensive dishes. Today was not just a meeting of thieves, today was the fifth anniversary since the creation of the guild. Everything was done in the best possible way.

The leader took the honorable place at the main table and looked at her faithful accomplices. She valued each member of the guild. She had chosen them from the most promising people in the kingdom, re-educated and trained them as professional thieves devoted to her alone. She had created the guild from scratch, almost without the help of her uncle, which is why she appreciated it much more than the a.s.sa.s.sins guild. It was her own brainchild, justifying and even exceeding all the girl's expectations. Now, seeing their happy smiles and faithful eyes, she was filled with pride like a mother who had raised a good son.

The 1st-ranking man poured excellent wine into her gla.s.s and went to his table.

Everyone was waiting for their leader to give a toast.

The girl took the gla.s.s and stood up. Everyone followed her lead.

«My faithful disciples! Over the past five years, we have gone through lots of difficulties, committed numerous dangerous thefts, and even stirred the pot in the Iron Throne. The rich people of the whole kingdom are afraid of us. They hate and despise us because we terrify them, we are a threat to their wealth and prosperity. Over the years, our guild has gained undeniable authority in the shadow world and has achieved significant success. I want to thank those who have made a special contribution to the development of the guild. Moriarty..., Aglaya..., Kalina…»

There was loud applause after each name. Everyone announced was on the verge of tears with happiness.

«…Thank you for everything you've done. Let's drink for your well-being and, therefore, for our success and prosperity!»

«Make the most of it!» … «Make the most of it!» … «Make the most of it!»

Hundreds of people yelled the motto of the thieves guild in unison and drank the wine in one gulp. They did not consider themselves dirty criminals or villains because those who had money were never lost. They didn't kill or ****, they only take what others had in abundance.

«Where's Timoshka, Moriarty?» – Lanai asked.

«I recently called him, and he said that he was sick, my lady.»

~splat~

There was a smacking sound of someone's face touching the salad.

Those sitting nearby laughed nonchalantly at first, but then someone at the next table also collapsed.

Then there was an ominous silence almost instantly and everywhere.

A shrill scream marked the fall of the next man.

«We've been poisoned! Someone has poisoned the wine!» … «Ааа-а-а-а-а-аааа-а-аh!» … «Who had the antidote?! Who has the f.u.c.king antidote?!» … «I don't want to die! I don't want to die!» … «Lady Lanai, save us! А-а-аа-а-аh! I can feel it! I feel it!»

The "poison" was a fast-acting powerful sleeping pill. It could even put someone underdeveloped in a coma.

In just a couple of seconds, there was a sudden panic. The thieves collapsed one after the other. The weakest zonked out first, those who were stronger lasted longer.

Lanai's heart was racing anxiously. She rose from her seat, but before she knew it, all the windows crashed at the same time, and the security forces flew inside. There were ten, twenty, fifty of them! With each moment, there were more and more of them!

«HANDS BEHIND THE BACK, FACE TO THE FLOOR!» – A booming ba.s.s roared.

Screams, squeals, explosions, the sounds of breaking bones, dying rattle were heard everywhere... The tables crashed into pieces, the plates with food and the bottles with drinks shattered into fragments... The members of the guild tried to resist, but it was completely useless. They were no fighters, especially against well-trained royal warriors.

Two dozen people at the end of the n.o.bleman's phase burst into the hall. They emanated unprecedented confidence, as well as an overwhelmingly powerful aura. Their main task was to find Lanai, the leader. They had no interest in small people.

«At three o'clock!» – The chief security force officer ordered briefly and rushed to Lanai together with his group.

With no hesitation, the girl entered invisibility and rushed to the center of the hall. There was a secret pa.s.sage, her only chance to escape. They had surrounded the whole building.

However, she wouldn't make it! They would overtake her... She wouldn't hold out even a few seconds against two dozen of the best warriors of the kingdom! What should she do?!

«WE MUST SAVE OUR LEADER WHATEVER IT TAKES! FOR LANAI!» – Silver shouted loudly, inspiring a fighting spirit in the hearts of his desperate a.s.sociates. He loved and revered his leader with all his heart, and he was willing to die for her.

The next moment, most of the thieves began to fight ardently. Many of those who were lying "face to the floor" broke out free and made their final stand for their leader. All the same, they faced the execution in the central square.

Twenty most powerful security officers did not expect to meet such fierce resistance. The suicides, how else to describe them, attacked with a desperate roar. The brave thieves met the overwhelming power of the twenty security officers at the end of the n.o.ble phase. They stood no chance... Just a couple of seconds and they all died. Their bodies went limp and collapsed to the floor, flooding it with blood. Before his death, Silver begged the G.o.ddess to let Lanai escape.

The little thief couldn't believe her eyes. Her faithful accomplices that had lived through lots of hards.h.i.+ps were dying for her, winning her a couple of precious seconds of time. Guilt, sorrow and regret tormented her mind, and only the desire to survive moved her ahead to the only hope of salvation.

~crack~

With a cracking sound, the floor collapsed at the place of her landing. The girl dived into the hole, leaving the path of attack of the numerous adversaries. She slid a secret pipe to the nearest hidden underground exit.

The group of the elite security officers hesitated to jump after her. They had to! Their main goal was to catch or eliminate Lanai! Moreover, she must be under the effect of sleeping pills, so there was a chance that she couldn't resist!

«FREEZE! No one jumps after her! It's an order.» – The masked investigator barked sternly.

The puzzled security officers had to obey.

This day would be recorded in Boston history. The thieves guild, that had been terrorizing all the kingdom's families for many years, had been completely destroyed. Half of the criminals were killed, the rest were taken to jail to wait for the obvious verdict, and only their elusive leader had managed to escape.