Whatever You Can Do, I Can Do Better

“I didn’t like what Philip the Fool was thinking. He has had shadow ties to many national scandals that were presumed bigger than his social stature, no doubt, but I didn’t think it wise to get mixed up in a royal assassination. People tend to lose their heads in that sort of business, and here I was hunching down as I ran in the rain to deliver a coded message that was to get the heads rolling.

“What did Sir Pelican have against the King, anyway? It is one thing to boast the skill of ink scrolling, but it was entirely a different matter to be, perhaps, the main conspirator behind an unsheathed sword. I wanted nothing to do with this business. It was no fun.

“These thoughts were distracting me as I traveled to Knight Di’Lando’s residence, and I would have figured out that I was being followed earlier if it wasn’t for them.

“The guy was decent at the art of tailing, but he slipped up once by getting too close to his target and letting a pebble skip through a puddle next to me, and that is all I needed. In mid walk, I stopped short and spun around. The guy was within shadows, which wasn’t a hard feat considering there was not even a trace of the moon in the night sky, before I could catch sight of him. There was Pete’s Market wagon, with its serving bar swung up and bolted to cover its windows, to my right about five yards behind me. I was pretty sure he was crouched underneath it.

“I had a decision to make. I was only five minutes away from delivering that message to Knight Di'Lando, but an awful amount of hurt can be done in five minutes. A mad dash could be suicide, so it was best to use my speed to lose him. I started to sprint as if I had decided upon my former plans of dashing, but, after two strides, I brought my flight into the shape of a right angle and bolted in an alleyway.

“It worked. As I made my sharp turn, I caught a glimpse of the guy. Thin. Cloaked.

“Wasting no time in adding another dimension to my flight, I jumped at the wall. All I needed was a split second of traction to propel me to the opposite wall that made up the alley, and I bounded my way upwards. Once I was able to grab hold of a ledge, I hoisted myself up and over the top of Oscar’s Blacksmith Shop. I may be young, but I can tell you how people hinder themselves when trying to lose someone. They look back, which is a lost of valuable time, so I didn’t look back and, instead, continued to jump from rooftop to rooftop.

“When I had finally reached Knight Di’Lando’s residence, a stone structure built into the southwest side of the fortress wall, which divided the King’s castle from the kingdom’s market square, I risked a look behind me. Nobody. Sucker.

“I felt exhilarated as I looked for the bell that I would ring to draw the attention of Knight Di’Lando’s night-watch. As fun as it was to practice my stealth abilities through pick-pocketing and conducting my own tailing of individuals, nothing was as exciting as out maneuvering people trying to catch me. All of the King’s Men, despite their years of training, could never catch me.

“Where is that bell, I thought. There was none. How long has Knight Di’Lando not had a bell? I was positive that he had one the last time I delivered a message to him. Instead, there was a seven foot statue of a guard wearing a skull shaped battle helmet. There must be a way to get the real guard’s attention.

"Before I could investigate any further, I was hit from above.