A quiet shadow studied the grounds with a critical eye. There wasn't much security, but that meant nothing in a country filled to the brim with mages. She knew what to look for, and didn't see it. This family was known for its secrecy, known for keeping to themselves, and never letting any outsider close, so she had figured there would be more to their grounds than just what her eyes could see.
Masiel scowled.
She didn't trust easy jobs. She didn't trust that things could go so perfectly. The universe tended to step in and turn something perfectly good into something downright awful, so she'd stopped expecting things to go exactly as she wanted them to a long time ago. She continued to watch the grounds, studying the mansion as if it was some giant puzzle she needed to find the right piece to, and then all of its secrets would be revealed to her.
Movement caught her eye, drawing it to a carriage and a young woman about to step into it, only to be halted by a boy, no more than thirteen.
Their target.
Masiel lifted an elegant hand and flashed her fingers in quick succession - once, twice, thrice - to signal her partner, who waited and watched from a vantage point that hid him from any watchful eye. Masiel herself would be invisible, blending so well into the shadows it might as well have been as if she didn't exist at all.
They were arguing, the children. Masiel watched, half amused, as the girl drew herself up with all the authority of an older sister and said something that had the boy turning around and heading back into the mansion. Then the girl was in the carriage and it was moving away from the house, down the road, and out of sight.
Masiel continued to watch. She didn't want to breach the premises so soon, not without some proper scouting, which she would have to do on her own. Her partner was far too large to go unnoticed, as she could. But before she could slip out of her hiding spot and move to investigate, the front door of the mansion flew open once again and out came the target, running for the road.
She scowled again, but she wasn't going to give up such a prime opportunity.
She dropped from the tree that had been holding her and to the ground below, landing easily and silently like a hunting cat. She rose to her full height then and looked at her partner.
"Quickly. To the road. The boy's running right into our hands. We can catch him and be gone before anyone's become the wiser."
With that, she raced toward the road, her lithe form lending to an easy stride. She trusted her partner to follow and to keep up. Now and then, she would pause, her head cocked to one side as she listened, and then she silently would gesture and continue on. She intended to intercept the boy before he could catch up with the carriage, which meant she had to let the carriage pass before they could make an attempt for their target. So she followed the road, keeping to the brush and the trees, moving as silent as a shadow. She heard the carriage before she saw it. Pausing, she kept herself hidden while the carriage passed and was making for the narrow portion in the road. Only after the carriage was out of sight did she move, heading further up the road.
And there he was, running as fast as his legs could carry him. His face, bright and beaming, showed no fear.
Masiel sighed. She disliked hurting children, but a job was a job. And so, as soon as the boy was close enough, she snatched the boy off his feet and pressed a cloth to his mouth.