BETRAYED

     She expertly picked the lock, and we slipped inside, closing the door behind us with a quiet click. The house was a crime scene – two bodies lay on the floor, blood splattered across the walls. It was a cramped living room with a single chair in the center and a fireplace still crackling in one corner. Gold coins were scattered across the floor, but with one glance, I knew they were fake. After years as a thief, I'd developed the peculiar skill of distinguishing real coins from forgeries. The authentic ones had a darker hue, with the face of Old'han's first king engraved. These fakes had the same image, but the color was too bright, too clean.

Carefully avoiding the puddles of blood, we navigated through the room and reached another door. I crouched down, examined the lock, and pulled out my tools. It wasn't a challenge; I had the door open in about ten seconds.