The Quest for the Shiny Thing Book Two
an excerpt

There was a winding staircase carved of the same black stone material as the castle on the far southwest side of the kitchen. The footsteps were drawing closer. Thorin peeked his head up above the counter to see if he could catch a glimpse of their new friend. A long and lanky shadow appeared on the wall of the staircase before it spilled into the kitchen. The person it belonged to inevitably followed. The man was dressed all black and had a sword strapped to his back. He had never seen anyone like that before so he tapped Steve from Long Island on the shoulder and signaled to him to take a look for himself.
“Oh shit! You’ve got ninjas here?” Steve from Long Island whispered. “That is so cool!”
“Not if he finds us!” Thorin reminded. They slid back down to the floor and hoped that the ninja didn’t hear them. But obvious he had heard something otherwise he wouldn’t be there.
The ninja, simply known as Ninja, stealthily wandered by the stoves and stared at the dead and featherless chickens. They looked tasty, but surely someone would notice if one suddenly went missing. His stomach growled loudly, telling him to just take the fricken chicken. He told his stomach to shut up and it’ll eat what he feeds it. His stomach didn’t care.
Ninja made his way over to the cold locker, or what we call a refrigerator, and looked at some of the sandwiches that were there. Roast beef, chicken, sausage, and bacon sandwiches. Meat! He hadn’t had meat in so long due to having to chase Prince Fenix around. He quickly grabbed the sandwiches and munched on them. When he needed something to wash them down, he reached in and grabbed a glass container with held milk. He downed half the bottle and then placed it back in the locker. He closed the door and took his remaining sandwiches to go.
He was halfway up the staircase when he felt a disturbance in the force. Something was in the kitchen with him. Normally, he would have caught on right away, but hunger had a way of dulling his senses. Now that his stomach was mostly satisfied, his powers of observation were coming back to him. He tiptoed back into the kitchen and set his sandwiches on the counter nearest him. His stomach gurgled in protest, but he ignored it. There was really no need to tietoe because whoever was hiding already knew he was there. Hopefully, whoever it was would think that he had left and would come out of hiding. He didn’t really feel like working right now. He would much rather be eating his meaty sandwiches.
He made it to the middle of the kitchen with still no signs of life. He really wanted this to be over with quickly. He hated having to wait for results. If there was someone in the kitchen, why couldn’t they just come out of hiding and say, “Here I am, Mr. Ninja! Kill me where I stand!” Then he would kill them and then go about his business. Why weren’t things ever that simple?
Ninja finally made it over to the counter top where Thorin and the others were hiding. He found the floor was littered with all kinds of pans and bowls. Someone was a clumsy oaf. His heart quickened because he knew that his prey was just on the other side of the counter. They had come in through the door and made their first mistake by bumping into the counter. To be fair, it wasn’t really their fault. What kind of idiot would place a counter top so close to the door? Obviously, they didn’t know of the health risks associated with such a folly. He would have to kill the numbskull later.
Now it was time to collect his prize. He deftly stepped around the assorted Tupperware bowls and pans to pounce on the unlucky intruders. Suddenly, loud flapping and clucking was heard. Feathers were flying at his face at an alarming amount and speed. He stepped backward and shouted as three chickens leapt at his face and proceed to peck at it. He fell on his ass and stared at the chickens who felt at home on his chest. Three more chickens came out from around the counter and started looking for crumbs that someone might have left.
“Fucking chickens!” Ninja stood up and let the chickens flap their way to the floor. He brushed the feathers off his suit and sighed. He felt like an idiot for screaming like a girl. Thankfully, no one had witnessed it. Stupid kitchen staff let the chickens just run rampant in the kitchen. There had to be some health code violations there. This would be cleared up when he killed the staff in the morning. For now, he just wanted to eat his sandwiches and go to bed. Stupid chickens…
When Ninja had left the kitchen, Thorin, Fenix, and Steve from Long Island slowly peered over the counter top to make sure he wasn’t hiding anywhere. When they were sure that the ninja wasn’t coming back for more food, they stood up and sighed a sigh of relief.
“I thought that guy would never leave,” Steve from Long Island said.
“Ninja is working for Falken?” Fenix asked to no one in particular. “That means that either my sister or your friend is definitely here.”
“The ninja’s name is Ninja?”
“Well, what else would it be? He certainly isn’t going to say his name is Rob!” Fenix replied as if should be common knowledge.
“Point taken,” Steve from Long Island conceded.