Chapter 1
Seven years before the war between Harlston and the rest of Nevermere
Kael
“You sure Peggy’s is where we want to go?” Lorien asked, eyeing the tavern door.
When my all too reckless brother was questioning the plan, I knew it was risky. Before I could reply, Dain shouldered his way forward.
“Need food.” With a shrug, he nodded at the patrons walking up the street, some very finely dressed. “The toffs drink here sometimes. Got the heaviest coin pouches.”
Which is why I’d decided we’d hit this place first tonight. Dain was right. Food was scarce and that hollow ache in my belly had gotten too pronounced to ignore.
“We go in,” I said, trying to keep my voice even to convey confidence. “We see if Phoebe is working tonight. If all our plans go to hell, she’s a soft touch. She’d probably find us a heel of bread or some stale cheese or something.”
“Bread,” Lorien moaned, rubbing his stomach and then groaning. “Cheese…”
“You’ll get neither if you don’t shut up.”
Dain scowled at Lorien.
“None of us will get anything if we don’t stick to the plan,” I said. “Go in?—”
“Find a drunk mark and relieve him of his coin .”
Lorien grinned wolfishly, his dark eyes gleaming in the night. Dain crossed his arms with a frown.
“Create a distraction, so he doesn’t notice you,” he finished.
“Well, since we all seem to know what we’re doing…”
Before I could lead my brothers inside, a clatter of hooves on the cobblestones alerted us to the fact we weren’t the only ones considering visiting Peggy’s for the night.
Who we saw were the kinds of people the old hag wanted in her tavern, not three urchin boys seeking to fleece the pockets of her patrons. They might’ve been dressed in dull, brown homespun cloaks and black tunics and pants, but no one would believe this lot were anything other than lordlings. Especially when they rode up on horses that could keep the three of us in food and firewood for a year. No, two.
“Boy!” One of them, with hair the colour of newly minted gold, turned and then flicked a coin our way. It spun through the air and I knew it was good silver, even before I snatched it out of the air. “See to these horses.”
Definitely toffs.
Everyone else at Peggy’s knew they needed to look after their own damn steeds. Better yet, don’t come here with anything precious, lest it get stolen from you. I glanced at Lorien and Dain and we nodded before stepping forward and taking the reins of all the lordlings’ horses. Caps pulled down low so as to evade inspection, it was an unneeded attempt at protecting our anonymity. The lords barely shot us a sidelong glance. The lure of a warm fire, cool ale, and high-stakes gambling had them pushing past us and into Peggy’s.
So we let go of the horses’ reins.
“Horses like that…” Lorien watched after them with a mournful look. “We could get good honest gold from Ol’ Nick.”
“Is it honest gold, when you get it for selling stolen horses?” Dain’s brows wrinkled. “Ol’ Nick would never take fancy nags like those.”
But others would. With a smack on the horses’ rumps, we sent them trotting off down the road for others who were less risk averse to find.
Peggy’s was busy tonight. Another group of men, half gone to wine, sang loudly as they approached the door. We slunk in behind them, using their far larger bodies to get us inside the tavern. Peggy knew us well, knew what we did, and didn’t want us picking the pockets of her posh patrons, not when she was already there, trying to empty them of gold. Get inside, find a table tucked away, and then lay in wait for the right mark before getting out.
“We all know the plan?” I said, looking at my brothers.
With a nod, we stepped over the threshold.
Inside, I felt the blessed heat of the fire on my skin. It didn’t even matter that the place stank of smoky tobacco, sour ale, and piss. Being warm was such a blessed relief.
“Beginning to think my balls would freeze off,” Lorien said, his teeth chattering as he sat down at a table tucked away in an alcove.
