Gods, Lorien was pushing it, I could see that in the way her brows were drawing down.
“And some bloody bread, but after that, you need to get the hell out here.”
We’d follow her plan to the letter, except for one small thing. I eyed the idiots who had thrown their horses’ reins at us, seeing the way they laughed uproariously, pouring ale down their throats, but it was the bulging coin purses on their waists. A full belly, some bread for later, and a bag full of gold? I’d gladly exit Peggy’s tavern once I had all three things.
Chapter 2
Lorien
“Stew…” I snatched up my spoon the moment Rosie set the bowl in front of me, slurping up a mouthful and trying hard not to quiver as I swallowed. “My compliments to the chef,” I wheezed, tears almost forming in my eyes at the feeling of finally having something to fill my stomach.
“Eat fast,” Rosie snapped, putting the last of the bowls down, “or this meal will be your last.”
“That rhymes,” I snickered, before sinking my spoon into the stew.
“Eat,” Dain growled.
You’d think this idiot was older than me by the way he talked. Nope, we were born in the same year, in the same misbegotten park of Coalbottom. Just because he was a head and a half taller than me and broad across the shoulders like a man didn’t mean he had anything on me.
“Eat yourself before…”
It didn’t take much to distract me. A quick movement, something glinting in the sunlight, would always get my attention, and right then it was the great guffaw of laughterfrom the blokes at the table diagonal from ours. Gold, so much bloody gold, was strewn across the table. My mouth watered, thinking of all the food we could buy with that, but we had to be careful. Those keen-eyed fellows who held their cards close to their chests were professional players. So good at reading people’s tells, some even having the ability to know exactly which card would pop up next, we knew better than to mess with them.
But these toffs didn’t.
The one with the girl hair, he shouted with glee at winning that round, clawing all the gold on the table towards him.
Which was when he should’ve started worrying.
Those card sharps, nothing happened on their table that they didn’t approve of. Their lips thinned, and they made a show of looking disappointed, but as far as they were concerned, this was just an investment. Let the little sheep bleat about his victory, right before the wolves descended.
“Eat up.” Kael’s blue eyes gleamed then, making clear he saw everything I did. “And fast. Don’t want the sharps taking everything this toff has got before we have a chance.”
My hand moved on automatic, and I didn’t even taste the stew now. It was transferred from bowl to my belly in rapid movements.
“He’ll head to the privy soon,” Dain said. “I’ll move that chair into his path.”
“I’ll cuff your ears and then give my sincerest apologies.” Kael’s teeth glittered in the lamp light. “Bow and scrape and give him a target to direct his ire at.”
Kael was always the toughest, putting himself in the way of angry marks, so I could slip in and take what we needed. My dagger was pulled from my boot and laid on the table, ready to be deployed.
The bread was shoved inside my tunic. Didn’t matter that we’d have gold to buy all the bread we wanted soon. Bread was bread, and you didn’t waste it. As I fantasised about the kind of cheese I’d spread over it later, sure enough, the blond-haired man lurched to his feet. He said something about protecting his wealth to his friends, and I’m not sure if I would be trusting them. They looked awfully avaricious too. Well, they’d need to get in line. As the mark talked big about how much he’d win once he was back from a piss, we all moved.
Dain made it look like he was returning the bowls to the kitchen, rising to his feet, right as the toff staggered past. His chair skidded across the floor, not so far as to block the mark’s path, but enough to send him staggering. Kael was up, remonstrating Dain, calling him an imbecile as I darted forward. Hands on the mark’s chest, as if to steady him, then jerking back when the toff snarled at me. A little twist of my dagger and the coin pouch was in my hand, shoved deep in a secret pocket I kept in my tunic seconds later.
“What are you riff raff doing?” the mark roared.
Trouble was, now everyone else was asking the same question.
“Move,” Kael said, the mask dropped.
We needed to make it to the front door, because once we were on the streets, none would find us. Every bolthole, every nook and cranny in this godsawful town belonged to us. The rich and powerful called us rats? Well, we knew how to survive like them. The three of us were on our feet, bolting for the exit.
Some heroes decided to get up, sure they needed to get involved. I dodged around one, feeling his hands slap in the air where I just was, then jabbed my elbow into his sides. That sent him lunging sideways, crashing into his fellows. Dain shoved people with the incredible power of his body, forcing them totopple over like milk bottles when we were playing at bowls. Kael led the way, dragging the door open.
Only to find the Executioner standing there.
My blood ran cold. The only thing that told me I was still alive was the frantic beat of my heart. Every child in Coalbottom knew who he was, because he was the reason why so many of us went missing. Men, women, and most of all children. When the duke decided someone needed to disappear, the Executioner carried out the order. Kael jerked back as if slapped, scanning the chaos raging in the tavern.
