The Executioner's Right (The Executioner's Song Book 1)

by D. K. Holmberg

  But it was more than about his family.

  This was for his crew.

  “You can trust me,” he said.

  The King nodded. “That’s what I thought, because we’re going to need your help. Seeing as how Rock got himself pinched, we’re going to need a lookout. Can’t hit the store again now that they’d have it under surveillance. Means we’ve got no choice.”

  “Are you—” Wolf started.

  The King glanced over to Wolf, shaking his head. “I’m sure. If we do this, we’re going to need to do this well, and we won’t have much time to reassemble a new crew. With Rock out of the picture, we're down two men until we can count on Scruff. I don’t like going into anything like this shorthanded, and certainly not something this critical. The others can pull Archers away, but they aren’t ready for this kind of job.”

  “What’s happening with Scruff?” Finn asked.

  The King shook his head. “He might not be working out.”

  Finn waited for more of an explanation, but that was all he left him with.

  “I can’t do anything that would jeopardize my place,” he said.

  “You enjoy your time with the hangman that much?” the King asked.

  Finn shook his head quickly. “I don’t enjoy it.” At least, there were significant portions of the job that he didn’t enjoy. “You wanted to make sure I could be useful to the crew. I’m not going to be of much use if I get pinched doing a job this soon. Think about it, King. If I stay working with the hangman, I’m far more valuable to the crew.”

  The King regarded Finn for a long moment, his smile starting to spread into something almost menacing. “See?” he said to Wolf. “Shuffles wants to make sure he helps the crew. And you were worried about his loyalty.”

  Wolf said nothing.

  Finn took a cautious drink of his ale. He had to be careful here.

  The King wanted to pull a job that would endanger the crew.

  Finn needed to keep him from doing it.

  “I still don’t think this job is the right one for the crew,” Finn said. “If what Rock told me was true, then it’s the kind of job that will get everyone killed. Think about what happened to Pegg.”

  “Pegg didn’t have the same advantage that we have,” the King said.

  “What advantage is that?” Finn asked.

  He already thought he knew, just like he knew what the job entailed.

  “We have someone who’s already been there.”

  “I’ve been there, but I wasn’t paying attention like I would have were I scoping it out.”

  “I’m sure you’ll manage,” the King said. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to the crew because you didn’t give us the right information, would you?”

  “You know I don’t want anything to happen to the crew.”

  “Good,” the King said, as if it were settled. He leaned back in the chair, looking over to Wolf. “Wolf will ask you a few questions, and by the time he’s done, I think we ought to have a solid idea about what we need to do.”

  “Why this job? It’s dangerous.” Finn needed the King to reveal something about the Client. Maybe Finn could use that to stop this from happening.

  “We’ve taken other dangerous jobs before,” the King said.

  “Not like this,” Finn said. The attack on the viscount’s house had been dangerous, but there were only hired guards stationed there, not an entire squadron of Archers. Palace Archers, at that.

  “You let me worry about the reasons,” the King said. “You just focus on remembering everything you can about the layout of the palace. It’s going to be up to you to make sure we get through there safely, Shuffles. For what this will pay, I promise you it’ll be worth it.”

  Finn wandered back toward Meyer’s home, making his way slowly. It was late enough, and he wasn’t dressed the same as he had been over the last week or more, wearing the gray Sinner’s Cloth. They felt fitting for some reason tonight.

  There was a lump in his throat after sharing everything that he remembered of the palace layout with Wolf. He had asked about specific doors leading off of the main hall. Finn had only a passing memory of it, and though he didn’t know if he should keep the details to himself, he realized that there would have to be others who had spent time in the palace as well. It wasn’t as if Finn were the only person to have gone there.

  Wolf had taken everything Finn had said, making notes on a piece of paper and asking ever more probing questions. When Finn had failed to answer them adequately, he got a look of irritation from the King, and Finn had done his best to search his memory to come up with other answers as to what else he could remember.

  The trouble was that he had a good memory when it came to things like that. It was why he had been so successful when trying to navigate the alleys. Finn had only to go through them a single time, and he could recall the layout fairly easily, creating it in his mind.

  It had been the same way with the palace.

  At one point, while making his way toward Meyer’s home, Finn thought he heard footsteps coming along the street.

  It was late enough that any footsteps would have a nefarious purpose behind them.

  He quickened his gait, hurrying through the streets, making his way as quickly as he could, not wanting to get caught out in the night by one of the Archers.

  It would force Finn to answer questions.

  He didn’t have answers to those questions, and even if he did, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to provide them. He would have to explain why he was wearing the grays of his sentencing rather than the clothing that Meyer had bought for him.

  He would have to explain why he was out in this section of the city at this time of night. Neither of those were answers he wanted to give.

  Finn glanced behind him.

  He didn’t see any sign of Archers.

  Archers would make their presence known. At least, the Archers Finn had experienced in the city. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling someone trailed after him.

  He ducked into an alley, slipping through the narrow passageway, stepping as quickly as he could. The stench of the alley filled his nostrils, and Finn tried to ignore it, but when the alley opened up into another street, he hurried along it, taking a different path back to Meyer’s home.

  He was in the Brinder section. His home section.

  At least he knew the streets like the back of his hands.

  Finn raced along the street, and he still had the sensation that someone followed him. He didn’t know if it was imagined.

  At one point, he looked toward his home street, debating whether he should revisit his home. Maybe Lena had gone there and found it empty. She wouldn’t have known where to find Finn, but Finn had made a point of leaving a note behind, a way for Lena to follow. With that note, she would have been able to reach Master Meyer’s home. She would’ve found their mother safe.

  Which meant that Lena still hadn’t returned.

  Maybe she was off on whatever the hegen had asked of her, but Finn couldn’t shake what Helda had told him.

  Finn turned away.

  He paused at another alley, looking behind him.

  There was still the sense of someone following him, though he didn’t hear it any longer. There was no sign of Archers. No sign of anything. Only the instinct Finn had.

  He hurried along the alley. He could take this, and he could weave through the alley to make his way back toward Master Meyer’s home.

  Something moved along the alley.

  Finn hesitated.

  It was dark enough that he had a hard time seeing what was there. He turned, heading back the way he had come. When he reached the street, Finn hurried along it. It felt as if he were forced farther and farther away from Meyer’s home.

  Eventually, he was going to have to take a gamble.

  He thought about what he knew of the alleys.

  There was one possibility that he could take.

  A narrow alley in this section weaved
in a twisting manner, barely more than wide enough for him to pass. It would be dangerous if someone actually were following him.

  The feeling that someone chased him lingered.

  That decided it for him.

  Finn turned down the alley. He raced along it, following the weaving path, and gradually the sensation of someone following him began to fade. When he reached a side street, he paused for a moment before heading across it and toward another intersecting alley. Finn went alley to alley, heading toward Meyer’s home. When he started to hear the sound of the river rushing by, he knew he was getting close.

  Then he reached the street.

  Stepping out into it, movement from a pair of figures caught his attention.

  Archers.

  They turned toward him.

  Finn didn’t really want to deal with Archers. He jogged toward Meyer’s home, reaching the gate. When he did, he cast a glance behind him, toward the Archers. He found them marching in his direction. A shadowed form moved behind the Archers.

  He hadn’t imagined the pursuit, then.

  Finn stared at it for a moment before darting into the closed garden, closing it behind him, and hurrying toward the door. Once inside, he leaned on the door for a moment.

  Light glowed from the end of the hall as it often did. The sound of Meyer’s voice caught his attention. Finn headed toward him. It would be better to admit to Meyer where he’d been and what he’d been doing, especially as the Archers would likely follow him to the door.

  When he reached Meyer’s office door, he listened.

  A soft voice drifted out. Female. Hushed, almost concerned.

  Meyer’s steady, comforting murmuring came from the other side. Finn leaned forward and could see his back. He leaned toward whoever had come for his help, likely offering a healing treatment.

  A knock came at the door behind him.

  The Archers.

  Finn cleared his throat.

  Meyer turned toward him. His eyes took in the grays Finn wore, then flicked past him.

  “I was just—”

  “Excuse me,” Meyer said to the person sitting in the chair opposite his desk. He headed toward Finn, grabbing his arm. “Come with me.”

  Finn turned with him reluctantly.

  At the door, Meyer greeted the Archers with a nod. “How may I help you this evening?”

  “Master Meyer,” the first of the Archers said, his voice gruff. “I hate to disturb you at this time of night, but we followed a ruffian through your garden.”

  Meyer grunted and shook his head. “Not a ruffian. My apprentice. He was out later than he should have been.” Meyer pulled Finn forward and into the view of the Archers. “I apologize for the confusion. I will make certain he returns before curfew unless on official business.”

  The Archer regarded Finn for a moment before nodding. “Good evening, then, Master Meyer.”

  The Archers departed, and Meyer closed the door, resting his hand on it for a moment.

  “You should not have been gone.”

  “I didn’t realize you had any assignments for me this evening.”

  He frowned. “No assignments, but…” He sighed. “You returned to your crew.”

  “I did.” There was no use denying it.

  “To warn them?”

  “I wanted them to stop whatever they had planned. I was worried they’d end up killed.”

  “You were worried they’d end up caught.” Meyer looked at him. “I fear your connection to your old crew is going to lead you into danger. And, by extension, lead me into danger.” He shook his head slightly. “There’s nothing that can be done about it now.” He motioned for Finn to follow to the end of the hall. “Go on.”

  Finn hesitated. Did Meyer want him to study healing together?

  Meyer nodded as Finn reached the door.

  “What do you need me to do?” Finn whispered.

  “I need you to go in,” Meyer said.

  “Am I supposed to perform the healing?”

  Meyer grunted. “Do you think yourself capable of it?”

  Finn frowned. “No.”

  “Neither do I,” he said. “That is not to say that you won’t develop that ability in time.”

  “Thanks,” Finn said.

  “Don’t find offense when none was implied,” he said. “Go on. You are needed.”

  Finn looked over at Meyer, confusion on his face.

  He turned his attention back to the room, heading inside.

  As he neared, the woman turned toward him.

  Finn’s breath caught.

  “Lena?”

  They sat in the small kitchen. Lena on one side of the table and Finn on the other. She sipped the mug of tea Meyer had made for her before stepping out of the kitchen, leaving the two of them to catch up.

  “Where have you been?” he asked.

  She barely looked up at him. Her eyes looked haunted and dark. The gray dress she had on looked a little dirtier than what Lena normally would wear.

  “Lena?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  He breathed in the steam coming off the tea Meyer had made. “What did the hegen have you do?”

  They’d been calling in favors. Dangerous ones, from what Finn had learned.

  “I didn’t even want to go to them. She was getting sicker.”

  “I know.”

  She stared at her mug. “I thought about letting her go.”

  She looked up at Finn, her eyes red and welling with tears.

  Finn held her gaze. Helda had said Lena had gone to some dark place. That wasn’t what he would’ve expected from his sister.

  “It was going to happen anyway. I knew it. We’ve been watching her get weaker over time. I… I just couldn’t do it anymore.” She looked down again. “Then I thought of what Father would say if he knew how I was thinking.”

  “That’s why you went to them.”

  She nodded. “I had to do something. I couldn’t do it like that anymore, and I didn’t know what else I could do. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t think you’d understand.”

  Finn hadn’t been there every day like Lena had been. He couldn’t know how hard it had been for her. “What did they ask of you?”

  She looked down again. “I didn’t know what to expect. I’d paid for the medicine, but then they’d asked me to gather some supplies.” She shook her head. “I had to visit apothecaries throughout the city and then organize the supplies when I brought them to the hegen.”

  “That’s it?”

  That wasn’t anything like he would have expected from the hegen.

  “That’s it. They were… kind to me. Then I was sent away.”

  He breathed out a sigh. Lena had suffered more than he had known. Her darkness, as Helda had said.

  Now she was here. Safe.

  “What happened to you?” Lena asked. “He said Mother is here.”

  Finn nodded and got to his feet, motioning for her to follow.

  Finn showed Lena to the room where their mother rested. She’d not come around since Meyer had brought their mother to stay, but her color had improved, and her breathing seemed more regular. Boney hands gripped the tan blanket covering her. Between both Meyer and Finn, they’d made certain she ate.

  Lena stood in the doorway, and tears streamed down her face again.

  “What is it?” Finn asked.

  She swallowed, looking over to him as she wiped the tears away. “I just never imagined she’d get help like this. When we were struggling, trying to find any help, I just never could have imagined.”

  “I wish I would’ve helped sooner,” Finn said.

  “But you helped now.” She looked over to him and frowned. “What happened? Why are you here?”

  He had debated how much to tell her. When he’d asked Oscar to protect his family, he’d wanted to keep as much as he could from Lena and his mother. Now that Lena was here, Finn didn’t think he could.

  “It’s complicated.”
r />   She waited, and he knew that he owed her the truth.

  He motioned for her to follow him back out to the kitchen. From there, they took a seat at the table, and Finn took a long sip of the tea before looking up at his sister. “I was pinched.”

  As he started sharing with her what happened, the words spilled out. He half expected that Lena would react negatively, perhaps chastise him for getting caught or lecture him about what he’d done, or even refuse to accept Finn’s fate, but she watched him without interrupting.

  When he was done, she held his gaze. “You’re staying here now?”

  Finn nodded. “I’m working with Master Meyer.”

  “What about—”

  She didn’t get the chance to finish.

  “I think it’s time for you to get some rest,” Meyer said, poking his head through the kitchen door.

  Lena glanced to Finn before looking over to Meyer. “I’m not sure it’s safe to return home.”

  “You will stay here.”

  Lena’s eyes widened slightly. “Here?”

  “I promised Finn I would make sure that your mother was cared for. Now that you have returned, I offer you the same protection.”

  “What do I have to do for it?” Lena asked, her voice soft.

  “Pick up after yourself. Other than that, you can continue your work at Jorven’s butcher, or you may find alternative employment.”

  “What kind of employment?”

  Meyer regarded her for a moment. “Whatever you choose.”

  Lena turned to Finn, looking to him for confirmation, and he nodded.

  She squeezed her hands together in her lap before forcing a smile. “I can stay with Mother.”

  “The room is too small.” Meyer motioned for her to follow, and he guided Lena to a room on the upper level.

  Finn knew Meyer’s room was upstairs but had never ventured up there himself.

  The room he offered to Lena was enormous, at least compared to the one Finn occupied. A massive bed took up most of the room. A stuffed bear rested on the bed, and Meyer hurried across the floor and grabbed the bear before turning to Lena. “You may stay here.”

  Lena’s eyes widened even more. “Whose room am I taking?”

  Meyer hesitated before shaking his head. “No one’s.”