Thief (Brotherhood of the Throne Book 1)

by Jane Glatt

  The old steel he’d been collecting was probably in his study so Brenna searched for it - and sank to the floor with a small moan.

  She had no idea how long she’d been slumped on the floor before she was finally able to lurch to her feet and stumble the few steps back to the secret panel, open it, and stagger inside. Her head throbbed and she closed her eyes and leaned against the inside wall.

  She’d found her mother’s knife. Thorold had kept it all this time. The feel of Thorold’s guard bearing old steel had been painful - it had jarred her nerves and made her teeth ache. But her mother’s knife radiated real pain, real anguish.

  Old steel was linked with the blood of its bearer. How else to account for the knife’s anguish at having spilt the blood it was tied to? With a rough hand Brenna wiped her tears. No doubt Thorold found that amusing, that he’d killed someone with their own knife. He’d probably find it even more amusing if he knew how the knife itself suffered. Oh, the knife wasn’t really aware, not in the way people were, but after generations of use by a single bloodline it had achieved a kind of consciousness and connection to those who carried it. And it recognized Wynne Trewen’s spilt blood as part of itself.

  Beneath the waves of torment that came from the knife Brenna felt it call her. As her mother’s daughter she too had a blood tie to the knife. She inched the secret passage open and peered out into the hallway. She knew what direction she needed to go. It would just take her a moment to grab the knife.

  Muffled steps sounded and Brenna froze when she heard a door open and close. The kitchen. Gently she eased the passage door back into place. The house was starting to wake – she’d need to come back. She turned and made her way back down the musty tunnel and outside where she huddled against the embankment, her hat pulled low over her head.

  As her tears dried on her cheeks, her anger against Duke Thorold strengthened. He’d taken her mother away from her when he had no right to. She would not let him keep her knife. As the sky lightened towards dawn Brenna headed back to Feiren’s house. She needed to get some rest because she was coming back to collect her mother’s knife as soon as possible.

  fourteen

  Kane frowned. Brenna wasn’t awake yet. He had a report that she’d been out again last night and hadn’t gotten back to Uncle Feiren’s until early this morning. At least he knew she was safe. He fidgeted at the bottom of the stairs as he waited for the housekeeper to fetch her.

  Brenna had so little time left in Kingsreach and there was still so much to do. Today he hoped to find someone who could forge old steel weapons. Dasid had pinpointed the era when the secret had been lost and had found descendants of smiths who’d worked in Kingsreach then. Kane and Brenna were late to meet them.

  He glanced at the stairs. Where was she? The three men would be down in the caverns already. Only one of them was currently a smith, an elderly man named Innis - the other two were merchants of one sort or another. He heard a footstep and looked up at a pale and disheveled Brenna.

  “By the gods are you all right?” Kane asked, his anger displaced by worry. “You look like you’ve been dragged through the river.” There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair hung limp and damp after an obviously hasty wash. She slowly descended the steps, her shoulders slumped in fatigue.

  “Thanks,” she said. “It’s always nice to be complimented. And I’m fine. Just a long night.”

  “Anything I should know about?”

  “No, everything is fine,” Brenna said. “I’m starving. Can we stop by the kitchen first?”

  “Dasid has arranged a meal in the cavern,” Kane said. “You can eat there.” He led the way to one of the hidden passage doors.

  Kane was amazed. Brenna had been hungry - she’d eaten as much as any of the five men at the table. But despite her healthy appetite, she was still subdued and pale. Something was wrong. He wished again that she trusted him.

  “Now that we’ve all eaten,” Kane said. “I’ll get to the reason why you’ve all been invited here.”

  “Like I told Dasid Addems,” the man closest to Brenna gestured across the table at Dasid. “I’m a merchant, not a smith.”

  “Yes, I know,” Kane said. “But in the past there was a smith in your family. In all your families. Brenna found a notebook that we believe describes how to forge old steel. None of us, including Brenna, can read it.”

  “It has some kind of spell on it,” Brenna said.

  “And you think one of us will be able to read it?” asked Innis.

  “We hope so,” Kane said. “We think that a descendant of the person who wrote it will be able to decipher it.”

  “Here’s the book,” Dasid said. He pulled the worn notebook from his shirt and placed it on the table.

  “Not much to look at,” Innis said. He leaned over to get a closer look. “But my workbooks get like that after a while, too.”

  “Brenna says it’s covered in old steel,” Dasid said. His hand brushed across the gray splotches on the leather cover. “This book was found here in Kingsreach. Your families were smiths here when this book was written.”

  “If someone who is not a smith can read it,” Kane said. “We’ll pair you with one. The Brotherhood has not forged new weapons for fifteen hundred years. The Caller has come forward, but the prophecy has only begun. Our records say the Brotherhood must be fully armed with old steel weapons.” He searched each face intently. “If we cannot arm the Brotherhood in time, I fear for Soule.”

  “Master Innis,” Brenna said. “This notebook belonged to your family and I think you’ll find that old steel is forged using the blood of those the weapon is being made for.”

  Surprised, Kane looked at Brenna. Forged with blood? When did she discover that? What else was she hiding? She met his eyes and looked away. If he was to be of any use to her as an advisor he had to gain her trust, but that seemed impossible in the few days she had left in Kingsreach. He sighed - he knew what he had to do. Whatever she decided to do, wherever she decided to go, he must go with her. He would have to give up his life in Kingsreach – who knew when they could be back? But if it meant the prophecy would be fulfilled, he had no choice.

  “Here you are, Master Innis.” Dasid placed the notebook in the smith’s hand and Kane watched as the old man stroked the cover reverently.

  “It feels like it’s mine,” Innis said. “That doesn’t make sense, but there you have it.” He carefully opened the book. “This is a record of how to forge weapons for the Brotherhood of the Throne,” he read. His voice was tentative at first and then grew stronger. “I, Gareth Farrer, record this for the benefit of all my descendants for use in the service of the Brotherhood.” Innis looked up at them and a slow smile spread across his face. “I don’t recall anyone in the family by the name of Farrer but I must be one of his descendants. I’m honoured to be able help the Brotherhood.”

  “Can you start right away?” Kane asked.

  “I won’t be able to rest until I’ve read the book through anyways,” Innis said and he grinned. “Now, I’d best be off.” He stood up. “I’ll need to get my apprentices working hard so’s I can free up my time for this. The Brotherhood can count on me.” He closed the notebook and placed it inside his vest. With a nod he turned and left the cavern.

  “Dasid, keep in touch with our smith,” Kane said. “Help him get whatever he needs to start this work.” He turned to the other two men. “Thank you for your time. It looks as though we won’t need you after all.”

  “I’m a little disappointed,” said one of the merchants. “Even though I’m not a smith. It would be a fine thing to aid the Brotherhood.”

  “I’m sure your help will be needed some day,” Dasid said. “But now, I’ll show you both out.” Dasid led the two merchants down one of the tunnels.

  “When were you going to tell me you knew a little about how old steel is made?” Kane asked Brenna. He walked behind her through the tunnel that led into the house.

  She hesitated, her hand re
ady to push open the secret panel.

  “I didn’t know until recently,” she said without turning around.

  She pushed the panel aside and he followed her into the sitting room.

  “You could tell me how you knew,” Kane said.

  “I just knew, that’s all,” Brenna said. “Like most things with old steel, I can’t explain it.” She brushed past him and into the hallway.

  Kane heard her feet race up the stairs and he sighed. Leaving Kingsreach with Brenna was what he needed to do. She’d learn to trust him on their journey. She had to. But by leaving Kingsreach with her he would be breaking his oath to his King. He would not break one oath and then not fulfill his older, earlier oath to the Brotherhood. Brenna had to learn to trust him. She had to.

  Brenna sipped her tea slowly. Before dinner Kane told her he wanted to talk to her in private. He’d been very pleasant during the meal but she didn’t think she could delay him anymore. After his questions this afternoon she thought she knew what he wanted to talk about.

  She hadn’t meant to reveal the information about the blood but Master Innis had seemed so nice - and so excited to do important work for the Brotherhood - that she’d wanted to help him.

  Brenna liked the Brothers she’d met. They’d been very generous to her, especially Feiren and Kane - she truly hoped they succeeded in whatever they needed to do. But she didn’t want to lead. Just because she had two of the bloodlines didn’t mean she was the one they were looking for. She refused to believe it. She swallowed the last of her tea and put her empty cup down. She couldn’t put this off any more.

  “Ok, let’s talk,” Brenna said.

  Kane pulled her chair out and she followed him to the sitting room. Once there she nervously paced the room.

  “Please, sit,” Kane said. He gestured to one of two cushioned chairs pulled up by the fireplace.

  She sat down and Kane took the chair across from her. He leaned back and smiled at her and Brenna clenched her hands. What was wrong with her? It was Kane. All he wanted to do was talk to her.

  “There’s no reason to be nervous. I’m perfectly harmless, really,” Kane said.

  “I doubt that,” Brenna said. He smiled and she relaxed a little. “This all seems so formal. You requested my time hours ago and didn’t invite Feiren.” The fact that Kane was leaving his uncle out of this threw her off balance a little.

  “I’ve already spoken to Uncle Feiren about some of what I want to discuss with you,” Kane said. “But this needs to be a private conversation.” He hesitated. “My uncle is not privy to everything I do. Whatever we discuss, whatever we decide, he’ll know only what we both feel he must know. It’s to protect him as well as us.”

  Brenna nodded. That made sense. She was going to sneak out of Kingsreach. The fewer who knew exactly when and how, the safer she’d be. Maybe that’s all Kane wanted to talk about?

  “So,” Kane leaned towards her. “We need to plan your next steps. You agree that you can’t remain here any longer.”

  “Not and remain sane,” she said. “Never in my life have I spent so much time inside. If it wasn’t for weapons training and … well, getting out at night, I would have left long ago.”

  “One day I hope to know exactly what you’ve been doing at night.”

  Brenna looked down at her hands. She hoped that he never learned. It was her business, not his, not the Brotherhood’s, hers.

  “I’ve been using your own network to try to find out, you know,” Kane said. When she looked up, startled, he laughed. “Don’t worry. Even Eryl doesn’t suspect it’s you he’s been asking about. I simply asked him to look out for anything unusual happening around the Collegium, most especially the library. He’s had a couple of small incidents to report. One involved the theft of some laundry, but that could be anyone, couldn’t it?”

  “Anyone who wanted clean clothing,” she replied. “We agree I need to move on. Do you have some more ideas?” She was tired of the Brotherhood trying to run her life. Anything they suggested she would reject. She’d go back to the Quarter if she had to. Eryl would help her hide. Kane couldn’t have bought Eryl off to the point he’d betray her, could he?

  “Actually I was hoping you’d given it some thought,” Kane said.

  Surprised, she looked at him. He seemed sincere, but could she trust him?

  “It’s your life,” Kane said. “You don’t have to tell me what your plans are but it would help with provisioning. If you haven’t decided yet I suggest you figure it out very soon. We leave in five days.”

  “Five days? You can’t mean that. I can’t be ready to leave in so short a time.” There wasn’t enough time to properly explore Duke Thorold’s estate. She had to retrieve her mother’s knife. She would not allow that murderer to keep it. “And what do you mean we? I really don’t need you to supervise me. I’m not a child.”

  “I’ve told you before,” Kane said. “My duty is to ensure your safety. I’ve spoken to my uncle and I’ll be resigning my captaincy in the next few days. Leave the travel preparations to me. I’ll have everything ready in five days. I suggest you make some time to practice riding before then. Uncle Feiren will help.”

  “You expect me to ride a horse?” As a child she’d lived above a stable full of horses, but she’d never been allowed to ride them. “I can’t. I won’t!” Riding. And traveling with Kane? She did not want this. She wanted to get away from the Brotherhood.

  “I can help you leave Kingsreach,” Kane said. “I can keep you safe. Spend some time learning to ride. We leave in five days.”

  Five days. That wasn’t enough time. She had to get her mother’s knife.

  Brenna breathed out in disgust. She’d just entered the secret passage that led to Duke Thorold’s estate and despite her need to focus on the task at hand, she couldn’t stop thinking about her conversation with Kane. She’d changed her mind about learning to ride. It was a useful skill - one she would need once she was out of Kingsreach. She drew her black breeches from her pack and jammed her feet into the legs. That would show him. She’d learn how to ride and then she’d lose him along the trail. She pulled the black shirt over her head, bunched up the student disguise and shoved it into the pack. With a shake of her head she willed thoughts of Kane away. She could not afford to be distracted, not tonight.

  She whispered the spell to hide her pack and slung it onto her back before she set off down the tunnel. A few minutes later she was outside the servants’ hallway.

  This time when she felt for old steel she was prepared for the wail of her mother’s knife. She counted a total of ten pieces in and around the house. Seven of them, including her mother’s knife, were bunched together and Brenna didn’t think they were being used by anyone. They seemed stationary and lifeless, but the distress of her mother’s knife made it hard for her to be sure.

  She closed her eyes and concentrated. Yes, the weapons were in a room that was on the plans. The corridor that led to that room was on the other side of the dining room, which should be at the end of this servant’s hallway.

  She searched for old steel again. The three other pieces felt like they had owners. One piece was in a room above – a bedroom most likely. The other two seemed to be outside the house. She looked at those two more closely. Definitely swords, and they were moving. Guards then. She would keep track of those two.

  Her right hand tapped her knife hilt nervously as the sounds of servants finishing their chores drifted to her.

  When the house had been quiet for over an hour it was time to go. She pushed the panel door open and stepped into the hallway. She wasn’t as prepared as she’d wanted to be - she only had the one exit, and it was a long way from where her mother’s knife lay - but she was out of time.

  It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the near dark of the house. She was in luck. The door to the kitchen was closed. She passed it and paused at the entrance of room at the end of the hall. This was the room she had to go through. She settled her back
against the wall and searched the shadows for any signs of movement and checked to make sure the old steel hadn’t moved before she slid into the room. Carefully she maneuvered around the furniture until she reached the opposite door. It was open and Brenna peered into the hallway. She’d need to turn right, and then left.

  She stepped lightly into the hallway. Just along, here, yes this should be it. She ducked into a narrow corridor and headed in the direction of her mother’s knife. Here. This was the room. The door was open and Brenna stepped in. Now that she was so close, the knife pulled at her. She moved slowly towards a large desk. That’s where the knife was. She knelt down and gently tried the bottom drawer.

  To her surprise the drawer opened smoothly. She felt inside but didn’t uncover the knife. A false bottom, then. Brenna checked for the usual release mechanisms and finally heard a soft snick. She lifted the drawer bottom up and grabbed the knife. She shoved it over her shoulder and into her pack. Time to get out. She heard a noise and froze.

  By the Brothers, in her haste to get her mother’s knife she’d forgotten to check for the guards. She ducked under the desk and looked for old steel. Two pieces were still outside on the grounds, but the one that was in the house had moved, was still moving. And it was headed her way. Had she made some noise and given herself away or was he doing his usual rounds?

  Brenna kept as still as possible and concentrated on the sounds of the house. Footsteps became louder as they approached the room she was in and her sense of old steel confirmed that they carried a sword. The footsteps stopped outside the room and silently Brenna cursed. Except for the window, her only way out lay past an armed guard. A few minutes passed with no movement from the guard. If she hadn’t been able to sense his sword, she would have sworn he’d moved off by now.

  Brenna’s muscles cramped painfully but she didn’t dare move. The guard had been standing outside the door for close to an hour. He didn’t know she was in here - he would have caught her by now if he’d known, wouldn’t he? It was just bad luck that he had chosen that spot to stand in.