Thief

by Jane Glatt

pleased that she’d not simply agreed with his plans. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  Both men were already in Feiren’s study by the time she got there. Feiren was seated behind his desk while Kane paced in front of it. The room was quiet, but from the looks on their faces they’d been arguing. With a nod to each of them Brenna sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Kane sat down beside her and Brenna settled deeper into her chair.

  “So, Feiren Rowse,” Brenna said. “Kane tells me I need to figure out my future.”

  “Yes,” Feiren said. “As much as I hate to see you leave I think for your own safety you should. And sending you to continue your weapons training in the new school is ideal. I know you’ve already turned it down, but I think that would be best.”

  “I appreciate all you’ve done for me Feiren,” Brenna said. “But the answer is no. I don’t even know where this training school is. I hope you haven’t built it in Comack?”

  “No lass,” Feiren said. “It’s in Fallad.”

  “At least you have that much sense,” Brenna said.

  “We wouldn’t put it any where that Duke Thorold could monitor it, if that’s what you mean,” Kane said.

  “He’d do more than monitor it,” Brenna said softly. “Duke Thorold controls everything in Comack, even the church. He twists the laws to suit his purpose and obtains loyalty with bribes and fear. If he thought something was even the slightest bit threatening – which of course a training school would be - he’d take it over or burn it to the ground. And it would all be legal. At least according to how the laws are used in Comack.”

  Kane nodded. “I’ve received information for years that this has been happening but I have no proof. I’ve never been able to document anything specific enough to confront him with.”

  “I can give you something specific,” Brenna said and leaned forward. “My grandmother was a healer traveling through Comack. She was accused of being a witch and had a bond placed on her. The man who made the accusation was a noble who then bought her bond, even though that’s not legal. Finally, the noble set the value of my grandmother’s work very low and the cost of her upkeep high. He literally enslaved her by ensuring that she would never be able to pay off her debt to him. Once my mother Wynne was born the costs of caring for her were added to the tally against my grandmother. When my mother turned sixteen her bond was sold to Duke Thorold, who promptly took her to his bed. The cycle started all over again when I was born.”

  “By the gods.” Feiren said. “I had no idea Duke Thorold was committing such evil.”

  “Thorold fathered you,” Kane said. “That means you carry one of Wolde’s bloodlines.”

  “That’s true,” Feiren said, surprised. “You should have told us, lass.”

  Both men looked at her but Brenna remained silent. She wasn’t Thorold’s bastard, but they didn’t need to know that.

  “I still don’t see how Thorold can twist the laws like that,” Kane said at last. “The law states clearly that a child of an indentured servant is not to be considered indentured. They have done no wrong that requires payment of a debt.”

  Brenna’s breath caught in her throat and she suddenly felt cold. Was that true? All those years and she’d never legally been indentured? Her heart twisted and she stifled a sob. Her mother had never been legally indentured either! Brenna hugged her arms tight to her body and closed her eyes.

  “Charging the parent the costs of keeping a child fed and clothed is permitted,” Kane said. “But the child is free and must be compensated for any work they do.”

  Brenna opened her eyes and stared at the old steel on the wall behind Feiren. If she let them, the weapons would glow red hot with her anger. Duke Thorold had much to answer for. And by the old gods he would answer to her.

  “Usually,” Kane continued. “Wages that a child earns are applied to the cost of their upkeep. The bondholder must track the child’s wages and settle up the accounts no later than the child’s sixteenth birthday. In no way does the bond holder have the right to sell the child into servitude.”

  “Can Thorold have changed the laws in Comack to allow for this?” Brenna was surprised that her voice sounded normal. She unclenched her hands and tried to relax her shoulders.

  “No,” Kane said quietly. “The laws governing bonds and indentured servants can only be changed by the king and his council. That hasn’t happened yet, although Thorold and the High Bishop continue to petition the king.”

  Brenna sat back in her chair. Her anger seeped away and what was left was bitter despair. Her mother should never have been indentured. Thorold had forced her into his bed and then he’d killed her and all the time he had no right, no right at all.

  Brenna let the conversation swirl around her as she struggled with what she’d just learned. Oh how Thorold must laugh at the ignorance of his people. Poor lack-witted commoners didn’t know the laws and likely couldn’t read enough to learn them. Thorold must pay for this. She had to search his office soon. There had to be evidence of his treasonous agreement with the King of Langemore. And she would find it.

  By the end of the discussion Brenna had refused to commit to any of Feiren’s or Kane’s suggestions. She’d made a decision of her own. After she brought Thorold down she would travel to Aruntun. She would let the other healer’s family know what had happened and try to find her grandmother’s family. For years she’d had her network searching for her grandmother, but there had never been even one word about Madelay Trewen. Brenna wasn’t even sure she was still alive.

  When Dasid placed an old ledger on the desk Kane glanced up.

  “Here,” Dasid’s finger pointed to a faint line of script. “This sounds about right. Healer Madelay from Aruntun, convicted of using witchcraft, is indentured to Lord Pantall of Comack. I can’t make out the bond price but it does mention more charges to apply once the child is born. This must be Brenna’s grandmother.” Dasid sat down across from Kane. “Why didn’t you ask her why she kept her relationship to Thorold a secret?”

  “I can’t just force her to give me information,” Kane said. “I need her to trust me.” Kane peered over the spidery script. The Kingsguard required each duchy to send copies of all convictions and judgments to them in Kingsreach. It was rare that records as old as these were referred to, but they were all here. He and Dasid had been searching through them for hours.

  “I think that’s what we’re looking for,” Kane said. “Good work. Now we need to find out about Brenna’s mother. Let’s just see if Lord Pantall recorded anything about Brenna’s mother. Her name was Wynne and she was sixteen when she went to the duke. Kane pushed the book to the side. “Trying to force Brenna to tell me anything would just make her angry - and that would not further the Brotherhood’s cause.”

  “No, of course not,” Dasid said. He picked up another record book. “But I hope she decides to trust us soon.”

  “So do I,” Kane said. “For the sake of Soule, so do I.”

  They spent the rest of the day fruitlessly searching the records. There was no mention of a healer or indentured servant named Wynne either leaving Lord Pantall’s household or entering Duke Thorold’s. Next they looked for any mention of Brenna. Her mother had lived on Duke Thorold’s estate from the age of sixteen and Brenna must have spent her childhood there - it explained why she was so interested in Duke Thorold. Thorold wouldn’t treat his bastard kindly and Kane couldn’t imagine Brenna allowing someone to treat her poorly, not once she was old enough to do something about it. She’d probably run away.

  If it was a legal indenture, which he suspected it was not, there should be a record of a runaway. But they’d found no entries about either Brenna or her mother. He could only assume that Thorold had been twisting and misusing the law in order to secure what amounted to slaves. Kane had never liked the man, but now he was thoroughly disgusted. How many others were in the same situation in Comack? Duke Thorold had to be stopped. Kane thanked the old gods that the prophe
cy was already in motion. If Duke Thorold gained more control much of Soule’s peasantry would find life very difficult.

  Brenna rolled her shoulders to try to loosen them up. She was inside one of the walls of Duke Thorold’s estate. The servants had finished up for the night and had just gone to their quarters. Soon it would be time for her to find Duke Thorold’s study. She expected sturdy locks and clever hiding places, so tonight she wanted to do a quick survey to figure out which tools she needed to bring with her next time.

  Brenna silently stretched as the household settled for the night. When the house had been silent for over an hour, she gently eased the panel open. It was time. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the moonlight that spilled into the hall from windows in adjoining rooms. She placed a small piece of twine between the panel and the wall to ensure she could get out.

  As she’d suspected from her previous visit she was in a servant’s hall. Her soft-soled shoes made no sound on the wooden planks of the floors as she stepped to an open doorway and peered into a room. An office. Too close to the servants’ quarters to be Duke Thorold’s, though. She glided in and studied a few items on the desk. Accounts and orders for household goods, that was all.

  The rooms only door was the one she’d come through. She took a few minutes to