Thief

by Jane Glatt

statements from you and your household.”

  “Stop!” Thorold shouted. “You will not lay a hand on this woman. She was my indentured servant and she and her mother plotted to kill me before she escaped. She is my property and I demand that you leave her in my custody.”

  “That’s a lie!” the girl shouted. “My mother was a healer - she didn’t plot to kill anyone. She couldn’t defend herself against you and you killed her.”

  Thorold stood, how dare she talk to him like that. “You think to accuse me? You are nothing. My bastard daughter by a mother who was both witch and whore.”

  “If my mother was a whore, it was you who made her one! She was a witch and a healer, with powers you never understood,” she said. “Powers enough to make sure she never bore your child, no matter what hold you had over her. My mother loved my father and he loved her until he died in a hunting accident. That’s right grandfather, your son fathered me, not you. And in all the years after he died, my mother never once let her secret out - not when you bedded her, not when you hit her, not even when you killed her.”

  “You lie!” Thorold’s rage took hold of him and he stood up. Alastair, his son, his fine firstborn son, would never have done that. He saw Fridrick shrink back in fear but Brenna, that witch, and Rowse, stood together against his fury. He’d teach them to fear him. “Guards, kill her, now!”

  The room filled with the hiss of swords clearing scabbards. Thorold looked around in dismay - all but two of the weapons were pointed at Fridrick. Thorold’s eyes narrowed. His two guards glared at each other over crossed swords. So, this was how he’d been betrayed.

  “I don’t think you really mean that, Duke Thorold.” Rowse’s voice was calm in the quiet room. He stood beside the girl, his ancient sword in his right hand “Even you would find this difficult to explain to the king.”

  “Well Captain,” Thorold said. He sat back down. With a calmness he didn’t feel he smoothed a hand down his vest. “It seems you have the advantage for now. And Tobias,” he looked at his guard whose sword was pointed at Barton, his one loyal guard, “It was you who betrayed me, was it?” When Tobias bowed in his direction, Thorold suppressed a surge of anger.

  “Tobias and I go way back,” Rowse said. “It must be what, eight or ten years?”

  “Yep. It was our first year in the Guard,” Tobias said.

  “As you’ll find with many guards in Kingsreach, my Lord Duke,” Rowse said. “There are ties with the Kingsguard. I think it’s time we took our prisoner back to the castle. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to her, would we?”

  “No we wouldn’t,” Thorold said. “Because Captain Rowse, as soon as you leave I will be petitioning the King for the return of my property. Don’t lose our young friend here.”

  Once Rowse had left with Brenna, Thorold sat in quiet rage. Fridrick and Barton stood silent in his salon. The girl lied, of course. She couldn’t possibly be the daughter of his son. She was a witch, like her mother. But the mother had real power, as she’d shown at the end. He’d often wondered why someone with true power had allowed him to control her so completely. She could have poisoned him or made him trip and fall down stairs – so many ways she could have caused his death. At the time he’d been unaware of the danger he’d been in but it had caused him more than a few sleepless nights since. Until today he’d wondered if she’d been the cause of Alastair’s death, but what if she’d used her power to seduce his son? Had the witch managed to turn his own son against him without him knowing?

  “Fridrick,” Thorold said. “You need to find out how the Brotherhood is tied to Kane Rowse and his uncle. Go, now.” Fridrick bowed and scurried from the room. “Barton, I need to know where in the house the thief was. And create a detailed list of items she was attempting to steal. A complete list, you understand.”

  “Yes my Lord,” Barton said. “I believe she was trying to steal your seal. I assume so she could send orders in your name.”

  “Yes, I believe she was. Good, I think we understand each other perfectly.” Thorold watched as the guard saluted and turned to go. “One more thing. Find out who else in my household has close ties to the Kingsguard. If you think they are spies, kill them. I will not have any more betrayals.”

  “Yes my Lord,” Barton replied.

  “Send in my steward. I must prepare to see the king.”

  Kane tried to control his anger but his horse sensed it and danced nervously. His men filed out through Thorold’s front gate, Brenna clutching Dasid tightly as she perched on his saddle behind him. Once they were all through the gate, Kane wheeled his horse and caught up to her.

  “Brenna,” Kane said. “I am furious but right now I need to know if you’re all right.” He kneed his horse and it sidestepped a wagon.

  “I’m fine,” Brenna said. “I’m sorry Kane. Thank you for coming for me.” She shuddered and gripped Dasid more tightly. “I don’t want to think about what he planned to do to me. I shouldn’t have provoked him, but I couldn’t help it. He killed my mother right in front of me.”

  Kane met Dasid’s glance – neither of them had known this.

  “We’ll talk,” Kane said. “You owe us the truth about that and the fact that Duke Thorold is your grandfather.” She nodded and hung her head. He had to be satisfied with that for now.

  Kane didn’t speak any more than he had to until they were at the castle. The horses were led away to the stable and the rest of the guards headed for the clerk to give their statements. Kane headed for his office, Dasid, Brenna and Tobias in tow. They had to be ready when Thorold petitioned the king.

  “Tobias,” Kane said. “Do you have somewhere outside of Kingsreach where you can go?” The man would now be in danger from Duke Thorold.

  “Yes, I’ve a plan. It’s not like this wasn’t expected. In fact,” Tobias grinned, “I was getting a little tired of the old duke. He pays well, but he’s not pleasant to work for.”

  “I can imagine,” Kane said. “Dasid will get you some crowns. You can buy what you need from the master at arms. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. You can send word to Dasid later.” Kane sat down behind his desk. “I think your part in this is finished, if you wish it to be.”

  “Well, Captain,” Tobias said. “I’ll get myself clear, but I’ll be in touch. My family has been part of the Brotherhood for a long time. I doubt those old family ghosts would let me rest if I got out just when it’s getting interesting.” Tobias winked at Brenna. “Besides, seeing our lass here get the duke so heated up was more fun than I’ve had in some time. I wouldn’t want to miss any of that.”

  Kane sat silently, arms crossed over his chest as Brenna paced his small office. Tobias had left almost ten minutes ago and he and Dasid had been waiting patiently since then.

  “Brenna,” Kane said. “We need to know.” He’d hoped she’d finally volunteer, but they didn’t have any more time to wait. Duke Thorold would petition the king soon.

  Brenna sat in a chair before the desk and looked across at him.

  “I know,” she said. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to put anyone in danger and I certainly didn’t plan to cause major problems for you or the Brotherhood.”

  “Apology accepted,” Kane said. “I’m disappointed, though. You can trust me Brenna. I hope now you will because to be honest, this could go badly for you if you don’t.”

  She sighed and nodded. “I know. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

  “Good,” Kane said. “Duke Thorold is probably on his way to see the king. If I thought we had until tomorrow, I’d get our horses ready to leave Kingsreach tonight.” Kane stopped talking and stared at her, hard. “You need to start helping us. Dasid will record this so let’s start with Thorold – you say he’s your grandfather yet he thought he was your father.” He looked over at Dasid, who had a blank sheet of paper and a quill set up on a corner of his desk

  Brenna leaned back in her chair and bit her lip. Kane sighed again and she sent him a worried look. The sh
e took a deep breath.

  “My mother may not have had any power over Thorold,” Brenna said. “But she still was able to get the better of him. I told you that she was an indentured servant. She was sent to him when she was young and he took her to his bed almost immediately. She was sixteen.”

  “And how did his duchess feel about this?” Dasid asked. He smoothed out a parchment and started to write.

  “The duchess was very ill,” Brenna said. “In fact Duke Thorold bought my mother because he needed a healer for his wife. My mother said she spent a lot of time tending the duchess. That’s where she and Alastair met. He was their eldest son and also sixteen.” Brenna paused and Kane saw a sad smile flit across her face.

  “My mother and Alastair fell in love,” Brenna continued. “Even though he knew what kind of attention the duke paid to her. Then my mother decided to have Alastair’s child.” Brenna twisted her hands together and leaned forward in her chair. “She knew herbs she could use to make sure it was Alastair’s child she bore. I have no idea why she wanted a child. Perhaps she had a touch of foresight and knew Alastair would die soon and she wanted to keep part of him, or maybe she simply wanted someone to love. She would never answer when I asked. My favorite reason,” Brenna smiled darkly, “is that my mother had me to spite Duke Thorold. We had a secret, one that made us feel