by Katie Roman
She shook it and smiled, but she refused to say anything else. She liked Thom and Ridley, and most days Marcus as well, but lately the divide between their beliefs and hers was becoming more noticeable. They were friends for now, but who knew how long that would last?
~*~*~
Ridley sat across from Grace; her mouth in a tight line and her arms crossed over her chest. The young woman had been moody since entering the Angel. Word reached Ridley of the breakfast in the market, but she wasn’t taking it in the same stride as Thom.
“Is something troubling you?” Grace finally asked. The question would annoy Ridley into finally speaking.
“A guard? Have you really learned nothing from your time with us?”
“I have learned a great many things. I have learned not to trust the little children that run wild in the streets, not to buy vegetables from old Hannah, and not to drink the market fountain’s water.”
“And don’t talk to guards beyond ‘good day’ and ‘good night’. What were you thinking? Dinner and now breakfast? And with the man who plans to throw us all in the lock up, too!”
Grace shook her head and reached across the table to pat Ridley’s cheek, but her friend leaned backwards to avoid contact. “I’m not a girl who was born and bred here. I don’t obey the same rules you were taught to.”
All around them people laughed and talked and carried on. The occasional Guild member would turn around, whisper, and pretend not to be eavesdropping when Grace shot him a nasty look. Thom had absolved her, but that didn’t stop tongues from wagging. Grace wasn’t surprised, but she had hoped Ridley would be more understanding.
“Sergeant Moore is out to bring Marcus down. How can you let him court you? He means to bring ruin on us all.”
“He’s not courting me. He thinks I’m a spy for Marcus, in fact.” Grace rolled her eyes. The best way to settle an injured Ridley was to find a subject that angered her more. “Jack is back in Glenbard.”
The Princess of Thieves heard a great many things, and she certainly would have known Jack was in the Angel yesterday. “I saw the snake!” she growled; unfolding her arms, slamming her fists down and shaking the table. “He came in on the Dawn, from what I heard.” Grace frowned with this bit of news. What was he doing in the company of Kay Lansa? “Who does he think he is? Coming here after all he’s done!”
Gossip was ever swirling around Grace’s head, oft times painting her negatively. She was cold, arrogant, naïve, a coquette, and beyond. However where Jack Anders was concerned, pity came rushing her way. Those who heard Jack’s name within earshot began decrying him and the angry words spread like wildfire. Never were the regular patrons more united than when it came to defending Grace against the fiend who broke her heart. Given the current situation with Sergeant Moore, the unified front against Jack wasn’t going to last long.
“Thom said you met with him today?” Ridley’s anger about Nathaniel was forgotten for the moment while concern for her friend took over. She was ready to chase down Jack and slit his throat when he first left.
“We left a great many things unsettled, and I had questions only he could answer.”
“You’ll get only lies from Mad Dog Anders.”
Grace thought about Jack coming in on the Dawn and how he looked nervous when she met with him. If he was involved with Kay, her heart would break anew. Her frown deepened at the thought.
“Do you suppose he bedded Captain Kay?”
Ridley bit her lip. She knew Grace would eventually find out the truth, even if the next words were a lie.
“I don’t know. I’m sure he did, though. Oh, please don’t cry, Grace!” Grace wiped tears away from her eyes, but more replaced them. Her heart felt heavy inside her chest and the break that had healed tore once again.
She no longer wanted to talk about it. She was only at the Angel to have dinner with Ridley, and now that was spoiled.
“Don’t go, Grace!” Ridley protested when Grace got up from her seat.
She put down a few coppers and made for the door without saying another word. Once outside, she let the tears come with no thought to stop them. She genuinely thought the well had dried up by now, but then she saw Jack again. Naturally she should cry then, but to cry at the mere thought of him finding another woman? That was insanity. He left her; why wouldn’t he be wooing another? Still, she had loved him. She’d told him she loved him and then he was gone.
Grace stormed off home, crying the entire way. Luckily there was enough light from the sun that she had no trouble navigating through her tears. She wiped them off her eyelashes, but there were always more to replace them. Her nose snotted and her breath came in choked sobs. Those she passed stared as she went by.
Let the fools stare! she thought angrily. She wanted to go home and be in her mother’s arms while she cried it all out. Damn Jack, damn Marcus, damn Harris, and damn Glenbard! Using the back of her hand, she continued to wipe the tears away.
By the time she reached her lodgings, the sun’s light was a dim ember in the west. She had just enough natural light left to see Nathaniel waiting for her outside. She’d forgotten the urchin had brought him her apologies.
“I just got off my patrol and thought I’d come accept your apology in person.” He stopped his advance on her. “Are you crying?” Grace sniffled but didn’t respond. “Did they upset you at the Angel? I’ve taken a few insults from my fellows about this morning as well.” Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck and scrunched up his face in disgust. “It’s none of their business how you spend your time.”
“That’s true enough.” The same could be said of Jack and who he was with. The truth of Nathaniel’s statement didn’t lessen the pain, and Grace’s tears started anew.
The sergeant was quick to pull her into a hug this time. One arm wrapped tightly around her waist while his other hand smoothed down her hair. Grace let her head rest on his shoulder and tried to suppress the sobs.
“Come now, Grace, your friends couldn’t have been that cruel.”
The plan had been to go home, go to bed for a few hours of sleep, and then sneak off to the Emerald and have Jack arrange a private meeting with Kay. Damn the both of them, she thought. Kay Lansa would never listen, anyway. Chances were if she knew the Death Dealer wanted Harris, she’d spirit him out of Glenbard before morning. The thought of seeing the two together almost caused Grace to break down again. She shook her head into Nathaniel’s shoulder, trying to banish her self-pity.
“Let’s go over to the night market,” Nathaniel suggested. The market closed down at night, but the performers stayed for a bit after the sun set to entertain. Puppets, storytellers, fiddlers, jugglers, and the occasional acrobatics group could easily be found around the fountain. Grace rarely went, because who had time for such frivolity?
“I cannot believe you’d want to spend any more time with me.”
Grace felt Nathaniel shrug. She pushed herself away from his shoulder to look up into his face, though she allowed him to keep holding her close. His mouth was upturned slightly at the corners.
“It has been a long trying day, and I find a distraction always helps lift my spirits. It will be better than sitting alone in Mistress Fisher’s lodging house, crying.”
“I’d like to wash my face first,” she muttered.
Nathaniel used his thumb to swipe away an errant tear, and Grace could only imagine that the dirt and grime of Glenbard had stuck to her face while she ran through the streets crying. She was probably a mess to behold, but it made her feel better that Nathaniel was willing to keep all comments to himself on the subject.
Grace went into her room while the sergeant waited dutifully outside. Each morning, she filled a bowl of water for cleaning. By the time she arrived home each evening, it would be warm from the heat of the room. She felt refreshed as she splashed the water on her face, but looking in the water afterward it was a dingy gray. She dried her face and freed her hair from the loose bun she had pulled it into earlier in t
he day. She combed out her hair. It was certainly too hot to keep down so she braided it as best she could. She had no suitable clothes to change into, so she removed her dress and beat it out the window to clean it of some of the city’s dust and dirt. Satisfied she couldn’t do any better in cleaning up, she ran back down to meet Nathaniel. He didn’t offer his arm to her this time, but he chatted excitedly about the market’s entertainments. Clearly the sergeant was quick to forgive.
At the night market, a decent crowd of people had gathered. They came from all over the city to enjoy the entertainment. Nathaniel allowed Grace to lead them around and she found a clearing where a small band of musicians had gathered. She asked Nathaniel to dance, though after one song she decided it was a bad decision. Apparently no one had ever taught the good sergeant how. Grace led him over to the fountain to sit after the failed attempt.
“Would you like something to drink? Or perhaps one of those sugared cakes? Or bandages for your crushed toes?” Nathaniel pointed to a wagon that had been wheeled into the night market. A woman with black hair and the darkened skin of a Nareroc native was peddling little cakes.
“Wine and a cake would suit me,” she said.
Nathaniel rose to find the refreshments while Grace stayed near the fountain. Through the crowds, she caught the eye of the last person she wanted to see. Dark skinned with thick black hair, wearing the hose and shirt of a man, and wielding the body of a seductress. Kay Lansa was at the market. She saw Grace almost as soon as Grace saw her. There was no way to escape a confrontation now.
The pirate captain smiled her wicked little smile and moved languidly through the crowd. She plopped herself down next to Grace and put an arm around her shoulder. The gesture was too friendly for Grace’s taste, but when she tried to shrug the arm off, it only pulled her closer and tighter.
“Grace Hilren…sweet, innocent little Grace.” The last time Grace had seen Kay, the captain was none too pleased that Jack preferred the younger woman to her.
“Kay. I hear you’re stirring up trouble, as usual. Aren’t you a little old to be pillaging the coasts? Is this a gray hair I see?” Grace reached for Kay’s hair but her hand was smacked away. “Causing trouble here in Glenbard like you own the place?”
“What have you heard?”
Since Grace wasn’t going to bother going to the Emerald, she figured she may as well try to get information this way. “Just that Harris Atkins wants to board your ship. You know Marcus will have your hide if you take him.”
Kay laughed a throaty laugh. “I know all about it, but that one’s trouble. He can pay for passage on the Dawn, but only a fool would actually let him board. It’d never be safe for me to dock in Glenbard again.” On the sea Kay was a queen among pirates, but in Glenbard even she bowed to Marcus’s rule. “Besides, I don’t need any more hot heads on the Dawn.”
Grace saw Nathaniel at the cake wagon haggling over prices with the woman. She wanted to be rid of Kay, but there were more questions and none of them were easily asked. She mentally flipped through options of how to ask without seeming too interested in Kay’s business.
Only a few moments of silence had passed, but Kay decided to fill them. “I saw you attempting to teach that guard buffoon how to dance. How are your toes? I imagine they took a licking from those boots he wears. He is certainly no Jack Anders.” It was a deliberate jab at Grace. “I heard from one of the thieves that you allowed that ruffian to kiss you right in the middle of the market. It upset Jack greatly when I told him. Luckily, I was there to comfort him.” Kay wanted to hurt Grace; it was just her nasty way and it hurt. It also confirmed what Ridley suspected. Kay had been in Jack’s bed.
Grace elbowed Kay in the stomach in the middle of the pirate’s nasty, gloating laugh. The wind quickly escaped Kay’s lungs and her arm loosened from around Grace’s shoulders. Being free of the grasp wasn’t enough for Grace, though. She took advantage of the momentary stunned nature of Kay and tipped her backwards into the fountain.
Grace was on her feet in an instant, hand to her mouth. A crowd quickly gathered around the thrashing figure in the water. Nathaniel appeared at her side, his hands overburdened with cakes. He was without drink, but that was fine. Watching Kay struggle to get out of the fountain was more refreshing than a long pull of wine.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know! She was fine one moment and then in the water the next.” Grace took one of the cakes and bit into it. Despite what everyone knew about Grace’s past involving swordplay, no one ever looked at her and expected her to be anything but sweet and innocent.
Nathaniel looked at Grace and then at the drenched woman who had managed to get herself out of the fountain. He must have recognized her, because a smile appeared on his face. Kay glared at Grace and balled her fists at her side. “You bitch!”
Grace shrugged and held her hands palms up. “So sorry; it was just an accident. It’s too bad your clothes are ruined.”
Nathaniel hooked his arm with Grace’s. “We best be off.” The situation was funny, but Kay had a temper and everyone knew it. There was no need for a riot in the market.
Hurrying away from the scene with cakes in hand, Nathaniel and Grace left the market. Satisfied that the evening was well spent, Grace asked to be taken home. She bid her escort good-night with a kiss on the cheek and went up to her room.
It would have been hard not to smile with Nathaniel. He said nothing of their disastrous breakfast or her trying to leech information from him; keeping the conversation always on pleasant topics. Grace felt lighter listening to him, but once home her grief flooded back. Pushing Kay into the fountain felt good in the moment, but it didn’t make things any better. At least she had gotten some information out of Kay without having to face Jack again. The thought of him with Kay was unbearable, and there was no one she could really talk to about it.
Ridley would listen and comfort, but Grace couldn’t reveal her secret of the Death Dealer. Jack had been so wrapped up in the Dealer that naturally it was only part of the story. Marcus might have understood, but he was always more preoccupied with his own ventures to offer any help. Thom listened, understood and comforted, but she was so angry with him for not being honest and telling her Jack was in Glenbard again. Grace tossed and turned until she finally drifted into a restless sleep.
Nine
Jack stood outside the Emerald, tapping his pipe against the wall and letting the ashes fall into the dirt. It was too hot to be smoking anyway. There hadn’t been a wind blowing through the streets for days.
He heard the sounds of movement in the alley, so rolling his eyes he said, “I hear you, little urchin. Now come out and try to pick my pocket so I can break your fingers.” To his surprise, Nathaniel Moore stepped out of the shadows. “Ah, here’s a surprise. Evenin’ sergeant, and to you as well, captain.” The captain and sergeant came dressed in their uniforms, and both had their batons out in case of trouble. This was no social call to the Emerald.
Captain Ericson had come with Nathaniel as a means of getting information on the Death Dealer. The men stepped into a ring of light from a heightened torch stuck into the ground. Jack tucked his pipe into his belt. His face was concealed in the dark. That was good. He silently searched the darkened corners around the Emerald for reinforcements.
“Master Anders, we were wondering if we could have a word,” Captain Ericson said; taking the lead. “We understand you helped the Death Dealer last year when there was that little ‘scuffle’ amongst the thieves.” He slipped his baton back into his belt and Nathaniel did the same.
Jack shifted and stepped out of the shadows into the light. Nathaniel saw the man was bemused. It made him want to reach over and him for his smugness.
“I remember hearing that while this Death Dealer aided Marcus, another Dealer was spotted in Escion and another in Actis,” Jack replied airily. His smile widened. “Gentlemen, are you chasing ghosts and children’s tales now?”
“This is not the time for j
okes and mockery, sir,” Captain Ericson replied, waving a finger at Jack. If he wanted to, he could drag Jack down to the lockup for sass. Nathaniel was sorely tempted, even if Ericson wasn’t.
“I would never think to mock you fine men.” He erased his smile, crossed his arms, and tapped his foot.
“You are aware, I’m sure, of the problems facing the city since Constable Taylor’s untimely death,” Nathaniel cut in.
“I am, and I’m surprised you’ve found anyone to rally behind your cause. A lot of your men take Guild bribes.”
Nathaniel wanted to launch himself at the cocky man before him, but he shoved his fists into his pockets instead. It wouldn’t do any good to call more attention to their conversation. A Guild spy was probably watching from a nearby window already.
Ignoring him, Ericson plowed on, “You were connected to a Death Dealer. Whether he was the true hero or not is of no mind. Someone patrols these streets and has allied himself with Marcus’s ilk. I have it on good authority that you, in addition to knowing the Dealer, also do not work with the Thieves’ Guild. We want an audience with the Death Dealer.”
Jack tried to hide his emotions by turning his face back to the shadows, but Nathaniel saw uncertainty cross his features. The man’s shoulders slumped, cockiness forgotten for the moment. He could stand there and joke, but he did know the Death Dealer.
“And if the Dealer doesn’t wish to treat with you?”
“One meeting, Anders. One meeting and we will present our case. Will you arrange it?”
Jack ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll try, but I would like to be there as well. I’ve heard a few people there,” he jerked his head toward the door of the Emerald, “say I am the Death Dealer. I’d like to halt that nonsense before I’m expected to ride through the countryside fighting bandits and what not.” He held out his hand for Ericson. “I make no promises beyond trying. It’s true that I owe no allegiance to Marcus, but I’m no lackey to you men, either. I am only a friend to your masked hero, and not a very good one since I’ve agreed to intervene on your behalf.”
