By Grace Alone (The Death Dealer Book 2) (12 page)

Nathaniel scratched his chin and frowned. “I can’t really come and visit you here. Let’s hope she calms or leaves soon. I’d like another meal with you; ideally one that doesn’t end abysmally.”

She gave Nathaniel the best smile she could muster. When he bent down and kissed her lips softly, heat rushed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. For the briefest of seconds, she forgot why she was hiding at Marcus’s house and why she had been so upset for days. Nathaniel pulled away and bowed; a genuine smile on his face. Grace watched him leave and head up the street toward the Rogue’s Lane guardhouse.

Grace went into the house to find Thom waiting patiently for her. “Where is everyone?”

“Ginger’s gone home, I thought Ridley was with you, and as you know, Marcus is out.” The kitchen had two stools and a little wooden table, upon which there was a lone earthenware bowl. Grace must have interrupted Thom’s evening meal. He sat on one of the stools and gestured for her to do the same. “Trouble, then?” She was grateful he didn’t mention the kiss on his front step.

“I felt
someone
needed to shut Kay up. We had a bit of a tussle, and she won’t have trouble finding where I live these days. May I stay here until she leaves Glenbard or calms down?”

“Of course. And since we’re alone, I thought we could revisit the—”

“Stop. I said I’d do no more favors.” At least none for Thom. Going to the temple in the wee hours of the morning to meet the guard was another story and another favor. Grace toyed with the idea of telling Thom. “I think it best if I pack up my hood and bow out of service.” Thom wouldn’t ask her to help him in exchange for a safe house. He wasn’t like that, but in the back of her mind she thought of Marcus. He had to be in contact with Thom somehow. He was still King of the underworld, and he was the one who pulled the strings.

“You gave it all up once before but you still came back to life.”

She frowned. “I’m only stepping off the stage. I can’t help the Guild – not with this. When the Harris matter is settled, we can discuss my oath again.” She needed Jack to hurry back with more information on the slippery Harris. The whole nasty business needed to be resolved, and soon. “Though…” she bit her lip. She didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to have Marcus treat her as he had Adam. “The Guard requested my presence through Jack.” She decided to keep her lie to Nathaniel to herself.

Thom frowned and stood up from the table. Grace looked out the window at Thom’s garden. His flowers glowed in the sunset. She couldn’t look Thom in the eye.

“And?”

“I made a promise, but—”

He held up a hand. “You said you were bowing out of service until this blows over. Are you or aren’t you?” Thom was not a man who got angry, but his face flushed from the neck up now. Grace could only imagine what a mad Thom was like.

Grace swallowed hard. She started to light the candles on the table so they weren’t stuck staring at each other in the dark. She set one down before Thom.

“I want to hear what they have to say. I don’t have to say anything back, and I’d never endanger the lives of your men.”

“I can’t stop you, but I’m going with you.” There was finality in his voice. “I want to hear what they say, too. I’m going, and you can’t stop me any more than I can stop you.”

“They can’t know you’re there.”

Thom held out his hand. They shook. “Thank you for telling me, dear.” He kissed the top of her head. It was a friendly gesture she didn’t deserve.

“I’d like to get some sleep.”

“As you wish. I’ll put down a bedroll in Ridley’s room. You can stay as long as your need requires.” He excused himself from the table and went into the bedrooms to set things up for her.

~*~*~

It wasn’t hard for Jack to find Kay; he just followed the sounds of angry curses to the inn she stayed in. The woman was pacing a groove into the floor of her room. Ridley was with her at the inn, doing a halfway decent job of containing the fury.

“Leave us,” Jack instructed. Ridley was all too happy to comply.

“I’ll gut the little wench, Jack!” Kay turned her rage to him. She had yet to let go of the knife she’d pulled earlier. He saw her lip had been bleeding; there was a dried blood trail from her lower lip to her chin. Grace hit harder than he expected. A bruise had already formed under the captain’s eye as well.

“Serves you right, spreading rumors.” He was in no mood to play nice with Kay. Not this time. She could terrorize the seas, take cargo to sell on the black markets, smuggle goods into port, or beggar merchants, but in his city she acted like a silly, jealous woman. And right now, in here, she was one woman, without a crew, and in the wrong. “I should have let Grace beat on you some more.” Grace wouldn’t have held the advantage for long, but watching her pummel Kay had been pure enjoyment while it lasted.

Kay spit, missing his boots by scant inches. “I won’t stand for that-”

“Keep your mouth shut! You’re not going to do anything. In fact, you should wrap up the deals you’re making and get out of Glenbard as fast as you can.”

“And who are
you
to tell me what to do?”

Jack untied his coin purse and dropped it on the floor between them. It was opened just enough to show the shine of gold. Jack’s past in the royal courts of Cesernan had left him with a few gifts, which he put in this purse. Let the woman sell them and be gone.

Kay’s eyes widened. She stared, transfixed on the gold. “Where does a rusher like you get such finery?” She bent down to examine the contents, sliding the knife back into its place on her belt.

There was a gold ring set with sapphire, a silver bracelet, and a fine braided chain in addition to some coin. All were gifts from his mother, who despite his disgrace, still called him son when no one else did.

“I know how and what to gamble. That should buy the people of the city peace from the likes of you.”

Kay had far too much pride in herself, but she wasn’t wholly immune to a decent bribe. She was a businesswoman and knew fine goods when she saw them, and the contents of Jack’s purse would keep the
Dawn
stocked for a few months if she could sell them to the right person. And Kay always knew the right person. Merchants in the islands looking for signs of status would want the jewelry and pay handsomely. When her fury was set aside, Kay Lansa was no fool. Fools didn’t survive long in her chosen field.

“Why do you waste so much effort on that sniveling little girl? She’s already replaced you and I could make better use of you on the
Dawn
. A strong arm like you is a useful ally.”

“It is my own affair why I do as I do. If you take that bounty, you and I have a deal.” He didn’t offer it up as a choice.

“And if I disagree?”

When he first settled in Glenbard, people had dubbed him ‘Mad Dog Anders’. He was fierce, trained, and wholly devoid of friendship or emotion. His eyes narrowed on Kay so that she could see deeply within to the mad dog. Jack had never hurt a woman before, but everyone had a tipping point. Grace was his.

“I’ve finished my deals in the city anyway. I was only staying on in the hopes I could convince you to join me. Obviously that won’t be happening. I’ll leave in the morning the day after tomorrow provided no other deals come my way, but I won’t hurt your precious flower while I linger,” she sneered.

He held out his hand and she shook it; her hand warm and firm. “You and I used to be friends, Mad Dog.”

“And you didn’t used to spread rumors about me.”

Kay chuckled, mostly to herself. “You could have asked me, as your friend, to leave Grace alone. I still have some regard for you. Have no fear, though. Despite the insult you hurled at me, assuming money is my only motivator, Hilren is safe from my blade over this offense.” Kay turned her back on Jack to look out her little window.

“I’ll leave you to nurse your wounded pride, Kay, and you may want to do something about that black eye.” Jack left before she could respond, but as he closed the door, he heard something crash against it. Kay would continue to rage for a while, but she wouldn’t attack Grace unless someone paid her more than Jack had to do it.

~*~*~

Their meeting was a secret one. Thom came alone after the midnight hour was called to meet Marcus, who was dirty and surly. The thief King didn’t say where he was hiding, but Thom could tell it was a place he wouldn’t normally frequent. Thom could almost feel the anger in the air. All around them, tombstones sprouted out of the ground like stone shrubs. Their shadows loomed long in the moonlight and the air was thick with tension and uneasy spirits.

“Harris eludes me at every step.” Marcus’s voice was a hate-filled whisper. “I might have caught him at the Emerald, but somehow the fool knew I was coming. I need the Death Dealer. That one moves like a cat stalking a mouse.”

“She’s sworn it off until Harris is caught.”

Marcus growled in the dark. “No she hasn’t. She and Jack Anders are having secret conferences. They’re up to something, and it’s not a lover’s rendezvous.” He tapped his foot anxiously in the dirt.

Thom didn’t like the city’s graveyard. It was bad luck to be in them after midnight, and people said spirits didn’t like anyone to plan wrongdoings in their home. However because of those same superstitions, it was the safest place to meet.

“I’m going to track her, Thom. I know she hasn’t given up on Harris. She wants to be the one to find him, but I don’t know why yet.”

Grace did have a funny sense of chivalry. Chances were she would find some way to help Harris. It was odd to Thom. She was as aghast as anyone when he killed the constable, but when Marcus expressed the need to catch and punish him, she was quick to change her mind. She was a creature who felt the need to be guilty. Guilty about a man’s death, guilty about other’s fates, guilty about not having control over every situation she was in.

Thom genuinely liked Grace, though. Marcus did too, but he had to put the Guild first. And right now, everyone was in trouble. Nathaniel Moore was actually gaining support among the guards. It was a murmur, easy to miss, but Thom heard it. He heard it even before Grace told him about the proposed meeting. The city was being thoroughly combed for Harris Atkins, even though the Guild was a longstanding institution that governed itself. If Sergeant Moore succeeded and brought Harris in first, the balance of power could shift. Marcus wasn’t about to let that happen, and as his right hand man, Thom couldn’t either.

“Moore has already reached out to the Death Dealer through Jack,” Thom said.

“I know. I saw Ericson and Moore’s conference with Jack. I take it she told you?”

“Yes, and I’ll be hiding close by when she hears their terms. She wants to hear what they say. I’m curious myself.”

“And is our little honorable lass aware you’ll be going?”

Thom nodded. “Aye. I refused to take no for an answer. She’s aware my being there will be beneficial to the Guild, but she can’t stop me any more than I can stop her.”

“What a strange girl. I suppose she told you because she’s afraid of me.” Thom saw Marcus rub his temples through the gloom. The older man clapped a hand on Thom’s shoulder when he finished.

“Should she be afraid?”

“I’ve made men disappear for lesser betrayal. I’d hate to have to do the same to her, but I won’t suffer anyone who is a threat. Not to me, and certainly not to my people on the Lane.”

Thom had seen a number of men “disappear” over the years because they crossed Marcus. Hands, ears, teeth or feet sometimes resurfaced so families knew they were gone, but the bodies had a habit of staying gone. There once was a Guild spy positioned among the guards as a clerk. He grew a conscience one day after another hothead like Harris killed a guard, but before the spy had a chance to rally support, Marcus whisked him out of bed. It had been Thom’s unenviable job to bring a bag of teeth to the man’s widow. It wasn’t a job he wanted again. He didn’t want to ride into Arganis with a bag of Grace’s teeth, or worse, to present to her family.

“How are we to handle this, then?” he asked.

“Encourage Grace to occupy Sergeant Moore, but keep her in sight,” Marcus instructed. In the dark, Thom could make out his form leaning against a tombstone and he shuddered. “Men in love are sloppy.”

“And what about women in love? How can you follow a woman who’s spending time with her beau?”

Marcus scoffed. “I have faith her mind won’t be too muddled.” He sighed. “Though I am concerned about Jack. I told you to scare him off.”

“She saw him at the Emerald. My threats were no good once she learned he was back.”

“Poor girl. Nothing for it now, I suppose. Go on home and get some sleep, Thom. Report back to me once the meeting with the Guard is over. If I know our girl, it’ll be in Diggery’s Temple.” Thom nodded. “I’ll be skulking around Kamaria’s Temple, then. If it looks like the Death Dealer is about to make a deal with the Guard, do what you must.”

“And Jack?”

“He’ll make a fuss if anything happens. Make sure his mouth stays shut.”

“Yes sir.”

Ten

It was just as Jack said. The temple was ill-lit and Jack sat in a pew before the statue of Diggery while Nathaniel and Captain Ericson sat across the aisle. They tried not to shift anxiously in their seats. Outside, four guards from the Golden Road house waited in case there was trouble. The captain need only blow his whistle and they’d rush in.

Grace saw all this from her position in the back of the temple. Thom crouched across the aisle, fighting to stay awake. They’d arrived an hour before the guards, and Jack saw to it that the candles were lit so that from the shadows she couldn’t be seen. Hunkered down between two pews, Grace’s legs were beginning to cramp. Nathaniel and Ericson had been waiting nearly twenty minutes for her. She’d kept them waiting to see if they said anything of importance to Jack or tried to bribe him for information. Nothing. No one said anything. Grace readjusted her sword and slowly stood.

Her knees cracked audibly, but no one at the front of the temple noticed.

“Gentlemen,” she said. She didn’t like to talk as the Death Dealer, but when she did she lowered her voice as best as she could and kept all communications to a whisper.

This time the guards both stood and stared at her, and she kept her hand on the hilt of her short sword as she walked to meet them. When she was just out of arm’s reach, she stopped. From this distance she could still run if she had to. Jack rose to stand just behind the guards.

“I understand you wanted to speak with me,” she continued, when no one else made a move to talk. “I can’t imagine it was for the pleasure of my company.”

Ericson’s scowl looked worse in the candlelight. He looked more menacing with the flickering of the candles only illuminating part of his face. His eyes were dark cavities, but his mouth was a clear frown. The Death Dealer had sided with the thieves upon entering the city, so it only made sense that the captain was in no mood for quips from the tiny hooded figure.

“You’ve been an ally to Marcus for some time, and I know you’ve been helping him look for Harris Atkins,” Ericson said.

Do you now?
Grace thought. “There have been worse men than Marcus ruling the Lane.”

“That’s true enough, but why should any but the Guard, the keepers of the King’s law, patrol the city? What right does a Laner and a thief have to call himself King? Out of fear or because of bribes the Guard has always looked the other way, provided Guild men didn’t get too uppity, but this should not be. When a guard – any man, really – is killed, justice should be done; not this interference from men like Marcus. He has no right.”

“Your fellow captains don’t seem to follow this line of thinking,” Grace said.

“I’m going to change that with the help of honorable men like Sergeant Moore.”

Grace regarded Ericson in silence while Jack and Nathaniel shifted behind the captain. She’d heard of this Merchant’s Way captain once or twice. He was from a long line of guards, and even had an uncle in the magistrates’ council. He had money through his uncle, so he wouldn’t have to rely on bribes like some of the guards did. Even the captains of Seafarer’s Way and Rogue’s Lane weren’t so well off they could do without extra coin in their purses. A man like that could afford to have ideals. For that Grace could respect him, but why had he waited so long to take action?

“Why is Sergeant Moore causing such a stir?”

Ericson moved to put an arm around Grace, but she stepped back further out of his reach. “The Guard is full of politics. When a guard dies on Rogue’s Lane, outside my jurisdiction, it’s up to the captain and his officers to make a move in their district. Sergeant Moore is an officer there. It is his right to move against the Guild first and then call for aid.”

Coward,
Grace thought.
You won’t move until you know you can garner support. Nathaniel risked life and limb without knowing anyone would stand behind him. You sat for years, when at any time you could have gone to the magistrates and asked to exercise your power on Rogue’s Lane. They would gladly be rid of Marcus and his ilk. You were able to secure men from outside your guardhouse to watch the temple tonight, so don’t lie to me about not being able to move outside your district.

She growled inside her hood and the fabric vibrated against her face, making it itch. She kept her hands down, refusing to scratch it.

“Does that upset you, Death Dealer?”

Grace cut her eyes to Jack, who gave a slight shake of his head. She’d like to tell Ericson he was wrong to sit on his hands as long as he had, but it was far too dangerous. Ericson had the men of Golden Road outside to answer any summons of help, and Thom sat in the back with his own backup close at hand. Any inflammatory remark she made would upset both men and bring too much backlash on her.

She settled on, “You have yet to tell me what you want.”

“Help,” Nathaniel said, and stepped forward. “You are mired in the Guild, but it does not have to be so. You could be a great asset to us. Your friend, Grace, said you believe in the code of chivalry and true King’s justice. This is the time to show everyone that you are the voice for law and order, not thieves and murderers.”

“Things are not so simple, sergeant,” she said, wishing they were.

“We can offer you gold for your time. Should something happen, we can provide for your friend.” Ericson jerked a thumb in Jack’s direction. “When the Guild gets theirs, do you think it’ll be safe for someone like you?”

Ericson moved and Grace saw his eyes clearly for a moment. They were cold and calculating. This wasn’t about Harris; he was just the easiest target now. Like Sergeant Moore, who could easily have died without serious loss, the Death Dealer was a weapon that if lost, would not set Ericson back. He figured, ‘Let Nathaniel stir up trouble and rally the men, and let the Death Dealer hunt. All the while, I’ll stay safe on Merchant’s Way. If it turns,
they
are gone, but
I
am safe.’

“And what of the thieves? Not all are murderers like Harris Atkins. Many are just men feeding their families by nicking a purse or two. Marcus sees that there are clothes on Lane orphans and food in their bellies. Will you see to that when he’s gone?”

“I will see them locked in a dungeon, and the dregs safe from their violent ways. My father and the other guards who have been killed will have their vengeance.”

Grace didn’t know how often thieves were caught on Merchant’s Way. It wasn’t something Marcus shared, but she’d warrant a guess that Ericson would turn a blind eye to anything the guards wanted to try.

“I’m afraid I am not Glenbard bred. The constable’s death was a terrible thing, but this is a city issue. I am not aiding Marcus in his hunt and I won’t aid you either. You may fight each other to the death; see who catches the man first.” She wouldn’t help anyone capture and kill one foolish man. This meeting just reaffirmed it.

“Knave! You would help Marcus keep his ‘throne’, but when the honest people of this city ask for help, you abandon them?!” Ericson clenched up his fists. It was hard to tell in the shadows, but Grace guessed his face was beet red.

“Captain, you may be as mad as you wish. I don’t disagree. Harris deserves just punishment, but he shouldn’t be a pawn in the war you wish to start.”

Grace turned on her heel. She only needed to make it outside before Ericson. Her footsteps were quick and even.
Just make it outside and run like hell
.

Behind her, Ericson and Nathaniel fell into step, moving quickly for the exit as well. The captain meant to see her locked up, or worse. Grace reached the doors first.

From her vantage point she saw four guards patrolling, one of them five feet to her left. Picking up her pace, she sprinted away from the door before Ericson was able to barrel his way out.

“Stop him!” Ericson screamed and blew his whistle.

Grace dodged the guard at the door. Another swung out of the shadows and rammed his body into Grace’s side. Both went down in a heap. The guard sat on Grace’s legs, his weight making it impossible for her to get up. He tried to secure her hands in a leather band, but she wildly flapped her arms.

The rest of Ericson’s company was descending fast when a dark figure moved out from the alley behind Kamaria’s temple. In an instant, the guard’s weight lifted from Grace’s legs. The figure held out a hand and yanked her to her feet.

Despite the heat, the figure was hooded and cloaked. Grace couldn’t see a face, but the hand that clutched her forearm had a ring of two snakes eating each other.
Marcus
. She nodded to him before turning to run. Marcus ran opposite of her, forcing Ericson to split his forces.

“You two – after the Death Dealer! Sergeant Moore, lead them! You two, follow me!” she heard Ericson scream to his flunkies.

Forcing her legs to move faster, Grace continued her sprint and made a sharp turn into an alley. On one side was a relic shop and on the other, a notary. Unfortunately neither building had footholds for her to use. Climbing up was not possible, but slithering down was.

Grace knew this alley, as it was marked on her map as an entrance to the sewers. The sewers weren’t located throughout the city, only in areas like Golden Road, where the odor of filth might offend sensitive noses. Certain buildings were built with separate entrances for city workers.

Grace felt along the wall of the shop until her fingers found the latch, and then she pulled the wood door up and crawled inside. If she continued to crawl, she’d eventually be out of the crawlspace and could stand up and run to the sea. That wouldn’t be necessary today, though. She only had to sit in a dark, smelly hole for a little while; at least until she was sure Ericson and his men had given up.

Staying on her hands and knees, Grace focused on breathing through her mouth. Where she knelt was only the entrance, the real mess being further down, but she could smell it as clearly as if she waded through it. The scent of rotten cabbages, human waste, and all manner of garbage from the street above wafted through the stuffy air. It was important to focus on the positive side of her situation. At least she wasn’t kneeling in anything wet.

Right above, she heard men talking. “He’s not here, Sergeant,” followed by a muffled response from up the alley.

Grace drew in a deep breath and waited for the men to leave.

“Constable,” – that was Nathaniel – “it’s important we bring the Death Dealer in.”

“Why?
He
didn’t kill Taylor, and if you bring in one Death Dealer, five more pop up in his place. The lad I tackled was small, probably just a pretender.”

“Pretender or no, it’s important Marcus and his Guild see that we have their Death Dealer in our custody. That shows we have the power to take away their game piece.”

“As you say, Sergeant. Let’s move on. No one’s here.”

Grace counted until she lost track, and then she used her foot to kick open the door and backed out. Thom and Jack were quietly waiting at the end of the alley when she straightened and turned.

“I told you she’d make for a sewer entrance,” Thom said. “She’s too clever not to.”

The smell of the sewer was imbedded in Grace’s nose. She flung her dirty sleeve under Jack’s nose and then Thom’s. Both men took a step back.

“I’ll give it to Ginger. She can get any smell out.” It wasn’t exactly heartening news, but Grace would take it. Thom stripped off his shirt and handed it to her.

Taking the cue, Jack turned his back when Grace took the shirt. Thom nodded and turned as well. Grace peeled away her shirt and let it fall onto the dirt. What difference did it make? It was already filthy from only a short amount of time in the sewer entrance.

“Someone give me a belt.” The shirt Thom provided was too long, but it was a blessing because now she could hand off her trousers as well.

Jack grumbled and fidgeted before tossing his belt over his shoulder. Grace secured the belt around her waist, kicked off her boots, removed her trousers, and slid the boots back on. Finally, she pulled her hood off and shoved it down her shirt. She looked down and was content that she was decent enough. The shirt fell to her knees and the belt made it look like a shortened dress. Not the most modest clothing, but it would do the trick until she returned to Marcus’s home.

“You can turn back around now,” she said. She bent down and scooped up her discarded clothes.

A shirtless Thom and a scowling Jack both turned to face her. She couldn’t read their expressions, but she imagined Thom was amused and Jack was annoyed.

“Marcus was there,” she said as she started for the opening of the alley. “But I suppose you already knew that, Thom.”

“I did.” He brought himself up next to her and Jack followed two steps behind. “Are you surprised?”

“No. Are you satisfied?” She hadn’t turned anyone over, and she let the Guard know she wasn’t looking for Harris.

“I’m satisfied. Why don’t you see about washing the stink off you and then go home? I’ve business to attend to.” Thom clapped Grace on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze before leaving her behind.

“He’ll report the whole meeting, you know,” Jack said. He closed the space between them. “And Captain Ericson knows it was Marcus who helped you up.”

“I know.”

“What will you do next?”