Death and Honor: Book 2 of 2 (4 page)

Xander gave her another squeeze. “You’re not alone anymore. You’re with me and if anyone doesn’t like it they answer to me.”

She laughed and wiped away her tears. Seeing she was better Xander said, “We should try to rest.”

Kaylin curled up on her side and Xander laid down beside her, his back to hers. He kept the cleaver out and ready. If anybody showed up, they wouldn’t take them without a fight.

Xander slept poorly, his eyes popping open at the slightest sound. At dusk he gave up and pulled an apple out of the grain sack and set to eating.

He’d finished half the apple when Sophia sat up and stretched. “Morning,” Xander said. “Or should I say evening. Hungry?”

She accepted a slice of bread and a piece of meat without comment and ate. After the silence had reached an uncomfortable length Xander asked, “Are you all right?”

Sophia looked at him and tears streaked her face. “I’m all alone again. First Mother died, then Master Hess died, and I’m alone again.”

“You’re not alone. I’m here, Kaylin’s here. We’ll protect each other. You’ll see.”

Sophia stopped crying and Xander shook Kaylin awake. When they’d all eaten their fill and drank from the skins they pushed through the shrubs and walked back to the road. “We should stay on the edge so we can hide if anyone comes along,” Xander said.

They walked along the edge of the road for most of the night. They reached the edge of the scrub forest a little before moonset. The road continued down into a broad, flat plain stretching as far as they could see in all directions. About a mile away a multitude of lights glittered, the city of Arbadha at last.

“I doubt they’ll let us in before sunup,” Kaylin said as if reading Xander’s mind.

“We’d better go a ways back in the scrub and wait.” Xander led the others a short distance from the forest edge and, in a small clearing, they sat and shared the last of the food and water. They got damn lucky they didn’t have another day’s travel, without food or water the three of them would have been in sad shape when they arrived.

“Why do you suppose they didn’t come after us?” Kaylin asked.

“Maybe they did, but missed us.” Sophia sounded disappointed they hadn’t gotten caught.

“We would have heard something if they’d come after us, hunters beating the brush, the dogs, something,” Xander shook his head. “I bet they rounded up the others and decided three ragged slaves weren’t worth the trouble especially since one of us is willing to kill for our freedom.”

“Would you have killed more people of they’d found us?” Sophia trembled, this time with anger. “How many people have to die so you can be free?”

Xander looked her in the eye. “As many as it takes.”

Sophia didn’t appear to like that answer and stalked off by herself.

“What’s her problem?” Kaylin asked.

Xander shrugged. “What are we going to do when we get to the city? I’m a descent fighter, but I doubt anyone will want to hire a teenager as a bodyguard.”

“I’m a damn good thief. I expect I can make a living in this or any city. We should team up if things go sideways on a job it never hurts to have some muscle to back you up.”

“Suits me.” He already killed a man so cracking a few heads didn’t seem like a big deal. “I need a proper sword. I can’t scare anyone with a kitchen knife.”

“A club might be better. I’ve noticed the guards look harder for a murder than a thief.”

Xander nodded, willing to concede to her greater experience. The two of them settled under a pair of towering palm trees to wait for morning.

T
he sun brightened
the horizon after a couple hours. Sophia returned, looking calmer. “Shall we head out?” Xander asked.

Kaylin gave them a critical look. “We’d better wait for another group to come along and go in with them. Three kids coming to the gate alone combined with your unique look, Xander, will draw way too much attention.”

Xander couldn’t argue. Maybe he could find a leatherworker to make him a half mask. That would draw attention , but nowhere near as much as his scars.

They got lucky when, half an hour later two carts loaded with fruit and vegetables, each pulled by a bay draft horse, trundled down the road past them. On the bench of each cart sat a filthy farmer in a worn tunic. Once they creaked past Xander and the girls followed along behind, if the farmers noticed or cared they gave no sign.

When they reached the city gates, a pair of massive double doors that loomed twenty feet above their heads and looked about two feet thick, a quartet of bored guards dressed in baggy pants and open vests stopped them. One came toward the farmers while the rest leaned on their spears and yawned. Xander suspected the last attack on the city happened a while ago.

The guard held out his hand and the first farmer dropped a silver coin into it. The other guards moved aside and the cart proceeded through the gates. While the second farmer paid his toll Xander dug a silver coin out of Hess’s pouch. When they took their place before the guard he babbled something in a language Xander didn’t recognize. He looked at the girls and they shook their heads.

Taking pity on them the guard switched to the trade tongue and said. “A silver coin each outlanders.”

“What?” Xander knew a rip off when he heard it. “You charged the farms one coin and they had a cart and horse. Surely a single coin is enough for the three of us on foot.”

All the guards chuckled. “The farmers came here to trade. We did them no favors. They will also be taxed on every sale they make. This visit will cost them far more than the silver coin we collected.”

Xander dug two more coins out of the almost empty pouch and handed them over. “Thank you kindly, sir.” The guards parted and the three companions entered the city.

When they moved out of earshot Xander said, “Thieves, three silver coins to enter their stupid city. They should all be flogged.”

Kaylin laughed. “Remember we’re thieves too.”

“As least we’re not government sponsored thieves. Let’s find an inn. I need a bath in the worst way.”

“A bath sounds fantastic.” It was the first things Sophia had said since she returned from her walk.

“Which one should we choose?” Xander asked. “There must be dozens in a city this size.”

“Let’s find a shabby looking one,” Kaylin said. “Not only will it be the one we can afford but they won’t ask questions.”

“Lead on.” Xander and Sophia followed Kaylin through the city in search of a promising place to settle.

Xander was no expert on architecture, but walking around the strange city it became clear the people in this part of the world had a different idea about how to build a city than the people back home. The first and most obvious difference being height, Xander had yet to see a building less than three stories tall. It made a certain sense. With a walled city eventually the only direction to expand was up. The other odd thing was the occasional onion domed tower jutting up above all the other buildings. Given their height they had to be lookout towers.

“This looks promising.” Kaylin stopped in front of a dirty, slightly leaning four story building with a sign sporting a beer stein.

“As long as it doesn’t collapse while we’re inside it should be fine,” Xander said.

“When Master Hess brought me to the city we stayed at his home,” Sophia said. “It was a nice three story building and I had my own room.”

“If it’s any consolation no one here will rape you or whip you if you miss behave,” Xander said.

They went in and found the common room empty save for a snoring old man seated behind a desk, a staircase leading the second floor behind him.

As they approached the old man roused himself from his stupor. “Can I help you?”

“We need a room and a bath” Kaylin took the lead dealing with the old man.

“We’ve got four singles on the third floor and one suite on the forth. A single is three coppers a night and the suite is a silver per night and includes a tub and small kitchen. If you want it long term it’s two gold per month.”

“We’ll take the suite,” Xander plunked down four silver coins.

The old man swept them up and fished out a key from the desk drawer. “Number three on the fourth floor. Second floors the dining room if you get hungry.”

Xander accepted the key and they went upstairs. The dining room held three parties and two score tables. The third floor was nothing more than a hall with a dozen doors lining it, and the fourth floor was on the same idea but there were only three doors, each with a large number painted on it. Xander went straight to number three and unlocked it.

Inside the suite was unremarkable. It had a small common room with a bed, couch and two wooden chairs that looked horribly uncomfortable and a cracked table. The kitchen had a small stove beside which sat a half full coal hod and a sink with a water pump. Xander hated to think how much effort it would take to pump water up four stories. The final room held a small tub and a bucket. The lack of a water pump implied you had to lug the water from the kitchen sink. On the plus side, the drain plug would make emptying it a cinch.

“I want to go first.” Without waiting for an answer Sophia grabbed the bucket and headed for the kitchen.

Xander nodded. “Let me give you a hand.”

Kaylin followed them to the kitchen and muttered, “How come she gets to go first?”

“Because we need to make plans. We’ve got enough coin to buy some food and little else. We’ve got four days to find a way to make some money or well be living on the streets.”

Xander pumped and in short order clear water poured out the spigot. The bucket filled in a hurry and after three trips Sophia closed the door to the washroom and commenced splashing.

“How bad a shape are we in?” Kaylin asked.

Xander poured the remaining coins on the table. They made a not so grand total of three silver and seven copper coins. He slid two silvers to the side. “That, along with the kitchen knives should buy a poor, blunt sword. The rest might feed us for a couple days if we’re not too hungry.”

“I see why you didn’t want to pay the guards. Guess we can’t be too fussy about our first job. I’ll walk through the market tomorrow and get a sense of it; I’ll get some groceries as well. You see about getting that sword.”

“When will we make our move?” Though he hated to admit it the idea of being a thief excited him.

“Usually I’d want to spend a week getting to know the market, but given our money situation we’ll have to move things forward. We’ll go day after tomorrow at the busiest time in the market.”

“When is that?” Xander asked.

Kaylin scowled. “I don’t know. That’s one of the things I need figure out.”

T
he exciting life of a thief
, Hah, Xander snorted from behind the stinking pile of garbage heaped in the alley Kaylin stuck him in. He crouched about a hundred yards from the market, far enough to be inconspicuous, but near enough if she ran into trouble. On the ground beside rested a crude sword with an edge so dull it barely cut the air.

Yesterday while Kaylin scouted the market Xander had gone to find a sword smith with merchandise of such poor quality he could afford it. It took five stops, but he found one. After half an hour of arguing, the merchant referred to it as haggling, he traded the cleaver and knife along with the two silver coins for the poor excuse for a sword sitting beside him. Forged of iron rather than steel it had several spots of rust already. The hilt had worn so much he’d had to tear strips off his pant legs to fix it. The only thing it had going for it was near flawless balance that made up for its multitude of flaws.

Two hours cooling his heels in the alley had Xander so bored he almost hoped Kaylin ran into trouble so he could take out his frustration on someone’s head. He leaned back against the wall and sighed, no sense worrying about it. If everything went smooth they’d have money to last a while and if not he’d get some exercise. Xander patted the sword at his side.

“Xander!” Sounded like she was in trouble. He grabbed his sword and hopped to his feet. Kaylin raced around the corner, two men close behind. She smiled when she spotted him.

Xander stepped in front of her, sword raised. “I guess it didn’t go smoothly?”

“Less smooth than I’d hoped.” Kaylin gasped for breath.

Xander nodded but didn’t comment. He faced her pursuers, one was skinny and a little taller than Xander and the other must have weighed two-fifty. The fact that he kept up with Kaylin impressed Xander.

“Stand aside,” The fat one said. “We’ve got business with the girl.”

“The girl is my friend and if you have business with her then you have business with me.”

“Get lost, kid or you’ll end up a lot uglier than you are now.”

“Now that’s just rude.” Xander planted his feet and leveled his sword at them. They laughed when they saw his rusty sword.

“You think you can scare us with that rusty hunk of iron?” The fat man laughed louder. “Kill these two Squeak so we can go.”

The skinny man drew a foot long curved knife and started toward them. Xander step forward to meet him so Kaylin wouldn’t get in his way. Xander drew a breath and let it out. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Squeak laughed, a high, shrill giggle and Xander shook his head. He held his sword at middle guard and waited for his opponent to make the first move. The skinny man fainted then pulled back. Xander didn’t react. The man’s weight hadn’t shifted forward so he knew there was no danger. “See that, Squeak,” the fat man shouted. “Boy’s scared stiff. Now get on with it.”

Squeak lunged for real this time. Xander dodged left and the skinny thief stumbled past. His sword crashed down on Squeak’s shoulder, snapping his collarbone, and sending his knife clattering to the alley.

Xander kicked the dagger to Kaylin who scooped it up. Turning to the fat man Xander said, “Your turn.”

Despite his dark complexion the fat man paled. “You’re lucky I’m not in the mood to fight today, scar head. But you should know you’ve made a powerful enemy today. The thieves’ guild doesn’t take kindly to strangers working our city.”

Squeak staggered past Xander to join his friend. “We’ll be seeing you again soon.” The fat man said as he and his friend retreated up the alley.

Kaylin hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You were wonderful.”

“Thanks.” Xander disengaged himself from her. “Did you get something worth all this trouble?”

She held up two fat purses and shook them. The jingle of coins brought a smile to his face. “Let’s get back to the inn and see.”

W
hen they got back
the scent of sizzling meat greeted them. Sophia stood at the sink and smiled when they entered. “How’d it go?”

“Not sure yet,” Xander said. “What’s cooking?”

“The last of the ham. I’ll toast some bread and we can have lunch.” Sophia took out a half loaf of bread and the bent knife they’d found in one of the kitchen drawers and sliced.

Xander and Kaylin sat at the kitchen table. She set the two pouches on the table along with the knife they’d taken off the skinny thug. Xander examined the knife while Kaylin opened the pouches. It had a fine edge and was forged of excellent steel. Either the thief had plenty of money or he stole it from someone that did.

The clink of coins drew his attention back to the table. Kaylin dumped the contents of the pouches and a quick count revealed two gold coins, a dozen silver, and twenty copper. Not a king’s ransom but enough to tide them over for a few weeks. The gold would pay for their room for a month.

“How do you think we did?” Xander asked.

“I’d say pretty well. The gold is an excellent surprise. Most people don’t carry coins that valuable in a belt pouch now we can get you your mask.” Kaylin held up her hand we he objected. “No excuses. You earned it today. We’ll get something in black leather, something that will intimidate people.”

“If you want to intimidate people my face will do that without a mask.”

She smiled and patted his scarred cheek. Sophia brought three plates of food and Xander fell to eating with a vengeance. About half way through the meal he looked up and noticed Sophia watching him as he ate, ignoring her own food.

“Is it good?” she asked when she noticed him looking at her.

“Very good, thank you. Aren’t you going to have some?”

Sophia beamed and picked at her own meal. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed she continued to watch him as he ate. She constantly looked to him for approval. Perhaps now that Hess was dead she needed someone else’s approval. Xander hoped she’d get over it. He had trouble watching everything he said for fear of damaging her fragile ego.

“If we want supper we need to go out for supplies,” Kaylin said.

“I’ll go,” Sophia said.

“Good, Xander you go with her. She can help you pick out a mask.”

Xander started to sigh but caught himself. The last thing he wanted was to go out again after the fight this afternoon. Still, he couldn’t let Sophia go out alone. Someone might grab her. If any of Hess’s associates recognized her they might claim her as a runaway slave. If he went the only way someone would take her was over his dead body.

Xander finished his meal then stretched out on the bed to rest. He held the thief’s dagger and grazed his finger along the edge, keen as he’d thought. It had good heft, but the balance was all wrong for throwing. It would make a fine backup weapon and as long as he had to see a leatherworker about a mask he’d ask about a sheath for the knife.

“Ready?” Sophia had finished washing the dishes and cleaning up.

Xander hauled himself to his feet and found a scrap of cloth to wrap the knife in. He collected the money. “Let’s go.”

They went downstairs and Xander slapped two gold coins down on the innkeeper’s desk. He scraped them into a desk draw. “Don’t forget you’ve got to be out in thirty days unless you have more coin.”

“Thirty-two days, I’ve still got two left on the silver I paid you.”

“Thirty!”

Xander unwrapped his dagger and cleaned a fingernail. He glared at the innkeeper. “Thirty-two.”

“Thirty-two sounds right,” The innkeeper whispered.

Xander smiled and wrapped the dagger. “I thought it might. Good afternoon.”

They left the inn but hadn’t gone more than a few steps when Sophia said, “You threatened that man.”

Xander glanced at her, surprised at the note of disapproval in her voice. “Yeah, so?”

“So? You can’t go around threatening people.”

“He was trying to cheat us. If I let him get away with it he’d keep trying every time we paid the rent or bought a meal. We’re not rolling in wealth here. We can’t let people get away with trying to rob us. After today I guarantee at least one merchant won’t try it again.”

“It doesn’t seem right,” Sophia said.

“It isn’t. Corruption and greed are everywhere. My father fought it all his life. Since I grew up around the fight I find I have little patience when I come across it.”

They wove their way through the city to a smaller market favored by local merchants rather than the primary market where he and Kaylin worked earlier. It didn’t take long to find a leatherworker’s stall. Three sides of the stall held boots, belts, and other odds and ends.

The merchant noticed Xander looking over his wares. “I bet you’re looking for a half mask.”

“That’s right.” Xander swallowed his annoyance. He set the knife on the counter and unwrapped it. “I also need a sheath for this.”

The merchant hefted the knife and looked it over with a practiced eye. “I might have something that’ll fit unless you want something custom.”

“Close is good enough.”

The merchant rummaged through his stock, trying several sheaths until he found one in black leather that fit the knife like it had been made for it. He handed the sheathed knife back to Xander who drew the blade and sheathed it several times. It fit perfect. “How much?”

“If you buy it with the mask I’ll let you have both for four silver.”

“Deal.”

The merchant took out a string with a bunch of knots tied in it and came around to the front of the booth. “Hold still while I get some measurements.”

Xander stood still while the merchant measured around his head and along the length of his jaw. When he finished he asked, “How do you want this done?”

“Plain black leather, same as the sheath.”

“With a phoenix centered over the scar,” Sophia said. Xander looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Remember how we found you?”

Xander remembered smoke and fire and pain, crawling out of that burning house. Now here he stood, raised from the ashes. “I remember.” He looked to the merchant. “Add the phoenix.”

He put three silver coins on the counter. “You’ll get the rest when it’s ready.”

“Fair enough, sir.”

Xander took his knife in its new sheath and they went to get the food.

A
gain Xander hid
in a stinking alley close to the marketplace. After last time he hated to go out again, but they didn’t have a coin to their name so if they wanted to eat they had no choice. At least Xander had gotten used to his new mask. For the first few days it felt wrong and itched to high heaven, but now he hardly noticed. As an added bonus fewer people stared at when he walked past.

Xander smiled. He had to admit he liked the looks he got now, fear and respect rather than disgust. He also quite liked how the phoenix emblem on the side turned out. Sophia had been delighted when she saw it.

He shook his head. What was he doing here? Whoever had killed his family was walking around somewhere hundreds of miles away and here he was crouched in a stinking alley waiting for a thief. Traveling took money and they were just managing to survive. He’d have to be patient. His situation couldn’t get any worse.

“Xander!”

He jumped to his feet as Kaylin rounded the corner. Two men with curved swords sheathed at their sides followed a moment behind. Xander got between them, sword ready. The sight of an armed opponent brought them up short. Kaylin ducked behind him huffing and puffing, a second later the fat man from before joined the first two at the end of the alley.

Xander looked back at Kaylin. “How come you never come back with dancing girls chasing you?”

“Tell you what, we get out of this alive and next time I’ll run through a brothel on my way back.”

“Think you could get me a couple girls to go?”

“I hate to interrupt this witty banter,” the fat man said. “But there isn’t going to be a next time. These two are our best enforcers. You’re not getting out of this alley alive.”

“Do we have to do this?” Xander drew his knife and held it in his off hand. “Can’t we join the guild?”

“You two? Don’t make me laugh. Neither of you is fit to join the guild.”

“Yeah, but I beat that other guy and he’s a member. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“No.” The fat man gestured toward them. “Kill them and let’s go.”

Xander grimaced as the enforcers advanced down the alley. His gaze darted around the alley, looking for anything that might give him an edge. He found nothing but two piles of garbage and a lot of stink. The enforcers separated so he couldn’t face them at the same time. If he let one get behind him he was in big trouble. Xander wracked his brain trying to remember what his father said about fighting two men at once. Avoid it if at all possible. That was out. If you couldn’t avoid it attack.

He’d have to get lucky and take one out fast. He saw no way around it; he’d have to kill at least one of them. Steeling himself Xander charged the man on his left. The attack caught the enforcer off guard, but he got his sword up in time to block Xander’s attack.

Kaylin screamed and he dropped flat on his back, the second enforcer’s sword whistled over his head. Xander stabbed up with his knife, driving several inches into the second man’s inner thigh. He twisted the blade and ripped it out. Arterial spray jetted out, good he’d hit the target.

Xander scrambled to his feet, ready to face the other man. Rather than attack the enforcer knelt beside his injured comrade. He looked up at Xander. “You killed my partner!”

Xander tightened his grip on his rusty sword. “Better him than me. Why don’t you two take a walk? No one else has to get hurt today.”

“Wrong.” The enforcer got up from beside his dead partner and advanced toward Xander. “You need to get hurt.”

“Are you that much better than him? The two of you couldn’t take me together. Do you think you can do it alone?”

“He was lucky!” The fat man shouted. “You can take him.”

“He might be right,” Xander said. “But you notice he’s not running up here to take me on. Why do you suppose that is?”

The enforcer looked back at the fat man and Xander didn’t hesitate. He took two long strides and swung. His blunt sword cracked into the enforcer’s head and he fell in the ground, unconscious or dead, Xander didn’t care. He turned to the fat man at the end of the alley. “Ready to go?”