Midnight Thief (27 page)

“Wait,” she said. “At least give my love to the kittens. I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye.”

Pashla stopped and sighed, eyes finally softening. “That I will do. You have my word.” The clanswoman clasped Kyra’s hands. “We will meet again. I’m sure of it.”

Yes
,
and I hope it will be on better terms,
Kyra thought.

She watched as Pashla transformed and rejoined the others. The three cats disappeared into the forest.

F O R T Y

T
ristam was the first to break the silence. “Come. We’ll camp tonight away from the road and approach the Palace tomorrow.”

Setting up camp was an uncomfortable process. Czern, the Demon Rider who’d stayed to guard James, was aloof and taciturn. He barely spoke, and he changed into cat shape after securing James to a tree, clearly uninterested in helping Kyra or Tristam with their preparations. Kyra helped Tristam gather sticks for a fire, all the while aware of James’s eyes on her. Czern wandered off briefly and returned with two rabbits, which they cooked for supper.

As the sky darkened, Kyra slipped away from the fire into the surrounding shadows. The stars were more visible here than in the city, and she leaned against a tree, staring up at them through holes left by fallen leaves. Was she making a mistake? This plan could end with her back in the dungeons, but she had to try.

She heard footsteps behind her. And though she’d come out here hoping for solitude, her mood lifted when she saw it was Tristam. He still walked as if it pained him, but he’d regained some color and his eyes were clear.

“Sneaking off?” he asked.

“I needed to clear my head.”

“I thought the open forest made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s better at night.”

He was quiet, and she could imagine the thoughts turning around in his head. He spoke hesitantly. “Is that because—”

“Probably.” She wondered if this was how it would be from now on. Every time she displayed some new character quirk, she would wonder if it came from her Makvani blood.

He took a place next to her, and for a while, they watched the stars together. There was something comforting about his silent presence next to her. Behind them, the fire crackled and popped, casting shadows on the ground.

“Tristam, did you really come here against orders?”

There was the slightest hesitation before he responded. “I did.”

“Will they give you trouble when we get back?”

Again, a pause. “The consequences I face will be nothing compared to Martin’s fate. I’ll be fine.”

He’d avoided giving her a straight answer. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. I came of my own choice, as did Martin.” There was a haunted quality to his voice. His face was drawn, and he was staring intently into the forest, though Kyra was sure he couldn’t see anything. “Yet I can’t help but wonder if I should have stopped him. As much as I chafe against Councilman Willem’s leadership, I can’t deny that I led Martin to his death.”

Kyra thought again of the young Red Shield, with his infectious smile. Then she remembered his dying screams, and her insides twisted.

“Why do you think Martin came with you?” she asked.

“He looked up to me, and trusted me.”

“But he wouldn’t risk his life simply for that.”

For a moment, it looked as if Tristam was going to argue. But then he nodded. “You’re right. He disagreed with Councilman Willem. If a knight had been lost, we would have tried to rescue him. The knight’s kin would have forced Willem to do something. But for a common soldier, or a criminal like you with no one to vouch for them…Willem saw you as a disposable chess piece. I couldn’t condone that, and Martin agreed.”

“You don’t like Willem,” she said.

He shook his head. “I don’t know anymore. I’ve always believed in the knights of Forge, in the Council, in their mission. And to some degree, I still do. My father and brothers serve well in the road patrols. The citizens they guard are genuinely grateful for their protection. But in the city, things are less clear. Maybe there are just too many people. It gets too loud, with everyone shouting to be heard, and some people get drowned out.”

“Do you think it has to be like that?” asked Kyra.

“You mean, do I think things could change?” Tristam tipped his head up again and looked at the trees. “Malikel does things differently, and sometimes others follow his lead. But there are many in the Council who think like Willem.”

“James thought he could change things,” said Kyra. She thought again of the fires.
You can’t change a river’s course with a shovel. You need an earthquake,
he’d said. Funny that the assassin, with all his talk of bringing the wallhuggers down, also saw fit to sacrifice the lives of his fellow citizens.

Tristam glanced in the direction of the campfire. “Let’s hope, for all of our sakes, that James’s way is not the only way.” He pushed off from the tree and turned to face her. His eyes were solemn in the firelight. “I don’t regret disobeying the Council, and tomorrow brings what it will. But I want to apologize.”

He was still able to surprise her. “Apologize? For what?”

“For misjudging you at the beginning. For assuming the worst. I wonder, if we had met under different circumstances…”

Kyra wished he’d stop talking as if they were preparing for their funerals. She forced a smile. “I wasn’t exactly on my best behavior either, but there’s no reason we can’t start anew.”

He smiled. A genuine smile that took the exhaustion off his face. “I’m glad you think so.”

A lock of hair had fallen across Kyra’s forehead, and Tristam brushed it away, though he faltered at the end, as if realizing the intimacy of his gesture. For a moment, neither of them breathed. Then Kyra stepped toward him, and it was with something like relief that Tristam cupped the nape of her neck and coaxed her even closer. Strangely enough, it reminded Kyra of the time she’d shown up poisoned on his doorstep, when he’d tipped her face to the light. But this time she was lucid enough to be acutely aware of his fingers buried in her hair, the newly familiar scent of his skin. And there was something in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Had it only been a few weeks ago when they’d been enemies? But she trusted him now, after all this.

She closed her eyes. His lips, when they touched hers, were soft. Hesitant at first, but growing more confident as she responded. Kyra melted into him, savoring the way his arms tightened around her waist and losing herself in the feel of him. For the moment, at least, she could forget about what would happen tomorrow.

Suddenly, Tristam went still. Confused, Kyra looked up. He was looking past Kyra, and his expression was guarded. Kyra followed his gaze to the campfire behind her. Czern, in cat form, lay by the fire, and James, still tied to a tree, was looking straight in their direction. Kyra turned back to Tristam. Their arms were still interlaced, and she wished she could retrieve the moment. But it was gone.

Tristam took one last look toward the fire and reluctantly backed away, letting out a shaky breath. “I should go make preparations for tomorrow,” he said. “Try to get some rest.” He touched the backs of his fingers lightly to her cheek, and then disappeared into the forest.

She stayed there a long time, looking in the direction he’d gone and feeling the lingering imprint of his lips. When she started to shiver, Kyra returned to the fire and rubbed warmth back into her limbs. Even facing away from James, she could feel his eyes on her.

“I would have expected better from you,” James said.

Kyra didn’t answer.

“Some women try to pull themselves up by becoming a rich man’s plaything. They soon learn the folly of taking such fickle lovers.”

Kyra thought of Flick’s mother and immediately hated herself for it. But now that the story had been evoked, she couldn’t stop thinking of how the woman had left everything for her noble lover, and lost everything.

“You imagine more than you saw,” she told James.

“I saw clearly. And though you might not believe me, remember my words for later. After you’ve lived in his world, placed your hopes with him, made sacrifices for him. He’ll betray you when he’s done with you. Toss you aside when you no longer amuse him.”

There was a hint of grief to his voice, and for a moment, Kyra was surprised that her betrayal would awaken that strong of an emotion in him. Anger, bitterness, disappointment, perhaps, but not grief. Then she realized the grief wasn’t for her.

“You’re talking about Thalia, aren’t you? Something happened to her, with a nobleman. Rand told me….”

And just like that, James’s expression turned to contempt. “Don’t think to understand what you don’t know. Thalia suffered more at the wallhugger’s hands than you’ll ever fathom, and she sacrificed more than you’ll ever have the nerve to risk. With your abilities, you could have surpassed her, but you don’t have the stomach for it. By the time you learn how things really are, it’ll be too late.”

The night wind tickled the back of her neck, and Kyra wondered about Tristam. Would he use her and toss her aside? There was something about James. Even captive and bound, he could still speak with authority, weave his words into a poisoned web around her if she let him.

But only if she let him.

Kyra stood and looked James in the eye. “I don’t believe that all noblemen are as you say. Mayhap I’m a fool, but that’s a risk I will take.”

She put the campfire between them, and he didn’t bother her the rest of the night.

Tristam didn’t return before Kyra went to sleep, though he was sitting at the campfire the next morning. There were circles under his eyes, and Kyra wondered if he had slept at all. He handed her some dried plums for breakfast. Their fingers touched briefly, and Kyra wanted to ask him where he’d been. Would he really be safe returning to the Palace? What had happened between them last night?

“Will you leave soon?” she asked instead.

“Right after breakfast.”

Under James’s and Czern’s watchful eyes, neither of them said any more.

Finally, Tristam stood and dusted off his tunic. “It’s time. I’ll pass along your message.”

Kyra nodded reluctantly. “Do you think they’ll come?”

“They will. Give them a day, two at most.”

If she were braver, she would have said more, but the words wouldn’t come out. Impulsively, she took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, all the while aware of the others watching. Tristam’s eyes widened in surprise, but then he squeezed back.

“We’ll speak again soon,” he said.

Then he turned for the road.

She followed him at a distance. Two squires tended their steeds at the guardhouse, most likely readying for the morning patrol. They looked up at his approach, and their expressions quickly grew alarmed. The one in back reached for his sword, but then relaxed at something Tristam said. He opened his hands, and the squires searched him for weapons. They were treating him like a criminal. But Tristam looked like he had expected this, and after the squires’ search turned up nothing, he let them lead him toward the city.

Kyra trailed them for a while, mostly to assure herself that he wouldn’t be harmed. Then she returned to the meeting place they had chosen. They’d found a clearing close by, where it was easy to see approaching horses. She found a decent vantage point in a nearby tree and settled down to wait.

Late in the afternoon, she heard hoofbeats, followed soon by glimpses of red livery between the orange leaves. Willem and Malikel rode in front, followed by a small contingent of shieldmen. Kyra wondered if she’d have to flee after all, but then the Councilmen ordered their soldiers to wait on the road. Willem and Malikel entered the clearing alone, as she had requested.

It was hard not to be intimidated by the two Councilmen awaiting her. Even though they wore plain riding cloaks, they carried themselves like men who ran a city. Malikel, though stern, didn’t show any overt signs of hostility. Willem, on the other hand, barely even looked at her, as if she were not even deserving of a straight glance. He was the one she would have to be careful of.

“We’d given you up for dead,” said Malikel.

“Not yet.” She was tempted to ask after Tristam, but it would have made her look weak.

“Well, Kyra,” said Malikel. “You have our attention. What do you have to say?”

“James, the Head of the Assassins Guild, is my prisoner. He’s under guard in a safe place, and I’m willing to turn him over to the Palace.”

Malikel’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s not what I expected to hear. We will take him.”

“I’ll hand him over after the Council announces my pardon.”

There was a pause as her meaning became clear to them. Then Willem gave a disdainful laugh. “This is what happens when prisoners forget their place, Malikel.”

“Malikel already gave me his word that the Council would consider my case if I helped bring James down,” said Kyra. “I just want to be reassured of the Palace’s promise.”

“What happened after you were taken by the Demon Riders?” Malikel countered.

Kyra chose her words carefully. “They held me prisoner, but they released me as a reward for exposing a plan James had against them.”

Malikel was studying her again, and Kyra forced herself to return his gaze. Finally, the councilman looked at Willem, and there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “It seems that councilmen are not the only ones who can play games. I’ll leave the final decision to you, Willem, since you’re already accustomed to making unilateral decisions with this prisoner.” Malikel voice was pointed as he said this, and Kyra saw Willem’s eyes flicker toward Malikel. For the briefest moment, rage flashed across Willem’s face, so quickly that Kyra almost thought she’d imagined it. The councilmen were not friends, she realized. Far from it.

“How will you deliver James to us?” Willem was focused on her again, as if Malikel had not spoken at all.

“The Council will write the conditions of my pardon. After it’s announced in the city square, I’ll lead your men to James.”

“Forge’s laws are not games, Kyra,” said Willem. “You step in dangerous territory.”

Kyra didn’t reply.

“I will grant your request under one condition. We will lift your death sentence. But you will serve the Council for a period of five years. You’ll live within the compound and report to the Minister of Defense.”

This was unexpected. She needed to be out of the compound and safely hidden in the city in case James exposed her.

“No. Absolutely not,” she said.

“Then we have no deal,” said Willem.

There was a tense silence, then Malikel spoke. “This could work in your favor, Kyra. Remember that your home is gone, as is your place in the Assassins Guild. You need to eat, and you need a roof over your head. And if I’m guessing correctly, you’d want a stake in our mission. With James as our prisoner, we could track down the rest of the Guild. Bring justice to the victims of the fire.”