Page 21 of The Omega Thief

Albert nodded eagerly. “Me ma’s scullery.”

When he got Attiker home, he knew they would both enjoy a good laugh over this conversation.

“Attiker just told her to steep the leaves overnight, then add it to her bath.” Albert huffed. “My gran thought that were funny, seen as how she ain’t had a bath in years.” He grinned good-naturedly, now confident he wasn’t about to be strung up by his ankles at the palace gates.

“What did you see His Highness do?” Thakeray asked.

“He drank beer and talked to a man. The man left just as the flags changed, and everyone went out to see ‘em.”

Raz nodded. Good, they had a time. “And next?”

Albert shrugged. “I saw him outside, then I had to get back in. Nancy’d dock me wages if she caught me slacking off.”

“What did the man look like?” Thakeray asked.

Albert glanced down at the floor. “Wouldn’t like to say. Didn’t really see.”

It was so obviously a lie that Raz wanted to roll his eyes, but he watched as Thakeray bent to Albert’s level and made him look up. “Now, Albert, you just took a solemn vow not to tell untruths to your prince.”

Albert gulped, noisily.

“His Highness said you weren’t in trouble, but this is very important. We need to know who the man is, and I think you can tell us.”

Albert shook his head frantically. “I don’t know, swear I don’t.”

“Then why are you suddenly so afraid?” Raz asked.

Albert glanced at Raz, back to shaking. “I don’t know who he was…” He paused. “But I saw him talking to someone who might.”

“Who?” Thakeray asked.

“Jinn Becker,” he whispered. If it hadn’t been for his wolf, Raz would never have heard him. He opened his mouth to ask who Jinn Becker was, but at a warning glance from Thakeray, Raz kept it closed. Thakeray stood up and patted Albert on the shoulder.

“You did well, and no one will know what you told us.” Thakeray looked pointedly at Raz’s purse, and he took the hint, grabbing some coins. He thrust them at Thakeray, who looked down at them, picked a few out, and handed them to Albert.

Albert’s eyes grew as round as plates, and when Thakeray nodded, he didn’t so much as look back, just bolted.

“Why didn’t you give him it all?”

“Because you had some gold marks in there, sire, and Albert lives by the docks. If Albert had attempted to trade or pay for anything with them, he’d have been robbed, and his throat slit by nightfall. Don’t worry, Highness. You were more than generous. He just got the equivalent of three months’ wages.”

“Who’s—”

Thakeray shook his head. “Apologies, Highness, not here.”

Raz nodded and was accompanied by four guards. They walked towards the monastery wall. It was secluded, but no one could creep up behind them. Thakeray sent the guards away to a safe distance so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“Highness—”

“Sire, please,” he instructed.

Thakeray nodded. “Sire, you remember last year, the attack on the royal coach?”

“Of course.” His father hadn’t actually been in it as he’d decided to accompany his cousin in theirs. Drew less attention. A party of anti-shifter rebels had attacked, thinking the king was less guarded than usual, and seven soldiers and four household staff all riding in the second carriage had been slaughtered. They’d caught two of the rebels and subsequently hung them as the crime had been intentional regicide. Raz had been visiting the new Emir of Rajpur and it was all over with by the time he’d returned.

“They hung the two they caught. One was an eighteen-year-old by the name of Kiros Becker.” He let that sink in, then added, “Jinn Becker was his mother.”

Raz closed his eyes briefly as his heart seemed to settle somewhere near his boots. “Thoughts?”

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