Page 31 of The Orc's Thief
Besides, the gold I stole from the handsome stranger is safely tucked in my saddlebags. I don’t need this much money—and the orphanage does. There’s always another mouth to feed or another leak in the roof to fix. The Matron will use the money well and won’t ask where the donation came from, either.
With my last errand done, I mount Clover and turn her toward the Eastern Gate. The fifth bell rang while I was walking from the stables, so I won’t have to wait long for the gates to open. The sky is still dark because of the dense cloud cover, but dawn is near, and I need to be on my way.
I’m so tired I could fall asleep right on Clover’s back, worn out from the climbing and the terror I experienced tonight. But Iwant to leave the city far behind before I allow myself to rest. I’ll blend in with the morning rush of people leaving for the fields and ride for a couple of hours, then find a secluded spot to sleep for a while and let Clover graze. I might have a long trip ahead, and it won’t do any good to run my horse into the ground on the first day.
The stranger told me the Ravens were sending their caravans through the Eastern Gate, so I’ll start my search there. He also said his colleagues had been attacked by Damen’s guards, but surely those mercenaries would be traveling with the caravan. Since Lindie has been gone for days, I might be able to bribe someone along the road to tell me where the wagons went.
Once I’ve cleared the city walls and put some distance between myself and Ultrup, I’ll study the pages from Damen’s ledger. I took a quick glance at them when I returned to Etta’s to grab my things and saw I was right. He did use code, or at least shorthand, in the notes. I might be able to crack it, but not while fleeing for my life.
I swallow hard, fear rising in me at the thought of traveling into the unknown. I’ve been to many other towns, but never east, in the direction of the Stonefrost Clan lands. They’ve waged war with all their neighbors for decades, though there hasn’t been news from that corner of the continent in months, maybe years. I don’t know if Lindie is there, but if she is, I’ll find her somehow.
I ought to buy a map or a traveler’s companion from my favorite bookshop in Ultrup, but I don’t dare wait any longer. It’s a miracle I haven’t been stopped by Damen’s men or the city watch yet. I took a great risk coming so close to the Ravens’ mansion by visiting the temple, but I couldn’t leave the city without it.
I choose the back alleys instead of the main streets and take a detour to avoid passing the barracks, where the soldiers are waking for their daily drills. The closer I get to the Eastern Gate,the more people I meet, most bleary-eyed and yawning, barely awake but already heading to work.
Gods, I should be one of them. I should have found regular work, like the Matron wanted for me. Then I’d wake in the morning, do honest business as a tavern maid or a seamstress, and return home each evening knowing I was safe. I wouldn’t be escaping the city alone, terrified of being discovered after robbing a gang’s headquarters overnight.
But it’s too late for that. Wishing for things won’t make them come true, and it’s my fault I’m in this situation, after all. So I grit my teeth and stare straight ahead, avoiding the sight of a couple kissing sweetly on the doorstep of their home. I definitely don’t watch as the man hugs the woman tightly, then musses their child’s hair before joining the crowd moving toward the outer city walls.
Unbidden, the image of the orc slips into my mind. He watched me so intently when I tended to his wound. He promised to behave, and he did. I shouldn’t have trusted him; he was a stranger who had chased after me. But for some godsforsaken reason, I had.
Maybe it was his pretty face that convinced me. Or that one genuine smile he gave me. It was so different from the practiced smirks he handed out when he thought he could charm me with ease.
He seemed determined to catch me, and he would have, if I hadn’t brained him with that piece of wood. Hopefully, he’ll think twice about chasing me now.
The thought should bring relief, but all I feel is a strange sort of regret.
Nothing good comes from daydreaming about what might have been. I can’t afford to get distracted. That’s how people get killed. And I’ve already tempted the Fates enough for one day, if not a lifetime.
Instead, I focus on the looming wall ahead and the wide double doors swinging open. The rattle of the chains is familiar and strangely soothing, as is the murmured conversation of the day laborers around me.
I’ve made it. The portcullis rises enough to let both pedestrians and riders through, and the guard at the gatehouse waves the first few forward, idly scanning their faces. When it’s my turn, I nod to him, and he touches the brim of his helmet in greeting before turning his gaze to the people behind me.
I glance back one last time. A strange sense of loss washes over me. I might never return. If the Ravens discover who robbed them, Ultrup might never be safe for me again. With effort, I turn back around and nudge Clover’s flanks lightly with my heels, guiding her through the gate at an easy clip to warm her up.
There’s no use crying, but my cheeks are damp anyway as I ride past the outer city, the wooden structures crowded along the walls, home to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who came here searching for a better life.
I wish I could tell them they’re looking in the wrong place. I thought I’d find happiness here, too—or at least honest work—when I first arrived. Now I’m fleeing the city with my tail tucked between my legs, just as alone as I was back then.
Gritting my teeth, I steer Clover around a group of laborers heading out to one of the many fields or workshops that surround Ultrup, then send her into a trot. The days are growing shorter, with winter just around the corner, and I have a lot of ground to cover.
My belly pangs with regret, but I don’t look back.
Chapter
Twelve
ARLON
I must have missed my mate by minutes. The groom at the Gilded Crown is annoyed to be woken up twice before dawn, but he changes his tune when I slip two silver coins into his palm.
“She took the horse and all her tack and settled her account,” he tells me when I inquire after the mysterious woman I’ve been chasing through the night. “Didn’t say when she was coming back, but that she wouldn’t need the stall for at least a week or two.”
I swallow a growl to avoid scaring the man. He can’t tell me anything about her destination, apart from the fact that she took some grain for her horse and turned left when exiting the courtyard.
I leave the groom to return to sleep and stand outside the inn for long minutes, thinking through my options. If I go to my friends, they’ll want to help, I’m sure of it. I would help them if they were in a similar situation. But I can’t put this on them. I fucked up, and now I’m paying for it. There’s only one thing to do, and it’ll involve a lot of travel if my suspicions are correct.
My mate is running from the gang, aye, but I don’t think that’s the only reason she’s leaving the city. She was searching for something at the Ravens’ mansion, and since she’s no longer lurking around Ultrup’s rooftops, I suspect she found it in that safe. It’s annoying that I don’t even know whether it was information or treasure she was after, but whatever it was, it must be valuable.
