Page 9 of The Orc's Thief
They watched me from up here.
For a brief moment, I consider asking one of the girls to scramble up and check the roof for more clues, but I discard the idea immediately. Even if their father allowed it, I wouldn’t risk their safety.
“Were they here?” the man asks from beside me.
I pull my head back in and shuffle to the part of the attic where I can stand almost straight, the top of my head just brushing the rafters. “Almost certainly. The vantage point is ideal for watching the inn, which I suspect is exactly what they were doing.” I gesture toward the window. “You should get that latch fixed. I’d also recommend installing metal grates over the windows and keeping the attic locked, just to be sure.”
The man swallows hard, clearly considering the implications. It would be so easy for someone to enter through here. Not an orc, perhaps—most of my clansmen would have trouble fitting through the small windows—but a human, especially a slight one, could easily break the glass and drop down. They could ransack the house and carry the valuables out the same way.
“Thank you for letting me up here,” I say as we make our way back downstairs, somewhat dustier than before. “And please report any strange incidents to the city watch. Major Strahl’s office.”
“Of course,” the father promises. He opens the front door to let me out. “Thank you for, ah, bringing the issue to my attention.”
I bow to his wife, then to the children, just to make them smile.
The older daughter steps forward. “Will you catch the thieves, sir?”
I grin down at her. “Aye, I will. I promise.”
Chapter
Four
ARLON
“Do you think the incidents are connected?” Major Strahl paces from one side of his office to the other, his cane clicking with every other step. “Did the thieves target you because you’re part of the investigation, or were you simply unlucky?”
I lean back in the chair, and the backrest prods me between the shoulderblades. I’m not sure whether he chose this chair on purpose to keep whoever visits him uncomfortable, or if the damn thing is just too small for me. “I can’t say for certain. But they took my personal letters along with some gold.”
The major pauses and squints at me. “Not all of it?”
I shake my head. “Two purses out of seven, total.”
“Hmm.” He resumes pacing and tugs on his beard with his free hand. “Were you extravagant with your spending recently? Did you boast about your gold or spend a lot of it where others might take notice?”
At the insinuation that I made myself a victim, I lift an eyebrow and regard him coolly. “No. Unless you count staying at the Heron extravagant. But then why wasn’t another guesttargeted? There are wealthier clients staying there, just a floor below me.”
“Sorry, I had to ask. And you make a good point.” The major finally ambles behind his desk, sits in his leather chair with a groan, and rubs his thigh. “Damn weather.”
I’ve known him long enough now not to comment. From another member of our unit, I learned the major got the wound in his thigh fighting on the border with the fae kingdom. Since they were so far from a decent healer, the wound hadn’t healed properly. He earned a promotion for his trouble but refused to retire, and I’m glad he didn’t. He’s led the men under his command fairly and never once looked at me sideways for coming to Ultrup from Bellhaven.
“If we assume the thieves targeted you, did they steal anything that could compromise our investigation?” He spears me with a look, his brown eyes serious. “Did you mention any details in the letters to your family?”
“No, sir.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I wouldn’t jeopardize us like that.”
“Good, that’s good.” Then his expression sours. “But also not. It means you’ve been singled out as a target. If this is the Ravens’ doing, they’re sending a message.”
“What message is that, exactly?” I shift forward to avoid the uncomfortable wooden ridge at the back of the chair digging into my spine.
“That they can get to you,” he mutters darkly. “They could have killed you, Arlon.”
I purse my lips, biting back the impulse to argue. If I’d been in the room, they wouldn’t have surprised me. I suspect only one of them actually climbed down into my room while the others stayed hidden above. But the major’s been dealing with gangs in Ultrup for more than a decade, and it would be foolish to dismiss his opinion.
“I’ll set up a watch rotation for your inn,” he decides. “I doubt they’ll return, but you never know. I have a bunch of new soldiers who need the practice. They’ll keep watch overnight, but I suggest you find yourself a different place to sleep.”
The thought of returning to the clan’s house sours my stomach. “I don’t want to bring trouble to my people. But I can take the night watch at the Ravens’ residence again tonight. The others will be happy to spend a night in their own bed for once.”
Why am I doing this?
