Page 16 of To Sway a Bard
“I will investigate further, but Zula, if we are to work together, I have to be able to trust you.”
“You don’t?” she quipped, trying to keep the mood light before he looked at her with his soul in his eyes and she lost all control.
Neo drummed his fingertips on the table. “What do you want, Zula?”
No one ever asked her what she wanted. They made deals, struck a bargain, or passed on demands from others. Neo didn’t get to know the desires of her heart, just because they were having a decent conversation. “You’re my captor and I’m your prisoner. Let’s not pretend to be friends.”
His jaw went tight.
Now she’d gotten a reaction out of him.
“I didn’t ask to be friends. I asked what you want.”
“My freedom. My ukulele.”
“But why steal? What’s in it for you?”
He was too close, dangerously close to the truth. She looked away. “For the thrill of it, the danger. There’s a euphoria after each heist and I like to hear my name on everyone’s lips, to feel their awe, their shock at the great feats I was able to accomplish. I should stop because . . . you’re right about me. It’s hollow and I want a purpose, but the mundane life that people live feels dull.”
Neo’s fingers brushed the back of her hand, his voice surprisingly gentle. “I feel the same way about hunting. That’s why I’m the sheriff. I have an idea?—”
He broke off abruptly, staring at something past her shoulder. His face changed, closed, and he pulled back.
“There are discussions that need to be had. I will meet you later.”
15
NEO
“What do you mean this isn’t over?” Neo demanded, trying to keep the frustration out of his tone as he faced his mother.
Hans had come to collect him for an emergency meeting and now all three of them sat at a round table, one empty chair waiting for his younger sister, Diana. It wasn’t customary for them to discuss things as a family, but matters that involved the security of the kingdom usually involved Neo.
“Don’t be shocked. Of course it’s not over. Why do you think I demanded you bring in the thief? This is a plot that has been in process for years, and she’s at the heart of it. But we’ll get to that in a moment, Neo. We need to discuss who hired her.”
Neo sat back, foot tapping against the floor. He shifted his gaze from Hans to the vacant seat, then back to his mother, who sat forward, waiting expectantly. This was another moment when he felt like an absolute fool. “I don’t have any information about who hired her,” he admitted weakly. “I didn’t find anyone unusual in the village. The thief admitted to having a boat. She intended to take it downriver, but it had been destroyed. None of my men confessed to it, and I believe them. It’s not like us to destroy property.”
“Interesting. You need to trace the river, find out where she was going and who she was going to meet. We believe this individual, or group of individuals, is responsible for attempting to start a war with the trolls. War is the answer, the treasure from the trolls is a moot point, and whoever wants war will act, and quickly. The masquerade is tomorrow night. Neo, I want you to attend, along with the Blue-Feathered Bard. Everyone will be masked, but it’s an opportunity. It is likely she will try to escape, and the person who hired her might attend the masquerade. They might be high up in the kingdom, eager to start a feud with us. We need to use her as a decoy to ensure the kingdom’s security.”
“I disagree,” Hans spoke up. “I dislike having a dishonorable thief in court, let alone asking said thief to assist us in confidential matters. She should be imprisoned, punished for all the chaos she’s caused.”
Mother’s face gave nothing away. “Neo, what is your opinion?”
“Hans has a point, but I’m not sure what the best plan of action is,” Neo admitted.
“Make her work,” a new voice added.
Neo lifted his head as his younger sister, Diana, strode into the room. She shut the door behind her, layers of billowing sheer fabric covering her willowy form. A golden circlet set with emeralds rested on her head. Her shoulder-length hair was the same color as Neo’s, with ringlets and beautiful bouncy curls. She was the most tanned out of all of them, perfect skin, no freckles. Once, a group of men had gossiped about her, calling her a temptress. Hans had had them publicly whipped.
Diana took a seat at the table, twirling a dagger between her fingers. “Criminals deserve a chance to reform, wouldn’t you agree? Offer her two choices:work for us and pay off her debt to the kingdom, or we can behead her. Once her debt is worked off, say in five, ten, or twenty years, she must never steal again, or we will find reason to take off her head. It’s fair.”
“Except for the fact that she’s the best.” Hans shook his head.
“Neo is better,” Diana countered. “And what is this thief without her magical ukulele? She may be smart and cunning, but if she crosses us in any way, she will feel the wrath of my blade.”
Even Neo shuddered at the threat. “What is the work she must do to pay off her debt?”
Diana held up three fingers. “First, find this warmonger who hired her to steal from the trolls. Second, work with us to rid the jungle of the gangs of thieves. Perhaps she will not give up her comrades so easily, but rival gangs I believe she will. Third, pay back every cent of the damage she’s caused. Neo, I hear you find her attractive.”
