Page 27 of Dishonor Among Thieves
“What’s this?” I asked.
Neo began unfastening his doublet, a devilish grin on his face. “Something for you to change into,” he explained. “You wanted to be part of the family business. I have work to do tonight, and you’re coming with me. But if the goblin guildmaster sees you in that dress, this will be the first and last night you’ll be my wife.”
ChapterEight
On the ride though the chilly night to the goblin sanctum, Neo assured me we would be completely safe. Contrary to the common people’s myths, goblins didn’t steal women or eat children. Apparently, the goblin guildmaster had an eye for human women with generous curves and was a notorious flirt. Neo shook his head with obvious warmth and affection.
“Most of the visitors to the sanctum come through one of very few trusted emissaries, like me,” he explained, the sliver of moonlight above us casting a dark shadow over his hooded face. “Consider this another unequal transaction. The fact that you’re not blindfolded and in the back of Flynn’s cart means…” He gave me a cryptic look, part warning and partly warm. I almost thought he was enjoying having me along until he growled, “Just don’t make me regret bringing you here.”
I had no intention of making him regret anything. At least not yet.
We made the trip riding fairly slowly, each of us holding lamps in one hand and our reins in the other, the light the only protection between us and a vengersax attack. We’d ridden in silence more than a quarter hour’s distance from the manor, the opposite direction of the village, until we reached a small clearing.
“Something is wrong.” Neo slowed his mare near a dense, low shrub and held his iron-encased lantern higher in the night air.
His words were quite the understatement. Nothing about this night seemed right. Instead of doing what newlyweds should do after the celebration and feast ended, my new husband and I were riding to meet a goblin under cover of dark.
I brought my horse, Sara, to a stop beside his mare, Sedda. “What is it?” I asked, straining to see through the darkness.
Neo turned slightly and lifted a gloved finger to his lips, and my blood turned cold. The night was young, but the chill on the air raised a foggy mist that blanketed the terrain ahead. I cursed the decadent meal I’d eaten earlier, my stomach tightening in anticipation. Fear and confusion blanketed my thoughts.
What if he’s brought me here to kill me?
He wouldn’t… Surely couldn’t, could he? If Neo planned to drag me far from the manor and be done with me, would he have gone through the trouble of inking the marriage contract? Putting on the feast and the celebration…the toasts… I’d been lured into believing that he truly wanted to secure my fidelity with a contract, but now, with only a slice of moon overhead to light the path and his gloomy presence shadowing the already dark night, I was genuinely afraid.
Neo had armed himself with a short sword, but he was hardly dressed for murder. He’d given me a small dagger, something scarcely more useful than an eating blade, which I’d fastened beneath my cloak. The clean pair of breeches and tunic of Dale’s I wore were ill-fitting and hardly battle-ready. The clothes were clean, but if there was a fight ahead, Neo would have every advantage.
He directed his horse to reverse course, and we rode a short distance back the way we’d come. Then, he leapt from his horse and motioned for me to join him. He held my torch while I jumped down and then handed it back to me. His eyes blazed red, and fangs parted his lips.
“Shhhh,” he said. “Listen.”
“What?” I whispered, fear coating my limbs and making me tremble. “Is it vengersax?”
“Blood.” His nostrils flared, and his eyes faintly glowed crimson. “I smell it. Spilled at most a night ago, and there’s a lot of it. Listen. Do you hear that?”
I shook my head. I heard nothing but the faint rustle of the breeze through long grass. I couldn’t make out the dark trunks of trees, so I suspected we were near water. A pond, maybe? It was too early in the night for wood frogs to sing or the chittering of bark beetles.
“No, I hear nothing,” I said weakly, frustrated with my human hearing. I knew Neo’s senses were stronger, better adapted than mine by nature, but I didn’t like it.
“Corpse rats,” he grumbled. “I can hear them rooting.”
A sour flavor filled my mouth. I had no idea what the sanctum of the goblin guildmaster might look like, but if there were corpse rats in abundance, that was evidence of death. An abundance of it.
“Where is your dagger?” he asked, his voice abrupt.
I tapped my hip, and he turned his red eyes on me. “I’m going to leave you with the horses and go ahead on foot. Keep your torch lit. We’re especially vulnerable to attacks from the air in this clearing.” He swore softly under his breath as he handed me his mare’s reins. “Wait for me here. But if anything happens—and I mean anything—ride Sedda. She knows the way home. Lead Sara back. Do not leave her here. Travel as quickly as you can, as safely you can. Whatever you do, do not let that torch go out. Do you understand? If that torch dies, you’ll die. All three of you.”
“What could happen? Why would I need to leave you? Where are you going?” My mind buzzed with questions, but at least I began to trust my husband a bit more. It was unlikely he’d brought me here to murder me if he was providing me an escape plan.
“I’m going inside Vlareq’s sanctum.” He handed me his torch while he removed his cloak, revealing a coat and leggings of leather scale mail. He tossed the cloak over Sedda’s back and tugged a length of leather lacing from his traveling pouch. He tied back his hair with the leather, adjusted the fitting on his scabbard, then took back the torch.
“I want to go with you,” I said. “How will I know if you’re safe?”
“You won’t know,” he barked. “Which is why I gave you clear instructions. Wait for me no more than a quarter hour. After that, leave and do not delay. Do you understand?”
“Neo, I can’t leave you here. By the gods, what if—”
“Brex!” His harsh bark interrupted my concern. “Give me your word. You must do this. It’s far too dangerous. I’ll not put myself in harm’s way unnecessarily, but I cannot leave without knowing what’s become of my allies. If they are in trouble…”
