Page 58 of A Song of Thieves

Roan turns his attention to the house coming to life, a few shouts reaching us from where we stand. Before I know what’s happening, he snaps Tamen’s arm, sending the man down to the ground, unconscious from the pain.What— no, no, no...

I scream, “What did you do? He was about to tell us everything!”

Roan stands rigid, the smolder of ten thousand fires bottled inside of him. I move to release my disbelief with more yelling, but am stopped dead by his appearance. It looks as if he’s been intensely burned, but his skin remains flawlessly intact. The pain in his eyes. The contorting of his face down through his body. I’m almost afraid if I touch him, my hands will blister from the heat.

Torches light up the night, the shouts and noise of more people filing in from around the house. “It’s time to go.” Aiden comes up from behind, an urgent tug on my arm, the captain somehow already in motion and pushing me along. It takes a moment for my feet and consciousness to pair up and move with intention away from the scene.

Concern accompanies Aiden’s gaze toward Roan, the invisible flames surrounding him smoldering into coals as he takes a step forward. He carries a pitying look as he passes Tamen on the ground, but not for the man himself lying unconscious at our feet. No. Something more like disappointment and a resistant resign.

Tess breaks through the tree line, our horses in tow as she gallops through the manicured lawn. Her gaze lingers for only a moment at the men dotting the ground around us, most with fatal wounds. I hesitate, wanting to bring the passed out Tamen back to the Santana’s home. There’s more we can get from him. More he can tell us.

Roan follows my gaze, sensing my thought. “There’s no time. We need to go, now. If we’re to avoid a fight we won’t be able to win.” Just a moment ago I could have sworn he was about to explode into a million pieces, but his now doused demeanor is almost begging me to move toward the horses.

“Let’s go!” Tess yells, jumping down to help Liam up onto the saddle. Aiden grabs onto the nearest horse, hoisting himself on its back. The captain and I are the only two left on the ground. We leap for the only horse left.

“We’ll ride together. Come on,” he declares, motioning for me to get on first.

His warm body presses against mine as he climbs up quickly after me. The closeness is an odd comfort after everything that just happened. The shock of Tamen’s revelations. Tess’s deception. They are still roiling through me.

Hands wrap around my torso as I grab the reins and prompt the horse into a gallop. Tears prick my eyes as we race through the night. Aiden saved my life. Roan saved my life. So much could have gone wrong. The captain sacrificed the answers we were desperately searching for in order for us to get away unscathed. I don't have to like it, but I can understand why. Before I can think better of it, I wrap my own hand over his, squeezing once. He squeezes back, holding onto my hand tightly. Roan’s breath is warm and heavy against my hair, but he stays silent during our retreat.

He must be reeling from this as much as I am. We may have different reasons for wanting this mission to succeed, to find Princess Adalena, but the truth seemed to take us equally off guard. Someone is planning a coup against the royal family, against Turin and the rulers of Felshan. Against the people he grew up with.

The warmth of the captain behind me does little to assuage the cold reality laid before me. For who knows how many years people have conspired against the royal family, against Felshan. Does Marg know? Are the people of Turin safe? Was my mother somehow a casualty of this treachery?

My furious, heart-broken tears are wiped away from the whipping wind of our escape.

26

Roan Montgomery

“Explain.Now.”Outragedistoo small a word to express how I feel in this moment. “What just happened back there was never about any ring or stupid chess piece.” I knew Tess had been lying about her reasoning for Ari to retrieve the items, but I wasn't expecting what actually ensued.

Tess stands facing me, her arms folded tightly across her body. Gone is the flippant girl who forced Ari to get back a mere ring out of sheer pleasure. In her place is a rigid, straight-forward woman who seems to have little remorse. We’ve all just spent the better part of the night fighting and running for our lives, and I want to know why.

“He was conspiring against House Santana,” Tess begins, her words breathly and quick. “My spies told us he was planning something. There were no details, only strong suspicions.”

“What suspicions?” I ask, my chest heaving.

“It seemed everywhere I went, everywhere Liam and Father went, there was a Crane close by. Just that feeling of someone watching me, watching us. We even lost a pile of merchant and employment contracts, a few invoice copies from our vendors. It seemed a simple misplacement at first. But about a week later, we noticed an exodus of close to one-third of our people. One-third, Roan.” I rub a hand across my face as I listen to her story, the energy inside of me urging me to pace.

“I had no proof, only my gut that something sinister was afoot. If I took it to the Guard and I was wrong, or they found no truth to it in their investigation— I would have either shredded ties with one of the wealthiest merchants in Fort Lowsan, or given him time to move the operation somewhere I would never find— always waiting for an imminent attack on my family and wondering when it would come,” Tess says, her eyes red and drooping. Did she look this tired before, and I just hadn't realized until now?

All of us stand around the kitchen, confronting the Santanas at our first point of entry into the safety of their house. Each of us is covered in a thick layer of sweat with dirt smeared across our skin and clothing. A bruise is already developing under one of Liam's eyes, and Aiden's lip is swollen where one of the men landed a fist. Each of us boasts dried blood blotting across our bodies, either our own or someone else's.

The space is lit with a yellow glow as someone lights a few candles. Otto and Larisa were woken as the yelling and commotion started, seating them within our impassioned confrontation.

“Well, everyone is alive. So that’s a good start,” Otto says, earning him the narrowed eyes of us all.

“You put everyone’s life on the line for some half-baked plan? Why didn’t you just tell us, Tess? We could’ve come up with something— together. Something solid. Something that didn’t leave us running for our lives.” I try to keep my voice even, but I fail miserably.

“Maybe the better question to ask is, what is going on with the princess?” Liam asks, his bloodied chin raised as he stares at me through slitted eyes.

“Lena? Is something wrong with her?” Tess asks, looking between our silent stares. Somehow, despite how the evening progressed and her clear fatigue, she looks as regal as ever.

“The man, there at the end. Tamen. He talked of a girl they had to get through Fort Lowsan. Who is she?” Liam’s arms are folded, staring daggers between Ari and myself. “If we’re going to judge each other’s secrets and motivations, might as well lay them all out onto the table,” he continues. Aiden’s confusion quickly turns to understanding, looking wide-eyed between Liam and myself.

“The difference, Liam, is that we didn’t lie about why we were here. We told you up front we weren’t at liberty to discuss it. You blatantly mislead us at the threat of our lives!” I throw back at him, also trying to deflect his question.

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