19. The Thief

  The contents of the box squirmed. They might have screamed but with what was on their mouth it just came out as a muffled “mmmmmmhhh!”

  “Be calm,” Luka ordered. “I can’t help if you don’t stay still.”

  She complied. Even in the dim light of the box in the back of the coach it was plain that the delicate features below the shaved head were female. He glanced down. Purely for investigative purposes.

  The bumps on the chest and flare of the hips made it undeniable. It was a she. And her eyes were wide in terror.

  With one hand flat to encourage calm, Luka felt around her face with the other.

  “Wait,” Rolan called. “Are we sure this is a good idea?”

  “It’s a fucking girl in chains with some kind of contraption on her face. You’re supposed to be the one with a conscience here.”

  “I am.” He peered at her. “But she looks like she might bite.”

  The girl thrashed against her constraints.

  “Good point. You’re the one wearing mail. You should do it.”

  “No. It’s fine. I don’t think she can bite through leather.”

  “mmhh mmmmmhs mmmh”

  “What do you think she’s saying?” Rolan asked.

  “Ten to one she’s saying ‘for fuck’s sake’.”

  The girl in the box nodded.

  “Ok. Easy now. No biting.” Luka looked at the contraption. There was a tube going from the mouth covering to a sac of water. “It looks like this is attached to a water supply.”

  “I guess they wanted to keep her alive,” Rolan assessed.

  “I guess they didn’t care if she ate,” Luka replied. “Either way, we need to take it off.”

  “mmmmh,” the girl said, nodding vigorously.

  “Fuck it. Stay completely still. If you twitch there’ll be blood,” Luka warned and then gently took his dagger to one of the holding straps. He sawed through and the mouthpiece loosened. On the other side there was an equivalent and he cut through this as well. Twice more he cut and then he was able to pull the mouthpiece. It came free and a tube came with it, dripping with phlegm.

  “Ack.” Luka tossed it to the ground.

  The girl in the box wheezed and heaved but nothing came out except more spit.

  “Don’t try to speak,” Luka advised.

  “Don’t we want to hear what she has to say?” Rolan questioned.

  “Of course we do. But we don’t know how long she’s been like this. She needs to remember how to breathe before she talks.” Luka moved closer to her face. “You hear that? Breathe first. Everything else can wait.” The air in the wagon was thick with dust and the metallic scent of sweat and fear.

  He looked over her bonds. Unhelpfully, no one had left a key with the box. It was almost like they didn’t want someone opening the box and freeing the person inside.

  Practicality had to come first. She couldn’t get out of the box if she couldn’t move. Her feet were shackled and there was a chain from her collar to the inside of the box. This was the weak link. He crouched beside her once again.

  “Listen. The easiest way to get you free is if we move this box upright. If you panic and struggle you might strangle yourself so it’s really important that you try to stay reclined. Do you understand?”

  She nodded.

  “Good.”

  Luka went to the top of the box and Rolan to the bottom. They skidded the box to the end of the cart and let it slowly tilt so that the box was suspended and, crucially, there was nothing solid behind the bottom layer of wood. The heavy black wood groaned and shrieked against the coach frame.

  “Right. You’re doing really well. Now this might be a bit scary but I need you to stay absolutely still while my friend Rolan shoves his sword through the box next to your neck.”

  The eyes went wide again but she stayed still. Rolan lined up the sword and thrust, smashing through the wood next to the holding panel. He repeated the procedure the other side so all the screws came loose and fell out. The sound of the blade punching through the wood was shockingly loud in the silence of the empty village, a raw, splintering crack.

  Her head jerked forward and the end of chain and the panel dropped down onto her collar. She tested her feet. They were still firmly shackled.

  “This isn’t going to work,” Rolan judged. “We can’t walk into town with her like this. People will ask questions immediately.”

  Luka looked at the girl. She had a thin white robe and she was chained at the wrists and ankles, with a further chain linking the two. She might as well have been wearing a sign saying “recently freed prisoner”.

  “You’re right.” He looked at the girl in those wide eyes and spoke softly and seriously. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay in the box briefly.”

  “What the…” she croaked before being cut off by the box being lurched horizontally again and loaded back onto the cart.

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  They rolled into the village and pulled up the coach behind the blacksmith’s. Luka climbed back into the back again and looked down at the girl with his fingers pressed to his lips.

  The girl looked at him and gave a croaky whisper. “Who are you?”

  “Luka, the Shadowfox.”

  She pointed at her own face with a cuffed hand. “Alicia.”

  Rolan returned with a selection of blacksmith’s tools.

  “What did you say?” Luka asked.

  “I said we needed to fix our cart.”

  Luka nodded. That was about the level of invention he’d expect from Rolan. Fortunately, he was so inherently honest that on the rare occasion he told any kind of lie, the world seemed prepared to let him have that one.

  While Luka twisted with the tongs, Rolan struck down with the hammer sending the bolt holding the leg shackles together spinning onto the wooden deck. They did the same with the wrist cuffs.

  They then turned their attention to the collar. Luka tried to apply the tongs to the clip but Alicia recoiled and shook her head.

  “Gentle.”

  “What are you talking about?” He felt the shiny collar. It felt at least as solid as the thick ankle shackles.

  Alicia looked at him again. “Gentle.”

  Luka frowned and brushed his fingers to the clip and… click… it came apart at the faintest touch. The moment a gap of an inch appeared Alicia wrenched it off her neck and gave a long exhale.

  “Thank the Gods.”

  “I don’t think they deserve the thanks,” Luka quipped.

  She went to speak but Luka held up his finger. “Not here.”

  While Rolan returned the blacksmith tools, Luka brought the coach beside the inn and tethered the horses. He went inside and hired two rooms before returning to the back of the coach. Closing his eyes he did a quick check no one was watching before climbing in and lifting off the box lid again.

  Alicia looked up at him scowling. “I thought you were trying to free me.”

  Luka listened. Not to her words but to the way she said them. She was from this region. Perhaps Metzberger, more likely Windheim.

  “I am. But I don’t want you to be seen.”

  “So I have to go back in the box? How is this freedom?”

  There was amusement on her delicate features. Luka wasn’t sure he could find humour in the situation, if he’d been through what she had.

  “No. We need to get you some clothes that don’t scream virgin sacrifice.” He said with a nod at her white dress.

  Alicia laughed. “Maybe that is why they sent me away.”

  Luka shook his head. “I suppose the easiest thing is to grab something from a washing line when no one is looking.”

  “I should do this.”

  “What?”

  “Think. If you are seen then it is some strange man stealing women’s clothes. This is hard to explain. If I am seen then it is a poor shoeless girl who is covered in bruises. It is much more sympathetic.”

  Luka frowned. She was entirely correct. “Sorry. Who are you?”

  “Alicia.” She waved. “Hello.”

  “You seem in quite a good mood for someone who was put in a box.”

  She sat upright.

  “But now I am out of the box. This makes me cheerful.”

  “How do I know you’ll come back?” Luka asked, his voice low.

  “What does it matter where I am free, as long as I’m free?”

  “Ideally, you’ll stay free. My partner and I just had to kill three men to keep someone else from grabbing you. I’d like to know why.”

  “As you wish.” She shrugged. “Besides, you’d likely find me again if I tried to run.”

  “We would.”

  Alicia climbed out of the box and sat on the lip of the coach, half in light, half in shadow. He could see her better now. Despite everything, he could not help notice how those delicate features lined up in a pleasing way, high cheekbones, a mouth that seemed made for amusement.

  A half-smile crossed Alicia’s lips and she glanced his way. She dipped her head into the sunshine and the film of stubble over her head showed up in lighter hues. Another smile and she dropped down, landing into a crouch at once. This was not the first time she had crept around somewhere.

  The moment she was out of sight, Luka settled back into the darkness of the coach and closed his eyes. He could feel everyone in the village twitching within his consciousness and tried to block them all out. Block out everyone except Alicia.

  He saw a garden. She looked inside the house and when it was clear, dashed between the flowers. She kept going until she found a washing line as instructed. In a moment a shirt and a pair of trousers were in her hands, followed by a leather waistcoat. Why was she taking men’s clothes?

  Her view moved as she was running behind a tree. Was she making a bolt for it? For a heartbeat Luka considered running after her until he saw the fabric of her dress passing over her eyes followed by a flash of breasts as she glanced down at her own torso.

  Luka blinked and rubbed his eyes. He could give her a few moments of privacy. Ten seconds passed and he refocused. Alicia was adjusting the waistcoat and pulling the trousers higher up her waist.

  Satisfied, she looked down at her bare feet and then carefully retraced her steps. Luka was impressed. The way she moved, noting angles and lines of sight, her awareness of her own position, all spoke of someone who knew how to remain hidden. That would be useful for all of them, if they wanted to keep her free.

  The sudden weight of it pressed down on him. He hadn’t just failed the contract, the first failure of his career. It wasn’t as if he’d missed a rendezvous or delivered the goods later than promised. He had actively sabotaged the commission and effectively stolen the very goods he was paid to transport. Not only had he just thrown away four hundred gold coins, he had crossed an employer who had gone to great lengths to demonstrate how unwise that would be. Somehow, the least selfish thing he’d ever done was also the worst decision of his life.

  Alicia hopped back into the coach next to him, dressed in a white linen tunic, brown breeches and a leather waistcoat. She was lucky she was a bit taller than usual for a woman; even so the fit was far from perfect.

  “Why did you steal men’s clothes?”

  The coach creaked softly as a breeze lifted the canvas cover.

  “I reasoned that whoever is looking for me is looking for a girl in a dress. But they are not looking for a boy.”

  Luka looked at her. “You don’t look like a boy.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But it might work from a distance, I suppose.” He scratched his head. “Let me think… as of now the people chasing us think they are looking for a box. The people who employed me think I am delivering that. Eventually, one or the other will arrive here asking questions. Someone will talk, if coin is offered. So it’s better if all they can say is that they saw me and Rolan roll into the village.”

  “You want me to go back in the box again?”

  “No. I hired a room. You go to one of them and stay there until morning light.”

  “Shouldn’t we be riding off as quickly as we can?”

  “Terrible idea. Our horses have already covered over thirty miles today. We don’t ride off anywhere until they have had a chance to recover.”

  “But what if others come looking?”

  “Can you afford to buy four new horses?”

  “No.”

  “Then we keep the ones we’ve got fit and healthy.”

  “Yes, sorry. I don’t really know much about this.”

  “Worry not. It’s a common misconception. Fortunately, everyone else is bound by the same limitations.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Anyone looking for us has to get here first. By which time we’ll be gone.” Luka looked at her feet. “Are you ready to follow?”

  Alicia nodded and rose to her haunches. The light reflecting off the inn’s window pane was the only illumination in the dark coach. Luka looked away from her and closed his eyes. “Let’s go.”

  As one they moved, entering the inn but staying on the side corridor without entering the main drinking area. Instead they went directly up the stairs and dashed inside the first of the two rooms Luka had reserved. He closed the door behind them the second they were inside.

  The room was stiflingly warm, the air heavy with the sharp smell of stale tobacco. Below them, the low, muddled roar of the taproom was a constant, distracting current.

  “Whew, that was lucky. Just the moment when no one was looking.”

  “Yes. I’m lucky like that. Which makes you lucky too.”

  “Yes.” Alicia grinned. “I should probably thank you.”

  “Don’t worry. It was nothing.”

  “Really?”

  “No. We’ve just signed ourselves a death sentence for you, so gratitude should be pretty abundant at this point.”

  “It is. I am. Thank you, Shadowfox. You’re a good man.”

  A good man. How had that happened? He was supposed to be a rich man. Soon he might be a dead man instead. Annoyingly, Alicia’s gratitude still managed to warm parts of his heart that he’d assumed had wasted away some time ago.

  He looked at her feet again, bare on the floorboards.

  The floorboards were cold and rough beneath her bare soles, carrying the faint, earthy scent of the cart straw that still clung to her clothes.

  “I need you to stay here for a while. Don’t answer the door unless it’s me.”

  “How will I know it’s you?”

  “I’ll say, it’s me, Luka.”

  “Of course.”

  He met Rolan outside. The alleyway air was cool and damp after the warmth of the room. They didn’t have to discuss it, they both knew exactly where they were going. Nonetheless, it felt odd to be back on the road deliberately returning to the spot they had been fleeing from. Luka dropped down from the driving seat and walked over to the body on the road. His quarrel had pinned them through the jacket and wedged deep between the ribs.

  “Good shot,” Rolan remarked.

  “Yeah…” He didn’t want to say he’d hoped it wasn’t lethal, after all. The light was fading, casting long, bruised shadows that seemed to pool around the corpses. With a deep breath he fought down the feeling of sickness. Together they inspected the three corpses, removed their coin pouches and weapons and stripped them of their outer clothing. This wasn’t only for spoils. It would make them easier work for the wolves and that would make them harder to follow in turn.

  Back in the room at the inn, Luka presented Alicia with the smallest of the pairs of boots.

  “Thanks, where did you find these?”

  “On a washing line. In a sense.”

  The three of them settled around the small table set beside the window by the foot of the bed. They had paid extra for the food to be delivered; Luka and Rolan took the dishes at the doorway so the inn staff did not need to enter the room. With chairs pulled up and plates set down, now they finally had the chance to talk properly.

  “So… I imagine you two would like to know why I was in that box?” Alicia began.

  “That would be a start.”

  “I understand but would you mind telling me your part first. I want to make sense of where I am and how I got here.”

  Luka told her the story from the meeting in Ravelle to the exchange in Messl and then the attack on the road. She nodded along and as the tale reached its conclusion gave them a look of bafflement.

  “So, after being attacked for your container, you decided to open it and break your contract. And then you freed me knowing that doing so would mean there was no way you could get a single more gold coin?”

  “That’s about it,” Rolan agreed.

  Alicia laughed. “Have I been rescued by the two biggest fools in the whole of the river realms?”

  “Unfair,” Luka protested.

  “Accurate,” Rolan countered.

  Luka was trying to work up to being offended but Alicia just grinned.

  “I love it!” She let another giggle. “So, my story.” She breathed out, more serious now. “For this to make sense I need to ask something. Have you ever heard of the difference between internal and external magic?”