The Death Dealer - The Complete Series Page 17

  Ahead of him, two riders were coming up the road. One of the riders stopped his horse and watched Henry. There was something familiar in the scene, but Henry couldn’t quite place it. The horse and rider were too far away to make anything out. The second rider stopped and glanced back at his partner.

  “Hello there, fellow traveler! Any news of the road ahead?”

  The first rider laughed and began to trot his horse forward. “As I live and breathe, Lord Henry of Egona.” The rider signaled for his partner to hang back.

  “Jack Anders!” Jack stopped before Henry. “And Pilgrim, old boy.”

  Jack smiled at Henry.

  “I see Pilgrim is well taken care of. He really was the King’s finest. Too bad he did not show it as a colt. He would probably be Drake’s horse by now if he hadn’t been such a scrawny handful back then.” Henry looked upon Jack and saw the same knight he knew so many years ago. Such honor and renown suited Jack. “I am happy to see you, boy. What brings you on this road?”

  “I think you know.”

  “I am surprised. Ever since leaving us at court, you haven’t been one to go trying to make amends with anyone. What makes you come this time?”

  “Who said anything about trying to make amends?”

  “You don’t fool me, Jack.”

  Jack shrugged. “I think this time an apology is in order. I’ve been wrong every step of the way with Grace, and my friend sent me along with his adopted daughter to retrieve her.”

  “It is not entirely your fault. You were hurt by a woman of the court, but not all women are like Lady Danielle. Grace certainly isn’t.”

  “She really isn’t like anyone, man or woman, that I’ve ever met. Fighting as a knight – now there’s a step of idiocy, but it does take skill. And to think that if Daniel were still alive, she would never even know how to handle a sword.”

  “Don’t speak of that to her. She remembers her father as a noble man, not a close-minded brute. I know better than anyone that Grace’s father would never have let her learn to use a weapon, even if her life depended on the ability to protect herself. He would rather have her killed than wield a sword. I am thankful Sir Leon had more sense than his older brother and made sure Grace could defend herself. It is best to let her keep the memory of her father intact.”

  “Perhaps.” Jack fell silent. His face clouded with memories and thoughts Henry could only guess at.

  “It is all in the past, Jack. I know you have wished for death these past few years, but life is still worth living.”

  “I don’t wish to die anymore, Henry.” Jack stroked Pilgrim’s neck as the horse fidgeted beneath him.

  “Is that so?”

  “I never thought I would have a reason to live after Danielle, but I think I’ve found one now.”

  “It would ease my heart if that were true, but come. Your reason is not far away. If we ride hard and fast, we can make it before sundown. And call your friend…she is fidgeting back there.”

  Jack waved Ridley forward and Henry bowed in his saddle to her. “Young lady, you must be Ridley Hunewn of Glenbard. I have heard a good deal about you, but Grace’s stories have spoken nothing of your beauty.”

  Ridley smiled. “My lord, you needn’t try to flatter a poor commoner like me. I’m just happy to be let into your home.” Thusly introduced, the three turned their horses toward Henry’s home.

  Twelve

  When Grace woke the next morning, the servants in the kitchen told her that Henry returned late the night before and was still asleep. Grace was happy to hear the news. She looked forward to talking to him and finding out where he had gone, though she had a pretty good idea.

  Grace grabbed an apple for breakfast and headed out to take Olwen for a quick ride around the grounds. It would be a few hours before Henry woke, and she had plenty of time to continue exploring the area around his castle.

  As she was brushing Olwen, another horse neighed and stamped his hoof. Grace followed the noise and was shocked to see Pilgrim shaking his head back and forth, trying to get her attention. The gelding was excited to see her.

  “Pilgrim? But how is this possible?”

  “Don’t dwell on how this is a possibility, Grace.”

  Grace swung around and saw Jack feeding a sugar cube to Olwen. “Jack!” She hated his ability to move about with catlike silence, but this didn’t dampen her sudden happiness at seeing him. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him for a big hug. Grace could tell Jack was caught off-guard and didn’t know quite how to respond to it. He probably expected her to still be sore with him after fighting over her battle with Mac.

  “Hey now, no need for that.” Jack pushed Grace a little ways back.

  “Oh, Jack, I am so sorry.” Grace wanted to hug him again, but when she tried he put his arm up to block her. “I judged you so horribly from the start and I didn’t even know what hardships had fallen on you. I understand it now, and I understand why you were so beastly toward me.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t really understand it, Grace, and you shouldn’t be apologizing. No one knows at the Angel, and I like it that way. I’d rather have them think of me as a bitter stable boy than a disgraced knight. Yet you and I share a common background. I should have explained this to you when you first arrived. Before learning each other’s secrets, we were enemies when we should have been allies. Even bitter men such as me get lonely and long for a companion from time to time.”

  “Oh, Jack!” After hearing of his past, the young woman spent a great deal of time thinking about the cards life had dealt her and her friends. “It is so unfair. To think no one would believe you except Henry.”

  “And Drake and a fair number of others, but they were foolish to put so much faith in me. I didn’t act as a knight should, and for that I am duly punished. I am ashamed of myself for my past. I didn't steal anything and I didn't force myself on anyone, but I wasn't kind to Danielle either. The verbal barbs I threw at you when you arrived? I did the same to her, only worse. I screamed and berated her. It was wrong, but I could not stop myself.” He sighed. “However, you’ll notice Henry has great faith in those who are accursed and cast out. I understand he had a bit of faith in you as well.”

  Grace smiled and nodded in agreement. “So here we are, two outcasts. Both befriended by the only member of court who seems to care about someone other than himself.”

  “And of course we are both honorary members of the Thieves Guild. I do hope you’ll come back to see the Guild with me. Ridley has been an absolute terror since you left. Her constant nagging is part of the reason I was sent in search of you. When she wakes up I’m sure she will chatter on until you are deaf. Marcus wants you to return as well. I believe he has some scheme worked out for you. If I’ve guessed correctly, he’s grown tired of Mac’s hiding and thinks you may help fuel the fool’s anger.”

  “Are those the only reasons? Marcus could easily have sent Thom and Ridley. I know how you dislike being removed from your corner.”

  He smiled and patted Grace’s shoulder and said, “We’re friends, aren’t we? And friends try to make amends after arguments.”

  “You consider me a friend?”

  “You are stubborn and a pain to me, but you have trusted me with your secrets and now I trust you with mine.” This was the first time Jack had smiled at her beyond a cruel smirk. All his teeth showed in this genuine display. Grace liked it. It brought an equally large smile to her face.

  “And you are a brute and far too mean to others, but I know I am safe with you around. I guess we are friends, Jack. That makes me happy.”

  “So you’ll return to Glenbard with me? The King of Thieves commands it of you.”

  “Of course. I should be returning soon anyway. Donald will be coming back from Nareroc soon and I miss the Angel dreadfully.”

  Jack dared to reach out and touch Grace’s face. The two locked eyes; Grace’s heart pounded against her ribcage. Since leaving Ursana in disgrace and the way Tristan
treated her, she believed no one would ever look on her as Jack now did. The pain of love crossed Grace’s face…Tristan and Danielle…and the past clouded her mind.

  Jack’s hand dropped away. “No need to think on those things.” He patted her shoulder again and kissed her forehead tenderly before offering her his arm. “Let’s go wake up Ridley.”

  ~*~*~

  Ridley bit into an apple and openly admired Henry’s library. “There is so much here! Do you mean to tell me that Henry read all these?” The thought that someone could read so much was almost beyond Ridley’s comprehension. She could barely write her own name, and yet here was a vast collection only one man had read.

  “My Uncle George has a library that rivals this,” Grace said. She spent the entire morning occupying Ridley while Henry and Jack talked. The moment in the stables weighed on her mind. Grace felt giddy. She wanted to tell Ridley, but the girl’s chatter about Henry’s home blocked out anything Grace wanted to say.

  “Is this what nobles do? People in Glenbard bathe in filth and fight like wet cats to scratch a livin’, and here you sit before fires readin’ this nonsense.” Though Ridley’s words were bitter, the girl’s tone was filled with humor. “Not a life I’d mind livin’. Is Henry looking for a wife, by any chance?”

  “If you married Henry, who would keep Marcus in line?”

  “You just don’t think I could make myself a proper noblewoman.” Ridley playfully shoved Grace. “But Glenbard is my home; you are right, there.”

  “It is both our homes now,” Grace pointed out.

  Ridley sat in a great chair Henry placed before the fireplace; turned sideways, hanging her feet over the armrest. “I’m glad Marcus finally decided to call you back.”

  Jack mentioned he didn’t know if Marcus had apprised Ridley of the whole situation, so Grace didn’t speak of it. And there was no way to ever really know what the Princess of Thieves knew or didn’t, so instead of commenting how she was to be used as bait, Grace said, “He must deem it safe for my return then. Is Mac reined in?”

  A strange and angry light entered her friend’s face. “Hardly! The bloody snake is as slippery as ever. He ain’t staying in Glenbard, that’s for sure, because not a soul has seen him. Or so people claim. Marcus thinks he’s moved on for now, but is sure of his return.” She jumped out of the chair. “It’s fair dangerous in Glenbard with the King of Thieves so on edge, and there’s no tellin’ where some loyalties lie. But I tell ya, Gracie, I’ll be glad to have you back. I’ve never been shut out from Guild affairs, but Marcus and the others haven’t been much in the mood for conversation these days. I need my friend back.”

  Ridley obviously wasn’t aware of any of the background scheming. Jack seemed to know more and that was odd, seeing as how he wasn’t one of Marcus’s real followers. What sort of scheme was Marcus working out?

  ~*~*~

  Henry hugged Grace goodbye and then did the same to Jack and Ridley. They stayed for two days in his company, but Grace had decided it was time for them to head home. Ridley wanted to stay longer to enjoy a noblewoman’s luxuries and Henry laughed; offering his home to Grace’s friends whenever they decided to return. Henry would miss the company the three provided. They were a breath of fresh air compared to his usual solitary surroundings.

  “Come and visit me whenever you feel like it. The doors of my home are always open to you and your friends in Glenbard.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be around soon enough,” Jack said. He mounted Pilgrim and turned the horse toward the road. Ridley was already in the saddle on her horse, Jewel.

  Grace hugged Henry one last time before mounting Olwen. “Thank you for everything, Henry. I am going to miss you.” Then she turned her mare toward the road and the three set off, back toward Glenbard.

  ~*~*~

  One more day of traveling lay before Jack, Ridley and Grace. They had set up camp on the side of the road and were finishing their dinner. Grace took the first night watch while Jack stretched out on his back to watch the moon. If they set out at sunrise, they could make it to the Angel by noon. Ridley decided a quick wash in a nearby stream was in order, and they could hear her splashing in the water.

  “You really think it will come down to using me as bait?”

  Jack rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows. “I couldn’t say. Not like the King makes his plans known to me.” Jack read Grace’s expressions by the firelight and shook his head. “I hope you’re not planning on picking any fights when we get back. You’re not such a skilled knife fighter or wrestler that you should go bringing big, nasty brutes out of their filthy holes.”

  The dagger! Grace suddenly remembered the mysterious dagger. She pulled it from her saddle bag and held it out to Jack. “Kit said it was from Escion. Is it yours?”

  “It was mine, but now it is yours. After your incident in the woods and then the tavern brawl, I knew you needed to learn how to fight with more than a sword. That is my great-grandfather’s dagger, given to the eldest son of my family for generations. Now I’m going to get some sleep. Wake me when you are too tired to keep watch.”

  “Wait – you really wanted me to have it? I can afford my own weaponry. This is a family heirloom.”

  Jack groaned and sat up completely, scooting closer to Grace. “They aren’t my family anymore, and haven’t been for a long time.” He took the blade from Grace and inspected it by the light of the fire. “It was the first gift I have given in years,” he whispered.

  Grace didn’t bother with words. She leaned in close and kissed Jack; surprised when he kissed her back. The moment passed as Ridley’s footsteps heralded her approach.

  “Stubborn and forward,” Jack said. “Gods, what will happen to me?” he teased; smiling over at Grace.

  “What jokes are you two telling? Did I miss a bawdy exchange?”

  Grace felt her cheeks burning and thanked the shadows of the firelight. “Only the bawdiest joke ever told,” she said.

  “And you missed it,” Jack continued. “Because an old man such as myself needs more sleep than young ladies such as yourselves.” He tweaked Grace’s nose when Ridley turned her back to unfurl her bedroll and gave her a quick kiss before returning to his sleeping spot.

  ~*~*~

  Grace had felt unwanted when she left the port city, but many of the regulars in the tavern were pleased to see her return. Upon entering the inn, many welcomed Grace and her companions. It was warming to see that she wasn’t an outcast everywhere.

  Ridley hugged Grace again and said, “Grace, I am so happy you came back with us. There really is no other female around for me to talk to, except maybe the old brothel women or the surly barmaid. I love them all, but it’s so nice to have someone around here close to my age. Come on, I have a surprise for you in your room. I had this all planned before leaving to retrieve you.”

  Ridley took Grace up to her old room in the Angel’s stables. On her bed were several ornate dresses unlike anything Grace had ever seen. They were clearly meant for the summer seasons and were bright, happy colors, which many in Cesernan did not wear. In addition to the dresses, a few pairs of silk slippers were left for her as well.

  “Donald returned two days before I left and brought native dresses of Nareroc back for you. He also said your birthday is barely a week away, so you can expect a surprise from Marcus and me soon. I’ll be sure to get you somethin’ pretty to match the dresses…earrings, maybe. I know Marcus won’t see the need for a young lady such as you to own those things. He only likes to give practical gifts.”

  Grace threw her arms around Ridley and hugged her tightly. “You don’t have to get me anything! Just the thought is the nicest thing you could do.”

  “Come on now, you shouldn’t be surprised. We love you around here. You’ve been the friendliest person to come into the Angel or even Glenbard for the longest time. And you’ve done wonders with Jack. He used to just sit in his corner, never speak, and drink all day. He talks more and he’s less
surly with everyone now that you’re here. He’s actually pleasant to talk to. And don’t think I was blind to his lingering stares,” Ridley pressed her hands to her heart, “as you two fawned over each other. As if I wouldn’t notice!” Grace smiled and blushed a bit, and then gave Ridley a playful push. “Don’t forget there are other people who are happy you’re back.”

  Certainly Marcus liked her as an ally. Jack liked her too, but Grace had no idea she meant so much to the other people around the tavern.

  “If Marcus tries to send you away again I’ll fight him tooth and nail.”

  “I don’t think we have to worry about that for a while. Now where is Donald? I need to speak to him.”

  “There is still work to be done on the trade ship he was on. He won’t be back until well after nightfall.”

  Work. Grace groaned. She had forgotten all about her own work. “I should see Mayhew today. I suppose I am out of the stable job by now. Even though Marcus spoke with him, I was gone longer than I should have been.”

  “Mayhew was furious those first few days after you left, but Marcus persuaded him to let you keep your job. He reminded Mayhew that you lasted longer than some of the boys who used to work for him.”

  “Oh dear, I should go speak to him and get right back to work then.”

  Grace shooed Ridley out so she could change into her work breeches and shirt. She headed into the stables and found Mayhew brushing down Pilgrim. It appeared Olwen had already been taken back to Marcus’s private stables. When Mayhew saw Grace, he shot her a nasty glance.

  “Look who finally decided to return.” He pushed the brush into her hands. “Finish brushing down Pilgrim. Tomorrow you’ll muck out all the stables, polish all the saddles and bridles, and milk Jim’s dairy cow. For now, make sure every animal in this stable has plenty of clean water and food. And you’re not leaving until it’s all done!” Mayhew stormed out of the stable and Grace began her work.