I nodded, pulling the jewels from the bag and offering them up to him. He thumbed through them vaguely, brushing cake crumbs from one of the broaches as he examined the emerald set into the centre of it.
I wanted to point out the value of the jewels he was currently fingering and insist that they more than paid any debt he imagined I owed but I held my tongue. I’d felt the back of his hand more than once and the strike of the nine tailed whip which sat by his feet twice too. I didn’t want any scars marring my flesh if I could avoid it.
“Balthazar?” Egos called and I looked around as the thief approached us.
He looked at me as he moved to stand at my side and I eyed him curiously. He was taller than me which was kind of annoying but his thick brow and permanent scowl meant he couldn’t come close to rivalling my looks in any other way. He’d stripped his cloak and shirt to combat the warmth of the room and I eyed the bloody cut to his side with a twinge of irritation. It wasn’t deep but it looks sore. No doubt that would be put down to me too despite the fact that it was his own damn fault that that guard had gotten so close to him.
“This is a good haul, Balthazar,” Egos mused. “You did well.”
I opened my mouth to protest the fact that I’d been the one to lift the jewels and all Balthazar had really done was seduce a woman who looked like a foot which was hardly impressive at all but I held my tongue. This was a test. I could see it in the set of Egos’s shoulders. He was baiting me, daring me to contradict him.
“Yeah, nice work, Balthazar,” I agreed. “You really dug deep for this one. You plunged right in. Covered every pig ugly base-”
“Enough,” Egos growled and I promptly shut up.
Balthazar smirked at me and I forced myself not to roll my eyes.
“What would you like as a reward?” Egos asked him.
“I’d like Tyros’s quarters and a bout in the ring with this one,” he said, jerking a thumb at me.
Asshole. He didn’t give a shit about Tyros’s quarters but he knew I had my eye on them. The room was bigger than mine and he had an actual mattress too.
“Done. But I was already going to put Aladdin in the ring with Argun as punishment for disappointing me.”
I kept my face impassive but I did not want a bout in the ring with Argun. He was about eight times the size of me and had fists like goddamn hammers.
“Maybe the two of us can go against him. Aladdin deserves a good kicking for what he did,” Balthazar said and I knew he meant how long I’d left him with the Countess and not getting myself captured.
“Rules state it must be an even match,” Egos murmured though he seemed tempted to let Argun and Balthazar beat the shit out of me.
“Let him fight alongside Pip then,” Balthazar suggested with a smirk.
I was actually beginning to look forward to going up against him and punching that look off of his face. Though I almost wanted to protest for Pip’s sake but I was already in trouble for standing up for the boy; putting myself between him and danger again would only stoke the flames of Egos’s rage.
“Tempting... but the boy’s face is already half ruined. What of the man you brought back with you?”
“The horse humper?” Balthazar asked, glancing over his shoulder towards Cassian. “Yeah I could give him a kicking too.”
“He’s a mark,” I protested vaguely but the look in Egos’s eyes told me I wouldn’t be winning this argument.
“You know the rules. Any man who wishes to sleep here must be willing to fight for his right to stay. And with this sand storm setting in I’ve no doubt he’ll be sleeping here. Unless you’d rather I kill him?”
“Let him fight then,” I shrugged. “Let’s see what the blacksmith’s got.”
“Fetch him and send Amira to me. I don’t like the way he’s been looking at her,” Egos said and I dipped my head as I turned away. He always assumed the gang were coming onto Amira instead of the other way around. It was like he couldn't see how much she flaunted herself at us, but if any of us looked at her too long, he'd gut us for it and none of us were that stupid. At least not openly.
I’d been pretty sure that I’d end up in the ring tonight anyway so as far as punishments went it really wasn’t so bad. Besides, I was quite looking forward to fighting alongside Cassian and I imagined Balthazar was about to get a shock when he realised just what this blacksmith could do.
Sucks to be you, asshole.
Amira drew me into a dingy bedroom full of bunks and started sifting through clothes, picking up some pants and a shirt before moving toward me.
I gritted my jaw as she held the pants up to my waist to see if they'd fit. “Hmmm,” she hummed. “Too small.”
She dropped the pants then her hand shot out to cup between my legs. “Hey!” I shoved her off as a wide smile grew on her face.
“Definitely too small,” she giggled then bit into her lip. “I might have something that'll fit you though...” She draped her arms around my neck and I grunted as she ground her curves against me. I gripped her hands, unlinking them and pushing her back again. She wasn't deterred, plucking at the straps of her vest as if preparing to tug it off.
“Stop,” I growled, elbowing past her to search through the piles of worn clothes. Did she really think I was going to take her? She was a thief. And I was up to my neck in shit as it was. Screwing the den leader's girl was a moronic idea and I wasn't about to be baited.
“Poor blacksmith, did those royal assholes beat you?” she purred, her breath on my back telling me she was studying the faded scars from the countless whippings I’d received in the past.
I ignored her, continuing my search with my jaw clenched. I found a decent pair of pants at last and as I stood upright, Amira's hands slipped around my waist and her fingers pushed beneath my waistband.
I caught her wrists with a growl, squeezing them tight enough to make her yelp. I shoved her aside but suddenly she gasped, reaching up to brush her hand over the spot behind my ear. I stilled, horrified by what lay under the pads of her fingers. My number. Two hundred and eighty seven. The mark I'd had etched onto my skin the day I'd earned my position as a royal guard.
“Holy shit!” she screeched and I wheeled around, slamming a hand over her mouth and bearing down on her.
She reached for a knife at her hip, but I snatched it from her, lifting it and holding it to her belly. “You didn't see that,” I snarled and she nodded weakly, her eyes glistening with fear.
“Shit,” I hissed, knowing I couldn't trust her not to tell. Before I could decide what to do, the door flew open and Aladdin strode in. He kicked the door shut instantly, his eyes sweeping across my current situation. This didn't look good. And the second I released Amira, she was going to call out for my death.
“What's going on?” Aladdin asked casually, folding his arms as he awaited an explanation.
“She saw my guard number,” I revealed and Aladdin released a huff of irritation.
“He's fine, Amira,” he demanded, striding forward and placing a hand on her shoulder. He gave me a nod but I didn't release her. I wasn't going to get out of this place alive if they knew I was a guard.
Two options: kill both of them and make a run for it. Or see if Aladdin could get me out of this predicament.
“Amira, if you tell Egos who he is I'll tell him what you did to me a few nights ago. And last week. And the week before that.”
Aladdin took my wrist, but I refused to remove my hand from her mouth.
“Let her go,” he insisted and the tension in my muscles grew. I eyed Aladdin, trying to place my faith in this man. Was I really going to put my life in the hands of a damn thief?
“You're valuable, Cassian. Guard or not. Only you know where that treasure is,” Aladdin pressed.
Slowly, I retracted my hand from Amira's mouth and surprisingly, she didn't scream.
She looked between us, her lips pursing as her gaze halted on Aladdin. “You brought him here even though you know what he is?” she de
manded.
Aladdin shrugged. “He was in prison. Do you really think he's going to go running back to the palace to tell them where we are even if he did get out of here? They were torturing him in there. He had a death sentence. He's not a damn idiot, are you?” He glanced at me and I shook my head firmly.
I am a damn idiot because I came here with them. I should have run. Screw my morality. What was my word worth if it landed me in shitsville with these peasants?
Amira's eyes skated over my bare chest and the wounds marring my skin. “The royal guards are notoriously rough.” She inched closer, a smile creeping onto her face again as she reached out to circle her fingers around my wounds. “Maybe I'll keep quiet...if he gives me a kiss.” She turned to Aladdin for approval though I was pretty sure it was my approval she needed. And she wasn't going to get it.
“Do it,” Aladdin said bluntly and I scowled at him.
“No,” I snarled.
“Do it or she’ll tell.” He shrugged.
I looked to Amira with acceptance washing over me. It was that or die in this miserable cesspit. So one heartless kiss wasn't going to do any harm. And besides, despite my reluctance, the girl was pretty damn tempting. I leant forward, meaning to get it over with fast but she pressed a hand to my chest to stop me.
“Like you mean it,” she urged and my scowl grew. I was overly aware of Aladdin standing there like an intrigued puppy dog as I snatched Amira's waist and dragged her flush against me.
She wanted a damn kiss? Then she was going to get one.
I forced my tongue into her mouth and she sighed her approval as she held onto me, going limp in my arms. I kissed her roughly, biting her lip and crushing her slim body against my muscles. Then I pushed her into Aladdin's arms and fought a grin.
Hell, the last time I’d kissed a girl like that I’d been caught and beaten for it. She’d been a maid in the palace; a pretty girl who’d shared looks with me for weeks. Quiet words had turned to breathy whispers. And one day I’d cracked. Thrown her against the wall and nearly lost my mind with how much I’d missed a woman’s touch. It had been just my luck that Captain Marik himself had caught me. Ten lashings every day for a week. He’d never been very imaginative with his punishments.
“Happy?” I demanded.
“Very,” she laughed in glee, moving out of Aladdin's arms as he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Come on, you can get changed later. You've got a date with the ring. You need to earn your place here,” he said, smirking as he nudged me toward the door. “But first.” He sliced his dagger through the mark behind my ear and I swung around as pain spiked from the wound. I grabbed his collar in my fist, yanking him close as I bared my teeth.
“I had to cover it up,” he snapped, clawing my hands off of him.
I stood there for two more seconds, absorbing his words and deciding he was right as hot blood flowed down my neck. “Touch me like that again and I'll rip your lovely little face off.”
He grinned broadly, clapping a hand to my back as he steered me out of the room. I wasn't really fit for a fight with the wounds on my stomach still burning, but if I had to prove myself I needed to muster the strength to do it. It was the only way I was going to keep air in my lungs for the foreseeable future.
“Just curious, but is that how you kissed the horse?” Aladdin murmured under his breath and I released a laugh.
“No, the horse liked it gentle,” I said and Aladdin fell into his own fit of laughter. I’d never really met a man who appreciated my sense of humour. The Royal Guard were uptight. I’d been taught to be uptight too I guessed. But maybe here I didn’t have to be.
“None of your men have even questioned the logistics of screwing a horse,” I said to him conversationally. “You do realise that would be a very difficult task.”
“Guess they reckon you’ve got what it takes, Cassian.” Aladdin continued laughing, his shoulder bumping mine as we walked and I had to admit the guy was kind of growing on me.
We moved through the crowd of ruffians and arrived at a ring made from a steel chain running in a circle around five stone pillars.
Balthazar and a huge man were waiting there bare chested. The rest of The Forty were gathering around the edges and I spotted the den leader. I knew him by reputation alone. Egos. Blinded in one eye, but that didn't make him any less precise with a blade. He wasn't just a thief, he was a cold-blooded killer. And I had half a mind to wipe him from the face of the Earth if I hadn't been surrounded by enough men to kill me for it.
“Ah the blacksmith,” he growled as Aladdin and I stepped into the ring. “Are you willing to show your gall?”
I nodded, rolling my shoulders as I loosened up for the fight. I had years of skill under my belt, but I suspected men like this weren't going to spar with any honour. I wasn't going to lower myself to their standards though. This match would be won with my integrity intact or not at all. It was just the way I was made.
“Ready?” Aladdin muttered to me as he took his place at my side.
I raised my fists, planting my feet in the way I'd always been taught. A few of the surrounding men muttered and I dropped my shoulders, trying not to give away my obvious training.
“FIGHT!” Egos bellowed and I ran forward to meet Balthazar.
As suspected, he went for my crotch, my eyes and my injuries all within the first few seconds. I avoided every blow, moving around him and landing a sharp kick to his leg. He cursed, stumbling and I used my momentum to uproot him with a harsh punch to his jaw. He hit the ground, but rolled smoothly, dancing upright. Two meaty hands caught my neck and I reached back for my other opponent: a giant with no grace at all to his attacks.
Aladdin fell on Balthazar, throwing punches into his face that would no doubt be visible for weeks to come. The giant heaved me backwards by the throat, locking his arm around me and trying to choke me out. I slammed my heel down on his foot and he roared in anger, his grip only tightening.
Something popped and I hissed in pain, reaching over my head and using every ounce of strength I had to launch him over my shoulder. He slammed to the ground on his back and I waited for him to get up, not having it in me to a kick a man when he was down.
More muttering broke out and I wondered if I should just abandon my honour and fight like these lowlifes. But who was I without that part of me intact? Surely no better than them. And I’d die before I gave up my integrity.
A bone-crushing punch came from the giant and I stumbled back from the impact of his knuckles to my chest. I almost lost my footing, but Aladdin suddenly braced me, having left Balthazar in a pool of blood on the ground. We dove at the giant together and Aladdin viciously punched him in the throat while I planted a hit to his temple. The giant toppled and Aladdin fell on him, continuing to pound his face as if the fight wasn't already won. He was an animal, smashing his fists into every inch of flesh he could find.
I caught his arm, dragging him away. It wasn't that I gave a damn about the beastly man left to waste on the ground. It just wasn't proper.
Aladdin wiped a line of blood from his brow then turned to me with a triumphant grin. He faced Egos and I wheeled about to look at him too. The den leader wasn't smiling. He was staring at me with a knowing glint in his eyes. “Seize him,” he snarled.
Trepidation scored a path through my chest. I backed up as five men came at me.
“Hey – wait a second!” Aladdin called, trying to get near me as the men closed ranks.
I raised my bloody knuckles, ready to take on everyone I had to to get out of here.
I am made of steel.
“He's no blacksmith,” Egos spat. “Care to explain yourself, Aladdin?”
The men fell on me and I shouted my rage. I wasn't going out like this. Not when my life had been handed back to me. My purpose. I headbutted one of the cretins and he stumbled to the floor as pain flared in my skull. The next one met the wrath of my fists but the final three were joined by more. A whole group wrestled me to the ground,
forcing me to kneel before Egos.
Egos held a knife to Aladdin's throat and the thief's jaw ticked with anger. “He knows where a huge haul is, Egos. Don't be a fool. It doesn't matter who he is.”
“Wrong...very wrong,” Egos growled, hounding forward and gazing down his long nose at me. “Who are you? Or should I say what are you?”
I pursed my lips, figuring I could either lie now or tell the truth. I settled on the truth, a slow smile spreading over my face as I prepared to face the wrath my words would bring. But I was caught out and I wasn't going to spend my final moments as a coward. “I'm Cassian Lazar. Royal Guard of the seventh division. Number two hundred and eighty seven in the legion.” The howling wind battered the windows and sand hammered the exterior with a rattling noise. “I’m your only hope at finding a treasure hoard so large you would never have to thieve again. And if you don't accept this one time offer, then I’m taking it off the table.”
Egos stared at me for several long seconds before releasing a booming laugh. Others in The Forty joined in and I ran my tongue across my teeth as I glared at their leader.
“You are in no position to bargain,” Egos snarled eventually.
“I’m the only one here who knows the way to the treasure. You want to kill me? Go ahead you one-eyed rat, but your chance at getting your hands on it dies with me.”
Egos retracted the knife from Aladdin's throat with a thoughtful look, not seeming affected by my goading. “You'll take him,” he announced at last, his gaze on Aladdin. “Pick a crew and get the hell out of my sight as soon as this storm clears. If you don't return with that treasure in three days I'll put a price on your head so high the crows themselves will be vowing to peck your eyes out for it.”
At a nod from Egos, the men released me and I rose to my feet, fighting a wince from the wound on my side. I tried to shift into the mental state that would help me cope with pain easier, but three days of solid torture and a fist fight with a bunch of thugs was starting to take its toll on me.
Egos strode toward me, gripping the back of my neck and resting his forehead to mine. “You're mine. You're not two hundred and eighty whatever anymore. You're number forty one. And if you screw with me, I'll spill your highborn guts. But not before I find each and every member of your family, every one of your pals, any dog whoever gave you so much as a friendly lick and kill the lot of them. You hear that?”
Forbidden Fairytales- The Complete Series Page 7