by Tina Hunter
“I know all about the Enclave.” Dorjee shook her head thinking about the hours of research in the library she’d done when she had first learned what her abilities were. “The Enclave is under-funded and is soon to be dismantled and moved back to Dukanna. They couldn’t take me in even if they wanted to.”
“And how might a young girl such as yourself come to know so much about what’s going on in the Enclave of Iridan?” Lynn crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Dorjee skeptically.
“My father... he was a lawyer in Iridan. Not one of the Prince’s, but middle court. I learned to read at a young age and mother would always have me do my needlepoint next to him when he brought work home. It was so that someone was always watching me, but I know how to read legal documents because of it.”
Lynn uncrossed her arms and leaned back on the bed with her arms stretched out behind her. Lynn really didn’t sit still for long.
“So, we have a child lawyer in our midst. That could come in handy, and a skill I’m sure Malack would appreciate. I know I do.”
Dorjee could feel herself blushing. “Why would Malack need a lawyer?” she asked carefully.
“He’s a confidence man.”
Dorjee’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
Lynn laughed at her. “He’s the one who taught me. Of course, he always does it with disguises so his true reputation is never tarnished by his dealings.” Lynn looked at her with her head cocked to the side. “I thought given your line of work at the brothel that wouldn’t be a problem for you, but given your reaction...”
“No, no it’s fine.” Dorjee said hastily, “I just didn’t expect the owner of an inn to also be a... thief. You’d think he’d be too busy.”
“That’s what Mildred is for,” Lynn said, laying down on the bed. She was staring at the ceiling and Dorjee glanced up to make sure there wasn’t something there that she was staring at in particular. There wasn’t.
“You know someone with your skills would make a very excellent thief. But it’s a hard life, you know. At least with Malack, you’d have a chance to use your skills a bit and then decide if you want to continue down that road. I guess I could always come back and get you when I’m done my job... you know if I survive.” Her smile was rueful.
Dorjee still wasn’t happy with her options, but there was a third now even if Lynn didn’t see it as one. The Morendi. They lived in the mountains, maybe...
“What’s the Fort like? I mean, is it a small town like this? It’s only a day upriver so is it Donassi?” Dorjee asked, trying to act innocent. She was probably bad at it, but Lynn wasn’t looking at her anyway.
“It’s small like Swanmouth, yes, but more soldiers. The Fort is across the river from the actual town and built into the wall of a mountain. That’s where they keep the raw crystals you know. The town isn’t much, a stopover place really, but it’s getting bigger.”
“Any other towns nearby?” she didn’t want to ask about the Morendi directly, just in case Lynn cut her off again.
“Not really. I mean the town itself used to belong to the Morendi but with the influx of people moving through, they moved out. Pretty close by, though, if I remember correctly. I think there is a mining town near there too. But that’s basically a prison since they have criminals do the mining now.”
So, if she could find that Morendi town, she’d find a way to get taken in. If she stayed with Lynn’s horrible Pater and Aunt they would sell her to Iridan military the first chance they got. Technically, she shouldn’t even be in this Kingdom without papers from the Capital.
Malack didn’t want her and there was no guarantee he ever would. And even if he did, she’d have to use her skills to help him steal. Basically, just a step up from the Velvet Rose. But the Morendi took in Inborn. Maybe it wouldn’t be any better than the two options she already had, but she’d hate herself if she didn’t at least find out.
“You know. I think I’ve changed my mind,” she said it quietly but Lynn still turned her head to look at her. Dorjee swallowed hard. “I want to go to the Fort with you.”
Lynn spent a moment studying her and it felt like she was trying to read her mind. Then suddenly she smiled.
“Alright, it’s your choice. You should get some sleep though. We’ve got a big day of traveling tomorrow.” Lynn rolled off the bed and started undressing. And just like that, Dorjee would be heading even further away from home.
Five
~Tuesday Morning In Swanmouth~
LYNN WIPED OFF the extra rouge from her lips. It was too much. She hoped Dorothy didn’t see her do it. Lynn knew she was being silly, but it was hard not to at least try looking good when she knew Declan would travel with her. If he didn’t want her, the least she could do was make him regret it.
“Just about finished?” Dorothy asked. The young girl wore the same dress from yesterday and looked ready to throw up. Ah. The nerves of your first big adventure. Lynn almost missed the feeling. One last look in the mirror in their room told her she would not get any prettier but she would start looking like a—what was the Docker term... ladybird—if she didn’t stop.
“Yes. Did you finish your breakfast?”
“Yes mother,” Dorothy said with evident sarcasm. Lynn was enjoying her company. She really did hope this worked for her.
“Well then, let’s go let the men-children know you will accompany us.” Lynn smiled brightly even though she felt a bit queasy at the prospect of talking to Simon about Dorothy. He hadn’t been a fan of even bringing her this far.
Lynn led the way out of their room and out into the dining hall. It was much quieter in the morning since most of the drunkards from last night were out tending to their farms with a pounding headache.
Simon, Brutus, and Teodor were sitting at a round table near the fireplace. If she didn’t know who they were, she would have taken them for a band of thugs ready to hustle someone out of their money. Or worse, beat it out of their pockets. She wasn’t pleased to have their company on this particular mission but it was better than trying to do it alone. She walked directly to their table and sat down, Dorothy a shadow behind her.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I hope you slept well.”
“Could have used your laudanum, didn’t sleep at all,” Simon said looking her in the eyes. He wanted her to deny having some. Silly boy.
“Oh goodness. I do wish you’d told me. Laudanum, in the right amounts, makes a wonderful sleeping tonic. Why, you being a healer Brutus, you would agree wouldn’t you?”
Brutus nodded his head slightly and took a drink of whatever was in his mug. Both he and Teodor stared at her with suspicion. So, Simon was spreading one of her own rumors, that she was an assassin not a thief at all. She did keep a bottle of laudanum on her, but by all the gods that ever were, she prayed she never had to use it on someone. It was just for show, and the occasional sleeping draught. She really did have trouble sleeping sometimes.
Well, there was no point in letting them think she was a killer.
“In all seriousness Simon, I owe you an apology. You see, when we first met I didn’t like you and I thought it would be fun if you thought I was an assassin. Now obviously I could have chosen a different story but I do actually keep a vial of laudanum on me for sleeping issues. I can see now that it was a mistake.” Lynn put on her best reassuring smile with a touch of regret.
Teodor cracked a grin and winked at her. Brutus smiled politely but went back to drinking from his mug and Simon, well Simon looked like he’d turned into a fish. His mouth was hanging open and moving but not a word was coming out. This was supposed to be her actor? Darkan really knew how to pick them.
“While I have you all here,” Lynn said before Simon could regain his voice, “Miss Dorothy here has elected to travel with us to Fort Eldridge. Now don’t worry she has her own plans and arrangements while there but she will accompany us today and I thought you should be aware.” Wide-eyed silence met her statement. So, since she had a captive audience, she added,
“And also, I’d like to sit down as a group to plan out our next steps at some point today. We do have a big job coming up.”
With that, she stood and walked away from the table. She didn’t feel glares or stares on her back, just a sense of confusion. She didn’t turn around to confirm it.
Toward the door she found Malack and Declan sitting with Mildred, who held a squirming baby. Lynn walked up and waited for them to acknowledge her, eyeing baby Richard—or Dickie as Malack liked to call him—noting how he’d grown over the last year. Declan gave her a smile once he noticed her standing there but Malack insisted on finishing his train of thought before acknowledging her presence. Still upset with her then.
“... and, hey Declan. Look over here. I need you to remember not to run off on me like last time or this will be my last job. Understand?” Malack said, gaining Declan’s full attention. And Lynn’s. His last job? Malack was too good of a thief to just stop.
“I understand. But Malack, you are too good to just stop.” Declan’s mind was almost in sync with hers. Oh, stop it, Lynn.
“Things are getting harder around here, and you know it. I could use the cash influx but mostly I need to be more careful. And that might mean lying low for a while.”
Lynn understood now what he was talking about. She’d overheard conversations last night about how the Donassi priesthood was looking to make a temple in Swanmouth. It would be a good thing... for an honest Donassi innkeeper. Not so good for a heart-alternative, half-believing Donassi, and part-time thief who happened to run an inn.
Mildred finally got the baby to stop squirming by waving a napkin over his face in a mock game of peek-a-boo. The woman actually had a smile on her face. The only thing she loved in this world was that baby.
Finally, Malack turned to Lynn. “I take it you are ready to leave. You do know the boat doesn’t leave for another two hours, right?”
Lynn just shrugged and waited. Malack sighed and stood from the table.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Malack said his goodbyes to Mildred though Lynn noticed he took special care to say goodbye to the baby. Both the baby and Mildred gave him big smiles for his efforts. Even though Richard wasn’t his by blood, he treated him as if he was his own child. They were an odd family, but a family that worked was something to be celebrated.
Lynn pulled Dorothy through the door to wait outside, grabbing their waiting luggage from near the door as they went. There was no point in staying around waiting for Declan to notice her, or not notice her as the case may be. He too seemed taken in by Richard’s charms. Even though Lynn had difficulty seeing how Richard’s attempts at standing were more appealing than her, she had to admit the baby was cute.
Dorothy stood at her side in the dooryard. The sun was fully up in the sky, warming the ground and thus Lynn’s black boots. They’d soon be covered in mud but for now, they were clean and visible now that Lynn had lifted the skirt of her green dress. She’d even found a green hat that some woman must have lost last night. It matched her dress nicely. Dorothy was looking around with wide eyes at the street in full daylight. It really was just a dirt strip in between the buildings. A raised wooden platform ran along in front of the businesses and would keep them off the mud for a while, but there was nothing to protect them from it when they crossed the street. Down the road to her left was the dock. She could see the plume of steam above the buildings. A thrill of excitement tingled up her spine, and she wished the boys would hurry.
“Have you ever been on a steamboat?” Dorothy asked. Lynn turned to the girl and shook her head. Apparently, Dorothy was excited too.
After what seemed like far too long, the door opened and Malack and Declan came out followed closely by her crew of misfit thugs. Lynn led the way down the wooden sidewalk towards the boat, lifting her skirt as much as was appropriate with one hand when they crossed side streets and alleyways. The back of her dress quickly became caked in mud and she almost wished it was colder so the ground would harden. Within minutes they were at the dock and Lynn walked onto the raised platform with the other travelers already waiting there. She had been right to come early since it was almost full. Dorothy asked with her eyes to go to the furthest end of the platform and Lynn nodded. The girl then snuck through the mass of travelers until Lynn could just make out her white and green-colored dress standing on the lower railing to get a better look at the boat.
The rest of the travelers clumped together awkwardly, and even Lynn wasn’t sure whether to face some of them, all of them or none. She chose none, leaving her luggage at her feet and rested her arms on the railing, watching the men loading up the boat.
They would have unloaded everything coming from the Fort last night when it arrived, and now they were loading it up with wood and grain and... meat if she was reading the symbols on the crates correctly. She sighed, thinking about how she would get ten crates of crystals back down this river. There would be the captain to pay off or at least some workers. Maybe both if she couldn’t think of a way for the missing crates to go unnoticed until they were already down the river. It took nine hours to go up and reach the Fort but only four to come back down. They’d have to time it right.
“I know the men working on the boats are nice to look at, but I think we should chat,” Malack said, coming to lean on the railing beside her. She smiled at him. He never could stay mad at her for long.
“I’m sorry about bringing her to you. I know you’ve got problems of your own to deal with, and I shouldn’t have assumed you would just take her in, no questions asked.”
“And I’m sorry too,” Malack said, “for not being upfront with you about how things are going with me. I’m hoping this job will fix a few things. The extra money could pay to turn some eyes away.” Malack didn’t even sound convinced of his own words.
“They don’t normally take bribes, do they? Besides business is good with all the traffic to the Fort. Even we stopped here on our way. You’d be better off staying here and putting on a better front.” Lynn really was trying to be helpful, but Malack got a curious look in his eyes when she mentioned her group.
“What is this job of yours? And how did you come to be in the company of such... men?” he whispered. Lynn could feel them behind her. A side glance told her their attention wasn’t focused on her, and neither was Declan’s. She should be able to talk freely.
“You just checked to see if they were listening, didn’t you?” Malack asked before she could open her mouth. “You’re getting better at doing that discreetly.”
Lynn rolled her eyes. “It’s not hard.”
“After years of me making you practice, of course not.” Malack grinned, “So what’s the job?”
Lynn sighed and looked away. “The Fort. Ten crates of crystals.”
She could feel Malack’s mouth open but she didn’t hear a sound coming out. His next question would likely be why she would do something like this, so she pulled up her sleeve a little to show him the contract bracelet. His mouth closed.
“Who?” his voice just above a whisper.
“You remember the landlord that took an interest in me? The one who found me in that hovel and put me up in a nice apartment and all I had to do was steal a few things for him? Yeah, that has gotten out of hand.”
“Harpy’s Teeth it has. This...” Malack took a deep breath before continuing, “I take it the men work for him?”
Lynn nodded. “Tall and bookish is his nephew - supposed to be my actor.” Malack snorted at that statement.
“Dark hair who doesn’t talk is actually the healer. And light haired Docker is the muscle.”
“And you’re bringing that little girl along with you?” Lynn turned to look him in the eyes. He was angry about that part. Good. Maybe he’d change his mind about taking her in then.
“What was I supposed to do? Leave her with your parents? Or on the street?” Lynn turned away and watched the last of the crates being loaded. “I’ll look out for her.”
“And
who will look out for you?”
“Who needs to look out for our Miss Lynn?” Declan took that moment to break into their conversation and placed his hand on her shoulder. She could feel the heat of his hand through the fabric of her dress and became keenly aware of how close his body was to hers.
“No one needs to look out for me,” she said, moving to the side far enough that he dropped his hand from her shoulder. She looked him in the eyes and immediately regretted it. Damn those black beauties.
“I’m always here if you need me, Evie,” Declan said quietly. He was serious. And that made it worse. How can you spend time with someone who you loved so completely, who laughed in your face when you suggested you become more than friends?
Malack had warned her. Declan had no interest in being tied down. Marriage was a big deal because of his upper-class family, yet Lynn had been so sure that his family would have approved of her. She had the land if not the name. Now, she was fairly certain that his family would never have allowed it if her guess about him was right. Regardless, she had to stop pining over him like a love-sick puppy.
The horn on the boat blared out, making her wince. They were loading passengers onto the boat and Dorothy was running back to her. Best make her stand now.
“Thank you for such a kind offer, Declan. However, you made it very clear a year ago that our needs are different in many cases.” The crowd was moving forward, and now that Dorothy was back Lynn took her hand and walked towards the boat. She slung her canvas bag and the small suitcase over her shoulder in a non-ladylike manner.
“At least let me carry that for you,” Declan said, trying to pry the bag from her grip. She resisted and glared at him.
“As I said before, I can take care of myself,” she wrenched the bag from his grip and continued walking forward. His eyes were on her, she could feel them on her back. Don’t look back, head tall, don’t trip. Dorothy, a few steps ahead of Lynn, reached the small bridge that connected the platform to the upper deck of the boat. If Lynn fell off, she’d land in the water and mud below and she was sure she would die of embarrassment. Dorothy skipped over to the deck quickly and Lynn carefully made her way across the bridge, only letting go of the breath she’d been holding once she was on the boat. Unfortunately, the deck of the boat was slick with mud from the ferryman, and a moment of distraction meant her foot slid across it. She felt her stomach in her throat but caught herself before she fell completely to the floor. Instead, she found herself on all fours.