The blonde boy looked back and seemed to sense my predicament. With a harsh whisper, I feared we'd be heard, "When we finish up here, you can buy more honey buns than you can eat by yourself. So focus on the job, will ya?"
I followed him then, ignoring my stomach pains, throughout the almost silent house, trying to mimic his actions and failing miserably. I couldn't count the number of times my foot scuffed the carpet or I bumped into something. I almost knocked over a vase that would not only betray our presence but cost more than I'd honestly make in my lifetime.
He kept looking over his shoulder at me and frowning whenever I knocked into something, but no one seemed the wiser for it. I could hear him mutter, "We'll work on it later," before going back to trying to find a specific room.
"Ah, here we go. I heard a rumor that the missus was out on the town this eve. She won't be back for a spell; we got plenty of time to get what it is we came for."
I tried to act like I knew what he was talking about, but we both knew I was there to learn. To get hooked on the life of being a thief, sneaking where I didn't belong, taking that which was others, and profiting off the misery of the rich.
The room we snuck into was beyond extravagant, with tapestries and silks lying strewn about negligently on the floor. I could sell just one of those dresses for food that would last me more than a week. The blond ignored all of them, going straight for the bed. Confused, I followed after, eyes still taking in all that was around me.
He was crouched beside it for a long while, huddled over a plain-looking box. Looking at me, he motioned, "Come, watch and learn, boy." Pulling two slivers of metal out, he set to the lock with practiced ease, wiggling them back and forth and feeling for something.
"C'mon, ye damn hunk of steel. Get in there, will ya." He hissed and was rewarded with a slight click as the lock turned. A small chuckle escaped him before he opened the box and revealed mounds of jewelry piled high, gold and silver twinkling in the near darkness. I couldn't help but let out a small gasp, though Elroy just smiled, "Aye, can be a rich life indeed. That is, iffin you're good at it. What do you say, you in?"
Wordlessly, I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for fear of it all disappearing. "Good. The name's Elroy, by the way".
'I knew that' The voice echoed quietly, so much so that I thought I might have imagined it.
"It's nice to meet you. Let's get gone before they come looking for us. The biggest trick is getting out before anyone is the wiser about the theft. Nowhere nearby, in fact."
We were almost out; everything was going so smoothly when I tripped on a bunched-up piece of carpet. Elroy looked back to make sure I was okay but kept moving forward slowly; sure I would catch up.
Footsteps sounded nearby and heading closer even. A young girl appeared in the hall between Elroy and me, running her eyes tiredly. Elroy's eyes grew large, and he hurriedly motioned for me to move, hide, do anything but stand there, but I was too stunned to think.
The girl, 'Aether', said the voice in the back of my mind, looked at me uncertainly, "What are you doing in my house? Who are you?" Sleep still clouded her voice and mind; otherwise, she probably would have already screamed and called for her father.
"You... you're beautiful... how..who?" My voice cracked and stammered, my mind stumbling over itself, trying to find the words, "What's your name?"
'I already know,' the voice silently, unheard by the young girl, who shook her head and opened her mouth. Looking past her, I saw Elroy readying to throw a knife at her back. I didn't know where he had gotten it, but as the blade left his hand, I acted without thought, leaping past her and shoving her out of the way, hand reaching out to send the knife clattering to the side.
Elroy's face turned stony, but he couldn't mask the surprise showing in his eyes, "Let's go already, you idiot!" his voice hissed out, and he opened the door, running outside. I ran after him, pausing at the entrance to turn and look back at the small girl on the ground.
Tears were welling up in her eyes, and her mouth opened, though if it was to call for help or ask me why I would never know the answer. With a sigh, I turned and ran after Elroy. Without looking back, I leaped out into the night.
I woke with a sheen of cold sweat covering my body and shivers crawling down my spine. I hadn't thought of the past, let alone dreamed of it, in a long while. I still remembered that first day I had met Aether, so many years before, thinking I'd never see her again.
But now that I actually knew her, I didn't find it surprising at all that she had spent the next few years of her life searching for me until she found me. It's just something she does when something intrigues her. Something I had learned the hard way was how stubborn and hard-headed she could be. I turned back on my side, wincing at the pain in my chest, and tried once more for sleep.
4
Jack
First days, then weeks passed, time ticking slowly by as I waited for my chest to heal finally. A part of me itched to be out on the streets or lost in the woods, running after one animal or another. I'd have to start making money again somehow; it would take months, maybe longer, to replace the bow that the bear had broken. Until I got the new bow made, all the coin coming in would be scarce. Rabbit pelts and odd jobs made little coin.
After two weeks had passed, I thought I was starting to lose my mind. I forced myself to ignore both the pain and the doc's advice and went out on my own. The fresh air was made all the sweeter from all the time spent cooped up in that hovel, among all that filth and dirt.
The smell of pine still filled the air, though they all still stood bare from the winter past. The plants seemed to be just gaining back their effort to live, pushing the first buds into early spring. I took a deep breath in through my nose, savoring the scents and smells that could only be found at this time of year.
Most folk never even bothered to learn the difference, going through life thinking the year was all the same. I knew, however, that each season, each month, even each day, brought with it new scents and sights that couldn't be experienced any other time.
The start of spring, however, was a day everyone knew about and celebrated. Already, the streets were filling with the people who would set up stalls and sell flowers or small cakes and the leftovers from the winter stores. This year, winter had been short, so I figured that the stalls would be brimming with delicacies and treats. Years back, it would have been like a party for my crew and me. We'd walk the streets and take whatever it was we wanted, with none being the wiser to the loss until after we were gone.
But I was in too good a mood from finally getting out of my house that, for once, I didn't even mind not being able to steal anything. The itch in my fingers was dead for a while.
Eyes scanning the crowds around me, I was surprised to see Kate and Aether standing, arm in arm, at a stall selling small fruits and berries. I walked up slowly behind them, careful not to make a sound until I was right behind them, "You two gals deserve much better than withered fruit picked for winter. Anyone can see the dry spots and shriveled-up ones. I'll take ye to some good, fresh crop, the kind you two deserve."
The looks of surprise on both of their faces as they whirled to look at me made it worth getting up early from my sickbed. "Jack! You shouldn't be up and moving around yet; those stitches are probably still fragile. You remember what the doctor said, don't you?" Despite her fire, I could see humor tearing at the sides of her eyes, surprise, and happiness at seeing me overwhelming her momentary anger at me for disobeying the doc.
I shrugged, rolling my shoulders back to fight off some of the stiffness, "I'm fine, Aeth, promise. Still, you should seriously consider my offer. I know of a blueberry patch that fruits around this time of year. For some odd reason, it blooms during winter and fruits right at springs beginning. Though with the winter being so short, the yield is probably still small."
Kate bounced up and down, returning the berries she was holding to the dejected stall keeper. "Oh, let's go, Aether. You know he's going to go a
nyways, no matter what we say. He's stubborn like that; you know how men can be. And why should we let him pig out on all the fresh fruit while we pay for old? Do you know how tasty fresh blueberries are? Oh, it's been so long since I had any. Can we please go?" Kate looked at her imploringly; her eyes were bigger than I thought possible.
The stallholder threw his hands up in disgust at a lost sale, shooing us away so that he could attract another buyer's attention, "Oh, who said anything about it being free?" I asked, a twinkle in my eyes, "I'd say about two bronze half-crowns a piece will do nicely."
Aether punched my shoulder playfully, ignoring my feigned wince, "And if not for me, you wouldn't have had all those goose feathers for your arrows. So I would think that earns me plenty enough to buy mine and Kate's passage to this magical berry patch you tempt us with."
I flashed a grin and bowed low, hand stretching to point in front of me, "I suppose 'tis only fair. After you, my darlin's."
They skipped ahead of me playfully, sending folks scattering in every direction. I followed after, smiling wryly, waiting for them to realize that they had no idea where they were going.
Sure enough, Kate turned to me with a puzzled frown, "Wait, where are we going? How are we supposed to lead the way anywhere?"
"Well, I'll be thrice-damned; I hadn't thought of that! Where would we have been iffin ye hadn't said anything, Kate?" I dodged her half-hearted smack and slid around until I was in front of them, starting down the road. No one spoke much until we exited the city and started into the woods.
Kate turned a chuckle into a slight cough before saying with an evil smile, "Hey, Jack, you should make sure there aren't any bears around. Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt."
Both she and Aether burst out in laughter, sending noise echoing through the trees around us. The empty branches seemed to sway with it, spreading the laughter ever farther until all the forest had joined in on the joke.
I looked at Kate and jumped in surprise. It was the first time I actually noticed how she looked today. For the first time I had ever seen her hair was trimmed and combed, the dirt gone from her face and hands. She was rather pretty under all the grime and filth, making me wonder why she didn't clean up more often.
She saw me looking at her and stared hard at me until I looked away, blushing, "The, uh, berries are just ahead, up here. There's no guarantee, but I think there will be some. Though, of course, as I said, there probably won't be all that many. But hey, my gut's been telling me all week long that there were berries here, just falling to the ground and wasting."
Neither one of them responded; they just gave me incredulous looks that said they thought I was finally losing it. They gave me those looks all the time, though, and often when they were together. You get used to it after a while.
With a grand gesture, just a little overplayed, I swept aside a low-hanging branch to reveal a small berry patch. It held only five or six of the berry bushes, but each on its own had more than enough berries to make the trip worth it.
Both the girls squealed in pleasure and ran past me, eager hands snatching at the berries and shoveling them into their mouths. Out of the three of us, Aether was the only one who could afford to buy fresh berries, but berries straight from a plant were a treat even to her.
It was easy to tell by the amount on the ground and left on the branches that the fruit had only been ripe for a few days. Idle chatter filled the air as I walked around the patch, searching for signs of large animals or people, feeling almost naked without my bow.
My fingers found the hilt of one of the many knives secured around my body, thoughtlessly tracing the wolf's head lightly. I found myself beginning to follow the trail of a young deer who had recently visited the patch when Kate cleared her throat behind me.
She had left Aether at the bushes a small ways back and stood behind me, her eyes locked on mine, "Well? No comment on anything? How do I look?" Her hands swept down the length of her body, but her eyes never once left mine.
"Kate, you look...beautiful." I couldn't think of any other words to say, so I just stood there, awkwardly stroking the hilt still under my hand.
She arched her eyebrows at me, a small, crooked smile disappearing as fast as it appeared, "So, you're saying that I'm not normally beautiful? What am I usually, ugly? Is that what you mean?"
"That's not what I mea-" She cut me off with a raised hand, eyes lowering to stare at my feet.
"I know, Jack. I know what you meant." She walked up to me slowly, eyes not leaving my feet. Confused, I stood there and let her get close enough to finally look up at me and kiss me unexpectedly. After, she stared hard at me, studying the lines of my face so intently it was like she was reading a book. "You love her. I know that. I know it's hopeless; I just wanted... I don't know. To feel what you feel for each other. She's lucky... Tell Aether I had business to attend to and didn't have time to find her to say bye, will you?"
Tears fell down her face, splashing like raindrops on the grass between us. Before I could come up with some sort of response, to call something after her to make her feel better, she was gone between the trees. There was almost no trace of her ever having been there, aside from the few berries missing and the drops of salty water on the ground.
I stood there, not knowing what to do, until Aether called me back over to the bushes, "Jack! Where did Kate go? I was going to show her this funny-looking cluster I found."
I looked at the cluster of berries in her and noticed how they had grown fused together at their base, forming a mass as large as four of them on their own. "Oh, she said she had to run, she suddenly remembered she had something to do. She wanted me to tell you she was sorry she couldn't find you to say goodbye; it seemed really important."
Aether frowned, creases appearing in her forehead, "Huh, I wonder what was so pressing that she couldn't say bye. She didn't say anything earlier about having plans for today... Oh well, I think I've had enough berries for today. You'll bring me here again sometime, right Jack?"
I nodded, smiling once more at the eager expression on her face, loving the way her eyes lit up whenever she got really excited about something. Her happiness was infectious, at times, and made one forget about everything else for a little while.
We walked to the edge of the woods, and she grabbed my hand, giving it a brief squeeze, "I have to run as well; my parents will be worried after what happened to you. They think it's normal for giant bears to be running around the woods, tearing people to pieces, and they don't want me out too late. You'll be okay getting home, right?" I nodded softly, eyes on the ground in front of me.
She kissed me on the cheek, and I could feel the traces of blueberry juice forming the impression of her lips. With a smile, she skipped away, calling back over her shoulder, "Thank you so much, Jack. I missed fresh berries, but you most of all! Glad I got to see you!"
I want to be able to say in the future that I ran after her, grabbed her and kissed her back more firmly, put the feelings in deed that I couldn't in words...but I didn't. I stood there by the trees until the shadows cloaked my shoulders, hiding me from the realm of people. Animals were even confused by my stillness, coming up to sniff me, some even going so far as to lick my feet.
With heavy feet and a heart that didn't know if it should be flying or sinking, I walked home. I knew that when I laid down, the stitches would complain about all the movement today, but I also knew that it would all have been worth it. Even if all I had gotten for my effort was a mess of confusion and blue stains on my cheek.
Unconsciously, I reached a hand up to wipe the juice off, licking it from my fingers while lost in thought. I didn't even realize I was home until I was pretty much through the door.
Sleep that night took even longer than usual, with images of Aether and Kate conflicting and fighting, though the last word on my lips as I slipped into unconsciousness was the same that it always was.
Aether
I walked home, wiping the blueberry juice from my lips, "Now, A
ether, what made you go and do a foolish thing like that? He probably never wants to see you again after that stunt. What in the world is wrong with you? Messing up a perfect day."
I kicked angrily at a rock, but it turned out to be a lot heavier than I thought, bruising my toe through my soft shoe and not even budging for all of my efforts.
My thoughts rampaged, all centered around Jack. It hadn't been until I almost lost him that I realized just how much he meant to me, just how much my life had changed that day I caught him in my house. I had always known I loved him but never thought of it as anything more than one friend loves another, or a sister loves her brother.
The thought of losing him, even if it was just losing him as a friend because of the foolish kiss, made me feel sick to my stomach. It got to the point where I felt like I would lose all those berries I had just eaten before deciding to do something about it.
Thieves' Race Page 5