Royal Thief (eBook)

Laura Kehoe (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2016 | 1. Auflage
398 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
9780998251110 (ISBN)

Infos

Amara is a thief who has done her best to avoid the bloody civil war raging in her country. Unfortunately for her, a mistake throws Amara headfirst into the fight. Whether Amara wants to be involved or not, she is a part of this war. And her decisions could have very real, far-reaching consequences for the whole country.

Textauszug

he boy whimpered pitifully, limply hanging against his chains. Blood congealed on the left side of his face, partially obscuring his youthful features. He couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, if that; a mere child. But his age was irrelevant. Obedience was the only way to keep order; even children must follow the rules.

King Osric peered at the prisoner without pity, eyes like chunks of obsidian. He loathed the sound of crying, particularly when it came from a youth. It grated on his ears like rough iron scraped across a stone. Soon this boy would cry no longer, but first he would pay for his crimes.

“Has he said anything of importance?” Osric turned to the man standing next to him in the dark cell.

Captain Easton was bald, save for a handful of hair sprinkled over his head haphazardly. His face was shining, specks of blood mingling with his sweat.

Easton shook his head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. He hasn’t said much of anything. Claims he’s never actually met anyone from the Resistance.”

Osric scowled. The boy had been caught loudly proclaiming his support for the rebels; he even had the gall to claim their leader was more worthy of the crown than Osric. Such traitorous words would not be tolerated. Osric had hoped, given the zeal with which the boy had apparently spoken, that he might actually know some information. It seemed yet again, the Resistance had proved elusive.

“Continue with your questioning,” Osric said coldly. The boy’s whimpering grew louder, becoming even more desperate after hearing the king’s command. Osric thought he was unconscious, but apparently the boy heard their conversation.

“As you wish, Your Highness.” Easton bowed, a look of grim determination on his face.

“If, by tomorrow, he remains this useless, you may dispose of him,” Osric said. “But, make it a public execution. I want the people to remember what happens to those who sympathize with the rebels.”

“Yes, My King.”

Osric turned to leave, casting one more disgusted look at the lump of flesh who had wasted so much of his time. The king had no time to waste. There was still so much work to be done.

“Your Highness,” Easton spoke quickly, before Osric could leave the room, “There’s one more thing I wished to discuss. If I may…?”

“Make it quick.” Osric was growing weary of listening to the prisoner snivel.

Easton hesitated only a moment before speaking carefully. “Have you reconsidered my earlier request concerning the thief?”

“You truly believe your guards are not sufficiently skilled to arrest one thief?”

“Amara is no ordinary thief,” Easton said quickly. “She has already escaped capture more than once. I am afraid she may do so again if stronger actions are not taken.”

The king clenched his fists. “I am well aware of what that woman has done. Very well. If your guards are so incompetent that you feel they are incapable of subduing her, I will allow the use of four of my Royal Guards. See to it that their time is not wasted.”

Easton bowed deeply, his face paling slightly as Osric turned his full glare on the man.

“I give you my word, Your Highness;” he said, “I will bring this woman to justice. Thank you, My King.”

She seemed to appear out of nowhere—almost as if she had materialized from the shadows.

King Osric was used to the woman’s sudden appearances. She’d been paying him visits for nearly a year now. Despite all of his efforts, Osric had yet to learn anything about her—not even the woman’s name. In his mind, he had begun to call her Shadow just so he could have some title for her.

Shadow bowed her head. “Your Highness. I hope I haven’t woken you.”

Osric stood, walking out from behind his desk. “What is it? I’m assuming you haven’t come to pay me a social visit.”

“No, I haven’t,” she said, completely at ease. “But I believe my visit will be equally as enjoyable.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I have a bit of information for you,” she explained. “Information that could change the fate of this war.”

“And what information is that?” Osric couldn’t keep the interest from his tone. When Shadow showed up, she always brought valuable information with her.

“A woman has just arrived in Erimere.” Her black cloak whispered around her as she settled herself into the chair on the other side of the desk. “A woman with some useful talents.”

“I believe I know who you’re talking about.” Osric hid his smirk. Shadow always knew everything that went on in his country—usually before he did. It was immensely satisfying to know something before she shared with him. “Her name is Amara.”

“Yes, Your Highness, that is who I am referring to.” She inclined her head. “Your Captain Easton is quite eager for her arrest—and I am sure you are as well. But if I were you, I would not be so quick to sentence her to death.”

Osric frowned. How did she find out about the meeting with Easton? Was the woman spying on him? The thought made him profoundly uncomfortable, though he tried not to let it show.

“Amara is a criminal—one who has stolen from me in the past, as you are well aware.” Osric said sharply, “In fact, I have just given Captain Easton permission to search the city and arrest her. I will not suffer thieves. The woman should have been killed months ago.”

“Then why is she still alive?” Osric didn’t like the condescending smirk forming on her lips. He clenched his fists, wishing he could wrap his hands around the woman’s neck. But even Osric couldn’t deny Shadow’s usefulness. He still needed her alive.

“She evaded capture.” Osric’s nails dug painfully into his palms.

Despite the fact that Osric sent his best trackers after her, Amara had managed to stay hidden all this time. It was bad enough someone had been able to get away with stealing from him, but the fact that she still avoided punishment for such a crime was intolerable.

“There are very few people who could hide from your guards once you ordered their capture, Your Highness,” Shadow pointed out. “That fact alone should be enough to convince you Amara is no ordinary thief.”

“Her abilities are not in question,” Osric growled. “She stole from the Crown. Such impudence will not be tolerated.”

“I won’t debate the need for keeping order,” she said. “And I would never dare to tell you what to do, Your Highness. But if I were you, before I exacted vengeance for wrongs committed, I would make use of the gift presented to me.”

“And why is Amara a gift?”

“Because she happens to have a very valuable talent: finding information—any information,” Shadow explained. “If you want to defeat the Resistance, I suggest you utilize that talent. Clean reputations aren’t going to win this war.”

His eyebrows rose. “Are you honestly suggesting I hire a thief?”

“I am suggesting you use the resources at your disposal.” Her voice was infuriatingly calm. “So far you have defended yourself against their little attacks, but the Resistance is still a threat. With every passing day the rebels are gaining more support. Until you know more about them, you stand very little chance of defeating them.”

“And Amara can get me that information?”

“She can,” Shadow said confidently. “Apart from myself, there is no one better at discovering pertinent bits of information than Amara.”

“Why can’t you do it?” he demanded. “You know everything that happens in Alwyn. Why can’t you discover what I need? Or is this beyond your capabilities?” he added with a sneer, hoping to wipe that disgusting smirk off Shadow’s face.

“Because that is not my job.” A hint of anger entered her voice. “If you want to find out where the Resistance is, the best way to accomplish that is to use Amara. But, as always,” Her tone lost its edge and became smooth once more, “the choice is entirely up to you. I would never presume to tell you what to do, Your Highness.”

Osric clenched his jaw....

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 30.10.2016
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction
• ISBN-13: 9780998251110 / 9780998251110