Circle of Thieves: Legends of Dimmingwood, Book 3 by Greenwood C

Author:Greenwood, C. [Greenwood, C.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2014-01-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“Silver again?” I asked when Kipp dropped the jingling purse at my feet.

He nodded. “Twenty pieces. I tell you I don’t know which is more painful, being bribed by the Praetor or selling out for so little. You’d think by now the greedy old man would see we’re worth our weight in gold.”

I tossed the purse back to him. “Take it, Kipp, and divide it evenly among the others. I trust you.”

Grinning, he snatched the bag from the air with the skill of one who has been pocketing other people’s money for a lifetime. “I’m glad someone trusts me. There’s a rumor to the effect that I’m a thief. My little brother has been accusing me of stealing his share of the earnings.”

The earnings and how we came by them were something I preferred not to think about. It had been two months ago, immediately after the escape of the Skeltai prisoner, that I first put before the others the idea of passing information about the Skeltai on to Selbius. Our questioning of the warrior had turned up nothing, but I felt the spot where he had been captured near a little settlement along the Dimming Road to be of importance. For the sakes of the villagers there, I felt it was our duty to send the Praetor word that an enemy scout had been found in the area, so he could have his Fists on hand in the event of another attack.

Of course, in any dealing with Selbius and our longtime enemy, the Praetor, we outlaws had to take measures for our protection. Word needed to be passed anonymously through an intermediary. I told the others in the circle that I had a friend already in place within the city, one I was confident we could trust, and who was experienced in matters of subterfuge. I didn’t tell them Fleet’s experience usually ran along the lines of thievery and blackmail. As it was, I had enough of a fight on my hands convincing them at all.

Initially, no one stood in favor of contacting Praetor Tarius. He had been our enemy for so long, was still technically our enemy, it was difficult to countenance the thought of a temporary alliance with him. In the end, it took a force of persuasion to rival the powers of Rideon himself to convince them there was reason behind my mad scheme.

It was simple enough once I broke it down for them. The inevitable day was coming when we were going to have to fight the Skeltai raiders in all their numbers, and if we hoped to succeed against them, we had to bring the Praetor into knowledge of the true situation with the savages. However bitter the truth tasted, it remained a fact that we needed the strength of the Praetor’s Iron Fists behind us if victory were to be accomplished.

When the opposition gave way, we made contact with Fleet in Selbius, and through him, Praetor Tarius. I didn’t question how the clever thief had achieved an audience with such a powerful man.

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