The Merchant of Sanukawa (Novella) (Thieves of Askaria Book 1) by Raoul Miller

Author:Raoul Miller [Miller, Raoul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RM Publishing Ltd
Published: 2016-12-05T00:00:00+00:00

As soon as his feet were back on the ground, Rishi moved straight to the kitchen door. He briefly examined the crack alongside the lever, then pulled a small foldaway saw from a vest pocket.

“It will fit,” he whispered to his partner, crouched beside him, then started gently sawing at a deadbolt on the other side. After a tense few moments, the bolt gave way with a small twang.

He was just about to try the handle when someone cleared their throat behind him. The thieves whirled around. Rishi met the hawkish eyes of a man with massive moustache, his hand resting on the hilt of a long sword scabbarded at his waist. Arraigned in a semi-circle around them were a half dozen more hard-faced men—the Shen.

“My name is Ruang, and you should not move,” advised the Shen chief. “A well trained Shen warrior can draw his weapon and cut a man clean in two in a single motion taking less than a second. You are within the range of our blades. We are all well trained Shen warriors.”

Seeing them comply, Ruang motioned to two men standing to his right. “Lead,” he said curtly, and then to thieves, “Follow behind them.”

The warriors led the way back down the garden path, heading toward the outbuilding under the tall black wattle tree. The Shen hadn’t bothered to take the thieves’ weapons, but with the knot of men walking behind them, each with a hand on the hilt of their sword, it seemed to make little difference.

Reaching the end of the path, one of the men eased open the door of the little building, revealing a plain, low-roofed room. Its undecorated, whitewashed walls were bathed in the bright light of a lantern hanging from the ceiling. Piled up sleeping pallets and a basin of unwashed dishes gave the room a lived-in look. On a small table, encircled by low stools, was a mismatched collection of half-full beer mugs.

The thieves were directed to sit down on the floor in an open space next to the door, their backs to the wall. The warriors then pulled the stools closer, and sat down across from them.

“Kovit told us that the king’s spies had tried to enter the house last night,” Ruang said to them, “and he said that he thought you may try again, but we had not expected you foolhardy enough to return the very next day. A fatal mistake.”

“King’s spies?” Adusa asked incredulously. “Why do you think we work for the crown?”

“You waste your time denying it. I am not easily fooled.”

Rishi chuckled. “We’re thieves, and no ally to their majesties, as your man can confirm.” He pointed to one of the men sat alongside the chief. “Your name is Chatri. We saw you this very afternoon in the guard captain’s jail.”

Chatri looked back at him in surprise, his eyes widening as he recognised them. “It is true,” he said to his chief. “They were prisoners in the jail I escaped from.”

Ruang stared at the two men for a while, more fully taking in their appearance.

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