Web of Eyes by Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle

Author:Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle [Bruno, Rhett C. & Castle, Jaime]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2018-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

XXI

THE THIEF

“You sure this is a good idea?” Sora asked.

“It’s my idea, how couldn’t it be good?” Whitney laughed as he studied the town from the hillside. It wasn’t Yarrington, but it wasn’t Troborough either. Three sprawling roads made up the bulk of Bridleton, and in its center, Iam’s temple—a tall, thin structure made of old, grey wood and iron—cast a long shadow over the community.

“If we are going to travel together, I’m certainly not wearing this.” Whitney gestured toward the unmarked cultist’s robe draped over his body, a dab of blood on the sleeve. “And if you recall, it’s your fault we are in this position, Ms. Plays-With-Fire.”

“Okay, fine,” Sora said. “We go in, get you some clothes. Then it’s straight to the Webbed Woods. Quick and painless.”

“You’re really not going to drop that idea, are you?”

She stroked his chest and put on sultry inflection. “Oh Whitney, I’m just dying to see your famed thieving skills for myself.”

Whitney couldn’t hide his grin. Maybe it wasn’t a vocation one should be proud of, but that had never stopped him. “I appreciate the flattery, Sora, but it won’t get you what you want.”

“We’ll see.”

She sidled up next to him, her hip rubbing against his. The moment he turned to face her she hopped back, the cultist’s coin purse again strung around her finger.

“Now, let’s go buy you a shirt,” she said.

“Buy clothes?” Whitney scoffed. “Do you remember who I am?”

“You plan to steal clothes from some poor merchant when we have the coin to purchase it? Is that what you’ve been up to all these years?”

“If I only stole that which I didn’t have the coin to purchase, I’d never have the coin to purchase anything.”

Whitney sensed Sora formulating a response but started off down the hill before she had a chance.

“I’ll buy them for you,” she shouted. “As a gift!”

“We both know we aren’t on gift-giving terms,” Whitney shouted back over his shoulder.

She hurried to catch up with him. “Clothing wasn’t really on my mind when I said, ‘renowned thief.’”

“C’mon, it’ll be like old times.”

“No, it’s just cruel.”

Whitney stopped and looked her over. There was no room for softness in his game. No room for morality. From the smallest to the most ludicrous heist, any hesitation could get him killed, or worse, slammed behind more bars.

Her brow furrowed as he continued to stare. She had a slender build, long fingers, and the ability to craft fiery distractions on a bloody whim. Whitney had never willingly worked with a partner—the mess with Torsten excluded—and now that he was free of the Shieldsman and done wallowing in boredom, he knew for sure, taking on an apprentice was precisely what he needed to keep things fresh. Just the prospect of stealing a shirt alongside Sora had him more exuberant for a job than even the crown heist.

“Would you stop staring at me!” Sora bristled.

“I’m sizing you up,” Whitney said. “You say cruel, yet you want to take on giant spiders and warlocks. I

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