Among Thieves: A Tale of the Kin by Hulick Douglas

Author:Hulick, Douglas [Hulick, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Roc
Published: 2011-04-04T16:00:00+00:00

I sat inside the ruined warehouse’s doorway and stared out into the rain. Larrios sat behind me, hands bound, legs shanked together with a length of sash long enough to let him walk, but not run. His remaining good eye was almost completely swollen shut now, too, but I still didn’t trust him not to run, even half blind and bound.

I watched as Degan came walking back through the rain. He was alone—no cloaked and hooded Kin on his trail; no guide back out of the Barren. Degan shook his head as he stepped through the door, his hat scattering drops of water in the process.

“The bastard set us up,” I said.

“Maybe,” said Degan, not sounding convinced. “He might have heard the yells and decided to rabbit. Or . . .”

I waited. Degan remained silent and continued to stare out into the rainy night. “Or?” I said.

“Or the other White Sash got him.”

I started at that. “The other White Sash?”

“Probably,” said Degan. “They usually travel in groups of three. Or six, or nine—always a number divisible by three. It’s their way of paying tribute to the three endless incarnations of the emperor.”

“So why didn’t the third one come and help the other two?” I said.

Degan shook his head. “I don’t know—and that’s what concerns me.”

I peered back out into the night but saw nothing. “Let’s get out of here,” I said. Degan helped me to my feet. If possible, I was suddenly feeling more nervous.

The rain was worse than before, the drops having become the large, heavy sort that immediately soaked through whatever they hit. They were colder now, too; that, or I was colder. Either way, it wasn’t pleasant to be out. Enough water had come down to churn up the alleys, making every step a slippery, slogging challenge. The only positive thing was that most of the stench had been washed out of the air for the moment.

The storm made the streets a distorted maze to my night vision. The shadows and shapes I usually knew so well took turns melting around the edges and springing back into focus as I limped along at Degan’s side. I found myself watching my feet more and more often, hoping to banish the headache the rainy night was causing. That didn’t stop the ache, but it kept it from getting worse.

We stopped often, both to rest my leg, and to let Larrios get his bearings.

“Here,” I said to Larrios at one point. We were leaning up against a building, barely out of the rain beneath a narrow overhang. Degan was off scouting out the next few blocks.

I had a seed in my palm. Larrios peered at it as best he could.

“Ahrami?” he asked after a moment.

“It’ll help you stay sharp,” I said.

“No, thanks.”

I returned the seed to the pouch around my neck. I had been taking them at regular intervals since the fight with the Sashes, and now it was close to empty. So much for this supply lasting a week.

“What do the White Sashes want with the book?” I said.

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