Fallen Grace (The Death Dealer Book 1) (20 page)

“
In her own way. I wish she could have been beautiful away from me. Her perfume feels as though it will be forever burned into my nostrils. Besides, she halted my plans for the evening.” Grace raised her eyebrows. “Five men looked to dance with you and each one met with defeat. I wanted to see if I could tempt you away from Marcus’s company.”

The two locked eyes. Grace read his face, looking for a hint of sarcasm or mockery. She found none, which was frightening. Thinking back to her jealousy from earlier in the evening and how Marcus pointed it out, she turned red under Jack’s continued stare. Under normal circumstances this never would have happened.

“Get some sleep,” he finally said. “You’ve more hearts to break tomorrow.”

~*~*~

Kay and her men stayed for two more days and they did everything Jack said they would. The Death Dealer left the Guild alone, but she could not do the same for the crew of the
Fearless Dawn
. If she came across them at night being too friendly with someone who didn’t want them to be, or if they were trying to steal from where they shouldn’t, Grace came along and gave them a good whack on the back of the head with the hilt of her sword. She refused to kill or seriously hurt any crew members, but she didn’t mind giving them a bump they wouldn’t soon forget.

Kay announced that she and her men would be leaving until winter passed. “It’s warm here in Cesernan, but there’s many merchant ships going in and out of Nareroc for the winter to escape the snow and cold of their own countries. It’s every pirate’s dream to plunder that many ships in a single season. But I’ll be back, come the springtime.”

Grace was glad to see Kay leave. The threat of the three pieces of gold would lessen because of her absence.

Ten

It had been three days since the men of the
Fearless Dawn
left and life was slowly returning to normal. Glenbard had been somewhat displaced during Kay’s stay. Vendors in the market, fishermen at the dock, and patrons at the inns all had to change their routines as the crew passed through the lower city drinking, gambling, and trying to cheat people where they could. Even Jack, the great corner dweller of the Angel, had holed up in his room except during meals.

But now the pirates were gone and Grace was glad to return to looking after Mac. In the days the
Dawn
crew was ashore, she stopped watching the thief. Too many pirates were making too much noise around to keep an eye on the silent one. Now there was no telling what sort of plans he had made while Grace’s back was turned.

For the past two nights, Grace had taken to the streets tailing Mac. He hadn’t given her anything yet, but she knew he was up to something. No one kills an innocent girl related to Marcus without a plan. The whole mess provided a great headache across Glenbard’s lower city. The Death Dealer and the Thief King were both becoming increasingly frustrated with the way things were going. Mac had to slip up eventually, but he was taking his sweet time.

Grace decided to give the hunt a rest for one night. Certainly one night without the hood wouldn’t hurt anything. Instead, the night would be spent praying for guidance and paying a visit to Diggery’s temple. The festival to the sun would be starting soon, which meant everyone would be celebrating Ciro and neglecting Kamaria’s and Diggery’s temples. Kamaria would have her own festival in the winter, but Diggery was not a celebrated god like the Divine Twins. To show her appreciation for the goddess of lost paths and wayward souls, Grace decided to take a night off from tracking Mac to prepare Diggery’s temple. She hoped that by becoming a follower of the wolf, she would be able to find the correct path to reach Mac and stop him.

Grace brought some flowers to replace the wreath someone had placed around the wolf statue’s neck. The old flowers were withered and crumbling onto the floor, while the new wreath added some color to the large black wolf. An elderly woman was also adding flowers and many colored ribbons to the temple.

“I prayed to Diggery when my lover left me alone with child.” The old woman smiled at Grace. “She led me to the man who made me his wife. And he was kinder to me; never once raised his fists. I have the wolf lady to thank for that.”

Grace stepped back to admire her work of the wolf statue and the old woman appeared by her side again. She was bent with age, but Grace could tell in this woman’s youth she was tall and sturdy. Even now she was taller and stronger built than Grace.

“I come here once a week to give an offering to Diggery.” The old woman sighed contentedly.

“
It is good to know she is not neglected.”

“
Hardly. She is the patron here in Glenbard. Though I suppose up north you are not so acquainted with her.” Grace raised an eyebrow. “The cook at the Angel gets his apples from my stand in the marketplace. He said the disgraced noblewoman was mucking out stables for Jim Little, and he’s pointed you out a few times when I drop off his apples. I suppose you come here so Diggery might change your luck and lead you away from the muck and scum of this poorest of areas.”

Grace rarely found herself far from the Angel Inn. The inn was set up near the poorest district of Glenbard, since most of the patrons were under the Thieves’ Guild’s protection and those were the poorer classes. Grace was aware of the dirty, crowded streets of the poor districts; the urine and vomit and blood that worked its way through the night daily. She heard tell of the crying, hungry children and screams from drunken fathers. The Angel was safe and comforting, but outside was cruel and unforgiving. As Grace Hilren, she chose not to venture forth from her home over the stables. As The Death Dealer, she walked those disregarded streets nightly.

“Don’t look offended, dearie. No shame in wishin’ for wealth. I suppose spending time with horses is as dirty as you would like to get.”

If only this old woman knew that as The Death Dealer Grace went into those dark corners of Glenbard, doing what the King’s guard didn’t. She figured it was safer not to know the people she helped. Then they couldn’t betray her.

Grace smiled and picked up her empty basket that had held her flowers; placing it in the crook of her arm. “I am content here, Mother. It is a new and exciting life for me.”

The old woman took both of Grace’s hands in hers. “Then may the Lady Diggery keep you on the path that makes you happiest. It warms my heart to see a new face in her temple.”

Grace took her hands back and produced a piece of silver. “Next time you bring apples to the Angel, bring me some and we shall speak of Diggery some more.”

Taking her leave from the temple, Grace headed into the night. It was just as warm in the night as it had been during the day when the sun beat down. There was no breeze in the summer months, not even from the sea. Instead the air in Glenbard just became stagnant. According to Ridley, this was not uncommon for summer in the city. This sort of weather caused a great deal of longing for Arganis, but Grace would survive.

The Angel was about four blocks from the temple district. At night the walk could be treacherous, but it was still fairly early. It would be a few hours before the worst would crawl from their hiding places to cause misery. This early, even Marcus wasn’t sending his thieves out. So Grace walked home, swinging her basket, not worrying about the danger that was out there.

Out of the shadows two men jumped, although they weren’t as coordinated as they should have been. One moved seconds before the other, alerting Grace of his presence. She didn’t have time to run, but she did have time to drop her basket and grab her dagger from within the folds of her dress. Knowing they were spotted, the men blocked her path; one before her and one behind.

“Lassie, best put down that little knifey,” the one in front said. “We just want to talk, and if you hurt one of us, we gonna have to send more out.”

Normal ruffians didn’t bother with pleasantries. They generally attacked and left. “What do you want?”

“Our boss don’t like being challenged, especially by a woman.” Grace’s mind flashed to Mac. So he
did
have more support, just like Marcus suspected. Did he know about her secret?

The one behind her spoke now, saying, “Follow us nicely, so our boss can show you how women need to act.” She could feel the one behind her advancing, though the man in front stood still.

The next few seconds passed in a blur and Grace wasn’t thinking clearly. Then she did something she knew she shouldn’t do: she screamed for help, threw the dagger at the man in front of her, and ran as he tried to dodge it. It was a foolish move to throw her only weapon, but the shock of the throw gave her just enough time to get past the man before her as the second jumped and missed her by a hair. She took off away from the men, hoping they wouldn’t be fast enough to catch her. If they were able to get her, she wouldn’t have anything to defend herself with. She cursed her stupidity as she ran along the street.

For a few blocks she heard sounds of pursuit, but they faded as she drew toward the light of the Angel. She burst through the door and all eyes turned toward her. Marcus sat in his throne with Ridley at his side. Mac was nowhere to be seen.

The King of Thieves beckoned to her. He led her into a private room he only used for the most secret of affairs, and wouldn’t even let Ridley follow. He had Grace tell the tale of her frantic entrance into the inn. “Mac’s been absent from my halls lately. No doubt cookin’ up trouble. Do you guess the same, dear?”

Grace nodded. Marcus called for a serving wench to bring some ale for Grace. Her hands shook, but she drank it anyway. Marcus sat her down in a chair at the long table he used for conferences of the Thieves’ Guild. He sat next to her, watching her face carefully.

“He has the temper of a rabid dog. I can’t tell what he’s up to, but I have plans in place. However, it’s harder to get a hold of him than I thought.” Marcus paused. “This is the second time he has harassed you. He hates loose ends, and he’s goin’ to make you suffer before unleashin’ whatever he has planned. You’ve vexed him by simply working in the stable that houses that beast of his. He punishes people who annoy him, even over the slightest offense. Tomorrow I’m putting you on one of my horses and setting you on the road for a while. It’ll get you out of harm’s way and maybe Mac will make a move without you as a loose end around here. Right now he’s being sneaky and slippery. He knows most of my secrets, and that makes him more deadly than my other enemies.”

“
Marcus, is this really the best course of action?”

“
It might not be, but you
will
leave this city for a safer location.”

“
Why are you helping me? I’m not a loyal thief or a family member.”

Marcus cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “Because I’m no oath breaker.”

Thousands of thoughts swirled in Grace’s head in the blink of an eye. Did he truly know, or was he guessing and trying to force her to confirm? She was so careful! How could he have guessed?

Marcus smiled as he watched her think. She tried to keep her face like stone, although she wondered if she was succeeding. “That is a matter we will not speak of again, including how I learned it was you. Though let me say this: you aren’t strong enough for such a foe. Not yet, and you may never be. The Guild will handle Mac, and you will leave Glenbard for a time.”

“But for how long? And how will I know when to return? What of Mayhew and my job?”

“
Send me a letter to let me know you’re safe. Instead of saying outright where you are, leave subtle hints as to your location so if the letter falls into the wrong hands, they might not guess. I will speak with Mayhew. He is not so hard as to turn a deaf ear to his king.” Marcus rose and patted Grace’s shoulder. “A horse will be waiting in a stall before sunrise tomorrow. Be gone before the sun is up.”

~*~*~

In her room, Ridley and Jack were waiting. With Donald gone, it was nice to know there were others looking out for her. Grace sat on her bed, Ridley sat next to her and Jack leaned against the door.

“
Your face,” Ridley said. “You’re paler than you was when you came in. What did Marcus say? What happened?”

“
Men attacked me in an alley and Marcus has some ideas as to who ordered it.” She couldn’t be sure how much Ridley knew, but she felt it was safer to let her friends come to their own conclusions.

“
That beast has been pretty absent lately,” Jack said. “Haven’t seen him around much since Kay arrived.”

“
Then it was Mac? What did Marcus say? Why do you look more terrified than when you came in?” Grace couldn’t explain to Ridley about how Marcus guessed she was The Death Dealer.

“
He insisted I leave Glenbard for a bit, at least until something is done.”

“
Send you away? Madness!” Ridley crossed her arms over her chest. “What good is sending you away gonna do? You’re safer here with us.”

“
Clearly, since she can’t even come home from the temple district without an escort. Marcus is doing the right thing.”

The Princess of Thieves huffed and grumbled. “That was just bad luck. We can keep an eye on her here. On the road there’s no protection.”

“There is if she has someone to turn to, and no doubt Marcus has a plan – one to be kept secret since there’s no telling where there are spies. Now, you silly girl, get Grace something to eat.”