Thief: X (10 page)

For the first time in forever, Cain didn’t come to me in my dreams. Instead, I was churning questions over and over. Why did the Elk know Clockwork? Things were getting murkier the longer we were following this path towards him. Then I had questions about Marshall. He was trying to hold down a sin that would probably kill him if he didn’t let the guilt go soon. Then he'd managed to sneak a gun into the Elk’s office. Surely, his guards weren’t that stupid? This was the reason I kept away from the Fae because I ended up with more questions than answers.

“Do you think she’s dead?” I felt a kick to my ribs. Apparently, I was coming around from my stretch of unconsciousness,

“Look, her chest’s moving up and down.”

“Urgh.”

“Told you she was alive!” I opened on eye to the image of a nun in my face in full habit, “Where am I?” I croaked and tried to get up. Unfortunately my head had other ideas and I was soon back on the cold floor,

“Let’s see, you’ve apparently pissed off the Elk, where do you think you are?” The voice came from a darkened corner,

“Bollocks.” I was in Charkon, and it wasn’t a little hideaway in the Bahamas.

“Welcome to Hell dear.” A prison in Hell to be exact. The nun held out her arm and I used it as leverage to get my arse up. Shame she felt weird,

“Urgh the Elk has a big foot.”

“Xan!” Luckily in the cell opposite was Marshall and he was awake. I looked around and sighed at the damp covered stone walls and metal bars.

“Doesn’t matter how much you yell, no-one will come.” A thin woman pushed herself from the wall and a black jump suit hung off her like a sack. She must have noticed me looking and sighed, “Yeah, I kinda destroyed my clothes the last time I got pissed and I pleaded with the guards to find me something to wear.” She ran her hand through her long chestnut hair. Her amber eyes gave her away instantly.

“Wolf?” I questioned while I tried to get my head together,

“Not according to my father.”

“Wolves don’t send their bloodline to Charkon, let alone their women.” I said, feeling like I’d been kicked in the head, wait, I had. God damn it!

“They do if they’re vegetarian.” The nun sniggered,

“Shut up Sister born again succubus!” Amber eyes latched onto grey ones and for a second I thought there would be a full out fight,

“I never asked to be a succubus. We are both here because of the choices we made and the stubbornness that burns in our veins. No matter where I am, I will never lose my faith.”

“Ladies, I don’t mean to interrupt…” We all glared at Marshall at the same time.

“He does have a point, pet.” I staggered to the bars and squinted. Dorian chose that moment to stalk from behind Marshall,

“I swear if you set me up…” If I could have reached, my hands would be around his throat,

“I can explain…”

“Do you know him?” Marshall said, as he looked at Dorian in his scruffy suit and tattered shirt,

“It’s because of him I was at that bloody museum when it all kicked off. If you set me up I’ll choke you with my bare hands!” I could feel the anger making me flush,

“I walked out of my hotel and had a bag stuffed on my head. I’ve been here ever since. I don’t like asking but did you get it?” He smiled and I saw thunder sweep across Marshall’s eyes. Was he jealous?

“I did…”

“Excellent.” For a second he actually sounded like Mr Burns,

“But after I was drugged and kidnapped…”

“Wait, what?” Dorian actually looked concerned,

“Are you trying to tell me you knew nothing about the Major? I’m sorry Dorian but it’s too much of a coincidence that you send me there and then all hell breaks loose!” I was shaking my head because I didn’t believe in coincidences,

“All I wanted was my portrait back. I didn’t know I assure you…I’m sorry.” He was either truly sorry or a good actor. Knowing Dorian, he really could be either or both,

“As much as I love watching a good argument where the hell are we and how do we get out?” Marshall crossed his arms and I heard Sister Succubus sigh. She may be a nun but she still had lust running through her veins and I could feel it sizzling towards Marshall,

“We’re in Charkon, a Fae prison.” Dorian nodded at the bars as if it was self-explanatory, “And the last time I heard no-one ever escaped.”

“That’s because they didn’t expect to end up here. That’s what elves do; they take you by surprise.” I smiled. I hadn’t exactly known we would end up here, but it was one reason I wanted to go alone to see the Elk. This was just one of the possibilities,

“You knew you would end up here? Who the hell are you?” The wolf said, amber eyes already judging me,

“I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”

“Oh for God’s sake she’s X.” Dorian rolled his eyes,

“As in ‘The X’? The fixer?” Apparently the nun had heard of me. It’d been a long time since I’d been called the fixer,

“Seriously what’s with all the ‘
the’s’?
Does everyone have a ‘the’ in front of their name now?” All eyes were on me and my little ramble. A week ago I was literally a ghost, a name on the wind and now everyone seemed to know who I was. Fucktoast on a stick!

“And you’re supposed to get us out? I’ve clawed at these walls for weeks, attacked guards and I’ve not even made it outside these bars.”

“But I’ve got holy water.” I smirked,

“What? I searched you when they dumped you in this cell.” Wolfie was getting on my nerves,

“You still got that bottle down your boxers?” I winked at Marshall and Dorian gave me the evils. He probably thought there was something going on with me and Marshall. Good.

“Yeah, it’s been digging in my ‘happy’s’ since I woke up.” He emphasised ‘happy’s’ and smiled. I was about to make a snide comment but when he unbuttoned his jeans I really did blush. I admit I really wanted to be his hand as it delved inside to retrieve the bottle,

“How the hell did you get that in here? Well, I can see how but…how?” Nunny was literally drooling. Those vows were cracking,

“Men very rarely feel up another man’s crotch when looking for weapons. Probably too insecure about their own sexuality.” Unlike me who really, really wanted to grope some Marshall crotch.

“I can’t believe you knew this would happen!” Marshall was looking a little pissed but if I’d told him, no doubt he would have tried to stop me. Then I would have had to kick his arse into next week.
Then
he’d be pissed I’d emasculated his Rangerness.

“We’ve already established I knew it was a possibility…” I rolled my eyes, “Now splash some bloody water on that lock and get me out!” Marshall looked at me again as if I was talking in tongues, “Seriously just splash some water in the lock.”

He slowly unscrewed the top and trickled water into the lock. I could see disbelief on his face when nothing happened and I couldn’t help sighing. After a couple of seconds the lock began to sizzle and clicked open.

“Now come over here and do the same with this one.” Dorian tried to follow Marshall, “You can stay and so can you two. Build the pillows up to look like we’re still sleeping.” I heard the lock sizzling,

“No way, we’re coming with you!” Wolfie practically screamed and I saw Dorian nodding,

“We need weapons or none of us are getting out of here. If we all go the guards are gonna notice and raise the alarm.” Everyone looked at me in disgust but they knew I was right.

“You better come back for us!” Dorian slammed his cell door shut and started to brood in the corner.

“After you.” Marshall motioned down the torch lit corridor as if I knew where we were going. I smiled sweetly and pushed past him. Unfortunately as I walked I could feel eyes burning into my back.

We slowly made our way through the labyrinth that was Charkon. I was surprised not to see any guards but then again no one was supposed to get out of the cells. I felt Marshall’s hand on my shoulder as he nodded towards a door I‘d walked past lost in thought.

“I think this may be it.” Marshall whispered,

“How the hell do you know? We’ve walked past so many doors.”

“I just have a feeling.” He shrugged,

“Oh, that’s ok then!” I was getting snarky because the corridors seemed never ending.

Marshall pushed the door open keeping me behind him. He obviously had a protective urge and I really wanted to tell him it was wasted on me, when a fist flew into his face. As Marshall was knocked backwards I slipped under his flailing arms and hooked my arms around the guard’s neck and snapped it. The guard fell at my feet and Marshall looked at me horrified,

“What? Please tell me you still don’t think I’m a shrinking violet. I do what I have to.” I shrugged my shoulders,

“The fact you just shrugged after killing a man…”

“An elf actually…”

“That’s what I mean! Right there! This shit doesn’t even disturb you.”

“Why would it? This is what I do Marshall and the
reason
you came to find me from the beginning. Every time I do something like that…” I pointed at the body on the floor, “…I feel it down to my soul
but
it’s what also gives me strength. When are you gonna get the point that I’m a
sin eater?
” I was so angry I was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of my ears.

“I can’t believe you can’t see that what you do is wrong.” Marshall shook his head while I looked around the room.

Lockers adorned the room, floor to ceiling and I would bet my left breast that’s where I’d find me some weapons. I could feel Marshall stalking behind me and I knew he thought I wasn’t listening as I jimmied open a locker,

“I was eight years old when I gave in…” it kinda just slipped out of my mouth. I’d never told anyone about the first day I took someone’s sin,

“Gave into what?” Marshall had joined me in opening the lockers when he found his gun and smiled,

“Taking a sin. My mom always thought I was a naughty child but until then I was literally feeding myself on my own sins. Adram had tried to explain to me that things would only escalate but he didn’t know how to explain it properly to an eight year old. Anyway…” I smiled having found my set of knives hanging in a locker, “…my dad took me to the village shop and there was this kid. I remember him being younger than me so he was probably five or six at the time. His mom was talking to the shopkeeper and while she wasn’t looking he stole a sweet from the counter and ate it. Adram took the opportunity to finally explain things in a way I could understand…” I sighed but then the next locker opened to a shelf full of Glocks,

“Adram doesn’t seem to have any tact,” I didn’t know whether Marshall wanted me to carry on but he wasn’t stopping me either and my mouth decided it had verbal diarrhoea,

“Oh he doesn’t, not even back then. One simple, foolish act and that kid had condemned himself to hell. I mean he was a kid, he didn’t know that stealing one shitty little sweet would condemn him but he did. The second he did it I watched something black spark in him and Adram pointed out that if this toddler walked outside and got hit by a bus…yeah see what I mean about him not changing? Well, he would be going straight to Hell. No matter all the goodness he could have done, that one, single act was gonna be used against him. Even at eight years old I knew it was wrong.”

“So, you took the sin?”

“Adram told me all I had to do was brush against the kid and concentrate. All I had to do was try. I couldn’t let a sweet send a toddler to hell so that’s exactly what I did. That was the day I gave in and sold my soul.” I sighed and stuffed two Glocks in my waistband,

“You did a good thing.” There was no judgement in Marshall’s voice and my earlier hissy fit had calmed,

“I didn’t know at the time that he had Leukaemia. He died six months later.” I felt my throat constrict with emotion but I’d already grieved for him a long time ago,

“Did he…”

“Go to heaven? Yeah he did. I made dad take me to visit him and I saw.”

“You saw him die?”

“Yeah and the gates of Heaven opened for him. I keep away from the dying if I can.”

“You lost your faith didn’t you?” I finally met Marshall’s green eyes and something inside me opened. I couldn’t…he was married!

“How can a God send a toddler to Hell over one stolen sweet? I wouldn’t say I’ve lost my faith exactly but I question it a damn sight more than most.” I smiled again as I found a brown ceramic jug,

“So you saw Heaven?” Marshall was watching me now like I was a rotisserie chicken and he was starving for a little breast meat,

“I see the gates all the time.” I gripped the cork with my teeth and pulled. The smell of mead hit my nose. “The one thing elves are good at is mead.” I took a large gulp that nearly took my head off and continued my rummage. While I was here I may as well rob them blind.

“You’re drinking? Shouldn’t we be getting back to the others?”

“I’m also smoking.” I lit the cigar that I’d found tucked under a dirty shirt with matches. Someone had obviously been keeping it and now it was mine. “And I’m getting my arse out of here before the guards realise this one…” I kicked the body, “…is found.”