The Runaway King (12 page)

It was late morning when we returned to the camp. Fried eggs and biscuits were prepared, and I forced them down only because one of the men I had saved from recruitment — the pockmarked thief — insisted on it. Fink sat beside me, full of questions about our adventures away from camp, and disappointed because I didn’t answer any of them. His rat was back on his shoulder, eyeing my breakfast.

“You’re family now,” he said. “That’s what the men are saying.”

“I have no family.” And if I did, they wouldn’t be thieves.

Fink only chuckled at whatever thought was breezing through his brain. “Told the king you had the plague? Ha! When I’m your age I’ll be just like you.”

“Go away,” I growled. “You don’t want to be anything like me.”

He was unconvinced, and continued to eat his meal by my side. After I’d finished, he pointed to a bedroll near some tents. “Erick said if you’re tired, you can sleep there. I’m supposed to keep watch on you.”

“I thought I was family.”

He shrugged. “Erick just wants to make sure you’re not the kind of family who runs when we’re not looking.”

“I’m not going to run, Fink.”

“I know. But I’m supposed to watch you anyway.”

True to his word, Fink parked himself on the ground with a direct view of my bedroll. I lay down and closed my eyes but sleep was impossible. After a short while, it must have looked like I was asleep because Erick approached Fink and whispered, “What do you make of him?”

There was a brief hesitation, then Fink said, “He’s no ordinary thief, not like any of us.”

“I agree. He didn’t want Vargan to see his face. Why do you think that is?”

“Dunno. You said he’d be more open with me, because we’re both young. But he doesn’t act young. And he doesn’t tell me anything.”

“He’s probably seen a lot in his life, and learned to keep his secrets. But you were right — he is a good thief. Which means he must have some very interesting secrets. Keep an eye on him until I figure out what he really wants. I don’t think he cares a devil’s inch for the treasure inside that cave.”

In fact, I cared plenty about it. Most of the wealth of Carthya was stored there. I’d let the pirates kill me before I told them where it was.

There was a backup plan. Before I left Drylliad, I’d asked Kerwyn to order extra soldiers to guard the cave. If I failed, I wanted to make sure nobody would get at Carthya’s wealth. But if everything went well, my plan would be complete long before it came to having to reveal that location.

I finally drifted off to sleep, with a pit in my stomach reminding me that since the night of the funeral, nothing had gone well for me.

T
he sounds of applause and cheering woke me later that afternoon. I sat up and brushed my hair out of my face. “What’s going on?” I asked Fink.

He was standing on a rock and leaning over a tree branch to see something behind my tent. “A Queen’s Cross game has started. Want to go watch?”

There was a serious risk of Fink dissolving into a puddle of disappointment if I didn’t say yes, so after a long stretch of my arms I rolled to my feet and we walked to the field where several men were playing.

Queen’s Cross is played with two teams, each seeking the other’s flag, or “Queen,” from behind their zone. Players fight for control of a leather ball stuffed with grains of wheat or rice. The ball can be kicked, carried, or thrown toward the other team’s zone, but only with the ball can a player enter the zone to steal the Queen and win the game. Queen’s Cross games are very physical, often laden with injuries, and always a lot of fun.

As we walked up to the field, I saw Erick throw the ball to someone farther down the field, who was immediately tackled to the ground. He waved at us, then tripped an opposing player trying to clear a path for his teammate. A few of the players had ridden with us to Harlowe’s last night, and all of them encouraged me to come onto the field, but I still held back.

“Sage, join us!” Erick called. “We need another player.”

“I’m not very good,” I replied, which was perfectly true. I had enjoyed Queen’s Cross as a child until I realized that the children of nobles who played with us had been instructed to let my brother and me win. Darius had tried to explain that this was the way of life for a prince and that it was the duty of the other boys to allow us the advantage. To demonstrate what I thought of the “advantage,” I had climbed with the leather ball to the top of the chapel, then impaled it on a spire where it stood until my father ordered a hapless page to climb up and retrieve it. Queen’s Cross was banned from the castle after that. Games were occasionally played while I was at the orphanage, but Mrs. Turbeldy discouraged them because they almost always ended in fistfights.

“Go on and play,” Fink said. “You look like you want to.”

I’d have had to be blind not to see the desire in his eyes to go onto the field. I called to Erick, “Fink’s going to play with us too.”

“That’ll give us an extra man,” Erick said.

“He’s barely a boy, much less a man,” I answered. “Let him play.”

Just to get the game moving again, the other team gestured for Fink to come out with me. “Thanks,” Fink said, clearly excited.

The game began as soon as we were close enough to take positions. Fink was knocked over immediately, but he signaled that he was fine and the players ran past him toward our zone. I dove into other players to stop their progress and their teammates tackled me down in return. One of them tugged at my shirt, revealing the injury I’d received in defending Nila three nights ago. We looked at each other, but I didn’t recognize him from that night so I rolled away and rejoined the game.

After several minutes more of play, the other team called for a break so everyone could catch their breath. Erick huddled us into a circle and said, “They’re getting tired. We should make another play for their Queen.”

“We’re tired too,” a player next to me said. “We can’t push through all of them.”

“Yes, but they don’t know that,” I said. Everyone looked at me and in turn, I looked at Fink, then explained my idea.

The next time we got the ball near their zone, instead of only one strong man attempting to push through their team to get to the Queen, all of us made a run to go around their team, far down the field and away from their zone. All of us, but one.

When we were far enough away, Erick kicked the ball back to Fink, who was innocently waiting alone near the zone. He caught the ball and ran with it into the team’s zone. The Queen was in his hand before most of our opponents even realized they’d been tricked.

My team members ran toward Fink to celebrate and Erick even put him on his shoulders. Fink’s smile was so wide it practically stretched off his face. At one point, Fink looked down at me. He still had both the Queen and the ball in his hands. He saluted me with the Queen but kept the ball close to his chest.

I smiled up at him, though I felt a tinge of sadness. This place was all he knew, and yet for all his potential, Fink already seemed locked into this world where he had absolutely no chance of a future.

T
he remainder of the afternoon was spent with Fink recounting to me every detail of his win against our opponents. It didn’t matter that I was there and had seen every moment unfold, or that the strategy had been my idea to begin with.

“Did you see their faces when I got the Queen?” he said. “Now they’re sorry.”

“They’re not sorry enough to ignore you now.” I tilted my head at a few of the men who were walking by. “And if you don’t hush up, they’ll come over and show you how not sorry they are.”

Fink laughed, but he did quiet down, at least until everyone passed us by.

I was sitting on a crate at the back side of the tent, looking out over the field where we had played. It was difficult to concentrate with Fink’s relentless talk, but eventually he became background noise, just a louder version of a chirping bird.

The field was empty now. The grasses had been laid flat by more than one game played there, but in the center of it all, a single wildflower caught my attention. It was bright purple and stood erect where a hundred others around it had been smashed. I wondered if it had somehow escaped harm, or if it had been stepped on before but refused to lie down.

After a while, Erick came to see me. He propped a crate beneath himself, then dismissed Fink, who said he had to find some food for his rat anyway.

“I’ve been thinking about what you did this morning with King Vargan,” he said.

I remained silent, though I had been thinking about it too. I felt lucky that it had worked out as well as it did, but that’s all it was: luck. I couldn’t hope to do what I needed to with the pirates based only on luck.

“How do you like it here, amongst my thieves?” Erick asked, changing tack.

“They’re as fine a collection of liars, brutes, and criminals as I might’ve hoped to be kidnapped by.”

“I think you wanted us to kidnap you from that tavern.”

With a slight grin, I said, “Actually, I hoped the pirates would’ve taken me that night. It would’ve saved me some time.”

“You’re a living paradox, Sage.” I felt the weight of his gaze as he added, “That bald man in the noble’s house immediately knew who you were. He clearly respected your reputation as a thief, or at least, he wasn’t happy to see you there.”

“He definitely was surprised,” I agreed.

“And for reasons you won’t share, you are obviously not on friendly terms with the king. Why is that? Did you commit some crime against him?”

“No.” Not yet anyway.

“Yet I’ve never heard of you. How is that possible?”

“I’ve spent my time in Carthya. I’m only here in Avenia because it’s gotten too dangerous for me there.”

“Ah. That’s why you didn’t want that noble to see your face. And why you couldn’t leave the bald one there alive.”

Not exactly, but Erick seemed content with his own explanation so I let him keep it.

“And if I bring you to the pirates tomorrow, will you go as their friend or enemy?”

“Neither,” I said. “There’s just nowhere else I can do what I have to do.”

“To get that treasure?” Again, I didn’t respond and Erick continued, “Listen, I’ll do everything I can to get them to accept you, but they’re always a dangerous group. More so in your case because there’s no history between you and them.”

I looked away, amused by the irony of his words. Erick didn’t seem to notice. He continued, “It’s not too late to change your mind. You think you want to be with the pirates, but I can sense your hesitation. Whatever you really want in your life, you could have it here.”

He spoke closer to my heart than he realized. I thought about those things I wanted most, the freedom to be who I wanted, to go where I wanted, and to live a life of my own choosing. It was true. I could have that here, away from the politics and pretense of Drylliad. Away from endless duties and obligations, and even from the fear and anger that had driven me this far. Staying here would be so easy.

“Don’t answer now,” Erick said.

“I have to.” The words took effort to force from my mouth. “Because if I don’t, my answer might change and I can’t risk that. I’m going with you tomorrow.”

“Even if it means you’ll never leave there again?”

“Yes, even if.”

Erick smiled. “That was a test, Sage. Though for a moment, I thought you might accept my offer.”

“For a moment, I thought so too.”

Erick clapped me on the back when he stood. “I suppose that’s the best I could ask for. Now go and get something to eat.”

Instead, I returned to my bedroll. Fink came over and watched me a moment before asking, “You hungry?”

“Definitely,” I said. “Get me some supper. I prefer to eat alone.”

His face twisted. “I’m not a servant.”

“Of course you are. Why do they give you shoes for their errands but not clothing for your freedom?”

He hunched down again. “Well, I’m not
your
servant.”

“None of my usual servants are here. You’ll have to do.”

“You might run away.”

“I’m starving,” I protested. “If I’m going to run, it’ll be after supper. Now go on.”

He wasn’t happy about it, but he obeyed and returned a few minutes later with a bowl of stew for each of us.

“Did you spit in mine?” I asked.

He looked offended. “No.”

“It’s what I would’ve done if you had spoken that way to me.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Well, maybe I did a little.”

I hid my own smile as I traded our bowls.

Fink was quiet for a moment as we ate, then said, “Do you think the men around here only consider me a servant boy?”

“Yes.”

“What if I came with you and Erick tomorrow?”

I shook my head. “If you can’t make it with the thieves, you’d never make it as a pirate.”

Fink straightened his back. “I’d be a fine pirate. I have talents these thieves don’t even know about.”

“Yeah? What?”

“I can fake tears. Watch.”

By the time I looked up, Fink already had tears streaming down his face. “It’s just not fair,” Fink cried. Literally, he did. “Maybe I’m young, but I deserve a chance.”

“You’re pathetic,” I said, chuckling.

Instantly, Fink was smiling again. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, leaving streak marks on his dirty face. “I once got a whole meat pie from a woman by using that trick.”

“Try that with the pirates and they’ll hang you up until you stop acting like a baby.”

“No, seriously, Sage. I don’t use it often but when I do, it works.”

“Then may your talent for spontaneous tantrums earn you great glory and honor.”

Fink knew I’d insulted him but didn’t seem to care. Instead, he stirred his spoon around his bowl as he mumbled, “Erick said when you went to Libeth you killed a man. Is that true?”

“Whatever I did, he got a lot worse than he deserved,” I said softly. In my mind, I pictured Mott’s strained expression as I left. Not being able to follow me had to be torturing him.

“I didn’t think you were capable of something like that.”

“I’m not.” And yet it was inevitable that I’d have to destroy the pirates.

Fink slowly exhaled. “Do you want to go to the pirates?”

I glanced over at him. “I have to go. That’s different.”

“You seem scared.”

“Everyone gets scared at times. It’s only the fools who won’t admit it.”

We were interrupted by Erick coming back over to join us. He crouched near me and said, “Will you join us around the fire, Sage? Everyone wants to hear your story about our adventures in Libeth.”

I ignored his question and asked my own. “When do we go to the pirates?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. If I had time to know you better —”

“If time is what you need, then I’ll leave tonight and find another way there,” I said without batting an eye. “Time is a luxury I don’t have.”

He massaged his jaw. “Will you promise to give them the location of the cave? Because if I bring you there and you refuse to tell them, both our heads will roll.”

I couldn’t promise that, but with total sincerity I said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my head from rolling. And I’ll try not to do anything that will cause them to detach yours.”

Apparently that was enough. Stars seemed to dance in his eyes as he said, “All my life I’ve wanted a chance with the pirates. But I’ve never had anything worth offering them. Until now.”

“So when do we leave?” I asked.

He thought for a moment, then made his decision. “At first light. I want to ride into camp as they climb from their beds. Devlin will be in his best mood then.”

I handed my bowl to Fink and picked up my bedroll, dragging it into a nearby supply tent. “In that case, I want plenty of privacy for a good sleep. Morning will come early.”

I lay down but never closed my eyes. I’d slept enough during the day that it wasn’t too difficult to stay awake. The hard part was fighting the feeling of urgency to leave, to run while I had the chance.

When it was very quiet, I at last decided that I had to take the risk of going back to the church to meet Mott. He had been right from the beginning: This plan was madness. My earlier conversation with Fink festered inside of me. When it came to the moment, could I really do what was necessary to destroy the pirates? I’d taken a life once at Farthenwood, not intentionally and in defense of Imogen, and even then it had nearly broken me. The closer I got to the pirates, the more I saw the flaws in my plan. I needed Mott’s help if I had any hope to succeed.

I propped myself up on one arm. Fink had settled in at the door of the tent as my vigil, but that wasn’t my exit. I pulled up a corner flap of the tent and silently rolled beneath it.

What I did not expect was to roll into the body of another thief, who sat up and grabbed me by my collar. “Where do you think you’re going?” he snarled.

“I’ve got to go,” I said, fully prepared to launch into my usual explanation of having inherited my mother’s pea-size bladder.

But he wasn’t interested. He shoved me to the ground and lifted the tent flap. “Get back in there ’til Erick comes for you. Wake me up again and Erick won’t have anyone left alive to get.”

His terms weren’t particularly in my favor so I rolled back under the tent. It was safe to assume any direction I went would have someone there as well, waiting for me.

I cursed and kicked at the tent pole, which startled Fink awake. I told him to go to sleep and stop bothering me, then sat with my back against the pole. It looked as if I would not see Mott tonight after all. I’d be going to the pirates alone.