The Scepter Heist (The Dragon Rogues Book 2), page 15
“It’s a deal.” Matthew got up and stretched, twisting from side to side.
Jonathan looked over to him. “How much have you recovered?”
“Well enough that I can help you.”
“Are you still injured in any way?”
“Possibly,” Matthew said. “I can’t really tell. I don’t know what hit me, so I don’t know what to make of how I’m feeling. To be honest, I’m surprised he didn’t try to take my sword.”
Other than the enchantments Matthew kept on him, the sword was the only thing he really cared about. Without his blade, he was still a thief, but he wasn’t as deadly a thief. With Heziah after them, they needed deadly.
Jonathan paced around the room and didn’t feel any evidence of magic, which suggested that whoever had come through here had not used any. Or that they had not needed to use any. Elizabeth could create powerful facades, but she couldn’t fight using them.
When Jonathan reached one of the windows, he had a strange sensation. He stared out at the street and saw a figure there. Was somebody watching them? He hurried to the door and pulled it open, but the person he thought he had seen was gone.
“What is it?” Matthew said, joining him.
Jonathan shook his head. “I thought I saw something. Maybe someone.”
“Where?”
He pointed, and together they crossed the street. They made a quick circuit but didn’t see anything. When they reached the home again, Matthew scooped something off the ground outside and held it out.
A marker.
It was the same kind that Heziah had given Jonathan before, marked with a dragon just like the last one. It was a simple piece of metal, but the etching on the surface suggested a powerful enchantment within, even though there was no sense of magic from it at the moment. Jonathan suspected that he could activate it fairly easily—which would be just what Heziah wanted.
“I guess we know who is involved,” Jonathan said.
Matthew scoffed. “Like there was much of a doubt.”
They went back in the house, and Matthew unsheathed his sword and started to pace. Jonathan stood in front of the hearth, staring at the marker.
Finally, Matthew turned back to him. “The job involves getting into the Society, something that is practically impossible. Did he tell you what he wanted you to take?”
“I don’t think he wanted me to know.”
“Without our team…”
Jonathan squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn’t sure he wanted to bring in a new team, especially not for a job that would potentially put somebody else in danger. That meant it would have to be just him and Matthew. The two of them weren’t going to be enough to accomplish the job.
He looked over to Matthew, holding his gaze. “We don’t have to do it. We could refuse.”
That had been Jonathan’s inclination naturally, regardless of what Heziah might want from them, and regardless of what Heziah might think he could get from them.
Matthew crossed his arms. “If he has Elizabeth…”
“Then we go after her. She’d be the job.”
“You and I both know that he might not allow that.”
Jonathan sighed. It was a real possibility. Heziah might make it so that it was difficult for them to do anything else. They might not have much of a choice. They had to get Elizabeth, and unfortunately, that might involve pulling the job Heziah wanted them to.
He headed to the front door.
“Where are you going?” Matthew asked.
“I’m going to find the bastard.”
“Are you sure you can?”
Jonathan looked down at the marker in his hand. “No. But I think he wanted us to find him.”
“Where you going to go to look?” Matthew said.
“Where he found me the last time.”
Matthew walked over to him. “I’m coming with you.”
Jonathan arched a brow. “Are you sure you’re well enough for this?”
“I am.”
Jonathan knew better than to argue with him. He pulled the door closed behind them but didn’t bother to seal it. There wasn’t much for them to lose if someone broke into the home at this point. Heziah had made sure of that. Not only had he stolen their wealth, but now he had attacked the people Jonathan cared for.
His mind raced. Matthew. Elizabeth. What about Leland?
Leland should be safe outside the city. There would be no way for Heziah to get to him. At least, no way that Jonathan could easily come up with. Then again, this was Heziah.
He would need to send word to Leland. If nothing else, he could warn him and hopefully give him enough time to stay ahead of anything Heziah might do.
Then there was a matter of Jayna. She didn’t fear Heziah, as she was probably overly confident in her own abilities, but Heziah had proven that he could get to Jonathan’s team. Maybe he needed to protect his sister, whether she believed she needed it or not. Jayna wouldn’t permit it, but if he offered her a measure of protection without telling her what he was doing, he might be able to help.
He’d have to think on how to do that. For now, he suspected she was the safest one of all of them. She had the protection of the king, and she had the Society. Elizabeth had neither. She only had them.
As they headed through the streets, Matthew stayed close to him, keeping one hand on the hilt of his sword. There was a quiet rage within Matthew that Jonathan didn’t always see. Most of the time, Matthew was quite reserved. It was a measure of his current anger that he strode the way he did, and a measure of his irritation that he seemed willing to risk the ire of the king and the city guard by using his weapon out in the open.
Jonathan stopped in the middle of the street where he had first encountered Heziah, then set the marker on the ground. He tapped on the center of it and stared at it for a moment, waiting to see if he might feel any tingle of magic, but he did not. He didn’t know if it worked.
If it was an enchantment, he should’ve felt something. The fact that he did not suggested that either this was not an enchantment, or perhaps Heziah really was far more powerful than Jonathan had given him credit for.
“Are you sure that will summon him?” Matthew asked.
“No,” Jonathan said. “But there’s got to be a reason that he left it for us.”
“Or as a taunt.”
“Maybe.”
Jonathan had no idea what it would take, or how Heziah would appear once they triggered the enchantment. Would he even show? He doubted that Heziah would reveal himself, especially knowing that Jonathan and Matthew were here and that they were angry. More likely than not, he would send a surrogate.
“I don’t like waiting for him,” Matthew said, gripping his sword. Jonathan half expected him to unsheathe it and start storming around the courtyard to try to get Heziah’s attention.
“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Jonathan said.
“How long do you think we will have to—”
“Jonathan Aguelon,” a voice said.
Heziah’s.
Jonathan peered around but didn’t see him.
“And Matthew. The two of you have come to talk to me together?”
Jonathan looked down. The voice was coming from the marker. It was an enchantment.
“You couldn’t even come yourself?” Jonathan asked.
“I thought it was best that I not, especially considering our last conversation,” Heziah said. “I imagine that you are most upset with me. I am terribly sorry for that. I know you would have preferred that I had not gotten involved in any of this, but unfortunately, I had a need.”
“Where’s Elizabeth?” Jonathan demanded.
“She is fine.”
“Fine? If you hurt her—”
“What do you think you can do to me?” Heziah asked. There was almost amusement in his voice, and Jonathan wanted to reach through the enchantment and throttle him. He wished there was some way to use the enchantment to get to Heziah. “You don’t get to dictate the terms of this arrangement any longer. You had your opportunity.”
“What do you want?” Jonathan said.
“I’ve already told you what I want. The job will be difficult. There is no way for me to change that, but the great Jonathan Aguelon should be more than capable of completing it.”
“What do you need us to take?” Matthew asked.
“I believe your friend has been given the details.”
“You told me you want me to break into the Society,” Jonathan said. “You didn’t tell me what you wanted me to take.”
“Ah,” Heziah said. “Unfortunately, my lack of trust in your ability to keep my business as my business precludes me from sharing much more than that. I suppose I could tell you that the item is on one of the lower levels so that you can continue your planning. You are planning, are you not?”
Jonathan hadn’t been, as his only intention had been to ignore Heziah and his demands. That was, until Matthew and Elizabeth had been targeted.
“Is it a weapon?” Jonathan asked.
Heziah laughed. “Why would I have need of a weapon?”
“Taunting us isn’t going to convince us to take the job,” Matthew said.
Jonathan wondered if Heziah was even aware that Matthew now had his sword unsheathed. Probably not. Then again, it depended on what the enchantment permitted.
“I’m not taunting,” Heziah said. “I’m only trying to show you that you should take a job that will be in your best interest, seeing as how your team needs for you to do this. You are in need of funds, I believe.”
“If we take this job, then you will restore the money you took from us?” Matthew said.
“Perhaps. Minus my cut, of course.”
Jonathan paced, making a circle around the marker that was lying on the ground. He still didn’t have any sense of magic coming off it, which troubled him. There should have been some signal there, but he felt nothing. Yet there was no doubt that it was an enchantment, and something of considerable power as well.
“We can’t do this without our team,” Jonathan said.
“You would have me work with you?” Heziah laughed softly. “If I wanted to get involved, I would have done so. No. I’m hiring you to do the job.”
“I don’t want you on it,” Jonathan snapped. “I want Elizabeth. I need you to return her.”
“She will not be necessary for this task,” Heziah said.
“She’s necessary for us.”
“Someone who can create a minor facade is not going to be helpful in this situation.”
“I will decide what’s going to be helpful in the job,” Jonathan said.
“I’m afraid that will be impossible. As I’m sure you can understand, given my need to have a bit of leverage, you will need to take this job no matter what. And do it within the next week.”
Jonathan shook his head. “That’s not enough time.”
“That is the time you get,” Heziah said. “I’m giving you a hard deadline. If you don’t complete the job in that time frame, then I fear we will find out how resilient our young little thief is.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No,” Jonathan repeated, looking over to Matthew, who arched a brow at him. “I’m not doing this job unless you return her to me. Consider it an act of good faith.”
“If I return her to you, what will motivate you to even do the job?” Heziah asked.
“Because we will know that you can get to us,” Jonathan said. “Wasn’t that the point? You wanted to make sure we knew you could reach us. You’ve proven that, Heziah. You’ve proven that we aren’t going to be able to take any other jobs until we do yours.”
Matthew had a dark expression on his face. He likely was thinking about how he had been injured the night before, and yet, even with that, Jonathan wondered whether Heziah had tried to truly hurt Matthew.
Jonathan crouched down in front of the marker. “If you want me to do the job, then you’re going to return her. I’m not taking a job without the necessary crew.”
Heziah gave a loud sigh. “If you truly believe she is instrumental in your success, then I suppose I am willing to release her. An act of good faith and all.”
“She is instrumental,” Jonathan said.
“Then if that is the case, I expect the job to be completed in the next three days.”
“That’s not enough time.”
“I’m afraid that is the timeline. I will release our young thief, but you will finish the job in three days. If you do not, then…”
Jonathan looked over to Matthew. He could already see the gears working in Matthew’s mind. He was no doubt starting to think through what they would need to do, the nature of the job, and all aspects they would need to consider in order to be successful. It wasn’t going to be easy. Neither of them would expect that. Worse, it was the kind of job that could lead to them getting captured or killed.
“If you attempt to leave the city, I will know,” Heziah said. “If you attempt to defy me, I will know. If you attempt to do anything but the job, I will know. Do not think that I will be kind if you fail.”
“Are you threatening my life?” Jonathan asked.
“Worse. I’m threatening your livelihood,” Heziah said.
Jonathan glared at the marker, wishing Heziah was able to see his face but knowing it didn’t matter. The rage he felt made little difference. “Fine. We will do it in three days.”
“Very well. And to make sure you are successful, I will provide you with an additional benefit.”
“What’s that?” Matthew asked.
“You will have to see.”
With that, the coin flickered, then went dark. Jonathan waited for Heziah to do something else, but there was nothing more.
“He burned out the enchantment,” Jonathan said, crouching down next to it and pressing his hand on it. There was no sense of magic within it, nothing that would reveal whether Heziah was even reachable through it still. Of course, there had been no sense of magic from it in the first place.
“Either that, or he wants you to believe he did.” Matthew took the marker and tossed it. “For all we know, he can still use it to listen in on us.”
“Or we could use it to try to find him.”
“We need to get back home,” Matthew said.
“You’re probably right. I suspect we are going to find Elizabeth when we get back.” That would fit with Heziah’s smug reaction, and it might have been his plan all along.
Matthew glanced down to the ground where the coin had been, before looking up at Jonathan and nodding. “Then let’s get back.”
“If he did anything to her…”
“I will hunt until I find him,” Matthew said.
Jonathan met his friend’s gaze. “We might need you to do that regardless.”
Matthew slammed the sword back into its sheath. “I know.”
Chapter Seventeen
Elizabeth was waiting for them when they reached their home, but somebody else was with her.
“Leland?” Jonathan said, frowning as he glanced at the older man.
He was dressed in a gray jacket and pants, with a silver ring on one finger and a thick beard that had more gray in it than the last time Jonathan had seen him.
“Jonathan,” Leland said, letting out a heavy sigh. “When Heziah grabbed me, he said you were unharmed, but I didn’t know whether I could believe him.”
“He grabbed you?”
Leland twisted his jacket in one fist, looking up and meeting Jonathan’s eyes. With his other hand, he scratched his beard. “I was traveling for supplies toward a village near my mother’s home. I was picked up, and there wasn’t anything I could do.”
“That bastard,” Matthew muttered.
“I thought… Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter what I thought,” Leland said. “I had no idea who had taken me. It wasn’t until I got to the city and was dumped in a small windowless room that I realized it was Heziah.”
Jonathan tried to suppress the frustration within himself. “You should have been safe.”
Leaving the city hadn’t been enough for Leland to get beyond Heziah’s reach? How could he have managed to find Leland? Heziah was a powerful sorcerer, but that kind of influence was more than Jonathan would’ve expected.
Maybe it really was time to go to Jayna again and learn what she might know about him. She knew more than what she had shared with him.
“Did he say anything?” Jonathan asked.
“Only that he was waiting for you to commit to a job,” Leland said, looking over to Elizabeth. “Then they brought her in.”
Jonathan hated that he had somehow gotten Leland involved. The locksmith had escaped the city and had had an opportunity to be away from all of this, and now he was drawn back in.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Leland. “I didn’t know he was going to pull you in.”
Leland smiled, though it was a sad one. “It’s not your fault.”
Matthew grunted. “It kind of is.”
And it was. As much as Jonathan might want to deny it, he was responsible. Were it not for him, Leland would’ve been able to stay with his ailing mother and use whatever money he had remaining—and given how much they had stolen from Vileforn, it would be a significant sum—to help her recover.
There wasn’t anything more he could say to Leland. Not at this point.
He turned to Elizabeth. “Are you hurt?”
She stared at him, her eyes wide. “No. When you left me, I was heading upstairs. I… I felt somebody, and I tried to place a facade. Then I tried to escape, to kick the way Matthew taught me, but…” Her voice trailed off, and she trembled.
Jonathan squeezed her shoulders, looking her up and down. He could easily imagine the kinds of things that Heziah’s men would do to somebody like Elizabeth. She was young, inexperienced, and she deserved better from him.
“Did they harm you in any way?” he asked.
“No. Not really,” she said.
Matthew growled. “What do you mean, not really?”
“They just grabbed me and tied me up. Then they bound me and held me until… Well, until they released us.”
