The Dragon Rogues, page 19
“You should stay away from the palace and Vileforn,” she said. “It’ll be dangerous for you. He wants you back in prison.” She raised her hand. “And don’t worry. He doesn’t know about me. If he did, I would—” Jayna cut herself off before saying what she would do. “Be safe, Jonathan.” She spun and headed back to the palace. What had she been about to say?
When Jayna was gone, Jonathan frowned to himself. Something she had said struck a chord with him. He had been acting differently, he knew, and maybe that was why he struggled so far. He’d been thinking of everybody in terms of their roles, not as the people they were. He had thought of them as the sneak, the locksmith, and the sorcerer. That was the way Matthew viewed the team, not generally the way Jonathan had to.
He needed to think of them as Elizabeth and Leland and Heziah.
And he needed to think about Matthew. He hadn’t fully come to terms with what Matthew had done over the last five years. Jonathan knew it had been about more than just scamming. Whatever he’d done in the time Jonathan was gone had ultimately brought Matthew back here, back to the streets, gaming for coin rather than scheming for it. He had changed as much as anyone.
Jonathan would do the job. Perhaps he needed to find a way to put his past behind him, though maybe that wasn’t fully possible. He had to find his way with people once again. Remove his own distractions and connect to the crew to help them find success.
That was what had allowed him to be the Dragon. How he had pulled off dangerous jobs throughout the city. His old team had worked together because they had understood each other. It had started with his relationship with Grayson, but that had extended to others.
He smiled to himself. Leave it to his sister to be the one to provide the impetus needed for him to know what to do with the rest of his team.
And it was long past time that he started.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It was evening when Jonathan reached the slums, where the buildings were crammed together and melded from one ramshackle hut to another. Garbage piled up throughout the narrow dirt-covered streets. Still, there were the sounds of happy children as they chased each other, kicked a ball around, played with a dog, or danced and sang. Even though the people out here were poor, they were no different than the people anywhere else within the city.
He made his way through the cramped area, heading toward where he had found Elizabeth before. She hadn’t been at the tavern. Nobody from the crew had shown up. Jonathan had expected that Matthew, at least, would have been there. That Leland and Heziah had not come was less surprising. Jonathan still didn’t know whether Leland had betrayed them, and he would have to deal with that eventually, but not yet. And not now. He needed to do something else first.
Throughout the entire time walking here, Jonathan had watched for evidence of a ripple or anything that would suggest a facade. Elizabeth was incredibly skilled with her facades, and he figured that she might even be able to conceal what she was doing from him in the fading sunlight, but he didn’t see anything. He reached a group of older children who were talking and laughing. One of them tapped a stick on the ground every so often.
Jonathan approached them. “I don’t suppose you know Elizabeth Wiggins.”
A boy turned to him, dust smearing his cheeks. “Who’s asking?”
“Just a friend?”
Another kid let out a laugh. “Elizabeth has a friend?”
The boy with the stick turned, smacked it on the ground, and glared at the other who had laughed. “Let me deal with this. Look at him.”
Jonathan smiled, knowing what they were angling for. It was the same thing anyone in this section of the city would try. “If you know where she is,” he said, “all I need is to find where to reach her. We were supposed to meet tonight for me to discuss the terms of her employment.”
The boy with the stick snorted. “Elizabeth had a job?”
“Has a job. It pays well too.” Jonathan pulled a fistful of coppers out of his pocket and shook them. “Like I said. All I need to know is where to find her.”
“If she doesn’t show for the job, are you hiring anyone else?”
Jonathan smiled sadly. “I’m afraid that she has a particular skill set that I’m interested in.”
“A sneak. I can do the same thing.”
“Can you?”
The boy tapped the stick again, and the ground started to shimmer. The change was subtle and faint, little more than a twist of the dirt on the cobblestones, but then it faded again.
“Very good,” Jonathan said. “Perhaps you could be useful.”
“See?”
“Still, I need to visit with Elizabeth before I take anyone else on.”
The boy pointed. “Her place is down that way. If she’s there. Most of the time she doesn’t stay very long.” Someone behind him laughed.
“If she’s not in her home, then where would I find her?” Jonathan asked.
“You can try by the river. She likes to go there from time to time.”
“Do you know her well?”
The boy shrugged. “We did. Back when she cared to stay around us. She’s gotten too big for us.”
That didn’t sound like Elizabeth, unless she was trying to avoid where she’d come from. That might fit her.
Jonathan flicked the fistful of coins in their direction, before turning and heading down the street. He looked for any sign of a rippling energy that suggested a facade, but he didn’t come across anything. Which meant that either she wasn’t here, or…
He felt something strange pull on him. He had come to recognize that sensation over time. In this case, he could feel it guiding him toward the river, where the boy had said Elizabeth would often go.
The slums ended right at the water’s edge. Buildings almost fell into the river itself, trying to occupy as much space as possible. Several women washed clothes in the river or gathered water, but for the most part they left it alone. The rapids made it difficult to spend too much time close to the shoreline, and the rocky drop-off was dangerous. Jonathan found an area of rock that sloped down, and the energy drawing him called him in that direction.
He picked his way along the rocks until he reached a narrow path. It wasn’t until he felt the energy begin to pick up, building with an increased intensity, that he realized why he was feeling it. A facade.
“This one is quite skillful,” he said.
The facade shimmered and then shifted the environment around him. The narrow shoreline broadened, and the rocks towered over him. He looked up. Had he really climbed down them?
“How did you know I was here?” Elizabeth asked.
Jonathan smiled at her. “I felt it.”
“You what?”
He nodded. “Heziah has been asking about my role. I’m the planner, that’s true, but there’s something else I have a gift for.”
“You can detect sneaks?”
“Sneaks. Sorcerers. Other uses of magic. For whatever reason, I’m aware of it. I can’t use any on my own, but I know when it’s used around me.”
“How?” Elizabeth stepped forward, and the rest of her facade faded.
He peered up and realized that the top of the rocky edge wasn’t quite as high as he’d believed. That had been a trick as well. She had layered them. That was new.
“I’m not exactly sure,” he said. “I’ve always seemed to know. I can feel the sense of power. My skin tingles and the hairs on my arm stand on end, but that’s only when there is significant power used around me.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I figured you’d want to know. I think it’s time we get to know each other a little bit better.”
There was a hint of tension along his arms, a bit that suggested to Jonathan how she attempted to use her facade, but then it faded.
“Why?” she asked.
Jonathan raised his hands as he realized what she feared and shook his head. “Not like that. Gods, no. I just wanted to better understand you, and what’s motivating you. You took the job quickly.”
“Can you blame me?” She looked back toward the shoreline, and he could practically imagine what she was seeing. “You don’t know what it was like. Every day spent not knowing if rainwater would come through. If you would get enough to eat. If you would have clothing. If your father would…” She looked down.
Jonathan stepped toward her. “If your father would what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does. What happened?”
She glanced up at him. “My father… Well, he isn’t kind. I’ve done whatever I can to stay out of the house, stay away from him. From my mother too. She doesn’t stop him.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you?”
“I am,” Jonathan said, nodding. “I wouldn’t know what that’s like. My parents died a while ago. I took care of my sister, at least I tried to. I wanted to provide for her. We didn’t have much even when they were alive, but after they passed, we had so little. I saw what others had, the wealth so many flaunted, and I wanted just a taste of it for myself. So I started taking jobs. Then the jobs got bigger. I told myself it was about taking care of Jayna, but after a while, that wasn’t it. It was about me.” In hindsight, maybe Jayna hadn’t needed for him to provide for her. Maybe she had only needed for him to offer her his affection, not to try to pull her into a life of crime. And he had enjoyed what he did, unlike her. She never wanted to be a part of it. “I have tried to do everything in my power to give her a life, but…”
“But what?”
“But she didn’t want the life I lead.”
“Why not?” Elizabeth asked.
“She disagrees with my line of work and doesn’t approve of it. She would prefer that I take on what she considers honorable employment. I think she views that as what our parents would’ve wanted for us. For me.”
“Do you miss your parents?”
Jonathan offered a sad smile. “They died so long ago that I don’t even think about them much. There was a time when everything that drove me was related to them. I wanted to know what happened. If I could get revenge. I wanted to know why the gods could allow them to be taken from us so soon. After a while, I realized that none of it mattered.”
“Why not?”
“Because all that mattered was that I continued to look forward. That I found a way to offer my sister the help she needed. She had potential that I never did. I wanted her to find a way to maximize that potential. That’s what all of us need, after all.”
She turned and looked out over the water. White rapids rushed by barely submerged rocks. “I just want to get out of here.”
“You will,” Jonathan said.
“I don’t know. Not anymore.”
“This job will work. I know it’s hard for you to see now, but I can see it. I know it’s going to work.” Confidence mattered, especially when it came to things like this. “And I’m certain that we will get into the vault. Once we take the gold, you will get out of here.”
She turned back to him and met his eyes. “What happens if I can’t hold on to the facade long enough?”
“I believe you can.”
“You saw what happened near the palace earlier. I could barely maintain it for a little while. And then when we were in the warehouse, even though it was darker, I—”
Jonathan stepped forward and rested his hand on her arm. “I know. It isn’t easy. What you’re asked to do is to use a difficult skill. I’m well aware of that. I told you about my mentor. This is something that he struggled to do, but I’m sure that you can learn it.”
“I’m sorry I’m not him,” she said softly.
“That’s not why I’m telling you this. I think you have considerable potential. He would’ve liked you, I’m sure. He always liked working with young sneaks.”
“The others don’t like working with me.”
“They probably fear that you will surpass them and render them useless.” Jonathan chuckled. “Grayson never felt that way. He thought there were enough jobs for all the sneaks in the city. He felt like there was an art to being a sneak, and he wanted to help others learn how to use their ability to the fullest extent.” But then, Grayson had been powerful. Almost more than a sneak. There were times when Jonathan had felt like he was damn near a sorcerer. Not that he would’ve ever accused Grayson of something as ridiculous as that. “Anyway, none of that is why I’m telling you this. I’m telling you this because I’m well aware of how hard you have been working. You’re strong. One of the strongest sneaks I’ve been around. And I believe you can hold on to the facade when you need to.”
“If I can’t do it, then everything fails.”
“True.”
She sighed. “That’s reassuring.”
“Would you rather I not tell you the truth?”
“I suppose not.”
“You’re right,” Jonathan said. “If you can’t do it, and if you can’t hold the facade as we’re going through, the rest of it fails. I don’t know what else to tell you other than that. That’s why we wanted someone like you. Do you know how many sneaks we tested before we found you?”
“No.”
“Plenty. There aren’t many who have your skills. You need time to develop. That’s a given. After you master your ability, you are going to be nearly unstoppable.” He shrugged. “But that takes time, and unfortunately we don’t have time. So we have to work with what you can do.” He looked along the river. “I’ve seen you use your facade to make things like this before. The shoreline. The house. You have talents. We just have to take advantage of them. What’s the difference when you’re holding on to your facade with the river or your house?”
“I’m not trying to cover anything.”
“Aren’t you, though?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You’re trying to cover the river. You’re trying to cover the street. You were doing that.”
“But I wasn’t trying to hide anyone within it.”
Jonathan shrugged. “Then don’t hide someone within it. Hide them behind it.”
“I don’t—” Her breath caught. “Gods. Could that be it?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I can’t create a facade like you. I do understand that the concept is difficult. When we go at night, there will be darkness around us. I think you can do this. I know we’re asking you to conceal all of us, but don’t think of it as that difficult.” He sniffed. “Well, maybe think of it as difficult, but don’t think of it as something you can’t accomplish. I’ve seen what you can do.”
She turned to him, smiling slightly. “Thank you.”
“Are you coming back?”
Elizabeth looked down at the river and kicked a rock. “I always planned on coming back.”
“Good. We need to practice later. It’s going to work.”
Jonathan climbed his way up the rock back to the river’s edge and peered down over it. Every so often, he spotted a subtle shimmer. She really did have an impressive control over her facade, and it was a level he didn’t often see. It was more the scope of what she did, not so much the power behind it.
Not for the first time, Jonathan wished she had a mentor. He had suggested to Matthew that they find another sneak to work with her, and Jonathan still wondered if that might not be the best strategy to help her gain skill quickly. She had strength, but she needed skill.
One more thing to plan for.
He headed back through the slums, passing the older children he had spoken to earlier. The boy with the stick continued to tap the ground, and Jonathan watched as he created an occasional facade, but without much power. His pants changed colors, from blue to green to yellow, and every now and then they worked up to his shirt before fading again.
He chuckled to himself as he left the area and made his way back into the main part of the city. He didn’t know if visiting with Elizabeth would make a difference, but he had to think that trying to get to know her, trying to understand her, would help.
Now to understand what Leland had been after. If the locksmith had betrayed them…
Jonathan didn’t think he had, but he needed to know.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
As he headed through the city, he made his way toward the administration section. When he reached the building, he found it locked and closed. He crept around the outside, looking for an open window, or anything that would allow him to enter. If he were to get caught, he would have to explain what he was doing. Not many people would actually break into one of the administration buildings. There wasn’t much to steal, so the need to protect them wasn’t the same as it was for other places.
Jonathan found a window that was cracked slightly open. He pulled himself up, crawled through, and landed inside a small office. Stacks of books and papers were piled on the desk. A bookshelf stood against one wall, and a painting hung on another. He hurried through the office and entered the hallway.
When he had been here before, he had been guided back to Leland’s section of the building. Now that he was here on his own, he didn’t know if he would be able to find the office by himself. Jonathan crept through the halls as quietly as he could. Because the building was closed, there was minimal lighting to see by. A soft glowing light came from a sconce on the wall, and as he approached he realized that it wasn’t a lantern but some sort of magical enchantment.
Having an enchantment like that might be useful. Taking anything from the administration building would not be smart, though. Jonathan moved on, navigating through the corridors until he reached the back hallway where he remembered finding Leland.
A steady hammering sound came from the area, a tapping that radiated along the hall. It was odd and rhythmic, like a blacksmith working on metal, though with a high-pitched squeal like that of stone on stone. As he neared the source of the sound, he realized it was coming from Leland’s office.
Jonathan tested the closed door. It wasn’t locked. He smiled to himself at the thought of a locksmith leaving the door unlocked. He crouched down in front of it and realized there was not even a lock on it. Did the administration not feel as if their employees needed to be able to lock their offices?
