The Dragon Rogues, page 9
“That’s not the only reason you want to do this.” Matthew arched a brow at him as he drank more of his ale, then set the mug back down on the table and let out a long sigh. “You blame him. I know you, Jonathan. It wasn’t his fault you were caught.”
“It was my fault I was caught. It was his fault that I was imprisoned for as long as I was.”
“Only because he didn’t like having his vault broken into.”
“Right. And you know the reason he didn’t care for his vault getting broken into.”
That was what he suspected, though Jonathan questioned if there was more to it.
His employer still wanted the crystal. What was it about the object?
Matthew swept his gaze around the tavern before looking at Jonathan. “If he is keeping that much from the king, it’s going to be more than a little dangerous once you bring it out of the vault.”
“I realize that.”
“That’s not quite what I mean.” Matthew leaned forward and lowered his voice. “A man like that won’t go quietly. He’s going to rage against everything you do.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Jonathan said.
“He might send his sorcerers after you. After us.”
“Which is why I wanted to make sure we had a good team.”
“It’s going to have to be more than just a good team. For us to be able to do this and get out of there successfully without having anything happen to us, we’ll need to be clever. Quick. We’ll have to ensure that we don’t leave any trace behind for him to follow.”
“He can’t even know we were involved,” Jonathan said, nodding.
“No. He can’t know that we were involved, and it’s going to have to be more than that. You’re going to have to make it seem as if you couldn’t have been there.”
Jonathan sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he considered.
Matthew was right in this. Given what they knew about Vileforn, they had to be careful with him. Even if they took all the contents of his vault, it wouldn’t leave him destitute. He would have money. Resources. He would still have sorcerers under his employ. It would make them a target.
Jonathan would have to ensure that Vileforn didn’t know it was him.
Either that, or…
He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. “I’ll come up with something by the time it matters.” Jonathan finished his ale, then got to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Didn’t you tell me that I needed to go see my sister?”
He probably needed to anyway. And he should’ve done it when he’d first gotten out, but the job had taken his focus. Always the job. Maybe that was why Jayna had felt he’d eventually end up in prison.
But if Jayna was in the city and working with Vileforn, then he should find her. Perhaps only to warn her, but he needed to see her. It would help him decide how dangerous the job might be as well.
Jonathan slipped out of the tavern and paused as he looked around the street. They had chosen this section of the city because of its proximity to the Sorcerers’ Society. Its headquarters were close, but not so close that he had to worry about encountering any sorcerers until he was ready. Still, the domed roof of their building was visible in the distance. The blue slate covering the roof called attention to the Society, as if they wanted everyone in Ishan to be aware of their presence. Jonathan could practically feel it. Well, there was no “practically” about it. He could feel it. This close to the sorcerers, there was a strange energy to the air.
He made his way carefully down the street, passing shops that sold items of more interest to sorcerers than to commoners. Some of them made no attempt to hide this fact, selling robes and clothing designed to conceal various magical items, whereas others were nothing more than apothecaries. He paused briefly to look in the windows and could make out the items inside that were more than just the standard medicines and herbs and oils. A few shops displayed dried feet that looked far too human, or parts of animals that hung from the ceiling with twine, catching shadows and making them flicker. A large silver bowl rested near one window, which might just be decorative, though Jonathan suspected it was more than just a pretty item. He guessed it was something specifically designed for sorcerers.
He wandered through the streets without any particular destination. He did need to see Jayna, though he hesitated to do so. In the time since he’d been released from prison, he had made sure to think through how to find his sister. She was out there, and though he hadn’t seen her in years, he suspected he would recognize her immediately.
He couldn’t help but wonder what it might have been like for her over the last few years. She would’ve finished her time at the Academy, moved on to some greater position within the Society, and taken on ever more important roles. It was what he had wanted for her.
But from what Matthew had told him, they hadn’t known where Jonathan had ended up. How might that have affected Jayna? He’d always been the one protecting her, even when she hadn’t known about it. With him gone, the Society must have protected her.
Jonathan paused at an intersection. A pair of sorcerers in maroon robes marched along the street. One of them had a hood up, concealing his head, while the other had her hood down, with long dark hair that flowed down to the middle of her back. The woman was about Jonathan’s age, and she came directly toward his location. She had an angular face, with sharp cheekbones. There was something unique—and beautiful—about her. He pressed back against the nearest buildings to let the sorcerers pass. They didn’t give him a second glance. As they worked through the crowd, they forced their way forward until they moved out of sight.
Jonathan shook his head at the arrogance. The sorcerers had pushed their way through the street, unmindful of others who were there. It was a wonder they didn’t use magic to force their way through, though he didn’t think they did. It was best to stay away from them.
This whole experience only reinforced to him that it would be better if they could get by with just using enchantments. Not only would it be easier—finding a sorcerer willing to make enchantments, even for a job like this, would be far simpler than finding one who’d be willing to take on the job—but it would be safer as well. Hiring a sorcerer ran the risk of drawing the Society’s attention.
Jonathan had made a point of avoiding sorcerers over the years. He didn’t even like being the one to try to find the enchantments they would need. It was better to hire that out to somebody else on the team. Grayson had always been the one to do it before, but now it would have to come down to Jonathan or Matthew, and neither of them was particularly fond of that responsibility.
He continued down the street and slowed when he reached the Society building. The structure itself was incredible. Majestic white stone gleamed in the sunlight. Not only did the roof have blue slate, but similar shutters covered the windows. Sculptures within the yard caught his attention as well, though he wondered whether there was any purpose to them. Much like the city administration buildings that were from a time of the El’aras, the Society building came from that era as well. Jonathan didn’t know if this one had been made by the El’aras, though he suspected it to be the case. It would be even more reason for the sorcerers to want to occupy it.
He counted the windows, his thief mind already starting to work through various possibilities of what it would take to enter the Society building, even as his rational mind told him that such an idea was foolish. A dozen windows on the upper level. The same number on the lower level. A massive double door at the center of the building led inside, and a path circled around to the back. There would probably be an entrance there as well.
The low wall in front of the Society did nothing to prevent anyone from entering, though Jonathan doubted that was its purpose. It seemed merely ornamental, much like the rows of shrubs inside the yard. Of course, given that this was the Sorcerers’ Society, it might be that these were more than just for decoration. For all he knew, there might be magic imbued within both the wall and the shrubs, somehow preventing anyone from getting into the yard easily.
Three sorcerers passed through the gate leading into the yard and headed toward the building. Jonathan turned so he could see them, watching as entered. They were all dressed in the same maroon robes, though he was surprised to realize that one of them was the woman he had seen on the street only moments before.
Where had they been going? Why were they already back?
Questions without answers.
Jonathan continued on past the building, and he slowed again when he spotted Vileforn’s palace looming in the distance. If he was going to find Jayna, he would have to do so here. He wasn’t going to be able to get into the palace, but he could at least watch it. Jonathan had plenty of experience staking out places. He could be patient.
He walked a slow, circuitous route around the area outside the palace. There were other homes nearby, though none as massive as Vileforn’s. The few surrounding shops sold expensive wares, such as clothing that Jonathan would never dare try to afford, and there were even smiths who worked with gold and silver. Even the carpenter here seemed skilled enough to probably charge much more than Jonathan could fathom affording, from what he could tell judging by the items displayed in the window.
That is, until I finish this job.
Jonathan had always wanted more. It was why he had taken the job in the first place, at least in part. There were other reasons why he’d pushed as hard as he had before he’d been imprisoned. But a job like this, given the wealth he knew was in Vileforn’s vault, would set the entire team up for life. And it was money that Vileforn couldn’t even report missing because he was keeping it from the king.
As he neared the main street leading toward Vileforn’s palace, a figure moved toward him. A sorcerer.
Jonathan tried to step into the shadows before they saw him, but they headed directly toward him. Had he been too obvious in his pursuit of how much he might be able to see of Vileforn’s palace? He hadn’t thought so, but he hadn’t taken particular care either.
That meant…
“Jayna.”
She pulled back the hood of her robes. His sister looked much like he remembered, though older. Her long red hair was tied back with a navy-blue ribbon, and the chubbiness to her cheeks had disappeared, giving her a lean, almost stern appearance. She clasped her hands in front of her and stopped near him, and he had an undeniable sense of power coming from her. He didn’t feel her using magic, but he suspected she did.
“How long have you been out?” she asked.
That was her way to greet him?
He’d been gone long enough that he figured she would have been more concerned about him. Matthew certainly had been. Given what Matthew had said, he’d thought Jayna would have been worried about him for the same reasons.
“It’s only been a week. I’m sorry—”
“You don’t have to apologize.” There was a hint of the old Jayna he remembered. The one who hated his line of work.
“I’m still sorry.”
She chewed on the inside of her lip for a few moments, saying nothing. Finally, she took a deep breath, and she jabbed him in the chest. He drew back, wincing. She was stronger than he remembered.
“I worried about you, Jonathan. Do you know how long I looked for you before I found out where you were?”
Jonathan breathed slowly. She knew where he’d ended up? “Probably as long as Matthew.”
She scowled. Something in her deep-blue eyes held him, making him almost uncomfortable. When she was younger, he had always been the one to look at her like that. She had always been the mature one, though. The one with talent and potential. He had seen it in her early on, and though he had not loved that she’d gone to the Sorcerers’ Society for training, he had understood. She’d needed that opportunity. She couldn’t stay with him indefinitely. His sister was always meant for something more.
Would she ever know he felt that way? She probably thought he wanted to use her. And if he was being honest—which, when it came to Jayna, he wasn’t often—he might have wanted to at one point.
“You back on the job?”
“Not exactly,” he said.
She snorted. “Not exactly?”
She looked around her, and Jonathan followed the direction of her gaze. A black-haired woman stood on the side of the road, and smoke seemed to surround her. He squinted and stared, trying to make sense of what he saw, and she disappeared.
Jayna jabbed him in the chest again. He spun back. “What does Matthew have you doing now?”
“He doesn’t have me doing anything.”
She twisted a ring on her finger, though cupped her hand around it so Jonathan couldn’t see it. That was new. His sister wasn’t one for jewelry. “Then you’re the one doing the job. You’re heading straight back into that life. After you managed to get out.”
“Why do you even care?” Jonathan knew the truth, but he wanted Jayna to tell him.
“Because I don’t want my brother to disappear on me again. The last time was hard enough. Do you know what I’ve done?”
There was a note in the question that caught Jonathan off guard.
“What have you done?” he asked.
She drew herself up. “It doesn’t matter. Not anymore.”
“And now I hear you’re working for Vileforn. Is that what a Society sorcerer does?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” She glanced around her again, flicking her gaze to the shadows of an alley nearby, before turning her attention back to him. “Things have changed, Jonathan. I know you think you understand the way the world works, but… Well, things have changed.”
She wasn’t the first one to tell him that, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that maybe he needed to listen. Not just to his sister, but to Matthew. It was time that he try to understand just what it was they were getting at that had changed.
“You’re still my sister.”
“I’m still your sister,” she said. Some of the irritation in her eyes faded. “I don’t want you to end up back there.”
Jonathan smiled, trying to give her his most charming grin, but she was having none of it and ignored him. There was a time when his smile would’ve worked on her, but that had been long ago. A lifetime ago, it seemed. “Why him?”
Jayna hesitated before answering. “Best offer I received.”
She wasn’t sharing something with him, he could tell, but he wasn’t exactly sure what it was. “Come on, Jayna. You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. You are talented. And he’s the one you’re working for?”
“Like I said, Jonathan, you don’t understand. Many things have changed.”
He had to try a different tactic with her. He wasn’t getting anywhere this way. “Matthew said he saw you outside of Ishan.”
She tilted her chin slightly. “He said that?”
Jonathan nodded. “He’s been sort of vague about what he was doing. I suspect he was pulling a job he doesn’t want me to know about.” As if Matthew had any reason to be concerned about sharing that with him. He didn’t care that Matthew had taken other jobs. Jonathan had been gone. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t pulled jobs without Matthew. Of course, that was a source of contention between them even now.
“I wasn’t sure he’d remember,” she said absently.
“You? He’s known you your entire life, Jayna. I have a hard time thinking he wouldn’t remember you.”
She shrugged but said nothing.
“Would you want to get a mug of ale?” he asked.
It felt natural to ask his sister a question like that, but it was odd talking to her like this as well. This was Jayna, though. He shouldn’t be uncomfortable with her, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling. It was almost as if she attempted to make him uneasy like this.
“I have a few things to do,” she said. “And you should be careful. You have the look in your eye, Jonathan. I’ve seen it before. You can’t deny that you’re plotting something. Whatever it is, it’s bound to get you hurt. I don’t want that for you.”
He smiled. “I don’t want that for me, either.”
“Then give up whatever you’re planning.”
The way she said it suggested she knew something. Could she?
She was part of the Society, so it was possible that she might have heard rumors. If that were the case, then maybe she did know that he and his team were up to something. And if so, he had to be more careful with her. She was working for Vileforn. He didn’t want word to get back to her boss that he intended to break into his vault again. And he most definitely didn’t want that to happen because he said something to her.
“Does he treat you well?” he asked.
“What kind of question is that? He’s my employer. That’s it.” She deflected smoothly, but Jonathan could tell that she knew he was digging for information.
Jayna was a different person than he had known before he’d been sent to prison. When he’d been caught, she had been fifteen and a student at the Academy. The last time he’d spent much time around her, she had been even younger. In his mind, she was still a little girl, though that had to change. She wasn’t that person anymore.
She was a sorcerer.
And with the job he intended… No. She wasn’t going to help them with this. As much as he might want her involvement, he could see the hard set to her eyes, the burning expression that told him all he needed to know about whether she would be willing to help.
“It’s good to see you, Jayna.” He took a step toward her and wrapped her in a hug. She stiffened, resisting for a second, then relaxed a little. “I can still worry about you, too.”
As he stepped back, she looked up at him. “Even though you’re my older brother, I can still worry about you.”
She regarded him for another moment before turning and heading back down the street. Jonathan watched until she disappeared into the crowd while making her way to Vileforn’s palace.
Letting out a long sigh, he turned away. He still had to find an enchanter. Either that, or he was going to have to rely on enchantments. Or worse—find a sorcerer.
