The Runaway King (The Ascendance Series, Book 2)

They laid me across the back of a horse and we rode out of Dichell. Once the roads became more pitted and uneven, I knew we’d left the city limits. And I doubted we were on a main trail because I felt tree branches occasionally brush against either side of me.

Other than that, I had no idea where we were going.

There was little conversation, and when someone spoke, it was almost always the man who had threatened me inside the tavern, so it was impossible to tell how many men were in our group. At least a half dozen, I guessed, but maybe a couple more. It didn’t really matter.

The knots around my wrists wouldn’t have been too difficult to untie, but this time, escape wasn’t in my plans. All I could hope was that they gave me a chance to speak before they killed me. Although as I thought about it, it was usually only after I began speaking that most people felt like murdering me.

I did manage to work the gag out of my mouth. I wasn’t going to yell and there wouldn’t have been much point in attempting it anyway, but the gag made it hard to breathe, especially because I was being carried facedown on the horse so my lungs were already compressed.

There were campfires wherever we stopped some time later. I heard the fires pop when they hit moist wood and I could dimly see their light from behind the canvas bag. Whoever rode with me did the disservice of pushing me off the horse with his hand. I landed on my feet, but since they were tied up I crumpled straight to the ground.

“What’ve we got here?” someone asked.

“That boy who was asking about Devlin.”

“Fink said this boy was upset when he heard what Devlin did to the priest.”

The fact that Fink had spoken to these men was not a surprise. I knew he was connected to higher powers somehow, likely as a runner for supplies or to gather information in town. That had always been obvious since the only thing Fink wore that fit him were his shoes. They would have been provided to him by these men to ensure he could carry out their tasks.

I had to admire him for having already talked to them. Fink worked fast.

They propped me against a tree, fastened a chain to the rope around my wrists, tethering me to the trunk, then pulled the canvas bag off my head.

It was a simple thieves’ camp, with tents randomly sprung up wherever they fit between trees, and no visible discrimination in the darkness between cooking, sleeping, and latrine areas. Still, by the look of things, this camp had been here for some time.

A man crouched down beside me for a better look. He was in his early forties with broad shoulders and a slightly hunched back. His thin hair was cut short and probably used to be redder. Still, his eyes were intelligent and his face was marked with premature lines. He wasn’t likely to have great tolerance for me.

“Didn’t like that gag?” he asked, untying it.

“It tasted bad,” I said, still using the Avenian accent. “Are you sure you used a clean cloth?”

He chuckled, then slapped me. Not too hard, though, and I appreciated that. “That’s for being mouthy. I’m Erick Loman. I’m in charge around here. What’s your name?”

I hesitated, then with a loud huff said, “Sage.”

“That’s it?”

“You think someone like me is gonna have more than one name?”

Erick smiled. “I’m surprised anyone even bothered to give you a name at all.”

My expression mirrored his. “They didn’t. I gave myself this name.”

And that was the end of the smiling. With introductions out of the way, Erick got down to the business of having abducted me.

“Why were you asking Fink about the priest?”

“I have some sins to confess,” I said. “For ruining the life of the last man to kidnap me.”

His second slap was less kind. “Fink said you’re trying to find Devlin.”

“I’m trying to find the pirates. I have a job and need their help.”

“I’ve worked with them for years, boy. Pirates don’t help anyone but themselves.”

“This job will help them plenty.”

He frowned, then refastened the gag around my mouth. “Spit this out again and I’ll carve out your tongue. Got it?” He didn’t wait for an answer before the canvas bag went back over my head.

They left me that way and soon everything went quiet. Once I was certain they were asleep, I undid the knots that tied my hands, then removed the gag and the canvas bag. After untying the rope around my feet, I lay down to sleep as well, using the bag as a thin layer of padding between my head and my arm.

I awoke with a boot to my ribs, which was better than I’d expected. When I opened my eyes, Erick towered over me, his arms folded. Fink stood in the shadows behind him. He had a dark bruise on his forehead from where I’d kicked him. A better person might’ve regretted kicking a kid. I didn’t.

“You’ve got a rat behind you,” I muttered to Erick.

Fink shook his head. “No, my pet’s in her cage.”

“I wasn’t talking about your pet.”

“Call me whatever names you want,” Fink said. “They said as long as I watch out for you, I can stay too.”

If he expected a congratulations from me, he was going to be disappointed. This was no place for someone his age. Nor mine, I supposed.

“Why didn’t you run?” Erick asked. “It appears our knots were no good for you.”

“Undoing all those knots made me tired. Besides, you and I have business to discuss.” I eyed Fink. “Without him.”

“If it wasn’t for me, they would have killed you already,” Fink said.

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here in the first place,” I retorted.

Erick grabbed my shirt and yanked me to my feet, then led me forward with Fink at my heels. Every time he got too close I stopped walking, forcing him to run into me, then I turned around and grinned back at him. It irritated him, but I was bigger so I didn’t think he’d try anything back. Of course, the last time we met I had kicked him in the face, so maybe he would.

They led me into a makeshift tent on the edge of camp. From the looks of it, this was a supply tent, though there wasn’t much here to offer. In the center was a small table. Lying on it were my knife, sword, and the satchel of coins I’d given to Fink.

Erick motioned to the items. “Explain these.”

I flashed a wry smile. “If you don’t know what these are, then you’re in the wrong business.”

He wasn’t amused. He picked up the satchel by a seam and dumped the coins on the table. “These are Carthyan and in new condition. How do you come to possess so many of them?”

“I took them.” Which was easy to do because as king, they were mine.

“So you’re a thief.”

Casually, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Looks that way.”

“Are you any good?”

My answer only required a nod at the coins.

“Where’d they come from?”

“Why do you want to know?” As if that weren’t obvious.

“You told Fink you could get more.”

I eyed Fink. “He should’ve realized that secret divided better between only the two of us.”

Erick was quickly losing his patience. “So are there more?”

Folding my arms, I said, “You can’t expect me to answer that. If there are, I’d rather save that news for the pirates.”

Erick grinned slyly. “Ah. You think with some treasure you could earn yourself a seat at their table?”

I didn’t need a seat. Just a sword and a lot of luck.

Erick continued, “It won’t work because they don’t know you. They would take the coins and then give you a quick beheading.”

“I’m very opposed to any beheadings involving my own neck,” I said. “So tell me how to make it work. Maybe you know the pirates.”

“I know a few.” Erick scratched his jaw. “If you told me where this treasure is, I could tell the pirates.”

“Which still results in my headless problem,” I said. “I have access to the coins, but I can’t get them alone. And no offense, but I wouldn’t trust your amateur bunch of thieves with stealing a single coin from a wishing pond, much less the treasure I have access to. It has to be the pirates and it has to be me who tells them.”

Erick pulled out a knife and shoved me against a post of the tent. “There’s no treasure. I think you’re making it up.”

Which was rather insulting, because if I’d intended to make up a story, I could have done far better than this. However, my focus remained on the knife at my throat. “You don’t want to do this.”

His lip curled. “Yes, I do.”

I considered that. “Fair enough. But it’d be a mistake. The coins are real and there’re thousands of them. They’re in a secret cave in Carthya. The royals keep only a small portion of their wealth in the castle. If it’s ever overrun, they don’t want their enemies to have all the treasury.”

“How do you know this?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t? It’s common practice for all royals, not just Carthyans.”

“I thought that was a myth,” Fink said.

“I’ve been there,” I said. “I’ve stood inside the walls.”

That had happened only once, when I was still quite young. I had a memory of having gone there with my father and Darius. My father had caught me using the coins as skipping rocks across a wide pond at the far end of the cave. My backside still remembered his anger for that.

Erick finally released me, then rubbed a hand along his unshaven jaw. “Where’s the cave?”

“You think it’s that easy to find?” I chuckled. “I could draw you a map and you’d still miss it. You’ll have to keep me alive if you want to see it.”

“How much is in there?” Fink asked.

“More than you’ll see in a lifetime. There’s enough for every pirate to split a healthy share, and I figure it’s more than enough to earn me a seat at their table.”

“And perhaps me as well.” Erick shook his head. “You can’t go to the pirates alone, but if I brought you along, they’d hear you out. I could bargain with them, that in exchange for the treasure, I’d earn a place with them too.”

“Could you include keeping me alive as part of that bargain?” I asked.

Erick grinned. “That’s not my top priority.” I started to protest but he added, “You’re not leaving here on your own. But if you’re one of my thieves, with me as your partner, then you might have a chance. Besides, there’s no other way you can find their camp.”

With a stubborn frown, I said, “You’ll get all the glory for my coins.”

“We’ll both have it. You said yourself you couldn’t get them on your own and the devils know I won’t let you go without my share. So don’t look at it as losing the glory. You’re gaining a partner.”

In fact, I looked at it as neither of those. But I made the appropriate expressions of thinking his proposal over, then nodded. “All right, I’m in. But we don’t have a lot of time.”

“Why not?”

Because time was not on my side. It was now only five days until the regents met. However, I figured that detail would only complicate our tenuous relationship, so I said, “There’re others who know about the cave. We have to get there first, or not at all.”

“Then we’ll go to the pirates soon. But first, you must prove yourself.”

Suddenly anxious, I cocked my head. “I already have. I brought you those coins.”

“Yeah, but I never saw you take them. Did you think I’d recommend you to the pirates unless I saw you for myself?”

Not necessarily, but I’d certainly hoped for it. “What do you suggest, then?”

“Every now and then a few of my boys cross the border into Carthya and cause a little trouble. The last group returned a couple of days ago, but, unfortunately, there were some injuries.”

If it was the men I had run into near Libeth, then I hoped there were some career-ending injuries.

“I haven’t gone with them in some time,” he continued. “You come with me and I’ll watch you in action, see if you really belong with us.”

“What if I don’t fit in?” I asked.

“Then you won’t come back.”

I smirked. “I know about those raids. They’re pathetic.”

He didn’t like the insult, but he was still listening. “And why is that?”

“There’s rarely enough wealth to make it worth the effort. You stir up plenty of trouble but don’t bring home much of value. Isn’t that what matters?”

He stroked his chin again. “You have a better plan?”

My mind raced. I had to have a better plan. Because if I didn’t help them, they would kill me. And under no circumstances would I attack my own people.

Almost immediately, an idea came to me. It wasn’t very good, but it was better than Erick’s. “There’s a noble who lives in Libeth,” I said. “His place isn’t well guarded and he’s rich.”

“We don’t go into nobles’ homes.” Erick firmly shook his head. “Too much danger, and we’re in foreign territory so we’d get no support from Avenia if we were caught.”

“Send me in alone, and I’ll come out with anything I want.”

Erick continued shaking his head. “It’s too risky.”

“But it’s my risk,” I said. “If we’re going to prove ourselves to the pirates, border raids are meaningless. Let me show the pirates we deserve a place with them.”

Erick glanced over at Fink, who nodded eagerly. “All right,” Erick said. “But if you try to trick us, we’ll burn the place down with you and anyone else inside.”

I smiled in agreement, but my stomach churned. It was no trick. In a few hours I would return to a man who had shown me nothing but kindness, and there I would steal from him everything I could.