The Thief King

15. Almost Fatal Encounters

The stables welcomed Sera with the sweet smell of hay and the musty scent of horse. Two heads swiveled to inspect her, yellow straws moving between velvet lips. One nickered at Sera before retreating into its stall. The other eyed her, likely hoping for a treat.

As she passed the large dark head, she trailed her hand down its forelock. The horse grunted and turned away, seeing no treat in her hand.

Sera walked through the stables, greeting the few boys mucking out empty stalls. An old man who had worked in the castle for years directed her to the next stable block. Sera pretended she was in a hurry. On many occasions she had fallen prey to his prattles. He would tell anyone about his years at the palace. About the kings he had served and the horses he had trained.

Sera found Nena and Evelyn chatting with a few off-duty trainers and stable hands. Evelyn smiled demurely at the sight of her and nudged Nena in the ribs. Her shorter friend stopped batting her eyelashes and blinked rapidly before seeing Sera.

"What kept you?" Nena called and sprung to her feet. She dusted off her skirts, flinging hay and dirt in a flurry around her. "Was it the witch?"

Sera smirked. "I suppose indirectly we could blame the witch."

"Any and every chance we get, we should blame her," Nena grinned. "So? What did she have you doing this time?"

Sera slid into a seat next to Evelyn and nodded at the others. Two trainers and three stable hands, told apart by their uniforms, sat between them. "The prince's bride-to-be has an awful lot of dresses."

"More than our princess?" Nena scoffed.

"No," Sera sighed and accepted a canteen passed to her. "But I was told to steam press every one and organize her remaining jewelry and trinkets."

"Remaining?"

"You didn't hear?" Nena leaned forward over the cracked wooden table. "The Weatherstones were robbed on the North Road."

"Bandits?" a trainer named Jacksol asked.

"The Thief King," Evelyn and Nena both intoned.

Sera snorted softly. Jack's eyes caught hers and he smiled.

"It's what they're saying." Nena broke off a chunk of bread and smeared it with butter. "It aint unlike the man to rob the rich you know."

Sera couldn't argue with that. Kole's targets were those he deemed copiously endowed with riches they had no use for. She had first hand experience with the kind of wealth the Weatherstones owned. There was little doubt Kole would risk danger to get his hands on it.

"S'pose not," Jack grinned and eventually laughed. "Count on the Thief King to welcome a possible queen with violence. Did you find out anything else, Sera? I heard he banged up the lady's father pretty bad."

"He been doing a lot of that lately," another trainer said.

"What do you mean?" Sera could not help herself. Not a moment had her mind not touched on Kole's bizarre antics of late. It was driving her insane with worry and questions. Something had changed.

"You talking about them Northies, Dale?" Jack asked and scoffed. "Rumour is a bunch of them Northside gangs were brutally murdered. They saying it's a turf war. Or a retaliation attack for challenging the Thief King."

"I heard it was the Thief King trying to gain control of the Northies." Dale grabbed some bread and stuffed it in his mouth before continuing. "It's a large area the Northside and if the Thief King gains control of it, he will have most of the Lowies under his rule. Nearly untouchable."