The Royal Thief

Chapter Thirteen: Pistol

This was a side of my city that I rarely got to see. We galloped through the Golden Quater, past the bustling farmers markets and dirty side streets that Jaden had led me through. Down at the edge of the city the buildings thinned out, and the Mitrove River rushed against its bank. The narrow river ships, painted with the crests of whichever merchant family owned them, were tied up along the docks and yelling-- sailor's gibberish, "Hoist the sail and lower anchor!"-- mixed with the hawking of wares brought in from other parts of the kingdom.

I knew from my few geography lessons that the Mitrove flowed from the northern mountains, collecting melt water as it tumbled down the marble cliffs and often flooding the lowlands in the spring. It split into two branches near the city Parodar, and its wider tributary wound through the shallow hill country until it ran here, in the capital. Its fast-rushing water carried ships to Port Maenar in just two days, and from there poured out into the Elysitian Sea. Trading ships sailed with the current or against it, carrying goods from farming villages to the Capital to Maenar to the islands.

"Come on!" Cara shouted, swinging herself off her horse. With a start, I realized it was the one Jaden had 'borrowed' the first night he had brought me to the match house.

Pushing through the crowds, Nemia and I followed her to a ship being unloaded on the dock. The sailors lined up the wooden crates in rows while dock hands helped to slit them open. Cara's eye had been caught by the glint of sunlight on a gold necklace partially hidden in sawdust.

Nemia shook her head. "Cara, if you want to buy something, let's go look at stuff we can actually afford."

Reluctantly, she let us pull her away. There were stalls set up along the docks so that the heavy crates didn't have to be carried all the way to the upper markets. There were thick rolls of carpets and tapestries embroidered with gold, cases displaying jeweled bracelets and silk gloves, stacks of books with leather covers and titles written in gilt on their spines. One stand under a worn canopy held heavy wine-red velvet and lilac satin, while another boasted spun-glass figurines and and china trays.

Tugging at Nemia's sleeve, I steered us over to a table covered with red velvet. Arranged on it in rows were silver-hilted daggers with rippled blades, serrated knives with molded-leather grips, and curved swords, their pommels studded with tiny sapphires.

"Do you really need more knives?" Cara complained, dragging her feet. "How about a nice necklace? How about earrings?"

"Where would I wear jewelry to?" I asked, leaning over a set of matching daggers in white leather sheaths.

"Well... to the princess's ball."

"Because we were definitely invited to that."

"We are! It's for the whole palace, everyone. We could go!"

I caught a faint smile of Nemia's face as she shook her head. Two Guardians of Darkness at a royal ball? No.

"The nobles don't want us there," I told Cara. "You're a guard, you're fine. But not me and Nemia."

"But it's a masked ball! They won't know you're there."

I ignored her and she huffed loudly. "Well, it's be no fun without you."

"Hey, you three--" A heavy man with a deep-set scowl stepped behind the table. "You buying anything?"

I shrugged coolly. "Maybe. I'm looking."

His scowl deepened as I took my time examining  a blade of blue steel, and then a sharpening stone, and then a dagger inlaid with mother-of-pearl, its triangular blade barely longer than my finger.