More than one year later...
Mia's long auburn hair swished in time with the stamp of her boots. She peeled off her mittens and dropped them into the inside pocket of her cloak. Eemili looked up from the customer he was serving and smiled. The mia dawdled, meandering down an aisle of goods. This trade shop was the best in town and her personal favorite because of the Finnish man who ran it. Only the rich could afford the beautiful goods and tasteful food he sold. The mia could not believe she was now among those whose purses bulged, but this land was very different from Averie. It was a land where she could live wildly and chase down men and still make as much as a merchant on his ship.
The woman who bought a bolt of cloth and a sack of sugar from Eemili left and the mia sidled up to the counter. "How are sales?"
He playfully glares at her. "Terrible since my little kapina disappeared for a fortnight. How I missed your fresh meat." He slides fresh bread into the case below and the smell tickles the mia's nose.
The mia smiles and tugs off her back and dumps it on his counter. Eemili begins to unload the bag of carefully wrapped meat. "Did you find your man, kapina?"
The mia twirled her hand. "No, unfortunately not. But I did find a good lead that he may be in Johannes' tavern next week. A man overheard his conversation that he would be back after taking care of business."
"I am not aware of that man's tavern."
"It is in Dion."
"You traveled out of the kingdom?!"
The mia shushes him and he quietly carried the meat to the storeroom. She waited while he put them in the icebox. When he came back and began to tidy the shop, the mia cleared her throat.
"Oh, right. Money." Eemili dug in the coin box and counts her money.
"My travel and information have cost me."
He hands over the money. As she pockets it, she digs out a beautiful bracelet. "For Liv. For watching Proser."
Eemili blinks. "Please tell me you didn't steal that."
"No." For the first time, Eemili witnessed Kapina blush. "I thought it might make a wonderful present for you, from you. The two of you have been engaged for so long and you could keep it or sell it..."
Eemili fingers the bracelet before rounding the counter. He picks her up and twirls her around before planting a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you. Oh, thank you!"
"Let the wedding bells ring." A voice from the door darkly chuckles.
Eemili places the mia on the floor and she faces the stranger, dagger at her hip in hand.
"It is about time, Niemimen. Been waiting for an invitation all year."
"Kapina, this is Elias, the king's-" Eemili stops.
"Bastard, the king's bastard son," Elias finishes.
As he stepped forward, the mia was able to get a good look at the man. She had been hunting down members of Richard's gang for the last year. The men had all split for each other, hiding from the crown and the treasonous random that would send them to be hung by their necks. Theft and death lay in their wake of destruction. But one man had escaped the mia's capture. He was cunning and so unlike the others. Smuggled goods from right under noses, everyone knew his face and not his name. The man never killed, but left damage everywhere he went.
The mia places her hand in the grip of the last free member of Richard's gang and watches as he grins down at her, his smile laced with venom and charisma. She replaces her dagger and gulps.
Author's note: Kapina means "rebellion" in Finnish.
YOU ARE READING
Incognito
FantasyA boy trying to find himself in the shadow of his family. A girl living in the woods with a baby that is not hers. Zacary Holden has decided he wants his inheritance, and he wants it now. But everything goes down hill when he runs out of money and...
