DANCE OF THIEVES thomas shelby

one

 DANCE OF THIEVES

[ chapter one ]

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JULIE ZHAO HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THOMAS SHELBY FOR TWO MONTHS NOW. Listening to whispers in the streets of Birmingham. Learning secrets that people wanted to keep hidden. Julie knew that secrets were weapons that she could save in her pocket until she needed them.

She could move like a ghost, invisible. She could climb up the sides of houses and even listen to what people talked, inside closed doors. The secrets Julie Zhao knew would someday put her six feet underground. Secrets were dangerous and so was the job she was doing but it was better than working as a prostitute. The secrets loved Julie as much as she loved the power it gave her.

Dozens of children of all ages, all barefoot and dressed in rags, are playing on the cobbles. Women are hanging washing or bringing it in, calling out to each other, their voices echoing against the tenement walls. The air fizzes with yelling and laughter.  In spite of the poverty, there is a feeling of huge energy and vigor, rather than despair. 

After a few moments, a man riding a beautiful black horse trots into the courtyard. The horse's hooves click on the cobbles. Instantly, all talking and laughter stops. All games freeze. Washing is left in baskets. Silence fills the yard.

The man named Thomas Shelby, produces such instant terror as he rides into the courtyard. He was immaculately dressed in a dark suit. The courtyard is now miraculously empty, with all the mothers and children now hiding in doorways or alleys.

They are all watching Thomas as he takes a gold watch on a chain from his vest pocket and checks the time. 

The watch was her cue so she finally reveals herself. Usually, her job was about spying on people so Julie had been confused when Thomas comes to her and asked her to do a spell on a horse, or at least pretend that she was doing it. The relationship between the two of them wasn't much. She would listen to secrets and report them back to him. Sometimes he would give her a name and she would find every detail about them. 

Thomas paid her thrice as much as the brothel did. She was even able to rent an apartment. It had been years since Julie had a place to call home. Thomas never asked her to do anything else than spying so she knew that something must have had happened or rather that something big was happening soon. She also knew that Thomas could have just gone to the Chinese Quarter and demanded someone to help him but he had asked her.

Julie Zhao approaches as if Thomas were a gunfighter in a Western street. All eyes are on them as they meet.

"The girl who tells fortunes?" Thomas asks and Julie fights the urge to roll her eyes. She simply bows as confirmation.

Thomas takes two-pound notes out of his pocket which he holds up for Julie to take and she notices that he takes his time so everyone watching can see the transaction.

Julie opens the velvet bag and pours her palm-full of red powder into her hand. Thomas gives her confirming nod and she puts her hand near to the horse's nose and blows. A cloud of rest dust hits the horse.

Children in the alleys stare with wonder and whisper to each other. "They're doing a magic spell to make it win a race."

Julie blows some more red dust onto the horse's nose and Thomas rubs it into the soft flesh around the nostrils. With the velvet bag now empty, Thomas drops his cigarette, in one easy movement.

He then looks all-around at the women and children watching and calls out. "The horse's name is Monaghan Boy. Kempton 3 o'clock Monday. You ladies have a bet yourselves but don't tell anybody else." Thomas was fully aware that word of this will spread like a wildfire. He wheels the horse around and trots away down the courtyard. 

Julie stays where she was for a moment before she disappears into the shadows but not before she hears a woman call. "Those Peaky Blinder devils are using witchcraft now. "

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Arthur Shelby, the oldest Shelby brother, is sitting in his office at the betting shop. On the desk where he sits, there is a bottle of rum and a mountain of money. He is counting them slowly into a tophat as Thomas enters. 

Arthur deliberately takes a while to finish his count before looking up. "You was seen doing the powder trick down at Garrison court."

Thomas leans back against the door. "Times are hard. People need a reason to lay a bet."

"There was a Chinese," Arthur says angrily and blustery.

"People talk. They say that she's a witch. A woman who walks without a shadow. It helps them believe."

"We don't mess with Chinese." Arthur points out.

Thomas had been trying to keep Julie a secret from his family. The fewer people knew of her, the more freely they would talk. Thomas had heard few whispers about her but no one knew who she was. Only that sometimes they called her a witch. For most people, she was known as the queen of thieves. "Good thing that she works for us."  he cooly answers, hardly moving from the door.

The conversation between the two brothers continues for a while before Thomas hurries away from him not before Arthur informs him that there was a family meeting.

"The girl who tells fortunes? Really?"  Thomas hadn't even noticed the new presence next to him before she spoke.

"Julie." Thomas greets her as the two of them keep walking. By now he was used to her just popping out of nowhere but it still made him uneasy.

"If you wanted an actual spell, you asked the wrong person." she continues. 

"Believe me, if you actually had magic we would be richer than the King himself," Thomas says.

"A man arrived at Birmingham today. Chief Inspector Campbell. Looks like a fat pig." Julie starts speaking as the two of them keep their pace. "Says that he is here doing government business."

Julie waits for him to say something but the man lights himself another cigarette. "Is this because of the guns?"

Thomas would be lying if he said that he was surprised that she had found out about the guns. Julie had informed him about the robbery a week ago and it hadn't taken Julie a long time to find out that guns were stolen and it had been Thomas' men who made a mistake and took the wrong crate. 

"Does that mean more problems for us?" she asked and he stopped walking.

He signed and took another long drag from his cigarette. "Probably, yes. I need you to find everything about this Inspector."

 "Way ahead of you. Heard that for the last four years he's been clearing the IRA out of Belfast. I will try to follow him tonight and see what he does."

"Good," Thomas mumbles and starts to walk again but not before he glances back and sees that the girl was no gone.

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[ author's note ]

words 1237

hope you enjoy.