Dragon-Bound Thief: Teaser Chapter

Dragon-Bound Thief: Part 4

Mrs. Kostamus, his afternoon appointment, and her handmaiden, Mitty, were waiting at the door to his shop when he arrived. Chaif was on time, but he counted it as late, for he knew the elderly woman almost always arrived early. He was freshly washed and now barbered, but his leg still bothered him. In spite of his efforts, he limped. Mrs. Kostamus noticed at once. "Oh, dear, Mr. Taibor," she said, "did you injure yourself?"

Although Chaif knew Luri had done a good job of treating his wound, it ached like the very devil. The stitches pulled at his skin with every step he took. He had his lie ready. He forced a smile and greeted his customer. "Good day, Mrs. Kostamus. Ah, it was my own fault. I was clumsy last night in the dark and stumbled into the corner of a table. I'll be gimpy for a few days." He waved dismissively. "But it's good to see you today. Won't you come in and have a seat?" He unlocked the door, and she and Mitty followed him inside. Inviting Mrs. Kostamus to use the chair next to his writing table, Chaif went to the shop window and opened the blind to let in the light. He did his other opening chores and returned to his desk.

He sat down, trying not to wince. He bent his leg as little as possible. "Now, what can I do for you today, Mrs. Kostamus?"

She smiled. "My husband's seventieth birthday is coming up in two months, and I wanted to get him something special to mark the occasion."

"Oh, no. You can't tell me Makus is going to be seventy." Makus Kostamus, a master joiner, had a shop nearby, and he had been a close friend of Bran Dikk. Chaif had gotten to know the man while he was apprenticed to Dikk.

"He most certainly will be." She smiled. "We've been married over fifty years, you know."

"No, I didn't know, but you must have been a babe in arms when the old goat married you." Chaif smiled as he said it, even though her thin hair and the papery skin of her hands made it obvious that had not been the case.

She tittered and patted the back of his hand. "You're just too sweet for thinking flattery will turn my head, but I do have business for you."

Chaif glanced at Mitty. The young woman rolled her eyes as she handed the bag she carried to Mrs. Kostamus. Mitty had not worked for Mrs. Kostamus very long. The one time Chaif had talked to her alone, she had expressed distain for the older couple. Chaif ignored Mitty's attitude and focused his attention on Mrs. Kostamus. She passed the bag to Chaif, and he opened it. Inside, there was a finely crafted wooden chest. "Ah!" He took the chest out and set it on his desk. "This looks like some of your husband's work." He ran his hands along the smooth, well-finished top. "What is it, cedar?"

"Yes." She nodded. "It's a jewelry chest that he made for me as a wedding present. For our fortieth anniversary, he made me larger one." She touched the cedar box affectionately and smiled. "Now I want to give it back to him to keep his hoft leaves in."

Chaif knew his old mentor, Dikk, and her husband had shared the vice of chewing the mildly stimulating leaves of the hoft bush. The chest he held in his hands had a few minor dents and dings from years of use, but he could not imagine why she had brought it to him. "I'm sure he will be pleased, but what do you want me to do?"

"Why, it needs a lock, of course. We have four great-grandchildren now, and if he is going to use the box, we must have a lock to keep their busy little fingers away from his nasty old weeds." She chuckled to herself. "Especially little Tooey. He is such a lively one now, his parents would never let him visit again if we sent him back to them vibrating like the chanterelle string on a lute." She laughed her high, breathy laugh, and Chaif laughed with her. He had met Tooey and appreciated the remark. Mitty just looked away sourly.

"Hmm," Chaif murmured to himself. He turned the chest this way and that, examining it. "Room enough here for the body of the lock," he muttered to himself. "Cut a little slot here where I could put a catch—" He set the chest down on his desk. "Yes, that should be no problem." He tilted the lid back and forth. "Do you want me to replace the hinges? These look worn, and I have an elegant pair just the right size to balance the look of a lock on the front."

"Yes, that would be wonderful."

Chaif snapped his fingers. "And a plaque. A small, worked metal piece right here on the top. I could work it to match the other pieces—even engrave his name"—Chaif leaned forward and lowered his voice—"or perhaps some little endearment?" He winked at her and leaned back.

"Oh, you're silly," she said, patting the back of his hand again, "but I like the idea. I want to think about that just a bit. Could I let you know in a day or so?"

"That would be fine, Mrs. Kostamus. It should take me"—he picked up the box, looked at it, and tilted his head to the side—"maybe a week all told. I'll need to take off the old hardware, take out the partitions, reline it, clean up the finish a little . . ." He thought about the different steps. "Then I'll make a cut for the lock." He gestured to the rank of shelves and cubby holes along one wall. "I have a small lock I made a few months ago that should fit. Get it all back together and ready to use." He looked at the ceiling in thought. "Yes, a week. No more than ten days. Will that work for you?"

"That will be just fine, but how much will it cost?"

"Tell you what." He winked. "You let me know what you want on the plaque, and I'll do that as my own little gift." He looked at the box again. "Will three silvers for the rest be too much?"

"Yes, I can do that." She shook her head. "But you don't need to do the plaque for free. Let me pay for it too."

Chaif shook his head. "No, no. I want to do this. As much work as Makus has sent my way, I should be paying him for referrals, but he won't let me."

They chatted a few more minutes. Chaif received a full update on all four of her great-grandchildren, Tooey included. After the two women had left, Chaif sat there and stared at the shop door. Mrs. Kostamus and her husband's warm, accepting attitude toward him made him wonder what the couple would think if they knew of his acts against the Brewers' Guild. They even knew Asgath Eldin, the man he had just robbed. Why did revenge have to be so complicated?