Dragon-Bound Thief: Teaser Chapter

Dragon-Bound Thief: Part 5

Chaif's leg still hurt two days later as he walked through the morning bustle of Silverdale's streets. His limp had come back after just four blocks. He had a long way yet to the Temple of the Goddess. He grumbled to himself because he was not yet ready for the trip to visit his hidey-hole out in the countryside. He carefully kept what he stole from the guild hidden outside the city until he could give it away. Or rather he tried to keep the treasure hidden there. This time, because of his injury, he had been forced to conceal the pouch of Eldin's gold at his shop in a void under a cabinet in his work area. Chaif hated the idea of having anything incriminating at either his shop or his apartment. If it was ever found—

"Hey!" Six blocks from his shop, Pip fell in beside him, interrupting his dark ruminations. "Light on your feet this morning," the boy observed.

"Had an accident." Chaif tried not to sound as gruff as he felt.

"Luri give you a hard time the other night?" He grinned up at Chaif.

Chaif was not open with Pip, but Pip's curiosity drove the boy to keep track of him—one of the reasons he liked having Luri's help for cover. "You're too young to know about those things."

"Horse apples." They walked on for another block in silence before Pip asked, "We going to see Father Dale?"

Chaif was headed toward the building north of the grand entryway to the Temple of the Goddess. In contrast to the ornamentations of the temple, the plain, solid structure was where the Brothers of Benevolence ran their charity operation. Yesterday Chaif had sent word to Pip he would have a delivery for him today. Deliveries were just one of the odd jobs that Pip and his pack of street urchins did for Chaif. The youngsters ran all kinds of errands for Chaif and his business, but they also gave him inconspicuous eyes and ears around the city. Eyes and ears to help him keep track of the Brewers' Guild. For these special deliveries, however, Chaif trusted only Pip.

Hiding Eldin's money was a temporary necessity. Chaif did not keep the money he stole from the leaders of the Brewers' Guild. No, since the guild extorted money from the people of Silverdale, the money Chaif took from the guild belonged to the victims of the guild's larcenous thuggery. Chaif gave it back to the victims through the temple's charity as well as other benevolent organizations in Silverdale.

What bothered Chaif today was that Pip was right about his intended destination. He eyed the boy surreptitiously as they walked along. He liked Pip, but the boy was one of the Children of the Storm. The name was used by many in the city to refer to the pack of apparently rootless, homeless youth of both genders who managed to eke out a living for themselves on the streets of Silverdale.

Chaif had run across Pip more than a year ago when Chaif had been on the way to deliver a new safe to the Doodle Inn. The security door on the front overbalanced the vault behind. Chaif had been struggling to keep the load upright in the cart. Within a few yards of leaving his shop, Pip had spotted his difficulty with the safe. He had sauntered over and offered to help. Already aggravated from wrestling with the awkward cargo, Chaif readily agreed. Pip's steadying hands had made the job much easier. Since then, the boy had found innumerable ways to be useful. Chaif paid the boy for his help because it was worth it to him.

Fond of the boy's quick wits, Chaif had grown to trust him—to a point. From a locksmith's point of view, if the boy turned out to be dishonest, Pip might steal something of value from him. As a thief, Chaif realized that if the boy had connections to the underworld that led back to the guild, the boy might turn him in for a reward. Like with too many others in the city, Chaif had to walk on tiptoes of caution around Pip. Should he change his plans just to shake Pip's assumptions? After a moment's thought, he decided there was no need. Although he gave to Silverdale's Freedom for Slaves and to the Miners' Survivors organizations, he gave most of the guild's money to the temple simply because they had the largest operation serving the poor. Pip had played the odds and guessed right.