The Orphan and the Thief

Chapter 21: Double-Crossed

The door banged open and Toad jerked awake. Before he could rid his eyes of sleep, rough hands grabbed him and yanked him to his feet.

"This the blighter?" said a gruff voice.

"Yeah — that's 'im, Glenn!"

Toad recognized the second speaker's voice and he saw the same scraggly-haired fellow from the bar before a musty-smelling bag covered his head.

"Hey!" Toad shouted, struggling in his captor's arms.

"Search the place!" Glenn ordered, keeping a fast hold on Toad.

Toad heard the sounds of a vicious search going underway. A loud rip told him the cushion of the armchair had been slashed and next, the two mattresses met a similar fate. He didn't understand where Melena and Hazel were. If they were in the room with him, they were mute, which didn't make sense at all. It could only mean that they were downstairs and did not know their room was being ransacked.

There was a crash and a swear.

"Don't wake up the whole joint, Vest!" Glenn growled. "Just find it!"

They're looking for the flower, thought Toad, his stomach lurching. Why had he blabbed last night? They were going to steal it or possibly the entire bagful of ingredients, in hopes of getting the bounty from Owl themselves. What they would do when they discovered Owl was never going to pay Toad...

"There ain't nuthin' 'ere!" Vest swore.

The bag over Toad's head was yanked off. The man before him smelled even worse than the musty bag had — a mixture of rotten eggs and manure-splattered boots.

"Talk," Glenn snarled.

Now that he could see, Toad quickly took stock of the room. Every bit of it was upended. All the fluff from the cushions and beds lay in thick clumps on the floor. As he had suspected, Melena and Hazel were nowhere to be seen. Relief swept through him. The ingredients were safe. Melena had taken them with her — she was probably having an early breakfast. As long as she didn't come back up to wake him —

"Don't clam up now," breathed the man in Toad's face. "Or would ya rather me slit your throat?"

"Slitting my throat won't help you," said Toad stoutly. "There ain't nuthin' you can do to make me talk."

"Search 'is pockets!" said Vest excitedly.

Glenn and Vest roughly dug their hands into every pocket of Toad's coat, but they found nothing. Losing his temper, Glenn grabbed the front of Toad's collar and yanked him close.

"If ya don't tell me where —"

"Glenn — wait! What about the girl?" said Vest and Toad's heart turned over.

"What girl?" Glenn spat.

"He said he was with a girl!"

"Well, where is she?" Glenn demanded.

Vest looked around the room as if he thought he had missed her in his initial search. "I'll look downstairs." He dashed through the door.

Glenn kept his hold on Toad. They glared daggers at each other. After a short stretch, heavy boots sounded on the stairs and Vest bounded back into the room empty handed. "She ain't there," he announced sourly.

This caused a curious sensation inside Toad. He was filled with elation that Melena had not been found, but then ... where was she?

"She must be hiding! Where is she, boy?" Glenn growled, giving Toad a shake.