Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 31

** late chapter, as usual. See more notes at bottom.**

Chapter 31

"So, I have good news," Ari announced to the darkness. "I can't feel my ass."

Lyla was beginning to get exasperated, he could tell. "Ari-"

"I'm serious, Lyla, I'm not used to sitting for so long. What if I forget how to walk after this?"

"You know, Ari, that's wonderful that you can be so nonchalant about our imprisonment, but I, unfortunately, cannot." Lyla sounded on the verge of tears, all of a sudden, and Ari guiltily averted his eyes.

"Sorry."

They sat in silence for a moment. Ari could hear the distant sounds of something dripping.

By Ari's estimate, it had been hours since they'd awoken in this dreadfully damp room. It was almost peaceful, however. Sometimes Ari realized he never really sat down in quiet to think.

He was sure Aveline and the others would come to fetch them soon. In the meantime, Ari's plan was, mainly, to wait.

He figured that he and Lyla weren't meant to be killed, or else someone would have attempted it already. If this was an interrogation, then, someone would have to enter the room eventually. At some point someone had thrown in a few crusts of bread from the skylight, which Ari had respectfully declined after the moldy pieces fell into a puddle at his feet. He wasn't desperate yet.

Finally Ari slumped back against the wall and buried his chin in his collar; an old habit from when he was a boy.
"My first prison was at ten," he confessed. After a moment, he heard the slight scratching noise of Lyla sitting up.

"Ten years?"

"Of course, what else could I have meant?" He said testily.

"I don't know..."

He sighed. "They threw me in the village brig for stealing."

"What did you steal?"

"A necklace." The memory made Ari feel strange, evocative, even. "It was a small town. All the merchants knew to keep their eyes out for me. I'd run up, snatch their apples out of the crates, or some such. This time, it was different; I'd pilfered jewelry off a noblewoman."

Lyla listened quietly, the only sound her soft breathing. Ari continued. "It had real opal in it. I had never seen opal before— I couldn't believe how the colors blended together like that."

"You wished to keep it," she guessed.

"Of course not. I could have sold it for a pretty penny, and I would have in a heartbeat." He jabbed his index finger into the stone floors, absence lacing his voice. "Jamie once asked me what I was before I went into piracy. I think she expected me to say I was a military captain, or some such..." he gave a small chuckle. "But I've always been a thief. The only difference is, at ten I stole food from shopkeepers, and now I steal gold from rich courtiers."

Ari felt Lyla's gaze on him. "You never talk about that."

"What?"

"I don't know... your life, I suppose." Her voice was as thin and mild as a string. "Aveline doesn't either. Was she a thief, too? As a child?"

"Aveline? Not a chance." He said firmly. "She lived with a wealthy family in town. They looked after her for a little while, I believe."

"And then what? She found you?"

Ari hesitated, though he could recall the memory as easily as if it had been yesterday.

"She'd better find us, soon, or I'm going to be very upset. I think we missed afternoon tea."