Without a King (Greatest Thief 1, mxm)

Chapter Three

The allure of the upper city was too great, and a few days later, I was back amid the white streets and buildings. I lurked in the shadows between two buildings that faced onto the largest courtyard in the city. This was where richer merchants and foreigners from the port could come to sell their goods. Colourful tents and wooden booths lined the edges of the courtyard and spread across the cobbled ground, each one decorated with signs or flags indicating what they were selling and where they were from. 

Around the courtyard, the large buildings held permanent shops and workplaces for people of the city. This was a highly dangerous spot for me to be, but also profitable if I was cautious. The chaos of the booths and tents gave me many places to hide. At the same time, the courtyard was filled with guards, who stood out easily in their armour and gold cloaks. They were mostly there to keep the merchants in line, but wouldn't hesitate to arrest a thief foolish enough to wander into the market.

After a long period of deliberation, I slipped into the crowds. I let the flow of people guide me into the middle of the courtyard, and only then did I start looking around at what the market had to offer. I was almost overwhelmed by the variety of goods. In one booth, a man was selling fine cloth, in another a woman had laid out a display of foreign jewellery. Beside her booth was a tent, inside which were baskets of fresh fruit, probably just transported by ship that morning. The next wooden booth had rows of shining blades; swords, knives, and daggers with fancy hilts. I had no weapons of my own, since I was nearly useless with any kind of blade—I was more likely to hurt myself than my enemy. Still, they drew my attention. I longed to slip one from the table and hide it in my cloak.

I tore myself away from the knife display to continue exploring the market. As usual, I hadn't eaten that morning, so the firstrisk I took was to steal a small bun while the baker was distracted. I turned away from the booth and let myself get lost in the crowd before tearing a piece off the bun and sticking it into my mouth. I ate while wandering past a few more displays.

Another jewellery stand caught my attention next. I paused in front of it, letting my eyes drift over fancy necklaces, rings, and brooches. They would be easy to sell. There was always a poor wife or prostitute hoping to make herself look richer with the help of some gold or jewels. Lost in thought, I reached out to run my fingers over the large red jewel in one of the necklaces. My hand was slapped and I was suddenly brought back to my senses. I glanced up in alarm and met the angry eyes of the woman in charge of the booth.

"What are you doing, boy?" she demanded.

"My mother," I replied vaguely, feigning shyness. "I was hoping to maybe buy her something."

"You got money on you?" The woman looked me over. I could almost feel her scrutinizing gaze. Thank Zianesa the market was always so full of foreigners. My darker skin didn't automatically mark me out as a poor Native Zian.

I nodded. "Yes, miss."

She instantly changed her attitude toward me with those two simple words. "Well, boy, what exactly are you looking for?" She leaned across the counter towards me.

I shrugged. "Gold. She likes red." I reached out towards the necklace again and this time the woman let my fingers lift it from the table. I lay the pendant in my hand and stared down at the large red jewel. It sparkled in the sunlight, almost making it look like it was on fire.

"Interesting ring you've got," the woman commented.

"Oh, thank you," I replied.

"What's the inscription say?"

"I—" I wasn't about to tell her that I couldn't read the inscription. "My family's motto," I lied. I handed the necklace back to her. As much as I wanted to take it, I couldn't now that she'd paid such close attention to me. I made my excuses and walked off.