Without a King (Greatest Thief 1, mxm)

Chapter Four

My flight instincts kicked in and I struggled to roll out from under the person who had attacked me. He was just a boy, not much bigger than I was, which was why I thought I might have a chance getting away. He was trying to hit me, but I grabbed his wrists to keep them still. I tried to throw him off so I could slip out of his grasp. I excelled at running and hiding, not fighting.

A sharp whistle pierced the air. Suspecting the guards to appear around the corner at any moment, I renewed my struggles. It came as a shock when the boy scrambled off me and took a step back. I jumped to my feet, my gaze instantly flicking around the courtyard, looking for a way out. What I saw made me forget about an escape. Dotted around the courtyard were pairs of other boys who looked like they had just separated from their own wrestling matches.

I returned my gaze to the boy in front of me. He was a Telt, but his golden brown hair gave away some Native blood. He seemed older than me, maybe fourteen or fifteen. He was looking over my clothing quizzically, his blue eyes drifting over the old cloak, the silver chain that had escaped from under my shirt, and finally resting on the gold ring. He grinned. "You're pretty good." He stepped forward and held out his hand. "My name's Tandrix, though I go by Tannix. Who are you?"

I cautiously took his hand and shook it, half expecting a trap. "Finagale," I replied, using my full name for the first time in years. I withdrew my hand as soon as I felt his grip loosen.

"What level are you?" he asked. "I'm in my first year, just got here about a week ago, actually."

I nodded. "I did too," I lied, though I had no idea what he was talking about. I reached up to brush some of my dark hair away from my eyes. If his skin hadn't already given it away, I would have been able to tell he was rich due to his fancy clothing, and the vivid blue of his tunic. In contrast, I knew that I must look like the lowest of the low, which admittedly I was. My dirty cloak and clothing, my darker skin and messy hair—the only thing we had in common was the ring. He had an identical one resting on his right thumb.

"You're a first year?" Tannix asked. "Why are you dressed like that? Were you on a training trip to the lower city?"

I nodded again, grateful that this boy seemed to keep giving me the answers to his questions.

"You must have blended in. You look Native."

"My mother is a Native. Is there something wrong with that?" I asked haughtily, hoping that I sounded like an insulted rich boy. My skin was slightly lighter than the pure-blooded Native Zians, so I hoped he'd believe me. It probably wasn't a complete lie, anyway. I didn't like to admit it but I knew I was likely half Telt, from the father I had never met.

"Of course not. My mother is half Native herself." The sharp whistle sounded again, and Tannix glanced towards a double wooden doorway at the other end of the courtyard. "We'd better go in. You know how they are about people being late."

Against my better instinct, I followed him across the courtyard to the doorway. There was a large man standing beside it with his arms crossed, and he stared at each boy as they walked past. I tried not to flinch when his gaze rested on me. The doors opened into a long, dark hallway made with shiny rock. I struggled to conceal my amazement as I gazed around the building. Huge pillars held up the vaulted ceiling. When I looked up, I could see at least four other floors opening into the atrium. Men were everywhere, either dressed in uniform like the large man by the door had been, or dressed in fancy rich clothing like Tannix. I felt entirely out of place and ran my hand through my hair nervously.

Beside me, Tannix smiled. "Did you lose your hair tie while we were training?"

I nodded. "Yes." My hair wasn't really long enough to tie back but I knew enough to agree with him. It was the style among the higher-class men to tie back long hair.