Without a King (Greatest Thief 1, mxm)

Chapter Eight

I went home. The lower city seemed both familiar and foreign. Nothing had changed—the streets were still dirty and dark, the buildings were shabby and small. It was the city I had lived in my whole life, but somehow it was different. As if being surrounded by wealth had made me see just how little we really had.

I kept to streets I knew so well I could walk them with my eyes closed, and managed to avoid drawing any attention to myself. My mind wandered, from the Order's unique black buildings, to the delicious food I had enjoyed, to the many lies I had told to stay there. I didn't let my thoughts settle on Tannix. I wasn't ready for that.

My room looked untouched. Baisan knew where it was, and it surprised me a little that he hadn't raided it during my absence. I untied both cloaks and tossed them to the ground before kneeling beside the pile of clothing and digging out my wooden chest. I had never noticed how old it looked, with its worn sides and rusty hinges. I unlocked it and looked down at my siyas. The pile of coins was pitiful compared to what someone like Tannix would own, but it was everything I had. I picked up a couple of the coppers and started fiddling with them while I tried to figure out what to do. 

I'd been gone for about a week and a half, not long enough that I'd have been forgotten, but I would probably have to claw my way back up to the top of the thieves' shaky hierarchy. Everyone would expect me to have something impressive to show off after being gone.

While I dropped the coins back into the chest, the ring caught my eye and I stared at it for a moment. I had gotten used to it being there, but now it didn't seem right. I pulled it off my thumb and held it in my palm like I had that first day. I still didn't want to sell it, but it wouldn't be safe to wear it in plain sight. I glanced at the key on its chain and suddenly realized what to do. After locking the chest, I slipped the ring onto the chain so that it hung down next to the key. I tucked the chain back under my tunic, and buried the chest under the clothes. Then I left, another idea taking form in my mind.

Baisan and his group of children lived in a ruined, abandoned building pressed up against the dividing wall. They had moved a few times over the years, but I always paid attention to where they were. Baisan was someone to keep an eye on, and I liked the idea of having a potential ally, just in case I ever needed one.

Baisan had blocked off most of the entrances to their building. It was a good idea, and would make it harder for another group to chase them out. It also meant that I couldn't simply sneak in as I had planned. I went to the door instead, and had hardly taken a step in when I was met by Baisan.

"Finn," he said my name simply, as a greeting.

"Baisan," I replied. "I'm back."

"You're not going to tell me where you've been," Baisan said. "So why are you here?" He leaned against the frame of the doorway, blocking my way in. It would be easy to push him out of the way, but I was in his place and I decided to show a bit of respect.

"I want to see Ninavi," I explained.

"Why?"

"You know we grew up together," I said. "I'm not trying to take her from you." 

Despite our usually amicable interactions, Baisan had always been slightly concerned a day would come when I would try to take over his little family. There was nothing I wanted less. Joining his family, on the other hand, suddenly seemed like a good idea.

Baisan narrowed his eyes and eyed the red bundle in my hands. After a moment he turned to shout into the darkness of his ruined building. "Castin! Is Ninavi awake?"

"She is now," came the sarcastic reply.

Baisan sighed. "All right, Finn. You can come in and see her." He walked down the little hallway, and I trailed after him. The hallway windows had been blocked off, so it was dark—another one of Baisan's defenses, I assumed. The room we walked into had a small fire burning in the middle of it. Its window had been blocked too, but only with a piece of wood that they could move if needed.