Without a King (Greatest Thief 1, mxm)

Chapter Twenty-three

It was another few weeks before Tannix managed to return to the lower city. After proving I was capable of going out to the tavern, Baisan began to give me normal tasks again. He always sent Castin or Kassia with me, or came along himself. Although I knew he was just doing it because he was worried about me, the constant company was annoying. More than once, I managed to lose my escort, which always resulted in a lecture.

I was sitting through one of those lectures when Tannix appeared in the doorway. I sat cross-legged on the floor, picking at the bricks with my knife absentmindedly, not really listening to anything Baisan was saying. Everyone else was gone, it was just the two of us. I noticed movement in the doorway and glanced up. Baisan had his back to the door, so he carried on chastising me without noticing that my attention had shifted.

"What did you do?"

Baisan flinched and spun around, startled by the sound of Tannix's voice. I grinned. "Oh, nothing. He's mad at me for running off earlier today."

"You ran off?"

"Yes, well..." I trailed off and shrugged. Tannix was wearing one of his blue cloaks and had his sword strapped to his side. He hadn't bothered to hide who he was this time. "Gave up on blending in?" I said it like I was teasing him, but I was pleased. He looked better like this—dressed in expensive clothes that fit him properly, the rich blue that was unlike anything available in the lower city, the rings on his right hand. He looked perfect, exactly like he was supposed to look.

"I decided there was no point." He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "If someone tries to pickpocket me, I'll just arrest them."

I winced. "Please don't."

"Not one of your group," Tannix said.

"No one," I insisted. "You can just scare them away, there's no need to send anyone to jail. If anyone tries, it'll probably be a starving child, anyway. You wouldn't arrest a child, right?"

"I... No." He shook his head slowly. "I wouldn't. Forget I said that."

"Good." I got to my feet and walked over to him, ignoring Baisan's glance in my direction. "Are they still looking for me?"

"Not actively. You're to be arrested on sight, but no one is specifically looking out for you anymore."

"And... is anyone looking for you?"

"They have nothing on me. Unless you talk, and I'm not even slightly worried that you will, they can't link me to anything. Sure, I stepped in the way of a whip, which is—"

"You stepped in the way?"

He blinked, seemingly startled by my surprise. "Didn't I say that?"

"You said you got in the way. I thought you meant you spoke up. I didn't think you meant it physically."

"Oh." He uncrossed his arms, rubbed his right wrist absentmindedly, and crossed them again. "My sleeve cushioned the blow slightly, it—"

"He whipped you?" I interrupted again.

"Not... on purpose." Tannix shrugged. "I don't regret it. It stopped him, and I quickly convinced everyone else that the spectacle was over. It helps that you look twelve."

His teasing didn't distract me the way he probably hoped it would. "I'm sixteen."

The slightest smile fluttered across his lips. "I know. I just meant that you look young. And when I pointed it out, your audience realized they weren't entirely comfortable watching a child be beaten to death. Regardless, the director whipped me and I've generously neglected to write to my father about it. So I have him somewhat trapped. He'll have a hard time proving I'm involved in anything."