CHAPTER ONE – June
Kiyra yawned and stretched lazily. The warm sun bathed her young face and she turned over, reveling in it. Suddenly she sat right up. "Julie!" she cried, "What time is it?"
Another girl about Kiyra's age stuck her head in the room. "Just past sunup."
Kiyra groaned. She leapt off of one of the many pallets in the small room. She slipped out of the overlarge shirt that the slept in and pulled on her too-large grey breeches. Over that, she pulled on an off-white shirt and a brown vest. She had a pair of shoes, but she only wore them where the weather turned cold. Her feet were as tough as leather. She did have a sheath knife, which she stuck in her rope belt. As the last touch, she pulled a grey cap over her short hair. Then, she left the room.
The figure that was thumping down the stairs wasn't remarkable. She was of average height for her age, which happened to be fourteen. She had light blond hair. The only uncommon thing about her was her blue-green eyes that changed very slightly with her mood. Although she had only woken up a minute before, no trace of sleep was left in Kiyra's movements or her face.
"Randy? Why dinna anyone wake me?" Kiyra said reproachfully. "It be Market Day. Plenna of nobles will be out there fur the picking." Randy, who stood behind a counter serving food to youth, handed her a bowl of porridge.
"Then agin me gal, might wanta let those poor nobles 'ave a running chance, ey?" Randy smiled his toothless grin as Kiyra scowled, shoveling in her porridge.
"Even still, everyone else will have been out there for an 'our." Finished with her porridge, Kiyra pushed her bowl aside and walked jauntily out of the door of the Dancing Dove. Once outside, she gazed around in the bright sunlight. Commoners walked around, looking at booths displaying goods. Kiyra knew that she couldn't carry out her business here; many of these people didn't even have purses. She knew that to have an especially profitable day, the more respectable market was the place for her, although it was more risky. More provost men were about to keep the peace and they would be likely to catch her if she wasn't careful. Still, walking past the rows of booths, Kiyra plucked an apple calmly. It was just a habit, she told herself, and she was still hungry.
Picking her way through the crowds, Kiyra jammed her hands into her large pockets. She started to see fancy stalls and even some shops mixed in. The quality of the crowd's clothing improved. Finding her first target, Kiyra moved in for the kill, rather steal.
A fat nobleman was looking at scrolls, a large pouch hanging from his belt. This should be easy, thought Kiyra. She walked past the nobleman, but she "slipped" in a puddle and fell backwards. No one saw her whirling hands grab the pouch and slip it into her pocket. Stammering apologies to the nobleman, she scurried up and ran away, the picture of an embarrassed child.
Grinning proudly, Kiyra walked back to the Dancing Dove. Waving at her friends, she felt on top of the world. What could be better than having a pocket full of money, pick-pocketing skills, and Market Day besides? Nothing, that's what. Once she reached the Dancing Dove, she walked through the common room into a small room on the side. It was one of those unnoticeable rooms that you had to know about to find. Kiyra walked right in, and waited in a line behind a couple other kid pickpockets. Once it was her turn, she slapped her coins down onto the table.
"Third to the Rouge and two-thirds to me folks." Kiyra said automatically, repeating what she'd said for the last four years. Dillus, the account man, quickly counted the coins and scribbled into a book.
"You're one o' the top runners, Kiyra; maybe his Majesty will recognize you sooner or later." Kiyra didn't say anything, just grinned and crossed her fingers for luck. Being recognized meant maybe getting trained further by his Majesty himself and getting the choice houses to steal from.
"You'll be wantin' me to send the money to your folks then?" Dillus said and Kiyra nodded quickly and turned her face away. "It wouldn't do you no harm to visit them once in a while, you know."
"Why?" Kiyra whirled on Dillus. "I send them enough money to get though, don't I? They're provided for, aren't they? They don't need me, anymore than I need them!" Furious with herself for losing her temper, Kiyra stormed out of the Dancing Dove.
An hour later, Kiyra had already gone back to Dillus twice. That was good even for her. She was in the middle of a crowd when she saw the King's Champion and her husband. Those of the Rogue knew that George of Pirate's Swoop had once been King of the Rogue. Kiyra felt her fingers twitching. Think of the honor, she told herself. Stealing from the former King! Kiyra pushed her way to the crowds, where her target stood admiring daggers with his wife. Kiyra also admired the daggers. What she wouldn't give for one of them!
Kiyra refocused her mind to the task at hand. She could try to steal the purse without touching him, but she would probably get caught. She could also 'crash' into him, which was a much better plan. She quickly looked for the purse and saw it tied tightly around his waist. She rested a hand on her own battered knife. She would have one chance to do this right.
Kiyra walked away from the daggers, stealing one last covetous look. She walked further away, turned around and walked quickly back. Looking sideways, she crashed into the Baron of Pirate's Swoop. At the same time, she cut the ties and had the purse in her pocket before she hit the street. The Baron extended an arm to help her up, which Kiyra took gratefully.
"Thank you, milord. M'sorry. " She bowed clumsily and walked back into the crowd, being careful to 'disappear' from them. She reached a hand into her pocket and felt the purse. It was heavy and didn't even jingle, which was a sign of it being full to bursting. Inwardly, she beamed. She must be the best pickpocket in Tortall! Well, probably just in Corus, she reasoned.
Behind her, Kiyra heard shouts. The baron was calling for his wife and Numair. Time to leave, she thought. She heard pounding feet and looked around for a shop to hide in. There was a sewing shop in this nicer section of the city, and she knew the woman who ran it. Crossing the street to enter it, she ducked inside before anyone saw her.
"Morning, Mistress Tarren." Kiyra said with a grin that the mistress knew as her 'I'll be caught if you don't let me hide in here and that would be cruel' face. Sighing she motioned to a stool behind the counter, which Kiyra sat behind gratefully.
Taking out the pins that were in her mouth, the sewing mistress said, "And its Lalasa to you. You know I don't hold with formalities." Kiyra grinned and watched Lalasa, fascinated as her quick and able fingers worked at a gown. A baby started to cry in the back room and Kiyra could hear more shouts from outside.
"Are the shouts for you?" Lalasa asked. Kiyra nodded ruefully. "Well, you better go tend to the baby." Kiyra laughed.
"Thanks, Lalasa. All the times you've done this for me, I'll never repay you."
"You could repay me by stopping your thieving ways. You know how I worry about you." Kiyra smiled, shaking her head, and going to the child. Lalasa was one of her dearest friends, although she was more than twenty. Kiyra had met her one day, when she was crying with loneliness outside the shop. That was before she joined the Rogue, when she lived with her family.
Rocking the baby, Kiyra crooned to it the way that she had seen other mothers do. She moved to a rocking chair and sang songs that she had heard sung in the Dancing Dove before. It was only when she got halfway through a song about the outlaws and their ladies that she realized these might not be suitable songs for a baby. Grimacing, she searched her head for lullabies and found none. The baby had stopped crying anyway and Kiyra rocked him contentedly. She did love children, although thieves were supposed to be hardened criminals.
The baby was young enough that he fell asleep again quickly, after Kiyra had given him a bottle of heated milk. Kiyra put him back in the cradle, remembering the pouch filled to the brim with money. She took it out and hefted it, grinning with anticipation. Slowly, almost reverently, she untied the cord that held it shut and dumped the contents into her cap.
One single stone fell into it. Kiyra stared at it in despair. It was perfectly shaped like an egg, but was grey and ugly. The stone was rough and coarse. Angrily, she was about to hurl it against the wall, but she stopped. When Kiyra looked very close at it, she could see a fine hairline crack. Also, some instinct told her that something about it was magical. Whatever it was, she was going to figure it out. Anyway, why would the Baron of Pirate's Swoop carry around a rock, if it wasn't special in some way?
Palming the unharmed rock, Kiyra left the room deep in thought. Not realizing how crowded the shop would be at midday, she bumped into someone. Instinctively Kiyra reached for the person's purse, but stopped herself just in time. If she stole here, Lalasa might get in trouble. Lalasa also hated it when she stole. Sometimes Kiyra stole just to get her mad.
"Thank you for watching the baby. I didn't realize that it had been so long." Lalasa said gratefully.
"It's okay. I like babies." Kiyra said. Her fingers were twitching and her head was aching with the self control it took Kiyra not to steal. "I gotta go outside now." Lalasa knew that Kiyra was a compulsive thief and rolled her eyes.
Walking outside, Kiyra immediately knew that something wasn't right. The air felt heavy and the sky was darker than it should be for this time of day. All thoughts of stealing out of her head, Kiyra rushed back into the shop.
"Lalasa, storm's coming up! It's a big one by the feel of it. I'm going home." Not waiting for an answer, Kiyra ran outside again.
The wind blew hard enough to push Kiyra. Leaning against the wind, she headed towards the Dancing Dove. Commoners and nobles alike were fighting to get home. Rain started to pound, adding to the noise of the howling wind. It seemed like Kiyra had been walking for hours and had gotten nowhere. A particularly strong burst of wind and rain blew Kiyra into an alleyway.
It was really a stroke of luck, even though Kiyra slammed into the stone wall. A child lay crying, huddled up between the wall and a crate. Kiyra sat down next to the girl and gathered her into her arms. The girl looked to be about three. Kiyra tried to get up, but the wind whipped her down again. Moaning, she almost prepared herself to spend a night in the cold, but got back up again. She picked up the girl again. Leaving the alley, Kiyra walked for what seemed like hours.
When Kiyra finally saw the Dancing Dove, she almost cried with happiness. Holding the girl tighter, she wearily staggered into the Dove. Randy swore when he saw her, holding out a blanket for her. Kiyra took it and wrapped the child in it. Dillus set them beside the hearth and one of the ladies took the sleeping girl.
"Upstairs," Randy pointed for good measure. "Change now." Meekly, Kiyra wearily turned and was glad for the supportive arm that one of her friends offered. Also a pickpocket, blue-eyed, eleven year old Merci was another one of Kiyra's truest friends. She was polite and quiet, but loyal to the core. Merci had hair so sun bleached that it was light blond and she had it cut shoulder length. Leaning on Merci's shoulder and stumbling up the stairs, Kiyra felt as if she were in a daze. She didn't remember much about the time before she went to sleep, just that Merci helped her get her wet things off.
Kiyra woke up a couple of hours later with a fist in her face. Snarling in her half-sleep she rolled over, stopping when she heard an indignant squeak. Opening her eyes with a start, she snorted with surprise when she saw her little friend curled up beside her. It had been the little child's small fist. Looking around the room, the other girls' pallets were empty and Kodi guessed that it was just before supper. She extricated herself from the girl's body trying not to wake her. Kiyra did wake her and she rubbed her eyes. Once the girl had rubbed all the sleep out of her eyes, she clung to Kodi.
"Could you please leggo?" Kiyra asked. The girl loosened her grip a little. "What's your name?" she asked the brown curled girl.
"Sarra."
"What are your parents' names?" Kiyra asked. As much as she liked kids, she didn't want to be permanently stuck with one of them. Unconscientiously, she fingers checked for the stone in her pocket, squeezing it once reassuringly.
"Mummy and Papa." That was helpful, thought Kiyra.
"Well, let's get you downstairs for some food." Holding Sarra's hand, she clattered down the stairs to the common room. The younger pickpockets ate in the common room before the evening rush of city folk coming for a drink or two. When her friends saw her with the child, their laughter just added to the immense din in the room. When you put fifty young children who have worked hard all day, you are quite liable to get a bit of noise. Kiyra's friends were some of the oldest of the pickpockets.
"Is she yours?" Cart shouted, shoveling in his stew. He had short red hair that curled in tiny ringlets on his head. He was one of the best acrobats in the Rogue, even though he was only fifteen.
"She must be. She even looks a bit like her." Julie commented. Julie was thirteen and an acrobat like Cart. She had long dark brown hair and hazel eyes that had more brown in them than green. Julie was very pretty, with all the right curves in the right places.
"Of course little Sarra is mine." Kiyra placed the child on her hip and crossed the room to stand by Geoff. "Rather, she's ours." That comment made all the children laugh. Most of them were barefoot, raggedy and unkempt, but they were much world-wise than richer children. Even the smallest ones, who were as young as six or seven, knew more about survival in the streets than a twelve year old noble would know.
Geoff took Kiyra's joke in stride. Most of the pickpockets knew that Geoff had always had feelings for Kiyra. He was a sixteen year Player and a pickpocket, and he had the fastest wit of anyone that Kiyra knew. He had a Bazhir mother and the straight black hair and eyes that went along with it.
"I love the one I've got and I want more." Geoff spun Kiyra around to face the rooms that the prostitutes took their ladies up to. Once again, even the youngest children understood the joke and giggled.
Kiyra in turn, made the oddest face she could think of. She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
"Your face will freeze like that." Cart said, green eyes laughing but face solemn.
"Ah, think of all the youth that will suffer." Geoff said dramatically. "One glance from her and they will fall dead in their tracks. Literally." Kiyra slugged him and he grinned good-naturedly.
"No matter the youth," Toady said, "What about us?" That set them all to laughing because Toady was one of the youngest pickpockets, only eight years old. Sarra started to whimper and Kiyra remembered her charge.
"Wound me all you want, but I will always be above you." Kiyra proclaimed haughtily. "I don't suppose that any of you have ever stolen from a former King of the Thieves, namely one Baron George of Pirate's Swoop."
Silence followed her announcement and whispers quickly ensued that. Looks of admiration were given to Kiyra from the younger pickpockets and disbelief from the older ones.
"Randy, can I have some stew for me and Geoff's kid?" Randy placed two bowls on an empty spot on a table next to Kiyra's friends. Kiyra sat down and set Sarra on her lap. Sarra started spooning in her food faster than Cart had.
"Who's gonna help me find her parents?" Kiyra said. No one raised their hands, but she didn't really mind. They were all busy trying to earn money to survive. At the last moment, Toady raised his hand.
"I'll do it. Got nothing better to do." he said reluctantly, shaking his straw colored hair out of his grey eyes. The Rogue ladies all loved him because of his freckles, mischievous grin, and wavy hair that covered his hair like a large cap.
"Thanks. It's good to know I'm a last resort."
"We love you anyway." Julie told her.
"Geoff doesn't think of you as a last resort." Merci reminded Kiyra, wearing something linkable to a smirk.
Sarra had finished her stew and looked up at Kiyra expectantly.
"I want Mummy." Sarra said.
"C'mon Toady. We'll have to scout all of Corus to find her parents before dark."
Three days later, Sarra's parents were no closer to being found. Carrying Sarra piggyback, Kiyra walked alongside Toady. Kiyra was grateful; Toady had helped her for the past days. It seemed that they walked all the way from Tusaine and back and they were exhausted. Spotting Cart and Julie doing flips and twists for a crowd, Kiyra and Toady took Sarra over to their friends. When they got there, Cart and Julie had just finished the routine and were taking a bow.
"Julie! Cart! Nice job there." Kiyra set Sarra down on a pile of crates on the corner.
"Still haven't found their parents yet?" asked Julie sympathetically as Cart collected coins from the crowd. Kiyra shrugged.
"Can I be in the next one?" Toady asked. Julie looked to Cart.
"If Kiyra wants to join in, we can do the four person routine." After Cart spoke, Cart, Julie, and Toady looked expectantly at Kiyra, who walked over to Sarra.
"I'm going to do something for a minute or two. I'll be right here and you can watch me, but if you move from right here, I'll be mad. Okay?" The kid nodded and Kiyra bounced over, suddenly not tired.
The four started in a group with their left hands on top of one another. They flipped backwards and started flipping and twisting. Cart and Julie were much better at it than Kiyra and Toady, and they could attempt more complicated twists. It looked disorganized but every step was carefully planned out. Sometimes two of them would pass so close to each other that the crowd would gasp, but only their clothes would brush. As suddenly as they had started, they ended back up in the circle with their right hands together.
The crowd cheered and clapped and the four young acrobats stood proudly. That had been one of their hardest routines and they had performed it without mistake. Kiyra looked at Sarra and she stood on the crates pointing at someone in the crowd near the stands. Kiyra went over to her.
"Whatcha lookin at?"
"Mummy!" When Kiyra heard that one word, she blessed every one of the gods that she had ever heard of and those she hadn't. "I want my mommy, Kiyra!"
"Toady, come with me, kid! She sees her mum!" Toady raised his eyes to the sky and jokingly muttered a few prayers. Kiyra looked again at the women who Sarra had pointed at and froze. Standing just a few steps away was the Baron of Pirate's Swoop. She didn't know if he'd remember her from yesterday, but it was too good of a chance.
"Toady, I stole from him yesterday! What am I going to do?" She turned around, but Cart and Julie had disappeared.
"Give me your hat." Kiyra put it over her head, concealing her eyes and most of her hair. Dragging her feet, she walked slowly over to where the child had pointed. There was a break in the crowd and Sarra had full view of their mother.
"Mummy!" Sarra screamed and ran. Watching until she got to their ma, Kiyra and Toady drifted back into the crowd. Kiyra sighed with relief that the Baron hadn't seen her.
Daine the Wildmage wept as she clung to her child. Her Sarra had been lost in the storm and Daine and Numair had been searching for her since. Actually, Alanna, George, and all their friends had been searching as well. It had been more than two days since she had seen them, and she had started to give up hope. Now to find Sarra alive and well overwhelmed her. George searched the crowd as if looking for something.
"Where were you?" Daine asked Sarra. "I was so worried."
"We were fine. Kiyra had us." Sarra said nonchalantly. Numair rushed through the crowd and also hugged his child.
"Who is Kiyra?" asked George.
"She has friends in a big house that's named after a bird." Sarra explained. George nodded thoughtfully.
"We have to reward her somehow." Numair said.
"I have a better idea." George said. "Why don't we find her and bring her to the palace? She has to be questioned." In answer to Daine and Numair's questioning glances, he continued. "She's the one that stole my purse that held the stone."
No one noticed the small boy who slipped away from the crowd and ran like the wind towards the Dancing Dove.
Later, Kiyra and her friends were in an abandoned warehouse. Toady had told them all about what the Baron had said. Kiyra figured that it was only a matter of time before they found her. She was curious though, and wanted to find out what secrets the stone held before they took it away from her and threw her in a musty dungeon somewhere.
After the six pickpockets were seated in a circle, Kiyra placed the round stone in a circle. They all stared at it as if it were going to jump out and dance a jig.
"This is boring." Toady announced. "I thought you said it had secrets."
"It does. Kiyra, maybe secrets are meant to be kept." Geoff told him.
"No, that's not it." Kiyra argued. "Secrets are meant to be found out. Everyone knows that."
"I think Geoff's right." Julie told her. "This seems pointless."
"Life is pointless." Kiyra loved to argue, even when she had no point. "If life weren't pointless, would it really be life?"
"I'm sure that Kiyra would love to be here for the rest of her life," Kiyra cuffed Cart. "But some of us would like to go home."
"Right." Geoff said. "Kiyra, you said that there was a crack that you couldn't open. Maybe now would be a good time to try again."
Kiyra handed the rock to Geoff. "Try your luck. I didn't get anywhere with it." Geoff worked at it a bit for a moment, and then gave up.
"You're right. It's kept shut by magic." Geoff set it back in the middle of them. All six of them stared at it for the next five minutes, their brains hard at work. Suddenly, something happened that none of them could explain.
White light lit around the stone egg, so bright that the pickpockets jerked away from it and covered their eyes. Cowering in what could only be explained as fear, the pickpockets waited until the searing light stopped. They uncovered their eyes slowly, just in case the light started again. The light was over though and they were still alive and intact.
The stone egg wasn't, however, actually the hairline crack had upon and it was laying split perfectly in two halves. The stone egg proved to be hollow, and inside was a folded piece of paper. Curiously, Kiyra reached for it, but Geoff stopped her.
"It might be rigged." He told her seriously and carefully reached for it himself. Silently, the teenagers watched as he touched it and then giggled at their stupidity. Nothing happened and Geoff unfolded the paper.
"Should I read it?" He asked. "It definitely proves to be interesting."
"You have to read it." Toady begged. "Please, I wanna know what it says." Unable to wait any longer, Kiyra lunged for the scrap. Geoff jerked it away, but Cart snatched it away. He couldn't read, so he passed it to Julie.
"Meet Fly at T.G. at 12 one F.M." Julie read uncertainly.
"You're not reading it right." Cart told her.
"No, that's what it says." Geoff assured him. "It's a code, but a simple code. Fly is a name for a person, T.G. is a place, and the full moon is tonight. I think T.G. stands for Temple Goddess."
"Well, we have time for supper at the Dove, pick a couple of pockets on the way, and then we can be at the temple an hour before midnight." Kiyra was glad that she could solve some problems on her own, even if white light had to solve the others for her.
"No!" Geoff said fiercely. "Absolutely not. Me and Cart will go." Kiyra gave a snack of indignation.
"That's not fair! You can't tell me what to do!"
"Actually, he can." Merci reminded her. "He's… just… Geoff."
"You'd have to tie me to my bed afore I'd let Geoff tell me what to do!" Kiyra swore.
In the end, that's what Cart and Geoff had to do. They used spare rope borrowed from Randy the Bartender and tied her to Geoff's wooden framed bed, since Kiyra and the girls only had pallets. Geoff asked Merci and Julie to watch Kiyra for her, but at least he let her have the stone egg back. It had closed itself and Cart couldn't get it upon again to put the paper back in.
As Toady closed the door upon the furious Kiyra, he apologized. "It's for your own good, ya know."
It took Kiyra about an hour or two to saw away at the ropes with her knife which she had managed to keep. She had to do it carefully so that the two younger girls didn't notice her escape. They fell asleep after Kiyra had cut through the last strand and Kiyra climbed out the window skillfully.
The Temple of the Goddess was one of the main temples in the Temple District. Mostly everyone knew where it was, commoner or noble, and that included Kiyra. Finding it was no issue, Kiyra had visited the temple just the week before. Her bare feet were light and silent on the cobblestone steps. Judging by the moon in the sky, it was about midnight by the time Kiyra got to the temple. Not thinking, she walked right in.
Once Kiyra got under the door frame, hands seized her and pinned her hands behind her back. Struggling, Kiyra saw Geoff and Cart in the shadows by a pillar. Cart was holding Geoff back. Both wore faces full of fear. Kiyra shook her head at Geoff, willing him to stay there. All three street kids knew that there was no escape for Kiyra, no matter how hard they could fight. Geoff disappeared back into the shadows and Kiyra stopped struggling.
A blindfold was put about Kiyra's eyes and her wrists and ankles were tied securely. She was tossed into the back of a wagon and she could feel the wheels turning. Kiyra would hate to admit it, but she was terrified. She knew what she had done was stupid, walking in there without checking it out first. Geoff would have her head for that, if she got this alive.
Kiyra knew that sounded extreme, her maybe dying, but she knew it was a possibility. If this was an illegal operation, they would kill her. If this had to do with the Crown, Kiyra would be having an extended visit with the dungeon rats. Among the pickpockets were rumors of those caught and punished harshly, although no one really knew which were facts.
Finally, the wagon squealed to a stop and rough hands lifted her from the wagon bed. The ropes binding her feet were cut and she was shoved forward. Kiyra assumed they were walking in a building, because she didn't hear any noise from the streets. She heard the squeaky noise of a door being opened and Kiyra was pushed through the doorway.
Kiyra fell flat on her face and clenched her teeth. She would not cry out. Hearing footsteps thudding away from her, Kiyra wrestled herself into a sitting position, with her legs bent in front of her and arms still in back of her. She brought her knees up to her chin and forced her tied wrists under her rear end and under her legs.
With her hands in front of her, Kiyra could think better. She still had her knife tucked into her breeches for safekeeping. Reaching to her side and pulling it out, Kiyra placed it between her knees. Feeling for the knife, she pulled her wrists as far apart as her bonds allowed. She sawed through the rope slowly and carefully, not wanting to risk slitting her wrists. When her wrists were finally free, Kiyra tore off her blindfold.
The Baron George was sitting before her in a chair, with his eyebrows raised. "I'm impressed." He drawled. "I don't think I could do that."
"Of course you couldn't." Kiyra retorted.
"Then, again," George continued. "I wouldn't have gotten caught, so we're even. So who employed you to steal the stone? "
"That's what this is all about?" Kiyra sniggered. "I never did understand nobles."
"You didn't answer my question." The man informed her.
"Hmm, let's see, she was about my height, with blond hair, and green eyes." Kiyra said, pretending to think.
"No one employed you?" The baron seemed surprised.
"I employ myself. It's very profitable, no fees and no interest. You should try it sometime." Kiyra advised him and George's mouth quirked with amusement. Kiyra stood, stretching her stiff limbs.
"I'll take that into consideration. How did you get the stone upon?"
"Well, there was this bright white light and a blinding flash and poof!" Kiyra accented her story with hand gestures and an awed voice. She added to it in her normal voice. "But you're not going to believe that. You can have it back. It was fun to play with." Kiyra slipped her hand into her pocket and only felt empty room. She looked back to the Baron confusedly, and saw that he held the stone in his fist. Scowling, Kiyra leaned back.
Why did you care for Numair and Daine's child?" George changed the subject abruptly.
"Who, Sarra?" Kiyra was surprised, to say the least. "Daine and Numair?'
"You know, the black robe mage and…" Kiyra interrupted the baron.
"Yes, I know. The darkest robed mage and the wildest mage in Tortall. I'm not stupid." Kiyra scoffed. This time George laughed outright. "I don't have to explain my every move to a noble who I don't even know! Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to be well rested for my appointment at the perfumeries tomorrow. "
Kiyra turned her back to the Baron, halfway hoping that the door might be unlocked. It wasn't and she turned back to face George, who continued his questioning.
"Why did you come to the Temple?"
"To light some incense for the Goddess." Kiyra retorted.
"If you can't answer my questions, I might have to resort to some more drastic measures." George placed some strange looking instruments of torture on the table. They were all long, sharp, and evil-looking.
"On second thought," Kiyra gulped. "I got curious about what it was, and I wouldn't have jarred in like that, but they told me I couldn't go." Kiyra realized that she was babbling and stopped.
"Who are they?" George asked, fondly stroking a twisted blade. "Those two lads who were hiding by the pillar?'
"They're my friends." Kiyra defended them. "They were curious too, but they didn't want me to get in trouble again."
"So they try to keep you out of trouble, these two friends of yours?"
"They try. There was that time with the baker and the jewelry shop and…" George, sensing a never-ending list, held up his hand.
"You didn't know what was in my belt pouch before you took it?"
"Nope. I was rather disappointed that you didn't have it full up with coins."
"You shouldn't steal. You wouldn't have gotten into this fix if you hadn't stolen my belt pouch."
"Maybe not, but time was I heard you stole once, when you were the Rogue's Majesty." Kiyra shot back.
"You're a quick youngster." George said admiringly. "Although I think a short stay in the dungeons would cool you down a bit, as is the punishment for stealing."
"I only stole a rock!" Kiyra protested. "The Lioness stole the Dominion Jewel from the monster and King Jonathon didn't punish her!"
"That's different." George's eyes sparkled.
"Maybe to you nobles." Kiyra muttered. "At least rats will be better company to what I've been talking to lately." Kiyra shot a meaningful look towards George's side of the room. "Do you really know how ta use them torture weapons?"
"I doubt it. They're just some tools I picked up in a hurry from my assistant's face paint and make up kit." George smirked.
The dungeons were cleaner than Kiyra had expected and there weren't any rats. The palace healers wouldn't allow rats in the dungeons because rats spread disease. After three days were up, Kiyra was thrown back onto the streets no worse for wear. She skipped her way to the Dancing Dove, in the morning sunlight.
Kiyra had timed her entrance just as the pickpockets were finishing their breakfast. All the children were engrossed in their food a little more silent than usual. Her friends were sitting glumly at their usual table. It was the work of an amateur to slip in and sit next to her friends without them noticing.
"Well," She drawled. "I didn't exactly expect a welcoming committee, but a hello would have been nice." Kiyra laughed as her friends looked up startled.
"Kiyra!" Julie, Merci, and Toady lunged at Kiyra to hug her. Hearing the commotion, all the children turned to look. Seeing Kiyra, they cheered. Kiyra was a favorite among the younger ones, known for her kindness. Many a time she had given money to a young thief who hadn't stolen enough to please their masters.
"What were you thinking?" Geoff yelled at her. The pickpockets stopped cheering and watched solemnly. "I tell you not to come and you come anyway! Can't you listen to anything I tell you?"
"Only when you shout it at me!" Kiyra yelled back, winking at a particularly cowed girl.
"This isn't something for you to joke about!" Geoff silenced Kiyra by not bantering back as he usually did. "For three days we didn't know if you were dead or alive, where you were, or if you were hurt! We were worried and scared and…"
"He's right." Cart told her seriously.
"I'm sorry." Kiyra said. "I wasn't thinking when I didn't listen to you, Geoff." Geoff snorted. "I learned my lesson. The Baron George was very nice actually. I just spent some time in the palace basement."
"You spent time?" Toady's eyes were wide. The other young pickpockets' eyes were much the same.
"Yep." Kiyra told them proudly. Spending time was like getting caught by a cat but escaping before it bit down on your neck. The younger pickpockets were usually sent to the orphanages and the older ones were punished harshly.
"Can I have a moment with you?" Geoff asked Kiyra. Head hung low in false contrite, Kiyra nodded and trudged slowly to the stairwell that led to the thieves' quarters. On her way, she made faces at all the children watching to make them giggle. Behind her, Kiyra heard Geoff sigh.
Halfway up the staircase, Geoff stopped Kiyra. "Listen, things are different now." Kiyra raised her eyebrow at him. "Kiyra, not like that. Look, we've got a new majesty now. He did the old one in two days ago."
"Why are things gonna ta change?" There was no trace of tomfoolery left in Kiyra anymore.
"I don't think they're going to be for the better." Geoff confided. "He's a hard man, this Iago. He's killed one of the Rogue already, just for forgetting to call him his Majesty." Kiyra winced; that was harsh.
"Thanks for the warning. I'll watch my back." Kiyra said, turning and padding down the stairs. Near the end of the stairs, a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
"Kiyra, I missed you." Geoff told her, meeting her with eyes that transfixed her. Uncertainly, Kiyra reached up a hand to touch his cheek. Unaware that they were in full view of all the pickpockets, Geoff leaned down to kiss Kiyra. She returned the kiss and they broke apart a minute later, gasping. Suddenly aware of the hoots and catcalls of the children, Kiyra blushed and half-ran to her seat.
"Not a word." She warned her grinning friends.