The Thief
By The Inspector
Chapter 14
.
Disclaimer: Never have owned. Never have made money. Please don't sue me. Thanks and enjoy the story.
.
%%%%%%
.
Kura heard the tumblers clicking as the guards unlocked his cell door before opening it to wave Kaiba in. Without moving, moving hurt too much, he could see him silhouetted by lamplight in the doorway with Ryou beside him. Once the door was closed and locked behind him, the cell was completely dark again. Kura lay quietly and hoped that the brief light into the room hadn't allowed them to see him in his dark corner.
"Magus?" Kura heard Ryou whisper in the dark. He could almost hear the boy tugging on his teacher's sleeve.
"Yes, I saw him," Kaiba answered, and Kura's hope sank and died.
He heard the magus's careful steps across the floor and Ryou's shuffling ones right behind him. When they got close to where Kura lay, he heard Kaiba pause and sink to his knees before reaching out with his hands. One hand found his sleeve in the darkness and followed to down until Kaiba touched Kura's hand very quickly, to see if the thief was warm and alive or cold and dead.
"He's alive," Kura heard Kaiba tell Ryou, and he felt a smaller hand slip into his and squeeze it comfortingly.
"Kura, can you hear me?" Ryou whispered softly. In the dark he found Kura's face and pushed the hair that was laying across it out of the way. His hands were very gentle. "Kura?"
"I'm here," Kura said at last. His voice sounded thin and ghostly in the dark. "I'm here, Ryou."
"Kura." Ryou's voice glowed warm with happiness at the reply before he turned concerned. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt very bad?"
"Yeah," Kura admitted, closing his eyes. "It does."
"Kura," Kaiba said, pushing Ryou aside so that he could inspect the thief, "Kura, I think the bleeding has stopped. Kura?"
"Kura!"
---------------
When Kura woke again, a gloomy light came in through the barred window and he could see Ryou sitting quietly at his side. The next thing he noticed was that his shirt, though still stiff with his blood, had been opened and he was wrapped in white bandages.
"The magus told the guards," Ryou said when he saw the thief looking cross-eyed down at his chest, "That you could always be killed later, but if you died you couldn't be questioned."
Kura looked up at Ryou, starred at his too pale face for a moment, and then held out his hand to him. With a small cry, Ryou grasped his hand briefly before lying down and burying his face into Kura's neck, his chin resting on his shoulder all the while carefully avoiding the wound.
"You have got to stop doing this to me," Ryou said, half laughing half sobbing. "I thought you were dead."
"Heh," Kura commented, "So did I." He contented himself by combing his hand through Ryou's hair for a few minutes before asking, "Where is everyone?"
"They came and took the magus away an hour ago. For questioning, I think. Odion and Malik are, are dead. We saw everything," he added.
The Queen's Guard had split into two groups and had the travelers trapped from both ends. Odion, Kaiba, and Malik had been restrained by one group even as Ryou fought to keep from slipping and falling into the hands of the other. Stretched out on the boulder, Kura had been easy to see from above.
"Don't bother to kill him," Kaiba said bitterly to the Queen's captain. "He'll just stay there until you climb down to arrest him."
"He's armed," the captain of the Guard reminded Kaiba, and he cupped his hands to shout a warning to his men who were still taunting a frightened Ryou, but Kaiba waved his hand in dismissal.
"The only thing he can do with a sword is steal it or sell it," Kaiba said, still angry with the thief for deserting them.
So they all just watch as Kura turned what had been an orderly hunt into a knot of confusion and wounded men. "Not what you expected?" the captain asked in wry tones. Kaiba could only shake his head in slight shock.
"Well," the magus said at last in defeat as he watched Kura make a run for it. "They won't have any trouble now." They had no idea how much Kura's father had wanted him to become a soldier and not a thief.
"I've never seen someone win against that many men," Ryou said, his warm breath pleasantly tickling Kura's ear.
"Hum," Kura said, "You still haven't. What happened to Odion and Malik?" He didn't want to think about the fight. Something unpleasant had happened and though he couldn't remember what it was, he instinctively knew he didn't want to.
But Ryou couldn't be distracted. "No, I suppose not," he agreed, "But you wounded two of them, and I think you killed the last one."
Kura closed his eyes and swallowed hard. That was what he hadn't wanted to remember. Only four soldiers had dismounted at first. Kura chopped one of them on the forearm, then disarmed another and gotten Ryou's sword tangled in his hilt. Had it been a longer sword, Kura wouldn't have been able to get it free, but he managed to clear Ryou's sword in time to stop a trust from someone on his left. Training he had thought he had forgotten turned the block into a lunge, and the sword sank into his opponent, certainly killing him.
Kura had been horrified with himself and dropped the sword. He hadn't wanted to be a soldier. He'd become a thief to avoid killing. And see where it had gotten him.
A light push from behind had forced him forward a half step and he looked down to see the point of a sword sticking through the cloth of his shirt. The point must have entered somewhere around the middle of his back but had slanted to come out near his armpit. The smell of blood and been overwhelming.
"Who taught you to fight like that?" Ryou asked, dragging Kura out of his thoughts.
"My father." Kura frowned slightly when he thought of the fight he and his father had when he tore up his enrollment paper for the army. Still, they were closer now that the matter was settled and done with.
"You should have been a soldier," Ryou said. "You were better than Malik ever was."
Kura felt Ryou's tears on his neck and held the crying boy the best he could with one good arm. As he hadn't wanted to remember what had happened at the bottom of the cliff, so Ryou didn't want to recall what had happened at the top once he had managed to climb up to where the rest of the party were being held.
"I've know Odion all my life," Ryou sniffed, leaving the tears unchecked, "I could tell he was going to try something. He's not one to go quietly. And Malik, he saw it too. Malike hates, hated, being cooped up. That's why he was such a poor student. I think he decided he'd rather die fighting than slowly in a barred cage."
Kura waited for Ryou to take a few breaths. The pain in his chest was slightly distracting, but not so bad that he couldn't ignore it for a little while longer.
"They both attacked the guards," Ryou finally continued. "The Guards restrained the magus before he could draw his sword to help, and they were still holding onto me from when I had gotten up. Odion and Malik were horribly outnumbered. And when space ran out, they were forced over the edge." His breathing was shaky and close to full sobs. "I don't want them to be dead," he insisted, as if his wishes should be granted. "They were my friends."
Kura tried his best to keep his grip on Ryou, knowing it was comforting to the smaller boy, but the pain was spreading and the effort was costing him.
"Kura?" Ryou whispered after a few minutes, "The magus said that the bleeding has stopped and that you'll probably be all right. As long as you don't get a fever."
"That's nice." That way they could behead him.
---------
It was dark when the magus returned. Kura had slept most of the day, waking a few times to always find Ryou still at his side. The sleep had done him good and his head felt clearer, though his body still felt light and weak.
The lanterns the guards carried into the cell when they returned the magus bothered Kura's eyes and he closed them, assuming the men would be gone soon and leave him in peace. When someone nudged him with their boot, he groaned a little, partly because it hurt, partly because he was offended that they were bothering him. There was another fiercer nudge that dug into his ribs, and he heard Ryou yell at someone to stop.
With a suffering sigh, Kura finally opened his eyes. Standing over him, between Kaiba and the guards and with her feet nearly touching Ryou as he sat at Kura's side, was Mai, the Queen of Attolia.
Mai smiled at Kura's surprise. Standing in the light, yet surrounded by the dark that the lanterns couldn't reach, she seemed lit by the aura of the gods. Her long hair flowed like liquid gold down her back. Light catching baubles were woven into the strands and made her shimmer. Her robe was a rich purple and fell off her shoulders like an image of the goddess of romance and love.
"The magus of Sounis has informed me that you are a thief of unsurpassed skills," she spoke, her voice an inviting purr like worn velvet. She smiled.
"I am," Kura answered truthfully. He could only hope that Kaiba hadn't been stupid enough to tell her why they were in her country.
Mai looked Kura up and down, as though trying to figure him out. "He suggests, however, that your loyalty to your own country is not strong," she continued.
Kura winced at her choice of words. "I have no particular loyalty to the king of Sounis, Your Majesty," he corrected.
"How fortunate for you. I don't believe he holds you in high regard."
"No, Your Majesty. He probably doesn't." Not that it mattered, the feeling was mutual.
She smiled again and showed off her perfect teeth. "Then there's nothing to prevent you from remaining in Attolia to be my thief."
Kura nearly choked on his breath. "Uh," he said quickly, "There is one thing, Your Majesty."
Queen Mai's eyebrows rose in delicate arches of astonishment. "What would that be?" she asked, and the warning in her tone was unmistakable.
Kura's mind raced. Discretion prevented him from saying that he thought she was a fiend from the underworld and that mountain lions couldn't force him to enter her service. As he searched, he remembered the conversation on the bank of the river. "I have a sweetheart," he said with absolute conviction, "Your Majesty, and I've promised to return."
The Queen was amused. Ryou's eyes reflected his surprised. And Kaiba was beyond aggravated. Kura knew he couldn't understand why he was throwing away a chance to save himself.
There were certainly no love affairs written up in his record at the king's prison. Kura was sure because he had written his record himself. It had been the easiest way to turn a lot of boasting into a solid reputation, and it hadn't been difficult to slip in it among the real records. Anyone who can steal the king's seal ring can manage the locks on his record room.
"You are promised to someone?" Mai repeated in suspicious disbelief.
FLASHBACK
"Promise?"
FLASHBACK
"I am, Your Majesty," Kura said firmly.
"And you will not break your promise?" She shook her head sadly but Kura could see the annoyance flash in her eyes. She was not someone who was used to people refusing her anything.
"I couldn't, Your Majesty," Kura said, trying to keep from laughing at her.
The Queen folded her arms across her chest and tapped her finger tips impatiently on her sleeve. "Surely I am a better mistress to serve?"
'She's like a snake.' Kura thought. 'Sleek and deadly, just waiting for the chance to strike.' "You are perhaps more beautiful, Your Majesty," Kura allowed, and The Queen smiled again, but the thief wasn't finished. "But not as kind."
Heh, so much for discretion. The smile on her lovely face vanished and her face flushed red. No could ever accuse Queen Mai of Attolia of being kind.
The Queen smiled again, a different, thinner smile, and inclined her head in acceptance of a point scored. Kura smiled back, pleased with himself in a bitter sort of way. Why did he always take such pride in pissing off royalty?
"Come," the Queen said to her guards. "Let's give him some time to change his mind." She nodded curtly to Kaiba and swept out of the room, letting it lapse back into darkness as the door closed behind them.
Kura lay still, listening to the fading footsteps and then to the breathing of the two others in the room. Reaching out in the darkness, his found Ryou's soft face, trailed down his neck and arm to his hand. "Help me up," he said.
Kaiba heard them moving around in the dark and glared over in their direction. "Kura," he snapped, "Lay back down! You should not be up!"
"Can't be helped," Kura said, now near the magus's elbow. "I'm getting out of here."
"The Queen of Attolia doesn't bear you any ill will! If you'd jus corporate-"
"I think she does," Kura interrupted. "I will never serve her, and the alternative is death. Now, you are wasting time. Move." Kura pushed the magus over so that he could inspect the lock on the door. It was so simple it almost made him want to laugh. Reaching back, he untwisted one of his lock openers from in hair. "Always carry a spare," he informed Ryou as he tapped the other boy on the nose with it, and then set to work.
The lock opened without a glitch and the three of them moved into the hall, closing the cell door behind them. The hall was as dark as the cell had been, and Kura took Ryou's hand. "Try not to pull on me," he whispered and began to feel his way down the corridor.
"We are going to get caught," Kaiba hissed, taking Ryou's other hand so that they didn't get separated in the dark. "Where are you taking us?"
"Would you just shut up!?"
Kura felt his way down the corridors until his hand brushed against a door handle. He quickly squeezed Ryou's hand to stop him from running into him, and quickly opened it. The tunnel before him was only as wide as the door and the ceiling barely higher than Kaiba's head.
At the end of the tunnel was another door with a simple latch. Once past it, they found themselves outside the castle on the narrow footing that ran around it's base. The water that surrounded the castled lapped at the stone with an almost soothing rhythm. Quick as shadows, they scrambled around the castled and to the bridge that led to the town.
Without starlight and an absent moon, it was easy to slip through the town unnoticed. Not even the dogs chained to front gates seemed to be bothered by the three young men that stole like thieves past the houses.
A few miles from the town, the trail they were following branched off in two directions and Kura chose the one that kept them closer to the river. He felt weak, but his head was clear. The pain in his body seemed almost distant except for when he stumbled.
They saw no one on the road, which was a good thing. They had a best only a seven hour lead ahead of the Attolian Guard that would be deployed when they were discovered missing.
It was almost dawn when they decided to stop for a few hours of much needed rest. The ground was cold, but Ryou, who curled up against Kura's chest, was warm and the thief fell asleep quickly.
When Kura opened his eyes again it was light out. Ryou was still dreaming, one of his hands twisted in Kura's shirt, and Kaiba was looking at the river. Kura called to him and when he turned, his face was bleak. Little birds began to peck in Kura's stomach. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"The river is running the wrong way."
Kura nearly threw up before his head caught up to him. He had thought that the magus had meant that the river had truly reversed its direction. He only meant that he had been mistaken during the night about which way it was flowing.
"Don't worry," Kura said as he reluctantly pulled himself to his feet. "I know where we are. Just let me lead."
"I think we should go back," Kaiba insisted. "Find a different trail, one that leads to the main roads."
"No," Kura said, shaking Ryou awake for the next leg of their flight. "If the guards catch up to us, I'll be throwing myself in the river. You can do as you wish, but I refuse to be her prisoner."
-----------
"Kura?" Ryou chatted as they walked along, their bodies warming in the sunlight, "If you could be anywhere you wanted right now, where would it be?"
"In bed," Kura sighed wearily. His injuries were acting up again and he was starting to feel too hot and yet cold at the same time. "In a big bed, in a warm room with lots of windows. And sheets; cool, clean sheets. The really nice ones like they sell on the Sacred Way that smell vaguely like they've been washed in lavender. And a fireplace," he said as he expanded on the daydream. "And books."
"Books?" Ryou repeated, both surprised and delighted.
"Books," Kura said firmly, not caring if Kaiba thought it was odd. Hell, Kaiba probably assumed he couldn't read in the first place. "Lots of books. What about you? Where would you be?"
"Under the apricot tree in my mother's garden at the villa," Ryou said peacefully. "She plays her harp in the evenings when the lightening bugs come out. The air is sweet and the breeze is cool. I'd be watching my sister Amane play, stopping her game every now and then to chase the light bugs. And anytime I wanted one, I'd just reach up and pick another apricot."
"Humm," Kura mused, "I like that one. Okay, I want to be there with you, instead."
Ryou grinned and blushed slightly. "What about you, magus?" he asked, turning back to his teacher. "Where would you be?"
Kaiba stayed quiet for so long that for a moment Kura thought he wasn't going to answer the question. "I'd been in the main temple," he said at last.
"Urgh," Kura complained, still associating the temple with boredom-a lot of people chanting and incense everywhere. His new belief in the gods had not affected his opinion of the empty mumblings he had seen in temples all his life.
But Kaiba wasn't finished. "Watching the marriage of the King of Sounis and the Queen of Eddis."
Kura made a face. "Why are you so set on this marriage?" he demanded.
"The king needs an heir, and that heir needs to inherit Eddis as well as Sounis."
"He does have a cousin," Ryou pointed out.
"I'm sorry," Kaiba said, "Of course he has an heir. But he must marry the Queen if he is to combine the countries. Eddis doesn't like him, but if the Queen had his child, they would have no choice to but allow him to take the rule of the country."
"Then I hope that your little dream never comes true," Kura snarled. "If the two countries were ever to be combined it should be because they want to. NOT because one is forced to accept the other."
"It's none of your business to worry about the fate of Eddis," Kaiba said, a bit miffed. "You just concern yourself with Attolia."
Had Kura been feeling better, he would have sulked, but he needed to concentrate all his energy on simply putting one foot in front of the other. Especially since the ground kept rising and the trail became less and less of any real kind of path and covered with rocks of varying sizes.
One of these rocks Kaiba had Ryou climb and look behind them for the perusing soldiers.
"I see them," Ryou called down. "They're coming single file through the rocks. Maybe twenty minutes away." He scrambled down and twisted his hands nervously. "What do we do?"
Kaiba shrugged wearily and ran a hand through his hair. "We can leave the path," he suggested. "We can hide somewhere in the rocks." It was a hopeless plan, and they all knew it.
"There is a bridge not far from here," Kura said, pushing himself up from where he had sat to rest. "We are far enough ahead of the Queen's Guard, we can make it."
Just a little ways up river was a place where the water was split by an island of rock. Debris dragged into the river from the floor season were lodged against the rocks, including a tree trunk that stretched from the bank to the pile of rocks in the center of the river and a collection of branches that went from the rocks to the far bank.
Kaiba looked doubtfully at the make shift bridge with a critical eye. "Do you think we can get across?"
"Yes," Kura answered more confidently than he felt. "Ryou, you go first. Don't try to walk, creep across on your hand and knees. And don't slip. The river runs fastest at this narrow point. You'd be dragged under in a heartbeat."
Ryou nodded, his face very pale, and began his crossing as fast and as safe as he could. Very second was vital for survival.
As soon as Ryou was on the rocky island in the middle, Kaiba began to cross. Behind them they could hear the approaching soldiers who had dismounted from the horses to go faster on foot.
Once Kaiba got to the rocks, Kura began to cross even as he heard the Guards shout for him to halt. As he reached the rocks, Kaiba began to push the log, and together they dislodged it even as the first soldier was starting to cross.
The Attolian soldiers stood for a second looking at the fast moving river, and then cursed viciously and turned back up the trail.
"Move," Kura snapped, pushing Kaiba in the direction of the second bridge. "They will go downriver and try to cross at the main bridge."
Remembering that they weren't out of danger yet, Kaiba quickly began to cross the next the second bridge. Ryou fidgeted nervously, already safe on the bank.
Kura glanced back at where the Guards had stood only a moment before and moved onto the last bridge. The branches dipped dangerously close to the water, but they held his weight to the bank where Ryou grabbed his good hand and helped him up.
"Let's go," Kura panted. "We have to keep moving." He tried to take a step forward, but he stumbled and had to catch himself on a nearby tree. Almost instantly there was a warmth at his side and Ryou slipped under his good shoulder to support him.
"I'm okay," Kura tried to assure Ryou, "Just a little dizzy."
With Ryou helping him along, they trudged on. The ground continued to rise, sometimes in not so gentle slopes. Finally the trail simply gave out and a bridge stretched out in before them.
Without a glance back, they started to cross it. Just as they reached the top of the stone arch, Kaiba stopped and turned around. Had he ears like a horse, they would have swiveled forward.
"What is it?" Kura asked.
"Hoofbeats."
Kura, Ryou, and Kaiba crossed over the bridge and walked directly into the soldiers on the other side.
.
.
TBC
.
.
Author's Note: Answering Questions and Such
.
Heh heh, yup Kelsey, I know the part in the show you're talking about. It's actually a very funny movie, if the other people in the room would be quite long enough to listen to what the characters are saying!
.
Mokuba's Official Glomper, yes, a lot of my stories are book based because I love to read and I always seem to want to place other characters in the roles. It's fun! Yes, that's one of the things I do for fun. (cries)
.
Story is almost done people! Only a few chapters left. Until next week!
.
.
The Inspector
.