Thief Read online

scowling guard. She hoped Eryl would honor their deal and buy her bond.

  Kane shifted his weight and listened as Thomas Valden, the High Bishop of the Church of the One-God, petitioned King Mattias. The king slouched on an ornate chair, his gold shirt and deep blue vest only serving to emphasize the sickly yellow pallor of his skin. Brown hair and beard trimmed short, he leaned his chin on one pale hand. Even though it was still the early part of the day, his watery blue eyes were half closed with weariness.

  The High Bishop, resplendent in a black silk robe trimmed in silver, sat with balled fists resting on the table in the king’s council chamber.

  The council chamber was a relatively small room situated behind the great hall. The king faced his councilors across a round oak table polished by years of sweaty hands and diligent housekeepers. Kane, as always, stood between the King and his councilors, his back straight and his face impassive.

  “We must ensure the safety of my priests, Your Majesty.” Valden said. His fist pounded softly on the smooth wood of the table to emphasize his point. The man’s short graying hair was slick with sweat where it escaped his red silk skullcap and his lips were pinched together in a scowl.

  “I agree with the High Bishop,” said Duke Thorold. As the head of one of the three duchies, he along with the High Bishop and Kane, who was Captain of the Kingsguard, made up the King’s Council.

  “I think we all agree that we must ensure the safety of all of my subjects, including your priests,” King Mattias said.

  The High Bishop flushed red at the king’s words, then quickly looked down at the table. His back rose and fell with rapid breaths and Kane wondered if the man was finally going to lose all control and go too far. Duke Thorold leaned over and whispered into the High Bishop’s ear and the man nodded and relaxed his hands.

  Kane relaxed and unclenched his hand. He and his Kingsguard were the only ones allowed to wear weapons in the presence of the king, and part of him wanted an excuse to draw his sword on the High Bishop. He professed to be a man of peace but Kane had heard rumours to the contrary. Businesses threatened with boycotts unless they did what the church wanted, families forced to give over their homes in order to obtain salvation. The church denied everything, and often those wronged were either too cowed or too controlled to protest.

  Then there were the High Bishop’s ongoing attempts to have the King declare his priests legally superior to the common folk they ministered to. The High Bishop felt that the priests’ dedication and service to the One-God should translate into special privileges and rights. Kane’s opinion was that if they were closer to the One-God they’d receive their reward in the afterlife. Let the ordinary people of Soule have equality on earth.

  Kane himself followed the old gods, as his family had done for untold generations. There was a time when he would have reminded the king that not all his subjects followed the One-God. But no longer. The High Bishop was also obsessed with having the king declare the Church of the One-God the one true religion of Soule and Kane was very much afraid that one day the king would be too tired or too ill to care any longer and simply accede to the High Bishop’s request.

  Kane said a quick prayer to Jik, the ancient god of balance and order. If the High Bishop had his way on that the country would be divided and plunged into chaos and civil war.

  “But Your Majesty this theft was an attack on the Church itself,” the High Bishop said, his voice getting louder. “We cannot tolerate this in any way. Where is the justice? A commoner terrified and threatened a simple man who has dedicated himself to serving the One-God. We must make an example of this thief. At the very least he must die.”

  “She,” Kane interjected. “And there is absolutely no evidence the priest’s life was ever threatened. I have personally interviewed the priest and the inn guards, as well as the Kingsguard who were summoned. The thief was not armed and she tried to run as soon as the good priest woke and gave the alarm.”

  “Not armed? How can you say she was not armed?” The High Bishop turned to Kane. “She was in possession of a knife, a very fine relic that was being delivered to me personally by my priest.”

  “Kane is this true?” King Mattias’ face was lined with the strain of his illness. “We cannot allow thieves to threaten anyone, let alone priests.”

  “No we certainly cannot,” Duke Thorold agreed.

  Kane let out a breath, slowly. Now that Thorold had entered the discussion he would need to tread even more carefully. Where the High Bishop was all bluster and rash comments, Duke Thorold was measured and patient. If Thorold truly wanted to win this debate, in all likelihood he would, eventually.

  Kane focused on the now smug High Bishop.

  “I agree completely Your Majesty,” Kane said. “But the weapon was the object of the theft and the thief dropped it as soon as she was discovered. Nor did she have any other weapon on her. She had plenty of opportunity to slit the priests’ throat while he slept if she’d wanted to, instead, even with a knife in her hand, as soon as he woke up she tried to flee. The usual punishments should be handed out - in this case a bond price of two hundred crowns or the equivalent in time worked as an indentured servant.” He’d better ensure the jailer received the full bond price. Anything less and the High Bishop might learn of it and use it in another argument.

  “That’s simply not acceptable!” The High Bishop’s face was now an ugly shade of red. “I insist that this thief die. I will not allow my priests to become easy prey for any and all of the common element.”

  “Your Majesty.” Kane bowed to King Mattias. “If you kill this thief I believe there will be repercussions. Two hundred crowns is the standard bond price for a case like this. We simply cannot change the laws at will. If penalties are inconsistent thieves may decide they’re better off leaving no live witnesses. It will not, as the High Bishop believes, make priests and nobles safer.”

  Kane had no reason to believe that the High Bishop would accept what he said as truth this time, just as he’d refuse to accept it all the other times Kane hade made this same argument. The High Bishop simply refused to recognize that unpredictable laws and punishments had the potential to create uneasiness in Soule. With King Mattias ill and with such a loose grip on the throne Kane feared anything with the potential to destabilize any part of the population. If only the other two members of the King’s Council spent more time in Kingsreach. That would help limit the High Bishop’s influence.

  “I agree with Kane on this point Your Majesty,” Duke Thorold said. “The commoners must be given consistent laws they can understand. The consequences of breaking the laws must be equally clear. However,” he nodded in High Bishop Valden’s direction, “I agree with the High Bishop’s concern that we are letting acts against the church and the nobility go relatively unpunished. I suggest at a later date we look at how we can strengthen the laws in this regard.”

  “Good. We can leave the immediate issue in Kane’s capable hands,” King Mattias replied. “Thank you Captain.” Mattias nodded in Kane’s direction. Taking this as his dismissal Kane bowed before turning sharply and heading for the door.

  From the council chamber, Kane headed immediately to the jail. He needed to talk to Jervis, the jailer. This thief’s bond price could not be bartered down. The High Bishop would not forgive. Or forget.

  Kane had no wish to be counted among the High Bishop’s enemies. The man was petty and mean spirited, but he’d become more cunning in the last year or two. With the power of the church behind him he would be dangerous if not handled correctly. And now he was collecting old steel. Kane needed to know why.

  He might as well take a look at the thief while he was here. He was curious about how she was caught. By all accounts she was one of the best in the city, not likely to make a mistake, but the priest had woken up and called the guards. According to the reports from the inn guard, the priest’s description had been accurate even before the thief was brought back before him. The inn guard had also sworn tha
t the room was dark when he arrived. So how had the priest been able to see the thief?

  The jail was on the lowest level and as Kane strode through the castle halls he nodded to Kingsguardsmen along the way. Dressed in their neat, dark blue uniforms, they kept watch in the corridors of the castle. As he often did, he paused briefly outside the Great Hall and peered in to view the ancient tapestry that depicted King Wolde. The first king, Wolde had united all the minor lords and chieftains to create Soule over two thousand years ago. The tapestry showed the newly crowned King, arms outstretched, as he stood above a crowd of bowed and kneeling figures. Faded but still visible along the top of the tapestry, the five old gods looked on, expressions of approval on their faces. Kane often wondered if High Bishop Valden’s sight was failing him. Surely if the man knew the treasured tapestry depicted the old gods he would attempt to alter it. Kane had no doubt the High Bishop would alter history itself if he could.

  Kane’s boots clacked on the stone floors as the sumptuous furnishings and thick tapestries gave way to older and more worn items the further he traveled from the king’s apartments. As he moved through less-traveled areas of the castle, the guards were fewer and farther apart, but all snapped to