Stephen Deas1 - The Thief-Takers Apprentice

He lay still for a while. On the other hand, he was hungry. Really hungry. The sort of hungry he only remembered from the worst days with Master Hatchet. He sat up, checked his head to make sure that the bit with Master Sy and the teacher hadn’t been a dream. His head was still there, still in one piece, still hurt like being stabbed when he poked at the lump, but still not bleeding. A healer from the City of Spires? For him?

His arm hurt too. When he took off his shirt to look, he had an enormous bruise. He stared at it and a grin spread across his face. He’d saved Master Sy. He hadn’t just helped him, he’d saved Master Sy from the mudlark with the club who’d been sneaking up on him, and now Master Sy owed him and owed him big. And owing him big could only mean one thing. Swords!

Voices from downstairs reminded him that, on top of everything else, Lilissa was there. His stomach rumbled. He pulled his shirt back on and slipped out of bed and over to the door. The faint scent of incense mingled with the usual smells of old leather and stale sweat and the ubiquitous city smell, but there was something else. A trace of perfume. He smiled to himself as opened the door. Lilissa. She’d been in his room, and not long before he’d awoken. Quietly, he opened his door and made his way cautiously down the stairs. His legs felt distinctly wobbly from too much sleep, but otherwise he felt absurdly well…

He froze. His jaw dropped. There was Master Sy, dressed like a prince. He was in the middle of putting on a fine tunic embroidered all over with tiny gold figures. He already had on big puffy white trousers and a pair of night-black boots that reached his knees, instead of his ordinary loose shirt, grubby trousers and leather overcoat. Sitting with him was the most beautiful woman Berren had ever seen, a real lady, all dressed up like a princess.

Lilissa. It took Berren a moment to recognise her.

‘Kelm’s Teeth, lad, you took your time. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come.’

Berren hardly heard; he was too busy staring at Lilissa. Lilissa the betrayer. Lilissa who had a friend who was a fishmonger’s son. Lilissa the… Lilissa the… He finally tore his eyes away and his heart jumped. Lilissa the unbearably beautiful. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists and carefully didn’t say a word while he gave her the best bow he knew how to give. There. Treat her like a lady, just like Master Sy had said, and never mind what he was really thinking.

Lilissa returned the faintest of nods and then ignored him.

‘Don’t stare, lad,’ said Master Sy mildly. Even his voice was different, as though he’d dressed that up in princely clothes as well. ‘Since you’re up, you can come with us. Suppose you’ve earned that much. You’d better get on and get dressed, though. Best clothes, lad. Chop chop. Time presses.’

Gratefully, Berren ran back up the stairs. He tried his hardest not to look back down at Lilissa, but he simply couldn’t help himself. From above, looking down, you could see… You could see more, that was the best way to put it. He shivered and quickly shut himself in his room. Lilissa the betrayer, he reminded himself as he dressed for the second time in as many hours. Lilissa who’d given him shelter and then promptly led Master Sy right to where he was hiding. Lilissa who had a friend who was a fishmonger’s son. Lilissa who could have been sitting on the dockside with him a few nights ago, ogling the sunset while he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Lilissa, who made Siltside and the Bloody Dag and nearly being killed by a swinging lump of wood seem so desperately distant and unimportant…

No no no. He pinched himself, pulled on his shoes and ran down the stairs.

‘Master! Master!’ But before he could even speak, the thief-taker was wagging his finger. He threw Berren a crust of bread. Berren tore into it.

‘Yes, lad. You did your first bit of real thief-taking.’ Master Sy glanced at Lilissa for a moment. ‘Turns out to have a bit of wolf in him, this one. We’ll have to watch him.’ He looked back at Berren and smiled and Berren puffed up with pride. That was it! Surely Master Sy would teach him swords now. He beamed even brighter.

‘Master! Why are you all dressed up like that? What’s happening? Where are we going?’ he asked through a mouth full of crumbs. That got him a sour look. The thief-taker’s voice dropped.

‘We’re going to the docks, lad. We’re going to meet Deputy Harbour-Master Regis VenDormen. He is a powerful man, and rich and’ – he glanced at Lilissa – ‘as many old rich men do, he has a fondness for pretty young women. Lilissa will distract his thoughts, some fine wine will muddy his thinking, and then we shall see what we shall see.’

‘Master?’ Berren realised that Lilissa was staring at him, now. He blushed. ‘See what, master?’

‘If you believe the Bloody Dag, and I do, then someone in the harbour-master’s office is organising piracy against the ships they’re supposed to protect. Whoever it is, if I take him, he’ll have his head cut off. VenDormen himself won’t be having anything to do with something like that, but there’s not much happens in the docks that he doesn’t know about and so he’s probably already raking a cut. If we’re lucky, VenDormen might let something slip to tell me who it is.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Now listen carefully to me, both of you. For this evening, Lilissa is my ward. Do either of you even know what that means? It means that for tonight she’s the daughter of some rich merchant from overseas and that I’m responsible for looking after her while she’s here.’ Berren glared at Lilissa again, trying to remember that he was still angry with her. His heart wasn’t in it though, especially when she glared back and stuck her tongue out at him. Her eyes sparkled. Master Sy banged a wooden spoon on the table. ‘Are you listening, either of you? You, Master Berren, remain my apprentice, the perpetual thorn in my side. Now you listen to me, both of you! I’ve known Regis for a long time. If I thought he was dealing with the Dag, I would be going to the Captain’s Rest alone. Still, you’d best have a care not to get on the wrong side of him. Be nice, be polite and be quiet. Keep your eyes open, too. Whoever is behind all this is going to be as nervous as a virgin soldier right now and they’ll have dangerous friends, too.’ He gave Berren a long steady look. ‘Much more dangerous than a mudlark with a club.’

Berren forgot about trying to be angry with Lilissa and stared at Master Sy instead, eyes wide. ‘Will you have to fight them?’ he asked, thinking of the ringmail shirt he wasn’t wearing.

The thief-taker frowned and groaned. ‘Boy, if there was any chance of that, do you think I’d be taking either of you with me? Do you think I’d bring Lilissa? Gods! No, boy, there’ll be no fighting tonight. You sit, you listen, you say nothing, either of you, unless one of us asks you a question. Regis and I have known each other for years. We’ll talk about things that sound very dull and then we’ll come home again and that’s all that’s going to happen. Nothing but polite business talk over a very fine meal. Dull as mud. Just keep your mouths shut and your eyes open.’ He glared at Berren. ‘This is delicate, boy. I want your word. You don’t speak unless you’re spoken to and you say nothing about our business. Do I have your promise?’

Berren nodded. He couldn’t help smiling. Trapped with Lilissa in a tavern, dressed up in all his finery. It was enough to make a lad from Shipwrights wonder whether he’d died and gone to the sun. He rubbed his head. Still sore and starting to ache, but no gaping holes. Good enough.

Master Sy stood up and wrapped a cloak around his shoulders. The cloak was something Berren had never seen before, silver and trimmed with white fur. The thief-taker offered Lilissa his hand to help her to her feet, and then took her by the arm to the door. Berren followed. He felt like he was floating. In the doorway, Master Sy paused. He glanced back.