Page 18 of The Thief’s Lord (Catkin Trilogy #3)

In the center of the garden, I found a circular dais with a massive central fountain surrounded by benches.

Four walkways led off to the four edges of the courtyard’s walkway.

On the edge of the fountain, a familiar tom sat.

His golden head glinted brightly beneath the spring sunlight.

A pale tan, brilliant blue eyes, and a slender build.

At the sight of me, his ears twitched upward, and his tail fluffed in surprise.

His mouth opened a little as his eyes widened.

The young tom sprang to his feet, glanced around, and then faced me courageously.

We stood there for a moment, uncertain of what to say.

He was, I realized, the same height as me—a slender tom but of definite royal blood.

King Landis.

“M-my apologies,” I half-whispered and began to back away, aiming to return the way I came.

Before I could much further down the path, fingers plucked at my elbow. I stopped and stared as I realized that the king had pursued me.

“Sorry,” I repeated, feeling rather faint at the prospective of speaking with the king directly.

“No. I mean, I’m sorry,” the young king said. “I should have—I mean. Dear me. This is all a bit of a mess. Do you mind coming and sitting with me? I don’t mind.”

“B-but…”

“You’re the Munni Gareth brought, aren’t you?”

“Your Highness,” I said quickly, glancing about. “Perhaps it is best that I-”

“Fiddlesticks,” he said with a shrug and a sly wink. “And it’s Landis, alright? Any friend of Gareth is a friend of mine.”

Landis? My eyes nearly popped out of my head as the King of Sumarene offered to speak with me on a first name basis. Me. Dorset of no name, of no family, of no home.

“Your name is Dorset, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Dorset. Your Highness—“

“Landis.”

“Landis,” I managed to choke out. He smiled sweetly in return and flicked his tail with joy.

“Come then, Dorset. You’ll love the fountain. The sound of the water is perfectly soothing, and I find it comforting when I am in distress.”

“Are you in distress now?” I asked curiously.

“Well, distress might be too strong a term,” Landis said. “I’ve got quite a bit on my mind, that is for certain.”

Landis and I strolled back to the fountain, where we sat down.

I sat opposite him, my dark breeches and plain white shirt in stark contrast to the royal blues and silvers that he wore today.

Still, the way the King—Landis—looked at me was filled with such interest and openness.

I felt as though there was nothing between us as I stared back at him with increasing frankness.

Landis tipped his head a little, thumped his tail happily, and smiled.

“There’s the matter of the princess’s official marriage, you see,” he said. “That and the signing of the peace agreement with our neighbor to the north. Other matters as well…”

At the mention of those unspoken things, Landis’s cheery face grew overcast. He glanced down at the irons on my wrist and sighed.

“Some days, I feel as though we will never find the end of the road. Peace always appears to be an illusion hovering just beyond our grasp.”

“Peace…” I mused aloud. “Is it truly possible?”

“I’d like to try… Wouldn’t you?”

An honest question, and the answer that came to my mind instantly was, “Yes.” I could only hesitantly nod. Landis smiled, understanding that perhaps he was not the only one afraid to hope.

Inching closer with excitement, Landis shared the vague directions of his plans for his country.

As he began to talk about his plans for Sumarene, I considered his words and thought about what the Night Blades had told me.

Shade and Mourn had thrown their weight behind a particular patron.

There were rumors of Landis showing signs of instability.

His youth would bring the country into ruin.

His relationship with his Munni guard, Corrin, would end the line. So on and so forth.

Listening to Landis himself, however, opened a whole new perspective on the matter.

No longer a distant figure. No longer stuck up on a distant dais or balcony.

Speaking words from his heart, not written on a scroll, Landis appeared to be as sincere as he had claimed to be.

He truly dreamed of a better world for his people—all his people, Munni and Sunna alike.

“Well, anyway, we have many challenges to overcome,” Landis ended. “Gareth seems to think that you might have the answers that we seek.”

“Perhaps,” I mumbled noncommittally.

Just the thought of spilling my secrets sent a shiver down my spine.

I would end up telling Gareth everything.

About that, I had no doubt. For one reason or another, he would bare my heart.

The Night Blades must know this too , I thought.

Surely they would have set whatever contingency plan they had into motion?

After two weeks, surely much of my information on the guild would be outdated?

These dark thoughts had haunted me since the day of my capture. Even now, in the bright sunlight, buoyed by the king’s high spirits, I struggled with doubt and fear. After all , I mused, where there is sunlight, there is also shadow. They can be everywhere. Even now…

Glancing around, my eyes scanned the garden where some of the King’s Sunna guards mingled with the Munni whom they were replacing for the day.

Two guards, patrolling the outer wall, passed each other.

They paused and gazed down at us. One said something.

The other laughed. They parted ways. Underneath, along the walkway, a Munni was leaving his post under the care of his Sunna replacement.

There was a brusque nod, and, hidden from most eyes but the sharpest, a flash of fingers.

A signal. I stiffened and gulped. That sign.

I knew it like the back of my hand—the sign of the Blade.

The Night Blades had infiltrated the King’s guards?

Even the Munni? How many of them were on the payroll of our shadowy master?

My heart grew icy cold at the realization. I stared at Landis, eyes wide.

Landis blinked in confusion.

“What is it?” he asked.

“The-the…” I lowered my voice to the barest whisper. “The guard… is a Blade or connected to them.”

Landis straightened. Tension vibrated through him, but within seconds, he was back to his usual relaxed self. He stared back at me serenely as though he had not heard the bad news, but there was a glint in his blue eyes, and he nodded.

“As you can see see,” he chirped with forced cheerfulness, “I have quite a bit on my hands these days.”

“I must agree, Your Highness,” I said faintly.

My tail’s trembling eased as Landis’s warm hand found my cold ones.

“Dorset.”

“Your Highness.”

“It’s Landis.”

“Oh, yes.” I collected myself, inhaled sharply, and nodded. “Landis.”

Landis gave my hands a light squeeze.

“Let’s get you back to your rooms,” he said. “I think we’ve had enough fresh air for the day. Rolf!”

By the time Gareth arrived at his suite in the afternoon, my tail was in knots all over again. Despite Landis’s silent assurances as he escorted me to my rooms, I could not banish the chill that had set in my veins. As soon as Gareth swept into the room, I threw myself at him.

Idiotic, Dorset , I scolded myself even as I sought comfort from my captor. You aren’t a kit. He can scarcely hand wave away all this trouble.

“Gareth—“

Drawing me close, Gareth looked me over carefully before asking, “Landis said you saw something. A kind of secret signal?”

“Night Blades. Or those who take their coin. Is there a difference?” I said. “Gods, Gareth. They’re everywhere! I told you!”

“That, unfortunately, is old news for us,” Gareth said grimly. “A year ago, I received reports that the royal guards had been compromised. Some we know and handle accordingly. Others… Well. You know about that, right? How else could you get in and out of the castle so easily?”

“I was only told about the two…” I trailed off.

Of course. Mourn wouldn’t tell you anything you didn’t need to know. He’s a liar. They’re all liars. They accused the nobility of lies and illusions, but are they any better? I scowled. The weight of Gareth’s hand ruffling my curly hair, brought me sharply—and happily—to the present.

“Well,” Gareth pointed out kindly, mistaking my scowl for disapproval of his comment. “You must admit that even a tom with your talents should find it more of a challenge. Now we know for certain.”

“It’s not…” I sighed. “Never mind. What will you do?”

“Ordinarily, I would line them up and have you identify them right away. Then there would be a nice round of executions to put the fear of the Reaper into them.” Gareth mused aloud.

“But no. This is the Night Blades we are dealing with. Give them nooses to hang themselves is what I believe is best. Subtler methods are required. Rest assured, Dorset, when the time is right, I shall need your testimony of what you witnessed.”

I stared at him. Does Gareth think that he would outwit the Night Blades?

I imagined Shade and Mourn and their shadowy brothers and sisters locked up.

That will never happen. No walls can keep them in for long.

They have to die. King Landis and his Court might imagine that the law would bind the toms and mollies sworn to the shadows, but I knew different.

Sitting with King Landis under the brilliant spring sun, the world was a warm and friendly place.

Listening to Landis and the strength of his convictions, it was easy to be swept up with his equally comforting idealism.

For a moment, the world was safe. Then I saw the signs.

No. It was as dangerous as it had always been.

As much as I wanted to trust Landis, as much as I trusted Gareth, I knew the truth—this was a matter I would have to take into my own hands.