Recognized

It had been a shock when the highest of Anyk’s priestesses at the temple had come to inquire about one of the confections regularly sent to Charyic. Vennius had done his best to be charming and make subtle inquiries about the elusive thief, but the woman had given him a knowing look and then spoken only to Auryic. Still, he now knew she had access to other influential figures in the city. He couldn’t help but marvel again at how a low-born creature, a thief at that, could manage such a feat.

But his missive had still garnered no response of any kind. Three days of waiting and he was debating trying again with the next delivery, perhaps writing his note inside of one of the paper wrappings this time, in case it had been intercepted. Vennius cursed himself for not thinking of that the first time.

It was midday when he was fetched by Auryic to speak to an insistent woman in the shop below. For a moment he hoped it would be Charyic. “May I…” He trailed off looking at the dirty, beggar woman. A heavily pregnant refugee. “What is it you require here?” He asked sharply. “Beggars are unwelcome.”

The pitiful woman turned her face up made a sharp gesture before grinning, “Now, I remember you. That look of disdain is a much more natural expression for you, ‘Nyvor’.”

Vennius blinked. Her face was dirty but those eyes and that grin were unmistakably Charyic’s. Measuring her carefully with his gaze, he gestured toward the back and led her up to his office. “You remember me?”

“Vennius, I think it was?” Charyic looked amused.

“And you followed me, alone to a…” He trailed off as she drew a knife and examined it with an exaggerated curiosity, as if she’d never seen such a thing before.

“I came for a reason, but it seems I need some answers from you first.” Her grin was vicious. “Then we’ll get to business, and, if you’re a very good little lord, I won’t show you what I can do with this.”

He could feel his face flushing with indignation. The little w***e was threatening him. “I am the son of a Lord of Luzoron, you would need more than-” Vennius flinched as she leaned forward and threw the knife into the wall next to his head.

“I’ve taken down Light Bringers with nothing at all in my hands. I don’t even need my knife to make you crumple like a rag doll, Vennius.” Something in her eyes was almost as terrifying as Malav’s, he tried to repress a shudder.

“Ask your questions.” He sat in his chair and tried to cultivate a look of nonchalance.

“Did Malav send you?” She leaned against the wall and ran a hand over her belly.

“No,” Vennius smirked at her.

“You felt a sudden urge to take up confectionary? In Isemalrocath? Malies can’t be pleased with the son of a Lord of Luzoron running off to live in his brother’s city.” He could feel the sharp edge of her mocking inquiry.

“If you must know, Malav had my father’s head mounted on his wall. It wasn’t safe for me to stay.” His glower didn’t seem to cow her but she did look thoughtful.

“And you thought that if you could secure me, you could either use me as a bargaining chip to get on his good side or kill me to get back at him?” She might be slightly smarter than she looked, he gave a curt nod.

“Malav will eventually overrun this city, I’ve seen what he can do.” Vennius shook his head trying to clear the memory from it. “If he has to wait until people begin to starve to death, he will. It’s a foregone conclusion.”

“Why?” The little fool seemed genuinely puzzled. “Hasn’t he found another woman willing to marry him and pay his debt yet?”

“There is the little fool I so clearly remember.” He smirked at her. “You left him. A man like that can’t bear such a thing. You’ve managed to sharpen his hunger for you, Lady Charyic. It won’t last, of course, but he’s desperate to have you back. And you know as well as I do, when he bends his will to something there is no deterring him.”

He watched her head bow and she splayed her hands across her round belly. “He is as stubborn as a blood stain,” she muttered, “and twice as nasty if you cross him.”

“HA!” Vennius had to laugh. “I’ve never heard a more apt description of the man.” He took in her sour smile. “You’ll go back to him one way or another. But there is a way for you to get free of him.”

She tilted her head and Vennius pushed forward, she had no plan for after Malav took the city and he could give her one. “When the city is falling, we will meet his forces coming in. You, my dear, will do whatever you have to do to keep me alive while getting into his good graces. If you can get his sword from him, he will die on it. That is what the priest of Malies said.” She was looking at him intently, hanging on his every word, “If you can take it while he sleeps, and give it to me, I will kill him and let you and your child go unharmed.” He sat back with a confident smile, “We will all get what we want, and Malav will never trouble you or your lover again.”

Charyic snorted and shook her head. “He can be careless, but I haven’t seen him make the same mistakes twice. He’ll have that sword on him at all times, probably under his head with a hand wrapped around the hilt. Unless I can drug him, taking it from him in his sleep won’t work.” She looked as though she were staring into the distance, deep in thought.

“If you do as I say this won’t be as difficult as you seem to think. You may have to bed him well but he’ll sleep deeply enough.” Vennius scoffed at her. She should be used to relying on the wit of others as dim as she seemed.

“I’ve been stealing things since I was a child, you lack-witted lordling.” His jaw dropped. “And I’ve bedded Malav often enough to know how deeply he sleeps. You may sleep like the dead, he doesn’t.” Charyic clucked softly to herself. “Stealing something from his person would require him to be distracted and relaxed. That’s not a one-woman job. I would need someone he trusted to be in on it with me, like Cerik, and even then…” She sighed and rubbed her face. “Looking at it too long or trying to touch it playfully could give the whole thing away, he’s a quick one.”

“He no longer trusts Cerik.” Vennius looked at her carefully. “He’s taken him back into his service but he knows that Cerik helped you escape. He won’t trust him fully again.”

“This is a job that would take a year or more just to plan. I doubt anyone could pay the fees it would call for either.” She was staring into the middle distance again, “The King of Fools would get a pretty prize though, and to be the thief that managed it…” She cracked a mad grin. “IF the city is falling, and IF we surrender to Malav, we’ll play your game. But you’ll be the one following my orders until we part ways. You might go ahead and find something to help a man of Malav’s size sleep. Not poison, he’ll have tasters. Something that will take time to work and make him drowsy and sleep deeply.” She eyed him with amusement, “Barring that, I’ll have to get creative and you’ll need to be on your toes.”

Vennius glowered at her. “As you command, Lady Charyic.”

“Don’t start that.” Charyic took a deep breath and seemed to be cheerful. “Now we can get to why I came. You wanted to be a thief, and now you get to help me do a small job.”

Sputtering, Vennius tried to refuse, “Now that you know-”

She waved her hand dismissively. “I knew when you didn’t speak Iskesh. I’m a little bit unwieldy for this job right now and time is pressing.” With a grin, she clasped her hands, “Your very first job and you get to steal from the temple!” His jaw dropped in horror. “Let’s hope you’re precocious.”

He thought he might be sick. “I-I. That’s.”

“Don’t worry, my little pretender. We have an in and we’re expected.” The woman looked mad as she stepped forward with a broad grin and pulled the knife from the wall. “Come on! We don’t have all day.”

Stunned, he followed. The woman was obviously mad. She was on good terms with the Holy Father, was rumored to have access to the treasury, and she was going to steal from the temple. “Do you set out to ruin everything you’re given?” He hissed at her as they walked.

“When we get behind the temple I’m going to tidy up just a bit and we’re going to be shown in to polish the bells.” She spoke quietly. “You’ll smile and nod politely and I'll thank her. After we’re taken to the bells I’ll tell you what needs to be done.”

Laughter threatened to bubble up and he rubbed his face and shook his head. “You’re mad.”

“I’ve always been religious.” She gave him a smile. “Don’t worry so much.”

True to her word, they walked around the throngs of people behind the temple to what appeared to be some sort of servant’s entrance. Vennius watched her rearrange her hair, wipe the dirt from her face with a rag and adjust her clothes until she looked merely poor instead of destitute. Charyic stepped forward when she had finished and knocked boldly on the door.

The door opened after a moment and a priestess of Anyk answered with a smile glancing at them, Charyic kept her face demurely lowered. “Mistress, we’re here to clean the bells?”

“We’ve been expecting you, it’s been some time since they’ve been cleaned I imagine you have your work cut out for you.” To Vennius’ surprise they were ushered in, he barely remembered to nod and smile politely.

“I’m told what you need has been provided for you, please let me show you the way.”

“Thank you, Mistress.” Charyic sounded meek and grateful. Vennius followed silently not trusting his voice.

They were deep into the temple innards before they began to climb the spiral stone staircase. Charyic was breathing heavily and moved slowly by the time they reached the top. The priestess looked at her with concern but she waved her hand dismissively, “I’m fine. I just need to catch my breath, coming down after we’re done will be easier.” She gave her a smile. He watched the priestess blink and then give a nod before going back down. Charyic moved to the edge of the stair and looked down at the retreating figure for a moment before coming close and whispering, “We need to work fast. Anyk knows thieves and she’ll be curious. Grab the tools and take a rag we need to get the clappers out of the bells.”

“The clappers?” He hissed.

Charyic rolled her eyes as if he were an idiot and Vennius glared at her. She took a rag and pointed at the small wooden tool box gesturing for him to come. He watched as she struggled and awkwardly climbed to the easiest of the bells to reach. She wrapped the cloth around the clapper and stuck her head into the bell. as she pulled it out she quietly said, “There’s a metal ring in these. I need a big strong man who can either break it at the weak spot where the clapper attaches to the ring or get that ring open.” She looked at him expectantly.

He looked at the tools in the small box and laughed. Once he started he couldn’t stop. Charyic struggled not to do the same as she climbed down and finally, she slapped him across the face. “Enough, Vennius. Do your best as quick as you can. I’ll keep a look out, if someone comes I’ll give you a sign and you can start polishing.”

Vennius thought he might be sick, nodding as he got to work. Accidentally striking the sides of one of the steel bells with a tool earned him a hiss of reproach and a hand gesture he’d never seen but thought he might know the meaning of nevertheless.

The metal looked thin where it hung on the clapper but it was deceptively strong. The ring itself was a better choice, there was a tiny gap that he could possibly pass a hair through. Bending it wider and working the clapper through the slit was difficult but he had managed to do two of them before she snapped her fingers urgently and he began to nervously polish the bell he was working on.

“How unexpected! I thought father discouraged thieves from stealing from temples?” The priestess of Ayil looked as though she was enjoying herself immensely. Vennius couldn’t help but look at her as she smiled at Charyic, she was entrancing. The woman’s eyes sparkled and the way she moved...

“He does. I think both of them do, actually.” He glanced to Charyic as she spoke, giving the priestess a mad grin. “But I assure you I have no plans on taking anything out of the temple.”

The priestess began to laugh. “I could almost think someone gave you Malav’s apology and you wanted to do something nice for him.” The smile on her face hadn’t changed but Vennius felt a chill.

“No, I haven’t heard his apology.” Charyic took a deep breath, “And I’m not doing anything nice for Malav.”

The priestess turned her gaze to Vennius and he nearly fell from his perch on the wooden beams. “Bring me what you have.” She smiled at him and he was clambering down with the clappers before he realized it.

Holding them in her hands she gave Charyic a look that asked for an explanation.

“I’m certain they can find something other than steel bells.” Charyic barely looked repentant.

“Why?”

Vennius volunteered, “She said she had a job that needed to be done, and an ‘in’ at the temple. We were expected. I think someone paid her, she mentioned something about fees when-” He was cut off by the furious chirps and clucks coming from Charyic as the woman made gestures he was certain were vulgar.

Laughing, the priestess poked her with a clapper. “That’s why you should never work with someone who isn’t a thief.”

Charyic sighed and gave him a glare, “I didn’t have an abundance of options, your father keeps the city too clear of them for my taste.”

The clappers were handed back to him with a smile. “Put them back.”

He hurriedly obeyed, he had the distinct feeling this priestess was not one he wanted to disappoint. As he climbed back into place he listened.

“I can figure this out on my own, and I will not be happy about it, my dear Charyic.”

He heard Charyic sigh. “I’m aware. I’ll have to live with that, you know we keep our mouths closed when it comes to work.”

“Father isn’t going to be happy about it either.”

“He doesn’t know I’m out without my guard, and unless you tell him he might not at all.” He could hear her hopefulness. “I would owe you, of course.”

The priestess’ laugh raised the hair on the back of his neck, “Charyic. He already knows.” There was a moment’s silence. “This little one is going to be as much trouble as you are.” He glanced down to see the priestess with her hands on Charyic’s belly.

“I have no doubt. Little Esyil or Cerus is going to be a handful and a half.” Charyic seemed proud.

“I like the names you’ve chosen.” The priestess lifted her eyes to look at him and he put his head under the bell getting to work. Putting them back on was easier, and the ring seemed to bend back into shape with less effort. He finished far more quickly than he expected.

The climb down the stairs was nerve-wracking. He had sweat through his clothes by the time they reached the bottom; he fully expected there to be guards waiting to clap them in irons.

The priestess laughed as she looked at him, “Go home, and the next time you come back you should have some exceptional offerings with you. Especially for Ayil.”

He bowed low and when the servant’s door was opened for him he had to struggle not to bolt back to his shop.