Legends of Dimmingwood 02:Betrayal of Thieves

Legends of Dimmingwood 02:Betrayal of Thieves by C. Greenwood Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Legends of Dimmingwood 02:Betrayal of Thieves by C. Greenwood Read Free Book Online
Authors: C. Greenwood
Tags: Legends of Dimmingwood, Book II
illuminating the night long after the last light of the glimmer-stones underfoot had faded. Distant sounds of music and laughter drifted on the breeze, mingling with the splashing of fountains and the singing of the crickets.
    A sudden cry split the serenity. “Stop, thief!”
    Startled, I whirled around but couldn’t make out where the shout came from. How have I been discovered ? I wondered in a panic. And who was my pursuer? Then, an indistinct figure came barreling around a corner and into my vision. The person was little more than a blur in a blue coat as he dashed down the footpath and, before I had time to react, dodged past me to dive into a hole in the near shrubbery.
    The bushes had barely closed behind him when two large men, bearing pikes and wearing what I guessed to be the uniform and half armor of the city guard, bounded into view from the direction he had come from. Still shouting, “Stop, thief!” and “Surrender in the name of the Praetor!” they looked momentarily confused at finding their quarry had suddenly vanished.
    Skidding to a halt, one of the guardsmen, a rough looking fellow with a reddened face, demanded of me, “Did a suspicious looking man in a blue coat come running through here?”
    I tried to appear casual, but it was difficult, being so close to men in the Praetor’s employ. These guardsmen were only a step away from being Fists and it was the Fists who had taken Terrac and would be glad to get their hands on me too if they guessed what I was. My mouth went suddenly dry.
    I shoved my hands in my pockets to hide their shaking and, maybe as an act of defiance against my fear or maybe for some other reason, answered, “Yes, he ran that way.” I nodded toward one of the off-branching paths.
    The pair ran away in the direction I indicated and it wasn’t until they were out of sight that my pulse slowed to a normal rate and my palms stopped sweating. Even knowing they weren’t after me, the close encounter was an unsettling experience.
    “Pssst,” a low voice whispered from the shrubbery after the guards were gone. The bushes rustled and a single eye peered out at me through a hole in the greenery.
    “Thank you, friend,” the stranger said. “I don’t know why you meddled on my behalf, but I’m very glad you did.”
    “Forget it,” I said. “I wasn’t trying to help you so much as to spite the city guard. Any men under the Praetor are enemies of mine.”
    “Ah, a fellow lawless after mine own heart,” he said. “I take it we share the same trade?”
    My hesitation must have given away my reluctance to answer the question because he seemed to realize his mistake quickly.
    “Forgive me, I shouldn’t have asked that. Trusting strangers is a luxury not everyone can afford. I should know.”
    At that moment, angry shouts and the sounds of returning footsteps alerted us the guardsmen were returning.
    “I’m afraid that’s the sound of your spiting coming back on you,” the stranger told me. “They must have discovered your ruse. Quickly, come with me.”
    I hadn’t intended to become this deeply involved, but it was too late to think of that. I scrambled into the bushes after him and, motioning me to follow, he started quickly off down a twisting path through the hedges. It didn’t take me long to realize he was leading us through a sort of maze. The rows of shrubbery grew tall as we went, soon reaching higher than my head, and the sounds of our enemies faded in the distance. The green labyrinth wound inward like a coiled snake and we followed the circular course, bypassing frequent openings that led down alternate paths. My strange companion never faltered. It was clear he had a particular destination in mind.
    After a short walk, we stepped into a clearing I guessed to be the heart of the maze. Here stood a tiny, low-roofed pavilion and a wide pool of water with a stone sculpture at its center.
    “Nimble thinks we’re safe here,” my companion told me, coming to a

Similar Books

A Thigh Hih Christmas

Tiffany Monique

Mail-Order Groom

Lisa Plumley

Seaglass

Chris Bridges

Pale Moon Rider

Marsha Canham

Demon Moon

Meljean Brook

The Curse

Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love

Valkyrie's Conquest

Sharon Ashwood