Sly

The sun was bright overhead as we loaded up the cart. While other party-goers were still sleeping off the last night's wine, I loaded the trunks while the wagon was being set up for the horses. The same old woman, a devotee to Bliss that Panther trusted immensely, would be driving everyone back home.

"Those look heavy, need a hand?"

I nearly dropped the basket in my arms as I glared up at the increasingly irritating boy who kept showing up. Bricker had managed to sneak his way back into the palace and was now sitting on the driver's bench. "Bricker, what are you even doing here?"

"Just keeping an eye on things." Mid-sentence, he moved his head to follow the path of a passing maid and he waggled his eyebrows at her, eliciting a fit of giggles. 

 I had come to find out about Bricker is he has a serious side when he is concentrating on a job, and a playful side when he's breathing. Turning back my way, he gave me a wink, something the men in my life couldn't seem to stop doing. I quietly resolved to punch the next person who winked at me. Hopefully, it would be Davery.

"An eye on things indeed." Panther shot him a scolding look. "If I gave you a copper bit to watch the road and not the Muses would that work?"

"Yes, ma'am that would do it." Bricker saluted the Muses in turn, then faced forward, blatantly scouting the courtyard.

Panther snorted, turning back to gathering the Muses and getting them loaded in with the last of the supplies. With a grunt, I loaded the basket I'd been carrying, giving one last look to the courtyard around us.

Panther chose to leave early enough that most of the nobility that had been invited to stay at the palace were still sleeping off the wine, so we were one of the only carts outside the stables. Sweeping the area for any last things of note, my eyes drifted upward to the large library windows where I ran into the prince. His words were concerning, but I'd pass them on to Davery. Attention was an uncomfortable feeling for me, but I'd certainly gotten it this past three days.

Finally done, the cart was taken back and unloaded at Panther's house. The entire ride I let my mind wander through the halls of the palace, remembering what twists and turns I could, and playing back the faces of the nobles whose names now sat safely in the book. The ride was quiet all around, everyone was too sleepy for boisterous conversation, even the twins. At least until we had arrived, the horses rubbed down, and the luggage put away. 

"Salysta," Panther called her over. "This is for you." She placed two silver bits in my palm.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Your share, you did work for it. I wanted to give it to you earlier but Orchid said you'd just slip it in our luggage." Panther laughed at I glared behind her at my so-called friend slipping into the house. Turning back with a sigh, I smiled for Panther.

"Thank you." I probably would have snuck it somewhere on the cart if I got the chance. At least I could use the money to help more of Swamp.

"Well, I know we will be resting today. Are you going home?" Panther asked.

"I guess, I need to talk to Davery. It's kind of complicated." Panther had reminded me of what was to come, and my stomach knotted up.

"I'm not sure what's wrong, but good luck Salysta." Panther patted my shoulder and went into the house. Letting out a slow breath, I steeled myself for the walk home where I would have to unload every moment of the festival to my brother in meticulous detail.

~

Davery sat at the table in our rented space. He didn't speak for a long time, just stared intently at me. I had waited at the inn for him for hours, a little annoyed that this urgent task of his wasn't urgent enough to wait around to hear about.

When footsteps came down the cellar stairs, heavy and tired, I sat up from my bed where I had been attempting to tailor an old pair of Davery's pants that might fit me if I could hem them enough. Shoving the work aside, I sat at the table as Davery sank into his favorite chair.

"Finally, where were you all day?" I asked.

He pulled the jug of water on the table closer, moving to pour himself a glass which I reached up to the sehlf and brought down for him. He poured with his good hand as he talked. "We got ahold of some extra goods from the street vendors. Old food at a discount price, a few donations from merchants who were in town for the feast days but didn't want to haul goods home. We were trying to distribute discretely all day long, despite the eyes of the mongrels being in heavy forst from the festivities."

"Ah." I should have thought of that, but of course my brother was one step ahad of me once again. "I'm back from the palace . . ."

Tired as he was, he managed to take a long drink of cool water and shoot me a smile. "I'm glad you made it back safe. Good job, Sly. Tell me everything."

And so I did. He hadn't said a word throughout my explanation. When I finally finished telling him about Prince Rorik on the third day of the feast, he just sat back in his chair and stared at me. I knew he would think about his answer to my problem before he spoke, no matter what I said. So, I sat in agony for several long minutes waiting for some kind of solace in this mess.

"I think, this could be a good thing." He finally spoke, but not what I expected him to say.

"What?" 

"Yes," He leaned forward again. "I've heard little enough of Rorik, though nothing necessarily bad. Girault, him I've heard bad about. And this list is a wonderful peace offering." Davery tapped the list of Council members in the book that I sat between us for reference while I told Davery everything I could remember.

"But we were never going to take an active role in what is going on between the Council and the Monarchy, right?" I was grasping at anything to not be in this position. "You always say, the Black Daggers do their best work in the shadows."

"True, we weren't going to do anything of the sort. And you still aren't. All you need to do is deliver a message if I come up with one, I'll worry about our crafty Lord." Frowning at his answer, I wasn't sure this was much better.

"Davery, don't do anything stupid."

"Dear sister, I leave that to you. I have never done a stupid thing in my life." Davery tousled my hair, that infuriating smirk on his lips, and I swatted his hand away.

"No amount of planning protects you from an aristocrat's wrath, especially not the Master of Secrets for the palace!" I hissed at him.

"And doing nothing protects all of us from the nobles?" He stared back at me. "Sly, Panther was right. King Joasten will not stand for the taxes and fear that plagued his people. But he is a fair man, to the very core of what he is made of. He will right any laws that have been amended in his absence, he will also make sure the taxes are lowered though he can't do much for whatever Lord's have overtaxed anyone on their own lands. What he will not do, Salysta, is punish the Council of Nobles with no proof of wrongful deed. If Rorik has suspicion of him, I do as well. Whatever he may have in the works I will root it out."

"Davery, I just can't lose you too." I looked at him pleading. His expression softened and he reached his good hand across the table to cover mine.

"You won't. I'll handle this from the background, I promise. But I will handle it," he said. I worried over him all the time, but I did feel better as long as he was staying in the shadows that he was so good at playing in.

"You aren't going to spread the Master of Secrets thing around are you?" I asked nervously.

"No, I can't have a Prince banging down our door. A messy business that would be. I won't mention it, but I will tell Jexa I suspect Lord Girault is up to no good and I want eyes on him, fair?" He asked.

"Fair." I replied. "So, what's our first step?" I was curious now that my nerves over the whole affair had been settled.

"Step one, his conspirators." A wicked gleam flashed across his eyes and he put on his typical half-smile.

My stomach sank at that familiar look of trouble. Fantastic.

Shadow help us, Davery was plotting.