Page 21 of A Thief to Die For

He drops his head, then his eyes glint with something mischievous. ‘I’ll go with Samuel on one condition …’ He turns to Fitzgerald, who’s staring at our old-world tents like they’re a puzzle. We probably should have found some animal-hide ones before we left Kingsland. ‘You got anywhere around here to take a swim?’

I remove my shirt and toss it on to some rocks by the shore. ‘Samuel’s not going to be happy about waiting.’

Levi shucks his trousers. ‘But he will be happy that he doesn’t have to smell me for the next week.’ Levi hops around on one foot, pulling off a sock. ‘I wish he’d extend me the same courtesy.’

I’m not sure that’s our top priority right now, but siphoning more information about how things work here from Fitzgerald is. Anything to help us come up with a much-needed plan.

After grabbing the piece of soap I tucked in my pocket, I strip off the rest of my clothes and wade into the water. Levi does the same. The small pond is fed by a waterfall across the way, and the water temperature is mostly freezing. I do a shallow dive, dunking completely, then stand and push the water back from my hair.

Fitzgerald remains on the shore, and he’s … laughing?

‘What?’ This better not be where they dump their sewage.

‘You know this is for swimming.’ He crosses one leg over the other, making himself comfortable against a tree. ‘For everyone … including our women.’

Levi’s head jerks up. His hands dive into the water, covering for modesty.

‘Well,’ Fitzgerald corrects, ‘for anyone who’s not Dresden. Us guards have wash houses with bucket showers across from the barracks and a few tubs inside if a bath is your thing. But you said swimming … so.’

I scan the shoreline and trees. The waterfall spills from the middle of a small cliff, suggesting a channel back there. I don’t spot another person anywhere, but that doesn’t stop the feeling that somebody is watching – and imagining it’s a certain guard with long, dark hair does get my heart pumping. Should I be expecting an arrow to the back? ‘Why can’t the Dresden come here?’

Fitzgerald shrugs. ‘Because they’re … usually dirty from the mine. And … I don’t know, the Commander likes to separate us.’

‘You’re not allowed to go swimming if you’re dirty?’ Levi asks.

At least Fitzgerald has the class to cringe. ‘Look, I don’t make the rules, and it’s obviously not about race.’ He gestures to his brown skin. ‘It’s just – if you want to stay in Notting, you do what they tell you. What the Commander tells you. Simple.’

I slap a floating leaf away from me. The Commander does seem to rule with the charm of a rabid goat. Which means he won’t let me get away with not answering his questions for long.

‘We’re constantly told that the people we take in for the mine are not the best people,’ Fitzgerald continues. ‘The Dresden come with problems. They’re prone to disorder. Violence. That’s why we preventatively keep them on a short leash. Half my job is to make sure they don’t steal coal from the mine.’

My jaw tightens as Levi and I share a look. It all sounds a little heavy-handed.

When he doesn’t say more, I dunk and scrub my hair. Ironic that the Commander keeps the Dresden on a short leash because they’re prone to theft – but it’s Marian, his daughter, who’s stealing from them all.

Unless I stop her.

The three of us stand at the end of the entrance road, just outside Notting territory.

‘If I get myself kicked out before you’re back, this will be our meeting spot,’ I say. ‘I’ll lie low here until you return.’

Sam stares off into the trees, face tight. He hasn’t handled the new plan any better than Levi, but they’ve both accepted it. We’re on borrowed time – our hydro dam could fail any day. And yet we’re not desperate enough to lock into any costly deal without looking at everything on the table.

‘What’re you going to do about that throne rot in charge?’

I shake my head. ‘I don’t know.’ The Commander is a wild card for sure, but I have a feeling Marian is the crack in the boat I need to deal with first, or this ship, along with any chance of a trade deal, is going down. ‘I have an idea, but it still needs work.’

Now would be the perfect time to tell them that Marian is the raider. Except, I’m less sure than ever that they can handle a secret like that.

I pull out our trader’s map and point out the dots a couple of days’ ride east of here, just before the Rockies. ‘These are the two places you’ll be hitting. There’s nothing in any other direction, except maybe here.’ I drag my finger south. ‘But Fitzgerald said Atlas’s coal makes him pretty powerful in the area, and he basically controls the trading post. That said, it’s not in Notting’s interest to tip us off on another source for coal, so we should confirm that. Ask lots of questions. Maybe there’s somewhere else we’ve missed.’

Samuel grunts. ‘We’re already at least seven days from Kingsland if we’re dragging trailers of coal. Finding a mine any further means more chances we don’t make it home.’

I exhale. He’s not wrong.

‘I think we’re in good shape,’ Levi adds. ‘We’ve found coal, so our biggest problem is over.’ His face turns cocky as he smiles. ‘Just don’t screw up the deal.’

Right.