He frowned, then refastened the gag around my mouth. “Spit this out again and I’ll carve out your tongue. Got it?” He didn’t wait for an answer before the canvas bag went back over my head.
They left me that way and soon everything went quiet. Once I was certain they were asleep, I undid the knots that tied my hands, then removed the gag and the canvas bag. After untying the rope around my feet, I lay down to sleep as well, using the bag as a thin layer of padding between my head and my arm.
I awoke with a boot to my ribs, which was better than I’d expected. When I opened my eyes, Erick towered over me, his arms folded. Fink stood in the shadows behind him. He had a dark bruise on his forehead from where I’d kicked him. A better person might’ve regretted kicking a kid. I didn’t.
“You’ve got a rat behind you,” I muttered to Erick.
Fink shook his head. “No, my pet’s in her cage.”
“I wasn’t talking about your pet.”
“Call me whatever names you want,” Fink said. “They said as long as I watch out for you, I can stay too.”
If he expected a congratulations from me, he was going to be disappointed. This was no place for someone his age. Nor mine, I supposed.
“Why didn’t you run?” Erick asked. “It appears our knots were no good for you.”
“Undoing all those knots made me tired. Besides, you and I have business to discuss.” I eyed Fink. “Without him.”
“If it wasn’t for me, they would have killed you already,” Fink said.
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here in the first place,” I retorted.
Erick grabbed my shirt and yanked me to my feet, then led me forward with Fink at my heels. Every time he got too close I stopped walking, forcing him to run into me, then I turned around and grinned back at him. It irritated him, but I was bigger so I didn’t think he’d try anything back. Of course, the last time we met I had kicked him in the face, so maybe he would.
They led me into a makeshift tent on the edge of camp. From the looks of it, this was a supply tent, though there wasn’t much here to offer. In the center was a small table. Lying on it were my knife, sword, and the satchel of coins I’d given to Fink.
Erick motioned to the items. “Explain these.”
I flashed a wry smile. “If you don’t know what these are, then you’re in the wrong business.”
He wasn’t amused. He picked up the satchel by a seam and dumped the coins on the table. “These are Carthyan and in new condition. How do you come to possess so many of them?”
“I took them.” Which was easy to do because as king, they were mine.
“So you’re a thief.”
Casually, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Looks that way.”
“Are you any good?”
My answer only required a nod at the coins.
“Where’d they come from?”
“Why do you want to know?” As if that weren’t obvious.
“You told Fink you could get more.”
I eyed Fink. “He should’ve realized that secret divided better between only the two of us.”
Erick was quickly losing his patience. “So are there more?”
Folding my arms, I said, “You can’t expect me to answer that. If there are, I’d rather save that news for the pirates.”
Erick grinned slyly. “Ah. You think with some treasure you could earn yourself a seat at their table?”
I didn’t need a seat. Just a sword and a lot of luck.