Crown Thief Read Online Free Page A

mayor of Muena Palaiya. Easie Damasco… well, no doubt you remember the name." To the rest of us, he explained, "Navare acts for the guard's interests in the Suburbs."
      Navare offered a lopsided grin. "A suitably ambiguous description of a particularly ill-defined role."
      "The guard always had explicit orders from the Prince not to make its presence felt in the Suburbs. I followed those orders, of course – to the letter. Navare is a gatherer of information, and a discreet solver of certain kinds of problem."
      Navare's grin widened. "Well put, sir."
      "I trust you've been keeping up your duties in our absence?"
      Abruptly, all humour vanished from Navare's expression. "Of course, Guard-Captain. But truth be told, I doubt I've found much you haven't already guessed. There are rumours aplenty, but facts are tough to come by."
      "Go on."
      "Well… four days ago, a contingent of Moaradrid's troops entered the city. Soon after, all the gates were barricaded from the inside. I've seen northern soldiers, family retainers and men I recognise from the gangs, all apparently working together. The place is sealed up tighter than a priestess's…" Remembering Estrada's presence, Navare caught himself and finished weakly, "No one's been in or out, sir, except I heard they destroyed the barracks – and even that they did at night."
      "I didn't know about the troops. I'd hoped they'd flee back north," said Alvantes darkly. "That makes it even worse."
      "What about the families?" asked Estrada. "Even with Panchetto gone, would they really be desperate enough to side with criminals?"
      "They think of themselves as Ans Pasaedans, even after all these years," replied Alvantes. "To them, Altapasaeda is an island surrounded by enemies. The gangs are as Castovalian as anyone else, and more dangerous than most. On their own initiative, it's the last thing they'd do."
      I thought I followed his implication. "So if it's not their own idea, it's someone else's," I said.
      "I've heard word there's one man pulling the strings," agreed Navare. "If it's true, he's doing a damn fine job of keeping his name quiet."
      I was beginning to see why Alvantes was so worried.
      Combined, the household retainers of the many wealthy northern families numbered in the hundreds. Working apart, they'd always kept each other in check. Working together, they amounted to a military force perhaps half the size of the one Moaradrid had invaded with, and considerably better trained and equipped.
      Add to that Altapasaeda's sizable criminal underground and the dregs of Moaradrid's army. Now have them put aside their differences in favour of some common goal. What did that leave you?
      It left an army.
      And if that army was guided by a single individual, there was a good chance we'd done nothing but exchange one would-be tyrant for another.
      "Whoever he is, he's smart," said Alvantes, breaking in upon my thoughts. "Keeping the city bottled up will make the families even more paranoid, and everyone on the outside too." He glanced behind him, as though he could somehow see the city through the intervening wood. "It seems the only concrete answers lie within those walls."
      "Getting inside would be tricky," said Navare. "I'd try it myself, but if they caught me and traced me back to the guard…"
      "Yes. That could prove difficult. Better to keep our presence secret for as long as we can."
      "They'll be watching the bridge and the wharfs."
      "I think there's a way. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it might work. It would take someone who knew the city, who was familiar with its seamier side. Someone with contacts on the inside, who could pass unnoticed. Someone…"
      "Hey," I said. "Stop looking at me like that."
      For Alvantes's eyes were firmly fixed on me, and everyone else's had swung to follow. "Why, Damasco?" he said. "You wanted to spend a night in Altapasaeda so badly. Now here's your