Lucid Waking

Archive for April 18th, 2008

The Den of Thieves (III)

        There was silence before Devin realized that was his cue to answer. He bowed deeply. “I won’t disappoint you.”
         The king smiled. “At least he knows what to say.” He waved his hand. “You may go.”
Devin headed out back the way he came a little quicker than his usual pace. I pattered after him softly. He was doing a good job of blocking me out, and I’d respect that. He crept around the shelves until he reached the corner door. It was locked, but he picked it carefully and crept inside. The room was dark, but a few candles remained lit. The floor was scattered in crumbs and dirt, but Devin crept into the corner on the far side of the room and pulled his jacket closer to his body. I crept behind him and curled up between his two legs and the floor. His raspy breathing returned quickly enough and his body relaxed. I felt a little safer and allowed him to go to sleep.
         I was nowhere near being tired, which I suppose made it difficult for Devin, but he was doing fine without my help. I trotted off out of the room to hopefully to catch a little breakfast for the following morning. The saloon above was still and dark. A faint light was rising on the horizon as I left between a crack in the bottom half of the door and the crumbling wall. It felt like only the farmers were awake as I slunk down alleyways to the glowing pink sky. Devin was still asleep, so I snuck a little farther into town away from the garbage and towards the meat.
         “Going for the good food then,” a voice called from above. I looked up and locked eyes with the king’s silly little raven. He flew down from the roof of the butcher shop and came into the street.
         “I see you have pinpointed that location,” I answered.
         “My what a tongue.”
         “What do you expect? I’m a cat and you’re insolent.”
         He laughed. “It’s good to get a little cheek now and again. What’s your name?”
         “Miaka,” I answered. “But I do not see how this is going to help my master.”
         “Jack feels his power is waning. He believes a dictatorship will help strengthen his hold, but I think forming an alliance with your boy so he can strengthen ties with the children is best. Don’t you agree?”
         I smiled. “Someone with sense…good.”
         “Excellent. Why don’t we discuss this over breakfast.”
         He led me around the back of the building where a few left over morsels were rotting in the rising sun. Though it was not gourmet, it was the best food I had had in weeks. He watched as I ate.
         “Aren’t you going to join me?” I asked suspicious.
         “I already ate, but thank you.”
         I stopped eating and sat back on my haunches. “Well, what’s your plan?”
         “I’m trying to convince Jack to let him stay, but Luna is already adamant about John’s trust in the boy so I think tonight will go quite—” He stopped at my puzzled expression. “I’m sorry. I am so used to everyone being around I quite forgot you are new.”
         “And you seem quite used to being king.”
         “Well, that’s easy to get accustomed to. Jack is my connection. I’m Diego.”
         “Pleased to meet you. My boy is Devin.”
         The raven bowed his head. “Jack’s best friend, and right hand man, is John; his mouse is Luna. Second after John is Morgan—he’s the red haired boy who stood in the doorway yesterday. His connection is Hex—a rabbit. Then Sam—the blond one—with Gina, who’s a parakeet. And finally, Edward—the gray boy who announces the king—with Osirus. Osirus is a bit of trouble, really, and almost never around. He’s a garter snake and really very harmless, but we’re not sure whether he has an actual connection to Ed or something else. You might want to be careful of that, too.”
         “All right, so if Devin succeeds tonight, he’s automatically in?”
         “No, then Jack reconsiders his options.”
         “So this is just to buy him time and make him seem more important than he is.”
         “Essentially. But there’s much more to it.”
         “Please explain.”
         “Well…if I can convince Jack of my plans, then this will actually be an initiation. If I can do this then Devin might actually be in his court, but this is probably only because of Edward. There are only ever four on the king’s court at a time.”
         “So Edward is a serious threat to the king?”
         “Eh, not as of late, no. Osirus is giving me the shivers, though.”
         “He is a garter snake, do not think anything of it.”
         “You have not been here long enough to know him.”
         “I am also not a coward.”
         Diego puffed up. “What are you implying?”
         “Nothing, but if you are the king’s connection you should be a little wiser as to the display you put on.”
         “What do you know of it?”
         “I am a cat,” I said, “all we ever think about is display, manners, and regality.”
         Diego cocked his head and the started up quickly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “The master seems to want me now.”
        “As you need,” I said politely. I stared at the meat again then shoved my way into the shop. I carried as much as I could before the loud hustling of people upstairs forced me to slip out quietly with my loot. I started at a low gallop down the street and managed to get into the hideout and down the stairs before anyone in the saloon spotted me.
         Devin was starting to wake up; the awareness was melting softly into his thoughts. I reached his side with breakfast and then jumped up onto the chair. I would have enough warning if the king came in. Devin coughed and sat up to look around the room. His mouth was dry, but I had placed his breakfast somewhere he would see it and he took up the meat hungrily. I watched him carefully, though I knew he was ignoring me. He was very good at closing the connection.