Read Online Through the Flames by Ryne Billings - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ryne Billings
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anything up outside of her belt and her boots.
“A pickpocket has to be good at doing things without being obvious.” That was all she would say on the matter, and Caleb nodded his head in acceptance of the knowledge that she would not explain it any further.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked as he finished his relatively bland meal. Meat by itself was somewhat filling, but it was definitely not a grand meal.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Katie said after she swallowed the last piece of the rabbit that Caleb had given her.
At that, they both rose to their feet and began to walk towards the entrance of the cave.
Their journey to Caldreth truly began as they left their temporary sanctuary.
Chapter 8
“So where does this friend of yours live again?” Caleb asked, glancing at his companion as they made their way down the road towards Caldreth.
“Nicolas owns an inn alongside the road,” Katie said as she kept pace with him effortlessly. “By his estimates, the inn is five miles away from Caldreth’s gates.”
Curiosity surfaced upon his face at that. “Why would anyone open up an inn so close to a big city like Caldreth? I can’t imagine he’d get much business.”
“His business is in stolen merchandise,” Katie said with a raised eyebrow. “The inn is just a front for his business as a fence. As it is, most of the people that rent rooms at the inn are only there to buy or sell something to him. Because it is located outside of the city walls, it is safe from city officials and the guard too.”
“So it’s just a hideout for criminals?” he asked, disturbed by the idea.
“It’s a place of business,” Katie corrected him. “Nicolas doesn’t allow anyone to stay unless they are paying for a room. Even then, he doesn’t let anyone stay unless he’s sure they won’t attract attention to his place. It’s a shop first, and an inn second.”
“Whatever you say,” Caleb said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Katie sighed at that point. She could understand the inner conflict that seemed to envelope him at times. Despite being rather understanding about her being a thief, Caleb had made his opinions regarding criminals quite clear since they left the cave that morning.
Her eyes narrowed suddenly as her attention went to the road before them. With the dense forest on both sides of the road, she had been focusing on her surroundings carefully from the start, but what she saw up ahead made her even more nervous. “We should proceed with caution.”
“If that’s what you want, feel free to do so,” Caleb said as he kept at his pace, undisturbed as he neared the bodies that were lying on the ground a little farther down the road.
“Are you insane?” Katie asked quietly as she ran up next to him.
“No, but these were the first men that I ever killed,” he replied as they came within twenty yards of the three brigands that he had killed the day before. One of them still had Caleb’s hunting knife between his eyes.
Without saying another word, Caleb walked over to the highwayman that he had killed with the knife, dropped to a squatting position, and pulled the knife free with a little effort. With his nice free, he wiped the blood off of it on the dead man’s tunic and sheathed it at his hip.
With a small smile, he turned and looked at Katie. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling much better now.”
He is definitely not like any other guy that I’ve ever met. That’s for sure, she thought as she looked upon him. ‘I’m never going to understand him, am I?
As they proceeded down the road, that question continued to pester her.
* * * * *
Within the hour, they arrived at their destination. Like the road that they had been travelling along, the road that ran in front of the inn had dense forests at its sides, but a path had been cut through the forest to their left, making it appear as if
“A pickpocket has to be good at doing things without being obvious.” That was all she would say on the matter, and Caleb nodded his head in acceptance of the knowledge that she would not explain it any further.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked as he finished his relatively bland meal. Meat by itself was somewhat filling, but it was definitely not a grand meal.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Katie said after she swallowed the last piece of the rabbit that Caleb had given her.
At that, they both rose to their feet and began to walk towards the entrance of the cave.
Their journey to Caldreth truly began as they left their temporary sanctuary.
Chapter 8
“So where does this friend of yours live again?” Caleb asked, glancing at his companion as they made their way down the road towards Caldreth.
“Nicolas owns an inn alongside the road,” Katie said as she kept pace with him effortlessly. “By his estimates, the inn is five miles away from Caldreth’s gates.”
Curiosity surfaced upon his face at that. “Why would anyone open up an inn so close to a big city like Caldreth? I can’t imagine he’d get much business.”
“His business is in stolen merchandise,” Katie said with a raised eyebrow. “The inn is just a front for his business as a fence. As it is, most of the people that rent rooms at the inn are only there to buy or sell something to him. Because it is located outside of the city walls, it is safe from city officials and the guard too.”
“So it’s just a hideout for criminals?” he asked, disturbed by the idea.
“It’s a place of business,” Katie corrected him. “Nicolas doesn’t allow anyone to stay unless they are paying for a room. Even then, he doesn’t let anyone stay unless he’s sure they won’t attract attention to his place. It’s a shop first, and an inn second.”
“Whatever you say,” Caleb said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Katie sighed at that point. She could understand the inner conflict that seemed to envelope him at times. Despite being rather understanding about her being a thief, Caleb had made his opinions regarding criminals quite clear since they left the cave that morning.
Her eyes narrowed suddenly as her attention went to the road before them. With the dense forest on both sides of the road, she had been focusing on her surroundings carefully from the start, but what she saw up ahead made her even more nervous. “We should proceed with caution.”
“If that’s what you want, feel free to do so,” Caleb said as he kept at his pace, undisturbed as he neared the bodies that were lying on the ground a little farther down the road.
“Are you insane?” Katie asked quietly as she ran up next to him.
“No, but these were the first men that I ever killed,” he replied as they came within twenty yards of the three brigands that he had killed the day before. One of them still had Caleb’s hunting knife between his eyes.
Without saying another word, Caleb walked over to the highwayman that he had killed with the knife, dropped to a squatting position, and pulled the knife free with a little effort. With his nice free, he wiped the blood off of it on the dead man’s tunic and sheathed it at his hip.
With a small smile, he turned and looked at Katie. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling much better now.”
He is definitely not like any other guy that I’ve ever met. That’s for sure, she thought as she looked upon him. ‘I’m never going to understand him, am I?
As they proceeded down the road, that question continued to pester her.
* * * * *
Within the hour, they arrived at their destination. Like the road that they had been travelling along, the road that ran in front of the inn had dense forests at its sides, but a path had been cut through the forest to their left, making it appear as if
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