I glanced around at the chests of overflowing gold. If they never spent the riches they stole, it would make it a lot easier to avoid capture. But I still couldn’t work out what the point of it was if they never enjoyed their ill-gotten wealth.
And why would Kasim raiding the cave bring back the retired thieves? Did it have something to do with the enchantment? Would they be magically notified of any breach on their stronghold?
But that couldn’t be the case, or they would have come after Ali’s thievery two days ago. My head whirled trying to make sense of it, and all the while, in a distant part of my brain, I was still screaming with horror at seeing my employer murdered in front of me.
“If we had continued down south for the next few months, like our original plan, we would have missed him entirely,” Davis said, sounding sickened.
“We would have heard about it, as I said.” Esai spoke shortly, still out of temper.
One of the other thieves swore. “If it wasn’t for that cursed enchantment, we wouldn’t be stuck coming back here so often. And we wouldn’t have to worry about people like him.” He pointed at Kasim’s body.
The captain gave him a cold look. “Are you perhaps suggesting we should abandon this cave and the traditions of our fathers?”
“No, no, of course not,” the man said hastily. “It’s just impossible not to think about how much simpler matters would be if we just spent our—”
“Perhaps you know of other gangs with a record like ours?” Esai asked, sounding dangerous now. “A gang that has operated for decades without a single member being apprehended? You knew what you were signing up for when you joined, and you knew that there are only two ways out—like Joseph here…” He pointed at a thief who stood slightly to the side of the group, a few gray strands in his otherwise black hair. “Or like that.” He pointed at Kasim.
The burly thief stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his now clean and sheathed sword. The grumbling thief took a hasty step backward.
“Hold on, I’m not saying nothing about leaving. Nothing like that. But a man can wish things were simpler, can’t he?”
“I prefer not to waste my time on imaginings.” Esai turned away from him in a clear dismissal.
At a hand gesture from him, twenty thieves sprang forward to each take a basket from one of the donkeys. I expected them to begin returning the gold and jewels to their original places, but they merely tossed the baskets toward the edges of the cave, seeming not to care where they landed.
The gold clinked and clanged, many of the coins bouncing out and rolling in all directions. The thieves ignored the mess, except for one who looked down at Kasim’s body in distaste.
“And what about this one? What do we do with him?”
“Leave him there,” Esai said, “as a warning. If anyone else does know the secret of the cave, let them discover what happens to those who try to rob us.”
The man made a face but didn’t protest, and I understood his disgust. If they meant to come back any time soon, they might not like what they found.
“When we robbed that caravan and headed here to deposit the gold, you said it was enough to move forward my retirement,” Joseph, the man with gray in his hair, said abruptly. “Has that changed?”
Esai hesitated, and I could see the reluctance flickering in his eyes as the lamplight hit them. But he glanced around at the rest of his men and shook his head.
“The treasure has been fed, and this thief didn’t make it out of the cave, so matters remain the same. Thirty-nine of us should be enough to track down this man’s identity and ensure the silence of those closest to him.”
Icy fear trickled through me. Nyla was one of the people I liked least in the world, but I still didn’t want to see her murdered in her bed. And as for the rest of the servants…
“Choose your earnings,” the captain said to Joseph, his voice heavy as if the words had some long-standing custom behind them.
The gray-haired man gave him a half bow and moved off toward the back of the cave. I gulped, a more immediate worry overtaking me as he poked around among the treasures in the further reaches. I no longer had to wonder what would happen if he stumbled on the hiding place of one of the others. I pictured Adara lying beside Kasim and was nearly sick again.
But as the minutes stretched on, there was no shout of discovery or cry of fear. Another thief led forward one of the horses, and the man began to fill both the saddlebags while a third thief counted portentously.
When he reached ninety-nine, the gray-haired thief unrolled a thick piece of material and regarded it for a long moment. I couldn’t get a clear view from my hiding place, but it looked like a tapestry.
Eventually the man nodded, rolled it back up, and laid it across the back of his horse, securing it behind his saddle. He led his mount back to the rest of the thieves near the entrance, many of whom gave him openly envious looks.
“You have played your part and now receive your reward,” the captain said in the same ringing voice.
“I take the secret of our brotherhood to my grave,” the thief replied, giving the same half bow again.
He clambered up onto the back of his now heavily laden horse, and the others seemed to take it as a signal. Within moments they were all mounted, except for one who took charge of the string of donkeys.
As the thieves started back out of the cave, Esai and Davis lingered behind, bringing up the rear of the group. As they started toward the tunnel, I heard Esai say something about going into the city. But though I strained to hear more, they moved too quickly, passing out of hearing before I could catch any specifics.