Cage of Deceit(2)

He went over to the man lying on the ground, making sure he was knocked out cold. “While you were jumping over rooftops like a gazelle, I was stuck in that brawl outside the Snakeskin Tavern.” He stood and turned to face her. “I can’t believe you took this man on without me, Lilly.”

The first time she met Grevik all those years ago, she’d told him her name was Lilly so he wouldn’t suspect her true identity.

“I couldn’t wait for you,” she said with a shrug. Now that she could see Grevik in the moonlight, she noticed his knuckles were cut and bleeding. “Are you all right?” she asked, pointing to his hands, hoping he hadn’t broken a bone.

He nodded. “It was easier to punch a few of the drunks to make my way through the brawl.” Grevik scanned the rooftop. “I guess we can add jumping buildings to your ever-growing list of skills.”

“It was bloody fun,” she said, unable to suppress her smile.

Grevik shook his head. “You’re unbelievable. Only you would think leaping through the air thirty feet off the ground over alleys is fun.”

“You told me to do it so we wouldn’t lose the thief.” She picked up her daggers and sheathed them.

“Blame it on me,” he teased, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, tugging her closer to him. Allyssa stiffened before forcing herself to relax. This was the sort of thing friends did. “Come on,” he said. “We need to drop this bloke off to my contact in the City Guard so I can go home. It’s later than usual, and I don’t want Mum to wake up and find me gone.”

“I need to go home, too,” Allyssa said. If she didn’t arrive before daylight, she would be in severe trouble.



“Wake up,” Mayra hissed. “Your mother is on her way. She’ll be here any minute.”

Allyssa groaned and snuggled further under the warm blankets. It was too early. She wasn’t ready to wake up and face the day. Her body ached from running on the rooftops and fighting a grown man last night. Just a few more hours—that was all she needed. Mayra yanked the blankets off her. “You are cruel!” Allyssa chided her friend. Grabbing her pillow, she smothered it over her face, shielding out the bright light.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Mayra tried again. “Your mother will be here in less than five minutes. It is already mid-morning. If she arrives and finds you in bed, you know what will happen.”

Mayra was right. Allyssa needed to climb out of bed and dress before her mother arrived. Otherwise, she’d never hear the end of it. She threw the pillow off her face and stretched.

Mayra’s eyes widened at the sight of her, and she gasped. “What happened?”

“I’m tired is all.” Allyssa yawned and sat up. “I want an easy dress to put on without a lot of frills.”

Mayra shook her head, her eyes wide with horror.

“What is it?” Allyssa asked as she slid off the bed and moved to the tall mirror in the corner of her room. She expected to see a tired face looking back at her. Capturing thieves was no easy task. Staring at herself in the mirror, she hissed. “That son of a harlot!” she cursed. The entire side of her face was a deep, raging purple, the color of eggplant. She growled. She’d forgotten the thief had hit her last night.

“I’ll get the dusting powder,” Mayra said, running to the dresser. “Madelin,” she called over her shoulder. “Find something purple for Allyssa to wear.”

There was no way they were going to be able to hide this before her mother arrived. Blimey. Rushing into her dressing closet, she ran her hands over her long, brown hair, trying to tame it. She could feign an illness, but then she’d have to stay in bed all day with people fussing about her. The mere thought made her want to vomit.

Madelin plucked lavender fabric off a hanger and shoved it at her. Allyssa grabbed the material and yanked it over her head, shimmying into the outfit. Mayra rushed in, carrying the tray of powder. As Madelin cinched up the back of the dress, Mayra dusted Allyssa’s face, trying to hide the nasty bruise.

Mayra shook her head. “If you had come to me right when this happened, I could have made a paste of herbs to lessen the swelling.” She dabbed her brush into more powder and applied a thick second coat.

A knock resounded through her bedchamber. Her mother was there. Allyssa’s hair wasn’t even done.

“Keep your head slightly forward,” Mayra instructed. “Try to hide the side of your face with your hair.”

Allyssa nodded, looking at herself in the mirror. Even with the powder on, her face had a hint of purple to it. The sleeves and skirt of her lavender dress were adorned with thousands of small beads. With the color of the fabric and the shiny beading, it merely seemed as if the dress were reflecting on her face. Brilliant. She hugged Mayra and Madelin. “Thank you.”