Thief In The Shadows by Tyler Lace (books for students to read TXT) 📕

Footsteps broke his thoughts but he continued to lie with his head rested on his palms.

"Took your time."

"What, no 'hi'."

Azad rolled his eyes as the blonde-haired boy sat next to him, staring out at the water. There was no more commotion among the dirty streets, but they could hear people chatting away, walking along the side of the cemented land and cooing at each other.

The thief looked to his left to see Vafa looking at the couples. His face held no emotion but his eyes captured silent despair. Azad, once more, realised he really did not know a thing about his quiet friend. It unnerved him a little bit (that and the faraway look the blonde had on his face). He would mask his concern of course.

"How'd you go?" asked Vafa, his eyes slowly moving back to the water and his voice sounding more cracked then he would of liked.

"Fine. Nearly lost my eyes," he replied with no emotion. He pulled out the little sleeve and handed it to Vafa, who took it carefully and pulled out the weapon, but after close examination he passed it back. "Well?"

"It's a weapon," he stated calmly.

"Idiot, who's the customer?"

"You."

Azad blinked. Did he hear right? Vafa knew he had no money and this was supposed to be his breakthrough. But there was always a catch with this boy. "Excuse me?"

Vafa rolled his silver coin over his fingers. "The dagger was for you-"

Azad was furious. "Why did you get me to steal it if it was for me?!"

Vafa shot him a glare, the coin stopping abruptly. "Would you have gotten it if I said it was for you?"

The dark-haired boy was speechless, which caused a grin to form on Vafa's lips, the coin continuing its movement. "But why would I need it?"

"To find your parents, of course."

Azad scoffed and shook his head. The torches around the courtyard were now lit, causing shadows to dance and figures to flicker. One by one curtains were being drawn and the secret couples sat, smiling and whispering. Two girls were talking as they looked out, one moving her hands dramatically in explanation, causing a laugh, light running along their face.

"Vafa-"

A screeching bell roared over the area, causing the couples to jump and look over.

"Bandits," Vafa stated.

Azad squinted, seeing past the posts, and spotting a group of people. This bell was rung when a situation was about to play out and no one was to interfere. It was just a warning that guards were getting prisoners or something like that, but, lately, it had been for bandits coming into the towns. Everyone had started to have their obvious suspicions that the guards were up to something, using bandits to cover up. But it was just the bandits taking advantage.

They weren't hired just to take people across land.

The bandits ran up to the couple, the others standing up and running, and grabbed them as they kicked and screamed, prying them off each other and away from the edge.

"It would seem so."

Azad and Vafa stayed quiet, watching the scene play out. Azad wanted to help, but the bandits might of known who he was and captured him too.

"Can't we do anything?" Vafa whispered, reading Azad's thoughts as his coin disappeared into his pocket.

Azad sighed. "Too risky," he replied in a whisper.

"Do you forget who you are?"

If Vafa was expecting a response in words, he was kidding himself, because all he received was a glint of puzzlement in the other young man's eyes and a raised eyebrow. The blonde sighed dramatically.

"Thief in the shadows."

"Technically only you call me that."

"Yes, but there are other variations of your name. I chose to use this one for a reason." Vafa grinned before pointing to a post that flickered at the other side of the dock, near the land. "The best option would be to take that out then fight the bandits in the shadows, thief."

Azad rolled his eyes but mentally agreed that that was a clever plan. Sure, the risk was high, but at least it was down a bit. Even if he got caught in light it would only be for a mere moment before he slid back into the darkness.

Yes, Vafa was a schemer.

"There's two holding the girl," - He pointed at the struggling brunette, who was only not fighting back because her wrists were restrained - "one holding the other," - he pointed at the girl who had curly, short black hair as she was kicking at the one bandit as he tried to tie her wrists - "and a final one keeping watch. It would be good training for you." A grin graced his lips as his eyes gleamed. "Plus, you can use that new dagger."

Azad's eyes followed his friends toward the dagger, which he quickly grabbed. "Take out the lamp post for me?"

Vafa, with the grin still on his face, nodded. "What are friends for?"

Before Azad could blink Vafa had pulled out one of his own daggers and slipped into the darkness, before rolling off the dock, holding on to underneath and pulling himself till he got to the very end. From there the boy went to the right side (opposite of the post) then emerged for a split second to see Azad had moved closer to it.

Smash

The one holding the black-haired girl's wrists head whipped around as glass littered the area around the now broken post. The girl saw it as an opportunity and turned around, kicking the man to the ground. He pounced back up and punched the girl, only to miss, before she kicked his sides, punched his gut, then tripped him over with another kick. The two other bandits looked up at the sound of their fallen comrade grunting, holding his bloodied head.

"Restrain Tess! I've got this one," said one with shaggy brown hair, giving Tess's wrist a tug as the light-haired one grabbed the other from behind, picking her up as she screamed.

"Shut up!" he hissed.

"You're no better then-" before he could finish his sentence, Tess swung around and kicked, aiming for his head.

A figure emerged from the shadows, knocking down the bandit on watch and dragging him into the alley, before sliding back into darkness and toward the two girls tied-

Azad watched as the one known as 'Tess' knocked one bandit into the water, her hands still restrained by ropes, before the other kicked at her bandits knee as she was being lifted. He dropped and she spun around, just in time to see a fist flying toward her-

The bandit stared wide eyed as he was grabbed by the feet and pulled into shadows, before being punched in the gut, then stabbed in the arm. Azad looked up from his victim to see the girls had escaped. The thief held the knife to his throat, making one last slash.

He stood up and looked around the dock. Coming to the conclusion Vafa had left, he decided to just go back to his shelter, that was, of course, before throwing the other alive bandit into the water.

The air smelt of fresh fruit and baked goods, as food was laid out on a long table, a red cloth covering the wood. The sound of footsteps caused the hooded figure at the table to look up at the accused. “What?” asked a deep voice.

The person who had walked in looked up at the man. “We want our payment,” said a husky voice.

Another man popped up from behind him. “We did wha’ ye asked, ae? Ye can’t just let me boys go empty handed. They’re-”

“Shut up!” intervened the first man. “Seriously.” His attention focused back on the hooded man. “Sir, the bandits did what was asked of them.”

There was the sound of a faint chuckle, than  the  silence returned, until, “Do you not class yourself as one of them?”

“No, sir.”

Another chuckle. “Interesting. Well” -he stood up- “I can’t have one of my employee getting upset, now can I?”

“Yes, sir. Exactly wha’ I was thinking.”

The hooded man got closer until he was standing directly in front of the bandit. “What did I say I would pay you in the first place?”

“Eh, protection, sir.”

He nodded. “Yes, I see. So, why was that not good enough?”

“Ye see, me boys won’t like this if I appear empty ‘anded-”  The man forced the other’s mouth open, before cutting his tongue clean off.

“Well, you tell them-wait, you won’t be able to.” He watched as the man fell to the ground, the crimson touching the floor. His mouth was wide, as were his eyes, and he was screaming. It was almost unnatural.

Suddenly, he was next to the other man, his breath fanning his ear. “Tell the boys that this is what happens when he messes with me.” He looked back down. “Oh, and he'll live, it’s just a mouth wound."

And he left, walking down the hall, whistling to himself.

“Hey, thief.”

Azad rolled his eyes as he sat next to his friend on the hill, trees littered around them. “I have a name, Vafa.”

Vafa just hummed in reply, continuing to stare up at the sky, arms folded under his head.  “Do you know why I want you to find your parents’ killers?”

“Because you’re a bastard and won’t let anything go?”

A crooked smile formed on the boy’s lips. “It’s because you have a chance to get revenge. I didn’t. I don’t.”

Azad blinked. “Vafa?”

Said boy smiled as he closed his eyes. “I had a sister. I never talk about her, but i greatly respected her. She was five years older. I wished I could say our relationship was great,  but she despised me. But I always saw siblings loving each other, you know? No favourite child. But she was the favourite. I didn’t mind really. I still respected her.

"She didn’t get the respect until one day, when mother and father were out, she was too. I heard a window open during the night so I went to investigate. Upon doing so, I found her climbing in to her room with a sack of things I had never seen before. Her eyes landed on me and she brought her fingers to her lips. I didn’t understand until I saw they were stolen items. We could never afford that stuff. She went on to tell me that she sold the stuff to the markets. And, I said I would only not tell if she let