Page 22 of Heart of Shadows

“What’s Valtivar?” Harper asked.

“Another country bordering Pelenor. Far to the south of here, across the mountains.” He nodded at the dwarf. “Ragnar hails from there.”

“What about you?” Harper asked Aedon. “Where are you from?”

“I’m from Pelenor, though I have the blood of the elf realm, Auraria, running through my line.” A smile lit his face. For a moment, he looked utterly carefree, staring into the distance as if he could see a different place around him.

“Is that far away?”

“Oh yes.”

“Why are you here then?”

Aedon’s smile faded as he shot a glance at the rest of the crew, who fidgeted. “I’m an outcast. We all are, in a fashion. Cast out by our families, countries, and people.”

Harper’s heart sank. “You mean, you’re criminals?”

Aedon drew himself up, full of affront. “Not at all!” His shoulders slumped slightly. “Well, I suppose a little.”

“You can’t be a little bit of a criminal. You either are or you aren’t.”

“We’re not in our own eyes, and that’s what matters to us,” growled Brand. “But if you want to get technical, yes, we’re outlaws.”

Harper looked between them. They didn’t seem very criminal, though they didn’t seem too friendly, either.

“Oh, go on, elf. You might as well tell her who you are.” Erika scowled. “Sate her curiosity—and your ego. But she has no right to know my story, save from my own lips.”

“Nor mine,” Brand said.

Ragnar remained silent, watching from the shadows at the edge of the fire.

“Oh, if I must!” With a dramatic flounce, Aedon leapt to his feet and swirled into an exaggerated bow. “Aedon, legendary Thief of Pelenor, at your service, miss. Pleasure to meet you.”

Harper’s jaw dropped. “You’re… You’re a thief?” she spat.

“Again, not in my own eyes, but technically, yes. My reputation far precedes me. I’m rather proud of it actually.”

“What sort of things do you steal?” Harper’s eyes narrowed as she took in the ragtag crew once more. They didn’t look wealthy. She presumed a good thief would at least wear fine clothes, or have a hoard of treasure. Some evidence of the proceeds of their crime. Maybe they’re terrible at it, the thought surfaced.

“Things that need to be liberated from their present owners.” Aedon lifted his chin, and Harper was surprised by how resilient his sense of righteousness was. It oozed from him. But now that she knew he was a crook, it tainted how handsome she had found him. “We take from those who have not earned it and give to those in need.”

Something warmer stirred in her at that. She stamped upon it. “That’s very gallant of you, but theft is wrong, no matter how you try to justify it.”

“You’re quite mistaken.” Aedon’s eyes flashed, and she shrank back at their intensity. “Would you consider it unreasonable to return funds to overtaxed peasants who cannot feed their starving children? Would you consider it unreasonable to liberate commandeered goods, stolen for avarice, and return them to their owners? Would you consider it unreasonable to liberate a cure to a sickness that would otherwise be withheld, costing innocents’ lives?”

Harper swallowed, thrown off guard by his passion. “I—I suppose not.”

Aedon sat on his rock with a huff. “Well, there you have it. Of course, the king and his guard don’t agree. That’s why I’m one of the most wanted criminals in the land. Though these three aren’t far behind.” He nodded at his companions.

“Were you stealing something today?” Harper asked. “You were being chased.”

“Yes.”

Harper leaned forward.

Aedon sighed. “I can’t divulge. I did not get what I came for, if that will relieve your distress.” He shared a loaded look with the rest of the group and his tone soured. “But, suffice it to say, it keeps in line with our criminal ethos to protect those who cannot protect themselves within the line of the law dictated from those fair few upon their golden pedestals.”

Harper coloured. Perhaps she had been wrong to call them criminals, but then again, they were thieves and quite freely admitting it. His arguments made sense, and yet, the law was the law for a reason. Surely no man—or elf—ought to be above it.

---