“How?”
He sighed. “Perhaps I should have called it atakingof resources.”
At that, I pushed upright and glanced back to find him scowling.
“Taking?” I echoed. “As in stealing?”
When Kit didn't refute my assumption, or say anything at all, I pressed him further.
“Are we going to rob someone?” I yelped, so loudly I felt immediately conspicuous, even in the privacy of our home. My eyes stretched wide as I stared at Kit, who didn't appear nearly surprised enough. In fact, since my retreat had freed his arms, he bent forward and lifted his fork to take a bite of the chicken at last.
“That's my understanding of it,” he mumbled around the food.
I continued gawking at him while he stabbed a few carrots, then began eating them one by one.
“Kit, I'm not a criminal,” I hissed. “I can't rob someone.”
He chewed slowly while staring at his plate. “We don't have much choice. Certainly not with Anders watching.”
“What if we get caught?”
To that, I already knew the answer. Cait and Edgar had been caught in the midst of a prior Oath. It had been a different type of theft, but still a crime, and one that merited punishment. Considering being a Bone Man in the first place was its own offense, I didn't have high hopes for our fate if we were found out inourtheft. Whenever or wherever it might be.
Kit didn't respond, simply chased his food with a swig of water before taking a roll from the basket Thoma left behind.
“I'm sorry I ruined dinner,” I said.
At that, Kit set his fork aside and turned so his knees bumped into mine. He took my hands in his, brushing his thumbs over the mottled scar lines that mangled every digit.
“Nothing’s ruined, sweetheart,” he said. “Not by you.” Pitching forward, he placed a tender kiss on my forehead. “Try not to worry about the Oath. Or Anders. Or any of it. They can add whoever they want to our group. As long as we're together, I'm sure we'll manage.”
5
Kit
The next day was a quieter one. Aside from the butcher stopping in to have his knives sharpened, Penny and I were left to ourselves at the forge. He kept busy—hunched over his worktable and doing his best to hide his newest project while trying not to appear obvious about it—and I put a good dent in the orders on the repair rack. It wasn’t until the sun started to set and Penny was packing up to head home that things took a strange turn.
He caught the tie of my apron, presumably intending to pull me into the corner of the shop hidden from view of the square to steal a kiss, just as a shadow filled the doorway. He yanked his hand back like he’d been burned, then turned away from the newcomer under the guise of grabbing his satchel from its hook on the wall.
It was one of the faceless messengers. After Anders’s visit the day before, I was sure they were there to announce the fourth Oath, though it seemed strange for the assignment to be given at dusk instead of dawn.
“Kit Koesters,” the man said in a drone, “the Right Hand requests your presence at the Ossuary.”
Penny glanced at me over his shoulder. His brows drew down until there was a little wrinkle between them that I wanted to rub away with my thumb.
“Right now?” I asked. “I still have to close up.”
The man nodded and gestured toward the Ossuary. “Immediately. I am to escort you.”
Penny turned to face the messenger. His hands gripped the strap of his satchel so tightly his knuckles went white. “What’s this about?” he asked.
“It is not my place to ask such questions,” the man said.
“Then I’ll make it mine,” Penny replied, inching closer to me.
The messenger turned sharply toward him.
“Pen,” I hissed, a warning in my tone.
