Page 30 (1/2)

Godric drew his short sword, watching as the slian cli down He waited until the lad ca his head back, laying the short sword on the bared neck

"Why are you following ent eyes flashed to his, but the boy er Jack said as ’ow you’d be wantin’ information ’bout the lassie snatchers"

"And?"

The wide mouth curved without mirth "I’m one o’ ’em"

TWENTY MINUTES LATER Godric watched as the boy stuffed his face with tea and lavishly buttered bread He’d revised his estie doard When he’d first seen the boy, Godric had thought hirownin the kitchens of the Ho Children, he saw the boy’s soft cheeks, the slientle lines of his jaw He couldn’t be older than fifteen at the ed bit of string, strands falling out and around his oval face He wore a greasy waistcoat and a coat several sizes too big for him and a floppy hat pulled low over his brohich he hadn’t bothered re even when inside His wrists were thin and rather delicate and the nails on both hands were ri and jerked his chin up defiantly, the corners of his mouth ithbeside Godric, stirred "What is your na no immediate threat, turned his attention to the plate of bread before hie blob of strawberry ja it on a slice of already buttered bread, and folded the bread around the gooey middle Then he shoved half of the bread into his lances with Winter It had taken quite a bit of persuasion--as well as a threat or two--before he’d been able to get Alf into the hooons were abroad, and he certainly wasn’t about to take a strange lad back to his own house

Especially when the lad was an ad have you been employed by the lassie snatchers?" Winter asked in his deep, calulped and washed down his bread with a long drag of tea "’Bout a month, but I don’ work for them arse’oles no more"

Winter refilled his teacup without co "You led me to believe you were a lassie snatcher now"

Alf stopped chewing and looked up, his eyes narrowed "An’ I’et Ain’t none o’ theonna talk to yer Best settle for ht Godric’s eye and shook his head slightly

Godric sighed He was finding it difficult to quiz this youth while keeping his own voice to a whisper so it nized in the future Besides, Winter had far more experience with boys

Even difficult ones

"How did you become a lassie snatcher?" Winter asked now He reached for the loaf of bread and sawed off two more slices

Godric raised his eyebrows Alf had already eaten half the loaf

"Word gets ’round," Alf said as he started se lumps of butter on his bread "They like to work in teams, like, a bloke an’ a lad Knew one o’ their snatcher lads ’oo got run over by a dray cart Busted ’is ’ead an’ were dead in a day So there were an openin’ like Pay was good" He paused to take a slurping gulp of tea before covering the bread with jaer employed as a lassie snatcher?" Winter asked neutrally

Alf’s bread was all ready, ja out of the pinched sides, but he just stared at it "It were one o’ the young ones, naer ’air, she did Not more’n five or so Chattered a lot, like, wasn’t afraid o’ h ’er auntie ’ad sold ’er to us Me an’ Sah …"

"Fine?" Godric growled low "They work those girls, beat them, and hardly feed them"

"There’re worse" Alf’s words were defiant, but he wouldn’t ars what’ll blind a babe to make ’erlook "What happened to Hannah, Alf?"

"Just it, innit?" Alf dug his dirty fingers into the folded bread until red jam oozed out "She weren’t there next time I come by They wouldn’t tell one" Alf looked up then, his eyes angry and wet "Stopped it then, didn’t I? Ain’t gonna be part o’ ’urting wee little lassies"

"That was very brave of you," Winter said softly "I would think the lassie snatchers would not be pleased by a defection"

Alf snorted, finally picking up his messy bread and jalad enough to see me put to bed wif a shovel"

"Tell us where they are, who they are, and we’ll solve the problerowled

"Ain’t just one place," Alf said, speaking seriously "There’s three workshops I knows of, and prolly more’n that"

"Three?" Winter breathed "How could we not have known?"

"Sly ones, ain’t they?" Alf shoved the bread into his mouth and for a moment was ht They’ve guards, but everyone’s sleepier at night I can show you"

"We’ll have toa nod "Can you show ht?"

"Aye" Alf took the rest of the cut bread and shoved it into a pocket of his coat "Best be off, then, ’adn’t I, afore ’tis light out"

"You’re more than welcome to stay here," Winter offered

Alf shook his head "Kind o’ you, but I don’t like staying in such a big place"

Godric frowned "Will you be safe?"

Alf cocked his head, s cynically "Worried I won’t be back tomorrow? Nah, no one’s can catch me if’n I don’t want Ta for the tea"

And he was gone out the kitchen door

"Damn it, I should follow him," Godric muttered

But Winter shook his head "We don’t want to scare hioons in the back alley earlier"

Godric swore "They followedhome more difficult than usual He looked at Winter "Do you really think the boy’s safe until toed as he put away the bread "It’s out of our hands now"

And Godric supposed he’d have to be content with that knowledge until toht

THE SOUND OF s fro about her bedrooht, but so early Daniels hadn’t yet cos rose and wandered to the , parting the curtains to look down on the courtyard Godric stood, wrapped in a cloak, talking to aabout the otherabout the way Godric stood so stiffly that made her uneasy