Chapter 154: Gold Can Blind Even Guards
Traitors are hated even by those whom they prefer.
And Zane used the same hatred to appear more convincing.
He and the others had left Hena’s house and they met the Warden as they expected.
The man had mistook all of them as thieves and in return for not reporting them, he asked for a sixty percent share from their loot.
Zane had agreed and now that they were done, the warden asked for the share and Zane gave it to him.
He handed the guard a pouch and seeing the pouch, the man wasn’t happy.
He confronted Zane about the less money and Zane bowed.
He gritted his teeth and his best hateful voice possible, he said:
"The traitor bitch had no money at all."
The Warden clicked his tongue.
Draxus sighed as the warden didn’t seem to be suspicious.
But Zane, he wasn’t as naive as Draxus in such matters.
If the Warden was a man who would ask for a bribe then he would also not...
"You expect me to believe that?"
Believe Zane’s words.
The man pointed his sword at the gutterborn.
"Don’t play games with me. She was a Crown. No way she only has this much."
"I am not lying, sir." Zane didn’t raise his head.
But the next second, he did.
Not by choice though.
The man placed the tip of his sword on his chin and forced Zane’s head up.
"Look me in the eyes and then say it."
Zane’s scarf was still on his face and after seeing the eyes of the Emberlord, all other eyes lost their ominous presence for him.
With no problem, Zane made eye contact with the Warden and in a calm tone, repeated himself.
"She had no money at all."
The warden’s jaw tightened.
"Bullshit!"
He removed his sword and examined everyone standing in front of him.
But his eyes went to the person who produced the pouch.
Hena.
"I know you got too much money and now you don’t want to share it with me. Show me your ring, bitch!"
The warden demanded.
Draxus clenched his fist but the man controlled himself.
At Warden’s demand, Hena shook her head.
The man flared his nose and held her hand.
He forcefully removed the ring from her finger and shoved his hand inside it.
He threw everything it had and in everything, only a pouch came out.
It was identical to the pouch that Zane had given to the guard.
The Warden held it and bounced it on his palm.
It made a lot more sound than the one he had.
He opened the pouch and looked inside.
His eyes widened.
A smile crept on his lips as he looked at Zane.
"Oversmart shit."
He showed the pouch to Zane.
"It has more money than the one you gave me. This is sixty percent of your loot."
Zane flinched.
"I am very sorry, sir. I needed the money."
He cried and joined his hands.
The warden shook his head.
"It won’t help you anymore. You lied to me. Now I am taking all the money. Get lost!"
"No, sir. Please. Don’t do this. I am sorry for lying to you." Zane begged.
"Get lost before I call the Enforcers!"
Zane’s shoulders dropped.
He turned his head at his mates.
"Let’s go. This is what you get for lying to a Warden. I am sorry."
Everyone nodded.
"Auuuuuuuuu!" Xavier made a sound.
Everyone flinched.
The warden tied the pouches around his waist.
"What happened?" He asked.
"... I don’t know." Zane had no idea.
"Please don’t take the money!" Xavier said and only then did they realize that he was crying.
That was the sound of Xavier crying.
The Warden scowled.
"What kind of crying is that? You are starting to get on my nerves."
"Yes. Let’s not anger him and go. We will find some other house some other day." Zane said, glaring at Xavier.
Xavier saw the glare and instantly shut his mouth.
All of them bowed and Zane opened the metal gates of Hena’s mansion.
But just as Zane opened the gate...
"Wait." The warden stopped him.
Zane’s heart skipped a beat but he showed no fear on his face and turned around to face the man.
"Yes? Do you have a change of mind, your grace?"
The man shook his head and pointed at Zane’s hand.
"What’s that on your finger?"
Zane frowned. "Oh. It’s a ring. My father brought it for me from the annual carnival years ago."
The man shook his head.
"I have never seen such a ring in any carnival. What’s inside it?"
Zane’s palm found sweat.
Xavier gulped.
Hena was ready with her fists.
Jammy was ready with his janitor skills.
Draxus was ready to side with Hena.
"Inside it?" Zane laughed. "It is a normal ring, sir. It can’t store anything."
The warden squinted his eyes.
"You know what? I will give you ten gold lumens for that ring. Give that to me."
Zane’s breath stopped.
"Sir, this ring is trash. I am simply keeping it because it is the last memory of my father. Buying it from me is your loss."
"Don’t teach me business, little shit. I can see it is not normal. My skill is telling me to get my hands on it."
His skill? Does he have a skill that tells what is special?
But whatever it was, Zane couldn’t give him the ring.
"Yes, sir. It is not normal. It has the memories of my father. But it is of no use to you."
The Warden bit his lip.
"Stop blabbering! Give it to me!"
Zane went silent.
He roamed his eyes around his people and stopped at the man.
Then with a complete change of voice...
"No."
He outright refused.
The warden’s eyes bulged. "What did you say?"
"I won’t give it to you."
"Haha. I was right then. Now I definitely want it."
The Warden raised his sword and aimed at Zane.
Zane jerked his head at Draxus and said only one word:
"Run."
WHISH!
Draxus, Hena and Xavier vanished.
The warden felt a gust of wind moving past him and when he registered the new scene, his mouth went agape.
"Where did they go?" He barked.
But instead of answering, Zane gestured his eyes at the waist of the man.
The man looked down and as he did, his heart fell to the abyss.
His pouches weren’t there.
"You bastard!"
The man threw his sword at Zane.
Zane shifted to the side but the sword was fast enough to still graze his face.
But along with a thin trail of blood, something else happened because of the sword.
Zane’s scarf came off.
