Siege of Pailtar (6 page)

With great trepidation she opened the door. Fear for her parents’ safety had her heart pounding. Nothing seemed out of place in the living room, slowly she walked into the house, calling out as she went. “Mom? Dad? I am home now.”

A sinister voice replied from the kitchen, “We are in here Kiana, come join us.”

Once Kiana was a few steps farther into the house she was able to see into the kitchen. Her heart pounded as she saw her parents sitting at the table, tied to their chairs and blindfolded, with gags in their mouths.

A man dressed in a dark black cloak, stood behind them. The cloak and its large oversized hood hid the man’s features but not the knife he held beside her mother’s neck.

The man spoke softly; his gravelly voice filled the room with harsh intent despite the light way he spoke. “Kiana, I really don’t want to have to hurt or kill your parents, but I will if I have to. How this goes is entirely up to you,” said the mysterious villainous man while he moved the knife around menacingly in front of her mother’s neck.

Kiana sincerely doubted that anything that happened in the next few minutes would be entirely up to her, but she kept that thought to herself. Instead she nodded, letting her genuine fear find its way into her voice. With a creaking voice she replied, “Okay.”

“Good,” the man continued, “now I know you have a book with you.  I am going to need that book. The Guild had no business stealing it and I will be taking it now. Don’t pretend you don’t have it, I know all about your little excursion into the desert today.”

Kiana was not surprised; of course this was about that damned journal. Scorpions, lions, soldiers, and now a knife-yielding assassin, Kiana was growing rather weary of this mission. Slowly she pulled the book out of her small pack. She let the pack drop to the ground as she lifted the book. She hesitated, holding the book in front of her. Her hands shook in fear, the book wobbled back and forth as if it was too heavy for her to hold. She looked at the book and then back at the man. “How do I know you won’t take the book and then kill them?” she asked.

“You don’t, but you have no choice. Besides, if I was going to kill your parents I would have done it before. I would not have wasted the time to tie them up and blindfold them. This is for their own safety. If they don’t see meand I get the book, they live. If I don’t get the book … well you know what will happen.

Kiana started making her way towards the kitchen table; she got to within a couple of feet away before stopping. “Okay, here is the book. But I am not giving it to you while you have a knife against my mother’s neck. You have to come to this side for the book. I don’t trust you; this is the only way you are getting the book.”

“Tsk,tsk, Kiana. This is a dangerous game you are playing. But I agree, you have shown me the book, now I will show my good faith by coming to that side of the table.” The man moved around the table. When he stood in front of Kiana she had her hand held out as far as possible, holding the book out for him. As the man reached out to grab the proffered book, Kiana let the book fall out of her hand. While the man reacted, grabbing for the falling book, Kiana sprang into action. She leapt onto the table, rolled over it, while pulling her dirk out as she moved across the table. Once on the other side she dropped to the ground. She yanked hard on the edge of the table, lifting the table so that it was left on its side. The table top now acted as a shield between her and the mysterious knife yielding man.

The man ignored her. He was studying the book in his hand. He read out the faded title carefully, “Locksmithing Basics, A Beginner’s Guide.” Then he turned towards Kiana, “This is not the book I am looking for.”

Kiana’s eyes were on the man, but her knife was busy slicing through the knots holding her mother’s hands together. As the sharp blade slipped through the knots, she replied. “No? Well, it is the only book I have on me. If you don’t believe me you can check my bag.”

With her hands free, Lilliana was able to remove the blindfold and gag while Kiana stood ready, dirk pointed at the man. Able to see again, Lilliana blinked, and then with the practiced hands of a master thief she untied the knots around her feet. Now freed from all restraints she stood and calmly began untying her husband. As she untied Spencer she spoke to the cloaked knife-yielding man holding Kiana’s first-year locksmithing book, “Well, as much fun as this has been, I do believe it is time for you to leave.”

With the odds now against him the stranger threw the book down in disgust and silently walked to the door. When the man slammed the door behind him Kiana felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She let out a deep breath and turned to her parents. They were now both standing up and looking at her. She dropped her dirk and jumped towards them both. She wrapped them up in a big hug.

She stood there, holding her parents for what seemed forever before she heard her mother’s voice. “It’s okay, Kiana.  That was only a Guild member, we were never in real danger. Unless you count starvation, I am getting really hungry.”

Kiana looked up at her parents.
What
, she thought,
another damned test!
“Whatever,” said Kiana “I am just glad this day is over, and you are safe.”

“How did it go out in the desert? Were you able to get the journal?” asked Lilliana.

Kiana took a moment to compose herself before answering. “Yes, it’s in my room. I snuck in through my window. I saw that you hadn’t adjusted the curtains in a couple hours.”

Lilliana smiled, she was proud of Kiana. Her child had acted carefully and followed their protocols. She had “saved” them while keeping the loot. While the quest was of secondary importance to how she reacted to having her parents threatened, a good thief would manage to do both. Kiana had done just that.

Kiana looked up at her mother, “I am never neglecting my magic studies again! Right after supper I am getting my books out. I don’t care what courses I get through the Guild, you are going to help me with it. I had a scorpion try to go up my nose, a lion tried to grab my butt, soldiers chasing me through the desert and then I come home to you two being tied up. I don’t know what I was thinking, not doing magic. What kind of thief avoids magic? A dumb one!  Let me tell you, I would have given a year’s allowance to have one tiny little levitation spell today.” Kiana rattled on. She was not normally a talkative child, but the toll of the day’s events had her in a tizzy.

Spencer, normally reserved about these things started laughing. “My daughter embracing magic? I never thought I would see the day.”

Kiana turned to her dad, “I could see the scorpion’s beady little head, I blew him away, but he almost went down my shirt, and the lion? That thing had paws the size of my head, and that stupid meat with the sleeping potion didn’t work. I was lucky to get out of that tent unscathed.”

Lilliana looked at the back of her daughter’s shirts. Claw marks had sliced through the bottom of the shirt. She put her hand over the marks. Her hand stretched out didn’t come close to the size of the marks on the shirt. The lion truly did have paws the size of Kiana’s head “I think you came closer to being scathed than you thought.”

“Huh?” grunted Kiana, as her mother pointed out her damaged shirt. “Aww man! That was my best shirt. Do you see the size of those claw marks? I told you! That sucker was huge!”

Lilliana chuckled, being the mother of a young thief was hard, but life in Pailtar was difficult. Being a member of the Thieves’ Guild was the best option for Kiana. Despite the dangers….

Kiana was just grateful to be home safe and sound. Surely the hardest part of the Guild tests was done wasn’t it?
 

6

Morthon

THE UNNATURAL WAY THE curtains moved woke Everet. It was not the wind, whisking through the window, that had moved the curtains. It had been a body, a silent-moving intruder. Everet held his breath as he moved subtly, bringing his hand under his pillow. There his hand found the handle of his dagger. Everet gripped the weapon and waited.

When a crossbow bolt flew into the bed where Everet was supposed to be sleeping he jumped up and surprised his attacker. The assassin, caught off-guard by Everet rising not from the bed but from the floor, had no time to drop his crossbow and grab another weapon.

Everet’s blade entered the assassin’s side, just below his ribcage and made its way up into the man’s chest, slicing into his heart.

A second assassin entered through the window, this one carrying two small swords that caught the soft moonlight as they passed into the room.

Everet pushed the body of the dying attacker back towards the window.

In the dark bedroom the second assassin mistakenly thought the body was Everet. He quickly  buried his blades into what he thought was Everet. The sharp blade sliced into the back of the dying assassin.

Everet kept pushing on the first assassin’s body, the body slid further up the blades of the second killer, burying his blades all the way into his companion’s body. Before the second assassin could step back to remove his weapons from his unintentional target Everet struck out with his own blade. The blade smoothly sunk into the soft flesh of the attacker’s throat.

With no remorse, Everet watched the man die. His final futile gasps  to  breathe finished, the would be assassin flopped to the floor.

Everet stood still at the window sill and silently listened. Was there a third assassin? Nothing outside the window moved, no sign of another attacker. Satisfied that the night’s drama was done, Everet moved back to the spot on the floor where he had been sleeping. There he found Serena, wide awake yet calm.

“Is it over?” Serena whispered.

“Yes, my love,” said Everet. “But I’m afraid we were right, Plavan’s disappearance was the king’s doing. Meron is no longer a safe place for us.”

Serena laughed, “Is there ever a safe place for people like us?”

“No,” said Everet as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “There are no safe places, but there are important places.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’m afraid the solution to our problem is in Balta.”

Serena looked at Everet like he had two heads. Even in the dark, she could see that he was serious. “Didn’t you tell me that the warrior-mage who killed your best man lives in Balta and wants you dead.”

“Actually, the boy is the nephew of the king, thus it’s likely that the entire kingdom would be glad to separate my head from my body.”

“So we are running away from one king who would kill us to find another who would do the same? I’m loving your plan so far, dearest,” said Severa. The sarcasm dripped off her reply like water off a roof after a heavy rain.

“We could go elsewhere, but Ganus wants to rule the entire continent. There will be no safe places here until we know who the spy is. With Plavan missing, we need to talk to the boy, Nathan, to find out who the spy is.”

“You aren’t running at all, are you? You still intend to fight Ganus,” accused Severa.

“I’m not going to quit just because of a couple of mid-rate assassins come looking for us. I’m actually rather insulted he didn’t send someone better. He doesn’t think we’re very dangerous.”

“And that is bad?”

“Bad for him, underestimating your enemy is a major mistake. One an arrogant leader cannot afford to make.”

“You sound like you know what you are talking about.”

“I’ve made every mistake a man can make. I’ve lost everything before because of my arrogance, and I almost died at the hands of a boy because I underestimated him. I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Is that a good thing?” asked Serena, she was curious as to Everet’s meaning. He was much like her, a survivor, and this talk of regrets and mistakes was not a side of Everet she had seen before. It was interesting. She put on her clothes in silence. They already had everything they would need for a journey packed. Everet had anticipated problems when Plavan disappeared and had planned accordingly. They would be out of Meron within the hour. First, Everet had one last thing to do. “I need to speak to Bryant Bingham. Wait here, and be ready to leave.”

Leaving Serena, Evert quickly made his way to Bryant’s home. When he arrived Everet carefully scouted the home. No signs of entry, this gave Everet hope that Bryant had not also been given a late night visit by assassins. Using his dagger to bypass Bryant’s locks, Everet silently entered the man’s house. Everet worked his way through the dark house using his memory to guide him until he arrived at Bryant’s bedroom. Opening the bedroom door, Everet could hear the faint sounds of Bryant’s breathing.

“Bryant, wake up!” said Everet.

Bryant awoke with a start. He peered across the dark room, “Everet is that you?” he asked.

“Yes. Sorry, I would light a lantern, but I don’t want anyone seeing that I was here.”

“What is going on?”

“I was attacked tonight by assassins. King Ganus must have tortured Plavan. I assume everyone else that was part of Plavan’s group has also had visitors tonight.”

“You thought my involvement with you would warrant the king killing me?” asked Bryant.

“I’m not sure. If they didn’t attack you tonight, it’s likely that Plavan did not give your name up. However, once I leave town the king’s men may start looking for anyone who associated with me.”

“I do believe I have some urgent trade business in Venecia that requires my attention.”

“Venecia might not be far enough. Go to Salma. Count Mavane is an annoying man, but he is honorable. You will be safe there, and when you give him this, he will be very grateful.” Evert tossed a bag on the bed beside Bryant.

“What is this?” asked Bryant.

“It’s the majority of the gold that I stole from Count Mavane when I left Salma.”

“And how should I explain how I got it?”

“Just tell him that the man who stole it from him had a change of heart and would rather not have him as an enemy. He won’t understand, but he will be happy to see you and will give you safe haven. If you play your cards right, you can even establish some trade routes. My sources tell me that Count Mavane has started trading with Northern Solotine.”