Do the Gods Despise Us?

by Jeff Henrikson

“Very clear, my lord.” With his instructions given, the Guildmaster broke contact.

  Nero was surprised to find he was pleased with the Guildmaster's decision. He and Gaston hadn’t been on the best of terms the night Gaston disappeared into the portal, but it was comforting to know the Guildmaster wouldn’t throw away a useful agent. If he was ever captured he wouldn’t just be written off and left for dead. That was what made the Guildmaster great. Not only was he the founder and most powerful member of the Guild, but his loyalty to its members was unquestioned. The Guild was a family, and as long as you didn’t betray the family, the Guild would protect you.

  Nero made his way back to Wessex with two other Guild members in tow and waited for the wizard Gram to arrive. They maintained a watch over the companions while the town set up its defenses. Nero even stood in the back of the local church as the companions droned on about some sort of hill giant threat against the town. He didn’t understand why Xander continued to stay in this small town when the smart thing to do was move on and make good his escape. He had to know the Guild would never stop looking for him.

  Ultimately these questions weren’t important, and Nero tried not to concern himself with Xander’s stupidity. He only hoped his good fortune would hold out for one more day. Nero shook his head and allowed a smile to touch his lips as the town folk in the church fought tooth and nail against the companions at first and then lined up like sheep to the slaughter in the end. How could the companions achieve true power when they were constantly helping these peasants? He turned away from the scene in disgust and headed out the door. He had seen enough.

  Nero spent the rest of the day hiding in the alleyways and shadows of the buildings in town. He had stayed well out of sight when the male giant came crashing through the town walls. Unfortunately, he had been forced to scramble out of the way as the giant came stomping through town chasing after one of the elven brothers.

  After the hill giant attack, a spontaneous celebration broke out in the middle of Main Street. As Nero watched the festivities from the shadows, Gram finally came out of the darkness directly behind him. With his newfound sixth sense given to him by Venal, Nero felt Gram’s presence and direction of approach long before he could see him but waited until Gram tapped him on the shoulder before turning around so as not to give anything away. Gram wore a black, flowing robe with a hood over his face. He carried himself with an air of arrogance, and he did not look happy.

  Little was known among the guild members about Gram’s past. Gaston had told Nero the wizard had once belonged to the Sorcerers of Kentar, but they had been too restrictive in their magical teachings. Gaston had not said if Gram had been forced out of the Sorcerers or if he had left out of disgust, but it was clear he had reached out to other, darker teachers to continue his education.

  Nero offered his right hand to Gram. “Your reputation precedes you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gram.”

  Gram did not offer his hand in return, but instead he said in a cool voice, “We do not have time for these games. You have taken me away from my work; it is critical that I return as soon as possible. The Guildmaster has sent me to retrieve Gaston, and I have come.” He waited a heartbeat before ending the conversation by saying, “Take me to the portal.”

  Nero gritted his teeth and withdrew his hand. He was tired of always having to prove himself. “First of all, let’s get one thing straight. I haven’t taken you away from anything; the Guildmaster sent you here, not me. Second, you wouldn’t have had to come at all if Gaston had done things my way. He went in alone when I begged him to let me come as back up. If it hadn’t been for Gaston, we would have the gem right now.”

  Gram was not impressed, and he didn’t bat an eye as he replied, “Then it is your fault we do not have the gem. If Gaston made a fatal mistake, then it was your job to make him see reason.”

  Nero was taken aback at first, and then he heard Gaston’s words echo in his mind. I will recover the gem by myself, and I will be damned if some pissant elf with more luck than skill is going to take it away from me. You will stay here and not interfere in any way, no matter what happens. Anything less, and I’ll kill you where you stand. No, what happened to Gaston was not his fault. Gram was trying to throw him off balance, but why?

  Nero knew that Gram, Gaston, and Cyrone, a paladin of Seker, had been friends in the past. Gaston had handpicked Gram and Cyrone to attack the King of Armena, and Nero had recently learned that Cyrone had died at the hands of the King himself. But why was Gram trying to make Nero doubt himself? Was it out of respect for Gaston, or was it a simple power grab within the Guild?

  Nero measured his response, not wanting to give away too much. “Don’t presume to tell me what happened to Gaston, wizard. You weren’t there. He wanted the glory of recapturing the gem for himself, plain and simple.”

  Clearly, Gram was not used to being challenged. “Careful where you tread, elf. Tell me, have you ever had to face your greatest fear?”

  Now it was Nero’s turn to be annoyed. “Is that supposed to be a threat? What in the seven hells are you talking about?”

  Gram said no more. “You are wasting time. Lead me to the portal.”

  Nero was happy to change subjects. “It may not be that simple. It has been several days and I fear Gaston may be dead.” Gram said nothing, and Nero eventually turned around and began walking to the tower. “You have come at the perfect time. The town is distracted by their victory over a hill giant today. As you can see, they are having a party in the street. It’s a shame we’ll miss the festivities, but it should make getting into the tower easier.”

  Gram stopped to look with disgust at the fire down the street. “Peasants. I pity them. I once fought a hill giant many years ago and did not find it terribly difficult to defeat.”

  Nero looked Gram up and down again. Any man who could defeat a hill giant deserved a second look. In the end, Nero couldn’t decide if Gram was telling the truth or if he was embellishing his own accomplishments. He moved through the dark with practiced ease and went right up to the front door. As Nero had expected, there were two magical traps on the door that he disarmed.

  Nero moved silently across the sitting room, opened the far door, and walked into the portal room with Gram right behind. The portal was closed. Gram spoke softly with reverence in his voice. “The portal is here; I can feel its power.”

  Nero was about to tell Gram exactly where the portal had been when he heard two voices from the next floor up in the tower. “Lazarus, do you remember an old text from Lord Shetley’s library that referenced an entrance to the Underworld?”

  Lazarus answered back, “Possibly, but are you sure we should be helping these elves find an entrance to the Underworld? It is not our business, and they will most certainly be killed as soon as they go underground.”

  Austen responded, “I think not; these elves are special. They have done us a great service by defeating the giants, and I feel we should try to point them in the right direction.”

  Suddenly Nero didn’t care about the portal, as his attention was riveted on the staircase. Was he hearing correctly? The elven companions not only possessed the gem, but they were also looking for an entrance to the Underworld in order to rescue the First Heir. Perhaps these elves from Armena were special after all, and if so, they had to be stopped here and now. As critical as the gem was to the plans of the Guild, the First Heir was even more so. The companions couldn’t be allowed to find the First Heir; the first step in that journey was finding the entrance to the Underworld beneath the Old Shetley Fortress.

  In spite of the severity of the situation, Nero could not help but crack a smile at the ignorance of the two talking upstairs. Nero didn’t make his living trading in knowledge, as some in the Guild did, but he himself knew of at least three entrances to the Underworld scattered across Tellus, and Gram probably knew of a few more.

  The conversation upstairs continued as Nero moved to Gram’s side and spoke in a whisper, “Open the portal
and I will watch out for our friends upstairs.” Gram nodded, and a few moments later the portal flashed silently into existence. Nero could not help but stare into the portal and marvel at what was on the other side. There were maybe fifty land masses of varying size floating off in the distance, each one independent of the others. Some of the masses were small boulders, while others were as large as a city. The sheer insanity of this other world, only a few feet away, was captivating. Nero waited patiently as Gram spread his hands and closed his eyes in concentration.

  As Gram worked, Nero listened to the conversation upstairs. Austen continued, “Do you not remember something about a hole into the unknown depths in Darkwood Forest?”

  Lazarus jumped on the information. “Yes, I remember now. Didn’t the Lord Shetley from two hundred years ago dig deep underground in a last-ditch effort to find enough gold to hold onto his kingdom?”

  “Yes, you are right. That was the same time the Krone witch was supposed to have taken over the Shetley fortress. If that is truly what happened, then Lord Shetley must have dug deep enough to open an entrance to the Underworld.”

  Lazarus finished the thought. “And that’s where the Krone witch came from. The two events must be connected.”

  “Yes, yes. There must be an entrance to the Underworld somewhere near the fortress, perhaps inside the fortress itself.”

  Nero gritted his teeth as they finally pieced it together. The rest of the conversation was not important. Whoever was upstairs had reasoned out the location to the Underworld entrance from which Gram performed his work, and they intended to tell the elves where it was located. Nero cursed under his breath as he realized what had started out as a simple rescue mission had gone far beyond. These two would have to be silenced.

  Nero heard Gram whispering to himself and then, in a flash, Gaston appeared standing next to the portal, looking like death itself. He was parched and he had clearly lost weight. Nero went to Gaston’s side and said, “Take it easy, Gaston. You are in Wessex, in the wizard’s tower. We must be quiet in order to make our escape.”

  Gaston nodded his head and said, “I understand, my friend. I will follow your lead.”

  “Good.” Nero turned to Gram and said, “We have to kill the two people upstairs.”

  Gram sneered and asked, “Why? Our mission is complete. Let us leave this place.”

  Nero added quickly, “They have pieced together where your entrance to the Underworld is located in the old fortress; they plan to tell the elves from Armena who are searching for the First Heir. If they learn of an entrance to the Underworld, they could cause you a great deal of trouble.”

  Gram looked at the stairs leading up into the tower with understanding and hatred. With his eyes fixed he said, “Let us go then. Gaston, we will return for you in a moment.”

  Gram and Nero headed for the stairs when a loud voice pierced the silence from the sitting room, “Austen!”

  Nero recognized the voice of the elder elf brother from the church of Sentinel. If the elf was here with his other companions then there were four of them along with the two upstairs. Nero felt confident that with the element of surprise on their side they could kill them all, but on the other hand, Gaston was in no condition to fight. They could find themselves flanked against superior numbers. Victory was likely, but not guaranteed, and Gaston had underestimated this group before.

  Nero made up his mind and whispered to Gram, “It’s the elven companions. You have to get us out of here.”

  Gram nodded his head in agreement. He and Nero moved Gaston out of view against the back wall. From above came the sharp response to the elf’s initial shout, “Upstairs.” Nero could hear footsteps heading for the portal room and then he heard nothing as Gram’s spell took hold. The room disappeared around him and he reappeared in a great hall.

  Chapter 39: The Inner Circle

  Nero recognized the hall immediately as Talon Guild headquarters in Locus, located two stories underground to ensure secrecy. Not that secrecy was necessary. The location of Talon Guild headquarters was the worst kept secret in all of Kentar. It wasn’t that people didn’t know the Guild’s location, it’s just that the Guild was so powerful no one dared challenge it openly. Locus paid its taxes to the Kentarian Crown in Jewlian, and in turn the Crown largely looked the other way with regard to the lawlessness of its third largest city. Every few years there was a crackdown, but Guild spies always gave ample warning, and it was easy enough to bribe or remove whomever was necessary.

  The main hall was always alive with activity no matter the hour. It was nearly twenty feet tall, supported by thick oak pillars, and a hundred feet long in either direction. Other than the fact that there were no windows, the underground fortress looked like any other good-sized town. Off the main hall, there were living quarters, plazas, shops of every sort including an armory and blacksmith, galleys for food, and even a few brothels to keep the men happy. The hall was always well lit and apparently well guarded. Shortly after Nero, Gaston, and Gram materialized, Nero heard swords drawn all around him.

  Nero raised his hands in surrender and said to the circle of men surrounding them, “My name is Nero, this is Gaston, and that is Gram. We are of the Thirteen, and we are here to brief the Guildmaster on our completed mission.”

  The human in charge of the watch stepped forward and said, “Yes, of course. I don’t know you, but everyone knows Gaston and Gram.” Then he raised his voice to the rest of the group. “They’re okay. Everyone get back to work.” The group quickly disbanded as swords were sheathed and people walked away.

  The human walked up to Nero and shook his hand. At the same time he said, “Gaston, you look like crap.”

  “Good to see you too, Michael.”

  “We all wondered what happened to you; now I’m not sure I want to know.”

  “Go with that thought, Michael, if you want to live.”

  Michael smiled and took the hint. “All of you had best get some rest; from what I hear the Guildmaster is going to want a word with you soon enough. If I were you I’d find a bed and get one of the local wenches to warm it for you.”

  Nero said, “Thanks for the advice,” and with that the guard turned around and walked away.

  Posing as a double agent with the Philosophers of Armena took almost all of Nero’s time. He hadn’t spent more than a few days in Locus over the last decade, so it wasn’t surprising the guards hadn’t recognized him. Being away on such a long assignment had its drawbacks, but it also had its rewards. As he looked around the great hall, he realized nothing had changed except that now he was a member of the Inner Circle. From now on he would have a voting voice in Guild policy. He would be privy to many Guild secrets and hear firsthand as reports came in around the table in the Circle chambers, rather than hearing bits and pieces from the gossip trough.

  For over fifteen years he had watched the untouchables of the Inner Circle with a jealous heart, knowing that rank had its privileges, waiting for his time to come. He was jealous of their lavish lifestyle, their mansions, their money, their priceless possessions, and their women. To be one of the Thirteen of the Talon Thieves Guild was to have all manner of men hang on your every word, jump at your command, and even die at your command. The Guild had been in existence for over three hundred years and in all that time, no one had ever risen through the ranks as quickly as he. His record was flawless and his knack for perfection had finally been noticed by the Guildmaster.

  Nero, Gram, and Gaston looked at each other as Michael went back to his duties. Even in his deathly state, looking every bit the part of a corpse, Gaston still spoke up first and tried to take command of the situation. “Thank you for your help. Why don’t the two of you go get some rest while I inform the Guildmaster about our mission; we can talk again in the morning.”

  Gaston’s statement was a simple one, and he said it with such practiced ease that Nero almost missed the superior undertones. After everything they had been through, Gaston still did not view Nero o
r Gram as equals.

  Nero looked at Gram with irritation and was about to speak, when Gram beat him to it. “Do not thank us, my friend. The Guildmaster ordered us to rescue you and that is what we did. I would not have done it by choice. My work is what matters most, and it has been suspended while we tracked you down and rescued you from a demise of your own making.”

  Gaston looked visibly taken aback by the anger in Gram’s voice, but Nero could see it was just an act and that he knew full well what he was doing. When Gaston spoke, he didn’t cede any ground. “The Guildmaster knows my worth. That’s why you were sent to find me.”

  Nero spoke with iron in his voice. “Not anymore. You may have been the Guildmaster's favorite, but not after today. You’re getting old, Gaston, and when something gets old you throw it out and replace it with something new.”

  At this point the Guild members within ear shot stopped what they were doing and watched two of their highest ranking members argue.

  “Watch where you step, you little maggot.”

  Nero lost his temper and raised his voice. “Who do you think you’re talking to? I am not yours to command you self-righteous ...” Anything else Nero might have said was lost in silence as magical energy washed over his body and he froze in place, unable to move a muscle.

  Nero saw that Gaston was in the same predicament as he. Nero watched with his eyes as Gram walked calmly between the two of them and said in a voice just loud enough for both of them to hear, “You are both commanders in the most powerful thieves guild on Tellus, yet you act like children.” Gram looked around the great hall and with a mere gesture from his hand, the low ranking onlookers went back to their business.

  Once the crowd dispersed, Gram turned to Gaston and talked just as calmly as if they were sitting down to dinner. “I understand you were trying to recover the gem when you were taken by surprise. In a sense it could have happened to any one of us, and yet it happened to you. You were defeated. We do not have the gem, and the Guild had to spend precious resources to rescue you. Nero was there to help you and yet you chose to recapture the gem alone.” Gaston flashed Nero a look with his eyes as he realized Nero had told Gram about the attack in the tower. “I wish I could be there when you explain your list of failures to the Inner Circle, but unfortunately I must return to my work. Goodbye for now, my friend.”