by Logan Jacobs
“I don’t know about a big mouth, but he lies a whole lot,” Dar snorted. “Do you think you could find him?”
“I’ll have to,” I said. “He even owes me for saving his life.”
“When did you save his life?” Penny chimed in.
“You remember the night of the massive blackout a few weeks ago?” I asked. “It was the same night we stole the elven wine.”
“Of course,” Penny smirked, “how could I forget?”
“Well, before I found you in the hookah lounge, a massive stampede of livestock erupted through the streets,” I said.
“I remember hearing about that.” Cimarra smiled. “That was before I knew all of you. It seems so long ago. My life is so much better now.”
“How precious.” Dar smirked at the dancer, who then gave him the middle finger as she laughed.
“Anyway, I saved him from the stampede that night,” I continued as I moved toward my makeshift bed of hay and grabbed my black cloak.
Then a loud knock rang out against the stable door.
“Delivery!” Skam’s gruff voice called out from the other side.
“Come in,” I answered.
“Long time no see, lads and lasses!” Skam chuckled as he opened the door. “Ready to get this show on the road?”
“We are,” I said as I walked over to the dwarf and shook his hand. “It’s gonna look a little different this time around.”
“Aye.” Skam let go of my hand and then brushed his braided beard with it. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”
“We won’t be doing a whiskey drop off with Hebal today. But…” I pointed toward the front door, “we still need you to drop off the orders for the café and the miners.”
“Where do I need to go for the miners?” Skam asked as he turned to Dar. “Is Dar still performing for them?”
“He is,” I replied.
“I’ve got the perfect story for them, too,” Dar said as he puffed out his chest.
“I bet you do,” Penny snorted.
“If you’d let me perform it during the theatre re-launch, you’d get to see for yourself, pixie,” Dar sneered.
“Listen,” I sighed, “right now, you perform the shit out of that story for the miners.”
“Got it.” Dar nodded.
“And you’re going to the Salinger Mining Union Hall, Skam,” I said as I turned to Cimarra. “Do you have the directions for him?”
“I already know it,” Skam replied before the blue-eyed dancer could. “Sounds like an easy enough plan even for a dwarf like myself.”
“Good,” I said. “Once Dar’s done with his story, drop him back off here, and you can stick around for a bit if you’d like.”
“Got it,” Skam said as he gestured to Dar. “You ready, storyteller?”
“I’m always ready,” Dar answered and followed Skam toward the stable door. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck!” we all shouted as the door shut behind the dwarf and halfling.
“Okay,” I said as I put on my black cloak, “I’m off to talk with Wilimar.”
“You’re going to find him, now?” Penny asked as she walked over and smoothed out a wrinkle on my cloak.
“I think I have to,” I said. “The more time that passes, Hebal will be harder to find, and he’ll take all of our business in the process.”
“We still aren’t even sure if that’s what the dwarf is even doing.” Penny arched an eyebrow. “He might have just forgotten about the meeting.”
“Not over this much money,” I sighed. “Besides, I’ve dealt with this asshole for far too long.”
“What about the executed bodies down the street, Wade?” Cimarra reminded me.
“Shit,” I sighed. “How could I forget?”
“Because we have a billion other fires to put out.” Penny smirked at me and then turned to the dancer. “I bet he still hasn’t eaten at all.”
“Did you?” Cimarra questioned.
“I’ll eat as soon as I can,” I replied, “but for now Cimarra raised another important issue that we need to figure out before the theatre re-launch.”
“By the way, how is that even goin’?” Selius asked.
“Everything is on track,” the beautiful dancer answered. “We have the billboard going up tomorrow, and flyers are being distributed.”
“Our only hiccup is the execution platforms at the end of the road,” Penny chuckled. “That isn’t the most inviting sight in the world.”
“Especially since the theatre has a reputation of being on the elven watch list because of the dwarven wedding,” Cimarra added.
“Yeah, that doesn’t help,” Selius muttered as he walked over to Dar’s bed and grabbed the whiskey bottle.
“Don’t even think about it, kid,” I said as I walked over and took the bottle of clear liquid from the halfling.
“Party pooper,” Selius grunted and then plopped back down in the bed of hay.
“We gotta save this for customers,” I reminded him as I stared at the bottle in my hands.
The memory of killing the three elven officers in the alleyway flashed in my mind. I could still feel the whiskey tingle against my lips and see it turn into a fiery mist as it engulfed the elf in front of me.
Then an idea came into my mind.
“What if we burnt the platforms down?” I moved my eyes from the bottle to the surrounding others.
“With like fire?” Cimarra asked. “Aren’t the gallows guarded by elves?”
“They weren’t earlier,” I replied.
“How?” Penny asked, but then she followed my eyes to the whiskey barrels. “Really?”
“Wait, what did I miss?” Selius rushed over and sat next to Penny at the table.
“We don’t need all the barrels this week for Hebal anyway,” I said as I moved back over to the barrels and set down the bottle of whiskey, “and it would only take one of these at the most to coat the platforms.”
“You’re talking about using the whiskey to burn the platforms down, right?” Cimarra clarified.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” I said with a nod.
“As much as I want to burn those things to the ground, the repercussions might derail our re-launch more than the four bodies even could,” Cimarra said.
“Like what?” Penny narrowed her eyes. “I’m so sick and tired of those pricks killing every--”
“Cimarra’s right,” I sighed. “I feel the same as you, Penny, but, if we burnt down the gallows, that would only increase the elven presence throughout the Entertainment District.”
I couldn’t let my hatred for the elves and everything they stood for fuel my decisions. That’s why we needed to talk through our plans together. A few united hearts are much better than one pissed off mind, and our team was united in our cause for sure.
“The elves would invade, just like what happened after Rindell’s.” Cimarra nodded.
“Exactly,” I said as I scratched at the back of my neck. “They finally backed off in the Halfling District, too.”
“It’s because we gave them a reason to back off, though,” Penny responded. “We made them believe the assistant was guilty, and then that crazy asshole did the rest for us.”
“I agree,” I breathed. “But framing the elf was something we had to do to save our cause. The commander was going to trace all the clues back to us sooner rather than later if we allowed him to. In a way, we aren’t out of the woods with him, yet. Rindell said the elf knows the true culprit is still free, and that’ll keep him sniffing around.”
“But the elf doesn’t have any leads, right?” Cimarra asked.
“Exactly,” I agreed. “Take it for what it’s worth, but Rindell believes she’s the only lead he has.”
“And she wants to work with us.” Cimarra smirked.
“She does.” I nodded. “As crazy as she is, she chose wisely with whom she trusted to work with long-term.”
“So, just to be clear, are you saying burning
down the platforms isn’t necessary?” Penny questioned.
“It isn’t,” I replied. “Even though the commander knows he didn’t capture the right people, he’s portrayed that the elves have won to the districts and that there is no threat to the Empire.”
“Won?” Penny sneered. “They’ve won nothing as far as I’m concerned.”
“I know it’s hard not doing anything about the gallows, but I think it’s for the best.” I clenched my jaw. “I don’t want to give the commander a reason to keep investigating.”
“Do you think he’ll eventually just stop?” Penny asked.
“If he has no leads, he’ll have to move on.” I shrugged.
“Like Wade said, the commander and us are the only ones who know the wrong people were executed today. The elf’s goal was to squash any hope in everyone else that someone or some group was causing the empire trouble,” Cimarra explained. “At least that’s how I see it.”
“I think you’re right.” I nodded at the beautiful dancer. “Especially after talking with Rindell earlier.”
“That only makes me want to burn the gallows down even more,” Penny chuckled. “To prove to the realm that we don’t have to listen to these fuckers.”
“And that just might be what the commander hopes we do,” I said. “He was fishing for answers, clues, and anything else from Rindell during the executions. We gotta keep the fucker in the dark where he belongs.”
“I know you’re both right,” Penny sighed. “I just want them all to pay for all that they’ve done.”
“And they will,” I added. “We’ll make sure of that.”
“We shouldn’t provoke the elves unless we have to,” Selius squeaked. “And I sure hope that day never comes.”
“There will be another day when we have to, kid,” I said. “But for now, we shouldn’t touch the gallows.”
“So, we just hope they don’t deter people from coming to the theatre’s opening night?” Penny asked as she looked to her paint-covered shirt and then to me. “Did we fucking do all of this work for nothing?”
“Not at all,” I replied. “Even with the gallows down the road, once our customers know they can drink whiskey and enjoy a show, I think they’d come back even if eight more bodies were hanging on the platforms.”
“We let our product do the talking for us,” Cimarra added.
“All we need are a few people to come opening night, and I believe we’ll have more than a few. Then, we let them tell their friends about how much they enjoyed the experience.”
“I hope you’re right,” Penny smirked.
“I think we can even use these gallows to our advantage,” Cimarra added.
“How?” Penny asked.
“Like Wade said, the elves think they won,” the dancer leaned over, picked up the bottle of whiskey behind me, and looked at Penny through the bottle. “That means they won’t turn an eye toward the theatre or anything else, really.”
“They’ll sink back into boredom,” I agreed.
“Alright,” Penny breathed. “Let’s get this theatre re-launched already. I’m tired of painting shit.”
“Me too,” Cimarra chuckled as she put the bottle back on the barrel. “But we have a little bit more to do.”
“Ah, shit,” Penny sighed, leaned across the table, and nudged Selius. “You’re helping us this time, kid.”
“I’m not the best painter,” Selius said as he glanced at me.
“I’m not either,” Penny smirked. “We’ll teach you.”
“Uh, okay,” Selius said as he stood from the chair, stretched his arms over his head, and cracked his neck to the side. “I’ll do whatever ya need me to do.”
“I think some painting will be good for you,” I said as I winked at the kid. “Alright, I’m gonna go try to find Wilimar while you guys finish up painting.”
“Are you going to talk with Rindell, too?” Cimarra asked.
“I think I’ll save that for tomorrow,” I began. Then, another idea came into my mind on how we could utilize Rindell’s dancers. “Could we use her girls as servers?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Cimarra said as she tapped her chin. “Let’s talk about that before you go see her.”
“Alright.” I nodded.
“Did we do it?” Penny chuckled. “Did we discuss everythi--”
Suddenly, the stable door swung open, and everyone but Cimarra instantly had a dagger in their hand.
“It’s just me.” Ava stepped inside and lowered her hood, and her golden hair fell across her green eyes. “Sorry I’ve been silent for a few days.”
“You literally almost scared the shit out of me.” Selius stood and pointed to his ass with his blade. “I clenched my cheeks like an orcs jaw.”
“Sicko.” Penny grimaced and sheathed her own dagger at her side.
“I hope everything was smoothed out?” Cimarra asked as she stepped closer to the blonde assassin.
“That’s why I came here to talk to you all,” Ava cleared her throat, “but first, do you have any water I can drink?”
“Of course,” Cimarra replied as she moved over to the water keg in the back and filled a tin cup.
“I appreciate it,” Ava sighed. “I’ve had an interesting day, and from the looks of it out there, I can tell you all did, too.”
“We did.” I smiled and hoped that she brought us some good news and not another problem. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Same here,” Ava said before she took the tin cup of water from the dancer and finished it in a few gulps. “I didn’t abandon our cause or anything like that. I just needed to meet with my guild leader.”
“And?” I prodded.
“Unfortunately, it’s not good news that I bring,” Ava sighed and took a deep breath.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I lied to him,” Ava breathed. “I told him that after learning about you, I didn’t think you broke the Assassin’s code.”
“Did he believe you?” I asked.
“Well, he said he did.” Ava smirked.
“Wait,” Penny leaned forward in her chair, “I thought you said you had bad news?”
“I know Fallor,” Ava began. “He said he believed me, but I could tell he really didn’t. He told me to keep tracking you and see what else I can find out. There is also a slight chance that he did partially believe me, but if that’s the case, then he’ll still be doing some digging of his own.”
“Fuck,” Penny whispered. “What does that mean?”
“It means he doesn’t fully believe me, yet,” Ava said as she twirled the tin cup in her hand.
“Would you like more water?” Cimarra asked.
“Yes, thank you.” Ava extended the cup to Cimarra and smiled. “I’m sorry. I wish it were different, but I informed you this would be the reality if I let you all live.”
“We understand,” I said. “What’s the best way to handle this?”
“What about the flower?” Penny suggested.
“What about it?” Ava replied with a tilt of her head.
“Can we use it to convince your, uh…” Penny widened her eyes, “your guild leader?”
“And kill him?” Ava frowned. “I’m not too sure if I can get behind that.”
“But you just said he didn’t really believe you.” Selius scratched his head in confusion. “Doesn’t that mean it’s only a matter of time until he kills us?”
“I think I can still convince him of your innocence and not declare war on my entire guild,” Ava said as she turned to me. “Trust me, we don’t want the entire Assassin’s Guild after us.”
“She’s right.” I nodded. “For now, at least.”
“Assassins are relentless, especially when it comes to our code of honor being broken,” Ava said as she looked at all of us. “And as for the flower, we need to understand it more before we use it.”
“I thought ya knew what it was.” Selius tilted his head. “Assassins are confusin’ people.”
“Like what?” Selius edged closer with wide eyes.
“As I said the night we first discovered it in the chest,” Ava began, “if it’s even exposed to the air for too long, it can turn the atmosphere of an entire room poisonous. There is even a theory that if the flower is exposed to the sun, it loses its power completely, hence the name, ‘nightshade.’”
“Are you certain of this?” Cimarra asked.
“No,” Ava shrugged, “that’s why before we use it, we should try to understand it.”
“I agree,” I said as I eyed the beautiful assassin. “Any thoughts on how we can study it safely?”
“While lying to the entire Assassin’s Guild, fighting the Empire, and selling illegal whiskey?” Ava smirked. “I don’t think safety really matters, does it?”
“Touché,” Penny chuckled.
“Even so, how can we understand something so deadly?” Cimarra contemplated.
“We can experiment, or I can try at least.” Ava shrugged. “Did you say there were seeds in the chest?”
“Yeah, a few.” I nodded.
“Maybe we can start our own garden,” Ava suggested. “See what pops up, and then if they are nightshade flowers, we can afford to run some trials.”
“Okay, I like that,” I said. “Do you wanna hold on to the seeds?”
“Sure,” Ava agreed. “I can find a place for them.”
“I trust you with them since you know more than any of us do,” I said as I walked over to the chest, opened it, and saw the purple flower.
The flower looked just like it did when we first opened the chest. The pedals were in perfect condition, and a sweet perfume smell wafted off it. If I didn’t know the aroma was so poisonous, I’d smell the flower for hours.
I brushed the flower and the scrap of paper with the famous dwarf’s name on it aside, and then I found the three tiny black seeds at the bottom. I carefully placed them in my hand, shut the chest, and turned toward the assassin.
“Here you go,” I said as I placed the seeds into her open palm.
“I’ll see what I can do with these,” Ava said as she studied the seeds in her palm for a moment and then dropped them into a small satchel on her side.