Building a Criminal Empire

by Logan Jacobs

  “You’re right,” I said as I rested my foot on the front edge of the wagon. “I know I’ve told ya this about one-hundred times already, but I’m glad you’re with us.”

  “Same,” Ava said with a nod as she raised her hood over her head. “Now, stay alert.”

  “Got it,” I said as I raised my hood as well and moved my eyes from one side of the road to the other. I tried to look at every rooftop, alley, and person we passed by. I was tired and wanted to make sure we at least got to the cottage alive.

  I still couldn’t believe I was alive. I should’ve been dead, but Faye pulled me out of it, she rejected my entrance into the afterlife. If I was honest with myself, part of me was a little upset about that.

  Faye was the first thing I saw in my mind every morning and the last thing I thought about at night. But for her to tell me to keep fighting made little sense to me, maybe I was just delusional.

  “We might have more company,” Ava muttered after we exited the Halfling District and entered the open country. The wagon jolted with each bump on the dirt road, and if we had to fight, then it was about to get interesting, very fast.

  “You see someone?” Skam asked as he kept his beady eyes on the path ahead.

  “No,” Ava said. “It’s just a feeling that I get sometimes.”

  “A feeling?” I asked and instantly thought about Wade.

  “Yeah,” Ava replied. “It just sits in my gut and lets me know things before I know em.”

  “Wade gets those too,” I said.

  “Because of the keys, right?” Ave guessed.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Are you some kind of magical human like him too?”

  “I thought you said I was a halfie?” Ava smirked.

  “Maybe ya are,” I said as I kept my eyes open for any kind of suspicious movement, but I saw nothing.

  “How much longer, Skam?” Ava asked as she leaned forward.

  “About half an hour,” Skam answered and then elbowed me in the ribs. “What’re we gonna tell Marver in the morning?”

  “What Cimarra said,” I replied. “We are there to do an inventory.”

  “All bloodied up like ya are?” Skam pointed to my nose.

  “I’m bleeding?” I asked as I touched my nose and looked at my finger. “Well, I’ll clean up then.”

  “Alright, lad,” Skam grunted. “Marver is still gonna give us lip.”

  “Why?” Ava questioned. “Does he know Wade?”

  “He does, but he’s still not aware of what exactly we are doing,” I explained. “He runs the catering business for us.”

  “Will you ever let him know the truth?” Ava asked.

  “Probably not,” I sighed. “The fewer people that know, the better in the long run for us.”

  “True,” Ava said and held on to the edge of the wagon as another large bump nearly sent her flying off the side. “Well, let’s hope that we don’t bring too many of our issues to his front door.”

  “By issues, do ya mean that wagon up ahead?” Skam pointed to a cart on fire in the middle of the road about fifty yards away.

  “Oh, shit,” I breathed as our wagon rolled to a stop. I could feel the heat from the flames and the smell of the burning wood and canvas. “More assassins? How did they know we were coming this way?”

  “They might’ve known since I’ve already come out this way before hiding near the Falrion Forest,” Ava said.

  “What should we do?” Skam turned and faced Ava and me.

  “Go around it as fast as you can without putting us in a ditch,” Ava said as she pointed just to the left of the burning wagon.

  “Aye,” Skam whistled, and the horses started to trot forward, but their trot didn’t last long and was soon a full gallop. “Hang on!”

  The wagon moaned, creaked, and bobbed along the dirt road the closer we got to the fire. Then we drifted off the road, and I thought we would roll into a ditch, but Skam kept the horses steady and steered the wagon just to the left of the burning cart.

  As soon we passed the flames, Skam steered the wagon back onto the road, but before we could celebrate, I heard a high-pitched whistle buzz past my head.

  “Stay low,” Ava shoved my head down just before an arrow went right through my brain.

  “Where are they shooting from?” I asked as I kept my head down and tried to see where the fuck we were getting shot from.

  “My side,” Ava panted as she stood on top of the seat and unsheathed her daggers.

  “What the fuck are you doin’?” I tugged at her arm and watched her deflect a full speed arrow off to the side with her dagger.

  “Skam,” Ava ignored me and glanced at Skam for a split second, before deflecting another arrow with a swipe from her blade.

  “Shit!” I ducked lower.

  “Yeah?” Skam replied as he lowered his head and pushed the horses to go faster.

  “Slow down a bit,” Ava demanded. “I want to kill them before we reach the cottage.”

  “Are ya sure?” Skam asked as he eyed me.

  “Yes.” Ava cocked her neck to the left as another arrow flew by and missed her by a centimeter.

  “Alright,” Skam adjusted the reins and pulled back to slow down the horses.

  “There are two of them,” Ava said as she turned to me. “Both on horses. I will take care of one, but you will have to take care of the other.”

  “Got it,” I said as I crept my head up and tried to get a look at what Ava saw.

  “Stay low,” Ava said. “Allow them to get closer.”

  “What’re you gonna do?” I asked.

  “Wait,” Ava muttered as she lowered herself into a kneeling position. “Here they come.”

  “Where?” I questioned, but just as I asked, I saw a horse appear right next to us with a hooded halfling rider.

  “Defend yourself,” Ava said just before she jumped off the front seat and landed onto the assassin's horse. The rider was stuck as Ava wrapped her legs around him and started to choke him out.

  But I couldn’t watch for long as the other rider appeared and extended his bow back and aimed the arrow right at Ava.

  Fuck.

  “Hold the wagon steady,” I said as I knew I’d have to try to jump across to the other horse. But he was still too far away, and I didn’t have as much time as I thought. “Ava, look out!”

  My warning saved her as she instantly let go of the assassin's neck, dropped onto her back, so her head was near the horse's back legs, and the arrow zipped past her and pierced into the rider's chest.

  The assassin gripped the arrow through his chest with one hand and steered the horse across our wagon's path.

  Skam made a quick decision and pulled back the reins hard to slow our wagon down just in time before we collided with the crazy fucker. He vanished to our right with Ava and him exchanging blows.

  But now the shooter had slowed down with us and had his sights on me.

  “Go, go, go!” I ordered Skam as he whistled, and the horses kicked up dirt once again, and we were off, but not before the shooter launched an arrow right for my head.

  I ducked out of the way but heard the arrow whizz past my shoulder and pierce into something behind me.

  “Ahh!” Skam screeched in pain, and my heart dropped.

  I turned to see the arrow buried in Skam’s shoulder, and a patch of blood began to soak through his shirt.

  “Shit!” I hissed. “Are you okay? Fuck!”

  “I’ll live, I’ll live,” Skam panted as he gripped onto the arrow to yank it out.

  “Don’t!” I stopped him. “I think you gotta keep it in for now.”

  “Ah, fuckin’…” He continued to curse in Dwarvish. “Hurry it up and kill that fucker, Dar!”

  “I will,” I said with a newfound fire burning in my gut. No one fucked with our crew, and this assassin was no exception.

  “Just keep pushing forward toward the cottage,” I said as I tried to locate the shooter, and at first, I couldn’t see him since he drifte
d behind us, but then I saw his horse. “Shit, where is he?”

  The horse didn’t have a rider.

  Maybe he fell off?

  Or Ava got him?

  No, it wasn’t her. She was still battling with the other assassin to our right.

  Where was he?

  Suddenly, an arm holding a blade appeared from the rear of the wagon and snaked toward my chest, but thankfully Skam saw him and threw his elbow back to knock the assassin’s arm away.

  “He’s on the wagon, lad!” Skam shouted as he moved aside.

  “I’m on it,” I said as I unsheathed my dagger and swiped aside another attempt from the assassin. Then I just dove headfirst, collided with the asshole, and tumbled onto the bloody pile of his dead friends.

  Here I was fighting for my life again in the back of the wagon.

  But my headfirst dive stunned the assassin, so I got in position on top of him and stabbed my blade deep into his chest. So deep, I could feel his heart beating around the tip of the knife.

  Yet, the assassin gripped onto my hand with the blade still inside of him and then tried to swing his dagger at my throat.

  I caught his wrist with my free hand, continued to twist my blade deeper into the fucker’s heart and hoped he died before his knife swiped across my neck.

  We both grunted and groaned at each other. I could see the whites of his eyes and feel the hot air rush from his nostrils as he struggled to survive.

  The halfling just wouldn’t die.

  Then I felt blood spurt from the wound in his chest and soak my hand. At the same time, my other arm burned as I tried to win the tug of war happening with his last-ditch attempt to kill me with his dagger.

  But his arm gave out before mine.

  “Fuck,” I spat as I held off his attack long enough until his heart finally gave up beating with my blade deep inside of it.

  “You okay?” Skam asked from the front seat.

  “Yeah …” I now felt the sharp pain race along my arm from the first wound the assassin gave me. “Like you, I’ll live.”

  “Aye, lad,” Skam chuckled. “Looks like Ava won her battle too.”

  “Good,” I said as I made my way back to the front seat. “We gotta get that arrow out of you.”

  “We will, we will,” Skam laughed again. “What a night, lad.”

  “All good?” Ava whistled as she rode by on the horse of the assassin she killed.

  “We are!” Skam replied.

  “Doesn’t look like it.” Ava pointed to the arrow.

  “It’ll be an easy fix!” the dwarf laughed.

  Ava rolled her eyes and gestured toward the cottage in the distance.

  “Fuck,” I sighed as I sat down, and blood dripped down my arm and nose, but I was still alive.

  “What a night,” Skam said again as he waved at Ava and pushed the horses faster.

  “Don’t die, Skam,” I muttered as I watched the sun peek its head over the treeline of the Falrion Forest, and the orb of light looked like it was bleeding just like we were.

  But also, just like us, the sun was alive.

  For some reason, as I looked at the red and orange orb, I knew that no matter how many more assassins were coming, we would kill them all.

  Chapter 19

  After Dar, Skam, and Ava left the apartment, everything was quiet. I watched all three kill an entire unit of assassins with ease, and I was confident that they would survive anything else the fuckers threw at them.

  I wasn’t used to being on the sidelines during a fight though, and I had to ignore my natural urges to join the battle many times.

  I knew Penny felt the same as me.

  She asked every three seconds if we should go out and help or not, but I agreed with Ava’s logic for us to remain inside.

  If the guild didn’t know where we all were yet, then we needed to delay that information as long as possible, and based on how quiet it became after Dar, Skam, and Ava left, I knew Ava was probably right in her thinking.

  After the battle, Penny, Cimarra, and I waited in the dim light of the apartment for a good hour before we muttered another word. I wanted to be one-hundred percent sure no one else was lurking outside or on the rooftops. Once we felt like it was safe, we ventured out, stayed in the shadows, and traveled back to the theatre just as the sun was coming up.

  “I’ll send a runner to the miners with your message,” Cimarra said as she turned to face me before she began to walk toward the back entrance of the theatre.

  “Should I wait for their response before I try to meet with them later today?” I asked.

  “I don’t think there’s time,” Cimarra sighed. “The message is just a courtesy so you don’t just show up and either confuse them or piss them off.”

  “Right,” I said.

  “I can come with you if you’d like, Wade,” Penny said through a long yawn. “Just in case shit gets bad with them during the meeting.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I replied. “Let's get a few hours of sleep first and then head over to the Dwarf District.”

  “Do you know where the main Miners Union Hall is?” Cimarra questioned.

  “I do,” I said with a nod. “It’s not too far from Hebal’s but closer to the middle of the district?”

  “Correct,” Cimarra answered.

  “Good,” I said as I scratched at my neck. “What time are the elves coming here to do the walkthrough?”

  “Around the same time you’ll be leaving if you’re planning on going in a few hours,” Cimarra said.

  “It won't be that pointy-eared fucker we met at the bakery, right?” Penny questioned.

  “No,” Cimarra replied. “No military, it’ll be a noble from the Capital.”

  “Ack.” Penny scrunched her nose as if she just smelled something rotten. “Good luck with that.”

  “I know.” Cimarra rolled her eyes. “I feel much more comfortable knowing everything illegal is out of here, though.”

  “For now,” I added.

  “For now,” Cimarra confirmed.

  “Alright,” I said as I ran a hand through my hair. “Penny, come get me in an hour or two after Cimarra sends the runner with our message, and then we’ll head out.”

  “Sounds good,” Penny said as she yawned again. “I gotta crash for a bit.”

  “I hope you do,” I said. “Cimarra, I trust you already know everything you need to do to make sure you’re ready for the walkthrough?”

  “I’ve got it han--” the beautiful dancer stopped as the back door flung open. “Ashlin? What’s wrong?

  “Cim!” the bright-eyed dancer looked to have just woken up, but she had a panicked look on her face. “The elves are already here.”

  “What?” Cimarra sighed. “They said early afternoon in their letter.”

  “Well, fuck,” Penny groaned. “No sleep for us.”

  “Doesn’t look that way,” I added. “It’s okay. Like you said, everything they wouldn’t like is out of here.”

  I tried to choose my words carefully since Ashlin was still by the door.

  “Azure!” Cimarra’s eyes burst open as she bit her lip. “Shit …”

  “He’s still here.” Penny’s voice was solemn.

  “Who?” Ashlin furrowed her brow.

  “Ash,” Cimarra waved her hand at her. “Tell the count to keep the elves in the lobby for now.”

  “Okay, I--” Ashlin went to turn around, but Cimarra cut her off.

  “After that, I need you to do something else,” Cimarra said as she looked at me. Just by the look in her eye, I could tell that she was going to send Ashlin with the message to the miners. “I don’t have time to write it down, but we don’t have another choice if we want to meet with the miners today.”

  “What is it?” Ashlin said as she looked at Cimarra with eager eyes. “Whatever it is, I can do it.”

  “I know you can,” Cimarra breathed. “I need you to deliver a message for us to someone important.”

  “Who?” As
hlin asked.

  “Cimarra!” the count’s voice erupted from the hallway inside.

  “Shit,” Cimarra hissed as she stepped toward the door. “Lemme deal with him first, hang tight.”

  “I can tell her the message and take care of Azure,” I said and stopped Cimarra before she entered the theatre. “Just try to keep the elves away from the stables.”

  “Okay,” Cimarra said with a slight nod, placed her hand on Ahlin’s cheek, and then turned back to face me. “The leader of the Miners Union is Lobrem, he is the son of Vazmet, who leads the Retired Miners Association. He should grant us what we need since we are in good standing with his father.”

  “Good,” I replied.

  “Listen to Wade carefully, okay?” Cimarra faced Ashlin again and then walked into the theatre.

  “I will,” Ashlin said as she stepped aside to allow her mentor by, and then walked over with her arms stiff by her side.

  “Don’t be nervous,” I began. “As Cimarra mentioned, you’ll be delivering this message to Lobrem, the leader of the Miners Union.”

  “Okay,” Ashlin said as she took a deep breath. “I won’t let you down, Mr. Wade.”

  “I know you won’t,” I said with a smirk. “Now, are you ready for the message?”

  “Sure,” Ashlin cleared her throat and leaned forward.

  “First, make sure and mention that this message is from Cimarra and Wade, who is in business with his father, Vazmet, okay?” I paused and acknowledged Ashlin’s nod. “Tell him I will stop by his place of business today with hopes of coming to an agreement that I believe will benefit his organization greatly.”

  “What if he asks me what the meeting is about?” Ashlin questioned.

  “Tell him the meeting I request is about Hebal, the storekeeper,” I replied. “He will know the name, and that should be enough.”

  “Hebal, the storekeeper?” Ashlin repeated. “Okay, is that it?”

  “That’s it,” I replied. “As soon as you give him the message, you run back here and let me know.”

  “I will,” Ashlin said. “Where exactly is the Miners Union Hall?”

  “As soon as you enter the Dwarf District, walk down the main road until you reach the center square,” I said. “I’m almost positive it’s located around the main square and is a black stone building, but don’t be afraid to ask a vendor for more precise directions if you need them.”