Apprentice

by Nicholas Hale

  "Try it on this one!" he yelled, pointing to another drunk. As drunk as he was, the man had no desire to fall onto any tables and quickly scurried away into the crowd of the tavern.

  It was a crowded night, and as impressive as the display was, most of the customers barely even took notice. They were all busy attending to their own vices.

  The air was thick with the smell of wine and smoke. In the center of the room was a large spit on which there were a couple of large boars roasting as one tavern maid brushed grease over it and another turned the spit.

  Gale understood that most of the men came here for the atmosphere and the company. Ceívar's tavern—some would say brothel—was a place where vice was law. You needn't sneak into some back door to have fun. Those were of course present, but most men liked sitting in the main area while openly enjoying the food, drink and the company of women. There was a time when Gale himself frequented this place. Much before Ceívar took over it. He had wished the place were this lively back when he was interested in such things. The first two days they met here, Gale had been a bit…uncomfortable. There was so much noise and so many people. But as Illazehra's spell just proved, nobody gave a damn what you spoke about.

  "Urk!"

  Gale heard the noise and he turned his head to see Illazehra holding Ceívar by the collar. Her strength was probably still enhanced by the spell she used because she seemed to be holding him a foot off the ground. It didn't do much to deter Ceívar as he burst out into laughter while still in the air.

  "Only you would think of inviting a woman into a brothel for lunch."

  "It's a tavern! I'm sorry if I upset the noble Illazehra. Her Majesty. Her Royal—"

  Illazehra let go and Ceívar crashed into the cushions and continued laughing. She let loose a sigh and sank back into the cushions next to Gale holding a glass of wine.

  "Him, I can understand. What's wrong with you?"

  "Hmm? Me?" asked Gale. Illazehra was but a young girl in her teens when Gale was still a Raven. He had barely noticed her then. The years had not just been kind to her; they had rewarded her. She was wearing blue satin robes and her skin appeared radiant. She had brown hair that flowed like the dress she wore down her shoulders. She looked more beautiful than most of the noblewomen that Gale had seen.

  "Yes, you. I heard you were a more sensible man. This is why Renal assigned you to this task."

  "You mean Toskk?"

  "Toskk, yes. But I know Renal is trying to sniff out the traitors and that's why you're here rubbing shoulders with…our fine host."

  "I'm taking that as a compliment," interjected Ceívar.

  "That's not entirely true. While I'm trying to help Renal in other matters, finding Toskk remains our biggest concern."

  Gale was a little surprised to know that Illazehra was in the loop about his secret mission. But he had heard the rumors before. She was one of Renal's most trusted soldiers. Some said they were even lovers. There was small lump in Gale's stomach as he thought about Illazehra entwined in bed with Renal. He could see Illazehra being passionate. Renal was like ice. But who knows...

  "Well, the boy's gone underground as far as I can tell. I've tried divining his location, but we don't even have a clue where to begin. I've contacted some seers who might be able to help. They're trying their best, but he seems to have protected himself well enough."

  "Why are we even looking for the boy? Why don't we try looking for the damned egg? That's what the Summoner wants," said Ceívar. He sounded different when he spoke business. Almost sober. It didn't suit him.

  "Well, for starters, I would need to know what kind of egg it is. The description fits a few hundred creatures in Gameil's book alone."

  They still didn't know. Gale had been on the verge of telling Renal. He had also been on the verge of telling Ceívar. But there was something stopping him. They were holding him prisoner. He was here with the Ravens against his will. Somehow he knew that giving up that last bit of information would symbolically make him theirs.

  "Wouldn't you know what it was?" asked Illazehra, looking at Gale. Her eyes glowed as she looked at him. Was she using a spell?

  "All I knew was the location of the item and whom it belonged to. I didn't know what it was," lied Gale.

  "Whom it belonged to, he says. How did an idiot like you survive long enough to become a lieutenant in this guild-hall? What kind of genius would try and steal from a Summoner?"

  Gale was tired of hearing that. But somehow hearing it from Illazehra made it sting a little more.

  "I tried deterring Garvin. But he was sure it would work."

  "You do know that if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't need to be having this meeting? And more importantly I wouldn't need to sit here and take in the stench of Ceívar's establishment?"

  "Er...I'm sorry," said Gale, not knowing what he was saying. Did he just apologize? He needed to clear up his head. He had never gone soft on a woman before. Was it the alcohol?

  "Like that'll do us any good. All I've been hearing about since that day is the bloody Summoner. I'm tired of casting spells all over his filthy apartment. I'm tired of listening to Renal gripe about how important it is."

  "There was another thing I wanted to talk to you about as well," said Gale.

  "Possible traitors, I presume. What do you want to know about them?"

  "There are three names. I've done by own investigations about them. But I want to hear your opinion," said Gale.

  "Thanril has been there since before I joined the Ravens. You would probably know more about him than me," replied Illazehra, sounding bored.

  True. Thanril was older but his career with the Ravens had begun around the same time as Renal's had. The man had always been in Renal's shadow, but had grown into a powerful position himself. He wasn't a guild-master, but he had significant control over a good portion of activities in the guild. His was as highest position inside the Ravens that a thief could aspire to without becoming an actual guild-master and running his own hall. In terms of income, he perhaps earned more than some of smaller guild-masters on the other islands.

  "He seems powerful enough. He could form his own hall if he wanted. His men are fiercely loyal to him," said Gale.

  "And what would he gained from betraying Renal? He has enough gold coming in even without his own guild-hall. Granted, having his own hall would give him more power, but really, does he strike you as the sort of man who wants it? Renal lets him do whatever he likes anyway."

  That was the same thing Gale had suspected as well.

  "He's the most powerful man next to Renal. If anybody has the resources to start a war against Renal, it has to be Thanril. But you're right. He has little motive to do so," said Gale, making some mental notes.

  "Darius is ambitious," continued Illazehra, twirling her wine glass while looking into it. "He's the youngest of the three. But he's definitely the cruelest one. Wouldn't be the first time he's climbed over the body of a guild member. But he's also the lowest ranked of the three. There's a good bit of distance between him and the throne. If, by some miracle, he did manage to kill Renal, one of the other two would finish him in an instant. He has his own group of thugs. Personally, I like him the least of all three."

  "That's saying something, in a group that includes the pike," said Gale.

  "Selvyn is certainly violent. You don't get called 'the Pike' in an organization like the Ravens without good reason," replied Illazehra.

  "Selvyn has gone against orders before though, hasn't he?"

  "Against Renal's orders, but never against Renal himself," said Illazehra, thinking a little. "He might disregard Renal's rules and take a job where he shouldn't. Or encroach another lieutenant's territory. But that's different from going against him. He's like a dog straining the master's leash."

  "Has he been given cause to take up arms against Renal?"

  "He has the most cause of all three. Last month, Selvyn ambushed a caravan belonging to the Arcturus family."

  Gale
had to wince. That name was old. And it was connected to the royal palace, where Emperor Thyurin made his seat. You never messed with anything even remotely concerning the royal family. Not in Aegis. And not with Thyurin sitting on the throne.

  "Was it bad?"

  "The spoils were certainly good. But the heat from that job was incredible. I heard the Ravenlord himself had to get involved. It was lucky that it was a plain intimidation job. None of the riders or guards was injured."

  "Renal didn't take it well?"

  "He was furious. He taxed Selvyn severely."

  "That would certainly give him reason..."

  Illazehra shrugged.

  "One has the power, and the brains, but no reason. Another has the reason, and the power, but not the brains to pull it off. Another doesn't need a reason, has the brains, but little by means of power. Take your pick."

  Gale has surmised as much from his own research. Maybe he needed another angle to look at this from.

  "What are their key activities?" he asked. Ceívar replied to this. Despite his drunken and boorish act, it appeared he had been paying attention the whole time.

  "Thanril likes estate. He shies away from brothels and the like in general, but he has some high-class establishments. He has a lot of taverns and stores. Also taxes a lot of them that he doesn't own."

  That was the old route. Estate didn't make too much in terms of money unless you owned a lot of it. And it seemed Thanril owned a whole lot.

  "Selvyn doesn't care too much for estate. He's a wolf. He does have a fighting pit, though."

  'Wolf' was the term the guild used for men who subsisted only by taking jobs. Assassination. Thievery. Some mercenary work. It was the most interesting but also the most dangerous one. Wolves usually took fewer jobs after they acquired territory. Do well in the guild, pay your cut promptly, and you would be given a steady income in the form of territory from some of the illicit ventures owned by the guild.

  "A fighting pit?"

  "It's the only thing he's been able to hold on to. Whatever else he had, Renal took away after that incident with the Arcturus family."

  "Darius?"

  Illazehra answered this one.

  "He's different. He does jobs here and there. Very selective about them. He also has a little bit of estate. But his main source of income are a bunch of fences working under him."

  Gale raised his eyebrow. That was interesting. Most people sold to one or more of the fences in the guild-hall. That was one of the main reasons you joined a guild. It was a place where you could sell your spoils. But there were a lot of guild fences who worked directly for the guild-master.

  "Why would anyone go to him? Why wouldn't they just go to the guild fences?"

  "You'd be surprised. He trades in items of a more magical nature. It's not always gold he wants. And he sells, as well. He's managed to get his hands on some very powerful items in the past."

  This was certainly news. Gale was still thinking when he suddenly felt a movement.

  He looked up and saw Ceívar standing in front of them. His rapier was already out of his belt and in his hands. He only had to look at Ceívar's face to understand.

  Gone were the drunken stupor and his fake leer. Ceívar lunged forward with bloodlust in his eyes. In a single leap, he had one leg on the table in between him and Illazehra. He gave a guttural grunt and rushed forward.

  Gale didn't have time to look around to see who his enemies were. But he knew one thing. They were thieves and most likely Ravens. And he knew what that meant. Gale leapt forward. Illazehra had a look of shock on her face as she saw Gale rushing toward her. Gale grabbed both her shoulders covered her body with his. Illazehra screamed as their bodies met.

  It came. As he knew it would. They always went for the mage first. He was quite familiar with ambush tactics. He felt a sharp sting as metal parted flesh. His right shoulder. He buckled and saw the tip of a crossbow bolt protruding from the front of his shoulder. The momentum sent both him and Illazehra crashing into the floor. The tip of the bolt pierced her shoulder as well when they hit the ground.

  He couldn't stop. More would follow. He caught hold of the table that Ceívar stepped on and turned it up in front of him like a shield, anticipating the next shot.

  A second slower and the second one would have gotten him in the chest. It struck the table, which was fortunately thick enough to stop the bolt. But the movement had caused much pain in his shoulder.

  "Move!" came a shrill voice from behind him.

  Before he could react, he saw a jet of fire to his side. Gale leapt aside, reflexively moving away the heat. He felt as if his cheek was on fire. He let go of the makeshift shield he held and fell to the ground clutching the side of his face. It wasn't on fire, but the heat was too much. The bolt stuck in his shoulder sent waves of pain as he rolled on the floor.

  His weapon. His sword was somewhere around, and the only thing he had with him was his dagger and he drew it as he turned around to see the room.

  Chaos. The customers were running around in all directions, but even through the madness, he could see his enemies clearly. Hooded assassins. Ceívar was battling one of them.

  It surprised Gale how impossibly quick Ceívar was for his size. He had always thought of Ceívar as a brawler, having seen him in numerous drunken bar brawls and duels. He had expected the man's style with sword to be something similar. A man who relied on the brute strength of his strikes to win.

  But as he saw Ceívar now, nothing could be further from the truth. His rapier was gleaming silver as he artfully swung it around in long arcs keeping his assailant at bay with ease.

  There was one figure running around that was on fire. Illazehra's spell. He couldn't tell if it was some innocent bystander or an enemy. Illazehra was on her feet and had already begun casting her next spell. She seemed to have picked her target. Gale knew how assassins moved. He looked behind them and found one cloaked figure trying to get a good position behind Illazehra.

  Ignoring the pain, Gale charged toward the hunched figure.

  It was not out of some affection for Illazehra that he did this. He had fought both with and against mages before. There was a good reason why you went for them first in an ambush. A well-protected mage from a distance could decimate foes in moments.

  Even when Gale had first realized that it was an ambush, Gale had leapt towards Illazehra and took the bolt meant for her, for that reason alone. Ensuring her survival was the best he could do in this situation. He staggered as he reached his opponent, but he still had his wits about him.

  Baring his dagger he moved in an arc to stand at his enemy's side. The boy was young. Gale noted this one had no crossbow. Fortunately. He had a longsword.

  He was probably a backup.

  The young boy lunged at him with his sword. Gale sidestepped the thrust with ease and caught the boy's wrist. He had lunged too far. Did this one even know how to use his blade? Using the boy's own force against him, Gale pulled him closer to his body. He winced as he felt the bolt in his shoulder. With his other hand, Gale drove the dagger into the boy's neck when he was close enough. The boy dropped to the ground, both hands going to his neck's open wound. Trying to stop the blood from flowing out, for all the good it would do.

  Gale heard a loud crack and turned around to survey the room once more. One of the men had been forcefully thrown into the stone walls of the brothel. He saw the man's limp body slide down to the floor. Illazehra had her hand raised and pointed towards the man. One more man was being dispatched off by Ceívar's own men.

  Gale walked and stood next to her. Ceívar seemed to be done with his man as well.

  "Who the hell are they?" asked Gale.

  "I don't know," replied Illazehra. "I think they're Ravens."

  "That they are," said Ceívar joining them.

  "Look at this," he said, throwing a red silk scarf at their feet. "When did they get so sloppy?"

  Gale looked at Ceívar. This was not the same drunken lout
. His rapier was gleaming a bright silver. Was it magical?

  "Quiet!" hissed Illazehra. "I still feel something."

  "More men?" asked Gale.

  "No. This is different. I feel magic."

  "Out! Everyone!" yelled Ceívar. He seemed suddenly alert.

  Most the customers had already found hiding places, while many of them had rushed out of the door. Some ran towards the back rooms.

  "Edric! Head to the Bottomless Keg and fetch reinforcements!"

  One of the men holding a blade made to move toward the door when his chest exploded in blood. It looked as if an invisible blade had sliced his chest open.

  Gale was still in shock when he saw steam rising from the floor. The bodies. The bodies of the hooded assassins. They were emanating steam.

  "What the hell is going on here?" he asked as he dropped into a crouch with his sword at his side. His eyes began darting around the room, looking for their unseen enemy.

  "We have a hidden mage," said Illazehra.

  Gale heard a blood-curdling scream from behind him. The boy he had just killed. He was standing with his hands stretched out. His neck was still bleeding. The scream turned into a growl as the boy's clothes tore apart. Gale saw the boy's naked body as his muscles grew beyond proportion. He saw purple runes inscribed into the flesh begin to glow. The white skin was replaced with fur. The hands with claws.

  He heard more screams and saw the other bodies doing the same. The body hunched and Gale could see a mane of black fur on the boy's back. The face was last to come. It looked like that of a wolf, as the man's face elongated into a snout.

  Illazehra began casting. She sent a blue orb hurtling toward one of the creatures. Its transformation still incomplete, the creature leapt aside. Gale felt the floor vibrate as it landed a few feet away from the orb. The orb exploded into a small cloud of blue mist.

  The growling had stopped. There were four of them in total.

  The growling which sounded pained earlier was now replaced with the snarling of predatory wolves. There were three in front of them and one behind them.

  Gale recognized them. He had just avoided them. He had seen their shadows as they snuck into Garvin's manor. No. Not here.