The Way of Thieves

by K.N. Lee

  Uriah had led the way before him, and he could see the repercussions of that. More than a dozen men lay head on the path ahead. A few of them were sorcerers, and Brenden was mildly impressed Uriah was able to defeat them, but mostly he was disgusted that Uriah had felt the need to kill every last one of them. Though, it wasn’t the need Uriah felt. Brenden was sure now. The man hadn’t needed to kill anyone. Instead, he took pleasure in it.

  Brenden tried to ignore the scene before him. One step at a time. He put one foot in front of the other, then the next, then the hairs on the back of his neck tingled.

  “Brenden?” Keira whispered.

  Brenden turned around, and three sorcerers appeared in the hall behind them.

  “Where in the blazes did you three come from?” Brenden muttered.

  “Stop!” one of the sorcerers called. “That section is off limits. We need you to come with—”

  The sorcerer stopped speaking when he noticed the carnage in the hall. He glanced from body to body, his eyes squinted as he tried to make out what had happened, the overwhelming darkness clearly affecting him.

  “Intruders!” he yelled. “Kill them!”

  Brenden had less than a second to grab Keira and throw her to the ground. Three spheres of magic rushed toward him. One green, one red, and one yellow. Brenden unsheathed his sword, slashing two of the attacks. Each sphere of magic changed directions, flying the other way toward the caster, but instead of a sphere of magic, it became a sword to match Brenden’s weapon.

  The third magical sphere, a yellow one, struck Brenden in the ribcage, tossing him backward and against the wall. He groaned as the pain traveled through him. Crawling forward, he checked on Keira. She appeared to be fine, more startled than hurt. He turned to face his attackers, and noticed he’d injured the other two. Their own attacks had damaged them, but they were all facing him now. He stood, held his sword in front of him, and prepared.

  Six spheres of light traveled toward him now. One from each hand. He knew he couldn’t deflect all of them. Keira stood behind him. Her own weapon out of its scabbard.

  “Keira, no!” Brenden said.

  “Brenden, I am the older sibling. I am supposed to protect you, not the other way around.”

  Brenden gritted his teeth. The spheres came fast. He slammed his weapon with two fast overhead strikes, one to his left, then the other on his right. The third almost impacted him as he stumbled backward and used his weapon in an uppercut to slice through its center, breaking the sphere into two halves. He then willed them forward. Each magical attack reversed to face its creator. They slammed into them instantly, making them stumble backward. Three more spheres hit them after his.

  Keira sheathed her own weapon. She’d been able to reverse their attacks as well with her weapon. Brenden remembered when he thought it was his sword that reversed the magical attacks in the past. Now he knew it was himself, and the will to deflect the spells that gave his weapon the power. And now he saw Keira was doing the same thing.

  Brenden prepared to rush at the three men, but stopped as he saw three shurikens zoom through the air. Each one caught one of the sorcerers in the throat. They all fell, two dead instantly, the third, and the leader of the bunch, had flinched as they soared through the air. It still hit him in the throat, but it missed his artery.

  Keira walked toward the man, removing her sword from its scabbard once more.

  Brenden turned away. He couldn’t watch. Brenden knew Keira was doing what she had to, but he still wasn’t convinced everyone had to be killed. Though, they were so close to finishing their mission. They had to be careful. He could hear as Keira’s sword pierced flesh, and could hear the gurgle when blood filled the sorcerers mouth.

  It would all be over soon.

  Keira rushed back over to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “I had to,” she whispered.

  “Why?”

  “The wound was fatal. I put him out of his misery.”

  “What if magic could have saved him?” Brenden said.

  “If someone could have saved him with magic, then we would have two sorcerers or more on our tail. We need to get to the vault and get out of here. He wouldn’t have lived much longer, and the only way they could have saved him, is if someone had stumbled to him while we were still here.”

  Brenden closed his eyes and nodded.

  “Come on, we need to find Uriah and the others.”

  Brenden nodded again. Then the two of them continued deeper into the castle.

  44

  Keira’s neck tingled as she followed Brenden farther into the castle.

  The path continued to turn to the left as it sank deeper into the ground. She’d been a lot of places, but underground had always made her nervous. The deeper underground she was, she felt like she was trapped. If they were caught, they had nowhere to go. They would be trapped. She shivered, but continued forward. Keira couldn’t lose her nerve.

  Brenden needed her.

  “What is the plan?” she whispered.

  “Find the scepter,” Brenden responded.

  “Then what?” Keira asked.

  Brenden stopped walking. He turned to face her, then glanced around the hall. Everything was silent, but he also closed his eyes for a moment, his face showing concentration. Was he reaching out with his senses to see if anyone was nearby?

  “I have ignored your cautions for far too long, sis. I’m sorry for that. Once this is over, I believe we’ll need to part ways with the Sorcerers Guild.”

  “Why even help them? If we help them do this, they will bring this world into chaos. Let’s just walk away now. It is foolish to give them what they desire.”

  Brenden shook his head. “They will find us. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Thieves Guild, it’s that they know how to find anything, or if they can’t find it—” He motioned his hand forward toward the dungeon. “They’ll find a way to bring it out of hiding. And I feel if we do disappear on them, they’ll do the same. Except we’re not something they need. We’re expendable.”

  “You think they would kill us?” Keira asked.

  “Yes. I have no doubt.”

  “Surely there’s somewhere we can go that they can’t follow. They can’t know everything.”

  He shook his head. “There is only one guild they fear. The Sorcerers Guild. But Uriah has made sure we cannot sneak away to warn them. He has set evidence all over this city that you and I are behind this attack. I’ve been watching him, and he’s planned too much damning evidence against us here. I can’t pick it all up, and besides, I don’t know what he’s placed without me watching. If we were to run to the Sorcerers Guild, they would throw us in the dungeon. And if that happens, we might as well be dead.”

  “But why are we going to give them what they want? Surely there has to be a better way.”

  “As much as I would love to disappear, I want answers more.”

  “Answers?” Keira asked.

  Brenden nodded. He dropped his hood behind his neck and stared at her with somber eyes.

  Keira took a moment to look at him, to really look at him. His face was unkempt. He always had a goatee connecting to sideburns, but usually he kept it neat. Scruff curled all over his face, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in weeks. He had bags under his eyes, and red veins on his scleras. His lips were purple and cracked, and his hair was a mess, growing long and wavy behind his ears.

  “I want to know who our parents were. I do not believe they were thieves. I think we were kidnapped.”

  Keira’s eyes widened. “I’ve had my suspicions as well, but …”

  “But what? It all makes sense now.”

  “What makes sense?” she asked.

  Brenden held out a single finger. “They’ve been planning this take over for a long time now. It is evident to me now. They’ve had us stealing these dragon pendants for months now.” Brenden held out a second finger. “But not only that—think about our past missions over t
he last few years. They’ve strategically placed us in places they knew we would need to return to. We’ve been in and out of Cappria, Areshia, and Utoplous several times over the last two years. They’ve had us study those cities exclusively, as well as the Sorcerers Guild cities Haedrael and Kathrael. Remember our studies? They’ve been preparing us, molding us, ever since we were children.”

  Keira’s mouth hung open.

  “And there’s something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The duke’s daughter. Remember? The one who was supposed to marry the baron’s son?”

  Keira smirked. “You mean the one I caught you gawking at?”

  His eyebrows raised. “Perhaps. Well, she’s a sorceress. I saw her at Kathrael. Apparently, after her marriage fell through, she returned to the Sorcerers Guild. She recognized me. And she recognized my power. She said she felt it when we first touched at her wedding. But there was something else. She recognized my name. I saw it on her face. It was like she’d heard it before. She asked who my parents were. I think she knows something, something about our parents.”

  “Our parents?” Keira asked, her face lighting up.

  Brenden nodded. “I think they were sorcerers. And I think we were kidnapped from them.”

  “Do you think?” Keira gulped. “Do you think they’re still alive?”

  Brenden shrugged. “I don’t know. But that is why I’m still here. That is why I haven’t fled. Someone knows something. Uriah or Mirabelle, and I plan to find out what they know. I don’t plan on following through with their plan, but I plan on using it as leverage to get the answers I want.”

  “What then?” Keira asked.

  Brenden reached his hand up and stroked Keira’s cheek and chin. “Once we know the truth, we can finally leave in peace.”

  “They won’t just let us leave,” Keira said.

  “We won’t ask.” Brenden opened his cloak and revealed a book.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s a book about magical stealth. I found it when exploring this city, and I’ve been studying. If were are indeed magical, we should be able to use these spells to escape.”

  “Will you teach me?” Keira asked.

  “Of course.” He grinned. “You’re my sister.”

  He took a deep breath, and raked his hand through his hair.

  “I don’t know when we’re going to have the time—the alone time, but I will tell you this,” he said. “With everything I’ve been studying, magic is elemental. There are five main elements. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Void. Each one of those elements can be broken down further into hot, cold, lightning plant, tree, metal, and many more. Then you can add the elements together to create super elements. I know it all sounds complicated, but remember this: feel it in your mind. Feel the fire, or the ice, or the lightning in your mind, add a modifier element to it in your mind, then throw it forward in your mind. Throw it at your target. That is a good starting point.”

  “Modifier element?”

  Brenden grinned. “Fire doesn’t always need to be hot. You can send cold fire at someone that gives them freeze burn. Or cold water, or even hot water. Your imagination is your limitation.”

  “That’s incredible,” Keira said.

  “Remember that when the time is right. I have a suspicion that Uriah and Mirabelle aren’t going to let us leave willingly.”

  Kiera nodded. “Noted.”

  “You ready to catch up to Uriah?” he asked.

  Keira shook her head. “No.”

  “All right.” Brenden grinned. “Let’s go.”

  45

  Uriah stood at the edge of the walkway, staring down the foreboding entrance to the dungeon.

  He dared not travel any farther. Uriah awaited the foolish Brenden to catch up. Keira’s part was important to be sure, and Uriah was confident they needed the captain’s keys to get into the door, though he wasn’t certain that Brenden’s magic couldn’t break through the barrier of the door. It worried him a little that Brenden had progressed with his magic so fast. He pushed the boy to use it at Mirabelle’s request, but still, he worried.

  Uriah spent years raising Brenden and Keira, and one thing he learned was Brenden was no fool. Letting him use magic as he was discovering that the Thieves Guild was using him, would prompt him to learn at an accelerated rate to protect himself and his sister.

  Uriah had always known Brenden’s weakness. He raised the child, and saw his unyielding love for his sister. But Uriah never knew how deep it was until lately. He could see the love painted on Brenden’s face. Uriah knew how to break him. He knew how to get him to do everything the Thieves Guild needed him to. Uriah hoped he wouldn’t have to do it, but he had a suspicion that Mirabelle would command it of him.

  Even though they needed Keira. Mostly because of her weakness, and as a liability to Brenden, Uriah still wished Brenden would have continued on with them. Keira was weak. Uriah had always known. No matter what, she couldn’t hold back from temptation. Uriah didn’t know what it was with her, but he’d noticed it for a long time. The way she’d flirt with the other thieves in town, and the rumors of her seductive missions. She’d never fit in anywhere. Of course, none of the thieves liked Brenden or Keira much. They hadn’t seen the big picture. The others didn’t know why the two of them were so important, and many of them resented the young sorcerers for it. They didn’t understand.

  Uriah imagined since Keira never felt connected with anyone as an outcast of Forscythe, rather than going into herself and focusing at becoming a better thief like Brenden had, she’d reached out for attention. Since she got little attention from the other thieves, other than a few young men who found her attractive and attempted to pursue her, she’d reached out elsewhere. On her missions.

  Uriah struggled to keep his foot from tapping on the ground. After a few more minutes, he heard a noise behind him. He turned, and saw Brenden and Keira walking side by side holding hands.

  Uriah scowled at them. He didn’t like their relationship.

  They were too close.

  A brother and a sister shouldn’t hold hands. It gave him the shivers, and memories of him and his sister broke into his mind. She’d always wanted to hold his hand, to flaunt him in front of her friends, then she’d torture him later. He was nothing but a plaything to her. A showcase for her friends, and Uriah despised her. He despised her all the way until the day he slit her throat. Then he was set free. He shook his head, ridding himself of the ill memories.

  “It’s about time you two showed up,” he muttered.

  “It’s good to see you too, Uriah,” Brenden said.

  Uriah grumbled.

  “What’s the deal? Why are you two just standing here? And where is Tedlyha?” Brenden asked.

  “He’s guarding the perimeter, making sure no sorcerers find their way down here.”

  “He’s not doing a very good job,” Kiera said under her breath.

  “What’s that?” Uriah asked.

  “We ran into a few sorcerers on our way down here,” Brenden admitted.

  “Did you take care of them?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good.” Uriah grinned. “Let’s continue then, shall we?” He motioned to the door.

  Brenden raised an eyebrow. “Is it locked?”

  “No, it’s just too heavy to open. Yes, the bloody door is locked. I wouldn’t be standing here if I could get inside.”

  “It doesn’t feel locked,” Brenden whispered.

  He approached the door, placing his hand on it. His fingertips grazed the coarse wood as his hand made its way to the doorknob. He attempted to turn it, but nothing happened.

  “Odd,” Brenden said.

  Uriah crossed his arms. “The keys?”

  Brenden tilted his head. “Keys?”

  “Oh!” Keira shouted. “I have those.”

  She stumbled forward, fishing a ring of keys from her sash. Her long red hair bounced with each step she took. Uriah admired h
er from behind. While she was mostly useless in every situation, a crutch, a liability, she was at least pleasant to look at. It should disgust him, after all, he did raise her, but he never felt like a father to the two of them. It was a means to and end. He knew it. He’d always known it. Mirabelle wouldn’t allow them to leave. They would either join, or they would die.

  Keira tried several keys until she found the right one. With a turn and a click, she opened the door. Inside the door, there was light. Torches hung in the hallway to the left and right. Instead of a bright reddish white light like the torches outside of the dungeon, they were a blueish white.

  “Torches,” Uriah muttered. “I thought you reversed all of these.”

  Brenden stepped into the dungeon, his eyes curious as he looked down the halls. “These torches aren’t firelight.”

  “They’re not magical? What, just oil torches then?” Uriah asked.

  Brenden shook his head. “No, they’re magical. They’re not firelight.” He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. “They’re waterlight.”

  “Water light?” Uriah asked. “Water doesn’t make light.”

  “It does if they combine it with a light element. It’s quite interesting.”

  “Save the semantics.”

  “Do you want me to reverse these as well?” Brenden asked.

  “No. It looks like they’re only here in the dungeon. This might make our job easier. We’ll be able to see where we’re going.”

  Brenden nodded.

  “Lead the way,” Uriah said.

  Brenden bit his bottom lip. “Which direction?”

  “I thought you studied all the maps.”

  “I did, but I forgot the first turn.”

  “Left.”

  Brenden turned left down the hall, and Keira was by his side. Uriah stayed farther back with Rycroft, watching their every move. He told the demolition expert to keep an eye out on them. At first, Rycroft hadn’t wanted to go into the dungeon. He’d wanted to be lookout with Tedlyha; he hadn’t wanted to be there to find Seraphina. Uriah knew it was a bad idea for the two of them to be intimate the night before. Intimacy always complicated things. Uriah should know.