Neutral Parties

by Christopher J Taylor

  Amberlee was a small woman, maybe even just a girl. She squatted with her back to a corner opposite the door, eyes always on her cellmates. Taelyn could tell she had a round face and short hair, but she stayed as far from the door as she could so there was never enough light to see more. Kovol has spent some time straining against the door without effect. Now he dozed at the end of the room near the door.

  “Well, Cazmeran the Great,” Amberlee said, breaking the silence in the room, “any great ideas about how to get us out?”

  “Is there really that much need for haste?” he grated back. Amberlee rarely spoke without some sarcasm in her voice. It apparently irritated Cazmeran. Taelyn smiled at that since the old sorcerer was frequently sarcastic.

  “I figure it’s close to mid day,” she replied. “The guards will be by for our daily feeding soon. They don’t make a habit of feeding prisoners they don’t have to, so I’ll either be fed or have my hands lopped off and I’m kind of attached to them. Though honestly, dinner is likely to be as much punishment.”

  “Cazmeran, what about the spell you used on the rock outcropping?” asked Taelyn.

  “Wait, you’re a magician and you haven’t already just magicked us out?” asked Amberlee as she wiggled her fingers at Cazmeran. “More like Cazmeran the Pathetic, if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t actually ask you,” Cazmeran growled at Amberlee. Then he turned to Taelyn. “One of the limitations of my magic is that I can only get the same effect once. That’s another of the reasons why I don’t throw magic about like sand in a desert. These things require at least some forethought. Now, while this conversation may be entertaining, I’m a bit more interested in being alive and free than entertained. It would be refreshing to be able to think up a functional plan in peace.”

  “Huh,” scoffed Amberlee. “I’m guessing the god of chaos isn’t exactly one for elaborate advanced planning.”

  “No,” Cazmeran said flatly. “It’s not really one of his strengths.”

  Taelyn returned to his silent consideration of his limited surroundings, sorry he’d said anything. If magic only worked once, why was it defined by runes, he thought. Runes were like writing, and you only wrote things down so you could remember them later or so other people could know what you were thinking.

  Suddenly, the world slowed as it had during the avalanche. Motes of dust floated in the light from the door like fish in still water. Kovol’s deep breathing was regular and seem to measure out the time. This time, instead of waiting for the answer to come, Taelyn pushed outward with his mind. He was momentarily startled that he even knew such a thing was possible and the feeling of slowness began to fade. He fought to concentrate, to hold on to the feeling and with effort it returned. Flashes of memory began to creep into his mind, as if a painting in a frame of blue fire before his eyes. Each image joined to the next by a trail of fire. The stones in the floor were wide, not like the foundations of every building he’d seen in the city. So they were above ground. The window had been bricked up. It was an outside wall. Kovol straining against the door, not so much as a squeak from the hinges. “They’ve fixed the door,” Amberlee had said. Runes WERE used to pass things from one person to another. The slowness faded and Taelyn knew what to do. More, he felt the NEED to do it.

  Without sound, he went to the door and felt the hinges. His fingers came away sticky and when he held them in the light, they were covered in dark grease. He scraped off as much grease as he could and headed to the wall near the window.

  “Well, Mr. Amazing,” Amberlee said, “it looks like someone has an idea. Hopefully it’s not something about sheep.”

  Taelyn began drawing on the wall with the grease. Hopefully there would be enough.

  “What are you doing boy?” asked Cazmeran, his voice sharp. Taelyn ignored him. The need to follow the vision was getting stronger, even as he felt it fading from memory.

  “Kovol!” Cazmeran shouted. “Wake up.”

  “What’s going on?” asked Amberlee.

  “The girl has a valid question.” Kovol grunted as he stood.

  Taelyn drew. The grease was nearly gone, but then, he was almost done.

  “The boy here occasionally gets inspired,” said Cazmeran. “And I think it’s happening again.”

  “What do we do?” Amberlee asked.

  “We wait,” replied Cazmeran.

  “Was waking me required for--” Kovol began, but Taelyn couldn’t wait.

  “Cazmeran,” Taelyn said. “What was the magic word you used on the outcropping?”

  “Sirek? It’s a word from an ancient dwarven-”

  “Yes!” interrupted Taelyn. He concentrated on the four runes he had drawn and shouted, “SIREK!”

  The stone cracked with a snap like thunder from a nearby lightning strike. The entire keep seemed to shudder and the four prisoners were thrown to the floor. Dust filtered down from the ceiling and sent everyone coughing for a moment.

  Amberlee was first to recover. “I thought that was something you already did, old man.”

  “It was,” replied Cazmeran. “I didn’t do that, he did.”

  “You are a sorcerer, too?” Kovol asked Taelyn.

  “I don’t know, it just seemed like a good idea at the time,” Taelyn replied.

  Amberlee rushed to where Taelyn had drawn the runes and cursed. “There’s no hole, just a crack in the wall.”

  “I thought it would do more,” Taelyn said with disappointment as Cazmeran went to the wall to study the runes.

  “If it had done much more, it may have shaken down the keep,” Kovol said.

  “You changed the runes,” accused Cazmeran. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that can be?”

  “Clearly I didn’t,” replied Taelyn. “You’ve never said magic was dangerous. Besides, they just seemed to fit better that way.”

  “Well, yes, they’re fine,” admitted Cazmeran. “But making random alterations in runes can accidentally summon a demon or worse. You only do that once or twice before you learn it’s a bad idea.”

  “How many times have you done it, old man?” asked Amberlee.

  “Four,” replied Cazmeran. “It was a long time ago and I’ve learned a thing or two since.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Taelyn. “I didn’t know about the demons, and it didn’t work.”

  “Hang on,” Amberlee said as she pressed her face against the wall. “I can see light through the crack. It goes all the way through. These do at least and I’ll bet the one’s at top and bottom do as well. Someone help me push.”

  “Out of the way, girl,” Kovol said as he put his shoulder into the stone between the cracks.

  Even in the the darkness, Taelyn could see the orc straining. A deep growl grew deep within him as he pushed with every bit of strength he had. Then the stone gave a fraction of an inch. Then another. With a battle cry, Kovol shoved and a door-shaped rectangle of stone fell outward and away. Light flooded the room, blinding everyone as the falling stone crashed down somewhere outside.

  “Someone will have heard that,” Kovol said, still panting from the effort.

  “We need to get out and find some place to hide,” said Amberlee, looking out the hole. “It’s not too far, even for the old man.”

  As Taelyn’s eyes adjusted to the light, he finally saw what Amberlee looked like. She stood silhouetted in the light, with the sunlight creating a halo of her short red hair. Enough light reflected off the wall behind him that he could see her face. her pale skin was smudged with dirt and her lips turned up in a confident smile.

  “We?” asked Cazmeran. “What makes you think you’re coming with us?”

  “Every time I’ve escaped this place there was never more than one guard out here, patrolling this wall. You just dropped a door-sized rock on him. Whatever gods you follow have lady luck’s favor. I’m with you,” she replied. Then she jumped down out of the hole and shouted, “Come on! They’ll notice we’re gone soon!”

  “She could be useful,” sa
id Taelyn.

  “She is taking things from the crushed guard,” said Kovol. “Perhaps I can free his sword.” Then the orc leapt out of the cell.

  “Gods save me from moon-eyed boys,” sighed Cazmeran. “Fine, but she’s your problem. Let’s hurry.”

  Taelyn smiled as Cazmeran began to climb down the outside of the keep. A shout and thud announced his attempts at climbing were not entirely successful. Taelyn moved to the hole and saw Kovol, sword in hand, help Cazmeran up from the ground. Behind him, he suddenly heard shouting from outside the cell door. With no more time, he jumped.

  Cazmeran was no worse for wear from his fall and Amberlee had been able to lead them to a hiding place in a hidden courtyard where two buildings had been built too close for even an alley.

  “Something is wrong out there,” Amberlee said. “The sounds are wrong. There should be more people.”

  “Are there not quiet days here?” asked Kovol.

  “You don’t get into cities often, do you?” responded Amberlee. “There’s never a quiet day. There’s also not enough guards, like they’re busy somewhere else.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” asked Cazmeran. “Fewer guards after us sounds like a good thing.”

  “It might be, or it could be trouble for us,” she said. “Anything bad enough to draw away all the guards is a threat to the city. So long as we’re still in the city, it would be nice if it didn’t burn to the ground. Besides, if the guards lose control, they’ll close all the gates between the sections of the city. They’ll be able to search the city one neighborhood at a time. They’ll find us.”

  “Still enjoying our luck, girl?” asked Cazmeran.

  “I see the sun and have my hands,” she replied. “I’m fine.”

  “Amberlee, how do you know so much about the defenses of the city?” asked Kovol. Taelyn had been about to ask the same question.

  “The governor is an idiot,” she replied. “Last year it was fashionable for nobles to let the nails of their little fingers grow out. It supposedly showed they didn’t have to work or some such garbage. For some reason, the governor couldn’t grow long nails, so he made a law saying you could only pick your nose with the little finger. Nobles either spent a lot of time with bloody noses, to the amusement of us peasants, or cut their nails. Problem was, a lot of people have a habit of using some other finger, right? So these people, who never had long nails, were getting rounded up and tossed in jail for picking their nose the wrong way. Eventually, people had enough and started to riot. A few guards were beaten and some places set on fire. They did what I said. Closed every gate, cleared out the rioters one neighborhood at a time. Work gangs of prisoners did repairs for months. A lot of people are still missing.”

  “That’s terrible,” said Taelyn. “Laws are supposed to protect people, not hurt them.”

  “You’ll have to excuse him,” Cazmeran said. “He’s still new to the idea that ‘law’ and ‘right’ don’t mean the same thing.”

  “No, I’m not just being naive,” Taelyn protested. “Laws exist to protect people from criminals. That’s it. No one should have the right to make a law to make sure no one else has a shinier hat or any other stupid thing. How can the guards enforce such a stupid law? Don’t they know better?”

  “Ha!” snorted Amberlee. “They don’t care so long long as they have an excuse to crack a few heads and collect their pay. Most of them are no better than thugs and thieves themselves.”

  “Quiet down, boy,” warned Cazmeran. “We’re hiding, remember?”

  “No,” Taelyn said, louder than before. “It’s wrong to allow someone to make stupid laws that hurt others. It’s worse to let guards, the ones who should be protecting people, commit crimes without consequences!”

  “He is doing it again,” Kovol whispered to Cazmeran.

  “Yep,” Cazmeran replied with a sigh.

  “The people here should do something about it,” said Taelyn. “There’s more of them than there are guards. If they make their will known, the governor will have to do something about it. He can’t make them them all disappear!”

  “He’s right!” shouted a voice from the other side of the wall. Taelyn froze, along with his companions. “It ain’t right for us upstanding citizens to get shoved aside because the guards can’t catch some elf! There ain’t that many guards about. We can take ‘em down a few at a time! Find something to swing, boys! We ain’t gonna take no more crap from the governor!”

  With each statement, a small crowd shouted its agreement, with the final cheer turning into an ugly roar of anger.

  “Wait!” shouted Taelyn. “Stop! I was just frustrated!”

  The sound of the departing crowd didn’t seem to have heard.

  “What did I just do?” asked Taelyn, feeling lightheaded.

  “You appear to have started a riot,” said Kovol.

  “On the bright side,” said Amberlee, “the guards would have to be very seriously distracted for a riot to reach the governor.”

  “Distracted?” asked Cazmeran. “Such as if they were chasing someone who seriously did not wish to be caught or if someone had broken a hole in their prison and escaped?”

  “That might be enough,” the thief replied with a smile. Taelyn thought the gleam in her eye almost matched Cazmeran’s.

  “It seems this city is about to become like a dry prairie set ablaze by a lightning strike,” said Kovol. “We will want to avoid being overcome by the wildfire.”

  “More running?” asked Taelyn.

  “More running,” Kovol, Cazmeran and Amberlee said in unison.

  ***

  Delsaryn was tired of running. The damned city was a maze with every street and every corner looking the same to eyes more used to trees and hills. How the humans could find anything here, he couldn’t begin to guess. He paused to loose another arrow, one of his last, at the group of guards still chasing him through the streets. The determination of these men was surprising. No matter how many fell to one of his arrows or slowed from exhaustion, more joined the pursuit. Even scaling the front of a building had not provided much respite. They had entered the building and come crashing out a window to reach their quarry. One had even fallen to the street below.

  At some point, the people of the city had started to riot. Delsaryn wasn’t sure if this was coincidence or the usual response to preoccupied city guards. Who could tell with humans? At first, he had hoped the guards would end their chase to stop the rioters. Some did, but others refused to relent, seizing the chase like a pack of wolves after wounded prey. Delsaryn had, as the riots progressed, sought cover in billowing clouds of smoke, holding his breath and blinking away ash. They always found him. He had charged through large bands of angry citizens, trying to brush off his pursuers. Moving through the crowds of rabid humans was like crashing through underbrush at full speed. Arms and hands and makeshift weapons reached out like branches and thorns to batter and scratch. Delsaryn ached from dozens of bruises and cuts. Each time, no matter how violent a melee resulted from the collision of a mass of rioters with a mass of guards, some of his pursuers made it through. Each time, they gathered more of their number to join the chase.

  Now, however, the streets were clear of smoke and people. A few humans here and there sifted through broken store fronts, either salvaging their belongings or looting someone else’s. Few turned to look, let alone interfere. Delsaryn hoped he was close to where he remembered the city gate to be. More, he hoped he could get past the gate guards before they could react. He knew his endurance was fading and he would not be able to continue running much past the approaching dusk.

  The elf reached an intersection with a wide street and a quick glance to the south gave him hope. The gate through the city wall yawned open and unbarred. Better yet, there was no sign that any guards had stayed at their posts. Delsaryn glanced the other way and saw a group of rioters led by a warrior in chain armor that was augmented by steel plates covering his arms and protecting the chest. A flat-topped helm c
overed his head and he held sword and shield at the ready. Delsaryn nocked an arrow and drew back but held the shot. The warrior had stopped, the people behind him looked afraid. Refugees, not rioters. Then there was a shout back the way he had come and the guards once again had his scent. Delsaryn turned and ran for the gate.

  ***

  Blackwall burned in a score of places, pillars of smoke rising over the city. Rioters and looters had pillaged the market square hours ago. Little remained there beyond trampled tents and smoldering ruin. The city guard had abandoned the southern gate completely, leaving it open. Sarafina had been leading groups of refugees to the abandoned gate and the relative safety outside the city for more hours than she cared to count. The sun was dipping toward the horizon but it had yet to paint the sky in the reds and oranges of dusk. She had been through long days of training and longer days of travel, but never had she been tested as she had today.

  Sarafina had been driven by duty and fueled by adrenaline since the encounter with Daniel. She was sure she suffered cracked ribs, and knew her face would be a bruised and bloody mess for days. Once she stopped to rest, it would be difficult to start again. Battered and tired muscles would stiffen and aches would plague every move, worse than they did now. One blessing had been the innkeeper’s insistence that she have water before leaving his inn. She had rinsed the taste of blood from her mouth, unsure if it was hers or Daniel’s, and washed most of the blood from her face.