by Logan Jacobs
The guard wiped the spit from his uniform with a pure white handkerchief as he grinned at the dwarf’s poor attempts to escape.
“The lack of respect for the elves is seen as an insult to our entire race,” the guard barked at the crowd. “The elven guard would like to remind you that we are the one and only higher power in the realm. There is no greater race than the elves, and anyone who disagrees will end up like this fool here.”
The elf took out a steel dagger, and its blade was engraved with the telltale intricate elven symbol. Then the guard sliced it across the groom’s throat, and blood poured down Wemder’s attired front as the life quickly drained from his small body.
The movement had surprised me, so I screamed with shock, but my cry was nothing compared to what the shackled dwarves did. They screeched as if they were the ones being murdered, and they didn’t stop crying until the last drop of the groom’s blood splashed down onto the floor.
Then the elf tossed the groom’s lifeless body on the ground as if it were a piece of vomit covered laundry.
“You monster!” the bride screamed over the sounds of everyone else’s voices, and the captain turned his cold alien eyes toward her.
Then he nodded, and the elf standing next to the dwarven bride pulled his shortsword out and took her head off with one smooth movement.
There were more screams as her head bounced on the floor, and I felt my own head begin to spin as my sisters leaned their shoulders into me.
“Take them out to the cart!” the captain shouted, and the elf guards began to yank and drag the rest of the dwarves out of the theatre.
Then the elves began to yank all of us to our feet. Dwarf, dancer, or thespian. It didn’t seem to matter, we were all taken out onto the street, and I could see the pathway was filled with curious onlookers.
The police carts were lined with spelled iron bars, and the group of a hundred of so dwarves were all pushed into one so that they had to stand on top of each other to fit.
I was loaded into a separate cart with the rest of the dancers and thespians from my theatre, but our cart did not follow the trail back to the Elven District and their numerous cells and torture chambers. Rather, our cart was driven behind the theater.
Then, the elf driver waved his hand, our shackles fell off, and the back door of the cart magically opened.
“Get out of here,” he hissed under his breath, and the twenty of us gasped in surprise and then ran out.
Then we hurried into the theater with the rest of the thespians before the guards changed their minds and decided it was better to arrest us.
Chapter 20
Breakfast the morning after the wedding was interesting.
I ate a small egg biscuit at a stand in the Dwarven District, listened to the rumors of what had happened last night during the wedding ceremony, and tried not to smile.
The dwarves weren’t happy. They were mad at the elves, of course, but there were also mutterings against Hebal. He was the mafia boss, so how could he let his own nephew's wedding get raided? There was talk that the dead bride’s family wanted retribution, and since they couldn’t really go after the elves, they only had one person to punish.
I hadn’t really wanted Wemder and his wife to get murdered, but it would actually work out better for me when I went to renegotiate with Hebal. My entire plan had been a success, and now I just needed to tie up one loose end:
Hebal needed to be reminded he shouldn’t fuck with me.
I finished my small breakfast, glanced around the Dwarf District street to ensure no one was watching me, and then weaved through the crowd toward Hebal’s shop. I imagined he’d be there trying to figure out how to smooth things over with his people.
I turned down an alley off the street so I could approach Hebal’s office from the back, but then I froze when I felt the stillness of the air.
Something was wrong.
I ducked to the side and rolled just as I heard the twang of a crossbow string, and an arrow flew over my head and bounced between the walls of the alleyway like a rubber ball.
I looked up as I rolled and glimpsed my assailant atop a roof across the street.
It was one of Hagan’s thieves, but I couldn’t be sure which one it was. He was dressed in black and had a headwrap that covered his features, but I was sure it was a halfling based on the short stature.
He nimbly descended the side of the building, then he jumped between the buildings and swung from their balconies. His movements were graceful, so I could tell this was no rookie, and I just prayed to the ancients it wasn’t Randar.
Then he jumped on a clothesline that was attached between the building next to mine and began to slide toward me.
Definitely not Randar. The older halfling wouldn’t come at me directly like this. He’d wait for another chance to put a crossbow bolt in my back. This was obviously one of the dumber thieves in the Guild, and I guessed it was probably Wynn.
I drew my knives as the halfling fighter dove off the building and rolled toward me, and I jumped before he could slit the front of my shins. He quickly changed course after his initial strike failed, and he lunged at my thigh. The serrated edge caught the edge of my pants and sliced the leather there, but I didn’t think he caught any of my skin.
Then it was my turn.
I brought my right dagger point down toward the top of his skull. He raised his own blades in an X to block my attack, but then I shoved my left toward his face. He had to bring his right arm down to roll one of his other blades free to block, and I ended up nicking his shoulder with both of my weapons.
Then I lashed out with my shin, caught him in the side of the head, and slammed him into the wall.
I would have thought that would have been the end of the halfling, but he bounced off the brick easily and then spun toward me as each of his blades jabbed at my crotch.
Steel met steel as our blades clashed in the side alley, and our feet danced beneath us. The halfling was quick, but so was I despite my larger size. I cut him a few more times, but I knew I hadn’t won for sure until I heard him start to wheeze.
Yep, this was definitely Wynn, since he spent too much time eating and not enough time training.
I took his legs out from beneath him, and it knocked him into the dirt. Then he attempted to stab me in the side, but I pinned his arms with my knees as I pressed my knife to his throat.
“It’s over, Wynn,” I said. “Let go of your blades.”
“Fuck.” My assailant dropped his knives as he held up his shaky hands in surrender.
“Fuck is right,” I growled as I pulled the scarf from his face.
“How’d you know it was me?” he asked as he blinked up at me.
“Who else could it be?” I sighed.
“Please don’t kill me,” the halfling whimpered beneath the threat of my blade.
“You want me to spare you?” I laughed. “You just tried to put a crossbow bolt in my back and stab me in the dick.”
“What if … what if I help you instead?” Wynn said as he gulped and glanced down at the steel that still rested upon his throat. “I’ll tell you information and let you know about Hagan’s movements.”
“Hagan is still alive?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Uhhh, shit,” Wynn sighed when he realized the obvious. “I guess you probably thought he was dead.”
“He won’t be alive for much longer,” I said.
“You need a man on the inside!” he gasped, and tears began to roll down his cheeks as he looked down at my hand that held the dagger. “There is a heist tomorrow night! It’s big, and from what I’m told, has the possibility of multiple magical artifacts. No one knows what those items are, but all I know is the elves want them back. It would be well worth your while.”
“Where?” I asked.
“The halfling groves,” he hissed with desperation. “One of the wealthier halflings owns a large plot of land, and they have a guarded crypt where they apparently have it stored. Hagan f
ound a way to get it out, and once they do it should be easy enough for you to take it off their hands.”
“Hmmm,” I said as I stared into his eyes. He didn’t look like he was lying.
“I can be your inside man,” he whispered as he tried to wiggle his body against the street and away from me.
Now, his eyes looked like he was lying.
“But I can let you know when--”
His words turned into a whine when I stabbed the dagger into his throat, and his eyes opened wide with horror when warm blood began to gush onto his neck and my hand.
“No,” I whispered to him. “I’m done with Hagan. I’m done with the Guild. I’m my own man now.”
“Waaay,” he gasped, and I guessed he was trying to say my name. It didn’t matter though. The light in his brown eyes begin to dim as his blood poured out into the streets, and his gaze shifted so that he stared at the morning sky.
Then he was dead.
I’d known Wynn for most of my life, and conflicting emotions swirled in my stomach for a few moments as I stared at his dead face. Then I let out a long sigh, ran my fingers over his eyes to close them, and searched his body. He had the daggers he’d attacked me with, a few dozen copper coins, a small hand crossbow attached to his belt, a quiver with four more bolts in it, and his lock picks. I took all of it, and then I dragged his body over to the side of the alley so it wouldn’t be easy to see from the main street.
Then I did my best to wipe my bloody hand off on his clothes before I continued my walk to Hebal’s place.
The shop had a large CLOSED sign hanging on the front window and the side door, but my pick made quick work of the lock, and I slipped inside quieter than a shadow creeping across the twilight ocean. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I listened for sounds of movement and heard a bit of scuffling in the back office.
I snuck in that direction, and soon saw the door to his side office was slightly ajar.
“Sire, please,” Merith’s voice sighed. “Drinking won’t solve the problem.”
“Shut up!” Hebal growled. “Or I’ll dash ya to pieces and then give ‘em to the whores to use as mirrors.”
“Am I interrupting something?” I asked as I leaned against the door and leaned into the office.
“What are you doing here?” Hebal growled, and I saw he was nursing a glass of my whiskey with one hand while he held a vase in the other. He sat at his desk with his stubbly legs up, and I could see his cheeks were salted with tears.
“I came to get my payment,” I said with a shrug.
“Payment?” he scoffed. “Didn’t you hear about the damn elves? They took all the whiskey and then killed my nephew and his new wife! I’m not going to give you a damn cooper because I ain’t got anything to sell!”
“Oh really?” I asked as I glanced to the corner of his office, where two of my whiskey barrels sat in plain sight beside a big chest I couldn’t remember seeing the last two times I was here.
“Those are mine for personal use,” he growled.
“I delivered the whiskey to you as I promised,” I said as I sat in the chair opposite him. “We had a deal.”
“Well, now I’m busy,” he growled as he nodded to the cup in his right hand. “Make me another batch of barrels, and maybe you’ll get your money then.”
“I think you misunderstand,” I sighed. “You are going to need to give me my money, and you are going to pay me thirty gold per barrel, as we originally agreed, but I’m going to take the thirty up front from now on.”
“And why in the asshole of the ancients would I do that?” he asked as he brought his feet down from the desk.
“Because I told the elves about the fucking wedding,” I said with a casual shrug.
“You what?” he gasped, and then he blinked his eyes for a few seconds as he searched my face. He probably thought this was some sort of joke, but when I didn’t smile, his face instantly turned red.
“You piece of shit human!” he screamed as he pushed his drink away. “I’m going to fucking--”
Hebal didn’t have a chance to finish talking because I slammed my dagger down on his right forearm and impaled it in the wood. Then I grabbed his beard with my other hand and yanked his body up on the desk. He tried to scream again, but another one of my daggers was at his throat, and the screech cut off with a soft whine.
“You may notice that my right hand is covered with blood,” I began. “That’s because I just killed someone who tried to cross me not even five minutes ago.”
“Stop assaulting my master!” Merith called out, but I just looked up at him, and the mirror-man’s voice cut off as he read the determination in my eyes.
“You’d think I’d deal with you without having the elves in my fucking pocket?” I hissed down to Hebal. “You tried to screw me, Hebal, and now I’ve fucked you. Your nephew is dead, and your reputation is ruined. How many of your men did you lose taking out Hagan?”
“I didn’t lose--” he started to say.
“That’s bullshit,” I cut him off. “He’s not even dead, so you failed at that. Then you failed to protect your people from the elven guards. How much of the mob is in prison? I bet you’ve got less than ten men working for you now.”
Hebal stared into my eyes for a few minutes, and then he nodded.
“So, I’ve got two options for you,” I hissed through my teeth at him. “Option one is you buy my whiskey for thirty gold a barrel, just like I told you, and then you sell them in vases and become a rich man, just like I told you. Option two is I fucking gut you right here on your desk, and none of your people will give two shits about it because they are still mad at you for last night. Someone will rise to replace you, and then I’ll remind them of what happened to you when I negotiate the whiskey deal with them. What’s it going to be?”
“Option one,” he said quickly.
“Good boy,” I replied as I pulled the dagger out of his arm. “Now get me my fucking money.”
Hebal let out a groan as he shifted toward the edge of his desk, and then he cradled his bleeding arm as he rolled off the edge and landed on his feet.
I sheathed my two daggers, and then took out the hand crossbow that I’d taken off Wynn. It already had a small bolt loaded, and I trained it on Hebal as he moved to one of the chests in his office.
“Human, you don’t need that crossbow,” he hissed at me.
“My name is Wade,” I said, and then I pointed the crossbow at Merith and pulled the release trigger.
“Nooo!” both the dwarf and the mirror-man screamed, and then the bald man in the glass exploded into a hundred pieces.
“ … and I’m giving you the orders from now on,” I finished as I smoothly loaded another bolt into the crossbow and turned it back on Hebal. “Got it?”
“Yeah,” Hebal squeaked as he raised his hands.
“Yeah?” I asked as I raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, Wade.” The old dwarf cleared his throat. “You’re in charge now.”
“Good,” I said, and then I dipped the crossbow toward the chest where his money was. “You were getting me my six-hundred gold.”
“Aye.” The dwarf nodded, and then he opened the chest.
A few seconds later he had six small leather pouches on the table, and he wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand.
“There is a hundred in each of ‘em,” he explained. “You can count them if--”
“No,” I said as I picked up the first bag with my left hand and stashed it in a pocket. “You know what will happen if you betray me again.”
“Yes, Wade,” he said with his eyes downcast.
“Good,” I replied, and then I set the crossbow down and finished concealing the other bags on my body. “When are you going to be ready for the next ten barrels?”
“As soon as ya can,” he said as he clutched at his bleeding arm. “Sooner the better. I need to start selling so I can get back in the community’s good graces.”
“I’ll get you so
me next week,” I replied with a nod. “I’ll let you know.”
Then I reached down and grabbed a shard of magic mirror from the ground.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Taking some collateral,” I said as I spun the glass between my fingers.
“But I need him to man the shop!” Hebal argued. “He’s invaluable to my bus--”
“Then you better hope I give him back to you in a few months,” I said. “Cause I’m going to hide this piece, just in case you think you don’t want to be my bitch anymore and have a conversation with the Assassin’s Guild.”
“I ain’t gonna do that!” he argued. “I’ve learned my lesson, Wade! I’m your man now. I’ll do whatever you tell--”
“Then you’ll get him back,” I said, and then I moved the crossbow under my cloak, turned, and walked out of his office, through the store, and out into the street.
I walked for two blocks with the crossbow hidden under my cloak and the six hundred gold in my pockets, then I finally couldn’t keep my legs from shaking anymore, and I was forced to stop in an alley. I leaned against a wall in the shadow of a stone building, let out a long breath, closed my eyes, and listened to my heart race inside my chest.
My plan had worked, and now Hebal was in my pocket.
“Now I need to figure out how to kill Hagan,” I whispered to myself when my heart finally stopped racing and my legs felt sturdy enough to walk on again.
I had a plan for that too, and now that I owned six-hundred gold coins, I knew Penny and Dar would want to eagerly work for me.
Chapter 21
“Oh good,” I said when I entered the elephant stables and saw Dar and Penny waiting for me. “I was just looking for you both.”
“What the fuck happened last night?” Penny asked as she crossed her arms over her leather vest.
“Where did you get that dress you wore last night?” I snickered as I ignored her question.
“You aren’t gonna answer me?” she growled as her emerald eyes narrowed.
“What were you doing there?” I asked and raised an eyebrow.
“My business!” she huffed and turned her cute little nose up in the air.