by Brian Keller
Cooper debated over whether to discuss the matter with Aden. He felt certain that Aden would not want to join them and worried that if he asked him, Aden might feel pressured somehow. But if he didn’t ask him, and he found out later, then he might feel like he’d been excluded. Cooper then decided that social situations made things unnecessarily complicated.
During Apothecary class, Cooper passed Aden’s workstation and paused long enough to say, “Don’t run off after class. I need to talk with you.” Aden looked up from his book and nodded. Aden must have had his curiosity piqued, after class was finished Aden sought him out. As they walked to the Training Room, Cooper quietly explained his plan. Aden remained silent as he listened and by the time Cooper had finished, Aden was shaking his head and then added, “Cooper, I appreciate what you’re thinking, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. If something goes wrong, it’ll likely go really wrong.” Cooper shrugged, “I can’t just sit idly any longer and keep hearing about our classmates being killed. No one has been killed unless they were working alone.” Aden was still shaking his head, “So far, you forgot to add, “so far”. Cooper shrugged, “I kinda thought you’d feel that way, but wanted to ask you anyway. You’ll keep this to yourself?” Aden nodded, “Sure, unless a teacher presses me, or if you all disappear. Under one condition, that is…” Cooper stopped and faced him, “What condition?” Aden smiled, “Don’t let Loryn know anything about this.” Cooper had to admit, the thought of including Loryn had crossed his mind, but he’d dismissed it immediately. He told Aden as much and Aden chuckled in reply.
Once in the Training Room, Cooper sat next to Rukle while stretching and spoke to him about the plan. Cooper barely got into the part about going outside when Rukle interrupted, “Are we going tonight?” Cooper couldn’t help but grin, “We’ll see. Kolrem’s joining us. I still haven’t spoken to Birt about it. Anyone else you think might want to go? Fighters only.” Rukle shrugged, “Habbon maybe. He’s been alright since Boyd left, but dunno if he can be trusted to keep his mouth shut. Dailen can be trusted, but he’s slow. Aden’s good, but not sure he’s really the fighting type. Loryn’s a fighter, but she isn’t very strong yet, and she’d need more practice anyway.” Cooper looked meaningfully at Rukle, “Loryn isn’t to hear even a whisper about this, alright?” Rukle gave a curt nod and resumed stretching. Cooper walked over to Birt and repeated the offer. Birt listened to the entire pitch before responding. When he did say something, he asked, “Who else is going along with you on this?” Cooper edged a little closer, “Kolrem, Rukle and me. I think we’ll be alright if you don’t want to come along, but four of us would be stronger than just three…” Birt shrugged, “How long before you need an answer on this?” Cooper stood, “It’s alright, Birt. We’ll be fine.” Birt’s eyes got big, “That soon, eh? Tonight? You haven’t given this a whole lot of thought, have you?” Cooper wasn’t sure he understood Birt’s uncertainty but then he had a thought, “Have you started any kind of stealth training?” Birt nodded, “Yes, under Master Hefli. We’re working on staying undetected while breaking into buildings and rooms.” Cooper thought he understood, “If you’re already in town, training late at night, then this wouldn’t work well for you anyway.” Birt nodded. Cooper was already thinking, “We’ll need to stay well-hidden if there are other classes and students in town tonight…”
Mister Skran called out for the students to arrange themselves and get paired up, “Usual partners!” This left Cooper to wonder who his ‘usual’ partner might be, but he went to stand near Rukle. Apparently he’d guessed correctly since Birt walked over to Kolrem and Mister Skran didn’t correct them or rearrange anyone. When Mister Skran called out, “Begin.”, Cooper launched himself at Rukle, drawing his blades as he closed on him. Rukle reacted by backpedaling while he pulled his blades from the sheaths. Cooper suddenly halted his advance and grinned, “Are you sure you’re ready for tonight?” Rukle gave him a scowl and positioned himself to meet Cooper’s resumed attack. They kept a faster pace than usual throughout the class. Mister Skran didn’t interrupt them for the next three hours except to call for periodic breaks so the class could catch their breath.
After class, in the dining hall, Rukle and Kolrem wedged in beside him. Cooper quickly brushed off any attempts to discuss their plans saying only, “It’s just the three of us. Birt has class and I don’t know of anyone else I feel willing to depend on.”
Some evenings, The Hunt made the time pass quickly, tonight however it seemed the minutes spent in the dark passed like hours. Cooper forced himself to focus and listen to hear any stray sounds that might indicate where the others were. He heard nothing and it wasn’t the first time he’d wondered whether he could detect them if he Channeled and extended his senses. Still, Master Worthan had been extremely specific about not doing that ever again, at least without the old man researching further and giving him permission. Cooper simply had to satisfy himself with listening and trying to convince his sight to penetrate the darkness. Kolrem was the first to be found, by Evan. Apparently Master Brais had been tracking one or the other of them, because Evan was caught almost immediately after Kolrem. Cooper started moving toward that area almost immediately, then slowed himself. If it was Master Brais that did the capturing, he’d likely be walking into a trap. “Better not rush in”, he thought. Rukle did, and was abruptly captured. Cooper was nearby and rushed in only to find no one was where he’d expected and soon heard Master Brais voice whisper near his ear, “Well played, Cooper. But you’re still caught. Try again tomorrow.” Then he stepped away and in a louder voice that would carry through the room, “All right, lads. Not enough time left to start again. Class dismissed.” He then added, “You boys are getting better, though tonight you let yourselves get funneled together in an attempt to get at me.” Cooper was thinking, “He has to be using his Nature Talent. How else could he avoid us all without fail, in the dark, and then capture each of us in turn?”
As the boys left the Arena, Kolrem asked Cooper, “What about Evan? He could join us?” Cooper shook his head, “I had considered that, but as assistant to Master Brais, he’d have the responsibility to either stop us or report us. He might not, true, but I don’t want to put him in that awkward position.”
Cooper faced the other two boys, “Ok, go grab anything you want to bring with you tonight. Meet on the rooftop in twenty minutes.” The boys all nodded and then each went their own way.
Fifteen minutes later all three boys met up on the roof. The three quarter moon was bright enough to cast shadows and the sparse clouds did little to dim the soft light. Cooper drew the boys’ attention to it, “Right now, and often while we move around, we’ll be highlighted. However, the shadows will be a little deeper, by contrast. Keep that in mind.” The boys nodded and Rukle spoke, “Are we going after the rest of that crew from The Dregs?” Cooper half-shrugged, “That’s what I was thinking, if they’re even out tonight. With Egil dead, who knows?” Kolrem asked, “Wait a minute, what are we planning here? We’re just going out looking, right?” Cooper started to nod but stopped. Instead he said, “I don’t plan on killing anyone tonight, but if they’re beating people the way they have been lately… I don’t know. Are you alright with that?” Kolrem gave that a moment to settle in his mind, “I suppose. They’d have to be beating someone pretty badly before I’d be willing to kill someone over it.” Rukle spoke for the first time in a few hours, “Just you wait, Kolrem. During the last week or so, they’ve beaten a few folks badly enough that I’d be surprised if they ever fully recover. Just for a few coins.” Kolrem seemed to accept that, “If it’s that bad, then I’ll follow your lead. Let’s go look around.” Cooper turned to Rukle, “Kolrem hasn’t been out like this yet. One of us should go forward and scout, the other should stay with him and get him oriented. I don’t care which one of us does what. We both know where we need to start looking.” Cooper could see Rukle, bathed in the moonlight as he considered it. Rukle then said, “I’ll scout. Slowly. You help keep Ko
lrem in the shadows.”
The boys made their way to the center of the Trade Quarter and then turned and began working their way south, towards the Dregs. Rukle kept them moving along the rooftops as much as was reasonable. They only moved on the ground, keeping to the shadows, if the gap between buildings was too great to risk leaping. Soon they approached the edge of The Dregs, and still hadn’t located the boys. As they paused on a rooftop overlooking the squalor that stretched out before them, they heard the sounds of boys laughing, calling out and taunting each other. Cooper reached out an elbow to nudge Kolrem and then pulled him backward into the deeper shadows until the small group passed them. There were five of them. As the Dregs boys entered the Trade Quarter the Guild boys followed above them.
Chapter 16
The Dregs boys had no more than crossed the street and entered the Trade Quarter before they began their extortion. One of the boys left the group and walked a little further down the street. The other four remained and one of them began pounding on a door to one of the merchant shops. Cooper pointed out a landing with an archway where he and Kolrem could observe from a closer location and still be in the shadows. Rukle kept watch from a nearby rooftop while the two of them dropped down to the street level. By the time they’d crept up close enough to observe the boys, the merchant had come to the door to shout at them, “Move on! Before I call the Guard!” It was at this moment that two of the boys grabbed the man and told him, “We will, old man. We’ll move on as soon as you pay us each a silver coin!” The old merchant shoved one of the boys to free his arm, raising his voice, “You’ll get nothing but shackles!” He drew in a breath and called out, “Guards! Guar- oof!” His shout was cut off as one of the boys punched him in the gut. As the old man bent over, two more boys piled on and knocked him down onto the cobblestones. Before the man could even try to gain his feet the boys commenced to battering him with kicks and punches. Cooper leaned over and cleared his throat to get Kolrem’s attention. In that moment, the merchant’s wife and a younger woman, probably his daughter, could be heard. They’d started screaming at the boys to leave the man alone. One of the boys started laughing, “Don’t be impatient, ladies. We’ll get to you in a moment.” This brought laughter from the other Dregs boys. Kolrem had been watching the scene unfold in growing disbelief. He turned to look at Cooper and nodded. Cooper stepped out from the arch far enough for Rukle to see him and drew his blades. Rukle started to move.
As Cooper dropped down from the landing, he spoke loud enough for his voice to be heard by the ladies, “Collect your man quickly, and get back inside.” At first the boys jumped back in surprise but regained their courage as soon as they realized it was just one boy. Two boys laughed and one said, “What have we here? Some kind of hero?” It was Cooper’s turn to laugh, “Hero? No. We’re not here for them. We’re here for you.” The boys had started to form a half circle around Cooper. The one who’d spoken earlier sneered, “We? Who’s ‘we’? Ya got a mouse in yer pocket?” It was at this moment that Rukle dropped down from a balcony and Kolrem emerged from the shadows to stand on the landing above. From their position down below, Kolrem looked even bigger than he was. Before the Dregs boys could even begin to reposition themselves, Cooper spoke a single, clear word, “Begin.” In the seconds that followed, several things occurred: the Dregs boys started to scatter, Kolrem dropped to a position next to Cooper and used Manifested speed to close the distance between himself and two of the boys that had started to run. The boy that Cooper had chosen was already on the ground, bleeding from several fatal cuts and Rukle had confronted the only one who lacked an opponent. Also in those seconds, the ladies had retrieved the old man and closed the door behind them. Cooper took a moment to glance around and make a quick assessment. He hadn’t forgotten about the boy further down the street and turned to see where he’d gone. The boy had evidently heard the sounds of fighting and had started running back to join his friends. As soon as the boy could accurately see the situation, the boy decided against coming any closer and had started yelling, “Tomlis! Tomlis!”, and started backing away. Cooper shifted to be in position to help Kolrem, but it was unnecessary. There were three Dregs boys laying on the stones and Kolrem appeared to be reveling in his Manifested speed and was toying with the fourth. Rukle had knelt down and was wiping his daggers. Cooper started looking around, surveying the surroundings. Apparently someone named Tomlis should be responding. Three shadows seemed to detach themselves and begin to move towards them. Cooper called out, “Get ready. More on the way!” Rukle stood and Kolrem quickly dispatched his remaining opponent with a quick right hand stab to his opponent’s left side, just below the ribs, followed by a left hand slash deep into the boy’s upper leg where it joined the pelvis. As the boy fell, Kolrem turned to look around. Cooper glanced around the area again, to make sure there weren’t more to worry about than the three that had appeared. Suddenly there was a flurry of movement surrounding the three shadows, and just as suddenly those shadows fell. They were immediately replaced by four shadows in Guild attire who walked openly towards the three boys. A voice cut through the darkness, “Do not run. You have no notion of the trouble you’re in right now. Don’t make it worse by running.” From behind Cooper, Kolrem spoke, “Dammit. I hate to say “I told you so, but…”, he let it trail off. There was no need to complete the thought. Cooper knelt down and wiped his daggers clean on a Dregs boy’s shirt before sheathing them and displaying his empty hands. Cooper spoke quietly as the Assassins drew closer, “I don’t suppose it would matter if I said we were only trying to help?” Two of the Assassins actually chuckled and the one that had spoken earlier replied, “No. Not especially.” One of the other Assassins added, “Before we take them back, let’s get these bodies out of here.” It was then that Cooper remembered the boy who’d been acting as the lookout. He turned to look down the street where the boy had been. He was nowhere in sight. Cooper bent forward to grab the boy he’d slain. He hadn’t even begun dragging him when the Assassin who’d spoken earlier spoke again, “No. You three drag those three.”, indicating the three adult bodies. “All of these bodies should be attributed to your actions. We’ll help you, but you can drag the heavy ones.” Rukle grumbled, “Of course we’re on the south side of the Trade Quarter…”, then in a louder voice, “Can we just drag them to the shore and dump them off the Trade Quarter boardwalk?” Two of the Assassins looked at each other, then one of them spoke, “I don’t see why not. Less likely to come across a Guard patrol, at least until we get up to the boardwalk itself.” After thirty minutes of dragging a body that easily weighed double his body weight, and probably closer to triple, Cooper had reached the same conclusion for the fifth time. As he wiped sweat yet again from his face he’d decided that, in the future he’d be more thoughtful of where he conducted his kills, unless he could afford to simply leave the body where it fell.
One of the Assassins leaned out to look left and right along the boardwalk. He held up a hand to indicate they should stop. Every thirty seconds or so, he repeated the gesture. A few minutes later, he changed his gesture and waved them forward, dragging a body as he went. As Cooper approached the edge of the boardwalk, the moonlight was bright enough that he could almost see the ends of the piers as they stretched out over the water. Cooper felt a moment of shock as he saw the Assassins make a deep slash across the midsection of each body before rolling them over the side and into the water below. Cooper could hear each splash and then all was quiet except the sound of waves striking the sides of the boats and against the pylons that anchored the piers to the sandy bottom. As they turned to walk back toward the Guild, Cooper risked a question, “Why the slash across the gut? On the corpses, I mean.” The reply came quickly, “So they’ll sink and stay down. Otherwise they’ll likely bloat and float. As it stands, there’s still a better than average chance that the tide will wash them ashore rather than take them out to sea.” Cooper could only nod. That made sense.