“Yup,” Samuel said, “and Groth here managed to get a meeting with the Non-Human Alliance, over in the Unicorn District. Apparently the NHA has the ability to bend some ears, but they don’t deal with humans outside of government officials. Ole Stoney here has a natural in.”
“They have some level of political sway,” Groth said. “Primarily because of their ability to organize a militia should the city need their assistance.”
Elias nodded at that. Most non-humans would be extremely useful in emergencies. His heart sank as he realized that he couldn’t send these two to the Thieves Guild. Right now, they were both too valuable. Sure, Groth would survive but the incoming war would disrupt their long-term plans to get the mine operational, and without the mine, the business was as good as dead. Their supplies were extremely low.
“So, what is that you wish of us?” Groth asked.
“I need Samuel to get a message to two people for me,” Elias whispered, trying to keep a straight face. He wanted to fall into despair, at the realization that there was no escape from his decision, but he couldn’t betray his intention to Samuel.
“Contact the Red Triangle group, there should be a Charles and a Freckles working underneath Lady Mira.”
“Right, I’ve met with them a few times,” Samuel said. He chuckled a little. “That Charles is hilarious.”
“There’s going to be an important drop made at the Broken Oyster tavern,” Elias instructed. “Send those two to handle it before midnight tonight. Just have them go in and wait for the drop-off.”
“Am I a messenger now?” Samuel asked, frowning at the instructions.
“No, but this is of the utmost importance and I don’t need a runner conveying this information. Only Charles and Freckles are to hear these words. Understood?”
Samuel shrugged. “Alright, fine. I need to go check in on Cimir anyway. I heard he almost died.”
“Are you two still hostile towards one another?” Elias asked.
“Eh,” Samuel replied. “That’s between me and him. Come on, Groth. Let’s go for a walk.”
“I will remain,” Groth said. “There is business to discuss with Elias.”
“Fine, I’ll go alone. Take it easy guys,” Samuel said as he made his way out.
Elias turned away from Groth and walked over to his decanter. There wasn’t much whiskey left, but it would be enough to settle his nerves.
“You are hiding something,” Groth said. “Picking up human subtleties is quite difficult. Your facial expressions are hard to read, your body language is unintuitive to my kind. But I can see clear as day that you are in agony over something. Speak it.”
“I don’t owe you any explanation,” Elias replied as he poured his drink. The amber liquid filled to the top of the glass and he stared into it for a few moments.
“I can help. Allow me into this quandary and I will aid you. Is it those thieves? Are they threatening us?” Groth asked.
Elias knocked the glass back hard and drank the whiskey in one go. It burned his throat, but he didn’t care about the pain. All he cared about was pushing his fears back down.
“You do not respect me,” Groth said. “Yet I work so hard for you.”
“I don’t want to talk right now, Groth. I have a lot of decisions to make and none of them involve being bitched at by you,” Elias replied.
Groth merely looked at him and shook his head. “I am at your disposal should you need me, I will take my leave in the meantime.” And with that, he lumbered out of the office.
Elias fell into his office chair, the throne meant to put him above everyone else and merely wept. He wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t a bad person. But… he had no other choice. Charles and Freckles were new recruits, but they weren’t doing that well in the business. Mira’s reports had indicated that while they were exceptional hospital workers, they didn’t do quite well as criminals. Why them? Why not anyone else? The simple reason was that Elias had never met either of them. They were nothing more than names on a sheet of paper. It was a cruelty, to send them to their deaths, but what could he do? As terrible as it was, he was making the right choice. If he didn’t do this…well, they would die anyway. This way, the rest would be spared. That made it justified, right?
Chapter 32:
Lady Mira walked along the busy streets, towards the crowd surrounding the canal. A dozen men and women were standing around, pointing towards the waters and whispering. A guard was shouting to get everyone to back up, but they were all pressing in closer.
Mira felt a sense of unease crop up as she continued walking closer. A messenger had told her there was an incident in the Sun District and that she needed to come right away. Fear gripped her the closer she got to the waters. She made it to the edge of the street and looked down into the canal to see two bodies washed ashore. They were beaten and bloodied, faces cut, and backs soaked with blood. But they were unmistakably two of her own people. Freckles and Charles, two kindly volunteers who had joined her to keep the hospital stocked with magic, were dead.
No tears came to her eyes. She had thought that if she ever faced the death of her friends, that she would weep uncontrollably, but in this moment, her eyes were dry. The pain of seeing their lifeless bodies was great, too much to bear, but there was another feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. Anger? As she stood at the edge, she realized how angry she was to see her loyal allies lay dead. This was not an accident. A disease had not struck them, nor had they been grievously injured by some careless activity. No, this was murder. Someone had slayed her friends. And while she felt a powerful sorrow overtake her heart, the anger was just as great.
“Back up, people,” the guard said, holding his hand up to keep everyone from going down the stairs. “This is the scene of an investigation.”
Mira recognized the man, Lieutenant Grecin. He was in charge of overseeing the men in the Sun District. More importantly, he was in charge of making sure his men looked the other way for her operation. “Sir,” she said, “may I pray over them?”
Grend nodded at her. “Just don’t touch the bodies. It’ll disturb their spirits.”
“The dead don’t come back anymore,” she replied as she walked down the stairs. The stench of the bodies was gruesome, but she was used to the smell of death. She knelt down before them and began to whisper prayers in the name of Saint Jarick, asking that he intervene should they have fallen foul of any deity who was displeased with their actions in the real life. Jarick wasn’t powerful enough to save their souls, but he could argue on their behalf, at least, that was the common belief.
When she finished, she stood to her feet and turned to see that a few more guards had arrived. Captain Markov of the Watch was among them. She looked up at him and they made brief eye contact. He nodded at her, then turned to speak to his comrades.
“Sir,” she said as she approached him, walking back up the stairs. “I need your ear for a moment.”
Markov hesitated for some reason. He looked unconcerned about the situation at hand. That was rather strange. In spite of his hesitation, he stepped aside, away from the crowd and spoke. “Lady Mira, what can I do for you?”
“These two were working for me,” she whispered. “And now they’re dead. Elias needs to know about this. I cannot believe this was a simple mugging or a random act of violence.”
Markov shrugged. “It’s too early to tell what happened.” He averted her eyes, opting instead to look past her, at the crime scene.
“Can you put more security on our shops? At least until you catch the killer?” Mira asked. “I don’t want…I can’t have my people dying over this business.”
“Of course,” Markov said, still looking past her. A few more guards were arriving, as well as a single priest. “I’ll add more guards and give your people escorts should they request them.”
Something felt off, but Mira couldn’t tell what. Markov was a quiet man, smart and reserved. But she could sense that he was…what? What was it about his demeanor?
She couldn’t figure it out. He was hiding something, that much she was sure. He most certainly knew what all of this was about. But,this was not the time nor the place to try and get to the truth. With her friends dead, she would need to make funeral arrangements, as well as see to their affairs.
“Thank you, Captain,” she said as she bowed a little to him and hurried off. There was no more reason to talk to him. He would have nothing of value for her. But as she walked away, she could have sworn she heard Markov mutter under his breath. “I can’t believe the bastard actually did it. Maybe I misjudged him.”
What in the hell did that mean?
Markov stared at the stars. He was on patrol, for no real reason. The Mermaid District was fairly safe at night as private security was often used by the wealthy to ensure their homes were safe at all times. There was no purpose in walking around, other than to look up at the enormous field of stars in the sky.
Never had Markov imagined that Elias would send two former members of the hospital to die. Those two were good people, at least, according to the reputation they held. Markov, having been stabbed in the leg once during a routine inspection, was treated by the one they called Freckles. She had been kind to him and patched him up without much trouble. He understood why she would work for Elias, but why would Elias see her fit to kill?
Then again, was there anyone who was fit to sacrifice for murder? Markov did not know. Elias had made the right decision, at least in the fact that he gave two up to save the rest of their people. The Thieves Guild took the blood tax quite seriously. But, the decision to send hospital workers to their death? Such a cruel thing to do. But who was Markov to judge? He had been in a few similar situations. The choice was never easy and there would be no way to ever justify what had been done. Elias made a misstep and was paying the price. Markov at least hoped that his friend felt guilt over his decision. At least guilt would be a sign that the man was still human.
Markov paused from his pacing and turned to see Groth ambling towards him. The Stonemar was a welcome sight to see.
“Hail, friend,” Markov said, walking over and bowing to the creature.
“Well met indeed,” Groth replied. “You send for me in secret. I am curious as to what intrigue we are weaving.”
“Not intrigue, but preparation,” Markov replied. “We have run afoul of the Thieves Guild, a local band of well-armed and well trained thugs.”
“Those men that assaulted us earlier,” Groth said, nodding slowly. “Are we to expect retaliation?”
“No, Elias smoothed it over, somewhat. But I fear peace won’t last too much longer. Once Cimir gets back on his feet, I suspect he’ll try to fight back. One of my contacts tells me as much.”
Groth grunted at that. “You have spies within our ranks?”
“Friends, more like it,” Markov said. “Anyway, I want your help.” He held up a large, red book and waved it a little. “In here is a manifest of the Stonemar who are living in the city. We keep records of all citizens who live within Glimmer.”
“Am I in there?”
“Of course, you and three other brothers of Stone,” Markov replied. He flipped the book open and showed Groth a section labelled “Non-humans.” Groth leaned forward and stared at the words intently.
“I don’t know any of these individuals. But Stonemar do not give their real names to humans.”
“But you’re similar to them, would they trust you?” Markov asked. “I would prefer to have a few more solid fighters in our employ.”
Groth growled a little. “You disappoint me with your bigotry, Captain. Stonemar are not all mindless fighters. These beings could be doctors, lawyers or historians.”
“I don’t want to offend you, Groth, but let’s face it. In this city, your people are little more than hired muscle. They aren’t all as eloquent as you,” Markov replied.
“Eloquence has nothing to do with it,” Groth said as he turned to walk away.
“Wait, don’t go!” Markov called. “I need your help.”
“I will not go and drag my kin into a needless war waged only by greed. Tell Elias that diplomacy would be the better solution.”
“This isn’t on Elias’ orders, but mine,” Markov said. This caused Groth to stop walking. He turned his head slightly as if listening to Markov. “Elias used diplomacy and there is somewhat of a peace, but its shaky. We need to be prepared. These men, if they sense opportunity, will cross us at the first moment they please. They will kill every last member of your organization. They’ll murder Cimir, Samuel, Elias, hell, even the guy who runs the flower shop in the Ivory District. The only way we can dissuade them from coming at us is if it looks like we can put up a fight.”
“Show that we are not easy prey,” Groth muttered. “You want to muster Stonemar so that they fear us.”
“Thirty men assaulted your headquarters,” Markov said. “And you held them all off by your lonesome. With magic gone, you’re practically unkillable. Three more on our side would be like 30 men each.”
“I lament what you humans must do to survive. You wrap yourselves in greed and violence, just so that you can get ahead in this world,” Groth said.
“Life is short and brutal, if you aren’t careful,” Markov replied. “And I’m planning on be as careful as possible. Please, as a favor to me, reach out to these Stonemar. Recruit them.”
Groth turned fully around and faced Markov. The creature’s eyes were glowing yellow and Markov could feel a sense of sorrow in the being’s face. It was hard to tell without facial expressions, but the captain knew that there was pain within. “I will make offers to them. But should they be esteemed Stonekin, then I will not press them.”
“Of course, of course. And, it goes without saying that should they join us, we could expedite the citizenship process. To make them legally Glimmerites.”
“Citizenship?” Groth asked. “I have not heard of such a thing.”
“Well,” Markov said, tapping on the book. “Technically, all non-humans who immigrate aren’t considered to be citizens of Glimmer. That means our laws handle them differently. Mainly because their customs and abilities are vastly different from humans.”
“I sense you use this power to force those you do not like out of their homes,” Groth said.
Markov shrugged at that. “The judges do have the power to expel non-citizens should they provide to be troublesome. Or, if I am to be entirely honest, if it is politically expedient to do so.”
Groth nodded. “I understand. And this offer is extended to me as well?
“I wrote you in as a citizen the day after I met you,” Markov said. “I figured it would be handy to have you protected by our native laws.”
“You are most kind,” Groth said. “I shall go and find my brethren.”
He paused for a moment, to consider. “I must ask, will they answer to you or Elias?”
Markov folded his arms at that. “That’s a curious question to ask.”
“You are only in this business for the good of the city, Elias desires power and wealth. I can see his greed written upon the walls of his own office. He isn’t content where he is. At some point, you will butt heads,” Groth said. “Hence why you have friends inside of our organization.”
Markov said nothing. Groth was damn sharp to pick up on the mistrust. “What do you think of Elias?” he asked.
“I think he is too ambitious to be trusted. Samuel and Cimir are boys, playing these games for fun. Elias is not interested in games. I serve him now because I may gain status within this city. But he elevates himself above others. I see it all too clearly.”
“Elias is a good man. But you’re right about the ambition. Still, he fought to protect this city from Kalimar and even now, he’s working overtime to ensure the city has access to enough healing supplies to keep us alive in the event of a major outbreak,” Markov said. “I have no reason to mistrust him.”
“So, you wish the other Stonemar to ally with him, then?” Groth asked.
/> Markov smiled at Groth. “I didn’t say that now, did I?”
The morning came too quickly for Fredlin. His bones ached, and his fingers were weary from all the work he had been doing the night before. His eyes opened to see that while he slept, another crate full of crystals had been placed in his room.
“Urgh,” he groaned as he sat up. The chain attached to his leg rattled a little. “Each day worse than the last,” he mumbled as he limped over to the table where his supplies were. A mortar and pestle, three beakers and two crates of saltpeter. Everything necessary to create potion compounds.
After the disastrous attempt to cash out and leave Glimmer behind, Fredlin found himself as a slave, working to create potion compounds for the Thieves Guild. He had assumed that they would have cut him some slack, but after he refused to give the formula over to them, despite the numerous amount of beatings he had taken, they shackled him to a wall and forced him to work.
Theft, Murder, and Crystals Page 31