He nodded. “Sure. Take your time.”
They headed back.
“So, what’s wrong?” asked Derana as she sat on a liquor crate next to Gavi.
Gavi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t sure how to go about this, so after a minute she just blurted it out.
“Am I gunna get myself killed?”
Derana took this in stride admirably. “You mean with this quest?”
Gavi nodded and hugged her legs to her chest. “I don’t know. The thing is, I still haven’t decided whether I’m going to help actually capture the kidnappers, assuming we find them. I mean if we have to then I’ll certainly fight, but do I want to? The other day Mazik told me that I didn’t have to fight, and that they’d give me a third of the reward no matter what after all I’ve helped so far. He said he only wanted me to do it if I wanted to. The problem is, I don’t know if I want to. Every day I have a different answer. It’s gotten to the point where I’m not even certain I want to find them, and I don’t think I can do my best with that kind of half-hearted enthusiasm.
“The thing is, I know that if I have to decide when we’re actually out there, I’ll probably end up doing it,” said Gavi. “I mean, how could I not, with people’s lives on the line? What if there’s somebody I could have saved, someone who will die if I don’t help? And as soon as I start thinking like that, I don’t know if there’s any way I could not do it. Even if I end up dying stupidly, that’s better than letting someone die because I was too scared—especially since that person could be Mazik or Raedren.
“But I don’t want to die stupidly!” said Gavi. “And what if I slow them down? What if someone ends up dying because I tried to help? What if it’s Mazik or Raedren?” She held out a hand, her palm up, and clenched it weakly. “I mean, I’m not that strong. Compared to those two, I’m a miserable caster. I don’t know how much I’ll even be able to do, and the second Raedren isn’t around to cast barriers on me, I could be in real trouble. And I don’t want to die.”
Gavi slumped forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she stared at the ground ahead. “I just don’t know. I feel like I have to do it, but I still don’t know if I want to.”
There was silence for a time, and then Derana pulled Gavi into a hug.
“Don’t worry, hon,” said Derana, stroking her hair as she rocked her friend back and forth. “I know you may not feel like it next to Mas Raeus and Mas Moro, but to me you’ve always been very strong. I think you’re more than capable of doing whatever you want to do. I mean, you stop fights in here all the time, right?”
“Yes, but they’re not serious,” said Gavi. “They’re usually so drunk they can hardly stand.”
“But neither are you,” said Derana. “Serious, I mean. And they’re still adventurers. If you get serious, and Mas Raeus and Mas Moro are there to help you, I’m sure you can do it.”
“But you don’t know how powerful these kidnappers are!” said Gavi, pulling away. “And neither do we. What if they’re too strong for us to handle? What if even Mazik and Raedren have trouble with them? If they have trouble, what hope do I have?”
Derana pulled her back into the hug, stifling Gavi’s objections on her chest. “Hush. I believe in you. You don’t hear about most adventurers searching all over the city for three weeks straight. You’ll be rewarded for your effort someday, I promise.”
“I’m just stubborn,” said Gavi. “That doesn’t mean I’m any good.”
“It’ll work out,” Derana assured her. She gave her a squeeze. “I believe in you. Seriously.”
The problem, Gavi thought as she emerged from the back room, was that while the person Derana had described sounded amazing, Gavi wasn’t sure it was her. There was no way Derana could understand the gap between her and Mazik or Raedren, and no one knew how they would stack up against the kidnappers they were trying to find.
Gavi just hoped she wasn’t going to do anything to disappoint her friend. Or make her very sad.
*
They were certainly getting better, that was for sure.
Gavi glided down the street with the practiced ease most thieves never got a chance to develop. Gone were her bulky coat and leather armor; in their place she wore simple clothes made of soft, dark fabrics that wouldn’t rub together as she moved. And she was constantly moving—she had too much city to cover to stay idle.
Dressed in dark grays and dark blues, and with her hair gathered into a small ponytail behind her, Gavi looked like a hole in the darkness with a face. Half a face—she wore a scarf over her mouth and nose, and if she pulled her hood over her head, she disappeared completely. But she preferred to keep her ears uncovered and alert for anything suspicious.
Gavi crept up to a corner and scanned the streets around her, her eyes glowing with the least mana possible to still get the spell’s effect. There was no one. She pulled back into the alley.
The building beside her intrigued Gavi. In addition to keeping an eye out for kidnappings in progress, it was Gavi’s job to pinpoint potential travel routes, danger areas, and hiding places. It was for the latter reason that this building had attracted her attention.
Gavi looked it over. Compared to the buildings around it, this one was noticeably more dilapidated, and the sign she glimpsed hanging from the front door had said it was for sale, alongside the other sign that said the business here was bankrupt and gone.
Gavi decided to give it a closer look. She padded around the perimeter, looking for a way in.
A window in the back allowed her entrance. While breaking and entering was not strictly legal, the three of them had decided that if they could gain entrance to a place without causing too much damage, it was worth it for a chance to find the kidnappers, no matter how small. This window opened with only a little push. Privacy concerns aside, it was an easy choice.
Inside the building was dusty, and filled with boxes. Slinking through the darkness with nothing but the magick in her eyes to see by, Gavi poked through a few boxes. They were filled with old dolls and figurines, all of which hadn’t been touched in a long time.
Further searching revealed no basement and no signs of recent activity, save for around the front door and the desk nearby. It looked like Gavi was the first person to have been inside in a while.
Gavi slunk back into the storeroom. Once she obscured any sign of her entrance and made sure the window was still open, she clasped her hands together, two fingers pointing up, and rested them against her lips. Then she prayed.
“Aa Stýlori, jish sže tak mluvoril áníh mi jan kdór, watohl kom žebych renaid a Raedren de wín slojuí,” whispered Gavi, in the ancient language in which people first prayed to Stýlori, the God of Communication. It wasn’t a good rendition, but Stýlori wasn’t a stickler for pronunciation.
Gavi felt foreign magick tingling in her right hand. She raised a finger to her ear, making sure the rest of her hand was close to her mouth, and then spoke. “I just cleared the building at 4427 West Foulren. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here for a while.”
“4427 West Foulren, got it,” said Raedren’s voice inside her head33.
“How are you doing?” asked Gavi aloud.
Three blocks away, Raedren sat on the roof of a deli, swathed in a coarse brown cloak and folding up a map. He shivered as he shoved the map underneath the bag beside him.
“I’m doing fine,” said Raedren as his gaze swept across the area, his irises glowing with the darker green of his mana34. He did this every few seconds, and every few minutes he moved to a new position or vantage point so he could see other parts of the area. Raedren’s job was to be their mission control, tracking Mazik and Gavi’s findings while keeping a constant watch on their operating area.
“I haven’t seen many guards, and not a single other adventurer, so looking good,” said Raedren as his head constantly swiveled. He was wearing nearly the same thing as Gavi, save for the thick cloak, a much thicker scarf, and proper boots to make climbing onto rooftops a mor
e pleasant proposition. Next to him was a bag with all of their provisions and extra gear, including maps and notes.
Raedren left the bag where it was and scuttled to another part of the building. If Gavi moved like a thief, Raedren moved like a frightened victim, kicking up too much noise with his boots and rough footsteps. Up on the rooftops, it didn’t much matter. Raedren resumed his vigil.
Gavi slunk out of the building, quietly closing the window behind her. “Great. Anything from Mazik?”
“He checked in a few minutes ago. He’s still tailing people for practice. He’s found a lot of potential ambush spots though.”
“Hmm, okay.” While she was listening Gavi moved toward the edges of the operating area. “Well, I’ll tell you if I find anything similar. Is Mazik still on the west side? I’m heading east now.”
“He is.”
“All right, thanks,” said Gavi as she examined a building. She decided to pass on it and moved on. “I’ll call you if I find anything.”
It wasn’t even fifteen minutes before Gavi did exactly that.
Gavi’s head jerked to the side as she detected movement. Pulling closer to the wall, Gavi let more mana flow into her eyes.
There, not even two blocks away, were five figures. The first four were wrapped in black robes, their forms blurred by obfuscating magick, while the fifth was stuffed inside a heavy burlap sack slung over the middlemost figure’s shoulder.
Black robes, thought Gavi. She stiffened.
Acting completely on instinct, and her eyes never leaving the robed figures, Gavi raised a finger to her mouth and spit out the words to Stýlori’s prayer as quickly as she could.
“I-I think I found them!”
*
Mazik and Raedren sprinted through empty streets, running to catch up.
“How’s she doing?” asked Mazik.
“She’s keeping up,” said Raedren.
Gavi was indeed keeping up, but it wasn’t easy. Between not losing the kidnappers, making sure they didn’t see her, and constantly updating Raedren on her location, Gavi was pouring all of her not-so-considerable experience into the task, and was barely managing. So far.
“Update,” said Raedren.
Gavi dashed forward fifteen meters and crouched behind a drugstore sign. Ahead, the kidnappers continued their stealthy trot uninterrupted. Gavi’s finger went to her ear.
“I’m on Wardmont, going…” She hesitated, her mind zooming through the turns she took to get here. She dashed to a crumbling stoop ahead of her. “East,” she decided. “I think.”
“Got it.”
Silence for a moment. Gavi darted forward another few blocks.
“We’re going to start slowing down as we get closer. We’re about five streets away,” said Raedren finally. “I think.”
“Very encouraging,” said Gavi, her breath rasping in her ears. She squinted. The kidnappers were getting too far away, but there was a big open area ahead of her. If they looked back…
Gavi sprinted out of her hiding spot.
Ahead, the kidnappers stopped at an intersection and looked around, just as they had at every turn they had made so far. Gavi’s heart nearly seized up, but by the time they stopped she was already ducking into a recessed doorway. Her heart pounded as she counted down from ten.
She peeked out. They were gone. Gavi ran forward cautiously.
“We’re slowing down now,” came Raedren’s voice in her head. “Mazik says to keep on them until they stop. We don’t want too many of us right behind them. He’s going to try to get into position to flank them. Are you all right?”
Gavi peered around the corner, and found the kidnappers jogging down the deserted alley. She let flow mana into her tired muscles, washing away some of the fatigue.
“I’ll manage,” she said, and continued her pursuit.
*
Sometime later Gavi finally came to a stop, all but collapsing behind an empty dumpster, her chest heaving. Not long after, Mazik and Raedren carefully rounded the corner.
“What’s wrong?” asked Mazik as he reached her.
Gavi waved him away. “Nothing. Just tired. Was hard,” she said, her voice coming out in spurts.
“If anything is wrong, just tell me,” said Raedren as he joined them. “I can—”
“Later,” said Mazik. “So this is where they were hiding, those bastards….”
Down the alley and past a corner splashed with graffiti, Mazik could just barely make out their quarry. The four robed figures were clustered around the side door of a nondescript gray building, while their guest was slumped against the doorframe, still unconscious inside the sack.
As Mazik watched, the robed figures’ outlines shimmered as their invisibility spells faded away. Mazik immediately drained all of the mana out of his eyes, and not a second too soon—no sooner had he extinguished his spell did the robed figures begin looking around, searching for anyone who might have seen or followed them.
Mazik held himself absolutely still. He trusted in his hood and scarf to keep him hidden, provided he didn’t move or draw attention to himself. Steady, self….
Satisfied that they hadn’t been seen, one of the kidnappers rapped on the door.
There was a long pause. One of the kidnappers picked at the door’s green paint, tearing off a piece and letting it flutter to the ground. Mazik didn’t so much as exhale.
The door opened. Words were exchanged, too quietly for Mazik or the others to hear. Then the door opened wider, revealing a pale young man wearing black trousers and a blood-red tunic, his glasses reflecting the light inside.
Jackpot.
Another short exchange, and then three of the robed figures entered the building, leaving one behind to carry their guest inside. There was some hushed complaining, and then the sack was dutifully picked up and carried inside. The doorman shut the door behind them.
Mazik pulled back behind the dumpster and finally allowed himself to breathe. He leaned back, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. He was stunned.
Mazik let out a long breath. “Okay. I think that’s them. I think we found them.”
Raedren scratched the back of his head. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” agreed Mazik. Then he turned to his friends with a big, toothy grin on his face, like a wolf that can already taste its lamb dinner. “We’ve done it. Way to go, Gavs! I knew you could do it!”
“That makes one of us,” said Gavi. She was trembling. She slumped against the wall, staring at the ground like the wind had been knocked out of her. She shook her head. “I still can’t believe it.”
Mazik patted her leg, giving it a squeeze. She looked up quizzically, and Mazik smiled.
“Don’t worry Gavs, you did awesome,” said Mazik. “You were great.”
Raedren nodded. “Definitely. I couldn’t have done that.”
Gavi relaxed, and then playfully swatted Mazik’s hand away. “Thanks, but you can tell me how amazing I am later on. What’s the plan?”
“That depends. You coming in with us?” said Mazik.
Gavi froze. “I—” she started, and then stopped. She swallowed around a lump in her throat.
“Actually, you can think on it for another minute,” said Mazik, shuffling his feet so he was squatting more comfortably. “I’m gunna call K. I want to get the city guard incoming, just in case we fuck this up.”
“Glad to hear you’re so confident in our victory,” said Raedren.
“Pffft, I just want witnesses so they can’t squelch on the reward money,” said Mazik. “Besides, we need someone to haul these bastards off when we’re done with them, right?”
Raedren smiled. “True.”
Mazik turned away and raised a finger to his lips, praying quickly and sarcastically. Once the prayer was finished he moved a finger to his ear and waited for the connection to establish.
The sound in Mazik’s ear changed texture. “K, you there?”
Sleepy groans were beamed straight into his mind. There wa
s a long yawn, and finally, Kalenia’s voice. “Is that you, babe?”
“I hope no one else is calling you this late at night,” said Mazik. “Yes, it’s me.”
Another yawn. “What’s wrong?”
“Okay babe, listen. I need you to wake up really quickly, because I need your help. We found them.”
There was silence on the other end. Then, “You did?”
“Yes, we found them,” said Mazik. “At least, we’re pretty sure it’s them. They’ve got black robes and invisibility and they just kidnapped someone and everything.”
Mazik peered around the dumpster to make sure they were still alone. They were.
“Let’s go with what we planned,” continued Mazik. “Go to the closest guard station.” He gave her the details of their location. “Make sure they bring a lot of people. This place is big.”
“All right.”
“Thanks,” said Mazik. He took a deep breath. “All right, unless there’s anything I’ve forgotten, I need to go. We’re going inside to try to rescue the hostages, if there are any still alive. If we get in there and realize we have the wrong place, I’ll call you immediately. Otherwise, update me whenever coppers are on the way.”
“I will,” said Kalenia. “Be careful.”
“We will,” said Mazik. “And if you don’t see us outside when you get here, please give me a call. I’d like a heads-up before coppers start busting in and trying to arrest me,” he added with a chuckle.
“I will,” said Kalenia. Silence, and then, “I love you. Be safe.”
“I will, I will,” said Mazik with a wistful smile. “I love you too.”
The connection broke off.
“Okay, let’s do this!” said Mazik, rubbing his hands together. He turned to Gavi. “Gavs, you in?”
For Gavi, it was like the entire world stood still. She was crouched there, one hand rubbing the arrowhead charm hanging from her neck, paralyzed. Her mouth opened wordlessly—
And that’s when she realized that actually, she already knew her answer. She probably knew it all along, she just didn’t have to say it. Until now.
There was really only one option she could live with.
Firesign 1 - Wage Slave Rebellion Page 12