The Broken Key (02) - Hunter of the Horde

by Brian S. Pratt

  Again, he paused at the opening and looked within. A boarded up window gave this room a little illumination as the moonlight made its way in through the cracks between the boards. Like the one before it, the room looked deserted. Moving on, he came to the end of the hallway where the last two rooms faced each other.

  Just before he reached the doorways, he came to a sudden stop when he heard a floorboard creak in the room to the right. He remained motionless as he listened for another few seconds before hearing the creaking of another floorboard within the room.

  Someone was definitely in there.

  “Welcome back Bart,” a voice said behind him.

  He turned just in time to see a knife flying towards him. Dodging to the side, he narrowly avoided being hit by the knife. Crashing into the wall, he twisted and threw the dart in his right hand at the same time. Then he heard footsteps coming towards him quickly from the other two rooms as men boiled out.

  His dart struck home in the man behind him as he begun firing the four remaining darts in his left hand in quick succession. Each one struck home but there were more men than he had darts readied. Drawing the knife from the Ruins, he backed up in the hallway and faced them. He quickly back stepped until the body of the man whom he hit with the dart was lying between him and his attackers.

  “Give it up Bart,” one of the four remaining men said as his sword was drawn from his scabbard. The man paused for a second as he assessed Bart there in the hallway.

  When Bart realized the man was pausing, he crept his left hand toward where the rolled leather containing his darts sat within his shirt. He almost had his hand in the rolled leather when the man suddenly charged forward and tripped over the dead body lying in the middle of the floor.

  Seeing his chance, Bart moved quickly backwards and pulled two darts out. He tucked the blade of his knife under his left arm then took a dart in his now empty right hand and threw. The dart struck one of the men behind the man who had fallen just as he took the second dart and threw it at yet another.

  By this time the first man had returned to his feet and was moving forward. “You can’t take us all Bart,” he said. “Your time has come.”

  “I don’t think so,” replied Bart. The sword came at him and he deflected it with his knife that was once again in his hand. In the confines of the hallway, the knife definitely held the advantage. The length of the sword would hamper its wielder due to the hallway’s narrowness.

  He backed up yet further and reached into his pack to remove yet another dart. As the sword came at him again, he parried with his knife. He caught the sword’s blade on the crook between his knife’s blade and the hilt, deflected it to the left and brought his other hand bearing the dart forward. The point of the dart pierced his attackers left arm and elicited a cry of pain.

  “Damn you!” the man cried out. He brought his sword back for another strike but stumbled as the poison from the dart began coursing through his system.

  Bart stepped back and immediately threw the dart he had just stuck his attacker with at the last man. After seeing his comrades fall so quickly, the man had turned and was in the process of fleeing. The dart took him in the back. Bart didn’t trust that there would be enough poison left on the needle of the dart after already having struck the first man, so with knife in hand, he rushed forward.

  He caught the fleeing man just as he turned into the last room on the left. He was obviously heading for the entrance to the sewers. Bart struck out with his knife and sank the blade to the hilt into the man’s back. Withdrawing it quickly, he stabbed him one more time.

  With a gurgling cry, his would-be attacker fell to the ground and writhed upon the floor several seconds before growing still. Bart quickly wiped his knife off on the man’s clothes then replaced it in the scabbard.

  He looked around and couldn’t believe his luck. Nine men and he had vanquished them all. Most people thought darts were a useless weapon. But in the hands of a master such as Bart, they were a deadly threat indeed. Bart moved from one man to another as he retrieved his darts.

  Once they were all accounted for, he cleaned them off and treated them once again with the liquid poison he kept in his dart pack. Then he stepped over the dead bodies and made his way to the last room on the left and the entrance to the basement wherein the sewer entrance lay.

  The room was rather small and the trapdoor was situated in the middle of the floor.

  He crossed over to it and lifted it up a crack. After checking to make sure the area below was quiet, he opened it further and begun climbing down the stairway.

  Boxes and crates, as well as empty wine casks, littered the basement’s floor. The place was deserted. He took his time as he descended the rickety stair, at one point one of the steps was missing and he had to stretch to reach the next one. All the while he was descending the stair, his senses searched for any sign that someone else was down there.

  But by the time he reached the bottom of the stair, he had concluded the basement was empty. He then walked around two boxes that were stacked atop one another and came to the trapdoor that was the entrance to the sewer.

  Once through the trapdoor and in the sewer, he would have to follow the tunnel for several hundred feet before coming to the Spider’s Nest. It passed through a junction of converging tunnels before reaching the Spider’s Nest. He fully expected the junction to be watched, as will all such junctions along every tunnel leading to the Spider’s Nest.

  Cautiously, he lifted the trapdoor and peered through into the darkness on the other side. The absolute darkness failed to disclose any of its secrets. If someone was down there waiting, he wouldn’t know until it was too late. But, seeing as how there was nothing he could do and time was quickly running out, he opened the trapdoor a little wider.

  He held it open with one hand while moving his lower body towards the opening. His left foot entered first and hunted for the top rung of the ladder. Once it found the rung and was securely upon it, his right foot went down to the next. Then he started climbing down, closing the trapdoor after him.

  What little light had been coming in from the room above was cut off when he quietly closed the trapdoor. He held still on the rungs as he listened in the dark for anyone who may be down here. The only sound he heard was the dripping of water.

  Praying that the immediate vicinity of the tunnel beneath the ladder was clear of hostiles, he made his way down to the bottom. He paused yet again when he was standing on the tunnel floor to listen but didn’t hear anything.

  He stepped carefully and silently as he began making his way along the tunnel to the Spider’s Nest. He kept his right hand in contact with the side of the tunnel so he could be sure of where he was. Thirty or so feet ahead was the first junction of sewer tunnels. He counted each step he took to himself, and when he figured he was almost upon it, came to a stop.

  The junction couldn’t be more than a foot or two at most in front of him. He stood still for a full minute to listen for any sign that would indicate someone was there, but all he heard was dripping water. Either there was no one there or they were absolutely quiet.

  Ever so quietly, he reached into his belt pouch and pulled forth one of the copper coins he had placed there for just such an eventuality. He then tossed the coin towards where he felt the far wall of the junction lay.

  Plop!

  He heard the sound of the coin landing in the filth that was pooled in there.

  “Quiet you!” he heard a voice say. Then he heard the sound of feet shuffling in two other distinct places. There were at least three men there, maybe more.

  He was trying to determine his best course of action when from one of the other tunnels converging onto the junction, he heard the footsteps of someone approaching.

  The sound wasn’t coming from the tunnel leading to the Spider’s Nest. Whoever was approaching was doing so in the dark.

  The men waiting in the junction heard the footsteps too. So quietly as to be almost inaudible, the voic
e who spoke before said, “Be quick. Don’t let him use his darts.” Bart smiled at that. He recognized the voice as that of Einter, a right nasty piece of work who specialized in shaking down businesses. He and his gang usually didn’t work this side of town. Einter and Bart have been at odds for a very long time.

  Standing there in the dark, he listened as the footsteps approached. Then he heard Einter and his boys rush forward toward the one who was approaching. As soon as he heard the man they attacked cry out, Bart hurried across the junction to the tunnel that led towards the Spider’s Nest.

  Once past and into the tunnel, he moved quickly away. He hadn’t gone very far before a light blossomed behind him. Too far away to hear what Einter and his boys were saying, he knew it wouldn’t have been pleasant. Especially once they discovered they had killed the wrong man.

  Bart continued on his way and the light behind him winked out. He was sure Einter and his boys had returned to lying in wait for him. He almost gave out with a chuckle at that but restrained himself. Hope they wait there all night!

  This new tunnel he was following made a gradual turn to the right. Once it straightened out again, Bart knew he would be less than a hundred feet from the Spider’s Nest. He started counting his steps again when all of a sudden, his foot hit a bucket that sat directly in his path.

  Out of sheer reflex he jumped backwards. A second later sparks flew as either a knife or a sword struck the wall where his head had just been. The bucket had been used to signal whoever was lying in wait as to his presence. He would have appreciated the ingenuity of the whole thing if whoever it was wasn’t trying to kill him.

  He back stepped three paces then grew still. In the dark, he had to use his ears to determine where his opponent stood. While he was listening for any movement of the other, he threw the dart that was held in readiness towards where he thought his opponent may be. A moment later he heard it clatter on the stone floor of the sewer tunnel.

  Still keeping the three darts in his left hand, he pulled forth his knife from its scabbard and waited. From just before him, he heard the whish of a sword cutting through air as his attacker tried to find him. With great speed, he leaped forward and knocked the man to the ground. Before his opponent had a chance to retaliate, Bart thrust his knife into the man’s chest. He used his left arm to immobilize the man’s sword arm while he thrashed about in his death throes. Once the man grew still, Bart wiped clean his knife then stood back up.

  He held still for a second to see if Einter and his bunch had heard the scuffle. When it didn’t sound as if they were coming to investigate, Bart continued on his way. It wasn’t long before he could make out light coming from up ahead where the tunnel curved to the right.

  It wasn’t far past that curve to where the Spider’s Nest lay. The fact there was light coming from that direction gave him hope that the Master had already arrived. He quickened his step as he hurried forward and reached the area where the tunnel finished its curve. From there he again slowed his pace as it was entirely possible someone could be lying in wait for him just before the entrance to the Spider’s Nest. Until he had the Master’s word of safe conduct, he was still fair game. Knowing the Master as he did, he wouldn’t receive that until he set foot within the Spider’s Nest.

  He pressed himself against the right side of the tunnel and crept forward. As he followed the tunnel around the curve, the light grew stronger. Before he had made it all the way around the curve, he saw a man standing ten feet this side of the entrance to the Spider’s Nest.

  The man was currently talking with two others who were standing there next to him and had yet to take notice of Bart. He moved forward ever so slightly until he could see past the three men into the Spider’s Nest. The Master wasn’t in his line of sight, but he did make out one of the two swordsmen that always accompanied him for protection. If he was here, so must the Master.

  He stood there gauging his chances of breaking through the three men when from behind him, he heard the sound of many running feet splashing through the sewer muck towards him. Looking back, he saw Einter and his bunch coming his way. They said not a word so as to not alert anyone else to Bart’s presence.

  Bart no longer had a choice. He turned and bolted towards the Spider’s Nest, it was all or nothing now. The three men between him and safety were quick to see him coming and stood ready. Each bore a shield, most likely in anticipation of his darts. In their hands they held longswords. Beyond them, he saw those within the Spider’s Nest turn to look in his direction. One of them was the Master.

  “Stop, Bart,” one of the men barring his way commanded. “You’ll never get through.”

  “Ha!” replied Bart as he threw his first dart at the one who spoke.

  The man raised his shield to block the dart but then cried out. When he had raised the shield to block the first dart, Bart had thrown a second one lower and took him in the leg.

  The other two men charged forward.

  “He’s mine!” yelled Einter when he saw the other two men coming for Bart. “Touch him and you die!” At that Einter’s men screamed and raised their weapons threateningly as they rushed forward.

  Bart ignored him. He threw another dart at the man on the right before him but it was deflected by his shield. Then to Bart’s surprise, both men went down. When they hit the floor he saw that each had a knife sticking out of their backs.

  “Come on Bart!” yelled Terk.

  He looked up to see Terk and three others whom he knew well standing at the entrance to the Spider’s Nest.

  “Terk!” Einter cried out, “I’ll kill you!”

  Bart raced forward and entered the Spider’s Nest. “I ask for Parley!” he shouted to the Master.

  Every eye in the Spider’s Nest turned to the Master. Until he agreed to the Parley, Bart was still fair game. Then he nodded. “Parley.” Just then, Einter and his men entered the Spider’s Nest. “Give me that pack Bart!” Einter ordered.

  “No,” he replied as he turned to face Einter and his bunch. “I am under the protection of Parley!”

  Einter apparently didn’t care anything about Parley. He moved forward with sword drawn and bloodlust in his eyes.

  “Stay where you are!” the Master’s voice boomed forth.

  Einter came to a halt and stared at the Master. “What do I care about a stupid custom like Parley?” he asked with derision. “I’m taking that pack!” His eyes returned to the pack Bart was carrying as he moved forward.

  The Master nodded to one of his two swordsmen who then moved to stand between Einter and Bart. “Kill him if he comes another step closer.” All eyes turned to Einter. He had come to a stop and licked his lips. Behind him, his men had begun backing off. None of them dared to brave the wrath of the Master, to do so typically meant your death.

  Greed overcame Einter’s fear of death and he said to the now nonexistent men behind him, “Get him boys.” He moved forward one step and the swordsman whipped his sword from out of its scabbard and sheared off Einter’s head in one fluid motion. Once the body fell, the swordsmen wiped off his blade on Einter’s clothes then returned to the side of the Master.

  “Now,” the Master announced to all those present, “I believe Bart and I have some business to transact.”

  Now that Bart was safely under the protection of the Master and the excitement was over, the gathered thieves began dispersing until only a little over a dozen were left. Terk and his three men came to stand near Bart.

  Bart gave them a nod of thanks for what they did for him then removed his pack. He held it in his hand as he met the Master’s gaze. “I am here to have the death mark that was placed upon me removed.”

  “The price is fifteen thousand gold sovereigns,” the Master said.

  Bart tossed the pack and it landed a foot from the Master’s feet. “You’ll find it all there,” he said.

  The Master glanced to the pack then motioned for one of the older men standing off to the side to come forward. “Check it,” the Ma
ster said.

  The older thief nodded then began going through the contents of the pack. It was full of gems and gold coins. Bart fervently hoped there would be enough in there. No one spoke a word while the man tallied the contents. When at last he was through, he turned to the Master and nodded. “The contents of the pack are sufficient to meet the price.” Bart sighed in relief after the man announced that it was enough.

  The Master turned his gaze back to Bart. “Bartholomew Agreani,” he said. “The death mark is lifted. We will no longer seek your death so long as you do nothing from this point on to warrant it.”

  “I won’t,” Bart said.

  “What is done is past,” the Master said to all those who remained. “Let the word go forth that Bartholomew Agreani is no longer a marked man.”

  “Thank you,” Bart told him.

  The Master gave him a crooked smile and nodded. “I’m glad you made it.” Bart returned the smile and replied. “So am I, Father.”Chapter One

  _______________________

  Dear Mother,

  I hope this letter finds you well. I am sorry that I have taken so long in writing you,you must be frantic by now. Chad and I are well. In fact, we have both been acceptedinto the Warriors Guild here in Gilbeth. Our training is hard, harder than I could haveever imagined. I’m sure that by the time I return to Quillim, you’ll hardly recognize me.

  Chad asked if you could send his regards to his family and let them know he’salright. We’re not sure how much longer our training here will take. You see, they won’tallow us to leave until we are and I quote, ‘A credit to the Guild and won’t get ourselveskilled the moment we walk out the door’. They tell us that we’re progressing well, butwho knows what that really means.

  I have not forgotten about Freya and still plan to somehow change her father’s mindabout her engagement with Rupert. How, I’m not yet sure. But I’m still working on it.

  Don’t let her change the date!