Soldiers of Ruin

by Stephen L. Nowland

  * * *

  It was mid-afternoon the next day when the three riders slowed to a halt near the entrance to Sir William’s fiefdom, not far to the south of Fairloch. They’d had good weather for the journey and made excellent time.

  “Are you sure I can’t invite you in for a brief respite?” Sir William asked as he dismounted Bastion. The old warhorse was lathered in sweat from their brisk ride, and seemed to be the worse for wear.

  “I’d like to get this information to the duke as soon as possible,” Aiden replied. “But thanks for the offer.”

  “I’ll catch up to you at the castle tomorrow morning,” the knight continued, stroking the side of his beloved horse. “I must see to the repair of my armour and say goodbye to Bastion. The poor chap is just too old for this sort of thing, and I promised Margaret I’d put him out to pasture. He’s certainly earned it.”

  “Do you need to take one of our horses for tomorrow morning?” Aiden asked.

  “No, I have a draft horse I can use, though he’s a grumpy steed and won’t take kindly to a long ride.”

  “Don’t let him push you around,” Ronan advised laconically, “or pretty soon he’ll be calling the shots.” Sir William laughed at this, and Aiden couldn’t help but join in.

  “Get out of here, you vagabond,” the old knight growled with a grin behind his moustache, turning to lead his tired horse along the path to his property nearby. With their small company slowly diminishing, Aiden led them along the highway until the familiar and all too welcome sight of Fairloch’s high walls came into view. There were dozens of wagons and travellers queued up at the entrance, and the two men had no choice but to wait their turn.

  Nearly half an hour later, with the sun sinking in the west, Aiden and Ronan finally made it into the city and trotted along the snow-covered streets until they arrived at the Tradeway Tavern. Not long after they had stabled their mounts, Ronan caught sight of something interesting nearby and disappeared into the crowd.

  Puzzled by this curious behaviour, Aiden slowly made his way along the bustling street in the direction the sailor had gone and found him talking to a familiar dark-haired woman in a plain dress. Ronan spotted Aiden lurking around nearby and waved him over.

  “You remember Aiden Wainwright?” Ronan said to her as way of introduction.

  “Of course, good to see you’re still in one piece, mate. I’m Kara, by the way, I work for Mister Kinsey.”

  “Yes, I recall,” Aiden replied dryly, remembering the king’s spymaster all too well. “What’s going on?”

  “I had Kara look around for Perry and the rest of the thieves’ guild while I was gone,” Ronan explained hastily. “The short story is, they’ve been found.”

  “The bastard keeps moving his base around, so I don’t know how long this information is good for,” Kara added.

  “Fine, we’ll go now,” Ronan said. “Lead us to him, and I’ll see to it you’re rewarded.”

  “I already get paid for this sort of thing, but by all means, throw some more money at me,” Kara replied, gesturing for them to follow her down the alleyway alongside the inn.

  “Wait a moment, I’ve got to report to the duke,” Aiden protested, prompting both of them to stop in their tracks.

  “This won’t take long, I promise,” Ronan assured him. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

  “Do you really need me?”

  “Never hurts to have some backup,” Ronan replied.

  “What exactly are you planning to do?” Aiden asked suspiciously.

  “We don’t have time to chat about this,” Kara reminded them.

  “Alright, but you’re paying to have my boots cleaned,” Aiden muttered. Ronan’s smile took in his ears, and without further delay the three of them headed down the alleyways of Fairloch’s poor quarter. The sights and smells could only be described as “pungent”, a stark reminder that not all of the city’s citizens lived a charmed life.

  They passed by a young woman and a man scurrying for cover when the three arrived on the scene. They had recently been in a fight, and didn’t appear to be the winners.

  The temperature plummeted as the light faded from the clear sky, but Kara assured them it wasn’t much further and to Aiden’s surprised relief, wouldn’t involve taking the scenic route through the winding tunnels of the city’s sewer.

  Less than ten minutes after they’d set out, the three of them were crouched in an alleyway overlooking a grand old house that looked as though it’d seen better days. The ancient brickwork on the house was slanted in many places, giving it a despondent look. What few people were still on the street seemed to be the sort who did most of their business there, and Aiden was keenly aware that it was a dangerous place to be.

  “This is the place?” Ronan whispered. “Perry’s not exactly trying to be subtle about his presence here.”

  “Every second night, they change address,” Kara replied in equally hushed tones. “I may be young, but even I’ve never heard of the guild moving around so much. Something’s got your man Perry spooked real good.”

  “I think I can take a guess as to what that is,” Ronan answered grimly. “Okay, let’s get inside.” Kara nodded and led them across the street, walking casually as if she lived in the area. Ronan was able to fake his own relaxed walk, and Aiden did his best to imitate them. Although the house seemed deserted, a faint glimmer of movement could be seen inside the dilapidated windows, giving Aiden the distinct impression they were being watched.

  Kara led them past the large house, and after passing by two more run-down establishments, turned down another alleyway. They crept along slowly, following her lead until she suddenly ducked into an alcove. There was a brief scuffle, and the unconscious body of a hefty ruffian fell to the ground.

  “Yep, this is the place,” Ronan quipped as he dragged the unconscious body back behind a pile of discarded clothing and snow.

  “I’ll get the door,” Kara said as she crept toward what appeared to be the back entrance to the estate, and began working away at the lock. Within moments, the door was open and they looked in to a dark hallway.

  “You’ve got some skill,” Ronan remarked as he peered inside. “I’m guessing you used to have an entirely different profession before becoming a spy.”

  “I’ll tell you about my fascinating and chequered past over the beers you’ll be buying me later,” Kara replied. Ronan stepped inside without a sound with the others following closely behind.

  The place was deathly quiet, with only the cold, gentle breeze blowing through the open door. Aiden was tempted to summon his magical light, but that would surely give them away. As his companions searched the room they were in, Aiden magically adjusted his sight, hoping to be able to see better, until the room suddenly shifted into stark clarity.

  He was looking at an old kitchen in shades of grey, much like the goggles he had once possessed, leading him to the rather satisfying conclusion that he had duplicated whatever magic they had used to make things visible in the dark.

  Ronan made his way down a connecting hallway until he encountered a pair of huge doors. Despite the decrepit nature of the rest of the house, they appeared to be in good condition. Kara and Aiden caught up to the sailor as he was attempting to pick the lock, the muffled curses coming from his mouth indicating he wasn’t having a good time of it.

  “Let me try,” Kara offered, but Ronan’s professional pride wouldn’t have any of that. He brushed aside the spy’s hand and persevered for a few moments longer. Kara put an ear against the door, listening intently while Aiden kept watch behind them, the entire process taking far too long.

  “I don’t know who their locksmith is, but I want to punch him in the face,” Ronan whispered harshly.

  “Shh, I think hear them moving around in there,” Kara informed them. “A door just closed… I think they know we’re here.” Aiden had heard enough.

  “Step aside,” he ordered, “this might be a little loud.” Unsure of what he was r
eferring to, his two companions warily moved back as Aiden reached down to the gauntlet on his right hand and stroked the glyphs that would activate it. The dull hum and faint red glow of the ancient device were the only things heard or seen in the hallway, but that was about to change.

  Allowing his sight to shift back to normal, Aiden drew back his arm and clenched his fist, and then punched the door. The massive oaken structure shuddered from the impact, which could probably have been heard two blocks away. Splinters showered down around them, but the doors held. Again, Aiden pummelled the door, until on the third hit it shattered into thousands of pieces with a deafening boom.

  Light streamed into the hallway from the sundered doors, revealing a large, lavishly appointed room with a dozen or more terrified people cowering along the far wall. Two huge men lay unconscious at Aiden’s feet, having apparently been trying to buttress the door against his assault.

  The gauntlet was becoming quite hot and an acrid smell filled the air, so he quickly dispelled the magic that powered it and stepped into the room. Ronan and Kara stared at him before the sailor dusted himself off and stepped through the remains of the door and into the room. Kara seemed content to watch from safety as Ronan strode forward.

  “Knock, knock,” he said confidently as he moved across the open space, towards the cluster of people slowly regaining their wits. Aiden followed him in cautiously, looking around to see if anyone was going to challenge their arrival, but they all seemed to be cowed by his door-opening technique.

  The small, almost child-like head of Perry emerged from behind a lavish chair ahead of them, and with his appearance the surrounding people — some of whom were obviously bodyguards — regained their confidence. It was hard to gauge the mood of the crowd, though if Aiden had to guess, he’d say they were holding their breath in anticipation of the coming showdown.

  Contrary to the last time he’d stood amongst the thieves’ guild, there was no sign of the homeless wretches who had surrounded the guild master. Aiden had a feeling he was seeing the true guild right now and everything he’d previously seen was for show.

  “Well, well, look who isn’t dead yet,” Perry remarked, a large smile creeping over his face. “I must say, you made quite an entrance. Scared the living daylights out of me, you did, good and proper. Got yourself a powerful ally there, Nighthawk, but don’t think we can’t take him if we have to.”

  “I like your new digs,” Ronan observed, looking around at the faded glory of the old house. “Suits your lack of style much better than a sewer. But you’ve slipped up, haven’t you? You consorted with assassins and now they want you dead, which is funny, because so does the Crown. You should choose your friends more wisely.”

  “Just doing what I had to do to survive,” Perry growled, climbing up into his oversized chair. “I couldn’t refuse their offer, or I’d be dead right now. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again. As for those toffs in their mansions and castles, well, they’ve been after me for years anyway. Nothing’s changed.”

  “This time, you crossed a line,” Ronan warned, pointing a finger straight at the raelani thief. “If they’d succeeded, you’d have been complicit in regicide. They’re not going to let you walk away from this one.”

  “They’ll never find me,” Perry smirked.

  “I think I just did,” Ronan remarked evenly, drawing an odd look from the guild master.

  “What, you think you’re going to take me down?” he scoffed incredulously. “After everything I’ve done for you? Hell, we walked the streets together for a couple of years, you and I. Old mates, we are, and you’re gonna turn me over to the coppers?” Aiden noticed a few of the larger men in the room slowly moving into more defensible positions.

  “Things are looking pretty grim for you, Perry,” he remarked dangerously. “Think carefully before you come to any important life decisions — I don’t want to make a mess.”

  “Your parlour trick was very impressive, Wainwright,” Perry replied sourly, “but I’ve got the whole guild backing me up, so unless you’ve got the stomach to kill every last person here, you’re going to do what I say.” Aiden looked around him, taking note of just how many people there were — nearly two dozen. With the gauntlet providing him with unnatural strength, it would be a massacre.

  “He’s right, Ronan. I’m not going to slaughter all of these people,” he declared, hoping it wouldn’t make the sailor’s position too uncomfortable. Surprisingly, one of the men near Perry stepped forward, a rough-looking character who seemed familiar to Aiden.

  “You won’t have to,” he said in a gravelly voice. “I agree with Nighthawk on this one, Perry, and so does just about everyone else here. Business is business, but we love Criosa and you tried to help them kill her.” Perry turned to look at his lieutenant in astonished surprise.

  “You’re turning on me, Vaughn?” he asked.

  “’Fraid so,” Vaughn answered unequivocally. “We can’t keep on the run like this forever and now we’ve been found, it’s time for a change of leadership.” Vaughn drew a short sword from his belt and held it with casual menace. Aiden stood there watching the intrigue unfold, fascinated at the politics of thieves. Perry glanced around at others nearby, seeing the same hard, unforgiving expressions as Vaughn.

  “Looks like a mutiny, Perry,” Ronan remarked. “You’d better abandon ship, mate.” The guild master’s face went through half a dozen emotional states, before settling on resignation.

  “Fine… I’ll step down,” he relented, unable to face the ire of his guild.

  “Get out of here, and hopefully, we’ll never meet again,” Vaughn declared. “You know the rules.”

  “Wait, you’re letting him go?” Aiden asked.

  “Thieves code,” Ronan explained. “They won’t kill him, so long as he doesn’t do any thieving in the city or make trouble for the guild… right Perry?”

  “Against the guild? No… I give you my word,” Perry replied as his world came crashing down around him.

  “Honour amongst thieves,” Aiden remarked quietly. “How about that.”

  “Funny thing is, you’re not members of the guild, are you now?” Perry observed, giving Aiden and Ronan an unreadable look before he casually walked out the door.

  “He was a damned fool to try messing with the Crown,” Vaughn remarked after the raelani had gone. “Still, he did alright for us over the years. Shame to see him go.”

  “So, what happens now?” Aiden asked.

  “Now we lay low for a while,” the thief replied. “I’ll get word out that Perry has left, and if any of those assassins are still around, they’ll take up their business with him and leave us be. But it occurs to me we need a new guild master. What do you say, Ronan?”

  The sailor was sporting a smug expression after deposing his old nemesis, but that quickly vanished from his face when Vaughn asked that question.

  “I don’t think so,” Ronan replied hesitantly.

  “Come on, you used to tell me all the time about how you’d run the show if you were guild master,” Vaughn pressed, but Ronan was squirming uncomfortably under the scrutiny of everyone present.

  “Yeah I did say those things, didn’t I,” Ronan muttered. “I ain’t like that no more, Vaughn, I’ve… changed. Sorry mate, I’m not interested. I think maybe you’d do a better job at it, anyway. I never had a head for fine details. Does anyone have an objection?” The crowd of thieves glanced around at themselves, but nobody said a word against him. “There you have it,” Ronan continued, “congratulations on your promotion.”

  “You sure about this?” Vaughn asked, then shook his head as if to clear it. “What the hell am I saying — I’ll take it.” Ronan broke out into a wide grin and clapped Vaughn on the shoulder, to the general approval of those around them.

  Aiden let out a slow breath as the tension in the room vanished. He watched as everyone present shook hands with their new boss. After a few minutes, Aiden felt himself being pulled through the crowd by R
onan as he made his exit. Kara joined them as they left the building and head back out into the night, but Aiden had one question for the retired thief.

  “So why didn’t you take it?” he asked, drawing a dour glance from Ronan.

  “It’s a rough life, even worse than the navy,” he replied laconically. “Besides, they spend most of their time moving through the sewers. I’ve lived in shit long enough.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Fairloch Castle was a welcome sight for Aiden, who was glad to finally have his eventful week behind him. Ronan walked alongside Aiden, the sailor quiet and withdrawn after the previous night’s celebration. Kara had requested payment for her services in the form of beer, and the two of them had drunk each other under the table while Aiden watched, content to sip his single glass throughout the night.

  The cold day was clear and bright, forcing the retired thief to keep his eyes under the brim of his hood. This resulted in the occasional collision with oncoming traffic, and more than once Aiden had to pull him out of the way of a carriage.

  After crossing the drawbridge, they entered the warm, inviting foyer of the castle and were invited by a minor functionary to sit down while awaiting Castellan Hodges, who was in a meeting with the duke. Ronan slumped into one of the plush chairs and seemed to doze off, leaving Aiden to mull over recent events by himself for a few minutes until more people arrived.

  His mood was lifted immediately when he spotted Nellise entering the room, looking radiant in her white robe. A smile of recognition erupted on her face as she spied Aiden, and the two of them embraced silently for a long moment.

  “I’m so happy to see you again,” she said to him as they separated.

  “The feeling is mutual,” he replied with a fond smile. “When did you arrive? And was your mission successful?”

  “We’ve been here just one night,” Nellise answered, “and I’m sorry to say the dwarves have no record of the sceptre, but you wouldn’t believe what we had to go through to find that out. I take it from your question that you were unable to locate it at Feybourne?”