by Ben Hale
The reaver’s laugh echoed in his head. I am a dangerous beast.
“No,” Jack said. “You are an intelligent beast, and someday they will learn that.”
The reaver stared at him for some time. I thought you a criminal, a thief deserving of death, yet you speak with wisdom.
“Don’t tell my friends that,” he said with a laugh. “I have a reputation to protect.”
She chuckled again. I smell your friends’ presence, and there are dark elves with them. I wish to be gone before they appear or I may break my oath. Be well, Jack the thief. Do not be as trusting with others of my kind. They are unlikely to spare your life.
“Farewell, Triskella,” he said. “Say hello to your children for me.”
The reaver rose to her feet and plodded toward a side tunnel. She paused on the threshold and swung her head back to Jack.
When all around me saw me as a tool of destruction, you did not. You have my gratitude . . . and my allegiance. If you ever have need of me, I make my home next to Diamond Falls, twelve days east of here.
“I assure you, the pleasure was mine,” Jack said.
She rumbled a laugh and then departed. Evidently waiting for the reaver to leave, his friends stepped into view. The other thieves cautiously approached with Val’Trisian and a contingent of dark elves. Jack turned to them with a smile on his face.
“Ready to depart? We have an assassin to find.”
They stared at him with looks ranging from incredulous to furious. Then Lorelia released an explosive breath and stabbed a finger toward the tunnel where the reaver had left.
“You couldn’t wait until we got you out?”
“Nemeth was in the Pit.”
She blinked in surprise at the name, and Val’Trisian nodded. “Instead of an execution the queen decided to leave him in prison until his death. Frankly I thought he would perish within a month.”
“Nemeth was always devious,” Lorelia said. “I suspect he managed to ingratiate himself with those in power.”
“He had,” Jack said, recalling how he spoke with the durans. “And apparently he’d spent the last year preparing for the Trial so he could come after me and exact his revenge.”
“And you expected him to survive the trial?” Thalidon asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jack snorted scornfully. “Of course not. But once I was in the prison he didn’t have to.”
“He would have killed you there,” Ursana said, her eyes lighting with understanding.
“He tried,” Jack said. “And I couldn’t wait.”
“So you decided to attempt a Trial that had never been won?” Roarthin asked, and folded his arms.
“You make it sound like it was hard.”
Gordon laughed. “Then what happened?”
“I too would like to know,” Val’Trisian said. “How did you tame the untamable beast?”
Jack pointed to the ceiling. “Guide us to Griffin and I’ll tell you on the way.”
Val’Trisian glanced at the soldiers behind her and then back to him. “You have yourself a deal.” Then she turned down a different corridor from the one the reaver had taken. “Speak,” she commanded. “How did you ally with the black reaver during the Trial?”
“I didn’t do it during the trial,” Jack said, and a sly grin spread on his features. “I did it the night before . . .”
Chapter 30: Reaver
The Night Before the Trial
Lights darkened on the common platform, signaling an hour before they had to return to their cells. Many of the prisoners ambled their way to the spiral staircases. Jack fell into step behind those in his block but slowed his pace, allowing the distance to grow between them.
Ascending at the back of the line of criminals, he came to the point where the spiral staircase ascended into the ceiling. Instead of continuing to the private cells, he reached for a crack in the roof. With great care he slipped off the staircase and hung from the dark surface of the prison ceiling.
Deep in shadow he was nearly invisible to the prisoners fifty feet below him, and he took his time crossing the uneven surface. His fingers strained to hold his body weight as he crept toward the guard stations. Then he reached the lip and paused.
A bowl had been hollowed out of the ceiling. Like three bubbles, the guard houses were grouped near the center. Silver Guard and soldiers stood within, scanning the prisoners below. When they looked away Jack scaled over the lip and climbed to the recessed ceiling.
Slowing his pace, he eased himself up the curve until he came to the side of the guardhouse. Then he spun his body and put a foot on a knob protruding from the wall above the guards. He righted himself and took a moment to rest his burning arms, taking advantage of the time to examine the guardhouses up close.
Each hung from the ceiling and contained two soldiers and two Silver Guard. Walkways extended between the guardhouses to a circular hub at the center, where a spiral staircase ascended into the rock above.
Making his way towards it, he descended to a window and peaked inside. A sudden shout from within sent his heart hammering in his chest. He looked down to find two durans arguing, and a Silver Guard flowed out of a guardhouse. As it intervened Jack levered himself through the window, using the distraction to reach the staircase and ascend.
He reached the level above and found himself in a circular chamber with eight corridors stretching away from him. A pair of guards appeared in one, so he chose another. Advancing on cautious steps he checked each door he passed.
Spotting a door without a lock, he eased it open and slipped inside. Instead of a room, he found himself in a short hallway with several more doors. He checked each and found stores of food, bedding, and clothing. He snagged a handful of dried fruit and moved on. At the last room he found several crates holding guard uniforms, and wasted no time in changing into one. He doubted it would hold up to close scrutiny, but in the dim lighting it would buy him precious seconds.
He exited the storage room and entered an empty corridor. When a patrolling guard appeared at the end he veered into a side hallway to avoid him. After the dark elf passed Jack continued his search for an exit.
Over the next few minutes he mapped out the roughly circular level, but to his dismay the four stairs ascending upward were all protected by Silver Guard, and the few windows contained curses he could not bypass without his tools. The only anomaly was a section of the floor that was guarded by a different contingent of guards.
Dressed in grey and black armor and bearing the insignia of a steel spike, the Reaver Guard patrolled a section of the prison distinct from the rest. Curious, Jack managed to slip through their patrols and wound his way to a small enclosure set at the exterior of the spine. He turned the corner and came to a halt when he found the cage.
And the black reaver.
At fourteen feet long the beast was larger than a tigron, its body muscled and layered in metal spikes growing from its back and flanks. A metal ball sat in one corner of the cell but the teeth marks made it clear it used it to chew, not for play. Then he recalled that the minerals and iron that black reavers consumed coated bones, teeth, and eventually grew spikes on their back. It regarded him with an intelligent, curious gaze.
You’re not one of the Reaver Guard.
The words came to Jack’s mind just like his panther’s had, and the voice was distinctly female. He flinched from the mental contact, unprepared for the link. The last time he’d felt it had been as Shadero died, giving his life so Jack could survive.
“I’m a thief,” Jack said.
The reaver snorted and looked away. That explains the reek.
“I’ve only been here four days,” Jack said, indignant. “And I don’t plan on staying long.”
They all think that, before they die in the Trial.
“And how many pay you a visit?”
She turned back to him and her lips parted to reveal her teeth. None, she admitted, and it sounded like she was smiling. Did you wish to see the harbing
er of your death before it kills you?
Jack laughed lightly. “I don’t intend to offend you, but I have no intention of participating in the Trial. I sought to escape, but that proved impossible. Then I found you.”
Her mental laugh lacked humor. You are smarter than you appear, human. Who are you?
“Jack Myst,” he replied, bowing to the reaver. “And you?”
Triskella, she replied, her humor returning. I do believe you are the first to ask.
“How long have you been here?”
Nine years, she replied. Ever since they took me from my young.
“You’re a mother?”
Your surprise is offensive, she said, and a low rumble escaped her throat. Are we not capable of bearing children?
“You just seemed younger than that.”
Her laugh rustled the spikes on her back, scraping metal on metal. You think me vain enough to be consoled by that?
“Of course I do,” Jack said, and he gestured wide. “Females of every race like to feel attractive—and young. I assumed it no different for you.’
A growl escaped her throat as she laughed again, but before she could respond a group of footfalls echoed around the corner. On instinct Jack leapt for the bars and scaled to the ceiling, shifting into a darkened corner. His passage took him close enough for the reaver to shred his limbs, but her attention was on a turn in the hallway, where four members of the Reaver Guard appeared.
The elf in the lead, a shorter than average member of his race, came to a halt just outside the reaver’s reach. He smirked, his features lit by a possessive light. Then he turned, providing Jack a glimpse of his features.
Captain Sinder stood below him.
“Are you ready for the Trial, beast?”
She ignored him, causing rage to flit across his features. He reached to his side and withdrew a rod of yellow light. A flick caused it to extend into a whip of light. Then he reared back and snapped it at the black reaver. The magic passed through the bars like they didn’t exist and struck her exposed forearm.
The flesh split and she snarled, rising up onto he paws. Gone was the intelligent creature that Jack had spoken to, and a supreme predator had taken its place. Blood trickled to the stone at her feet. As she moved Jack noticed the scars lining her powerful forearms, the marks matching that of the new wound.
A smile appeared on the captain and his companions. He flicked the whip again and struck at her, drawing blood across her limbs until she charged the bars, slamming against them in a frenzy. The entire chamber shook from the impact, nearly dislodging Jack from his perch. He tightened his grip but did not take his eyes off the reaver. Her display of power may have been caged, but it was terrifying and shocking. Instinctively Jack searched for exits, wanting to be gone in case she broke free and set to slaughter.
“Are you hungry yet?” the captain asked, heedless of the roaring creature driving for his throat. “It’s been four days since you’ve eaten, but I’m sure you’ll feed well tomorrow. I know you don’t care for prisoner flesh, but perhaps when you are hungry enough, you will.”
His companions laughed but he continued to watch the rampaging beast with a lidded gaze. Then abruptly the reaver regained control and withdrew with a parting snarl. She stood on her hind legs and grasped the bars, attempting to drive them apart. The captain sighed and whipped her again until she relented and dropped to the stone.
“Will you not speak to me today?” the captain asked. “Do I not deserve to hear your voice?”
The reaver reached to her flank and snapped a spike from her flesh. Then she hurled it through the bars. The captain dived to the side but the spike plunged into the arm of the laughing elf behind him. He shrieked in agony and the captain signaled the others to take him out.
“Well done, beast,” he said, his voice triumphant. “Now I can petition the queen for more restrictions to be placed upon you. I hope you enjoy the chains.”
His mocking laugh followed him from the room, and when it faded Jack descended to face her once more. She did not meet his gaze, but instead stared out the tiny window at the lights of the city.
“I’m sorry.”
I DON’T NEED YOUR PITY, HUMAN!
Her mental roar accompanied her strike at the bars again. The rage and hatred in her voice were tinged with shame, causing Jack to reach down and pick up the spike from where it lay. Raising it to his hand, he sliced his palm and allowed his blood to coat the spike. Then he offered it through the bars.
“I’m told you gain the abilities of the blood you take,” he said. “I heal quickly.”
The seconds passed and he expected her to refuse. The reaver finally turned to face him and then approached. Biting the spike from his hand, she licked it clean and tossed it away. She shook herself and some of the tension melted away. Between his blood and her innate capacity to absorb energy, her wounds began to knit. Then she leveled her gaze upon him.
You are a strange man, Jack of thieves.
“I don’t care for cruelty,” he said, his tone turning dark as he looked to where the captain had left.
One day I will kill him.
Brutal and laced with hate, the words left no doubt in his mind that she would find a way to do it. He wanted to help but his predicament was no less dire. Then a thought crossed his mind and he smiled slyly.
“What if your day was tomorrow?”
Her lion-like head swiveled to him. How can that be?
Heedless of the danger he stepped close to the bars. “I think it’s about time the Trial had a victor, don’t you?”
Her head was at his level, and they were so close she could have reached through the bars and ripped him apart. Instead she cocked her head to the side and bared her teeth. The anticipation in her eyes was unmistakable.
Tell me your plan, thief.
Chapter 31: Doubts
Lorelia shook her head in admiration. “You stole the Allegian Trial?”
“If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t believe it,” Gordon said.
Ursana snorted in disbelief and didn’t look up from her work on her crossbow. “You’ve worked with Jack enough. I’d think you would know him by now.”
Thalidon grunted in amusement. “The girl’s words have merit.”
Beauty laughed lightly and her eyes connected with Jack’s. “When will I learn not to doubt your talents?”
Jack snorted. “I’ll try to be a patient instructor.”
Jack leaned back against the rock, his smile fading as they discussed what he’d done. As much fun as it had been to escape Elsurund he could not shake the thought that Gallow had a six-day lead on them. Even with Val’Trisian’s help he doubted they could reach Margauth before the assassin.
At the same time an elusive irritation tugged at his mind. After a moment’s thought he realized it was directed at himself. He’d failed to get the key, and what’s worse, Gallow had retrieved them both.
Fatigue finally drove them to their bedrolls but Jack continued to stare into the flames. They were using the dead stalks of large mushrooms for cooking. The strange fuel cast a greenish tint to the fire that was beautiful and mesmerizing. He glanced at his slumbering companions scattered around the fire, but his irritation mounted. It had been a long time since he’d failed.
The next morning Jack rose to find the levity of the previous night had been extinguished. The thieves still laughed and spoke of Elsurund, but there was a tightness about their features that implied a sense of urgency. Jack knew what they were concerned about, and by unspoken accord the group quickened their pace back to the surface.
The eastern roadway that ascended from the Deep lacked the refinement of the dwarven-built road, and on several occasions they passed the remains of travelers. Evidently ambushed and killed by the denizens of the Deep, their bones lay about the ashes of fires, their packs picked clean by other travelers.
After another ten days, the rock turned to soil, and several hours later they passed into the open. Jack brea
thed a sigh of relief as he looked up at the endless sky. A smile spread on his features as he sucked in the scent of cedar.
The last vestiges of sunset lingered on the horizon, lighting the edge of heaven in purple and pink. Stars dotted the rest of the sky, growing brighter by the second as if eager to greet the night. Cedar trees obscured the region around the cave and climbed onto the surrounding hills. Val’Trisian bid them farewell, departing with a kiss on Jack’s check.
“Come back anytime, Jack of thieves,” she said with a warm smile. Then she was gone.
Jack sighed in regret. “I like the Deep.”
“You would,” Ursana said with a sour laugh. “But I think I’m done with dark elf assignments.”
“You and me both,” Gordon said with a relieved smile.
“They have their own guild,” Beauty said. “And I got the impression they didn’t think much of us.”
“That was before Jack used the Trial to escape,” Lorelia remarked.
Jack grinned and then shivered as a gust of icy wind carved into his flesh. Cursing the cold, he reached into his pack and withdrew his shaden cloak. The others followed suit, and by the time they were wrapped in warmth the sun had set, plunging them into darkness.
“We should hasten,” Beauty said. “We have no way of knowing what Skorn intends.”
“Skorn has the keys by now,” Roarthin said. “He’s probably already on his way to the Vault of the Eternals.”
“Perhaps not,” Jack mused. “He’s worked very hard to keep himself out of sight. Do you really expect him to risk all that?” He shook his head. “He’ll use a pawn, just like he always has.”
Beauty was nodding. “He calculates and manipulates, but never rushes.”
“Excellent,” Jack said. “Then we find an inn and stay for the night.”
“I think we’re north of Crossroads,” Gordon said, and motioned to the cedar trees. “If we make our way there we can find rooms. In the morning we can seek mounts before pressing on.”
“You really think he’ll wait?” Thalidon asked as they set off down a trail.