by P. G. Thomas
“Years many, I have served this station. This place knows an Earth Mother when it senses one. Question not my abilities, else your beer I shall serve warm.”
The Earth Guard captain leaned against the bar, “An Earth Mother? How long has it been, months?”
“Not months, years of two almost it has been. Back then, Earth Guards filled this inn. Now it is but two squads, Moonshadow and Ironwood,” replied the bartender
*******
It was late when Lauren opened the bedroom door, as the rest of the house had already retired, and Ryan was asleep on the bed. He was hugging a large wolf with another at his feet. Lauren looked at the two. “I don’t know which one you are, but it better be you, Hope. That’s my spot, and I want it back.”
When Lauren returned to the room, in the now familiar nightshirt, two giant otters laid on their backs, waiting for somebody to scratch their bellies. On her pillow lay a small, pink, knitted, wool baby bonnet with a plastic soother. Picking up both, she pushed back her tears, “Thank you, but this is the last night, so you’ll have to find a new place to sleep.” Then she scratched their bellies to reward them.
Chapter 20
Walking down the stairs the next morning, with one of Lauren’s hands holding Ryan’s, the other grasped the bonnet. As they ate, they reviewed the details of the previous day, and all were ecstatic to hear the news about the triplets.
Ryan smiled, “I want to take Sam and Hope to the north side of the Key River, but from what Mirtza said, it’s pretty thick with Darkpaye immigrants, and since I really don’t want to go over there by myself, we’ll need him to guide us.”
Gayne nodded in agreement, “I have to go visit the thief guild, so I can take care of some business that I should have attended to yesterday.”
“Can I go with you?” inquired Steve. “I was wondering if they might be able to find any information about the assassins that we caught in Alron.”
“Just make sure your pockets are empty before you go in. Otherwise, they will be when you leave.”
Logan let out a chuckle, “Burn!”
“Enough,” ordered Lauren.” Eric, can you go with Ryan? John, I presume you’re going to the school to see if you can figure out anything with the root?” While it seemed more like an order than a question, he nodded in agreement. She turned back to Gayne, “Those kids that Logan pointed out yesterday, who were sitting motionless in the rain? Are there any where you’re going?”
“The only place you cannot find them would be in the Newlands, and I guess Alron. They are everywhere. Why?”
“I want to go talk to them, and see if I can figure out one thing here.”
“Are you sure?” asked Ryan. “I don’t like you being on the streets alone.”
Lauren tilted her head towards one of the Guardians, “I’m surprised they don’t stand guard when I go to bed. I’ll take Logan with me, so that way Sister can protect his sister.”
Logan raised a finger to the air, like he was working an invisible calculator, and then stopped. “Just tell me where to go, and what to do since I really don’t care at this point.” Then he looked at Steve. “Don’t you dare say burn.”
After the meal, Mirtza went to the stable with Ryan, Eric, Sam, and Hope, bringing forth his wagon, so they could travel into the Darkpaye section of town.
Gayne did the same, but let Steve drive the horses, so he was once again able to enjoy the dry interior of the carriage, which was thick with the aroma of wet canine. Inside, John, Lauren, Logan, and the four Granite Guardians also joined him. After dropping John off at the school, they continued on to the guild.
Once in the school, John headed to the lab, but with no visible changes to the root, he drained the water before adding more. Having nothing to test it with, he pulled out his Leatherman tool, rinsed it off in the sanitizing alcohol, and dumped the collection of plant material from the bag into another pan. After sorting them out using the tongs, he went up to the blackboard, drawing three large squares on it. In the first one, he wrote mass spectrometer, the second, digital microscope, and in the last, super computer. Then he sat down staring at the three squares. If I had the mithril magic, I might be able to make them real. What am I supposed to do now? They’ll be gone for hours.
*******
As the carriage pulled in front of the thief guild, the storm had lost some of its energy, so Logan and Lauren, with four Guardians, wandered up the street to look for motionless children. Steve followed Gayne who headed inside to meet with the guild leader.
“I am sorry, Jedimac, I know I said I would be here yesterday, but something came up.”
The thin man with the wiry beard nodded, “It is okay because you are one of my best and loyal customers.”
To Steve the word ‘loyal’ sounded more like a threat.
Pulling two small flat bags out of his pockets, Gayne dumped the gold coins into the tray that Jedimac had pushed forward. “You really should have given your silent friend one of those, and then maybe he could have paid for the coach ride back to the school. I was wondering if you had reconsidered my desire to purchase a couple of those.”
Gayne shook his head, showing he had no desire, “There will not be a late charge, will there?”
“Not this time. I figure we owe you a discount for the break-in.” Then Jedimac slammed his open hand against the desk.
With fear in his voice, Gayne stepped back, “What did I do?”
“It is not you. It was the non-sanctioned crime. Everybody knows about it, and they are demanding more protection or a discount. Sit, both of you.” To Steve it sounded like a gracious request that he should accept. When Jedimac snapped his fingers, a young, scantily clad midlander girl rushed over, carrying a tray holding a bottle and three glasses. She half-filled each, smiled, and then scurried away.
After Jedimac had a sip of the smooth liquid, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, throwing it on the desk. “The last two names on the list you gave me. I asked a couple of my distinguished associates to inquire with the Darkpaye Harbour Master about their departures.” He shook his head, “Did you know that not all sailors can swim? I would think that skill would be mandatory for their craft, but apparently, they do not train sailors as well as I train thieves. My guild committing non-sanctioned crimes, damn assassin’s guild charged me double. While I expressed my opinion that sailors should know how to swim, they agreed with my logic. However, theoretically speaking, not all arguments or sailors can tread water.” He paused to take a drink, “The Harbour Master, with a bit of encouragement, was more than willing to review his records over the last six years, and much to his surprise, there was no record of your missing students’ passage to Darkpaye.” When the guild leader clapped his hands again, a different scantily clad midlander girl ran over, placing a tray on his desk that had a selection of cooked seafood on it. “It goes nice with the wine.” Then the well-spoken thief picked up several pieces from the platter, putting them on a plate, and the two guests did the same. After the thief had swallowed his first piece, he smiled, “Ever heard the phrase, fishing or cutting bait? Well, it seems the distinguished associates I sent to make the inquiries enjoyed both.” Gayne had been reaching for another piece, but he pulled his hand back. Jedimac sighed, “You misunderstand me. This is not the bait, it is the fish they caught with it. You do not think—”
“No, we would never think that,” Gayne said, quickly reaching for several pieces.
“Please calm down. I would never threaten such a loyal customer. I know you will keep your tongue.” Then an enforcer with numerous knives and scars walked over to the desk, dropping an odd piece of ‘meat’ on it. Jedimac smiled, “Unlike the Darkpaye Harbour Master, but do not worry since I received permission from the assassin’s guild that claims the docks. As for the Watch…unless they take up fishing, there is no evidence to be found.” He pushed his plate away, “So your missing students are neither in Calicon or Darkpaye. For a man who does not like to ask questions, I asked
myself, ‘where are they?’ Gayne, would you have any suggestions that might help me to find those answers, as it is causing ripples of consequence throughout the coast? To the guilds that matter, of course.”
Gayne seemed taken aback. “Honest, I was just looking for missing students who could have provided information to somebody else about the break-in. I am a loyal customer—”
Steve leaned forward, placing his hand on Jedimac’s desk, “I might—”
Three crossbow bolts landed between the fingers of Steve’s hand, and Jedimac smiled. “You look surprised, Empty Pockets. If you ever bring weapons into my house again, your weapons and life will both remain, and your friend will be encouraged to, let us say, pay for your mistakes. I can tell you are not from here since I have met others of your kind, so because this is your first time, I will forgive you. There has only been one who has violated this rule, and he is on the other side of the world, which I send my praise to Mother every day, to keep him there. So, Steve, he who asks foolish questions, please withdraw your hand from my desk, but keep it in plain sight. Do we understand each other?”
Cursing under his breath, Steve had never met a criminal that he both hated and respected at the same time. Hoping his pants did not show how much he also feared the one who stared at him, he slowly pulled his hand back, placing both on his lap, and took a deep breath. Then he realized what was between his hands, and should the next crossbow bolt miss, he would be missing something that he did not want to part with.
“So, Empty Pockets, why would you wish to bring so much attention to yourself?”
“You know?”
I know everything in this town, Jedimac smiled, “It is one thing to throw small pebbles into a pond since the disturbance quickly dissipates, but to throw in boulders—and at the docks! While you may not know it, thieves outnumber the ships there.”
Steve could feel Gayne’s glare.
The guild leader continued, “So now, of your questions. Why were you searching for travelers from the Bright Coast to Oceans End, as I better need to understand what hive of bees you have knocked over.”
“We were recently in Alron,” began Steve, “and we captured several Darkpaye assassins who tried to murder the Earth Mothers there. We believed they sailed from the Bright Coast, and I was wondering if you might—”
“Alron, that is months away,” stated Jedimac. “It is impossible to travel there and back in the time you were gone.”
Gayne looked to the ground, shaking his head, “It is possible, and I have no interest in a transaction that would allow your guild to acquire it.”
“Understandable. I can appreciate and accept that answer since we are all professionals here. Do you know what their given names were?”
Steve concentrated for a few seconds, “Nur and Ginger, I think?”
“How are they?”
“Nur was gravely hurt,” Gayne advised, “but Gingaar was tending her and said she would live.”
“Dark days do haunt me. The second Earth Mother, elf, her given name Gingaar. In her debt I am, and I know never would she try to collect, but should I forget that debt, others may think the same I will do with theirs. While some think there is no honor amongst thieves, they have no concept on how complicated it gets. Please provide me the details you learned.”
Steve slowly began to move his hands from his thighs to his chest, so should he speak something wrong, the bolt would deliver a fast death. Then he repeated most of what had happened in Alron, explaining how he had determined the assassins sailed from the Bright Coast. When done, he reached for his glass, taking a long drink, hoping it was not his last.
“Gayne, an interesting story your friend,” began Jedimac, “who has now grown a tongue, speaks. Your agreement, will you lend?”
“I went back to Ironhouse, to get dwarves. While I heard about it, I never saw what happened there.”
The well-spoken thief turned to Steve, “Proclamations uncollaborated I cannot take to the other guild leaders, as they may think that my well-delivered warnings are no more than a false pretense. Are there others who can validate your observations?”
“There’s one.”
For a man who avoided questions, Jedimac found it strange to be asking so many, “Does he have a name?”
“John,” Steve replied.
Opening a drawer in his desk, Jedimac pulled out a small bottle, popped the cork, and he took a quick drink straight from it. “Since there are no assassin guilds in Alron, no sanction-related crime was committed. Can you prove what you say?”
Steve began to reach for the crossbow pistol he had brought with him but stopped. “I have one of their weapons. I can carefully pull it out, or one of your men can remove it from my coat. It’s not armed, so there’s no danger.”
“Show me but very slowly.”
Removing the weapon from his coat, he placed it on the desk.
Jedimac picked it up, “You say the bolts were poisoned?” Pushing on a piece of wood, tipping it back, two bolts slid out. "Get two rats," and then he pulled back the bow strings, placing the bolts into the device. Steve, hearing the back door open, saw a henchman walk in, holding two furry rats, and after fastening the tails together, placed them on the far side of the room. Jedimac raised the pistol, aimed, fired the first bolt, and then the second. Withering in pain, both rats thrashed uncontrollably before going silent. The guild leader looked at the finally crafted weapon, noticing the filed down maker’s mark. “It is possible an assassin guild has hired foreign talent since there are now so damn many of them here. If not, the guilds will be most interested in this news. After I check into your story, I will let you know what I find, as unsanctioned assassins are bad for everybody’s business.” When the back door opened, a well-dressed man walked over, handing him a piece of paper. The leader of the guild scanned the note, turning to the other, “You are sure?” The man nodded, and Jedimac waved him away. Taking another drink from the small bottle, he shook his head, “If I keep receiving news like this, I will make Thaxson the richest elf in the Bright Coast.” Even though Gayne had recognized the label from the elf healer on the bottle, he was uncertain of what ailed Jedimac. The thief boss then held the note over a candle on his desk. “You have heard the rumors about Darkpaye segregating the town at the bridges?”
“Yes, but Calicon outnumbers them on the council,” advised Gayne, “and they will never be able to pass their new law.”
“Three councilors were murdered last night and two the night before. In a few more days, they will have a majority if the present trend continues.”
*******
Wandering up the street, Lauren was shaking her head. The question was not where to find the motionless ones: they were everywhere. Instead, it was which ones to approach. Logan pointed to a large alley where there was space to move amongst the temporary residents. Lauren, staff in hand, followed her brother with one Guardian shadowing her. She saw a young midlander girl, whose eyes were open with dilated pupils, but was unresponsive to any questions. Kneeling down, placing a hand on the child’s shoulder, she looked at the staff. “Mother’s children are suffering, so how’re you going to help me?” Turning back to the child, an image flared in her mind so quick that it scared her, causing her to pull her hand back and the vision to disappear. She blinked her eyes, placed her hand back on the young girl, and the vision reappeared. It was a three-dimensional, transparent representation where she was able to see the bones, organs, circulatory system, and so much more. Closing her eyes, examining the image as it slowly rotated, she was uncertain of what to look for. There were no broken bones, so they vanished from it. When the vision showed no trauma to the exterior skin or muscles, those details also faded away. In some ways, the appearance was disturbing to Lauren, watching the heart slowly beat, seeing the blood move through the veins, and the lungs expanding than contracting. However, noticing something unusual, the image changed to only show the circulatory system, and in the veins, a dark swirling motion. Watching
the foreign substance as it traveled, she scanned the girl, noticing what looked like thousands of small black worms crawling through her brain. The vision being so disturbing, jerking back, she almost fell over.
Logan grabbed her from behind. “What did you see?”
“Everything!” She went to another motionless midlander, placing her hand on his shoulder. Immediately, the image of the black worms crawling through the brain appeared in her mind, and the same thing happened with the next two.
“What…what are you…doing, lady?” came from the young lad who Lauren was now examining.
She knelt down beside the boy, who was dressed in rags and covered in dirt, “I’m trying to help.” She saw the same black worms in her mind, though not as many, and it appeared whatever he had ingested was wearing off. Lauren, uncertain of what could cause the visions, realized that nobody in this land, which was void of technology, would be able to analyze it. Her only thought, if the staff could see it, perhaps it could determine the source and cure. She looked at the lad, “If I give you a gold coin, can you bleed on my staff for me.”
He gave his head a shake, “For a gold, you can have da whole finger!”
The misplaced enthusiasm shocked her, “No, I just need a little bit of blood.” Motioning to the Guardian, he approached, extending his metal blade. “This is very sharp, so please don’t cut yourself deep,” and then pointing to a piece of exposed wood, she added, “then place your finger here.”
“I wants to see the coin first.”
Gayne had given her several that morning, and she held one in front of the lad. He reached out, pricked the sharp blade, touched the wood where instructed, but never showed any signs of pain.
“Thank you,” but before handing over the coin, she asked, “What’re you going to do with it?”
“More Midnight Sun. If you ever needs any more blood or body parts, I gots lots.”