Congratulations on being the first team of students to break into the Trollope estate vault. The diamonds are your reward for a job well done.
Sincerely James Goodwin
Kiana gave a quick smile. She would celebrate when they were out of the castle again. She left the wooden box in the vault and closed its door. Tucking the diamonds and the note away, she headed back to Aldwin. The troll was still occupied by the butterflies, but from the look on Aspen’s face they did not have much time left before she lost control of her illusion. They hurried past her to the door where Osmond waited.
Aspen backed out of the room while keeping the butterflies in front of the troll. When she too reached the door she turned to them. “Thank goodness you’re done. I couldn’t go much longer. Did you get what was in the vault?”
Kiana smiled and nodded. “I will show you when we are safely back out of the castle.”
By Kiana’s mental clock the first guard should be at the courtyard door, this gave them a clear path to walk back down the hallway and out the door.
As they walked Aldwin spoke softly, “Not to be a downer, but aren’t we forgetting a wizard somewhere? I would hate to almost get out, only to be burned by a crisp by an angry wizard.”
Kiana smiled, thinking back to the couple in the second bedroom. “Actually I think we are okay, as long as we don’t trip any alarms. The wizard is otherwise occupied.”
Aldwin gave her a funny look but just shrugged and carried on. Kiana has done well for us so far, he thought, why doubt her now.
The group made it out of the castle with no issues. They passed the sleeping dogs and went out the magical gate. Aldwin used the ridiculous magic phrase to reclose the gate and off they went into the night.
While they walked back to the city Kiana gave each of them their diamond and told them about the note. They were all exuberant with triumph. Aldwin was in tears, he was so happy to succeed after so many years of trying.
“Kiana, we wouldn’t have done it without you. I will owe you forever. All of you, it was a great team effort and I will never forget it,” said Aldwin with passion. The group exchanged hugs and went off to their own homes. They would see each other again soon.
It was well past midnight when Kiana opened the door to her house. She was not surprised to see her parents still awake. She was however surprised to see Keyon with them.
As Kiana walked to the table to join them both her parents stood up and hugged her without saying anything, and then her mother whispered in her ear. “I am so proud of you.” Kiana was so happy she could almost scream. After enjoying the moment, Kiana stepped back and looked at Keyon.
The man smiled, and gave her a knowing look before saying, “Congratulations and welcome to the Thieves’ Guild.”
Kiana Clairmont, Thieves’ Guild thief, it has a good ring to it, she thought to herself.
12
At Sea
“SAIL HO” SAID THE sailor sitting in the crow’s nest.
Quinton and Sharon stood next to the captain, who was manning the helm. “Do you think we can catch them?” asked Quinton.
Captain Singleton glanced up at his main sail. “With fair winds we can overtake them.” They had spotted the Darcarion ship three days ago and had been tracking it down, but each night the ship had veered off and lost them. They were heading in the general direction of the Western Isles, home of the Isle of Darcaria, but were not following a straight course. They knew they were being pursued. However, today was the first day that the enemy ship had been spotted early enough in the day to gain significant advantage in closing the distance.
“What have you in mind, young mage, for when we do catch up to them?” asked Captain Singleton.
“I have an illusion spell that I’ve been preparing,” said Quinton. “It will make us appear as a smaller vessel and much further away. We should be able to get within attack range before they realize the illusion is not real. That should give us an advantage.”
“Good,” replied the captain. “I want to have a good look at that ship before we attempt to board her. If they are carrying mages, especially fire mages, we will have to be very careful.”
Quinton nodded, fire mages were especially deadly against ships. “We’ll keep our eyes peeled, Sir.”
Quinton turned to Sharon, “You still want to do this? It’s not too late to change your mind. None of the men will think less of you for not wanting to join the boarding party.”
Sharon smirked at Quinton. “Liar, they would scoff and go back to calling me the pretty little thing, and I would have to kick their asses all over again. I’m a warrior now, Quinton, I’m not going to shirk away now that danger is coming. This is what we train for.”
Quinton laughed at Sharon’s smirk. He had expected her to make a face when he suggested she could avoid the conflict. “I thought you might say that, but I had to ask. I worry about you more than you worry about yourself.”
“That is because you are a good boyfriend, and if we weren’t at sea and chasing down Darcarions, I would kiss you for it. However, you shouldn’t worry about me. You need to focus on keeping your skinny butt alive.”
Quinton looked over his shoulder to examine his buttocks. “It’s not that skinny. Rather shapely I would say.”
Sharon broke out into laughter once again.
“Just hope we don’t fail in our attempt to capture the Darcarion vessel,” said Captain Singleton. “Some of the Darcarions would probably enjoy a young boy with a shapely behind.”
Sharon frowned, “They had better not get any ideas. I’ll skin them alive.”
“Relax, Sharon, we all know they would be much more interested in your behind than mine,” said Quinton.
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better about it?” replied Sharon.
“Just make sure we are successful, and both your butts can remain safe,” said Captain Singleton.
“Aye, Captain,” said both Quinton and Sharon.
It took several hours, but the winds were favorable and the Lady Hawk was faster than the Darcarion ship so they made good progress. Quinton cast his spell over the ship. It took a fair bit of magical energy to cast such a large illusion, but Quinton had one of Nathan’s bloodstones to draw on, giving him additional magical energies at his disposal.
They were within a few hundred yards of the enemy ship now.
“Remember, my illusion makes us appear farther away, but it doesn’t make us sound further away.” Quinton reminded the captain.
“Right,” said Captain Singleton. He turned to the first mate, “Notify the crew, no loud noises. We run silent.”
“Aye, Captain,” said the first mate as he went off to tell the sailors to be silent.
“I’m going to bring us fairly close along their starboard. That way we can get a good look at her and then veer in to board her if she’s the one we’re looking for. Quinton, you stay with me. Sharon, you join the boarding party.”
Sharon nodded at the captain and gave Quinton a wink. She then moved to the port side where the other men were hunkered down peering over the edge of the rail watching the enemy ship.
As they came up on the ship, Quinton got a good look at the crew. He could see the tattooed bodies that marked the sailors as Darcarions. He also saw several mages identifiable by the distinct dark robes they wore, and the staffs they carried instead of weapons. They were standing together at the prow of the ship watching the Lady Hawk. They had not yet recognized that an illusion was affecting their view.
“Darcarions, and they have mages,” Quinton said to Captain Singleton.
“I see them,” said Captain Singleton.
“Have the archers target the mages first,” said Captain Singleton to his first mate. Captain Singleton then turned the ship wheel so that they started to head even closer to the enemy ship.
“We’re in firing range now, Captain,” said the first mate.
“Thank you, Geoff. Prepare the archers,” said Captain Singleton.
Quinton watched as the archers stood up and took aim. They waited for the captain’s signal. On board the Darcarion ship, the mages were starting to talk to each other and point in an animated way. They were starting to realize they were watching an illusion.
Captain Singleton gave the signal. Arrows streaked across the bow of the Lady Hawk and struck the sailors and mages of the Darcarion ship. Captain Singleton again turned the ship’s wheel, this time he brought them even closer. So close that the two ships were going to touch!
Quinton watched in fascination as Sharon and the members of the boarding party crouched at the rail of the Lady Hawk and waited until the two ships were mere inches apart. They leapt up and over the rail, landing on the deck of the Darcarion vessel. Havoc ensued as the Darcarions tried to fend off the boarding party. But the archers had done their jobs well, striking the mages and the armed Darcarions first. The sailors scrambled to grab their weapons and stop the boarding party, but Sharon and the other sailors moved like ghosts fighting their way through the Darcarions. The Darcarions refused to surrender despite several yells from Geoff, the first mate. They fought viciously and several of the Lady Hawk’s sailors died, but between the carefully placed arrows of the Lady Hawk’s archers, and element of surprise giving the boarding party all the advantage they needed, the fight was soon over. Only a few Darcarions survived. The rest fought until death. A few jumped off the ship, choosing to take their chances in the shark-infested waters over becoming prisoners. The boarding party quickly rounded up the few survivors and chained them up. A physician would tend to their wounds and then the captain would question them. Once the ship was searched, for hiding warriors, Quinton joined Sharon aboard the Darcarion vessel. He would search the mages' quarters for clues of their plans.
In the first of the mages' quarters they found nothing of use. A few spell books and robes, nothing that tied them to the attacks on Balta. In the second cabin, they found what they were looking for, a note instructing the mages.
The mission failed. Baltan fleet at sea, lead them away from Balta. Do not engage them, simply keep them at sea as long as possible.
G.
Quinton showed Sharon the note. “You think G. stands for Ganus?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“That means they wanted us to leave Balta. They have something else planned. Hurry, let’s show this to Captain Singleton,” said Quinton. He took the note and the Darcarion spell books and returned to the Lady Hawk. They handed the note to Captain Singleton.
The captain read the note and turned to the first mate. “Geoff, you take ten men and sail the Darcarion ship back to Balta. We are returning, immediately. I don’t know why, but we have been lead on a wild good chase.…”
13
Balta
“NATHAN, I NEED YOU TO IMBUE this gem for me.”
“Of course, Aunt Avera, is this for you?”
Avera shook her head. “No, this is for a thief.”
Nathan looked carefully at his Aunt. This was an interesting development. “You want me to imbue a gem for a thief?”
Avera smiled. “It’s a long story. I maintain some business interests in Pailtar. And in order to do business in Pailtar one must be on good terms with the Thieves’ Guild. I’ve made a few friends among them over the years. Some of them I actually trust more than I do honest citizens from Balta.”
Nathan nodded. He remembered the dusty streets of Pailtar. The Guild ran that town and had helped, under threat from Ashuna, to make sure Ava and the girls were safe. “Why would a thief want a gem imbued and how did they know to send you one?”
“The Thieves Guild knows everything that goes on in Pailtar and most of what goes on in the entire continent. Information is one of their most valuable commodities and you are somewhat famous these days. Word of your magic has obvious reached Pailtar.”
“I’m not sure giving a thief a magic gem is a good idea,” said Nathan. “Won’t they use it for something that breaks the law?”
“I already know what the gem is going to be used for. It is going into a ring. One that will help the thief use her magic. It will most assuredly involve breaking the law. However, the thief in question is young, about your age actually and she, until now, hasn’t practiced magic. She will not have much power and giving her the ring will not be a bad thing.”
“She is your friend?” asked Nathan, curious but not yet sure that this was something he should agree to do.
“No, her mother is my friend. Nathan, I understand your hesitance and I applaud it. You have a gift, a powerful gift, and in the wrong hands, one of your gems could be very dangerous. What you need to know is that Pailtar faces the same danger that we face here in Balta.”
“King Ganus,” said Nathan.
“Yes. King Ganus wants to rule all of Mithbea, and that means every city and place on the continent is in danger. That means that the Thieves’ Guild is now among our allies. My friend and her family are in the same danger that we are. She wants her daughter to learn magic so that she can better help in the coming war. The girl is already an accomplished thief, but she has strong magic blood like our family and with your stone will learn that magic much faster.”
Nathan inspected the diamond. It was small but high quality. It would be able to absorb a great deal of power. The idea of giving to a thief did not sit well with Nathan, but Pailtar was different, they treated thieves differently there, as if they were almost trades people. Moreover, Nathan knew well enough the damage that King Ganus could cause. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Nathan, I trust the girl’s mother and we will need allies against King Ganus. The Guild can be a powerful ally, and I believe we are going to need all we can get.”
Morthon
“I WANT TO ATTACK PAILTAR,” SAID King Ganus. Looking down from his throne, King Ganus studied his commanders. Each had risen to power through treachery, deceit, and ambition. The blood spilled by this collective group was worthy of his admiration.
“My army is prepared to march,” said Hassan Tulur.
King Ganus nodded, of course Hassan would have his army prepared. He was by far the most bloodthirsty of his commanders. Hassan took as a personal insult when any troops other than his own were used. “Good. Togla, Tunc, what of your mercenaries?” Tolga and Tunc Oyal were bandits, mercenaries for hire who would fight for anyone as long as the price was right.
“We are prepared,” said Tolga.
“How many do you command?” asked King Ganus?
“Just under a hundred,” replied Tolga.
“Last time we spoke you had almost three hundred blades under your command.”
Tolga, a tall, thin man with a crooked nose, nodded. “Our last venture to the East was more challenging than anticipated.”
“How unfortunate,” said King Ganus.
Tolga shrugged, “Only for those who died. For the rest of us it was a rather profitable excursion.”
“Just have your men ready.” King Ganus turned to Balar Arfa. He trusted Balar least of all his commanders. Balar was from the city of Conta in the far southern regions of Morthon, and his army was the largest outside of his own troops. “How long before you can attack?”
“Two weeks. Three, if you want a full battalion,” replied Balar Arfa.
“Two weeks. I want this done.” In truth, King Ganus would have waited three weeks if necessary, but Pailtar was not a difficult target and giving Balar Arfa reason to bring that many troops so close to Meron made King Ganus nervous. It was best if Balar only had a small army with him.
Balar Arfa smiled. He understood what Ganus was thinking. “As you wish, My Lord.”
“Hassan, wait one week and then begin marching across the desert. Send scouts up the coast so that you can time your arrival at Pailtar with Balar Arfa’s ships. Tolga, you and Tunc leave now. I want you in Pailtar as soon as possible. You know your target.”
Tolga smiled nervously. “About our target—”
“You wil
l be well rewarded,” interrupted King Ganus. “I don’t care if you go from a hundred warriors down to two. I want you to attack the Thieves’ Guild. They are not well organized, or as large as Pailtar’s Army, but they are the most dangerous.”
“They are very dangerous,” said Tolga, in agreement with King Ganus. “It very well may require that we do end up with only the two of us.”
King Ganus frowned and stared coolly at the mercenary. “Is that a problem?”
Tunc, Tolga’s brother, spoke up. “No, it would just mean less sharing of the profits. We will deal with the Guild.”
“Very well,” said King Ganus. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the commanders. Two weeks, two weeks for the attack on Pailtar and then he would have two bases from which to attack Balta. He wasn’t ready for that yet, but if all went well with his remaining Darcarion mages it would soon be the perfect time to attack. After the failure of the Darcarions to secure the tomes, Ganus had the leverage to get the deadly mages to commit to his new plan, one that had little chance of the mages surviving. However, there were worse things than dying and Ganus would make them regret being born if they failed him twice. Finally, all of Mithbea would be within his grasp.
Once Mithbea was under his total control, King Ganus would build an army like the world had never seen before. He would conquer Solotine, the Western Isles, and then make his way east. He would build an empire. Kings would grovel and kiss his feet and beg for his mercy. But they would find, like all those before them, that mercy was not in King Ganus’s vocabulary.
14
Pailtar
KIANA SAT ON her bed, reading the letter from the Guild.
Welcome to the Thieves’ Guild
First-year students will be assigned two courses, and given the option of choosing two courses from the options list provided. Each list gives the courses available to you. Certain classes are limited enrollment and selection will be at the discretion of course instructor. Please select your two options and an alternative; if your selections and alternative are unavailable courses will be selected for you based on previous test scores and instructor input.
Siege of Pailtar Page 9