City of Delusions (The Dying World Book 2)

by John Triptych

  “With the weapons I am giving you, that sort of effort will not be in vain,” Zeren said.

  Bawk gave him a quizzical look. “What do you need of her for?”

  “That is my business,” Zeren said tersely.

  Bawk looked at his companions. A number of them shook their heads, while others had a gleaming in their eyes, indicating that the revolution they so wanted could be close at hand. “If the weapons you claim are truly powerful, then we have an agreement. But many fools have tried to dupe us before. A few Watchers and the occasional Magus have pretended to be runaway slaves in order to join us down here, so that they can find the true location of our sanctum. None of those spies has ever turned up alive to report back to their masters. We need to see these weapons first.”

  Zeren held his breath. If he gave them the weapons now, there was no guarantee that they would attempt to rescue the Red Gorgon. “I can give you half the weapons right away, but only a portion of the powders and balls to make them work.”

  Bawk shook his head. “We want all the weapons, Grimgrin. And half of the others.”

  Zeren stifled a growing anger in his mind. In the end he knew he didn’t have much of a choice, and the ones he was dealing with could sense it too. Giving the league half of the powder and shells meant that they would not have enough supplies for a prolonged war, so he still had an advantage there when it came to fulfilling the bargain. “Very well. But you must make every effort to rescue the Red Gorgon.”

  Falx and his six men walked over to where the wagon tracks were. A quarter-moon shone brightly in the night sky, but half of them still carried torches. The finale of the Great Games was to be held the next day, and he was running out of time. The wagons that once contained the stolen shipment had already been moved away, and all that was left around him were the silent tombs of the desolate necropolis. Falx bent down and examined the wagon tracks once more and concluded that there were no other vehicles that came into this route since that night. After his private talk with the matriarch of House Aranida, he now knew that the stolen weapons were quite heavy, and it would take dozens of people to move them, even if they were equipped with their own wagons. Word on the street was that Grimgrin only used a small group of allies, and they could not have possibly taken all the guns away if there were less than a dozen of them. If Grimgrin did employ others to move the weapons, then surely someone else might have talked, but no one had heard of any cargo of guns at all.

  Running his hands along the rocky ground, Falx noticed that the dirt beside the broken stone wheel had been swept smooth, as if someone was hiding the tracks they had made soon after stealing the shipment. He looked up at the other Watchers standing beside him. “All of you, spread out and look for any path of dirt that has been smoothed over.”

  The six men began to move in different directions, their eyes keenly focused on the ground they were stepping on. Falx stood up and stretched his back. Matriarch Tanys had spoken to him soon after the games had ended that afternoon, and she was in a foul mood. He had explained to her that his men had roughed up and tortured everyone they could think of who might have knowledge of the robbery, but they had come up with nothing. One of his men even murdered a known black marketer and had covered it up, publicly blaming Grimgrin for the deed instead. He explained to her that Grimgrin must have either sold the weapons cache off to one of the noble houses by now, or he had it hidden away so that no one would ever know of its whereabouts. With the whole city looking for him, Falx suspected that it was the latter.

  Sitting on a nearby tombstone, Falx sighed as he drew his red cloak around his shoulders. Tanys would book no more excuses, and he had been tasked to find the stolen shipment by the last day of the games or else he would be replaced by someone else, she threatened. There was nothing left for him to do except return to the scene of the crime and start from the very beginning once more. A part of him already believed that he would languish in poverty soon enough, and his family would end up as merchants once Tanys made good on her threat of removing him as head of the Watchers.

  Looking down at the ground beneath his boots, Falx noticed one part of the tomb that he was sitting on had been swept smooth, while the other side of the stone slab still had the customary stones and pebbles that had been amassed there over the eons. Falx stood up and turned around, this time carefully examining the granite box he had previously been sitting on. The right edges of the tomb seemed to be free of the coating of accumulated dust that was present in the other parts of the monument. Peering closer, he realized that there were minute scratches on the sides of the slab, indicating that it had been moved very recently.

  Falx stood fully upright and gestured at the others. “All of you, come back here!”

  When the other Watchers converged on him, Falx pointed down to the slab. “Open this tomb, quickly.”

  The top of the slab was made of solid granite, but three men were enough to move it sideways, partially revealing what was inside. Instead of a leering skull, there seemed to be something covered in a leather tarp underneath.

  “Remove the whole top,” Falx said.

  Another man helped the three and the top slab was soon lying by the side of the tomb. Falx removed the tarp and two of his men let out a surprised gasp. Lying underneath were several dozen guns, along with pouches that contained bronze shot and half a dozen powder horns. It was too heavy for him to move the entire shipment to another part of the city, Falx thought. So Grimgrin did the next best thing, he simply buried the stolen goods right beside the wagons he had stolen them from and covered up his tracks. Very clever.

  Falx turned to his second in command. “There must still be more hidden nearby. Look for any tomb that had been smoothed over, and I am certain we shall find the rest.”

  Just as his aide nodded, the man’s eyes widened, and he gasped before falling to his knees. A horrified Falx tried to help him up, but he saw that there was an arrow shaft embedded on his aide’s back. The remaining five Watchers turned around and drew their weapons as several dozen men came out of the surrounding darkness, bows and spears at the ready. Falx saw that his second was dead, so he glumly stood up as two of the men came closer.

  Bawk’s sword was in his hand while he stood a few feet away from the Watchers. “You must be Lord Falx, leader of the City Watch.”

  Falx looked at the man standing beside him. “And he must be Grimgrin, I assume.”

  Zeren made a slight bow before glancing over at Bawk. “As I told you, my reputation precedes me.”

  Bawk pursed his lips. “It is a good thing that you made a bargain with us just hours ago, Grimgrin. If you had waited any longer, then these Watchers would have recovered your treasure, and you would have been left with nothing.”

  Zeren shrugged. “I have always been fortunate.”

  “The last I heard of you,” Falx said calmly. It seemed that his own luck had finally run out, and he was prepared for any eventuality. Days before, he had already gathered his coinage and instructed his wife on what to do should he not return from one of his forays. “You had been wounded and nearly caught by the Magi. Looking at you now, you seem to be in the best of health.”

  Zeren grinned. “Do not believe all the stories about me, for it may just prove your undoing.”

  Falx stared at the others. “These men, are they of the league?”

  Bawk nodded. “You have a very keen mind, Lord Falx.”

  Falx turned to stare at Zeren. “I once considered you as nothing more than a petty thief, but now you have truly spelled the doom of this city. You realize that once these weapons are in the hands of the League of the Sewer, the streets will run red with blood?”

  Zeren grimaced. “The streets already run red. The Watchers have told lies about me, telling everyone that it was I who massacred the good people of that tavern, when it was the Magi and their accursed band of mercenaries who did it so.”

  “You have proof of this?” Falx said.

  Zeren pulled out a lea
ther pouch from underneath the folds of his cloak. “This sack contains the leaves of a plant that can turn men into mindless beasts, to be placed under the command of a Striga. I took this from the temple of Vis, for the Magi are assembling an army of mindless men that do not bleed, nor do they feel pain from any grievous wound- save beheading.”

  “I … believe you,” Falx said. “I have heard rumors of the Magi hiring large numbers of mercenaries, only for them never to be heard from again. If what you say is true about the killings in the tavern, then it could mean that one of the house matriarchs is directly aiding the new Grand Magus in his plans.”

  “Then we must work together,” Zeren said, placing the pouch back underneath his cloak. “With the league and the Watchers as one, then we will have the numbers and the weapons to stand up against the Magi and their allies.”

  Falx turned to look at Bawk. He felt relieved that an agreement had been reached. It looked like he would survive the night after all. “And what say the league?”

  Bawk walked up to the Watch commander and held out his left hand. “A tentative alliance, then. As long as your men do not attack mine, there shall be a truce between us.”

  Falx smiled as he used both his hands to shake Bawk’s. He would need to inform Tanys about this new development, but he had solved a number of things, at least. “Agreed.”

  Bawk smiled. “Good.” With one upward thrust, his right arm drove the short sword just beneath Falx’s ribcage, tearing through the surprised man’s lungs before piercing his heart. Falx gasped for air as he fell backwards. In a matter of seconds, his heart stopped beating, and he quickly lost consciousness before death finally overtook him.

  Zeren’s eyes widened in shock. “No!”

  Two of the remaining Watchers tried to put up a fight, but they were cut down by a number of arrows. The other men got on their knees and pleaded for mercy. The ragged men of the league advanced in on them and cut their throats. Zeren had briefly thought of doing something, but now it was too late.

  Bawk cleaned the blood off his sword using Falx’s cloak before he started to rummage through the dead man’s clothes for any valuables. He glanced up at Zeren who just stood there, like a statue. “You knew this was going to happen, Grimgrin. Even if this man had agreed upon a truce with the league, it would just be a matter of time before the Watchers would turn on us.”

  Zeren scowled at him. Did he make a mistake in choosing which faction to side with? Either way, he had to be on guard. There was no one he could trust now. “He said he believed me. There was no reason to lie about it.”

  Bawk snorted as he pocketed a bag of coin and tried a ring on his little finger. “Did you not see his eyes? He was desperate to agree with anything in order to save himself. The moment we let him go he would have gathered reinforcements to hunt us all down.”

  Zeren stared at the others who were looting their fresh kills. Everything he envisioned had turned to ash. With the leader of the City Watch dead, there would be a time of confusion as competing factions within the Watchers would attempt to seize control of the organization. “We could have used the Watchers as allies, now they will all have to be killed or taken prisoner as well.”

  Bawk tied Falx’s sword belt around his own waistline. “That man,” he pointed at Falx’s corpse. “Was an agent for one of the great houses. Every Watcher is in the pay of one of the noble families of this city. You need to wake up for you are not a child any more, Grimgrin. The Watchers are divided, and they would be nothing but a liability even if we kept them as allies. Now, let us see to these guns you speak of.”

  A dozen members of the league were already slinging the guns over their shoulders using the leather straps. Bawk took one of the long, cylindrical weapons and examined it. “It is as you have said. There may be an old slave back in our sanctum who may have some knowledge of this. Otherwise we can hire a librarian from the surface and I know of quite a few that will keep their mouths shut as long as we give them a fair amount of coin.”

  Zeren stood beside him and stared blankly into the night. Bawk was right about the Watchers, yet could he trust the league? “What of our agreement? Will you abide by it, or will you open me up like what you did with him?”

  Bawk chuckled as he gave him a playful slap in the back. “Come now, Grimgrin, you yourself said that here is honor among rogues. I have already spoken to a few slaves that work in the arena, and we will hatch a plan by early morn. All you have to do is wait by an agreed upon place, and we shall deliver the Red Gorgon to you, hot and ready for whatever it is that you desire.”

  Zeren looked into his eyes. “I will take part in this task, for I have promised someone to see it through. I want your word that you will not use these weapons until I have her safely with me.”

  Bawk smiled. “Of course, Grimgrin! Judging from the looks of these things, we would need some time to learn how to use these weapons properly.” He held up a leather pouch containing the tiny metal balls. “From my own experience, even bows need arrows. So until we do get the Red Gorgon, and you finally lead us to where you hid the rest of the powder and balls, then we shall continue on with the agreement. Now where are the rest of these guns?”

  Zeren pointed to a nearby tomb at the opposite direction. “We hid the second batch there.”

  Bawk gestured at the others. “Over there, lift the slab and get the rest of the guns. Do it quickly, for we need to be out of here and back underground within the hour.”

  Another dozen or so rebel slaves came out of the darkness to help with the excavation. The second tomb was more of a mausoleum, and its stone covering was vertical, like an unhinged door. The moment the top slab was taken away, more of the guns were uncovered. The ones at the tomb quickly began to hand them out to the others.

  Zeren crossed his arms. A part of him was still frustrated, but it made no sense to keep sulking. “Tell me, who are the ones you know of in the arena that is on our side?”

  “A number of slaves that operate the lifts, as well as the ones who move the gates when the pit fighters need to be let in or out,” Bawk said. “Do not worry, I know of an old tunnel that runs underneath the whole place. You can use it to escape without having to move along the streets of the city center.”

  “We need to get another in addition to the Red Gorgon,” Zeren said.

  Bawk looked confused. “What?”

  “There is a boy who will be watching from the noble’s area,” Zeren said. “We need him too.”

  Bawk rolled his eyes. “Oh, very well, we shall try. I suppose if we could bring a whole harem into the tunnels, you would wholeheartedly agree without a second thought.”

  “You must be a Striga, for you are ever so adept at reading my mind,” Zeren said.

  Chapter 15

  Miri was oblivious to any outside news, for she concentrated on winning her matches. After the debacle with House Yidaar, it seemed that the organizers made the next two fights uneventful, and she dispatched her opponents with nary any difficulty. Nearly a full moon had passed since the Great Games had begun, and now it was rumored she would be participating in the final match to determine the overall champion of the competition. First Husband Magub of House Oranto visited her a few times, telling Miri that he had a lot riding on her matches and that she must win handily. Miri ignored anything that he had said to her, only pretending to listen while keeping her mind focused on the task ahead. But on this day, he came over for another visit, and now he had a quite different demeanor.

  She had not yet put her mask on as she sat on a stone bench at the barracks beside the coliseum. Todrul had already gone ahead into the staging area, but not before telling her that this would be the final day of the event, and she would face the champion of the last eight games. Demalion of House Xorot had been so heavily favored that the organizers decreed that Miri would have an ally by her side, for a single opponent would surely be overwhelmed against the grand champion.

  Magub sat down on a stone bench opposite her. He wip
ed the dust from his fingers before staring at her. “You have done well for us, Miri. Your wins have earned much coin to our meager coffers.”

  Miri said nothing as she adjusted the leather leg straps on the plate armor which had been given to her. Every time she won a match she was allowed access to better and better equipment.

  “I wanted to be the one to tell you that Korbius will be your partner in this final match,” Magub said. “You both made it this far, and I am pleasantly surprised. Demalion will be the toughest opponent you will ever face in these games. I hope you will bring honor and glory to our house.”

  Miri had expected him to say those things. She knew he had something planned and waited silently for him to get to the point.

  “Almost everyone has bet heavily on Demalion,” Magub said. “And of course, I have wagered much of the family coin on my own pit fighters. The few that took the same bet as I did are wagering you shall be the one who defeats Demalion, and Korbius does nothing more than assist you.”

  Miri looked at him blankly while keeping her mouth shut. By now she had come to know his deceitfulness. She had a feeling as to what he was planning, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

  “Since you have brought great success to the stable, I would like to propose a special reward for you,” Magub said. “If you win this final match, you shall have your freedom when the Great Games are held again in the next cycle.”

  Miri bit her lip. She could hardly refuse the offer, even though it would take another cycle for her to finally be free of her chains. “What do I have to do?”

  “I mentioned to you that the few bettors on your side are expecting you to be the one to defeat Demalion,” he said. “Instead, I want you to allow Korbius to be the one who delivers the decisive blow. That will not only win my bets against those that staked on Demalion, but it will also allow me to collect against those wagered on our stable.”