by Ben Hale
Knocked to the dirt by the explosion, Herrick dragged himself to his feet and peered into the gaping hole in his floor. Coughing orders, his eyes widened when he saw the wagon sitting in the sewer below and Inna attaching a pair of horses to it.
With the room in chaos Jack swung his cloak in a circle and dived into the mercenaries. Distracted by the sudden detonation, their swords were swept aside and Jack breached their line. Knocking the last to the floor, he dived past Captain Herrick and dropped into the smoke, alighting on the crate. As men stumbled to their feet in the warehouse above, Jack jumped to the driving bench, catching the reins Inna threw him. He looked up to the captain on the edge of the hole above.
“Enjoy the dust, Captain!”
“Blasted thief!” Captain Herrick shouted. “I’ll cut you to pieces!”
“You can’t kill what you can’t catch!”
Jack flicked the reins and the horses leapt forward, sending the wagon careening down the sewer. He threw a look back and caught a glimpse of Ursana disappearing in the opposite direction. Then he had to devote his whole attention to controlling the wagon. Confined to the narrow tunnel, the sounds of the charred wagon and the horses’ hooves beat against his ears. Foul water splashed against the walls as the wheels bounced through the stream.
“I can’t believe it worked!” Inna shouted.
“You never think my plans will succeed!”
“Do you plan the fun?” she asked, and grinned. “Or does that come naturally?”
He grinned in turn—and spotted a steel grate protruding from the ceiling. “Get down!” he shouted.
They ducked, narrowly missing losing their heads as the access grate streaked by. When they sat up she glanced back. Jack followed her gaze and spotted soldiers dropping into view, leveling crossbows after them. They crouched as bolts filled the tunnel, the volley clattering off the stones and digging into the blackened wood of the wagon. One bolt slammed into a wheel and the already damaged wood cracked. Another streaked over Inna’s shoulder, creasing a line through her tunic and drawing blood.
“I liked this tunic,” she growled.
“I’ll buy you a new one,” he replied.
Still crouching, he pulled on the reins, turning the wagon down a side tunnel. The bend gave them a momentary reprieve from the crossbow bolts, but the damaged wheel struck a hole and cracked again.
“I don’t think we’ll make it to the waterfront,” Inna said.
“I know!” Jack said.
The tunnel had been built for rains and sewage, but the stonework had begun to crumble. The shallow curve to the floor lay pockmarked with holes and cracks, making the cart’s wheels bounce and tremble.
“We’re almost to Gordon,” Jack said, pulling the reins again. “We should—”
The wheel disintegrated, shredding into bits of wood and shards of steel. The axle crashed into the sewer floor and the other wheel cracked in two. Dislodged by the impact, Jack tumbled off the side, but Inna caught his cloak and yanked him back onto the bench. The flat of the cart bounced and scraped across the floor of the tunnel, sending sparks into the air as the axle ground across the stones. The two horses strained to pull the dead weight as the wagon slowed to a stop and Jack reined them in. The sudden silence allowed Jack to hear the echo of boots thudding behind them. Apparently hearing the crash, Gordon appeared ahead of them. His face turned to ash when he saw the devastated cart and he sprinted to them.
“Take the crate,” Jack said, darting to the crate and slashing the ropes holding it to the bed.
Inna cut the opposite side and they bent to lift it. They grunted as they lifted the metal crate and struggled to maneuver it past the horses to Gordon, who caught the other side and helped.
“What happened?”
“Wagon was damaged from the blast,” Jack said. “We need to hurry before—”
“Too late,” Inna said.
She stepped away from the crate and drew her sword as two mercenaries appeared around the broken cart. She blocked the first blow and kicked him in the groin, causing all four men in the tunnel to wince.
“She fights dirty,” Gordon said, his voice strained from the effort of carrying the crate.
“She fights to win,” Jack said as Inna engaged the second mercenary.
They reached the side tunnel and heaved the crate onto a much smaller cart and Gordon lashed it down. Together they gave it a shove, sending it sliding down the steep sewer. It careened out of view and disappeared. Then Jack darted back to Inna to find her fighting four mercenaries at once.
“Time to go!” Jack shouted.
He and Gordon raised their crossbows and fired, sending ice bolts into the mercenaries. The first was caught and bound to the wall, but the other three adapted, dodging and twisting to avoid being struck. Inna used the distraction to escape the conflict and joined Jack and Gordon. Together they sprinted down the sewer to a ladder. Ascending to the street, they exited on the waterfront, slamming the opening shut and threading a length of wood through the brace. Muffled shouts came from below and the opening shuddered from a blow.
Jack turned away from the sewer grate and hurried down the street toward the waterfront. The sun had set and the glow from the horizon cast a reddish hue on the city of Keese. Distant shouts came from higher in the city, and a plume of smoke rose into the dark sky.
“They won’t be far behind,” Inna panted.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jack said, motioning to the ship below them.
Thundering hooves caused them to whirl and draw their blades, and a trio of riders burst into view. Captain Herrick dropped from his steed and leapt to them, his sword in hand. With blood trickling down his face and his clothing blackened by soot, he stabbed his sword at Jack.
“Did you really think I didn’t know where the sewers went?” he sneered, and stalked forward with his mercenaries, forcing Jack to retreat to the edge of the road.
Jack’s heels slipped over the edge and he glanced into the darkened water of the sea. With nowhere else to go, he turned and faced the captain, raising his hand to him.
“I suspected you might know,” Jack said. “Which is why I led you here. Your cargo isn’t the only thing I came to steal.”
“There are just three of you,” Herrick said, scowling. “You cannot be so arrogant as to think you can best us.”
“I don’t,” Jack said with a smile, and pointed beyond him. “I mean to trap you.” He looked over the captain’s shoulder to the roof beyond.
Herrick spun, his eyes lifting to Ursana, who was standing on the roof of a warehouse. She aimed the warship ballistae they had stolen two days ago and smiled. She pulled the trigger and the massive bolt exploded from the weapon, bursting into ropes designed to entangle a ship’s rigging. Herrick cried out and took one step before the netting crashed to the street around him, the barbs digging into the stone. The netting was huge, falling over the two riders and knocking both to the street. The horses whinnied in fear and kicked, but the netting tangled their legs and held them bound.
Jack saluted to Ursana, and she grinned before slipping away. Then Jack strode to Herrick and reached through the net to dig into the mercenary’s pockets. The man struggled and bellowed profanities, but Jack found the sealed documents and pulled them into view. Waving them at Herrick, Jack pocketed them.
“Many thanks, Captain,” Jack said, striding away, “but I fear I must take my leave. We have a boat to catch.” He gestured to the ship where a steel crate was being lashed onto the deck.
“I’ll kill you, thief!” Herrick roared.
Jack merely laughed and slipped into the crowd as the Keese guard and Talinorian mercenaries swarmed the area. It took several minutes before ropes were cut and Herrick stepped free. Barking orders, he sprinted to his own warship. An hour later the mercenaries pulled alongside the ship with the crate. When the steel crate was opened it proved to be empty, and the ship held no sign of the thieves. The perplexed captain had no answers. As Captain Herri
ck frothed at the mouth, his soldiers were helpless.
On the opposite side of town a small wagon departed Keese through the eastern gate. Two men sat on the driving board while two women hid within the wagon. Invisible beneath a pile of blankets, the steel crate was not noticed by the city guards.
The sun dipped below the horizon and the wagon bounced across the ruts in the road. Alone, it ascended a hill and reached the summit, disappearing from view. While Captain Herrick demanded answers aboard an empty ship, the thieves slipped into the night. Gordon was the first to laugh, and the humor quickly spread to the others.
“I enjoyed that more than I thought I would,” Inna said.
“We don’t get to see Herrick’s confusion,” Ursana lamented, “but I can imagine it.”
“He’ll come after you with a vengeance,” Inna said.
“Then I look forward to humbling him a second time,” Jack said.
His comment elicited another round of laughter, and even Inna joined in. The levity faded when a bang echoed from within the wagon. All four turned and stared at the crate, and a moment later it repeated.
Jack pulled back on the reins and brought the wagon to a halt. Jack exchanged a look with Inna before the sound echoed again. Then the quartet climbed into the wagon around the crate. Gordon reached for the clasp but Inna caught his arm.
“It could be dangerous.”
Jack shrugged and reached for his gorgon key. “We won’t know until we open it.”
“Wait—” Ursana said, but it was too late.
The universal key flowed into the lock and pressed against the pins, and the lock snapped open with a click. Inna drew her sword as Jack pulled out the rod and lifted the lid. He grunted in surprise at what lay inside and swung it fully open. The group gasped as the dim light revealed the occupant.
A woman.
She blinked and looked up, squinting at them. Her clothes were disheveled but not unclean, suggesting the mercenaries had periodically allowed her to exit her crate. Then she lowered her hand and Gordon went rigid.
“Gwen?”
She looked at him and her eyes widened. “Father?”
“You know her?” Ursana asked.
“Of course,” Gordon said, and turned to Jack. “She’s my daughter.”
Chapter 18: Reunion
Gordon reached down and helped her out. She moved with care and winced as she eased out of the crate. Gordon helped settle her on the side of the wagon and retrieved a water skin. She drank deeply but cradled her arm.
“Are you hurt?” Gordon asked.
“Not by them,” she said. “But the last two hours have been painful.”
Jack leaned into the view. “That would be my fault,” he said in chagrin. “We didn’t expect Skorn’s cargo to be a person.”
Inna’s eyes flicked to Jack. “Perhaps we can travel and talk? We’re only a few miles from Keese, and once Captain Herrick discovers our ruse, he’ll be out for blood.”
Jack nodded and she stepped to the bench at the front of the wagon, flicking the reins to get the horses moving again. Casting a look at Gwen, Ursana followed her. Gordon took her vacated seat without noticing the tightness to Ursana’s features. His eyes remained fixed on Gwen as the wagon bounced along the road.
“How did you end up here?” he asked. He reached out but his hand came to a stop, and then withdrew.
“I was walking home after my last lesson and they rode up beside me,” Gwen said. “The soldiers responded normally, but something about them made me suspicious. Then I grew drowsy and couldn’t keep my eyes open. The next thing I knew I was inside that thing.” She pointed at the crate.
As the two talked Jack studied her. She was slight of frame and wore a brown dress with the insignia of a raindrop on the shoulder. She looked to be about seventeen, with long brown hair hanging down her back.
“Why did they want you?” Jack asked.
“I heard them talking about why they took me,” she said. “It appears I have a talent they wanted.”
“She’s been through enough,” Gordon said. “She needs to rest.”
Gwen shook her head and her jaw tightened. “I don’t need protection, Father.”
Gordon looked away, uncertainty and guilt washing over his face. Gwen pointedly turned to Jack.
“I wasn’t the first to be taken.”
“There were others?” Jack asked.
“A few from our guild, a few from the other guildhalls. At first we thought they had withdrawn from the guild, but the numbers began to warrant suspicion. The Masters began to investigate but there was nothing to find.”
“What guild?” Gordon asked.
She fidgeted for a moment and cast about, fear appearing on her features. Jack realized the girl knew why she’d been taken, but she was reluctant to speak it aloud. Suspecting she was afraid of him, he flashed a disarming smile.
“We aren’t going to turn you over to them,” he said. “For any price.”
“I know,” Gwen said with a dismissive gesture.
“Then what is your concern?” Gordon asked. “You can trust us . . . and me. Why did they take you?”
Abruptly the girl squared her shoulders and met her father’s gaze. “Because I’m a water mage.”
“That’s not possible,” Gordon said. “Humans rarely have elven magic and I have no history of it. Neither did your mother.”
“She lied,” Gwen said quietly, “to protect you.”
“I don’t understand,” Gordon said. “What was she trying to protect me from?”
Gwen swallowed and her features tightened. “Her family,” Gwen said. “Her bloodline carries the gift for magic, but they believe magic is an abomination. Any that showed the talent were slain—and anyone that knew the secret.”
“They murdered their own kindred because of magic?” Gordon asked, his eyes widening.
Gwen nodded. “Grandmother was killed because she refused to reveal that mother was a mage.”
Gordon turned to Jack. “I thought she had been killed by bandits on a journey to Herosian.”
“She was dragged from her bed and given a last chance to speak the name of the mage in our home,” Gwen said. “When she refused, she was cut apart and buried in the woods.”
“I would have protected you,” Gordon said.
“They would have killed us—and you, just for knowing her secret.”
Gordon’s face turned ashen. “That’s why you left,” he accused.
She winced. “Once mother realized I had magic, she knew I would never be safe. Grandmother died to protect her secret. She didn’t want you to die for mine.”
Gordon stumbled back, retreating to the furthest spot in the wagon. “It cannot be. She said she hated me. You said you hated me.”
Tears appeared in Gwen’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Father.”
Jack had faced reavers, kings, assassins, Talinorian mercenaries, rock trolls, and ancients—but for the first time of his life, he wanted to flee. He mumbled an excuse and retreated, grateful that they hardly noticed his exit. He slipped out of the wagon to the driver’s bench at the front, joining Ursana and Inna. Gordon’s conversation was still audible, but at least Jack didn’t have to see it. For a few miles he listened to Gordon and Gwen until he could bear it no longer.
“What do you think Herrick will do when he realizes our deception?” Jack asked.
“He’ll come for us,” Inna said, as if eager for the conversation. “You can be certain of that. He’s not the type of man that swallows defeat.”
Jack shrugged. “Add him to the list of hunters searching for me.”
“Where are we going now?” Ursana asked. “That wasn’t the cargo we expected to find.”
“Perhaps this has an answer,” Jack said. He withdrew the shipping manifest he’d taken from Herrick and unfolded the parchment. Scanning it, he found the destination listed on the bottom, and read aloud.
“The Necrolith.”
Inna shook her head. “I’ve ne
ver heard of such a place.”
“At least we have a name,” Ursana said. “Which is more than we had yesterday.”
“We should return Gwen to her guild,” Jack said. “Perhaps they will have more answers. Skorn spent a fortune for a single mage, and I’d like to know why.”
“How will they know anything?” Ursana asked.
Jack looked at Ursana, but the girl looked away.
“He’s taking mages,” Jack said, “They might know why he wants them—and why he’s taking mages from other guilds.”
“You think to deduce what he’s building from what he’s taking,” Inna said. “Clever.”
“We should have Forlana track other shipments and search for a pattern,” Jack said.
Inna chuckled under her breath. “You may not have magic, but you have a gift for misdirection.”
Jack grinned. “Misdirection is magic.”
“But misdirection won’t help us when we find the Necrolith. He has Gallow, the cult, and now Talinorian mercenaries. He’s building an army. How do you expect to get past it?”
“Walk through the front door,” Jack said with a smile.
Inna raised an eyebrow. “How exactly will you manage that?”
“Misdirection,” Jack said with a laugh.
She laughed with him and asked for details, but Jack rebuffed her questions. As the conversation shifted to speculation regarding the Necrolith, Jack continued to listen to Gordon and Gwen until the two fell into an uneasy silence.
It took several days of travel to reach Herosian. Uncomfortable with the silence between Ursana, Gordon, and Gwen, Jack claimed to have other duties and said he would meet them in Wedge. They dumped the wagon behind a village inn and then split up. As soon as he was out of sight, Jack used his pocket Gate to escape.
He stopped in the Evermist guildhall and left a message for Forlana to track the Talinorian mercenaries, especially the connections to missing mages. Then he Gated to observe his other plans, which required delicate timing, forgery, and personas.
Before returning to Wedge he passed through Azertorn, indulging in time to observe Beauty. Then he Gated back to the Evermist guildhall and slipped out of the fortress, threading his way through the swamp to Talinor. Renting a steed from a village, he turned east and made his way to the southern tip of Talinor, and the city of Wedge.