by Ben Hale
“An excellent kisser—but I expect nothing less from the guildmaster of thieves.”
“You’d think my office would afford me some respect,” Jack said sourly, casting a scathing look at Ursana and Inna, who were beside themselves with laughter.
“Thieves and wastrels,” Sirani said, and her smile turned eager. “I smell an adventure in the wind, with all the scents of steel and lightning.”
She cackled in anticipation and stepped to her office. She exited with her greatsword in hand and twirled it before sheathing it on her back. Then she clapped her hands together.
“When do we depart?”
“We came here for answers,” Jack said, finally recovering from kissing the rock troll. “Just answers.”
“You would deny me?” Sirani asked, pouting.
Jack stabbed a finger at her. “Don’t pretend you’re going to cry.”
Caught, Sirani gave another cackle. “It was worth a try.”
“Have you lost your wits?” Jack demanded. “You don’t even know us, but want to join our assignment?”
“I can always smell adventure,” Sirani said, and sniffed expansively. “And you reek of it.”
“Let’s start with what you know,” Inna said. “We managed to rescue Gwen, but how many students have been taken?”
Sirani’s features darkened and her smile disappeared. The tinge of madness in her eyes remained, making her fury all the more frightening. She growled like a beast standing over its prey.
“Too many,” she said. “They spirit them away and none return.”
“All students?” Ursana asked.
She shook her head. “Anyone with magic. He wants them all.”
“Skorn?”
Sirani turned to face Jack and cocked her head to the side. “Why did you say that name?”
“That is our adversary,” Jack said.
“Is he a devil or a man?” she asked, staring at Jack without seeing him. “Or a remnant of a forgotten race . . .”
Jack peaked an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Ursana. Only those in the Thieves Guild understood Skorn’s true identity, so how did Sirani know the truth? Jack folded his arms and leaned against a pillar.
“He’s taking the mages to a place called the Necrolith. Ever heard of it?”
Her eyes abruptly focused. “Another word from a dead language.”
“Do you know its meaning?” Ursana asked.
“The beacon of ending.”
“You speak the language of the ancients?” Inna asked in surprise.
“I dabble,” Sirani said, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Languages are a passion of mine—but when you get to my age, they tend to blend together into a language of love.” She winked at Jack and cackled again.
“Why would he need mages?”
“To build the Necrolith,” Sirani said, as if it were obvious.
She twined her fingers together and twirled them, sending a burst of wind spinning into the center of the classroom. It curved and bent, turning white like smoke as it condensed into a pyramid of swirling air. Patterns of symbols appeared on the sides of the pyramid and a long obelisk extended from the peak.
Jack and Inna exchanged a look and Jack ground his teeth in irritation. The shape bore a striking resemblance to the very beacon he’d thought destroyed. Realizing he’d been arrogant to think that Skorn would not retrieve the pieces, he strode to the swirling magic and circled it.
“I’ve seen one,” Jack said, “But it fit into the palm of my hand.”
Sirani laughed so hard the magic trembled and briefly lost its shape. “You beautiful little man,” she said. “A Necrolith is the size of a fortress. It would take hundreds of mages a year to complete.”
“So he’s taking mages to build the Necrolith,” Jack said. “But how do we stop it?”
“How should I know?” Sirani shrugged. “I’m not the Mind Vault.”
“The what?” Ursana asked, but there was no answer.
Jack turned to find Sirani absent. Shocked that she could move so fast, Jack leaned so he could see into the office and spotted her at her desk, chewing on a loaf of bread. He called out to her and she turned. She rose from her seat and strode toward Jack.
“Hello, handsome,” she crooned, reaching for his shoulders.
“Woah!” he said, taking a step back. “We’re not doing that again.”
She blinked in confusion and then smiled. “No need to repeat perfection.”
“You were saying something about the Mind Vault?”
“It’s a reservoir that contains all of the ancient’s knowledge,” she said, and then folded her arms. “Don’t you ever study history?”
Inna laughed dryly. “Little remains after forty thousand years.”
“The one who sees is the one who looks,” Sirani chided. “You have but to examine the threads to see the tapestry.”
“Where is the Mind Vault?” Jack asked with a sigh.
“Lost,” Sirani said, resuming her meal.
“Then why mention it?” Jack demanded.
“Because I think it can be found.”
Jack rubbed his forehead, irritated that a headache was beginning to form. Even when he was stealing from them, he liked rock trolls. They were skilled, disciplined, and loyal. Sirani seemed unbalanced and he began to wonder if anything she said was true.
“Where do we find it?” Inna asked.
“In the City of Dawn.”
“Is that in Griffin?” Ursana asked.
Inna shrugged. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“I have,” Jack said. “It’s in the southern sea.”
“You know of it?” Ursana asked.
Jack recalled the map of the ancients he’d stolen for Skorn before he’d known the man’s identity. On the map had been a location in the southern sea, an island all by itself. The script beneath it had been in ancient text, but someone had scrawled City of Dawn beneath it. He turned to Sirani with grudging respect.
“It’s a real place,” Jack said. “I think it was the ancients’ capitol before their civil war.”
“Surely a city of the ancients would be sought after by treasure seekers,” Ursana said. “Why are there no tales of such a place?”
“Because no one survives to tell them,” Sirani said, the gleam of excitement re-emerging in her eyes.
“Something guards it,” Jack guessed.
“Very clever, my good thief,” Sirani said. “Does your intelligence come from your hair?” She patted him on the head like a dog.
Indignant, he slapped her hand away. “Will you keep your hands to yourself, woman?”
She giggled and stepped to the pyramid shape, dismissing the magic with a flick of her hand. Then she turned back to Jack, her expression fierce enough to make all three of them retreat.
“I’m coming with you.”
“You aren’t one of my thieves,” Jack said, reaching to his back to palm the hilt of his dagger.
For the first time Sirani looked like a rock troll. Her black eyes were as hard as granite, her form tense and ready for battle. She’d gone from a light summer breeze to a hurricane in an instant, the change shocking and disturbing.
“I’m coming with you,” she repeated, her voice turning harsh.
“You have a place here,” Ursana said uneasily, her smile forced.
“Not this time, little dove,” Sirani said, not taking her eyes from Jack.
As the seconds passed, Jack measured the seething rage in her features, trying to examine if it was directed at him, or someone from her past. He was confident he could escape, but he wouldn’t leave Ursana and Inna behind. The tension mounted until the door suddenly swung open and Gordon entered with his family in tow.
He smiled and placed the tray of food he’d brought onto a table. “Who’s hungry?” Then he noticed the tension and came to a halt.
“Are we interrupting?” Rista asked.
Sirani burst into a laugh and sidled up to Jack. “A lover’s q
uarrel,” she said.
Jack strode to the bread and sliced it with his dagger. He flinched when Sirani’s greatsword swung past his body. It sliced through the bread and withdrew, and a gust of wind carried the slice to Sirani’s hand. Gwen and Rista laughed while the others stared at Sirani. When she noticed their attention Sirani shrugged.
“He sliced it with his blade,” she said. “Why can’t I?”
Jack began to chuckle, and his humor built into a roaring laugh. Sirani may have been mad, but she sliced the bread without making a dent in the table. Skilled with blade and magic, she was far more formidable—and dangerous—than she appeared.
“Did you learn anything?” Rista asked.
“We knew who was taking the mages and where,” Ursana said. “Sirani helped us piece together the rest.”
They settled in to eat, and talk shifted to other topics. Jack caught Gordon’s eye and raised an eyebrow, to which Gordon smiled and nodded, glancing at Rista. They still kept their distance, but there was a softness to Gordon’s gaze that had been absent before. Ursana seemed to notice it as well, and withdrew to a bench at the window. She chewed on her bread and cheese as she looked out over the Griffin Wedge.
When Jack finished the meal, he took a seat at the other end of the bench. He leaned against the wall and watched Gordon laugh with Rista and Gwen. He didn’t speak, and after a few minutes Ursana sighed.
“Should I be happy for him?”
“You expect me to know?” he asked, throwing her a wry smile. “I’m not exactly the best at managing friendships.”
She smiled at that. “You really are terrible.”
He grinned. “He’s still your partner.”
“Is he?” Ursana asked. “He became a thief because he’d lost everything. If he has his family back, why would he stay in the guild?”
“For you, of course.”
As Jack said it, he thought of Beauty. She’d made her position clear. As soon as Skorn and her father were dead, she would return to her homeland. When it was over, would she stay for him? He looked out the window at the setting sun, uncertain of the answer.
“You really believe that?” Ursana asked, not seeing his shift in mood.
“Gwen may be his daughter,” Jack said, “but you’re his family, too.”
She smiled at that, but the expression carried a twinge of sadness. “But can he have both?”
Jack had no answer, and for several moments they sat in silence. Jack’s gaze settled on Inna, who was laughing at Sirani’s tale of how she’d gained a particular scar. Inna glanced at him and grinned, motioning him to join her. He smiled in turn and shook his head, for once not wanting to speak to a beautiful woman.
“What do you suppose that is?” Ursana asked.
Jack turned and gazed down the cliff to the Griffin district, where a crowd of men were gathering. There were no merchants in their midst, nor entertainers. Then they drew crossbows and aimed them up the cliff, firing in unison. The bolts streaked up the cliff with ropes trailing behind them, and exploded into barbs that dug into the stone turrets of the academy.
“Blasted bounty,” Jack muttered, as they began to climb.
Hearing his words, Inna strode to them and looked down. Her smile evaporated when she saw the men scaling the cliff. “We must depart. Now.”
“Too late,” Gwen said.
Jack crossed the tower to the window and looked down at the courtyard, where two score Talinorian guards were striding across the stone. Their boots clicked on the ground as they spread out, drawing swords. Students cried out and fled, while professors rushed to intervene. The upper roads of Talinor were lined with soldiers bearing crossbows, all pointed at the academy.
“We’re cut off,” Inna said, her voice tense. “What do we do?”
Sirani began to cackle, the sound laced with anticipation. “And the herald of steel and storm has come to take me to my next adventure.”
Jack turned to face her and saw the wild eagerness in her eyes. The emotion was the same he felt before every thief assignment, and to see it in a half-crazed rock troll caused a slow smile to spread on his features. As the soldiers turned toward the white turret Jack spoke.
“Let the adventure begin . . .”
Chapter 21: Thief’s Flight
“Can you be calm?” Jack asked.
Sirani was bouncing up and down in excitement, and wind had swirled around her hands, knocking chairs to the floor. She pulled her greatsword and spun it about, causing everyone to retreat. Jack sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“We need to split up,” he said. “Gordon, you and Ursana get Rista and Gwen out of here.”
Rista wrung her hands in fear. “You cannot mean to fight the guards. They are the king’s soldiers.”
“What exactly do you think we do?” Ursana snapped, loading her crossbow.
Rista swallowed and shook her head, squaring her shoulders. “You may flee, but Gwen and I will remain here. They will not harm us.”
“But the Talinorian mercenaries will,” Inna said. She peered out the window and drew her sword. “Less than a minute, Jack. Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it fast.”
“Inna’s right,” Gordon said, his tone placating. “When Herrick learns you are here, he’ll come back for you.”
“Who are you?” Rista said to Inna.
“A friend,” Gordon said hastily.
“An assassin,” Inna corrected.
Rista recoiled and put an arm in front of Gwen, who pushed it away. “She helped save me, Mother. We can trust her.”
“We can’t trust any of them,” Rista said, attempting to pull her daughter away from the thieves.
“And me?” Gordon asked.
Rista’s expression turned pained. “Now that you know the truth, you don’t have to be part of them.”
“You expect me to quit?” Gordon asked.
“I’m no thief,” Rista said, and shuddered in revulsion. “And you’re a soldier.”
“Not anymore,” Ursana snapped, striding into the confrontation. “He’s a thief, and a blasted good one.”
“Mother,” Gwen began, but Rista turned on Ursana.
“Thieves inevitably end up in a noose,” Rista said. “And I don’t desire that for either of you. Your guildmaster and the killer will pay for their own crimes, but if you turn on them, I’m sure the guards will be lenient.”
Ursana exploded with laughter, causing the woman to flush with anger. “You expect me to betray friends and watch them die,” Ursana said. “What sort of woman are you?”
“The kind that cares for her family,” Gwen said. “Do you even have one?”
“No family is better than having a family like yours,” Ursana growled.
“Ursana!” Gordon said as Gwen stepped between them, raising a hand to Ursana.
“You need to apologize,” Gwen said.
“Or what?”
“Or I make you apologize.”
She cast her magic, water flowed out of the glasses and reached for Ursana’s feet. Ursana skipped free and darted at Gwen, and the girl raised her hands, calling up a shield from the liquid. Ursana flipped over it and came down at her back, putting a dagger at Gwen’s throat. Gwen went still and the water splashed to the floor.
“Don’t threaten what you can’t deliver,” Ursana said coldly.
“Ursana!” Gordon snapped, “Stay your hand.”
“Would you betray Jack for them?” Ursana asked, rounding on him.
“No,” Gordon said. “But they are my family.”
Ursana glared at him before abruptly withdrawing the blade and shoving Gwen to him. “You deserve each other.”
Jack sighed and strode to them. “Gordon and Ursana, take Rista and Gwen to the guildhall in the Evermist.”
“Gordon can take them,” Ursana said, moving to the window. “I’m staying with you.”
Gordon shook his head. “But we always complete assignments together.”
“Not anymore,
” Ursana said, and Gordon recoiled in surprise.
Rista shook her head. “I’m not going to—”
“We’re going,” Gwen said, and turned to Gordon. “It appears we have no choice.”
“Gwen!” Rista cried.
“The mercenaries will come for me,” Gwen said, turning to face her. “The city guard won’t keep me safe. They will.”
“But they’re just thieves,” Rista said.
“Can we please go?” Sirani whined.
Jack looked out the window, gauging the distance. He and the other thieves could use their shadowhooks to escape, but doing so would leave Inna and the others behind. Jack jerked his head, deciding they would have to go through the guards on the stairs and fight their way out in the arena. It was risky and would likely get someone killed—especially when the Griffin bounty hunters joined the fray. He glanced at Sirani and an idea formed in his mind. She was a wind mage, so why not use her talents? A smile spread on his face and he turned to the others.
“Gordon, when we draw them away, get your family out of the city and into the Evermist. Ursana, thin the Griffin pack and slow them down. Then join us in the arena. Inna, you’re with me.”
“And me?” Sirani asked, fidgeting like an eight-foot child.
“Clear the way,” Jack said, pointing to the door where footsteps echoed on the steps beyond.
“With pleasure,” she said gleefully.
With surprising agility she leapt out the door onto the landing of the stairs. Men cried out at her sudden appearance and formed ranks, but she pointed her massive sword at them and charged, shrieking like a crazed banshee.
Jack leapt to the landing in time to see her sprint down the curve of the stairs. Wind exploded from her sword, splitting the men apart like a farmer’s plow. Soldiers slammed into the wall and the railing, their bodies tumbling to the steps as weapons and helmets clattered about them.
“She’s crazy,” Inna said.
“I know,” Jack said with a laugh.
“I like her,” Ursana said.
She placed her crossbow on the railing and aimed at the men below her. The bolt burst from the weapon and curved, arcing around the green turret to sever one of the climbing ropes. The man was several feet off the ground when it gave way, and he shouted in dismay before falling to the dirt. More crossbow bolts followed the first, all severing ropes holding men aloft. Then she took aim at the men higher on the cliff. The crossbow bolts slammed into the rock inches from their heads, causing them to flinch and hesitate. They shouted to each other and pulled the shields from their backs, squinting into the Griffin Wedge as they sought to pinpoint the shooter.