by Ben Hale
Jack took the lead, racing down the labyrinth of stairs and corridors. All around them threads of magic detonated, engulfing the halls in fire and smoke. Jack veered away from a corridor filled with flames and dropped down another flight of stairs.
“How do you know where to go?” Inna shouted.
“I snuck out and mapped the place at night,” Jack shouted. “This way!”
He glanced back and saw Aranis and Inna right behind him—but no Beauty. He reversed and leapt up the stairs, catching sight of Beauty as she collapsed on the floor. He slid to a stop at her side and scooped her up, shocked by how frail she seemed.
“I used too much magic to fight my father,” she mumbled. “It has a cost.”
With fires exploding on both sides he sprinted down the corridor. “You never answered my question.”
Her smile was faint. “I can’t believe it was you all along.”
He dodged a blast and dropped down a flight of stairs, sprinting for another staircase. “I wanted to tell you,” he said. “But Skorn was listening to everything. I needed him to believe it was Ero.”
“Did you even attempt to talk to the real Ero?” she asked.
“No,” he said, and grinned.
The floor shook and the side of the corridor crumbled. Inna leapt across and kept running on the other side, while Aranis used her cloak to grab a broken beam on the ceiling and swing herself over.
Threads of magic pulsed and exploded on both sides, shredding the walls as fragments of the ceiling caved in. Jack heard a crash from above, and then another, and guessed the Necrolith had begun to collapse. Realizing they wouldn’t make it out in time, he veered to the side.
“Where are you going?” Inna shouted.
“Out!” Jack replied.
Heaving Beauty onto his shoulder, he raised his crossbow to a wall and emptied it, sending a dozen exploding bolts digging into the wall. They exploded violently, the ceiling collapsing halfway into the corridor. When the smoke cleared Jack caught a glimpse of sunlight beyond and dived to the floor, sliding beneath the caved-in corridor and bursting into the open.
Inna followed his example, while Aranis leapt over the beams, threading through the gap in a twisting motion that carried her outside the Necrolith. Inna cried out as she slid into open air and fell.
They plummeted down the side of the Necrolith until they reached the pyramid’s base. Jack grunted as he bounced off the curve and slid down the side, accelerating as he streaked for the ground below.
He’d lost his grip on Beauty and she slid nearby, her face white and strained. Jack cast his shadowhook at her side and it managed to bond to her belt. With a yank he drew her to him. Then he sought for a way to slow them down before they slammed into the beach with lethal force.
He caught a glimpse of the thief army fleeing up the road to Seastone, carrying wounded and dead on their shoulders. Skorn’s army lay on the beach, while the survivors piled onto boats that would take them out to sea. The freed mages sprinted alongside the thief army, rushing to reach Seastone before the Necrolith detonated.
The Necrolith shook again, and a great whistling sound pierced the air. Like a great beast sucking in its breath, the sound mounted until it became a thundering wail. Jack looked up and saw the top of the Necrolith crashing into itself, while the threads of power continued to push power upward. When they collided . . .
“We’re not going to make it!” Beauty said.
“I’m not letting Skorn be right!” Jack shouted, and looked up at Aranis. “Can you slow us down?”
“For a kiss!” The dark elf shouted.
“You’ll get your payment!” Jack shouted back.
Aranis chuckled to herself and her cloak expanded into hundreds of tiny hands, each digging into cracks in the pyramid’s surface. A pair of hands caught Jack’s tunic while another pair grasped Inna’s hands.
Jack’s arms burned from the effort to hold Beauty, their momentum gradually slowing. The beach streaked toward them and Aranis screamed, her cloak sparking as it continued to slow them. But it was not enough.
He cast about for another solution and spotted Sirani on the beach. The rock troll was chasing the survivors, riding a small wind dragon that snapped playfully at their heels. Since his crossbow was empty, Jack grabbed for Beauty’s, and fired an unenchanted bolt at Sirani. He cursed when it missed and fired again, and the bolt bounced off her back.
The rock troll came to a halt and looked up, spotting Jack sliding down the side of the pyramid. She crowed in delight and turned her dragon aside, leaping into the air and winging toward them. As Jack neared the ground a gust of wind slammed into him, slowing his momentum so he didn’t break his legs when he hit the beach. He grunted in pain and rolled to his feet, helping Beauty to hers as Sirani’s wind dragon disintegrated and she landed beside them.
“Hello, handsome,” she crooned, stumbling.
“We need to get to Seastone,” he shouted, but saw at a glance that Sirani could not do it. Her smile was wild and excited, but her features were drawn and white.
A crash drew his gaze to the ships attempting to flee. Triskella charged a boat loaded with Skorn’s army, smashing through the hull like it was made of paper. As cultists cried out and attempted to fight, the reaver exploded through the deck, rampaging through their ranks even as the boat sank.
I hate to interrupt playtime, Jack thought to her. But I could use some help.
The black reaver paused and looked over at Jack. She snarled and bounded off the ship, the motion causing it to swing violently to the side, sending a man screaming into the sea. As the reaver sprinted toward them Jack’s gaze was drawn to the Necrolith. The shriek from the beacon continued to mount, rising in pitch and volume. The thief army scrambled up the last of the road, retreating into the ruins of Seastone for safety.
Triskella reached Jack and he grasped one of the black reaver’s spines. He lifted Beauty to his side and held on. Inna and Aranis caught the other side while Sirani grabbed a spine at the shoulder. Ignoring the weight, the reaver bounded up the road.
Empowered with the blood of its kills, the reaver moved with shocking speed, crossing the battlefield and ascending the road. Sirani’s wild laughter reverberated off the cliff as Triskella sprinted up the curves. The wail from the Necrolith approached a breaking point and Jack turned—to see the beacon’s power collide with the summit.
The magic detonated in a titanic boom that rattled Jack’s teeth. The obelisk snapped in half and the explosion expanded outward, shredding the stone of the Necrolith and devouring the pyramid base, shattering the last of Skorn’s ships. The explosion slammed into the cliff as Triskella leapt the remaining distance. The black reaver landed in Seastone outside of the billowing flames and slid to a halt, her flanks heaving from the exertion of the climb.
Stone cracked and rent from the beach to the mountain, the entire region trembling from the monumental blast. Boulders tumbled into the flames and half the cliff collapsed, sinking into the receding flames and crashing onto the inferno raging on the beach.
The explosion devoured it all, swallowing the stones, the Necrolith, the village, and much of the beach in its hunger. Fed by the blast of magic, white-laced fire reached for Seastone, but fell short of the thief army. Its power extinguished, the flames began to recede.
When the earth finally stopped shaking Jack descended from Triskella’s back and nodded his gratitude to her. He limped to the cliff’s edge and stared down at the devastated beach. A single corner of the Necrolith’s pyramid base remained. Its black stone burning like a limb in a dying fire, while the sea roiled around it. Steam and smoke billowed into the sky, already darkening the sun. Jack watched it burn with a smile on his face.
“So dies the devil,” he said.
Chapter 46: Jack’s Truth
The thief army disintegrated as quickly as it had joined, with the commands of Griffin and Talinor the first to depart. Their captains bore matching expressions of anger, clearly guessi
ng their orders had been forged. Still, Jack had no regrets about conscripting them. They had given his army much needed strength. As if reading his thoughts, Thorvaldur gestured to them.
“You coerced them into joining your force.”
Jack turned to the hulking rock troll and noticed a dozen new tattoos on his flesh, each marking a kill.
“They had as much a stake in our victory as we did,” Jack said. “Even if they didn’t know it.”
“You could have requested their aid,” Thorvaldur said, his lips twitching in a smile.
“Is that judgment I hear?” Jack asked. “Or jealousy? Yours aren’t the only contracts I steal.”
Thorvaldur laughed. “You are a clever thief,” he said.
Jack grinned and reached up to clasp his hand. “You have my gratitude for coming.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said with a shrug. “King Tryton permitted the contract.”
Jack raised his eyebrow. He’d sent the message directly to Thorvaldur in the hopes to avoid Tryton’s refusal. “How did Kythira feel about that?”
“I’ll let you know when she finds out,” Thorvaldur said with a laugh.
Jack laughed with him until he sucked in his breath. A thief healer had managed to repair his wounds but they still hurt. As he watched the rock trolls depart he spotted Paro striding to him.
“Paro,” he said.
The abbot inclined her head. “I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but it appears I’ve known you for months.”
“You aren’t angry at my deception?”
“On the contrary,” the abbot said. “The Church of Light had become corrupted and filled with greed. It needed to be cleansed.”
“Did Alidon escape?”
“One of the first to flee,” Paro said, her expression one of disdain.
“Don’t worry,” Jack said. “The church doesn’t have a single copper left, and all of the buildings have been sold. I left a small cache of coin with a moneychanger in Azertorn under your name. I assume you will distribute it to your loyal.”
The abbot laughed, the sound laced with chagrin. “I used to despise thieves,” she said. “I never expected one to be our savior.”
“Don’t tell anyone,” Jack replied, lowering his tone. “It will ruin my reputation.”
Paro laughed and clasped his hand before departing, and Jack turned to the next in line. He would have preferred to slip away and share a mug with his friends, but he was still the guildmaster, and they had come because of him.
For the next hour he bid farewell to the other factions that had answered his call. Val’Trisian warned him of Aranis before departing, and the dark elves cast the assassin wary looks as they slipped into the trees. Then Triskella padded to him.
“Triskella,” he said, his voice fond. “It’s always good to see you.”
She settled on her haunches and shook her lionlike head, rattling the steel spines. I was surprised by your invitation.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
Tremendously, she said, her mental voice tinged with amusement. Perhaps next time I’ll bring my children.
Jack imagined the family of black reavers at his side and grinned. “Farewell, Triskella. Happy hunting.”
Don’t get into too much trouble, Triskella said.
She growled but it sounded more like a laugh. Then the black reaver turned and padded into the trees, the sounds of her passage fading as she departed. Jack shook his head, grateful to have the loyalty of such a powerful creature. With a sigh of regret he turned to Urthor, who’d waited until the black reaver was gone to speak to him.
Jack spotted Beauty standing with her people at the cliff’s edge. They spoke throughout the disintegration of Jack’s army, and Jack cast several looks their way. He heard snippets of their conversation and realized the barbarians were praising Beauty for her triumph over Oragon. It was also clear that Beauty wanted to return with Golic to the barbarian mountains. From across the gap she met Jack’s gaze.
“Not yet,” she hedged. “I have unfinished business.”
“Don’t take too long,” Valia said. “Our people need you.”
Beauty embraced Golic one last time before the barbarians departed down the road. With them gone it was just the thieves remaining in Seastone, and Jack ordered Thalidon to send them home.
Many were wounded, but only a few had been killed. Although the guild members mourned their losses, the thieves lived a dangerous occupation, and laughed and talked as they passed through the Gate.
By the time the fires on the beach had burned to embers, the last of the thieves had returned to the guild. Only a handful of Jack’s closest friends remained with Inna, Aranis, and Sirani. Jack had suspected the aged rock troll would depart with Thorvaldur, but she’d rebuffed his invitation with a smile.
“I have a new occupation,” she’d said cheerily, glancing at Inna.
Jack strode to the group gathered around the wagon. Before he could say a word, Aranis stepped to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She smiled beneath her cowl as the cloak flowed around them, plunging them in darkness. Then her lips touched his and he kissed her back. The contact continued until someone coughed in amusement and the dark elf withdrew.
“Payment accepted, pet,” she said smugly.
Jack spotted the irritation on Beauty’s face and shrugged. “I always pay my debts.”
“I bet you do,” Sirani said with a giggle.
“Speaking of debts,” Aranis said, turning to Inna. “I have one to collect from you.”
Inna squared her shoulders. “What would you have of me?”
“To join your Assassins Guild,” Aranis said.
Inna smiled at the request, glancing at Jack. “With Gallow gone there are only two left of the seven. I mean to take the leadership of the guild for myself.”
“Your father would be proud,” Beauty said.
“I look forward to being an assassin,” Sirani said, a wide grin spreading on her features. “Can we hunt Griffin berserkers? Or bandits in Talinor? Or maybe pirates in the south sea!” She cackled and fell to muttering about the possibilities.
“I see you have everything in hand,” Jack said. “But you can’t lead the guild with a name like Inna.”
“I know,” Inna said with a smile. “Which is why I’ll use the assassin persona my father gave me. Tronis.”
“A name bound for legend,” Beauty said, her tone one of approval. “And it appears you have a weapon to match.” She pointed to the idalia on Inna’s back.
Inna smiled at her words and reached out to clasp Beauty’s hand. “You have my gratitude for your aid in defeating Gallow. I could not have done so alone.” Her eyes swept to Jack, indicating the words were meant for him as well.
“I enjoyed his defeat as much as you did,” Jack replied.
Her red hair bright in the sun, her clothes torn and bloody, Inna stood tall. Jack saw the steel in her gaze and recognized it as a glimpse of things to come. The girl had vanquished her father’s killer and become the assassin she was meant to be.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand everything you did,” Inna said, “But from this day forth you can count the Assassin’s Guild as an ally.”
Jack clasped her hand and smiled. The thieves said their farewells and the trio of assassins departed down the road. Only Aranis looked back.
“Goodbye, pet,” she said. “Don’t think I’ve given up on you.”
“I haven’t,” Jack said with a smile.
Aranis held his gaze, and an unspoken gratitude passed between them. Jack inclined his head to her and she smiled before slipping away. Jack watched them go with a twinge of regret in his heart. The last few months had been riddled with danger, escapes, assassins, and risk. Despite the weight of his office, he’d never had so much fun.
He sighed and turned to find Beauty standing with Thalidon, Roarthin, Gordon, and Ursana. Jack motioned to the wagon and raised an eyebrow, but the five thieves shook their heads i
n unison.
“Don’t think you will escape without answers,” Beauty said.
“Can’t we do this tomorrow?” Jack asked, gesturing to the billow of smoke still rising from the destroyed Necrolith. “It’s been a long day.”
“No,” Thalidon said with a smile. “We’ve waited long enough. You can share your tale as we walk back to Woodhaven.”
“Walk?” Jack asked, and groaned.
“Yes,” Gordon said. “Walk. It will give you plenty of time to explain yourself.”
Jack looked between them but saw no hint of an opening. Grunting at their betrayal, he muttered. “I thought I was the guildmaster.”
Thalidon grinned and climbed onto the driver’s bench of the wagon, turning the horses back onto the road. Beauty patted Axe on the flank and then fell into step with Jack. As the group ambled down the road they looked at him expectantly. Resigned to telling the truth, Jack began.
“When I became guildmaster the vault key appeared in my hand,” he said. “Then I stepped into the guild vault and learned the truth, that Skorn was listening to everything . . .”
As they made their way back to elven lands Jack shared the full tale of what he’d done in the last few months, including how he’d stolen the Gate from the guildhall in Woodhaven and hidden it in the Church of Light, using it as a terminus so he could access it at any time.
He explained how every time he was absent from the Thieves Guild he became Ero, frequently several times a day. Beauty laughed when he spoke of portaling to the church to keep his persona alive.
He explained how he’d stolen from the Church of Light and used the coin to purchase the entity of anti-magic, storing it within the Thieves Guild vault until after Skorn came for him. He explained that during the weeks he’d disappeared from Thalidon and Roarthin he’d been traveling to the City of Dawn, and when he’d been feigning sickness on the return journey he was with Skorn on the way to the Necrolith, enduring Skorn’s endless monologue.