Looking down, I realized it wasn’t a set of cuffs they had thrown down at my feet. Instead, I looked down at my swords almost lovingly. They must be pretty confident to give me these now before we had even made it to the pit. Standing, I put my swords in place. I already felt better having them strapped to my back. I guess I was ready to fight. My one desperate escape attempt hadn’t gone too well. Absentmindedly, I rubbed my chin, feeling the bruise that had blossomed there.
“Like I said, girl, we ain’t got all day. Hurry it the fuck up.”
The big man moved aside to let me pass, and then fell in behind me as another man led the way. As we walked, the sound of hundreds of voices calling out started to grow louder. I could hear the stomp of their feet and the clap of their hands, and ringing over all of it, the clash of metal on metal.
Whatever was happening in the pit must have reached its crescendo. The hallway grew eerily silent. The sound of blades clashing against each other lingered for a moment longer, and then there was a howl of pain. The silence ended so abruptly, that it sounded like the world exploded when the cheering started. The cacophony of sound ended, as the pit must have been cleared and made ready for the next fight.
“Wonder who won,” grunted the man in front of me.
The man behind me answered him. “It had to be Mordesh. That bastard always wins.”
The only sound now was the grunt of acknowledgment from the man in front of me. He stopped moving forward so abruptly, that I almost walked into the back of him. He moved to the side, revealing an iron door set into the wall. The man behind me moved up to stand across from him. He motioned for me to move forward.
The door in front of me opened, and I got my first look at the pit. It wasn’t much more than a dirt floor. I could see where a body had been recently dragged away, and a demon was hurriedly throwing sawdust on a spot where the blood had been too saturated to sink into the ground before we had arrived. I started to move forward, and one of the men grabbed my shoulder. My first thought was to remove the offending limb by cutting it off. Instead, I waited.
“Not yet, girl,” he said with impatience. “You have to wait for them to call your name before you go in. Good luck out there today.”
I looked up into his grim face, slightly bemused at him wishing me good luck. He just removed his hand from my shoulder and stepped back against the wall. “Why wish me luck? Your leader just wants me to die.”
“Nah, if she wanted you dead, there would be easier ways to do it. Plus, if you win, we get a little bonus. Don’t let us down out there.”
I was just starting to think that maybe they weren’t that bad after all when the other man spoke.
“Get us a bonus or we will take one from you when you’re done.” He leered down at me. “Either way, it’s win-win for us. Personally, I kinda hope you lose.”
Before I could respond, I heard my name shouted from above the pit. I drew my swords and walked out to face whatever the demons had in store for me. Looking up, I could see that huge spikes of bone had been dug into the sides of the pit about twelve feet above the floor. They were all angled down to keep the fighters inside. The earthen floor had been compressed and would provide sure footing, and the pit was well lit. They wouldn’t want the spectators to miss any of the action.
A name I couldn’t even begin to decipher was shouted through the speakers, and an iron door opened across from me. The demon who came out had gray skin, something I hadn’t seen before. He was all skin and bones, his arms and legs unnaturally long. He kind of reminded me of a ferret or a weasel. That was if you took the extra-long back and transferred that length to the creature’s arms and legs. With every movement, his arms seemed to twitch. Everything about the creature told me that it would be fast and aggressive.
Someone was talking through the speakers to the crowd again, but all I could focus on was my opponent. He moved with grace and speed as he stalked back and forth across his side of the circle. I knew he would come at me hard and fast. Demons only saw my small frame and thought of me as prey. Turning away from the demon, I bent and stretched as the words continued to drone over us from above. The act of disrespect should ensure the demon came at me quickly.
The speaker's words faded away, and I found my center. I felt at peace. This was just another fight, and I had my swords. Everything went silent, and I turned around. Then one word echoed through the chamber. “Fight!”
Just as I thought, the demon rushed at me with uncontrolled fury. His long legs covered the distance quickly, and his arms twitched reflexively before lashing out. The power behind his strikes when our swords collided was more than I had given him credit for. I quickly called on my gift to augment my speed and strength. The magic came slowly, but it was still there.
The demon continued to strike, but for every swing of his swords, I had an answer. Patience was the name of the game. Eventually, he would grow frustrated and make a mistake. All I had to do now was stay alert and keep his blades from reaching me. It wasn’t easy; his arms were twice as long as mine, and his legs gave him a reach I couldn’t hope to match.
With each one of his strikes, I was forced to move backward or to the side. We danced around each other in vicious circles. Each time he moved, I moved. Each time he snarled, I smiled. The game went on until finally, he did exactly what I expected. He came in fast from the left, and then pulled the strike at the last second before jumping into the air and spinning, trying to bring both blades down in a diagonal strike for my chest and head.
I’m sure many opponents fell for the trick, but I wouldn’t be one of them. As he spun through the air, I rolled forward under his blades, coming up behind him. He was already landing when my sword found his lower back. My second blade sliced into his leg. The demon spun back so quickly, the fight almost ended there. Instead, I ducked the first blade and deflected his second. Still, the power behind that strike sent his blade bouncing off the edge of my sword and into my shoulder.
Was that a scream that escaped my lips? Everything seemed to slow down, and weariness tugged at the end of my senses. The blood was running freely down my arm, but my grip held firm on the hilt of my sword. I twirled the blade around, surprised to find that my arm still moved flawlessly.
The demon smiled as he limped slowly around me, his black blood leaving dark smudges in the light-colored sand. Fire burned down my shoulder, and it dawned on me that his blades might have been poisoned. I should have known instantly. You couldn’t expect a demon to fight fair. His smile grew as I fell to my knees. My gift fought against me, but the magic started to slowly come forward, until finally, the dam broke and its power rushed through me.
The poison almost seemed to stop, and then it reversed course, pushing out of pores with a sickly sweet almond smell. I continued to huddle against myself and stayed on my knees, hoping the demon wouldn’t notice. My vision slowly cleared, and a hush fell over the crowd. The demon’s feet stopped just in front of me, and he waited for a signal from above. He looked up into the stands, and I rose, stabbing both of my blades into his chest.
The look of shock on his face was priceless. You weren’t the only one who could play dirty. The blades came free with a sucking sound, and the demon fell to his knees. He tried to stand back up but couldn’t. Every ounce of me wanted to rush in and finish him, but I wasn’t falling prey to the same trick I just used. The demon tried to rise again and then fell flat on his face. His grip loosened on the swords, and still I waited. Finally, a gong sounded from above. The fight was over. The demon was dead.
The iron door behind me opened, and the same two guards were waiting for me. As I walked through the door, they removed my swords and bandaged my shoulder.
“You did well out there today. Made us enough money to enjoy a night out on the town.”
The glare I sent his way just bounced off of him. I didn’t care about making these demons money. All I had to do was stay alive until Jackson came for me or I could escape. In the meantime, I planned on killing
as many demons as they put in front of me.
“I might even spring to buy you some real food.”
“Stop fucking with the girl. She knows as well as you do that you don’t give two shits about her. She ain’t never leaving here alive,” his partner snarled. “Now let’s get the bitch back in her cage so we can enjoy some of our winnings.”
The bulky demon tossed me into my cell, and the door slammed closed behind me. Silently, I added them to my list. They didn’t know it yet, but they were already dead. If I was going to die here, then so be it, but I was going to take them with me. Every demon I killed in the ring was one less that could defend this place when they came for me. If they came for me.
My hand touched my cheek, and I was surprised to see that it was wet. I hope you got away, Marcus. My life depended on it.
Chapter Four
Lucky, 368 A.D.
Was there any better feeling than completing a job and returning to the crew with an armful of gold? Maybe it was possible, but if there was a better way, I hadn’t found it yet. Even when I found myself thrusting between a pretty maiden’s legs, my mind would wander to the next job, the next test of my metal. It was me against the nobles, and I liked to win.
Not only that, but people depended on me. How many families would starve if I decided to give up the life? How many children would die without the money my crew spread around the villages? It wasn’t just the rush that kept me going anymore; it was the feeling of satisfaction I received when handing a loaf of bread to a starving family. They needed me, but I needed them even more.
It was easier to lead a morally ambiguous life when you could tell yourself that you were helping people. It was slightly easier when that was true, but in the name of helping, I had crossed lines I never would have before. I had killed to remain free; I had blackmailed and bribed my way past more guards than I cared to mention. All of that so I could keep working, keep the rush going. Now life was simple. I stole, and people thanked me for my generosity with a smile. That was another kind of theft, but I digress.
“Hello, boys!” I shouted, kicking open the door. The next thought died on my lips as the carnage inside became apparent. The armful of satchels filled with gold coins fell to the floor. Some of the bags burst, just as some of my friends had. This was no simple act of violence. These men hadn’t been cut down by swords alone.
Blood still dripped from some of the rafters, so the killing couldn’t have happened too long ago. My twin daggers found their way into my hands, and I eased into our lodge. I kept to the shadows, but any real chance at stealth had been thrown out the window when I kicked the door open.
A single candle burned on our table in the center of the room. The embers in the hearth still glowed orange from the night before. Sitting atop the table was a man cloaked in white. Not a single drop of blood on him. Was this the killer, the man who had butchered my friends? I started to circle the room, keeping the candlelight and the fire in front of me. The last thing I wanted was for my shadow to spook him into action. If this man had the kind of powers I thought he did, this fight was already over.
He still hadn’t moved since I spotted him. Maybe his evil magic had taken a toll on him. I heard that was often the case with wizards. They could accomplish great feats but then became exhausted and vulnerable. If this was one of those times, I might still have a chance to avenge my friends.
I was behind him now, a mere ten feet away. My fingers tightened around the grips of my daggers, and my legs tensed, ready to spring forward. I took three steps, jumped into the air, and then the world seemed to stop. The candlelight still flickered, so it was only me who was frozen mid-leap. All of my focus had been on the spot I planned to strike; I missed when the man had lifted his right hand. Was that really all the effort it took to stop me?
“Now, now. There is no need for that. We are men of honor, are we not?”
Whatever he had done to hold me in place stopped, and I fell to the ground. The man in front of me stood from the table and slowly turned around, dropping his hood. There was no need for the theatrics. I already knew who he was—our mysterious benefactor from a few months back. Why was he here now?
A smile creased his features, as if we were meeting at an inn over a pint of ale. “It’s good to see you again, Lucky, flushed with excitement from another exciting job no less.”
“Are you responsible for this?” I pointed my dagger toward the remains of my men.
“Actually, ultimate responsibility for this falls on you. I told you if you lied to me that I would be back.” He spread his arms wide. “And so I am.”
“I don’t have your stone, wizard. I never did.”
His smile disappeared, and his face grew dark with anger. When he spoke, his voice came out calm and collected. “Wizard—such a quaint term for one of my kind. I could burn this entire village to the ground with a thought. Something I still might be inclined to do.”
“I told you, I don’t have the stone.” The problem was that I did have the stone. Not only did I have it, but I was wearing it around my neck. Ever since I had taken the damn thing, I hadn’t been able to put it down. Finally I gave up and had a setting made for it so I could wear it all the time. Even now I could feel the heat of it against my chest. The stone’s power called to me, and I’d be damned if this man would take it from me.
“Your men said much of the same. It didn’t work out so well for them.”
“Tell me, wizard.” I let the title fall from my lips with venom. “If that were the case, why haven’t you ended me already?” I slipped my daggers around a few times and slid them into the sheaths along my lower back. My cloak fell back into place around them, making it seem as if they weren’t even there.
“If what you are saying is true, then the gem is still hidden inside the keep. I need you to get it for me.”
Maybe I was going to get out of here alive, after all. As soon as I was outside, I would be back on my horse and out of this country before the wizard could even whisper my name. All I needed was an opening. There was no way I was going back to the keep. Since my last visit, they had tripled the guards. I knew because I had checked. It had been such an easy haul, I’d thought about hitting them again. Going there now wasn’t anything but suicide.
“If I agree to help, then we are done. You will never darken my doorstep again.”
“Agreed.”
“I cannot guarantee you that the stone will be there.”
“It’s there.”
He reached out and grabbed my arm. A shock ran up it, almost as if I had been hit hard in the elbow. My hand went numb for a moment, and then it passed.
“Don’t even think about leaving with my gem. If you do, the curse I put on you will boil you from the inside.”
“Fucking wizards!” I shook out my arm. “I can’t very well break into the keep like this, can I?”
“The pain will fade. I suggest you hurry before I grow bored and seek out other means of entertaining myself here.”
The last thing I wanted was for anyone else in the village to get hurt because of me. I walked past the man and toward my chest, removing several items that I would need to get into the keep. It wouldn’t be so easy this time; they were expecting me. “I’ll be back with whatever I can find. Try and contain yourself to my home.”
“The clock is ticking.” He made a motion with his arm like a pendulum. “Tick tock.”
“Fucking wizard,” I mumbled, storing my gear in my bag. “Don’t touch my goddamned gold, and clean this place up.” A shock ran through my arm again, a not-so-subtle reminder of who was in charge. I’d be back, but I’d be damned if he was getting his hands on the damn stone.
The ramparts of Grayson’s Keep were well lit as I approached. It seemed that not only had the lord of the manor increased his security forces outside of the manor but that he must have increased them inside as well. Climbing up the wall now would be nearly impossible, at least, if I didn’t want to be seen. That left the main ent
rance and the servants’ entrance as my only chance of entering the keep.
“Fucking wizard,” I muttered under my breath. It had become my mantra. Everything that had so recently gone wrong in my life could be traced back to one man. A man I couldn’t trust, and he was a stone-cold killer.
If he hadn’t put that curse on me, I could have been three kingdoms away by now. Instead, I was stuck on a suicidal mission. So I circled the keep, trying to think of what in the hell I was going to do. I didn’t like going in unprepared. Rule number thirty-seven, a thief who doesn’t plan is a dead thief.
I mean, seriously, if the damn wizard was so powerful, how come he couldn’t sense the stone when it was only a few feet away from him? Not for the first time, the thought of trying just to run and curse be damned flitted through my mind. The image of the dead men in our lodge was the only thing that kept me rooted in place.
I could always just give him the stone. The thought danced around my mind, always slightly out of reach. The simple fact was I didn’t want to give him the stone, and my being here was the only opportunity I had to buy myself some time. If I came back empty-handed, he would probably just kill me. Maybe there was a third way out of this, something I just hadn’t seen yet.
Maybe I should have actually taken the stone to the hermit, like I had planned to. I had set out that morning with the intention of doing just that. An hour into my ride, I had developed a thirst. Two hours into the trip I saw a tavern. I spent the rest of the day getting drunk. Now I was starting to realize that maybe that hadn’t been the right choice. Life was full of regrets, but none like the one the settled into the pit of my stomach at the sight of my dead men.
My slow loop of the keep didn’t make me feel any better about my chances. Everything was bolted up tight, and guards were patrolling everywhere. The only thing I could do now was sit and wait. I hated this part of the job. There was nothing dashing or roguish about slipping into the shadows and standing still for hours on end, hoping for an opportunity to present itself. The only thing that might have made this better is if I had been able to refill my flask before leaving.
Redemption (Ascendancy Legacy 6) Page 3