Without waiting for him she stepped through the portal into the foggy night. Nathan had to hurry to keep up with her.
"Parel, wait,” He said, and almost walked into her as she stopped directly in front of him.
She whirled around to face him. "Look, I know as well as you do that this is going to be dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you any more than you want anything to happen to me.”
Nathan shook his head. As much as he wanted to, he could not argue with her logic.
They concealed themselves on top of a rise that overlooked the prison walls. The light from the prison lit up the area, even through the thick fog.
"We need a plan,” Nathan whispered.
Parel smiled at him. "You are going to go and rescue your friend. I am going to create a diversion.”
"What do you have in mind?" He asked.
She smiled her dazzling smile. "You'll see. First I need to go visit my daddy, I'm sure he will be more than willing to help.”
A feeling of guilt came over Nathan. It was partly his fault that her father was in prison. He had broken into their house and stolen some sensitive documents that had implicated Marcus Zalek in some shady business deals. The evidence had been enough to have him incarcerated.
"We can communicate with each other through our Crystal Blades. They can communicate with us and with each other over distance,” Parel explained. "Stay here until I tell you that everything is ready.”
Nathan smiled nervously. "Be careful.”
She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "You too,” Then she was gone, disappearing into the foggy night.
Nathan ran through several scenarios as he waited for Parel's signal. The ideal situation was for him to get in, get Garz, and get out before anyone knew he was there. The worst situation that he could think of was for him to get caught and have to fight his way out. There were several other scenarios in between the two that he was able to come up with.
A commotion suddenly arose from within the prison complex. It sounded like a few of the prisoners had awoken and were shouting and banging on the bars. The sound grew in volume as more and more prisoners awoke and joined in. As though it were a counterpoint to some odd music, Nathan could hear the guards shouting at the prisoners.
"Oran is saying that all is in readiness,” Cyan's odd metallic voice sounded in his head. "The majority of the guards are occupied and we should be able to get to our target with little difficulty. I am also to tell you that they are out of the prison, so they are safe. They will remain in the vicinity should we require their assistance.”
Nathan nodded. He could see the prison clearly, even through the fog, so he knew approximately where the closest door to Garz's was located. He took a quick running start, jumped off the rise, and spread his wings. He loved the feeling of the air whistling through his feathers and was surprised that the coverings on the suit did not hinder that feeling at all. He circled the complex a few times, just to prolong the experience that flying always provided him.
He landed in the courtyard, moving quickly to the door. He was not surprised to find the door locked. Pulling a slender lockpick out of his thief's toolkit, it only took him a fraction of a moment to unlock the door. He hurried through the door to the cell where the Thieves Guild Master was being held. He quickly unlocked the cell door and was inside.
Garz was chained to the wall by both his wrists and his ankles. The arm chains were not long enough to allow the short man to reach the floor, and his legs were pointing in unnatural angles.
"Garz, what have they done to you?" Nathan asked.
"Satchel, I am very glad to see you. They broke both of my legs so that I would not be able to escape; as if I would have been able to anyway with my hands shackled as they are.”
Nathan smiled at his friend's usage of his thief name. "I'll get help. Cyan," He said to his sword. "Let Parel know that we need her help. I can’t carry Garz by myself.”
Garz looked at him strangely as Cyan relayed the message. "To whom are you talking lad?"
"It's a long story, and we don't have time right now,” Nathan said as he freed Garz's wrists and ankles from the shackles. "Be patient, help is on the way.”
Garz chuckled quietly. "Be patient? We are in a prison, attempting a breakout, and the boy says to be patient.”
The sound from the other prisoners still echoed through the corridors.
Moments later Parel came running into the cell. "We don't have much time.”
Garz's eyes widened as he saw her. "Help on the way, eh?"
She pulled Oran out, the small purple blade pulsing to some unheard rhythm. Suddenly the bones in Garz's legs began to knit back together, the legs straightening out the way that they were meant. Several seconds later, he was on his feet.
"Let's go, laddie and lady,” He said as he headed out into the hallway.
"Hey, you," A guard down the hall yelled. Apparently, the riot in the main prison was not bad enough that all of the guards had been called to help quell it.
The guard began to advance on Garz until Nathan stepped out of the cell holding Cyan in one hand and a set of bolas in another and Parel stepped out holding Oran. This caused him to pause.
"Who are you?" The guard asked him.
Nathan smiled. "I am much smarter than you if you think I am going to answer that question.”
The guard advanced again running towards them yelling until the floor underneath him turned to ice. He began to slip and his yell turned into a scream. As he approached the group, Nathan took a step forward and punched the guard with his sword hilt.
The guard’s feet came off the ground as he fell backward. He was unconscious as his back smacked against the hard floor.
Nathan realized that he wasn't going to need the bolas, so he stashed them back into the hidden pocket in his suit. He then grabbed the guard; relieved him of his keys, and locked him in Garz's cell.
"Let's get out of here before anything else goes wrong.”
The three of them ran down the hall towards the door that led to the courtyard.
"I am not going to be able to lift Garz out, I may be able to lift Parel, but I am not positive as I have never flown with anyone but myself before.”
Garz looked at Nathan inquisitively. "Never flown?"
"Again, long story and no .”
"I'll handle that,” Parel said. "Or more precisely, Oran will.”
"Who...?" Garz began to ask.
"Garz! Run now, explain later,” Nathan snapped. He hadn't meant to snap at Garz, but the questions were coming at a very inopportune time.
They could hear more guards coming towards them as they burst through the door into the courtyard.
"Na... Satchel," Parel called, remembering at the last moment to use his thief name. "You fly; Oran has used a lot of energy tonight. He is not sure that he can take all three of us. Fly towards the rise where we were hiding before. We will foll…”
She was cut short as they ran out into the courtyard. A contingent of about thirty uniform-clad men stood in the center of the broad yard.
A high wall surrounded the common area of the prison. It was here that the inmates came to get sunlight and exercise. A net filled with balls hung from a pole under a series of baskets. The earth was trampled and packed hard around the inner edge of the wall.
“Garz, can you fight?” Nathan asked.
“Do I have a choice, lad?” The old thief answered. “It would be easier if I had a weapon.”
Nathan handed him his short sword and drew both Cyan and his blue bladed sword. A murmur ran through both the Human and Elf members of the party facing them as they beheld the two swords. Many of the Humans and all of the Elves, with the singular exception of the captain himself, backed away from the fight, unbeknownst to the commander, leaving ten or so militia members facing them.
“Satchel, I presume,” A medium-sized elf said as he stepped forward. He had a self-important air about him.
“Captain Talin
ian, I hope,” poured as much sarcasm into the statement as possible.
The comment caused the captain to pause for a moment as he tried to puzzle out the insinuation that was buried in the comment. Unable to figure out what was meant, he decided to continue. “I would like to thank you for falling into my trap. I knew that you would come to try and rescue the guild master, for you are the last thief that has not been captured.”
Nathan gave a dazzling smile, not remembering that he was wearing a mask over his face. “I am not worried about your trap, for your incompetence is legendary, as indicated by the fact that two-thirds of your force have deserted you.”
Captain Talinian looked around and was visibly shocked to see that only ten of his original thirty militia-men were still standing next to him, but that did not deter him. “Get them,” His voice was almost comical.
The ten guards rushed forward, each yelling a personal battle cry that must have meant something to them individually. Nathan launched himself forward, slashing at the sword arm of the lead soldier. On the backswing, he caught two more soldiers in the sword arm, causing them to drop their weapons. He continued to turn and swing with measured strokes until he found himself facing the captain with both blades crossed like a pair of scissors on either side of the man’s neck.
“Drop your sword,” Nathan said slowly.
The sound of Captain Talinian’s sword hitting the ground echoed through the courtyard.
“I will get you, Satchel. Mark my words. You are a common thief, and I will catch you,” The captain snarled.
“No you won’t,” Nathan replied. “Even if you were to capture me, the city magistrate would not keep me here for long. A thief I may be, but I am not common in any way. Most of your long-term guests are here by my hand. Have you not wondered where the evidence came from that has convicted the men that you failed to catch? I was the one that broke into their houses and obtained the necessary documents to convict them of their wrongdoings. I have done this city a great service.”
Talinian snarled at Nathan. The young thief smiled brightly, causing the cloth of the mask covering his face to stretch grotesquely. He punched the captain with the hilt of his sword, and the man fell to the ground unconscious.
He turned to the ten men that were all staring at him, holding their bloodied sword arms. “I am sorry for what I had to do tonight,” He apologized. “I have done none of you any harm that a few days under the watchful eye of a healer will not fix,” Then he turned to Garz and Parel, neither of which had moved during the skirmish, and both of which were staring at him opened mouthed. “I believe this is our cue,” He said, gesturing to the wall that they would need to pass over. Without hesitating, he ran halfway across the courtyard, leaped into the air, and snapped his wings open, and rose into the air.
"What...? How...?"Garz sputtered.
"Mr. Tish," Parel said crossly. "If you do not keep your mouth shut until we are safe, I will have Oran cast a silence spell on you,” She knew that the threat was empty, Oran did not have enough energy to maintain anything more than the spell that would allow them to fly over the wall.
Garz closed his mouth as he and Parel rose into the sky following Nathan.
When they had all arrived at the rise that overlooked the prison, they dashed into the trees that separated the prison from the rest of the city. Through unspoken consent, they ran towards the Human central park, Parel dragging Garz along as she ran. There was a thick grove of trees there that would offer good protection form anyone that might be looking for them. It was here that they would make introductions and explanations.
They reached the safety of the trees without difficulty. Each of them was breathless as they arrived. They sat for a long time in silence. After they had mostly regained their collective breath. Garz was the first one to speak.
“I am very grateful to you both for coming to my rescue, but can someone please tell me what is going on? Who is this?" He pointed to Parel. "And who are Oran and Cyan?" He didn't slow down as he rounded on Nathan. "How did you do that, back there? Why did all of those guards just up and leave? You, you're him, aren't you? You are the lost son of the Elf King.”
"Garz, slow down,” Nathan said. "First, this is Parel Zalek,” He gestured to Parel.
"This is Parel? No wonder you have kept her to yourself. A beauty such as this would cause dissension in the ranks. Each boy trying to outdo the other to impress her.”
Parel blushed slightly at the compliment.
Nathan drew Cyan from his sword belt. The blue light from the blade making his pale skin look translucent. "This is Cyan Iceblade. I found him in the old mansion while I was in there last night.”
A look of awe came across the old thief's face as he beheld the Elf king's sword. The presence of the Iceblade seemed to confirm his suspicions.
"Oran," Nathan continued. "is also a Crystal Blade.”
Parel held out the small knife. The purple glow of his blade was dim as was the pulsing light in the largest amethyst.
"He needs to rest. He used a lot of energy tonight. The healing spell to heal Garz's wounds was especially draining for him.”
“As for the reason why the guards just up and left,” Nathan began. “That is a bit of a long story, but I will try to make it brief,” He pulled the mask from his head. “Do you remember three years ago, the day that you all but conscripted me into service to the guild?”
He paused long enough for Garz to nod.
“Do you know where I was coming from?”
Garz shook his head.
“I had just left the second, and last, training session with Master Tarininan, the good captain’s brother. He had just had me fight all of his advanced students, and I ended up much the same as I did tonight. After the match, he gave me this sword,” He raised the blue bladed Katana. “And proclaimed me a master, He then bowed to me as an equal and sent me on my way. Everyone of the human guards that had dissented tonight was among that group that I had beaten. They were there when I was given the sword,” He shook his head. “This means that there are now members of the city militia who know my identity. I will not be able to work for you any longer,” He paused a moment to gather his thoughts. “I do not know why all of the Elves, except Talinian, left.”
Nathan jumped as Cyan’s metallic voice entered his mind. “That was very similar to why the Humans had left. The elves all recognized me. Whether through fame, or infamy, they all knew who I am.”
Garz watched as Nathan jumped. “What is going on?” He asked as Nathan began to nod.
It was Parel that answered. “Cyan says that the reason the Elves left is that they recognized him.”
Garz nodded in understanding. “I would have left too. I would not want to cross blades with the Iceblade.”
"Now, I have a question of my own,” Nathan said looking at Garz. "How did you come to the conclusion that I am the Elf king's son?"
"I am not just a thief, I am also a gatherer of information,” Garz explained. "Thirteen years ago there was a rumor circulating that the king's three daughters were born with strange marks on their chest and that the king's son was born with wings. There was much speculation whether or not the rumors were true. Many, including myself, despaired that we would never find the answer to whether the rumors were true when the castle was attacked. Until tonight. You're Taren, aren't you?"
Nathan nodded slowly. "I once was known by that name. Now I have to determine whether I am to hide from my destiny, or embrace it.”
"What are you going to do?" Parel asked.
"Do you remember what you told me when I asked you why you weren't going to turn me in for breaking into your house?" Nathan asked.
"I told you that it just felt wrong to do that,” She answered.
"That is correct. I have known for a long time that my parents were not being truthful with me. This morning, Zorah told me how they found me in the wreckage of the Elf king's castle the day it was destroyed,” Nathan had a far-off look in his eyes.
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Parel was staring at him in disbelief. "She told you that?”
Nathan nodded. "Yes, right before she told me that it was no longer safe for me here. She had packed travel equipment for me, and all but pushed me out the door.”
Garz frowned. "I have known Zorah for a very long time. We have been friends since we were children. She was heartbroken for years that her womb is barren. Until, that is, she found you. You brought new life to her. If she told you that had to leave, then it had to be for a very good reason.”
"What happened to you?" Nathan asked Garz. "How did you get captured?"
"Moments after you left to go and break into the mansion; the city militia raided the guild hall. There was no warning. Cartaron was killed in the battle. I was captured, and sentenced to very public execution as a warning to any that may try to take my place.
Nathan was stunned. Cartaron was one of the few thieves that didn't hate him. This was strange because he was also the thief that Nathan had beaten when he was five. The fact that the thief was now dead was unnerving. He was the best swordsman in the guild, except for Nathan himself.
"I was ambushed in the mansion by a pair of Ogres,” Nathan explained. "If it had not been for Cyan, I would be dead.”
Garz let out a low whistle. "So the whole thing was a setup. I bet the orb doesn't even exist.”
"Oh, it exists but hasn't been in that house for over three hundred years. It was removed the day before Knoro was murdered,” Nathan smiled at them knowingly.
"How do you know that?" Both Parel and Garz asked in unison.
"I have been having these dreams for a couple months now. The dreams are about Knoro, Shalarandra Kaardrannan, and the Sun Fire orb.”
"Well, where is the orb?" Garz asked. "That thing would be worth several fortunes.”
"I don't know. The dark elf woman took it on Knoro's orders and hid it somewhere. I don't know where” Nathan explained.
"Why would Knoro give the orb to the person that was to kill him?" Garz asked. "That doesn't make sense.”
"According to the dream, she didn't kill him,” Nathan had a far-off look in his eyes as if he were seeing the dream again. “Dareth killed him. She was captured and killed trying to save him.”
Master's Mind: The Dagger of Dragon Rose: Book 1 Page 5