"An extra copper for the drink exchange. May I get you anything else, young man?" Her earnest smile seemed kind of forced at the loss of the copper, so I slid it back to her.
"Nothing, ma'am. Can you bring my food over to that table?" I nodded to where a few men were running card and dice games. She readily agreed, the copper piece disappearing into one of the many pockets scattered across her apron. I picked my way over to the gambling table, quickly counting in my head the amount I had picked: nine coppers, almost a silver. Not a lot to gamble with, but I could do it.
"Deal me in," I slapped four coppers on the tabletop, "buy in a copper?" A round of Aye's chorused out, and I was dealt a hand. One man was obviously trying to muddy the deck, a card sticking out of his waistband. I quickly folded and watched him win with a straight.
A few hands later, my small pile of coppers had been added to, and it was my turn to deal. My fingers danced along the deck's edges, testing out the sides and feeling the cards.
I dealt it out quickly, knowing what each card was before it hit the table. That hand netted me eleven more coppers, and I played through the rest of the night. Every few hands, I'd order a round for the room before winning big, leading everyone to both curse and cheer.
I left in the middle of the night, picking the pockets of those who passed out under the table. I knew the way back home now and knew I'd need some money to get there. I wasn't too worried with nine silver and a few copper bits in my purse, not even bothering to haggle with the grumpy stable boy. Three silvers was a lot for the tired old mare, even with the tack and saddle thrown in, but I felt a little bad for waking the boy, and it wasn't like I had worked that hard for the money. Saddling the horse took only a few moments, and then I was gone into the night.
A shadow disconnected from the corner of the stall and watched me ride off. A young boy slipped away with a smile, keeping to the shadows and following after me from a distance.
Home. I barely saw the houses fly by, focused solely on her house. Aether…I had to make sure she was okay. That everything was fine. "Mrs. Mary!" I called out, seeing her mother out in front of her house, attending to their small vegetable garden. "Where is Aether?"
She looked up and smiled at me before dropping her shears in shock, "Jack? How? You…you died. Last year. How are you….?" She trailed off speechless as I reined the horse in.
"I can't explain right now, Mrs. Mary, but this is really important. Where is Aether?" It didn't instantly register the fact that she said a year had passed since I died, and I didn't really care. I just wanted, no, needed, to know where Aether was and if she was okay.
"I… she went off into the woods with that boy. Why-"I cut her off, wheeling the horse around and racing off towards the oak tree Aether loved to sketch so much. Waving over my shoulder, I left her behind, confused and speechless and staring after me. "That boy. I'm going to feel sorry for him…"
She wasn't at her tree, and there was no sign of her having been there for a long time. Even in the rush I was in, I stopped and wondered at what could make her stop coming out here. It had been her favorite place to be; we'd spend more time here together than anywhere else.
So I went to the only other place I could think of. Running down the trail, I saw the broken sticks and bent grass that showed more than one person had been this way fairly recently. Nearing that pool of water that I showed her, I heard the short scream that could only have come from one person.
Bursting through the bushes, I called out desperately, "Aeth! Aether! I'm here!" And I saw her, laughing and smiling in the arms of Tom, the stable-masters oldest boy. She turned to me, the look of joy turning first to shock, then confusion, and she whispered, "Jack? Is it…is it really you?"
I didn't answer. I didn't think I had to. Tom, in our place… I turned away from the horrible sight and stumbled back up the trail, breaking into a run as I heard her start to follow after me, calling out my name. I could barely see past the tears flooding my eyes as I lost myself in the woods, going in the direction of where I left the horse.
Reaching the clearing where I left her, I found that the mare was gone without a trace, aside from the hoof-prints left in the dirt. In her place, there was a young boy, around my age, smiling at me. He brushed his short, blonde hair aside to reveal eyes that looked like liquid gold mixed with a dirt brown and splashes of green.
In his hand was a knife that I had picked up somewhere on my way back here, twirling it around his fingers. "You. I saw you, you know, back in Fairview and all the way here. You're smooth, light on your feet, and light in the fingers if you catch my drift. I saw it all." He stepped forward but stopped short when I stepped back.
"Look, I don't know who you are," I started slowly, looking around to watch for others closing in but seeing no one creeping towards us through the brush, "but I'm not looking for a fight."
The boy looked at me with a happy gleam in his eye, "Well, neither am I, of course. Otherwise, I'm sure you would already be dead. I've seen you move, but I think I could take you, unarmed as you are."
I was confused, "Then what is it you want with me?" My eyes narrowed with suspicion, and I shifted my weight back on my heels, ready to attack or flee, but his following words mollified me a little.
"Why, I want to offer you a job. My crew fell apart a long while back. Some dear friends turned and followed this arrogant twit, who honestly don't know nothing about the trade. I'm looking to rebuild it, starting in the city of Ethron. It's a big enough city for blokes like us to disappear, but also full of coin. The names Puck. Should be enough coin to keep us both floating in ale and loose women if you're interested?"
With a look back at what I had truly come back for and knowing that I couldn't stand being here with her while she was happy with someone else, I nodded, "I accept. Let's get this over with; I'm finding that I'm growing tired of the woods."
Aether
I decided to go back to the waterfall as a little something to remember and celebrate the memory of Jack on the day of his death. While it was a year later, to the day, part of me couldn't help but remember the times spent with him. Especially that day he had shown me this waterfall and the colors that appeared at sundown.
At times it seemed like my memory of him was slipping away, and at other times it was as if I had just seen his face and could easily remember him. I was scared that one day I would wake up and not be able to remember what he looked like or how he had treated me. Already, I had to think hard to try to bring up the color of his eyes and the angle of his smile.
A twig snapped from somewhere behind me, and I whirled around, whipping a knife out from the sheath at my side and preparing to throw it. A shocked-looking Tom stopped me with a hand held up, "Whoa, whoa, don't throw! It's just me, Aether, just me. You move too damn fast with those knives, I swear. One of these days, you'll hit me on accident." He nervously laughed it off and walked out into the open.
"It wouldn't be an accident. Why the Hell are you here? I didn't ask you to come. This is my place. Not yours." I swear, I almost threw the knife at him right then and there, the anger at this....invasion, almost being too much for me to handle. Tears of frustration were barely held back as I railed at him.
Tom stepped close and grabbed my elbow, trying to calm me down, and I screamed, falling back into the water. He helped me up, and I couldn't help but laugh at my foolishness. I was about to apologize for my actions when all of a sudden, I saw movement from behind him, deep in the brush.
A familiar face appeared in the undergrowth, and I looked past Tom, "Jack? Is it...is it really you?"
He looked at me with a look on his face of complete and total heartbreak, at the thought of my betrayal...bringing Tom here would have been the worst thing I could possibly do. And I understood why he would think that...I just needed to catch him before he got away, explain what was happening.
"Jack!! Jack, come back, please!" I called out, trying to run after him, but Tom got in the way, his legs tangled up with mine,
causing both of us to fall on the ground. I lay there crying Jack's name over and over again, fighting against Tom's attempt to comfort me.
After a handful of failed attempts, he stood up angrily and stomped away, leaving me lying there, curled up in the small clearing, still soaking wet, but I just wept for losing my Jack a second time.
A few hours passed before I was composed enough to attempt to make it home. I stood carefully, feeling like I was going to fall down again.
My feet carried me through the trees, leading me home, but I tripped and stumbled every couple of steps. I didn't really care where I was going or what would happen to me. All I could do was replay over, and over the look I had seen on my beloved's face. He couldn't be back...it was impossible. Wasn't it?
I had just gotten to the outskirts of town when Tom stumbled up from out of nowhere. His easy-going demeanor was gone, as was his friendliness. It was replaced with a drunken slur and a harsh look in his eyes as he looked at me with what I could only call hatred and anger. I could see stains on his green shirt from where he had spilled the booze, and a few bottles littered the side of the road. He had probably been sitting there drinking since he had left me at the waterfalls.
"You!" He stumbled up, pointing at me, "You dumb little bitch! You can't take my offer, the only offer I ever made to a girl, and you just throw it at my face. Saying his name like I'm a bunch of worthless dirt. You stupid, little, insignificant girl. He's dead!" Tom was yelling by now, spittle flying from his mouth, though he didn't seem to notice in his anger. "He's dead, and there's nothing you can do about it! So let go already; it's your own damned fault he died anyway!"
I started to protest, but depression had sunk its claws into my heart, and I just shrugged at him. It didn't matter anymore now that Jack was back and heartbroken. How could I love, knowing that I shattered his heart and trust? The only person I had ever truly cared for, and I broke him. There was nothing I could do to make up for that.
The sorrow and depression didn't prepare me for what happened next, though. Tom curled his fist into a ball and lashed out, catching me high on the cheek. The force of the blow spun me around, and I hit the ground hard on my side.
Tom picked me up and cooed softly at me, trying to apologize, but I just tuned him out. Nothing mattered, and his words just seemed lifeless to me now. I knew them for what they were...a mask to hide the shallow, bitter man he truly was.
"Aether, if you married me, this wouldn't happen. Marry me. Please, Aether?" He sounded pitiful now, a man too far gone in his drink to understand what he was doing and why it was wrong.
When I failed to respond to his proposal, he got angry again, rage-fueled by drink, ripping my clothes off and grumbling about how once I bore his child, I would have to marry him. That if he couldn't have me, no one else could either.
I didn't even try to fight back. I lay down and just let Tom do what he would, looking up at the night sky and wishing I could go back in time and do it all over again. Why was I so cursed that the moment Jack re-entered my life, he turned and left it again?
Elroy
"What do you mean, Jack is back? And you just let him get away? Where is he, and what is he doing? And why the Hell didn't you at least follow him?" my chest heaved with anger, and the boy who had brought me the news sat on the ground, quivering and crying from fear.
"He...he was on a horse...I couldn't run after him; he was gone too fast. He swung by that bitches place and was gone before I could turn around. I thought...I thought coming to you would be best. I'm sorry, boss."
I let the boy snivel a while longer before pushing him to the side. "Someone, find out where Jack went. And someone else, find that girl, he will probably be with her, or if not yet, will be later. Keep an eye on her. Damn it; she's not ready yet! Hell, we aren't ready yet. I can't afford to muck this up again."
People ran in every direction to do what I had ordered, and I couldn't help but smile at it all. They were so frightened at what I would do if they failed that they scurried like mice before a cat. It was elegant. It was beautiful.
"The next time that man comes and talks down to me, I'll show him. I'll prove that I can handle this. Once I hand him Jack, it will all be clear who deserves to lead this heist."
I started to get my gear ready for when they found Jack, sharpening my knives and tightening the belts that held sheaths all over my body. With a grin, I stared out into the fading light.
10
Aether
"Damn it, Aether, get your sorry ass out here!" Tom's drunken slurs rumbled throughout the house, and I sighed, one hand stroking my stomach, hoping I was wrong.
"Yes, Tom? What can I do for you?" I walked through the whole house, trying to find him, only to see that he was once more deep into a bottle of whiskey. Again. It was his third one since the morning.
He blinked up at me sluggishly and burped softly before rolling over, passed out. A regular occurrence, I was used to having to clean up after him. Ever since his father had kicked him out, he was being "bribed" to stay away from the stables, so he found a house, and I moved in with him. There was little else one could do once the whole town knew we had been together. It was either get married and live together or live as a spinster, alone and untouchable.
But even with the bribes from his father, I wasn't sure how he was affording the place we were staying, let alone all the booze he drank. He went through a few bottles a day, on a good day, and the stuff wasn't all that cheap.
I sighed once more and bent over to pick up the fallen bottle when, all of a sudden, his fist lashed out and caught me in the eye. I saw stars and fell on the ground beside him, his drunken slurs fading out as he actually passed out this time. He didn't even know what he had done, and he would probably wake up and remember none of this. The most that would happen would be he would notice the swollen eye and apologize, only to get drunk and do it again.
I clutched my hand over my eye and cried, rocking back and forth quietly and knowing I couldn't go on like this. If this was what the rest of my life would be like, I would rather end it than suffer forever.
My parents had died in a house fire just after the marriage with Tom had gone through. It looked like an accident to all appearances, but days after it, Elroy made some comments that made me think otherwise. As a woman of the town, though, there was really nothing I could do. If it came down to his word against mine, Elroy would win out every time. Not only was he a man and me a girl, but people were also more scared of him than they liked to let on.
People all around the town saw the bruises marking my body, but none of them wanted to slight Tom or his rich father, so no one spoke up in my defense. They just turned their heads and tried to forget what they saw.
"I have to leave...I can't...I can't force the child to live through this..." I stumbled to my feet and blindly walked, trying just to get away from Tom and his abuse. None of the midwives in this village would help me rid myself of the child before it grew past the point where it could be aborted. And if the priest learned of my desire, I'd be worse off than I already am. He preferred a man beating his wife and child over a woman killing her unborn babe.
I hastily packed a bag with a few supplies and grabbed a knife from the kitchen. Tom had broken my sword a few weeks ago in a fit of rage, and I had yet to get a replacement from Gregory. Now, I knew I wouldn't have the time to go grab one. If anyone saw me and pieced together what it was that I was attempting, they would rush to wake Tom and inform him of me leaving. And then I'd be in for a beating far worse than even I could imagine.
And so I ran. I ran without saying goodbye to the only person aside from Jack, who had treated me like I could do more than was expected. I ran from everything I knew and cared for. I ran for the biggest city I had ever heard of in order to get lost in the crowds and maybe make something of myself. I ran off to the horizon in the fading sun, with the red sky a background for the best, or worst, story I've heard. I ran to Ethron.
Elroy
I watched as my knives thunked into the log with precision, smirking as each one hit its mark perfectly. I was just biding time, waiting. I knew that if I waited long enough, Jack would come to me, or the girl would go after him, especially as things with Tom got worse.
That was why I had sent a handful of people to watch her house and follow her wherever she went, leaving signs for me to follow after once a messenger got to me.
It had been going on for months now, and there was still no sign of the spirit that the girl was known for. I expected her to have run off to Jack within the first week of her being married to Tom, but she seemed content to take the abuse and just stare forlornly out into the woods.
I yanked one of the knives from the stump a tad harder than I intended and the slight roll of my wrist made the point break off into the wood. With a look of disgust, I tossed the blade away, now useless. It was a pity, for I wouldn't be able to replace it easily.
Thieves' Race Page 11