by Logan Jacobs
“C’mon, buddy,” I muttered as I tugged the horse away from the railing.
I pulled the horse out of the yard but kept myself hidden next to it as best as I could, just in case the elves opened the back door again.
But they never did.
Once I was back on the street, I hopped on the horse and clicked my tongue for him to get moving.
Then we were free.
I looked around to make sure I wasn’t followed, and once I knew I was in the clear, I made my way to the theatre only a few blocks away. As I rode toward the Entertainment District, I thought about how this new commander had added himself to my list of annoyances.
Right below Hebal. But at least the dwarf made me money.
What concerned me the most about the elven bastard was his determination to see others burn. He seemed a little more justice-hungry for elven justice.
That was the worst kind.
After a few minutes, I could see the hue from the lights in the Entertainment District and began to hear the sounds that accompanied the lights.
I continued down the familiar road and saw the chipped pillars and sign of the theatre. Then I turned down the dark alley that led to the stables and moved past a few humans smoking an herb near a dumpster. They were deep in hallucinations based on their ramblings, so they probably thought I was a figment of their imaginations.
If the elves caught anyone smoking an herb, they’d be killed where they stood.
After I rode past the humans in the alley, I was able to hitch the horse inside the stable without being noticed. I tied him close to the door near a stack of hay so he could eat if he wanted to.
My plan was to take him back to Adi’s the next day.
Azure greeted me with a sleepy growl as I searched for the lantern near my feet. Once I found it, I used the dragon’s breath to light it for me.
“Dar?” I whispered as I shone the lantern toward his bed and saw he was asleep. Then I turned to where the pixie usually crashed and saw her bundled up in a bunch of blankets.
I wanted to see if they had managed to get the next batch started without me, so I walked over to the tubs. I nearly tripped as Azure moved in and out between my legs, but I managed to keep my balance and arrived at the other side of the stables without the little dragon tackling me.
“Fuck yeah, Penny,” I sighed in relief as I shined the lantern and saw she had filled a few kegs with water.
I was thankful we were still on track for our next batch, but I wondered how the hell she handled it without my help. Then again, it was Penny, and she often did the impossible by herself.
Now, we just needed to get the grain.
Sleep, Wade, the keys suddenly whispered, and sleepiness suddenly intoxicated my mind in a way that didn’t seem natural.
So, I stumbled over to my makeshift bed, put down the lantern, and collapsed like a drunkard.
I could hear the horse munching on some hay in the corner, and I felt Azure licking my fingers as a deep darkness consumed me. But even though I was completely aware of my surroundings, my eyes were shut, and I knew I wasn’t awake.
I was somewhere else.
I started to hear a song from a multitude of voices humming at once, and it reminded me of what I heard when I first touched the thief’s key in Hebal’s office. The song began to tug me forward within the darkness, and it almost felt like I was underwater being pulled upward by a rope. I didn’t try and fight it, since whatever was on the other end was much stronger than I was.
I relaxed and tried to stay aware of what was happening around me. I couldn’t see anything, but the voices that hummed in the distance became louder and more precise. After a few more moments, I began to see a shimmering light just ahead of me as the force that yanked me forward became stronger and faster.
I was drawn into the light little by little until it was mere inches away from my face. Then I reached out toward it like a moth would fly right toward a lantern.
I just hoped I didn’t end up fried as the moth would.
My fingers touched the light, and then I felt one final sharp tug and emerged out the other end as if I was born again.
“Back in line!” a gruff human’s voice commanded from somewhere behind me.
My vision was blurry, but I could tell I was walking in line with a large group of people. I realized the humming I heard came from the mouths of those around me. Then I heard thunder rumble in the distance, and the patter of rain started to fall onto the ground.
I tried to take a breath but felt my chest and back weighted down with steel plated armor. After a few more steps my vision finally cleared, and I was able to see where the hell I actually was.
I was in a line of soldiers.
All of us wore the same steel armor and carried long shields and spears as we walked down a stone road in the middle of a town. The town looked a lot like one of the districts, but it seemed everyone around me was human.
I noticed along the streets were other people I assumed were the citizens of the town. They waved to us, and a few cheered as well, but most of the faces I saw were solemn and worried.
Then I noticed a soldier who carried a flag just a few positions ahead from where I was. The flag was red and white and featured a silver lion’s head stitched in the middle.
I felt like I’d seen that banner somewhere before.
The banner danced in the wind as a bolt of lighting webbed across the clouds above us. Our presence was announced with the thunder as we exited the walls and saw our enemy for the first time.
The elven army.
Their army stretched across the horizon like a thick fog, and a loud haunting horn blasted from where they stood about two hundred yards from us. I could smell the flowery scent of their magic that floated within the air, and fear rose in my stomach like half digested and rotting beef.
The elves continued to blast their horns as we marched, but now we walked horizontally and formed a long row.
“Hold!” the same gruff voice I’d heard earlier commanded, and we halted at the same time. “Right face, men!”
Without even a thought, I knew what that meant, and all of us turned to face the elves in front of us.
Then silence.
The elves had stopped blowing their horns, and we stood deathly still as we all looked at each other. The downpour of rain chimed against our armor and sounded like tiny pebbles fell from the sky, and the chill caused my bones to ache.
Where the fuck was I?
Then, as if I was punched in the gut, I knew.
“The painting … ” I breathed and felt my heart drop into my stomach.
I was in the battle of the painting, or I should say the massacre, I’d seen in the elven noble’s home.
“Ready your shields, men!” a voice shouted, and I could only assume it was our general’s voice.
I wanted to get the fuck out of there, and I wasn’t sure if I was asleep or not anymore.
Without hesitation, my body moved, took a defensive position, and raised my shield just below my eyes.
We waited in that position for what felt like an hour, until I noticed the elves formation shift, and then cloaked figures came to the front of their lines.
“Magic!” our general yelled, and all of us seemed to form a cocoon with our shields over one another.
Would shields even deter their magic?
The smell of piss and sweat was oppressive in our shield shelter, and I lowered mine just a bit so I could see what the elves were doing.
Their entire first row raised their hands toward us. Another blow blasted from their haunting horns, and a streak of blue light burst from their fingers and headed right toward our wall of shields.
“Brace!” our general yelled out, and we squeezed tighter together, but my eyes remained on the blue flames that combined into one massive comet of fiery magic.
The flames screamed toward us until it was all I saw.
“Impact!” our general shouted, and as he did, everythin
g went white.
Then I was awake.
Better yet, I was alive.
My chest moved rapidly up and down as I breathed in the smell of hay from the stables. I calmed my breathing, but the image of the painting was all I could see.
The message from the keys was loud and clear. The time had come to make our plans to steal it.
I walked over to Dar’s stall and knocked.
“Not interested in … ” Dar mumbled.
“Dar, wake up,” I said and gave him a soft kick in the rump.
“I’m up, I’m up.” Dar sat up, squinted his black eyes up at me, and then moved them to where the horse was hitched. “When did a horse decide to move in?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “I’ll get him back to Adi’s today, but we all need to talk.”
“Now?” Dar yawned and then rubbed his eyes with his hand. “Where the hell were you last night?”
“I’ll explain everything,” I replied.
“Why are you both awake so early?” Penny groaned from her own bed on the other side of Dar’s stall.
“We have a lot to talk about,” I said.
“Damn right we do,” Penny huffed as she stretched out her arms above her head.
“Listen, I’m so--” I started to apologize for never showing up to help her, but she cut me off.
“Save it,” she sneered and plopped back down into her bed.
“I’ll explain,” I said as I waved my hands. “I got caught up with some elves, and then--”
“Wait, if we are going to be talking about elves, I want some coffee first.” Dar ran a small hand through his disheveled hair and then moved to put his boots on.
“Good idea,” I said. “Let’s meet at the coffee cart across the street in a few minutes, okay?”
“Fine,” Penny grunted as she cast her emerald eyes away from me.
“Let me pee first,” Dar muttered as he stood up from his bed.
“Gross,” the pixie hissed.
“Bring Cimarra with you when she comes down to the stables,” I said as I backed away from my two friends and opened the stable door. “I’ll get us all coffees and wait for you guys.”
“What’s got him so excited?” Penny wondered out loud, but then I closed the door and walked across the courtyard beside our base.
The coffee cart I told everyone to meet at was just that, a cart with a few shoddy looking tables put around it, but the brew was better than decent, they served it quickly, and it wasn’t expensive. The order was out shortly, and I sipped my muddy coffee while I waited for the others. The three of them came out some ten minutes later, but Cimarra was the only one with a smile on her face.
“Finally,” I joked.
“Don’t give me shit about being late, do you know I had to fill the water--” Penny huffed, but then she stopped herself and calmly took a deep breath. Now that she was fully awake, she was so pissed she couldn’t even finish her thought.
“Okay, well have your coffee first, calm the fuck down, and I’ll explain,” I said as I tried to contain the smirk growing on my face.
“I’m good,” Penny huffed, adjusted her light blue silk dress ruffles, and sat down across from me.
“You’ll be better after this,” I said as I passed her a cup. Then I gave one to Cimarra and Dar.
“Thank you, Wade,” Cimarra said as she took the cup in her hands and flashed me a delightful smile.
“Coffee. Good.” Dar chuckled as he brought the cup to his lips.
“Wait … ” Penny leaned forward on the table. “What happened to your lip, Wade?”
“This was why I couldn’t help you yesterday,” I started.
“What happened?” Cimarra asked with concern in her blue eyes.
“I was arrested by the elves yesterday,” I explained.
“Oh, shit,” Dar coughed in the middle of a sip of coffee.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “They know nothing. The new commander just tried to intimidate me.”
“New commander?” Penny arched an eyebrow.
“Yeah …” I sighed. “He’s quite the bastard and nothing like the elf he replaced.”
“Shit,” Dar grunted.
“You’re sure he doesn’t know anything?” Penny asked with her intense eyes I loved so much. “Did he ask about the whiskey? What about the guild? They can’t know too much about--”
“They asked about the guild,” I explained, “but there wasn’t much to tell. They don’t really know what happened. They mostly just beat me up and then intimidated me.”
“I see,” Penny sighed as she glanced down at her coffee cup.
“Do you forgive me now?” I asked.
“I had to move those fucking water barrels all by myself,” the redhead smirked, “but sounds like you had a good excuse. For once.”
“Well, you did a good job,” I said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. So, does that mean you forgive me?”
“Naw,” Penny snickered. “Ya should have wiggled out of it. If you are the leader of our crew, you need to be smarter than the elves. Don’t let it happen again, Wade.”
“I won’t,” I laughed, but I knew she forgave me, even if she didn’t show it.
“You’re okay though?” Cimarra asked as she rested her fingers on my arm.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I reassured the beautiful dancer, but I appreciated her concern at the same time.
“Ah, Wade getting arrested, just like the good ole days with the guild.” Dar leaned back, lit his pipe, put it in his mouth, and folded his hands behind his head.
“Good ole days?” Penny questioned and glared at me as she did.
“Yeah, what good ole days?” I chuckled.
“You’re right,” Dar said flatly and smiled while he blew smoke out from his nostrils. “It was all a shitshow. These are the good old days now.”
“Until the elf fuckers find out what we are doing and string us up by our necks,” Penny scoffed.
“Let’s move on to why I wanted to talk with everyone in the first place,” I said to change the subject a bit.
“Go ahead.” Penny gestured for me to continue.
“Since Dar already brought up the ‘good ole days,’ I think it’s time we stole something,” I said as I rubbed my hands together.
“The painting?” Dar grinned.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Finally something I’m good at,” Penny said as she crossed her arms.
“The keys … ” I paused, looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot, and continued. “They’ve been talking to me a lot and even showing me things.”
“Showing you things?” the beautiful dancer asked as she leaned forward.
“Y-yeah,” I didn’t realize how strange this sounded until I heard myself start to talk about it, “through like dreams and visions.”
“Whoa.” Dar’s mouth opened slightly. “Like an ancient prophet or something?”
“I don’t know anything about prophets.” I shrugged. “All I know is I had a dream I can’t ignore.”
“What did you see?” Cimarra’s eyes were wide as she sipped her coffee.
I went on to explain the dream or whatever it was the best I could. I described how it felt being pulled into the actual scene of the painting as if I had crossed over into that reality.
“These keys seem way more powerful than I originally thought,” Cimarra mused as she pursed her lips and looked at me.
“Are we even sure that battle took place?” Penny wondered.
“How else do you think the elves gained control over this entire realm?” Dar retorted. “They stomped all the other races under their heel. Or something like that.”
“Something like that?” Penny asked as she rolled her eyes.
“Well, I’m not up on my history lessons. Too busy entertaining you two and such, but from my wee days, I recall stories of the elves being even bigger bastards than they are today. That’s how we all ended up in this mess. With t
hem controlling the world and such.”
“I’m not surprised, actually.” Cimarra shrugged. “It sounds reasonable that hundreds or thousands of years ago, our races all fought.”
“If the battle actually happened or not doesn’t matter, yet,” I decided. “I deciphered the dream as the keys telling me it was time to snatch the painting.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Penny tilted her head to the side and ran a hand through her red hair.
“Well, the good news is we’ve already scoped the place out,” I said as I leaned back in my chair. “The bad news, as we all know, is that elves live there.”
“Exactly, so how the hell do we do this?” Dar asked while he puffed on his pipe. “We’ve never done anything like this before. Well, the wine was close, but there weren’t any pointy eared fucks around when we nicked all those barrels.”
“I know it goes against everything we learned as thieves,” I sighed, “but I wouldn’t put us in a situation like this if I didn’t think it was important to our operation.”
“It’s risky, for sure,” Penny said as her eyes locked onto mine.
“It is,” I agreed, “but I strongly believe it’ll be worth it. Are you guys still with me?”
“We trust you.” Cimarra smiled and squeezed my hand on the table.
“Always, man,” Dar chortled.
“If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be here,” Penny said with a slight smirk.
“Okay then,” I smiled and continued, “I think our first issue is we need to somehow gain access into the Capital District again.”
“Another catering gig?” Dar suggested. “As much as I’d hate serving the elves again, that would be the easiest method.”
“How about a fake gig?” Penny suggested.
“How do we fake a gig?” Cimarra’s eyes drifted upward in thought.
“We’d need district entry papers and a fake contract,” I cleared my throat, “and we all know who can fake those.”
“Who?” Cimarra asked.
“The Counterfeiter’s Guild,” I replied.
“Do they do decent work?” Dar challenged as he tapped his pipe against his front tooth. “The elves aren’t easily fooled, and they don’t want other kinds wandering into their precious White City at all hours of the night.”