by Logan Jacobs
“I’ve got the muffins for Alexi’s and everything for the miners back here with me, too,” Skam shouted from the back.
“Great work, Skam.” I leaned my head down to see through the crack since we covered the wagon.
“Do ya want me to deliver those first, or how will this work?” the dwarf asked.
“We’ll stop by Alexi’s first and then head to the miners location,” I answered. “Dar will chat with the leader and bring them inside for a story.”
“They love my stories.” Dar puffed his chest out as he drove.
“Then, you and me and maybe another few who our contact brings will unload the cart and transfer the barrels over,” I explained.
“Easy enough,” Skam said.
“After that, we get to enjoy the retired miners’ company for a bit as Dar finishes his fable.” I nudged my halfling friend.
“My father was a miner,” Skam said from the back. “They might remember him.”
“They’re old, so they might not,” Dar laughed.
“There’s nothing to worry about though, Skam,” I reassured the new team member.
“I ain’t worried, Mr. Wade, just curious, that’s all,” the dwarf replied.
“Still smoking … ” I murmured as I stared at the pillar of smoke rising from the Halfling District. It looked like a faded finger stirring the rain clouds that continued to build across the sky.
“I’m curious how the Elven Guard will respond,” Dar said as he pulled his hood over his head.
“It’s a first for them for sure.” I smiled at the thought. “I think they’ll pull out of the district though, at least, I hope they do.”
“So, we can get the twins’ business back?” Dar asked.
“And many more halflings, my friend.” I clapped his shoulder.
“What do you think about the chest?” Dar prodded as he remembered our previous conversation.
“I’m ready to find the damned thing,” I began with a frown, “I just wish it wasn’t in the Capital District.”
“We’ve been there a lot lately,” Dar chuckled. “Any ideas on how to get to it?”
“Let’s get through tonight first,” I said as I rested my foot on the ledge of the wagon. “Then we’ll tackle the chest.”
“Alright,” Dar said as he pulled the wagon over in front of Alexi’s. “Skam, can you run the blue box inside and collect the payment?”
“Aye,” the dwarf said as he hopped down from the wagon and went inside the cafe.
“You trust him?” I asked Dar.
“It’s weird, but I really do.” Dar nodded. “I feel like he fits right in with us.”
“I feel the same way,” I said as I looked over the blue and white cafe. “Let’s hope we are both right.”
“Skam doesn’t have a lot of options outside of us.” Dar shrugged. “That’s why I trust him.”
“You’re right.” I agreed.
“All set?” Dar yelled out as the dwarf exited the cafe.
“Aye,” Skam said as he held up the two silver coins. “You want these, Mr. Wade?”
“Keep em,” I said and gestured for him to get in the back again.
“Thank you, Mr. Wade.” Skam smiled and moved toward the back of the wagon. “This rain will make the dwarven streets even more interesting, eh?”
“Yeah,” Dar groaned as he strained against the reins when he pulled the horses back onto the road. “Let’s make this drop off quick.”
“That’s the goal,” I muttered, “so maybe don’t tell as long of a story this time?”
“You can’t rush a master at work, Wade.” Dar dismissed me with his hand. “It’s hard to see in this rain.”
“I know,” I agreed. “I’ll keep my eye out for the hall. Just keep your eyes on the road and make sure we get there in one piece.”
The rain poured down on us and made me feel like we were a boat lost at sea during a storm. Then the water created steam clouds off the drainage sewers and made the already hazardous roads even worse, but Dar steered the wagon perfectly as it slipped along the road and through the fog.
“See the miners’ logo on that building?” I shielded my eyes from the rain.
“Got it,” Dar said. “In the back right?”
“Yeah, and there’s Hebal’s wagon over there.” Like last time, I held my hand out for them to hold until I knew the miners were occupied with Dar’s story.
Hebal returned the gesture and held their position.
“Another tight fit,” Dar grumbled as he maneuvered the wagon through the side alley until it opened into an industrial yard full of pallets and steel drums.
“Skam, stay inside the wagon for a second, okay?” I hopped down while Dar was still parking and moved to the back door of the building.
“Aye,” the dwarf said from the back of the cart.
“Do all the miner halls look the same?” Dar questioned as he parked.
“Pretty much, Mr. Dar!” Skam shouted over the rain.
And he was right. This hall looked nearly identical to the Burgundy one except it was just plopped in a different location. The hall itself had the Miners’ Association logo painted on the sidewall with some Dwarvish written above it.
“Mud-stained, dented, and bruised buildings everywhere you look,” Skam sighed as he leaned a thick arm outside of the wagon. “Home sweet home.”
“Delivery!” I yelled as I knocked on a faded green door. “Dar, why don’t you grab at least one box of muffins to bring with you.”
“Got it.” Dar ran around to the back of the wagon.
“Here you go, lad.” Skam handed him a wide blue and white box. “You got it?”
“Ya, it’s heavier than I thought,” Dar groaned.
“Those would be the potato mash cookies they requested.” Skam licked his lips. “My favorite, too.”
“They feel like I’m carrying bricks,” Dar huffed as he made his way over to me by the door.
“You got it, or will you need help?” I asked as I brought a hand underneath the box while I tried to cover it from the rain at the same time.
“I got it, I got it,” Dar grumbled, “they just better--”
“The storyteller has arrived!” the tiny gray wrinkle of a dwarf celebrated as he opened the door. “Come in, come in.”
“Yes, sir, here he is.” I showcased my halfling friend with my hand. “With some potato mash cookies.”
“Ah, tell Cimarra thank you for these.” The dwarf nodded and motioned to Dar. “Come, the lads are waiting for ya.”
“We will bring in the rest,” I said as I waved Skam out of the wagon.
“Come find me for your payment, human,” the wrinkled old dwarf replied as he walked inside with Dar.
I shut the door and moved to the side of the building to get back to the front where I saw Hebal’s wagon. As soon as I saw them, I waved them over.
“They comin’?” Skam asked and lowered the back door of the wagon.
“They are,” I said as I stood next to the dwarf and waited for Hebal’s wagon to pull in.
I could hear the wagon wheels trudging through the muddy alley and Hebal whispering curses.
“What’s going on?” I moved over to the side to see what the holdup was.
“Give us a sec, human,” Hebal panted. His face was beet red as he jumped down from the wagon. “We’re stuck.”
“The fuck you are,” I scoffed. “We have to load you up, like now.”
“Aye, no shit,” Hebal growled as he and three other dwarves tried to push the wheels free from the muddy hold.
But the more they tried, the weight of the wheels dug a deeper hole.
“Ah, for Ancients’ sake.” Hebal shoved one of his men down as he gave it a go himself. “Fuck this rain and especially this mud!”
“How about we use these?” Skam joined us around the corner, and as he did, all of Hebal’s soldiers drew their blades.
“Who the hell is he?” Hebal demanded as he pointed a finger coated wi
th mud at Skam.
“He’s with me,” I said and turned to face the tattooed dwarf.
“The mud is too slick with the rain, the wheels need friction, ya dummies.” Skam held up a wooden pallet. “You’re embarrassing our kind.”
“You’ve got a dwarf workin’ for you now?” Hebal’s eyes narrowed as he moved his eyes back to Skam. “What tribe are ya from?”
“My family were miners,” Skam said, and it was clear he didn’t know who he was talking to. “Do ya want help or not, lad?”
“I ain’t your lad,” Hebal snapped and spat toward Skam. “I’m older than you.”
“Well, we don’ have all day do we, Wade?” Skam asked as he slammed his fist through the wooden pallet and tore apart a wooden slab.
“He’s right, we don’t.” I smirked as I turned to Hebal.
“Neither do we, you … ” Hebal groaned as he tried to push the wheel again but fell face first in the mud. He stood, and the expression on his face matched the thunder and lightning that cracked through the sky.
“What do we have to do?” I asked Skam as I ignored the bitter, muddy dwarf and began to solve the problem at hand.
“I’ll handle it.” Skam trotted over to the wagon and slipped a slab of wood underneath the wheel. Once it was in place, he gestured to Hebal.
Hebal said something in his native tongue to one of his goons, who then smacked the horse on the rump.
“There it is!” Skam clapped me on the shoulder as the wheel gripped onto the wooden slab and lifted out of the mud pit.
“Now, get on there and bring it to the back before it gets even muddier,” I instructed as I jogged back to our wagon.
Hebal’s dwarves joined us and lifted a few barrels on their shoulders as their wagon stopped next to mine.
“I’ll roll them over to you,” I said before I jumped into our wagon and began to roll the barrels to the edge of the cart.
“I can take another,” Skam said as he had one barrel on a shoulder and took one more on his free one.
Within a minute or two, the wagon was unloaded.
“Your coin,” Hebal grumbled as he tossed a pouch over to me. “It’s all there.”
“I believe you,” I said as I watched his thugs finish loading the last barrel. “What a difference a week makes, huh, partner?”
Hebal didn’t respond but just walked away covered in mud and rain.
“I’d say that was a success,” Skam said while we both stood in the downpour and waved as Hebal’s wagon drove off.
“C’mon, let’s get inside and out of this rain,” I said before I slipped the coin pouch in my pocket and moved toward the door.
“And outta this lightning,” Skam added as he opened the door for me.
“I wouldn’t want to be near these steel drums for too long in a storm like this,” I snorted as I pointed to a polished barrel and saw my reflection.
Then I paused before I entered the building.
“What’s wrong?” Skam wondered.
My eye caught the reflection from a streak of lightning behind me in the shiny surface of the steel drum.
“Gotcha,” I muttered.
“What?” the dwarf asked with a look of confusion.
“Sorry, just the sight of this lightning has me seeing things,” I said as I walked into the miners’ hall.
I wasn’t seeing things, though, and it wasn’t the sight of lightning that stopped me, but the reflection of a hooded blonde woman on the roof behind me.
She wasn’t an elf, and she wasn’t with Hebal.
It was time to see who she really was.
Chapter 20 - Ava
Thank the Ancients the rain had stopped. Only the rumble of thunder lingered as it growled overhead every few seconds like my hungry stomach.
I was famished. I hadn’t had time to eat or sleep in a few days. This week had proven to be one of my more challenging assignments, and I’d needed to hide in some small spaces and choose who to follow carefully, but the payoff for my work had finally come to fruition.
I’d seen all I needed to prove that Wade and his crew were responsible for the murders at the Thief’s Guild. Now, it was time for them to understand what they’d done.
“How long are you going to be in there?” I whispered into the wet darkness as I waited for my targets to come back to their wagon.
No answer was forthcoming.
“What do you think, Adrian?” I clicked my tongue as I asked my mentor’s ghost. “I think you’d be proud of me with this one.”
Maybe I was losing it, but when you spend this much time on your own, sleeping on wet roofs and dumpsters, nothing but killing the target mattered anymore.
“I’ll be outnumbered, but I’ve been outnumbered before,” I responded to no one’s question as I swiped my hair out of my eyes.
Wade had led me on one of the best chases in my career. This was even better than the elf I killed, especially after today’s events.
“Rindell’s … ” I sighed as I touched my injured leg. I was nearly blown apart at the incident earlier. I didn’t know if the madame had survived or not, but it looked like I’d have to find a new space to conduct my business after I’d dealt with Wade and his crew.
Thankfully, I overheard the dancer tell Wade where the meetup was tonight with the other dwarf before the idiot elves nearly destroyed the entire district.
“Let’s head back to the stables,” Wade said as he opened the back door of the Dwarven Hall.
I buried my face in a puddle on top of the roof that overlooked the Miner’s Hall. The ledge didn’t provide me with a lot of cover, but I made it work.
“Don’t we have to go back to Adi’s?” Dar questioned. “So we don--”
“We’ll return it first thing in the morning,” Wade cut his friend off. “I just want to get back before it starts to downpour again.”
“Okayyy,” Dar said.
This was interesting.
I wasn’t following Wade at the time they did these deliveries before, but it seemed like Wade was changing the routine.
“What’re you doing?” Wade asked.
“I have to pee so bad, hold on,” Dar replied as the sound of his piss hitting the mud reached my ears.
“Hurry,” I muttered under my breath.
“What did ya think of tonight’s story?” the halfling asked as he finished his piss.
“It’ll be your last,” I whispered and waited for the wagon to move before I moved. I’d hitch a ride with them if the dwarf sat up front this time.
“Not bad, not bad,” the dwarf chuckled and burped at the same time. “I was glad they didn’t finish all those potato mash cookies.”
“Yeah, this isn’t a bad gig.” Wade hesitated. “Are you done?”
“Okay, I’m ready,” Dar said, and I heard his big feet jump onto the rickety wagon.
I lifted my head and saw all three sitting on the front bench.
“Time to go.” I stood, hustled along the roof’s edge, and then I jumped down onto the pile of wooden pallets I had used to climb up on.
The wagon started to turn onto the main road, but I still had time.
I used the holes within the pallets like a ladder and hurried down until my feet touched the soft wet mud.
The wagon just exited the alley, but the wet mud would slow them down enough to allow me to catch up on foot.
My head dipped as I sprinted along the side of the Miners’ Hall and followed the wagon.
“I don’t know if I could do another thing today, lads,” the dwarf groaned and stretched his arms high into the air. “You’ve got any extra barrels at the stables I could uh … ”
“You need a little taste, eh?” Dar’s laugh echoed down the road.
It was never easy to look inconspicuous when running, but thanks to the rain and the chaos in the Halfling District, most creatures were already inside for the night.
And I was one of the best in this cursed city.
“Aye, it’s been a long time
,” the dwarf began, “I used to fantasize about having a pint of dwarven mead when I was in the elven labor camps.”
“Keep your voice down,” Wade ordered as he steered the wagon to the left.
I used the turn to my advantage and put myself in the perfect position to latch onto the back. Then I waited for a bump to use that to cover my body hitting the rear door.
“Sorry, Mr. Wade,” the dwarf said. “You get what I’m saying though, don’ ya?”
A few more feet passed, and the wagon dipped in the road and rocked back and forth. I used that motion, leaped onto the back, and clung on the railing as my feet fit perfectly on the small edge. If the wagon’s canvas covering weren’t up, this would be suicide, but being a lithe woman had its advantages when trying to hitch a ride.
“Take me to the stables,” I muttered to myself as I tightened my grip on the wooden railing. I decided I’d get off just before the theatre.
“I do.” Wade cleared his throat. “Do you know how to make it?”
As I listened, I considered whether I should climb all the way in the rear of the wagon or not.
“Make what?” the dwarf asked and spoke in a hushed tone. “Dwarven mead?”
“Yeah, do you know how to make it?” Wade wondered again.
I could tell what Wade was thinking just by the sound of his voice. I rarely found any admirable traits in my targets after following them for a week, but with Wade, I felt myself thinking differently.
It was a shame he had to die.
“I wish, lad,” the dwarf chuckled. “Many years ago, before the elven towers, and before they took away our spirits, my uncle used to brew it.”
I’d have no issue killing him for breaking the assassin’s code, but I debated if I should let him know the impact that he and his crew had on me during this interesting week.
“Is he still alive?” Dar asked.
“No idea, lad,” Skam responded, “but his blueberry mead would bring me to tears if I had it again today.”
The whole whiskey operation made sense to me. It was the perfect way out of the Thief’s Guild. These bootleggers were ambitious, that’s for sure.
“Blueberries, huh?” Dar asked as he smacked his lips. “Could we do something like that?”
“We could,” Wade said as he swung the wagon to the right. “Blackberries, blueberries, apples, and I’ve even seen watermelon.”