“It almost didn’t, and you got lucky!” Saeter sternly pointed out. Blacknail scrunched up his face as he scowled in irritation. He had so not gotten lucky; it had been all skill!
“Do you know a better way?” he asked grumpily.
“I think I just might. It’s like hunting; you have to know your prey,” Saeter remarked with a knowing glance.
Several hours later, after the sky overhead had grown darker and evening had set in, Blacknail found himself following Saeter through Galive’s front door. They weren’t alone; dozens of other men and women were all around them. The rhythm and roil of many different conversations surrounded them as they walked calmly into their enemy’s stronghold. A dozen men wearing long black cloaks stood guard around the building, one of which looked directly at the pair for a second before turning away. Saeter and Blacknail apparently didn’t stand out.
“Look at those idiots. Thank the gods Herad doesn’t make us wear a uniform,” Saeter commented as he rolled his eyes at one of the cloaked guards.
Torches had been placed around the yard and up the walkway that led into the old temple, and their wavering orange light threw back the darkness of the night. Blacknail didn’t like it; he preferred the dark. With all the stone pillars around, the torches cast a host of shifting shadows that was actually harder to see through.
“Why is our prey letting us, and all-ss these other people, just walk-ss into his home? It’s so stupid!” Blacknail asked his master uncertainly. The hobgoblin was very confused. Was this bandit chieftain suicidal, or was this a trap? It sort of seemed like a trap to him.
“Like I said, Galive thinks he’s a priest. And what’s a priest without a congregation?”
“I dunno, what’s a congregation?” Blacknail whispered back nervously. Saeter snorted in amusement before responding.
“In this case, it’s a big party. Galive throws a feast every week. Supposedly it’s in Cor-Dius’s honor, but really, it’s just so he can show off,” Saeter told the hobgoblin with obvious disapproval.
“Oh!” Blacknail replied excitedly. A feast meant there would be food!
The pair made their way through the crowd that was entering the building and down a wide, stone hallway. Blacknail froze as the guards gave them a brief look-over, but after seeing the pair had no obvious weapons, they waved them through. A few seconds later, Saeter and Blacknail walked into a huge, round chamber. Crude wooden tables and benches filled the center of the floor, and a long counter ran along the far wall. A lot of humans were sitting down or moving about the room. Quite a few of them were also crowded around the counter to get drinks.
Long, simple black tapestries and quite a few lamps hung from the walls, and a raised platform ran along another of the walls. More black tapestries hung around the stage, and a large bronze statue stood at the back of it. The statue was of a man in a hood, and he was holding a dagger in one hand and a flaming brazier in the other.
Blacknail’s eyes were wide open in surprise as he looked around. The room was actually quite impressive. It didn’t even seem like the inside of a building to him but more like a massive cave. He wanted one of his own just like it, except he’d replace the statue with an even bigger one of himself! If he killed Galive, would Herad let him keep this one? Would the statue look better with him holding a sword or Galive’s severed head? Saeter must have seen Blacknail staring off into the distance and whacked him across the back of the head to get his attention.
“Just stay close to me and don’t make a scene. For now, we have to wait,” Saeter told Blacknail as they pushed their way toward a relatively empty corner of the room.
Up against the wall was an unused wooden bench. Saeter took a seat along its length, as far from anyone else as possible, and Blacknail sat down beside him. The old scout then leaned forward and scanned the throng of people around them.
“We’ll just stay here until Galive shows himself…” Saeter told Blacknail, and he would have continued if the hobgoblin had still been there. Blacknail had smelled something delicious and wandered off to find it.
“Bloody damnation,” the hobgoblin heard Saeter swear as he slipped through the crowds and out of sight of his master.
Blacknail’s stomach was grumbling, and there was no way he was going to pass up an opportunity to fill it. Besides, there was really no reason for him to stay there. He’d get back to his master in a few minutes.
As he weaved through the crowds, the hobgoblin observed the people around him. He made sure to avoid walking into the direct line of sight of anyone who looked threatening, and he also kept an eye out for conveniently unattended food. Almost all the humans had drinks, but most of the ones with food were sitting down. Blacknail wanted nothing to do with the crazy human liquid that made them even crazier, but he definitely wanted something to eat. It would be hard to sneak food from the people sitting down though. They were kind of eating it…
He also couldn’t take food from the people walking around with it. It was busy enough in the hall that people were watching where they were going and making sure they didn’t drop their food if they bumped into someone. So Blacknail decided to head toward the smell of cooking meat; that was where the freshest morsels would be anyway. After sniffing and looking around for a few seconds, he noticed most the humans were getting their food from a man behind a counter. Blacknail headed that way. How would he get the food though? It seemed to be kept out of sight until someone arrived to take it. The other men behind the counter were probably making it…
After giving it some thought, Blacknail decided to simply wander over to the counter and loiter around until an opportunity presented itself. The drooling hobgoblin thus casually walked over to it and leaned against it in a totally unremarkable manner. Now he just had to wait, and the tasty-smelling meat would be his. Yep, he was just another human doing stupid human things. There was absolutely no reason to look his way!
Much to the hobgoblin’s alarm, his plan almost immediately went wrong. The man behind the counter noticed his approach and turned his way. He gave Blacknail a frown as he looked him over.
“Well?” The man grunted. Blacknail flinched and panicked at the unexpected question. What had he done wrong, and what did the human want? He didn’t understand!
“I’m human,” he blurted out before cringing at his own stupidity.
“What? It’s three copper for chicken and bread, and it’s four for pork. Ale is extra. What do you want?” the bearded man asked Blacknail. The hobgoblin stared blankly at the speaker in surprise. Right… he could just buy the food. That made things simpler.
“Chicken,” Blacknail responded as he leaned back and attempted to look calm and collected. He liked chicken.
A few seconds later, a plate of food was placed in front of him, and Blacknail gave the nice man three copper. It wasn’t his money though; he’d somehow acquired it from someone’s pocket on the way over.
The roasted chicken smelled so nice, and its flesh looked soft and juicy. Blacknail wanted to start eating it right away, but he couldn’t until he took off his mask. With a frustrated sigh, he wandered back over to where Saeter was sitting.
“Where in all the hells have you been, and where’d you get the grub?” Saeter asked angrily as the hobgoblin approached.
“I bought some food. I was hungry, and I stayed out of trouble,” Blacknail replied smugly. He took off his mask and chewed a bird leg. Saeter stared at him for a few seconds; he didn’t seem to know what to say.
“Bah, whatever. Just don’t wander off again. We have a mission.”
“I have food now-ss anyway,” Blacknail replied without concern.
“You sure have been getting uppity lately. Remind me to schedule you more sword practice.”
Blacknail opened his mouth to reply, but froze when the atmosphere around him suddenly changed. The formerly loud and wild-sounding room had grown completely quiet. The unnatural suddenness of it unnerved him, and he hissed in alarm as he looked up.
; “And here’s the man himself. That’s Galive,” Saeter remarked calmly. The steady and sure sound of his master’s voice reassured Blacknail somewhat.
The hobgoblin swiftly found the source of the disturbance as he looked around the temple antechamber. Everyone was now facing the same direction and focused on the same thing. A man had walked out onto the raised stage across the room, and he was the center of attention. This new arrival was alone on the platform, but quite a few of the black-cloaked men stood in a ring along the stage and kept people away from him.
Blacknail instantly knew that this had to be Galive. Not only did he have an air of authority, but the warriors were clearly protecting him. Herad’s enemy was tall and muscled. Long black hair fell down his back, and he was dressed in dark expensive-looking clothes. Like the guards below him, he also wore a long black cloak, but his was lined with silver. He was rather similar to Herad actually, except for the friendly smile on his face.
“Welcome, my fellow bandits and dwellers in darkness to this blessed festival. Tonight, we gather together to worship our divine patron Cor-Dius, he who keeps watch over those who move in secret. So feast, rejoice, and drink to your heart’s content, for how better to show our appreciation than in revelry!” Galive announced enthusiastically as he raised his hands dramatically above his head.
His voice was loud and clear as it echoed throughout the stone chamber. As soon as he was done speaking, the crowd burst into cheers and joyous laughter. Ale splashed into the air as it escaped from people’s raised mugs. Blacknail grimaced in distaste at what he saw; the humans were getting that stuff everywhere…
Galive was basking in the crowd’s adoration, but after a few minutes, he stepped down from the stage. As the guards moved to protect him, he walked over toward an empty table that had been set aside and took a seat. Immediately, a few other figures detached themselves from the crowd and moved toward the bandit chief. Most of these people were turned away by the black-cloaked guards, but a few were let through. Among these was a group of three women, wearing next to no clothing, and several tough-looking men. Galive smiled and invited the women to sit next to him, and they were soon draped around him. The men took seats across the table from Galive and started talking amongst themselves.
“What now, master?” Blacknail asked as he watched. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to go after the man now. He had a lot of guards around to protect him.
“Take a second to memorize his face. When they retire for the night, you can go over there and catch his scent and then you can track him to his room when things quiet down,” Saeter explained.
Blacknail sighed; he didn’t feel much like waiting around. Normally, he would enjoy lying in wait for the perfect time to strike, but all the movement and noise in the room had him at the edge of his seat and bursting with energy. He wanted to do something now!
“I could-ss go over there and listen in. They wouldn’t suspect it, since humans are-ss terrible listeners with tiny little ears,” Blacknail remarked.
“That’s pointless. They won’t be saying anything important, and you’d only be drawing attention to yourself,” Saeter replied. Blacknail groaned and leaned back against the wall. His master sure knew how to take all the fun out of assassination…
The hobgoblin impatiently started looking around for something interesting to watch. Mostly, all he saw was humans staggering around, shouting, and making fools of themselves. It would be so easy to stab some of them… The minutes passed, and Blacknail grew more and more frustrated. Eventually, with an annoyed hiss, he sprung to his feet and tried to find something to do. This time though, Saeter reached out and grabbed his shoulder before he could get away.
“Sit back down and wait.” The old scout pulled the hobgoblin back onto the bench. Blacknail grunted when he sat back down. He was so bored! Why couldn’t he wander around a bit?
Several hours passed, and they seemed like an eternity. Saeter only allowed Blacknail up to purchase more food and drinks, and even then he accompanied the hobgoblin to the counter. Eventually, the celebration started to die down. Some of the noisy human revelers began to leave and others simply collapsed onto tables, chairs, and even the floor.
As Blacknail was throwing another bored look around the room, he noticed movement from his prey. The hobgoblin immediately sat up and focused completely on Galive; his eyes narrowed behind his mask and his ears perked up as he stared. The man had gotten up and was headed for a doorway that led further into the building. He had two of the women from earlier on each of his arms, and his guards were following him as well. Saeter had noticed this as well.
“Let’s go.” He grunted to the hobgoblin and stood up.
Finally! Blacknail smiled as he and his master walked across the room toward the now deserted table. They made their way past drunken humans and the garbage they had left behind. Bodies and empty tankards littered the floor.
When they reached the table, Blacknail immediately started sniffing around. He could detect the scent of several distinct humans. So he quickly leaned down over where Galive had been sitting and started smelling it. He was so engrossed in this, he didn’t notice the man approach him from behind.
“What in all the hells do you two think you’re doing?” one of Galive’s guards asked them.
A huge, muscled thug had drawn his sword and was standing behind Blacknail while glaring suspiciously at the masked hobgoblin and his master. Blacknail stiffened in alarm, and his hand crept toward one of his daggers. Out of the corner of his eye, he quickly glanced around the room and noticed several other guards looking their way as well. That wasn't good; if it came down to a fight, then things were going to get messy quickly.
Chapter 20
Before the hobgoblin could act and draw his weapon, Saeter quickly spoke up. A huge content smile appeared on his face as he turned toward the thug, and it kind of freaked Blacknail out. His master's face didn’t look right unless he was glaring or scowling.
“We were just checking to see if any of the bigwigs dropped any coins. We already spent all of ours, but we still need some more drinks,” Saeter muttered brokenly as if he’d been hit over the head a few times. The old scout swayed slightly as he waited for Galive’s minion to respond. The guard eyed them critically for a second but then snorted in disgust.
“If you don’t have any more money, then get out of here. A man of your age should bloody well know better than this,” the cloaked thug told Saeter before turning around and walking away. When the other man was gone, the smile immediately dropped from Saeter’s face, and a familiar scowl reappeared.
“Ya, fuck you too,” he muttered and turned back to Blacknail. “Did you get it? We need to move.”
“I got it; the human Galive can’t hide from me!” Blacknail whispered excitedly.
“He doesn’t need to hide, he’s a bloody Vessel and an experienced fighter. In anything like a fair fight, he’ll rip your scrawny green ass apart,” Saeter growled back.
“I’ll be very sneaky.” Blacknail wasn’t too worried about it. Galive wouldn’t be the first Vessel he’d faced, and fair fights were for idiots and humans anyway.
“You’d better. Don’t take any foolish risks. We can always try again another night,” Saeter explained.
“Yes, master. What-ss now?”
“Now you’re on your own. I’m not much good at sneaking around a building like this. Find Galive and kill him. Just don’t let anyone see you, especially not Galive,” Saeter ordered him sternly.
“Yes, master,” Blacknail whispered back gleefully.
It was time for the hunt to begin, the oh-so-delicious hunt. Blacknail licked his lips and started salivating just thinking about it.
“I’ll be outside across the street and a bit down the escape path we planned out,” Saeter said. The old scout gave Blacknail a farewell nod and started walking toward the front entrance. Blacknail watched him go for a second before turning around and smirking at the door Galive had gone through.
At last, it was time to have some fun! Galive was going to regret making him sit still so long! He would also regret making Herad angry too, of course. Either one was really a bad idea.
Now, what was the best way of tracking down his prey? Blacknail slowly turned and regarded the room around him. There were still a lot of random residents of Daggerpoint around, but none of them were looking his way. The only problem was the cloaked guards standing around the perimeter of the room. Two stood by the bar, two more were by the main entrance, and one was stationed by the door Galive had gone through. As Blacknail watched, the last guard glanced his way. Blacknail knew he was acting somewhat suspicious, so he casually turned around and mingled with the remains of the earlier crowds. He then looked around the room. There was no easy way into any of the doors that led inside; they were all guarded. He’d have to make his own way in, and that meant he needed a distraction. What would work?
After a few more seconds of thought, Blacknail headed over to the table closest to the door Galive had gone through. There were two men and one woman sitting at it, and they all seemed quite drunk. The woman seemed unsteady and was leaning onto the larger of the two men. Blacknail grinned as he walked past them. They would work perfectly.
For his plan to work, he still needed another human, and none happened to be nearby. That was easily solved though. All he had to do was use a human trap. Blacknail nonchalantly strolled up behind the people seated at the table and placed several coins on the ground behind them. He then took a seat at a nearby table and waited. Within a few minutes, a human took his bait. A man from across the room noticed them and walked over to pick them up. As he passed Blacknail, the hobgoblin got up and quietly shadowed him. Just as the man was about to reach down and pick up the coins, Blacknail tripped him. The man grunted in surprise as he fell over and hit the woman at the table, and she screeched in alarm. Immediately, her large companion got up and pushed the other man away.
“You little bastard, what do you think you’re doing?” the larger man roared angrily.
City of Daggers (The Iron Teeth Book 2) Page 19
