It was an excellent time, and Tartum was disappointed to see the circus leave town a week later. He was elated to hear they would be back in a year. Tartum promised himself to throw a diamond into the ring next year. The thought of the amount of chaos that would ensue was priceless.
Tartum was disappointed that he never saw anyone from the other cells after their unification for the Rebirth mission was disbanded. They had been paid handsomely for their troubles, and Tartum did notice that when the guards were called because of a thief, they were much slower to respond and quicker to give up the chase. When he asked Savall why the other cells never came around, he explained to him that it was intentional. Only cell bosses knew the locations of the entrances of the other cells, and that was to keep in-house assassinations to a minimum. Savall told him that to see another cell member in their compound signified a deadly threat, and unless Savall himself told him they were coming, to kill them on sight. Tartum was disappointed to hear it but gave Savall his word he would obey his orders if the situation occurred.
The months that passed after the Rebirth mission were a golden time for the guild, with their coffers bursting and enough missions and lax guards to almost take all the challenge out of the job. Tartum thought he would be able to walk into the palace and steal the King’s undergarments, if he chose to and boasted about it often to Elizabeth and Sasha. After a while, it seemed that they agreed with his assessment.
Savall called a guild meeting early one evening, almost six months after Lord Zahut’s demise. When Tartum arrived in his office, he saw that only Jeth was in the room. He sat across from Savall’s desk and absently played with his ring, as he waited for the others to arrive. Vaund was the last to enter twenty minutes after Tartum had sat down. He looked disheveled and had many large bruises on his neck, which he attempted to hide by putting up his hood. Tartum chuckled at the sight, he was proud of his young friend, Liddia was a fine catch.
Once everyone had seated, Savall got their attention by clearing his throat. All eyes were on him and Tartum wished he would hurry up, he wanted to go back to sleep. Absently, he began to toy with his ring.
“As you all know, we have been waiting for an opportunity to hit the Bishop Wyndall Argonak and get proof of his evil that we can bring to the king. We want to do this in the hope we can plant one of our own in his place and eventually use their position in the king’s ear to put one of us on the throne. Well, boys and girls, we have it on good authority that the Bishop was directly responsible for Lord Zahut’s takeover of Rebirth. He banished a large group of men with families, that included sons over the age of thirteen to Rebirth three months before Zahut invaded. We also have information showing they were in contact with each other the entire time. Our mission is to break into his tower in the palace and find those documents; anything that shows direct communication with Zahut or orders sending those families to Rebirth.” Savall pounded his fist on the table to emphasize the importance.
“We have one shot at this. Just one! The bishop is going to be out of the city for the next four days surveying the ruins of Rebirth. Apparently, the young hero of Rebirth didn’t give all the details of our mission to his holiness, and he’s just now finding out Rebirth has been burned to the ground. If we botch this mission, we’re done in Saroth. Hell, if we fail to complete this mission, one of us gets caught, or we can’t find the proof we need, we might as well leave the continent. We need to get this right, kids. We pull this off, and in a year, the thieves guild will legitimately run the city.” he said. His face was stern; Tartum had never seen him this serious or as stressed.
He handed out everyone’s assignments for the mission. Rashlarr and Savall were going to cause a distraction outside the gates to get the guards’ attention focused there and not looking towards the bishop’s tower. Vaund would be positioned inside a nearby building the guild owned to give medical or magical support if it was required for any reason. The most important job was going to Elizabeth, Tartum, and Jeth. They were going to have an enchantment cast upon them that would allow them to fly for a very short period of time. Once the distraction was in effect, they were to fly in through one of the windows fifty or sixty yards up and make their way to the bishop’s rooms. Once inside, they would have to dispatch any remaining guards, and find the documents they needed, and escape through any means necessary. They were to meet up at The Pidgeon’s Hand if they were successful, and hold up there until they were positive no pursuit was coming. After it had been ascertained they were in the clear, they would make their way back to the guild compound one at a time. Tartum found the plan extremely risky, but as far as plans go, he thought it had a decent chance for success.
With their plans made, they were dismissed to get prepared for the operation. They were striking tonight. Tartum’s head was buzzing with thoughts, as he went over the plan again and again. He had fantasized about this moment for months, always imagining he would have days or weeks to prepare for this. Now that the time had come, he felt completely unready and slightly scared. So much was riding on his group finding proof! Not to mention, Rashlarr, Savall and Vaund were going to be exposed and possibly killed giving them the opening they needed to get in undetected. Tartum began to lose his focus; he was so preoccupied with worrying about what could go wrong. He rushed through his room so fast that he almost left without equipping his staff. The mistake made him angry with himself. Standing in his doorway, Tartum berated himself for being an idiot. He forced the fear out of his mind and focused on the task at hand. He cast his dome spells to protect himself against as many threats as he could, placed some candle wax in his molars, and ensured he had all of his spell components, lock picking tools, and knife. Picking up his staff with both hands, Tartum took a deep breath and calmly walked back to Savall’s office.
Tartum had only been gone for thirty minutes, but he found he was the last to arrive. Everyone looked to be as excited and nervous as he had been prior to getting control of himself. Now he only felt eager; he couldn’t wait to get into the bishop’s room and tear through his magical collection of treasures. He was sure there would be many, and he couldn’t wait to make the most powerful ones his. With everyone back together, Savall went over the plan once more and made sure everyone understood their parts. Once he was satisfied, they were sent to get into position. As they were about to leave, Rashlarr called out to him and produced three scrolls. He handed them to Tartum and explained that he had written them using blood he took off the floor in the training room back when Jeth was instructing him in close combat. They were the spells that would give them the ability to fly. Tartum found it difficult not to run towards the palace. He was getting more excited the closer they got to the tower.
When they finally arrived, the sun was well set, and there was no moon in the sky. The darkness was total, and even the torches that lined the perimeter of the palace did little to light up the night. Tartum couldn’t think of a better environment for them to execute their mission. They spotted the bishop’s tower and took up position in the shadows of a nearby barn. All that was left to do now was to wait for the distraction. He looked at Jeth and Elizabeth as they waited and tried to read their expressions. Jeth seemed as cocky as ever, and Elizabeth looked ready to chew iron and spit nails. Tartum’s confidence was bolstered seeing their focus. This was going to work! He could feel it!
CHAPTER 28
He waited, waited for what felt like forever. Numerous times, a patrol would walk by within feet of where they were standing. Each time they did, Tartum thought they would hear his heart trying to beat out of his chest and discover them. He found himself holding his breath and willing them to just keep walking. Each time they did, he would breathe a sigh of relief and the wait for Savall’s diversion became a little more unbearable. Tartum’s patience was beginning to wane.
“How will we know the diversion worked? He never told us what he was going to do!” he said.
Jeth held a finger up to his mouth. “Shut up! We’ll know, we wa
it until then!” he hissed.
His response angered Tartum; the fact that he was right angered him even more. His anger helped to calm his apprehension, and he swallowed his retort. He knew Jeth was right; he hated the fact that he was handling the stress so much better than him, but the waiting was torture. He touched the scrolls Rashlarr had given him for the thousandth time to verify they were still there. He began to fidget with his ring, for some reason the mere act of doing something steadied his nerves and soothed his mind. Then he waited, and waited…and waited.
They sat there for over an hour before his patience finally snapped. He didn’t care about the distraction anymore, he was going in, and if Elizabeth or Jeth tried to stop him, he would beat them into submission. After another patrol had passed, Tartum pulled out one of his scrolls and opened it. Jeth and Elizabeth reacted immediately to his movement. Tartum thought they might, he put his staff between them. Tartum watched as they exchanged a glance before looking at him.
“I’ve had enough of this waiting. Savall said it himself, this is our only chance. Maybe they got caught, maybe they’re dead. I don’t know. All I know is we are in position, and we need to move now! We will never get a night as perfect as this, and we know his rooms will be empty. Stay if you will, I’m going in!” he whispered.
His words swayed both of them. They nodded and looked at him, waiting to be enchanted. From the way they were looking at him, Tartum suddenly realized he was now the leader. For most of his life, he was either just following orders or in charge of only himself. Now, due to his impatience and choice of words, Jeth and Elizabeth were looking to him for guidance. He knew that they would follow his lead now, and the knowledge made him uneasy. The weight of this unexpected responsibility made Tartum rethink his assertion. Evaluating his situation, he decided taking charge was better than waiting for a distraction that may not be coming.
He enchanted Jeth first, mostly because if he got it wrong, Jeth was the one he’d miss the least. As it was, the spell went off without incident, and in moments, they were enchanted and rising into the air. Tartum found that the spell was misleading, they weren’t so much flying as floating towards the windows above them. By adjusting the position of his body, he could loosely control the direction he was heading. They were rising fast, and the target window was coming up. Tartum watched as he saw Jeth and Elizabeth make it inside, although Elizabeth got hung up on the top of the opening. Jeth pulled her in roughly, and Tartum cringed as he watched her back drag across the unforgiving stone wall. He angled himself to float through the window as he came level with the opening. He was half way inside, when an explosion rocked the entire palace. The shockwaves knocked Tartum into the side of the window and left him dangling from the sill. Jeth and Elizabeth were to him in an instant and pulled him safely inside.
Dusting himself off, Tartum checked everyone for injury. Jeth seemed to be fine, and Elizabeth was favoring her back. There was no blood, so he assumed she was only sore from her rough entry. His own side wasn’t feeling very good, and he was still off balance from the explosion.
“Well, I guess you were right, Jeth. We definitely would have noticed that.” he said.
Jeth just looked at him and then shook his head in disgust. “We moved too soon! Elizabeth got hurt, and you almost died! We have to be smarter if we’re going to succeed!”
It was Tartum’s turn to be disgusted, “Shut up! We did what we had to do, given our circumstances! We’re here now, so get your head out of your ass and focus! Where do we go from here to get to the Bishop’s room?!” he spat at Jeth.
Tartum believed Jeth was humbled by his words and watched, as he began looking around the room. Tartum took it upon himself to also inspect the room. They found themselves in a good sized bedroom. There was a large plush bed with thick blankets centered against the interior wall. The bed was very luxurious, adorned with four oak bed posts at each corner and silk sheets flowing down each one. There were numerous pillows that looked like they were as soft and fluffy as a cloud. There were three oak dressers that matched the bed that shared the wall, two large gold framed mirrors and a separate area that held the chamber pot. There was a large liger-skin rug that covered the polished marble floor that gave the room an inviting feel. There were oil paintings that showed a variety of scenic landscapes of faraway lands. It was a very lavish room, but it looked unused. Tartum assumed it was a guest room.
Jeth was listening by the door. There were more explosions outside the window, and each one rocked them with its intensity.
“Gods! I hope they don’t take down the palace before we get to the bishop’s room!” Jeth said.
Tartum smiled, “Well, it’s definitely distracting.” he laughed quietly, as he told his joke.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and Jeth ignored him completely. He opened the door and peered down the hallway.
“Looks like its working; all clear. The bishop’s rooms are at the top.” Jeth whispered, and they were off.
Darting down the halls, Jeth quickly found the stairs, and they raced to the top floor as silently as a mouse. Upon reaching the bishop’s level, Jeth signaled for them to halt. In front of them was a golden gate that spanned the height and length of the stairwell, the only way through it was the locked door in its center. Tartum estimated the gate to be worth a large fortune in gold and thought it was a bit of a waste, considering gold was such a soft metal. He guessed it was more for show than security. Elizabeth took one look at the mechanism and laughed confidently.
“Why do they even bother?” she asked to no one in particular.
Elizabeth pulled out her lock picks and had the gate swinging open in seconds.
“Come on in, boys!” she said proudly. Jeth blew right past her; Tartum gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as they continued their ascent. Tartum couldn’t get over how smoothly things were going. So far, they were moving along beautifully, with not so much as a lone guard to impede their progress.
Reaching the end of the stairs, Elizabeth opened a second locked door that took her only slightly longer to open. As they moved inside, they saw what appeared to be a very organized and very sterile living space, complete with office and reception area. The reception area was a large room that twenty people could be in without feeling crowded. It was heavily decorated with golden chandeliers and paintings made by master artists. There were twenty very regal chairs lined up next to each other, where people waiting to see the Bishop could sit in comfort and elegance. There was a table with silver pitchers and a set of crystal goblets arranged in a six by four square that screamed of perfection. Tartum found the show of wealth as impressive as it was repulsive. Saroth was doing well, but the amount of money being used to furnish these rooms could be used to buy enough food to feed the populace for years.
Past the reception area was a doorway that led to an incredible office. The ceiling was easily fifteen feet high, and the walls were lined with books of every size and shape. Tartum was positive he had found the magical mother lode, until he began reading the titles on the books. Gone with the Waterfalls, Three Friians and a Boat, Seven Ways to Cook Nissassa, How to make a Kritchet Blush, Pagan Gods…the titles were more and more ludacris the further down he read. His heart sank when he realized this wasn’t a library of magical tomes. Instead, they appeared to be a collection of random books written about any and every subject that specifically had nothing to do with magic.
Frustrated, Tartum turned his attention to the large cherry wood desk that reminded him of a much larger and more elaborate version of the desk in Savall’s office. Inspecting it carefully, he could tell it was very old and used often. The surface was heavily polished but had small scratches and grooves from years of having important documents and writing utensils being slid across it. The drawers weren’t locked and upon searching the documents inside neither he or Jeth found anything more interesting than the bishop’s dinner selection from the night before and a small bottle of whiskey.
They entered the final r
oom after Elizabeth picked the lock with lightning speed. It appeared to be a bedroom. There was a bed that rivaled the one they saw in the room they entered when first arriving inside the tower. There were four dressers, two armoires, and multiple chests full of shoes and small clothes. A few of the drawers held religious icons and jewelry, but Jeth swept those into his pockets the minute they were discovered. He hated to give Jeth credit for anything, but he had to admit the man was an efficient thief. There was nothing out of the ordinary, let alone sinister, about the room.
It confused Tartum that they were able to so easily access the bishop’s personal chambers. There were no guards and no spells set up to bar their way. Other than the most basic of locks that would only keep the curious or the honest from bypassing them, there was no security to speak of. Tartum didn’t understand; how could a man that was so powerful, so inside the public eye, supposedly a master caster, and having dealings with alien races, hell bent on twisting men into beasts, be so lax in his defense.
He began to think that Savall and the others had the Bishop all wrong and that he wasn’t a bad man. He was beginning to think that either the guild had lied to him, or was being fooled by another source. He wondered if Jeth or Elizabeth knew more than they were telling him. The explosions had stopped, and that meant they were running out of time. After things outside were under control, the guards would perform a sweep of the area and find them inside. Things would get bad if they didn’t get out soon.
The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 2 Page 14
