Vosh was grinning excitedly like a mad-man.
He’s crazy! Rizzo thought to himself as they got closer. He started to subconsciously walk slower as if to let Vosh take the lead and get a few feet ahead. Vosh never slowed his stride and walked straight up to one of the guards.
When he was almost within arms-reach he stuck his hand inside his cloak to pull out the pass. A ring of metal sounded as both guards simultaneously unsheathed their swords halfway. Vosh immediately paused where he was, hand still in his cloak and other hand up as if to surrender.
“Whoa, calm down,” said Vosh, still somehow sounding impossibly calm. “Sorry, just grabbing this letter.” Vosh slowly pulled out the pass and they relaxed and sheathed their swords. He handed it to one of the soldiers and stepped back, then waited for them to look it over.
The guard who took the letter unrolled it and briefly glanced at it. “Let them through,” said the guard with a deep rough voice.
Rizzo froze, barely believing what he just heard. He did not expect it to be this easy.
“Don’t you want to ask me about my family history or something?” Vosh said, sounding surprised himself, but also disappointed.
Are you crazy, Rizzo thought to himself? He was furious. Why wouldn’t Vosh just take their good fortune and walk through the gate.
“No,” said the guard bluntly and sounding slightly annoyed.
Vosh stared at him a moment longer and then huffed and walked through. After he passed the gate, the soldiers eyes went to Rizzo, making him realize he was just standing there in shock with his mouth slightly ajar. He quickly scurried to follow Vosh.
Rizzo paused when he saw what was inside. There was an extravagant garden spanning fifty yards in either direction. Short cut bushes outlined the edges with stone pathways snaking throughout the plants. A large water fountain could be seen in the middle and enormous dwellings were spaced out around the outside edges.
A few people were walking along some of the stone pathways, some talking with one another and others just admiring the beauty of the plants. Rizzo looked down the left street and saw Vosh walking away and muttering to himself, so he quickly ran to catch up.
“What in the world were you thinking back there?” asked Rizzo angrily.
“What was I thinking?” said Vosh matching his anger. “I spent most of the day thinking up a back-story for some stupid noble and this lazy guard doesn’t even ask a single question for us to prove who we are!” Vosh’s reaction was so unpredictable that it caught Rizzo off guard. He laughed, realizing Vosh was only upset because he felt cheated that he wasted his time planning Robert’s story.
“What the hell is so funny?” demanded Vosh, still annoyed. Rizzo continued laughing for a few seconds before answering.
“You can be a dumbass sometimes,” said Rizzo. “You sound like you actually wanted that guard to be suspicious.”
Vosh calmed a little bit after thinking about what Rizzo was saying. “Well, I would’ve been ready for anything he could have asked me,” said Vosh, still stubborn about clarifying that part. Rizzo just shook his head and continued walking.
“So how do you know where we are going?” asked Rizzo when he noticed Vosh looking around.
“Well, Sten gave me a map of course,” said Vosh.
“Can I see it?” Asked Rizzo, wanting to look at it and make sure they were going in the right direction.
“Not exactly. I memorized it and left it back in the Slums,” replied Vosh. Before Rizzo could reply, Vosh took a turn down another street. He stopped mid-stride as a group of four patrolling guards, armored like the ones at the gate came barreling down on him. Vosh had to step back quickly to avoid being trampled. The guards halted after seeing Vosh almost trip over himself.
“Sorry sir,” said a guard as he slightly bowed his head. Vosh froze for a split second, not knowing what to do, then did something stupid.
“Do you not see that we are walking here?” said Vosh angrily. “I am Sir Robert Belhus and I demand you move aside while we pass.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard practically squeaked his reply, quickly moving to the other side of the street so the two could pass. Vosh continued walking past the guards, glaring at them.
Rizzo was forced to follow behind, shocked at what he just witnessed. He didn’t know why he let Vosh surprise him like that anymore since he had been doing crazy things his entire life.
“On second thought, I could get used to this,” said Vosh as he continued walking through the streets at a furious pace, making it hard for Rizzo to keep up. He now looked around corners to see if anyone was approaching though.
The streets were practically empty, except for a few scattered groups of guards here and there. It seemed that there were more guards than noble’s. Vosh wasn’t lying when he said they bought the best protection possible.
When they finally made it to the market area, they found that many shops had closed for the night. The market in the Noble’s District was much smaller than the one he was used to in the town square.
Rizzo only saw a handful of stores, probably less than a dozen. A large wooden square platform stood in the middle of the market, most likely used for the crier to shout out any news in the city. His gaze stopped on a building on the other side of the platform where the windows were blocked from the inside. A sign hung on the outside of the door saying opening soon. That had to be the store the Thieves Guild wanted information about.
Vosh saw the door as well and then looked up towards the sky at the approaching night. Both boys thought the worst, that they were too late, and the shopkeeper had already left for the day. Just then a flicker of light passed through the crack under the door as if a candle was just being lit. The owner must still be inside!
“Looks like we made it with little time to spare,” said Vosh as he let out a sigh of relief. “Now we need to come up with a plan on how to get the key.”
“What if we act like we are fighting?” Asked Rizzo, having already spent some time thinking about that on the walk over. “When the store owner comes to try and break us up, it will give you an opportunity to grab the key.”
“That’s perfect!” said Vosh. He scanned the area, looking for the best place to make the grab. “Ok, there are only two ways into the market. The street we just came in through and the one over there on the other side of the store.” Vosh pointed with his fingers indicating where he was talking about. “Now he will most likely use the street near his store since that one leads further into the Noble’s District, and this street here only leads towards the garden and the exit. I want you to go wait at the end of the street behind his shop. I’m going to wait around the corner and watch as the store owner locks up for the night, so I can see where he puts the key. Then I’ll run back over here, and that’s where we will start fighting. You’ll have to make it look convincing though.” It was well known that Rizzo was not the best at acting.
“I think I can handle that,” said Rizzo, trying to be positive but unsure of how convincing he could be. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Well, I might as well go and wait. No telling what time he will decide to leave.”
Vosh nodded in agreement and Rizzo started walking. He studied the market as he went through, trying to memorize everything he could. It was completely different from what he was used to. The streets were not packed full of people, the pathways were paved and had green grass growing around them, and the buildings were spaced out and designed to please the eye.
Every building was made from smooth sculpted stone and encircling each were various exotic plants. Rizzo couldn’t imagine what it would be like growing up in a place such as this. Even though he was staring right at it, it was hard to believe a place like this existed inside the same city he grew up in.
Rizzo continued walking and then turned down the street behind the shop. It was short and empty, taking a single turn down another street a few hundred feet away. Rizzo was unsure of what to do while he waited, so he sat on the
grass next to the path. Only a short time passed before he was lost in his thoughts, thinking about what life would be like living in the Noble’s District.
A faint noise sounded in the back of his mind. He ignored it at first, blankly staring down the street. Night had taken over, shadowing everything in darkness. He snapped back to reality as his gaze shifted and he saw Vosh running towards him. Rizzo scrambled to his feet, just as Vosh skidded to a halt in front of him.
“Ok, hit me and make it look real,” said Vosh, slightly winded.
Rizzo hesitated, not wanting to hurt his friend. He made a pathetic attempt to hit Vosh on the side of the head. Vosh sighed angrily, then cocked his arm and slapped Rizzo across the face. Furious rage boiled over Rizzo as he stood there, leaning over and looking at the ground with his hand covering his stinging cheek.
He made a fist with his other hand and shouted as he blindly swung at Vosh. Vosh swiftly moved aside and grabbed ahold of Rizzo, locking their arms together. Rizzo wrestled to break free, but Vosh was a few years older and much stronger.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” said Vosh, struggling to restrain Rizzo. He maneuvered him into a headlock that he struggled to get out of. “Keep it up, he’s coming.”
While trying to break free, Rizzo looked up and saw someone walking towards them. It was an ancient looking old man wearing long white robes embroidered with gold stitching. He was tall, easily half a foot above Vosh, but thin and frail looking.
When Rizzo saw the man he suddenly remembered what they were supposed to be doing, but Vosh still would not let go of the headlock. Rizzo continued to try and break free but kept one eye on the man as he kept walking slowly down the path. Rizzo grew worried as the man did not quicken his pace as if he was trying to rush to break up a fight.
When he got closer to the two he walked at an angle, as if to go around. Rizzo panicked, realizing that the man was going to ignore them. When he was close, he tried to make one last-ditch effort. Rather than try to break free, he ran and pushed Vosh, surprising him and causing him to stumble backwards into the chest of the old man.
Rizzo kept trying to charge, pushing with all the strength in his legs, expecting to have the three of them fall onto the grass on the other side of the path. Instead, the man was as unmovable as a brick wall.
The old man grabbed both boys by the back of their collars and lifted them off the ground. They stopped fighting immediately, suspended in mid-air, frozen in shock from the old man’s strength. He turned them, so they were looking at his furious, wrinkly old face.
Rizzo could not believe what was happening. After staring for a few seconds, the man let go, causing them to fall flat on their backside. Then the old man huffed and walked away without saying a word.
"What the hell just happened?" asked Vosh after the man was out of earshot. They got to their feet and dusted themselves off. "That skinny old man looked like it would be a struggle just for him to get out of bed in the morning!" Rizzo was just as confused as Vosh, but since he had no answer, he focused on what was important.
"Did you get the key?" asked Rizzo.
"Of course,” said Vosh, opening his hand to reveal a silver key and holding it in the air proudly.
"Good, now let's go turn it into Sten and get paid,” said Rizzo as he walked in the direction of the gate entrance. “It’s been a long day and I’m ready for it to be over with.” After a few steps, he looked back and saw Vosh was not following. Vosh looked how he normally did when he was thinking of doing something that could get them both into trouble.
"What's wrong?" asked Rizzo, knowing he would not like the answer.
"We put in the hard work to get this key and we should be the ones to have the first pick of whatever we want inside,” said Vosh. "I say we use this key for ourselves."
Rizzo considered it for a second. "The guild wouldn’t be too happy about that."
"Who says they have to know?" replied Vosh. "The store hasn’t even opened yet, so it might be empty for all we know. Plus, now it’s pretty dark outside so it will be easy to sneak around."
Rizzo knew the guild would discover if they broke into the shop and took something, but he also knew that Vosh would probably do it with or without him. "Ok, but on one condition. If we find anything of value, I say you give it to the guild as a gift. If that doesn’t get their attention, then nothing will."
“Agreed,” said Vosh eagerly. He turned and walked quickly down the street with Rizzo following behind. When they made it to the front of the building Vosh didn’t hesitate before reaching to unlock the door. But, before he could, Rizzo grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"What?" asked Vosh, sounding annoyed.
"You don't see that?" asked Rizzo, staring terrified at the door. Vosh followed his eyes but had no idea what Rizzo meant.
"Ya, it’s a door and I'm about to open it," replied Vosh, brushing off Rizzo’s concern.
"It's glowing! You don't see it?" Rizzo was scared, staring at the door and not sure what he was seeing. White waves of energy continuously passed over it, giving off a slight glow. He couldn't explain it, but something inside him was screaming to not touch the door.
Vosh looked back and forth between Rizzo and the door. "It looks like any other door to me. Are you feeling ok?"
Rizzo felt fine except for the gut instinct to not touch the door. He couldn't help but stare at it though. Whatever this power was, it was drawing him in. There was an instant connection and he wanted more than anything to understand what this feeling was. He was mesmerized, losing focus of the world. The energy felt familiar to him, like he had known it his entire life, but he couldn’t explain it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand reach towards the door. Before he could stop him, Vosh put the key in the lock. Rizzo watched as the waves of energy moved rapidly, condensing itself into lines. Time slowed for him while he was transfixed, observing the energy as it moved.
The lines formed a circular symbol on the door, one that Rizzo instinctively knew was the source of the power. In the center was an outline of a person and much more complicated symbols were along the inner edge. It all happened in a split second and then the symbol flashed bright, then dispersed back to being white waves of energy.
Vosh was blasted two feet back from the door, collapsing to the ground. Rizzo snapped out of his trance and rushed to his friend’s side, checking to make sure he was alive. He found Vosh was still breathing, but slowly. Oddly enough, it appeared as if he was fast asleep. As if to confirm, he started softly snoring, making Rizzo breathe a sigh of relief.
After seeing his friend was alive, Rizzo looked around to make sure they had drawn no attention. The market was shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see, but there was no one around.
Rizzo had the lingering desire to see the energy again, so he went back to the door. The white waves of swirling energy were still there but were back to their calm state. He couldn’t explain what he was seeing but desperately wanted to know more about it.
He focused on trying to see the symbol that appeared when Vosh was hit with the energy. But he was clueless as what to do. Just as he was about to give up, he felt a presence in the back of his mind.
Something moved Rizzo, making him reach out towards the door. An invisible hand guiding him and tempting him with hidden secrets. His heart raced as his fingers came close. Something changed and suddenly, he could see the remnants of the circular symbol.
Rizzo didn’t know how, but he knew that when the door was touched, the energy activated and merged into the lines he was seeing. As Rizzo watched, he noticed the energy was moving across the surface of the door and towards the symbol, like it was feeding it. He moved his hand over the door, hovering only inches from its surface.
When his hand got near the energy, it disrupted the pattern of how it was flowing. He continued moving his hand over the door, tracing the lines of the symbol. His hand passed over one of the thinner lines and it quivered. He hovered over the li
ne and it continued to shake.
Again, Rizzo felt an unknown, yet familiar hand guiding him and showing him what to do. He felt an energy from deep inside himself. Heat radiated from his fingertips, giving off a white glow. He was calm, this energy familiar and safe, unlike the door. He moved his hand closer, causing the line to shudder even more. The white energy slowly streamed from Rizzo’s hand and gently touched the line of the symbol.
In the blink of an eye, the entire symbol dispersed and the energy coursing through the door with it. Rizzo panicked, unsure of what just happened. He tried desperately to bring the energy back, but the guiding feeling he had was gone. He felt empty and yearned for that feeling to return. Repeatedly he tried to feel for that energy. No matter how much he tried, he could not get it back. After countless attempts, Rizzo gave up.
He stared at the door a moment longer and then went over and checked on his friend, only to find he was still fast asleep. Rizzo shook him, trying to wake him up. Vosh was not a heavy sleeper, so after that did not work Rizzo panicked. He shook Vosh again more forcefully and slapped him on the face, but he would not wake.
He had to think of something fast, knowing someone could come by at any minute. He had to get Vosh somewhere safe. The best hiding place he could think of was the garden near the gate. He grabbed ahold of Vosh’s wrist and started dragging him through the market.
When he was towards the middle, a flicker of light shown on the wall behind the shop they had tried breaking into. Someone was coming around the corner.
There was no other choice, he had to try and carry Vosh. He bent down and slid him onto his shoulders, then hefted him up into the air. Rizzo ran, but with great effort. Just as he was exiting the other side, a group of guards came around the corner behind the shop. It was dark, and they were too far away for their torches to reveal Rizzo. And he wanted to keep it that way. Exhaustion was taking its toll, but he forced himself to continue. He kept running until he made it to the outskirts of the garden.
He slowed to a walk as he went down one of the stone pathways, deeper into the garden. When he was far enough from the main street, Rizzo looked around to make sure no one was watching. And then, not so gently, threw Vosh over the bushes and into some plants.
The Mage's Path (The Age of Legend Book 1) Page 5
