The Rabbit Great And Terrible

by Chereta, Nelson

  “I see,” he studied the map. “The name of the city near the lair is rather foreboding.”

  “I find it fitting, all things considered. This is the thing you wanted, is it not?”

  Waldo nodded.

  “Then I suppose our business is concluded.”

  The bronze doors opened almost immediately, pushed open by a pair of drow warriors. Waldo hurriedly refolded the map and very carefully slid it into one of the many pockets of his robe. He then stood and once more gave her the drow greeting.

  “You have my thanks, Exalted Lady. May all your foes know despair and death at your hands.”

  She did not get up, but she did hold her palms out. “May you find whatever it is you seek, Master Waldo.”

  Waldo turned to go. He wanted to be on that ship and on his way as soon as possible. His time in Torikai had been largely frustrating. He’d lost Cleptus, a lot of gold, been forced to endure the presence of Melissa and the humiliations she inflicted on him, and he’d failed to acquire even one additional spell despite being in a city with a guild library. But his time here had still been worth it, he’d gotten the one absolutely vital piece of information he’d needed. He now knew where to search for a dragon and, hopefully, a dragon’s egg. He had a very long journey ahead of him.

  Waldo was almost to the doors when Valeria caught him by surprise and spoke to him again.

  “Oh, Master Waldo? One last thing before you go.”

  Waldo stopped, and very cautiously half turned back to Valeria while keeping the two armed drow by the doors in sight. He hadn’t expected Valeria to have anything more to say to him. Drow surprises could be very bad things.

  “Yes?”

  “That saying about trust being a dagger? Where did you hear it?”

  He forced an indifferent expression on to his face and gave an apathetic wave of his hand. “Oh, everywhere. It’s a very common saying all through these lands.”

  “Is it? I have met many different lords and merchants from many nations. But I’ve only heard that saying once before. It was from a mage from a very large country south of here. Like you he wore robes that were just one color, not white though.”

  “Really? That is, ah, very interesting.”

  She picked out another grape with great care, forcing him to stand there and wait. She examined it for a moment, like a jeweler in search of flaws in a gem.

  “You truly are nothing like any other White Mage I have ever heard of. You use Great Monster familiars, you gamble, you attend blood sports, you have a wife who is a monster, and you made a deal with me. Do you know I would almost think you weren’t a White Mage at all, but someone impersonating one. In fact, I would think you act and sound like a Dark Mage.”

  Waldo laughed. “That’s funny. Me a Dark Mage. That’s ridiculous.” Even to his own ears his laughter sounded forced.

  “Of course, it is.” She popped the grape into her mouth and made a show of chewing and finally swallowing it. “It’s a silly notion. Well, don’t let me keep you any longer. Safe journeys, Master Waldo.”

  “Thank you.” Waldo hurried out, walking as fast as he could without breaking into an actual run.

  XXX

  Once Waldo was gone Nen spoke. “He is one, isn’t he?”

  Valeria nodded. “Yes, he must be.”

  “Then why didn’t Melissa expose or execute him?”

  Valeria raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? He has a succubus as a completely devoted and subservient wife. He must be an absolute beast in bed. No doubt he has serviced Melissa like a bull and made her his obedient woman.”

  Nen thought about it and then nodded. “That does seem the only possible answer.”

  XXX

  The horrible ball of fire had left the sky and it was night as Waldo exited the House of Black Glass. The streets of Torikai were still well lit thanks to the magics of the guild. He could see there were crowds milling near the Arena. They would be enjoying the feast in the plaza, especially if they had bet on Varca. Waldo went down one of the side streets that would lead him to the gold gate without having to navigate a mass of people. He was relieved to have survived his bargain with Valeria and made it out alive. The fact she had guessed the truth about him was worrying, and one more reason to get to the docks as quickly as possible.

  As he headed down the street he sensed an invisible person coming towards him. Waldo didn’t give him a second thought. As they passed, the man struck him in the back of his head There was sudden pain and surprise and then blackness.

  Chapter 36

  An Angry Mob

  Lieutenant Stolheim was happy.

  Captain Metzinger had decided to enjoy the queen’s feast and had left him in charge of the main gate. It was his first command, until the sun rose he was in charge of the twenty guards manning the gold gate. Most of the men assigned to him were unhappy, they wanted to be at the feast. That was too bad, duty came first. The lieutenant intended to do a superb job, so the captain would be nothing but pleased by his performance. The third company had six lieutenants assigned to it, quite a lot for just a hundred men. Like all the other officers in the guard Stolheim was of noble birth, the third son of a baron. His oldest brother would inherit the family estate and their father’s title, his second older brother had gotten a commission in the army, and so he had wound up an officer in the Gold Guard.

  It was not too difficult a life. He was provided a large apartment within the Wall at no cost, and a generous stipend to cover his monthly expenses. On top of that he received two gold marks a month in salary. It was enough to allow him to keep pretty little Sarella as a serving girl and bed warmer, and to allow him to socialize regularly with the other officers and noblemen who lived here. He had to lead patrols through the city, deal with thieves and other troublemakers, but the work was not that hard. And having so many officers did mean they could share the burdens. He also was not forced to waste time with training, like all the officers when he was not actually on duty he tried to spend as little time with the men as possible. His free time was better spent at the taverns and the pleasure houses, among his own kind.

  Yes, life as an officer within the guard was pleasant. The only frustrating aspect to it was the difficulty with promotion. Captains got three gold marks a month and often got assignments inside the palace itself. Just the thought of getting to work near his beautiful queen made his heart skip a beat. But captains almost never retired, they liked to stay at their posts as long as they could. And when a position did open up it would go to the person with the best connections or the fattest purse. He knew his odds of ever becoming a captain were slim, but that made him all the more determined to perform well and make sure Captain Metzinger was satisfied with him. Stolheim had polished his boots and armor until they shined, and gotten the fluffiest white feather at the top of his helmet. Anyone would be able to tell with just a look that he was a fine officer.

  He was thinking about buying some white gloves when one of his men came up to him. “Lieutenant? There’s a crowd coming.”

  “A crowd? What do you mean?”

  The fool shook his shoulders. “I mean a crowd, lots and lots of people are coming up the road.”

  Frowning, Lieutenant Stolheim exited the command post and walked out to stand just behind the open gate. Sure enough he could see a mass of people walking towards the gate, some of them were carrying torches. He could clearly see they were commoners.

  “What are these fools doing? Are they drunk? Do they think they’ll be allowed at the feast?”

  His men were looking at one another nervously.

  “Uh, lieutenant? Should we shut the gate?”

  Lieutenant Stolheim turned an incredulous face to the idiot. “Don’t be stupid, the gates never close, you know that. It would take the queen’s order.”

  The guard stared back dumbly. “Then are we supposed to let all of them pass through?”

  “Of course not! They’re probably all just drunk and think the queen will
let them go begging inside the Wall just because it’s her birthday. The commoners never understand there are limits to the queen’s generosity. People should know their place and be grateful for what they’re given.”

  Stolheim strode forward to let them get a good look at him. He was an impressive figure. You had to be firm with the rats, they were all lazy and thieving scum who never wanted to work and expected everything to be handed to them.

  He took ten steps and then halted in the middle of the Gold Road. He held out one hand signaling them to stop. “What do you people think you are doing? The tournament is already over, you are not permitted to enter the inner city. Stop and return to your homes.”

  Stolheim expected to be obeyed, after all he was an officer in the guard. So far as the rats were concerned his word was law. But they didn’t stop. The crowd picked up its pace.

  “I said stop! Go back to your homes now. I command you in the name of the queen!”

  “Fuck the queen!” Someone in the crowd shouted, followed instantly by cheers.

  Stolheim was stunned, those words were treason! And these fools cheered? It was at that moment the lieutenant really noticed just how many people were coming towards him, and how close they were getting.

  He began to take a couple steps back, while still facing the crowd. He wasn’t sure what to do

  As if seeing this tepid retreat as a signal a man in the front of the crowd suddenly pulled out a sword from beneath his cloak. “For the Rabbit!” He shouted and broke into a run. Others brought out swords, many more waved clubs and knives in their hands. They all surged after their leader, howling at the top of their lungs.

  Stolheim turned around and ran. “Shut the gate! Shut the gate!”

  A few of his men ignored him and simply ran away. Most of them obeyed, half ran to the door to the right and half to the door on the left. They had never bothered to practice closing the gate and the doors were heavy and their hinges had been allowed to rust. As the men pushed the gate began to close, but not quickly.

  Stolheim ran past the threshold and stopped. “Hurry up and close it you idiots!” He stood there and yelled at them. It did not occur to him to either raise the alarm or physically help.

  The crowd had almost reached the gate before he realized it would not be shut in time. He pulled out his sword, took a step forward, then took a step back, and finally turned around to run. It was too late. The crowd poured through. The men with swords did not hesitate and attacked the guards, cutting them down without even a fight.

  Lieutenant Stolheim made it about thirty feet before he felt the cold steel driven into his back. As he lay in the street dying the last thing he heard was a man shouting. “Take everything! Take everything!”

  XXX

  Derren struck down the cowardly officer who’d tried to abandon his men. He turned around to see the people pouring through the gate. The guards who’d tried to close it had been swarmed under, their heads bashed in with clubs or stabbed to death by dozens of knives.

  “Take everything!” Derren yelled. “Take everything! Take back everything they’ve ever taken from us!”

  The mob hardly needed his words. They smashed in the windows and doors of every shop and house. The people inside were dragged out and beaten. The prettier the clothes they had on the more savagely they were punched and kicked. Some of the men and women who were pulled out of the buildings begged for mercy and asked what they’d done. Derren was sure that what was happening had to seem like a crime to them. And he had no doubt that some, maybe most, of these people were relatively innocent. But he was also sure that they would have been happy to live in splendor on this side of the Wall without ever lifting a finger to help all those who had nothing. They were not part of the herd. They had not accepted the love of the Great Rabbit. They cared only about their own selfish wants, he wouldn’t waste any of his pity on them.

  People poured into the houses and shops. They came out with arms full of anything they could carry. Sacks of flour, rolls of cured meat, bottles of wine, silverware, fine dishes, pots, pans, beautiful clothing, blankets, drapes, books, pieces of furniture, paintings, and even rolled up carpets. Anything that could be used or sold was ripped out and taken. This wasn’t theft though, this was what the merchants liked to call ‘fair compensation.’ If a worker on a caravan lost or accidentally broke anything the merchant would take the cost of it out of what they would be paid. If the merchandise was worth more than their payment, it was the merchant’s right to get the value any way they could. Derren had seen girls forced to work in the pleasure houses and men forced into the fighting pits. Just to make sure a merchant’s purse wasn’t light.

  Well, the queen had stolen from his people and this was only fair compensation.

  When one of the shops was emptied out a man with a torch went up to it and gleefully set it on fire as folks cheered. Derren hadn’t said anything about burning down the Inner City, that wouldn’t help to feed the poor. He didn’t try to stop it though. The people who lived here were of the wolves and the foxes, if they suffered it wasn’t his concern.

  As each building was emptied out it was set ablaze to cheers. The fires would definitely catch and spread.

  Hebron came up to him with his sword in one hand and a sack full of tobacco in the other. “This is amazing! Who would have ever thought we could do this!”

  “It’s because the Great Rabbit is watching over and blessing us. All of this is his will.” Derren said.

  “What do we do now?”

  “We keep going, there’s still more to take.”

  XXX

  Derren, Hebron, and the fighters from his guild led and the throng followed behind. Looting, robbing, and burning as they went. A few times they’d run into a patrol of guards. The patrol would take one look at the size of the crowd and flee.

  They eventually reached the Great Plaza where the Arena, mage guild, and main gaming houses all were. Derren was amazed to see there were still people sitting at the tables eating and laughing. There were musicians, singers, acrobats, jugglers, and painted whores; all to entertain the people feasting. This was the same feast he and the poor who’d been allowed to attend the tournament had been turned away from. Hundreds of yards away he could smell the sweet aroma of meat cooked over open fires. Fat, rich, gluttonous men and women were drinking and feasting even as the city was burning around them. Somehow Derren didn’t find that surprising at all.

  Without speaking a word, some of the crowd charged towards the tables and some went to the gaming house. The revelers and performers only noticed them when the mob let out a howl. The performers were the smart ones. They had no idea what was going on, but they ran away as fast as their legs would carry them. Most of the fat fools wearing satin and velvets remained in their seats and simply watched. Perhaps they were too drunk to see the danger, or maybe they assumed the crowd was there to entertain them somehow. After all, when the poor came to this place it was always to serve the rich. Many of them were still sitting there as they got their skulls smashed in or knives driven into their throats. Nothing drove hungry people to greater fury than seeing tables piled high with food and drink, and knowing they weren’t permitted a single bite. The crowd murdered the feasters, robbed them, and began to stuff their faces.

  The gaming house was a bit different. It was still open and the guards protecting it were competent. The moment they spotted his people spilling into the plaza they shut and barred the heavy iron doors. The gaming houses all had vaults with fortunes in gold and silver stored within. They were built like fortresses with a single entrance, heavy doors, and thick stone walls. Hundreds of men slammed up against the door and tried to force it open, but it didn’t budge. Men in the mob began to cry out and as crossbow bolts began to pepper them. From inside the guards were shooting at them through slits in the second story wall. It figured the queen would make sure her wealth was well protected.

  Derren doubted the place would be overrun any time soon, but they would get
the money inside if they had to tear the place apart stone by stone.

  “IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN, STOP THIS MADNESS!!” An ungodly voice boomed out.

  From the north side of the plaza men in brightly colored robes or golden armor came running. Their numbers were far greater than a common patrol.

  Derren waved his sword above his head. “Rally to me! Rally to me!”

  The people trying to storm the gaming house and those among the feasting tables hurried back towards the middle of the plaza where Derren and his fellow fighters were.

  The guards formed up directly in front of the guild hall. They formed a ragged line with twenty men across, their formation was ten deep. Gold guards, all in armor and with their swords drawn. Spread out in front of the guards were twelve mages. Their lines were not perfect, but the guards at least had some discipline and were in formation.