Demonkin

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “I need you here,” objected Clint. “I need to have a way to deal with Scorpion.”

  “You should deal with Scorpion on your own,” advised Garth.

  “He cannot,” Morro responded. “The thieves must not know that General Forshire’s true allegiance does not rest with the emperor.”

  “Then he must be introduced as someone other than General Forshire,” shrugged Garth. “Get yourself a full-length hooded cloak, Clint. I have already asked Morro to introduce me to Scorpion. I will tell him that I have a man in the city that I want him to work with. Choose a name, and I will pave the way for you.”

  “If Scorpion even agrees to work with you, Garth,” Morro interjected. “I cannot guarantee that.”

  “I have more faith in you than you do yourself.” Garth grinned at the elf. “I will rent two rooms here at the Emporium,” Garth continued as he looked at Clint. “General Forshire can sneak into one of them and change into his cloak. Scorpion will only be told about the other room. You should be able to deal with him in secrecy that way. Just choose a name.”

  “Why not Clint?” suggested the Ranger. “There is nothing in the Federation files concerning my true name.”

  “Simple is best.” Garth nodded. “What about your plans for the rescue of the children?”

  “Parts of it are coming together,” the Ranger replied as he looked questioningly at the elf.

  “Scorpion said he will have the patches within a week,” offered Morro. “The cost will be high.”

  “Patches?” asked Garth.

  “I will get to them in a moment,” promised Clint. “I am going to move my army far from the main Federation cities. I am thinking of staging them in the Dark Forest or somewhere around Zinbar. That way when the children are rescued, the A Corps will have a solid alibi. Three hundred of my men will remain close to Despair, but they will not be wearing the uniforms of A Corps. Instead, they will pretend to be members of the V Corps.”

  “What is the V Corps?” asked Kalina.

  “They are a bunch of prisoner misfits,” grinned the Ranger. “They truly are rejects that were not even fit to join the A Corps. One hundred of them are now assigned to General Garibaldi of Vinafor, but I truly doubt that anyone knows how many men belong to his army.”

  “So you get to keep three hundred of your men near Despair,” mused Garth as he tried to understand where all of this was leading. “Why are they being kept nearby?”

  “Their first task is to build a bridge,” answered Clint. “When the children are released, we cannot risk marching them over one of the existing bridges. My men will build a portable bridge. On the night of the release, they will move it into position.”

  “So if anyone stumbles across them in the woods in the meantime, they will remember seeing men of the V Corps.” Garth nodded with appreciation.

  “It gets worse for General Garibaldi,” grinned Clint. “It will be his men that gain the release of the elves. There are still many details to be worked out, but the plan is starting to come together in my mind.”

  “Good,” smiled Garth. “I have great confidence in you, Clint. Morro has arranged for me to meet with Scorpion tonight. I will try to get him to agree to work with you. Let’s all meet back here in the morning to discuss anything that needs to be discussed before Kalina and I depart Despair.”

  “You are leaving already?” frowned Clint. “Where are you off to?”

  “I suspect Kalina is going to Olansk,” Garth replied. “I am going to visit the dwarves.”

  “Why the dwarves?” Kalina asked with surprise.

  “There is a valley in the middle of the mountains,” grinned Garth, “and we need a way to get in there. Who could possibly be better to talk to than dwarves for a solution to this problem?”

  * * * *

  Morro led Garth through the slums of Despair. The Knight of Alcea had not even been aware that Despair had slums, as the emperor kept them well away from the city gates and behind a containing wall, but they were as bad as the slums of Farmin. The residents of the slums looked at Garth and Morro as one would look at a wild boar: something dangerous, but something worth killing if it could be accomplished without dying. Despite the looks of ill intent, the two men moved through the slums unmolested. Morro turned into an alley and climbed a ladder to the roof of a low building. Garth followed without question. From that low roof, they climbed another ladder to a higher roof and then down through a hatchway to the inside of the building. They moved down the stairs until they arrived in the basement and took a connecting tunnel to yet another building. They went up three flights, and Morro knocked softly on a door. It opened.

  Garth followed Morro into the room and found three men waiting for him. Two of the men were large and burly, but the third was short and resembled a young apprentice more than the head of the thieves in Despair. The young man’s hair was blonde, and his face held a youthful appearance. His frame was lean, but Garth could tell that there was strength in the man’s arms. When Scorpion spoke, Garth knew there was a certain strength of character as well.

  “You two wait outside,” Scorpion commanded after he sized up his visitors. “No one leaves without my permission.”

  The two burly men nodded as they stared at Garth Shado. They obviously did not like the order excluding them from the meeting, but neither of them even thought of objecting to Scorpion’s command. They left the room and closed the door.

  “Sit,” Scorpion said as he waved to the two chairs sitting before the table. The head thief walked behind the table and sat down across from the visitors. “Morro tells me that you are an honorable man, Garth Shado. I do not get to deal with many such men. Why do you wish to deal with thieves?”

  “I have needs that require certain skills,” answered Garth. “Morro speaks highly of you and your organization. He also indicated to me that you are a man of honor as well, despite your profession. Is that true?”

  “You expect a thief to be honorable?” laughed Scorpion. “Perhaps Morro has misstated my attributes.”

  “Perhaps,” shrugged Garth, “but I tend to believe him. I know Morro to be a man of honor, and I would guess that he is rather good at his trade.”

  “There are few better,” agreed Scorpion. “Let us not play with words, Garth Shado. What exactly do you wish of me?”

  “I have a small organization,” Garth replied after a moment of hesitation. “That organization often has a need for information, goods, and access to sensitive places. Your organization is large and well founded. It can probably deliver all that I might need, and I am prepared to pay well for your help.”

  “And what type of business does your organization involve itself with?”

  “The destruction of the Federation,” Garth replied.

  Scorpion whistled softly in appreciation. “You do realize that many men would call you crazy?” posed the thief.

  “Many already have,” Garth smiled thinly, “but I disagree with them. I have already inflicted a great deal of damage on the Federation, and I am just getting warmed up. Are you interested in the downfall of the Federation, Scorpion?”

  “I suspect you already know the answer to that question,” conceded the thief. “What has your group done that would impress me?”

  “We sank the Federation fleet,” answered Garth.

  Scorpion’s eyes widened, but he didn’t speak. He looked to Morro for confirmation, and the elven thief nodded.

  “We also destroyed the shipyards in Giza,” Garth continued.

  “And we raided a food convoy in Farmin and gave the food to the poor,” added Morro. “Garth and his group are incredibly resourceful, Scorpion. They have a good working relationship with Headman and Juggler, and they will soon be working with Strangler. We seek a similar relationship with you.”

  “We?” questioned Scorpion. “Are you suggesting that you are part of his group?”

  “I am,” replied Morro. “You have known me for a long time, Scorpion. What is the one thing I
have always wanted most in my life?”

  “The freedom of your people,” Scorpion answered without hesitation.

  “That is why we are here tonight,” stated Morro.

  “You intend to free the elven children?” gasped Scorpion. “Do you have any idea what turmoil that will cause in Despair?”

  “Not just Despair,” interjected Garth. “All of the reeducation camps will be assaulted on the same night. That is why we are working closely with the thieves in the other cities.”

  “Mercy!” exclaimed the thief. “You do think big. Does this have anything to do with the patches you requested earlier?”

  “Very much so,” answered Morro.

  “I have men in that unit,” frowned the thief.

  “In the V Corps?” asked Garth.

  “Yes.” Scorpion nodded. “They were given a pardon if they promised to serve in the army.”

  “And will they?” inquired the Knight of Alcea.

  “Perhaps,” shrugged Scorpion. “At least until something better comes along.”

  “What about the other units formed recently?” Garth asked with interest.

  “We have some men in the F Corps as well,” answered Scorpion, “but oddly enough, none of my people were chosen for the largest of all. I thought some of my men would be freed when this recruiting at the prisons began, but the A Corps did not select a single man of mine. Curious, no?”

  “Who can say?” Garth shrugged with relief. “My people might be able to arrange for the release of your men in V Corps, but that is something to discuss at another time.”

  Scorpion glanced at Garth with curiosity, but he did not pursue his thoughts. “What exactly do you want my people to do?”

  “I have a man stationed in this city,” answered Garth. “His name is Clint, and I would like you to deal directly with him. Because of circumstances that I cannot explain, his identity must be kept secret. I would want you to deal with him directly, not your people. Does that pose a problem for you?”

  “It is not like my people will run around the city shouting his name,” scoffed the thief.

  “It is not his name that I seek to protect,” replied Garth. “It is his appearance. His face will remain covered during each meeting with you, and I would want you to meet with him personally, in his room at the Emporium.”

  “I do not venture out to meet with clients.” Scorpion shook his head. “Morro could have told you that. It is far too dangerous and almost guarantees that I would fall into a trap.”

  “It is far more dangerous to have Clint come to you,” retorted Garth. “My man’s face will be covered because he is a public figure. If he were seen moving about the city, he would surely be followed. He has the means to get into the Emporium unnoticed. With your youthful looks, you could easily pose as a courier or a deliveryman.”

  Scorpion gave Garth an incredulous look. “You have one of your people in the Imperial Palace? Are you serious?”

  Garth didn’t reply, but Morro did.

  “Do not ever voice that thought aloud again,” warned Morro. “I have known you for a long time, Scorpion, and I like you, but your thoughts about your own importance are overstated. While you may have carved yourself a nice little kingdom in the heart of Despair, these people are bringing down the entire Federation. They are not thieves. They are elite warriors that could wipe out your entire organization in a single night. I am sure that their visit to Cracker’s lair in Olansk has reached your ears. That was done by just a few of them. Do not endanger them, Scorpion. They are doing the tasks that really matter in life. I know that you are inherently curious, but your curiosity is not worth Clint’s life.”

  Scorpion stared at Morro with widened eyes. He knew the elf was not exaggerating, and suddenly his high position in the thieves’ guild appeared rather small indeed.

  “I long ago promised you that I would help you when the day came,” Scorpion said to Morro with sincerity. “It appears that that day is fast approaching. I will not endanger you or your friends. Tell Clint that I will meet with him at the Emporium whenever he needs me. Set up the initial meet for me and then we will make our own arrangements from there.”

  * * * *

  K’san’s face was split by a broad grin. His head fell back, and he began laughing uproariously. Barely visible behind the demonkin was the naked body of an elven woman spread across an altar. As Garth watched, K’san’s head disappeared and the woman’s body distorted and grew to immense proportions. Garth winced as the woman’s body exploded and another K’san leaped from the ruins of her body to stand upon the altar. Horror gripped Garth’s heart as the demonkin dissolved and coalesced into the shape of a young lad. Garth stared in confusion as the young lad suddenly turned into an old woman and then a young woman with fiery hair. The figure kept changing its appearance until Garth could no longer memorize the many disguises of the demonkin. Screaming at the top of his lungs for the demonkin to stop, Garth raced forward to kill them all.

  “It’s alright,” Kalina said softly as she hugged Garth.

  Garth opened his eyes and stared at his wife. Sweat was pouring down his face, and his fists were clenched in balls of rage.

  “Alright?” Garth echoed gaspingly. “You have no idea.”

  “They kept changing, didn’t they?”

  Garth’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kalina. “I was talking in my sleep?”

  “No, Garth,” Kalina said compassionately. “I also dreamed it. There is meaning to the dream. It is a warning.”

  “You dreamt it, too?” asked Garth. “He is in the city, isn’t he? The Mage is here.”

  “I suspect that he is.” Kalina nodded. “I think he is warning us that the nature of demonkin is changing. No longer can we rely on the face of K’san to warn us. The demonkin can now appear as anyone.”

  “That is what the endless display of people on the altar was?”

  “Yes,” Kalina replied. “We have been too successful in killing K’sans.”

  “We have not been successful enough in my book,” snarled Garth. “It is time that we started taking out the demonkin wherever we find them.”

  “Be cautious,” warned Kalina. “To kill a demonkin is to alert the others to your location.”

  “Their herd mind will not help them so much when the herd is thinned to none,” growled Garth. “These vile beasts have no place in this world.”

  Chapter 14

  Traveling Elf

  It was just after sunrise when the riders first appeared in the city of Olansk, but the city’s thieves had already noted their arrival. Word quickly spread through the streets and alleyways and soon the city’s lesser denizens were worked up into a frenzy. When the pair dismounted in front of the Aranak Dunes, one of the thieves whispered to Morro from the safety of a sewer.

  “Where are the others?” the thief whispered at Morro’s feet. “Do you need to be rescued?”

  Morro knelt as if adjusting his boot. He peered into the sewer with a smile on his face. “Tell Cracker that we are staying at the Aranak Dunes. Tell him to come and pay us a visit.”

  “Are you daft?” came the incredulous reply. “Cracker’s not leaving the lair. You should know that.”

  Unexpectedly, Kalina knelt next to Morro. The face of the thief in the sewer paled as the witch stared down at him.

  “Tell Cracker to come visit us,” Kalina said with a mischievous grin on her face. “We visited him the last time. It is only fair that he reciprocate.”

  Kalina did not wait for an answer. She straightened and grabbed the reins of her mount. Morro did likewise, and the two travelers walked their horses to the stables behind the inn. They went inside the inn and procured a room. They were not in the room for a half hour before there was a knock on the door. Morro opened it and let in a man with a receding hairline. Without an exchange of words, Morro led the man to the table and everyone sat down.

  “Cracker?” Kalina asked softly. “I do not recognize you without your hood.”

>   “It wouldn’t be smart to go around town with a hood over my face now would it?” the thief replied with a chuckle.

  “I suppose not,” smiled Kalina.

  “I see that you finally caught up with Morro. I am not surprised. Where are the others?”

  “All over the place,” sighed Kalina. “I am sorry to drag you out of your den, but this is less disruptive for all of us.”

  “I do not mind,” smiled Cracker. “It is actually refreshing to walk around without my hood, and no one even recognizes me. What brings you back to Olansk?”

  “There is a carpenter here that has caught my interest,” explained Kalina. “The name of the shop is Orkare and Son. Morro and I need some time inside alone, and we don’t have days to study the man’s habits. What can you tell us about the shop?”

  “Old man Orkare is long dead,” answered Cracker. “It is the son who runs it now. He is a single man, never having married. He lives above the shop and seldom goes out. I take it that you don’t want anyone to know that you have ever been inside?”

  “You understand correctly,” answered Kalina.

  “How much time do you need?”

  “An hour ought to do,” replied the Knight of Alcea. “Can you help?”

  “I think so,” mused Cracker. “The one time he does go out is for the evening meal. He isn’t very sociable, and his meals are often short, but my people can keep him from returning to the shop for an hour. He will leave the shop right after sundown. You will have an hour from then. Will that suffice?”

  “Quite,” smiled Kalina.

  “Do you mind me asking what you two are doing together? The last time I saw you, you were going to kill Morro.”

  “I don’t believe I ever actually threatened that,” chuckled Kalina. “Morro and I have grown quite fond of one another.”

  “I think Cracker is trying to determine if I am with you of my own free will,” laughed Morro. “I can assure you, old friend, that I am in good company with these merchants. I am getting to see parts of the world that I had only dreamed about.”

  “Merchants!” scoffed Cracker. “Do not expect me to believe such things. You have answered my primary concern, though. I am glad that both of you are happy with your new situation, although we miss you around here, Speedy. I could use someone with your talents to shape up the new recruits. They are getting worse with each passing month.”