by Todd Shryock
She nodded and stared at him for a moment. “How would you survive?” Again, a probe for information, not a challenge to the idea.
“I figure take a few days’ worth of food, then try to live off the land. Berries and such. I know there’s some out there, I’ve seen them.”
“You’ve been outside the walls?”
“A few times. All on official business though.”
Quinton had never seen her like this before. The easy-going girl had been replaced with some sort of schemer. Did she want to go with him?
“Did you ever see the witch?”
This caught Quinton by surprise. Witch? “Uh, what witch?”
“Travelers say there’s a witch that lives off the main road many days out. She’s kind to some, deadly to others. Someone said they call her the Witch of Red Pond because all the water around her turns blood red.”
“Who is she kind to?”
The look on her face said she knew the answer, but her lips said, “I don’t know.”
He was curious. Why would she not tell him? Then it dawned on him. “If I go, do you want to go with me?”
She studied him for so long, Quinton thought she had not heard his question.
“Maybe, but you’ll need a better plan to survive. If you start bringing me extra food, I’ve got a hiding place inside where I can keep it until we are ready. Think about how we would get through the swamp. Without a plan, we won’t make it.”
“Yeah, that’s what someone else told me.”
“How many people are you telling?” she snapped.
“No one, just you. I was talking to someone about the outside and they mentioned you have to be well prepared to make it through any travels there, that’s all.”
She squinted her eyes at him, and he knew she was looking for signs of a lie. He didn’t think he did a very good job of covering it up. A woman called out to her from inside.
“Kate, someone is asking for you, so get in here.”
She frowned, then stepped forward and kissed him on the lips. “Start saving food and bring it to me. I think we’ll need to be leaving sooner rather than later.” She smiled, then disappeared into the doorway and the door slammed shut behind her.
For a few moments, he couldn’t get his legs to move. What a night. First she all but agreed to go with him, then she kissed him. The beautiful Kate, kissing him and ready to brave the wilds. He needed to start stealing extra food immediately.
Chapter 7
Quinton felt a nudge and a pain in his back.
“Get up,” came a voice from the dark. He opened his eyes but couldn’t see anything. “I said get up.” He was in the pit and Red eye was nudging him with his foot.
“I’m up, master,” he muttered as he groggily rose to his feet. He figured he couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few hours.
“Come with me.”
Quinton knew better than to ask why or where they were going. Maggots were to do what they were told without question. Red eye led him upstairs and through the hallways. There was very little movement, so Quinton suspected it was early. As they made their way through the building, Quinton got a sinking feeling about where they were headed. It was too early to deal with Fist.
Sure enough, Red eye led him to the door Quinton knew all too well and knocked twice.
“Enter,” boomed Fist.
Red eye opened the door, nodded to Fist, then shoved Quinton through the doorway before closing the door behind him. Sands was standing to one side looking slightly concerned while Fist and his massive girth peered out the window. Quinton took his place beside and slightly behind Sands and waited for Fist to speak.
When Fist turned around, he looked directly at Quinton, which almost made his knees shake. “You’re going on a mission, maggot.” His voice was flat and his eyes became somewhat distant. There were dark circles under his eyes and he didn’t have quite the same angry energy he usually exhibited. He sat down at his desk and nodded to Sands, who then told him the rest of the story.
“Your elf friend is now in the city, but we still aren’t sure what he’s up to. There appears to be some deal that’s about to be signed with Wren, and we think it bodes very poorly for the guild. We need to know what the deal is for. Is it troops, weapons, magic, what? We can defend ourselves better against Wren’s onslaught if we know what tricks he is working on. Thanks to a well-placed source, we know that the papers for the deal are with the elf in his room inside the wall. The meeting is to take place at a formal ceremony tomorrow morning.”
“The crappin’ elves love their ceremonies,” Fist said with disgust. Quinton didn’t think Fist cared for any type of ceremony very much.
Sands continued. “So what needs to happen is we need to get those documents to find out what they are up to. We don’t really care if they find out we know or not, so this is a straight-forward grab and run operation.”
Quinton nodded. So far, it didn’t sound all that hard. There would probably be some sort of diversion created while he dashed in and grabbed the papers before the elf could return.
“While the objective is simple, accomplishing it won’t be. First, the building the elf is in is heavily guarded. Most of them are Wren’s clinkers -- clinkers are the guards in armor, the obvious ones -- but there are a few streeters -- those are men dressed like citizens -- who belong to the elf. We can get rid of the clinkers pretty easily with a diversion, but from what I’ve seen of the streeters, they are real pros and won’t be easily fooled.”
Quinton wasn’t liking the sound of this mission anymore.
“The other challenge is the building isn’t easy to get in to. Its walls are coated with plaster, so are very smooth. Only an expert climber could scale it.”
“That would be you,” Fist offered as he plopped his feet up on his desk. Quinton didn’t really need the clarification on that point.
“You’re probably wondering why we’re sending a maggot,” Sands said.
“Because we don’t care a rat’s nipple whether you get caught or not,” Fist added.
Quinton was somewhat surprised that Sands was even offering an explanation and even more surprised that Fist added to it.
“So here’s the deal,” said Sands. “We’ll create a diversion and you’ll enter the elf’s room. Find the papers and bring them back to us.”
Something in Sands’ voice was odd. This entire operation was odd. Why were they sending him if this were so important? Why not send Sands, who was as good a climber anyway?
“You’ll go tonight,” said Fist. “It will be our only chance. Meet Sands at the Pink Lady at midnight.”
With that, Quinton knew he was dismissed. He nodded to both masters, then backed out of the room. He headed through the hallways, their walls worn and in disrepair with paint peeling off like tears running down a face. Something was bothering him. Neither man seemed to have been acting normal, but he couldn’t quite figure out what was up. He was a maggot and they told him what to do whether he liked it or not, so there was no need to be deceptive. He passed through the doorway, turned to head down the street and bumped into Teli. The boy immediately looked down and muttered an apology.
“Teli, where are you going this early?” Quinton asked, noticing how thin the boy looked.
Teli looked as though Quinton were about to strike him.
“I’m just asking; you aren’t in trouble,” Quinton reassured him.
The younger boy looked at him warily for a few moments before answering in a half-whispered voice. “I was going to go beg for some food.”
“Beg? Why don’t you just steal it?”
“I don’t like to steal,” he said so quietly that Quinton had to lean forward to hear him.
“No wonder you are so thin. Look at you, you’re mostly bones.” Teli didn’t respond, he just looked at Quinton with his sunken brown eyes.
“I don’t like to steal,” he repeated. Quinton sighed. Trying to take the moral high road in the guild was a death sentence
for sure, one way or another.
“Come on, you can share some of my take.”
“But you’ll steal to get it,” he said.
“But it won’t be you stealing it, so that’s not really the same, is it?” Quinton said it more as a statement than a question.
Teli thought for a moment, mulling over the morality of the situation. “Okay,” he said with a slight smile.
Quinton led him through the streets to a section of town with several bakeries and lots of people coming and going. He put Teli in an alleyway and told him to stay put while he fetched some food. He would rather be stealing extra food for him and Kate, but Teli looked like he could use some help. Within a matter of minutes, Quinton had snagged a round loaf of bread from an old woman and disappeared into the crowd before she knew what happened.
“Here,” Quinton tore off a big piece of the sour-tasting bread and handed it to Teli. “Good, huh?”
Teli didn’t answer, he just devoured the bread. Quinton tore off a small chunk for himself and gave the rest to Teli, then sat down to rest. He was still tired, but he didn’t want to go back to the guild.
“Teli, does your master ever say things to you that aren’t true?”
The boy didn’t stop eating, but the look he gave him conveyed the answer.
“What I mean is, did he ever tell you something that was blatantly untrue or try to get you to do something ... ” Quinton trailed off. He wasn’t making any sense. Masters lied all the time, but not usually to maggots, because there was no need. He still wasn’t sure what it was that he was trying to say.
Teli swallowed the large piece of bread that had been in his mouth. “Do you mean did she ever try to set me up?”
“She?”
“Glitter is my master, or mistress or whatever. She tells me what to do.”
“Glitter?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Glitter?”
“I said yes.” Teli took another bite of bread. The entire loaf was almost gone now, the majority of which Teli ate.
Quinton didn’t even know Glitter had an apprentice and figured anyone apprenticed to her wouldn’t last long.
“She tried to set me up once.”
Quinton was confused, then remembered the original question. “What do you mean?”
“She made up some story about needing to me to go somewhere, but all she was really doing was seeing if there was anybody watching or not. But I got away.” He happily went back to eating his bread.
“Now we’re getting to some possibilities,” Quinton replied to no one in particular. “That would make sense based on how they were behaving, but why would they set me up to take the elf’s stuff?”
“Elf?” Teli asked with a mouthful of bread.
“Oh, there’s an elf in town with some important papers I’m supposed to steal tonight. Fist wants to know what the papers say.”
“Fist can read?” Teli asked, a piece of bread falling out of his mouth and hitting the ground. He quickly picked it back up and pushed it into his mouth with the rest.
“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe someone reads it for him. But why would they set me up?”
“Red eye?” he whispered, his eyes darting around for signs of the man.
“What? Why would Red eye set me up?”
“No. Maybe Red eye reads to Fist.”
Quinton sighed. “I don’t know who reads to Fist. I’m talking about why Fist is setting me up.”
“I wish I could read,” said Teli, his voice flat and his eyes staring far off. Quinton knew that look; it was the same look every maggot got when he was either visiting the past in his mind or dreaming of a brighter future.
“Look, Teli, enjoy the rest of the bread. I have to go. And I suggest you get over your fear of stealing.”
“I’m not a thief,” he whispered as Quinton turned to go. “I’m not a thief.”
Quinton just shook his head and started making his way toward the Pink Lady.
***
Quinton found a nice shady spot on the roof of an old building. The upper story had long since collapsed, but there was still a high wall that blocked the sun after mid morning. He curled up next to the wall in the cool shade and slept for most of the day. When he awoke, he had plenty of time to steal another meal, plus pick up a few extra items to add to the growing food supply that Kate was hoarding. Whenever he approached the side door to the Pink Lady, one of the girls would let Kate know he was there. As discretely as possible, he would give her the extra food. He hoped she hadn’t told anyone else, but there were risks galore with this plot. He hoped that if anyone actually saw him giving food to her that they would assume it was for some carnal favor.
Kate only had time to take the food and disappear back into the building with hardly a word for him tonight. He half wondered if she was in on the setup, too, but then chased away any such thoughts. She wanted out as badly as he did, and he was the ticket out of the city. She would hide the food and he would guide her out. Besides, she really liked him.
Shortly before midnight, Sands came slowly down the dark street. Quinton spotted Sands just before Sands spotted him and was proud of himself for beating his master at the task. With so many disappearances, his attention to detail had gotten a lot better.
“Come,” said Sands. He didn’t even slow down as he walked past him. His voice was tense and he kept rubbing his thumb and forefinger together on his right hand. He led them down along the wall, past the church where he had watched the feast and deeper into the darkness. After several minutes, they came to the corner of a tower.
“We cross here. The guard has been paid off and will not be on the wall. We move as quickly as possible.”
Quinton didn’t even have a chance to acknowledge because Sands was already scaling the wall. The boy grabbed a handhold and started after him. In a matter of minutes, they were on top of the wall and scaling down the other side. Sands waited only long enough until Quinton’s feet hit the ground, then strode off at a rapid pace.
“Stay close to me,” he said. “Dangerous territory.”
The night was particularly dark. There was no moonlight and the sky was mostly clouded over. The perfect night for a break-in. They took a few alleyways and side streets, and avoided any sign of activity. At one point, they had to make a quick dash into an alley as about a dozen of Wren’s guards stomped past, but they were going somewhere with a purpose and probably wouldn’t have noticed them even if they had been standing in plain sight. After a few tense moments, Sands led them further into the walled city; Wren’s lair. At the intersection of a particularly wide street, Sands pulled him into a small alcove next to a closed candlemaker’s shop.
“Take this street this way,” he said pointing to his left. “You’ll see a white plastered house on the corner. It’s the only one like it. Climb the wall, enter the room on the top floor to the left. Take whatever papers you can find. Most agreements will be on some sort of scroll or in a leather tube.” He paused, looking at Quinton in the dark. “Good luck, boy.” He patted him on the shoulder.
“What about the diversion, master?”
Sands hesitated. “Oh, the diversion. It will happen as soon as you start for the wall.” There was a long silence. Quinton was expecting a little better plan than this. “The security men will not be a problem. And by the way, if you make it into the room, don’t be surprised by the elf. I hear they sleep with their eyes open. They are sound asleep but don’t look it.” A cat meowed in the distance. Sands stopped talking and pushed Quinton into the street. “It’s time. Move fast.”
Quinton started down the street. This wasn’t right. Sands said “if” he got into the room. If there was a diversion and this was so important, why was there any doubt? He mulled it over as he covered the first block. He knew the fancy house couldn’t be far.
He stopped dead in his tracks. “I’m the diversion,” he said aloud. He looked around to make sure no one was there to hear him. They would send him in, draw all the at
tention of the security people and someone else would make a play while he was attracting all the attention. Because he was a boy, they wouldn’t see him as much of a threat and would be unlikely to sound the general alarm.
“I’m not a diversion,” he whispered, his anger cutting through the air. “Tonight my name is Quinton and the rules I play by are changing. You want me to break into the elf’s room, I’ll break in to the elf’s room. But I’ll do it my way.”
He looked around. The buildings on either side of him were about three stories tall. If the elf was important, they were likely to have several men at different points on the street, as well as on the roof. He knew the elf’s men were taking security seriously, based on the conversation he overheard in the field. Sands had mentioned something about soldiers, as well, so he would have them to contend with. But his advantage was that there were two groups working to achieve the same task. Their weakness would be a lack of familiarity and a lack of communication. He started working out a plan and headed for the building on his right. He would take advantage of both weaknesses.
Within a matter of a minute or so, Quinton was on the roof bounding the final block toward his destination. He felt no fear, only a sense of anger and betrayal. The guild was supposed to be protecting him, not sacrificing him like some worthless animal. He had played by the rules and this was what he got?
He slowed as the white plastered building came into view across the street. The entrance was lit by two torches that illuminated a pair of spear-wielding soldiers on either side of the door. He assumed there were probably other soldiers inside and started looking for the biggest threat, the security men. As he scanned the rooftop across the street, he discerned movement. A man was shifting about up near the far corner. All you could see was a darker shadow, and even that was only noticeable when he moved. Quinton turned his attention to his side of the street, scanning the rooftop for any signs as he crouched low. After a moment, the man on his side shifted and turned, giving away his position. The man started prowling about, walking along the front of the building across from his target, probably out of boredom. Quinton crept closer, confident he was hidden in the deep shadows of the rooftop and the low walls that separated each building from the next across the common roof.
