Night's Haunting

by Matthew Sprange

  He arrived at the square just as the bells stopped tolling, and saw the area was packed with people, the crowd heaving as individuals jostled for the best position. The guard were present in force, their red uniforms and spears or halberds acting as islands in the press of people. However, Lucius doubted any pickpockets or malcontents would dare to make their presence felt today, not after recent events.

  The dais at the front of the Cathedral had been reconstructed, but it was much longer now, spanning the whole width of the stairs leading up to the main entrance, with the pulpit offset to one side. As the Swords of Dawn filed down the stairs in two columns, the crowd fell silent, and Lucius waited with them, straining his eyes to pick out the Preacher Divine from the darkness of the Cathedral's interior. He did not have long to wait.

  Alhmanic straightened his cloak and pulled his tunic taut before accepting his staff from the acolyte standing dutifully next to him. He waved the man on, indicating he was ready.

  "Preacher Divine," the man muttered in acknowledgement before he turned and walked out of the Cathedral, taking the steps with care and solemnity as he approached the dais.

  The crowd filled the square outside and he suppressed a satisfied smile, lest one of the nearby clergy see it and think it pride. The people were completely silent, expecting his arrival, and he kept them lingering for a few seconds longer. Alhmanic glanced at the seven sullen looking men, bound and held under the spears of imperial soldiers just inside the Cathedral's doorway. Today, he would give the crowd something they had never seen before.

  Planting his staff firmly on the flagstone floor of the Cathedral, its hammer blow echoing throughout the massive nave, Alhmanic strode forward into the daylight. A few in the crowd dared to cheer his appearance, but they were quickly silenced by a single thump of the guards' halberds on the dais. Straight-backed and majestic, his cloak flowing behind him, Alhmanic descended the stairs of the Cathedral slowly, as much to give the crowd a chance to see him before his words took sway as to continue building the tension of the moment.

  Climbing the pulpit, he gazed across the crowd, conveying his absolute authority over the people of Turnitia.

  "Beloved friends," he started, raising his hands as a blessing to all. "The past few days have been hard on all of us. Many brave soldiers have been wounded or have died in service to Turnitia. The people of this great city have had their own burdens to bear, which you have undertaken with the same fortitude. We are united in both our pain and determination to make this a better place to live, where freedom and prosperity are not the preserve of a few, but the right of all!"

  This time, the guard made no move to stop the crowd from expressing their gratitude. Though many of them were now facing higher taxes, they had also seen their silver being put to work in cleaning up the streets.

  "There are many rumours circulating in the city at the moment. As you all well know, loose talk has little value and is rarely the whole truth, or even part of it. However, it is my most humble joy to tell you now that one rumour is true. Late in the evening yesterday, noble Vos agents located and wiped out the headquarters of the perfidious thieves' guild. That is right, my friends, the Vos Empire has once again made good on its promises and destroyed crime on all levels in this city."

  The ovation Alhmanic received on this pronouncement lasted more than a minute and he let the wave of sound wash over him. When it finally began to subside, he raised a hand to let the crowd know more was to come.

  "Of course, you know as well as I that there are those who will always prey on decent, hardworking people, so criminal activity will always be present. However, without an organised guild behind them, these villains will be rudderless, directionless - and easy prey for our town guard!

  "This also leaves us free to continue our good work. I promised you the destruction of the thieves' guild, and it has come to pass. I now tell you that we are commencing the next stage in cleaning this city for decent folk. Those terrible practitioners of darkness, the evil merchants of foul sorcery, the Shadowmages, will be next. This I promise to all of you. And to demonstrate our intent, I have another gift for you."

  So saying, Alhmanic gestured towards the Cathedral. A line of men, each led by a Vos soldier, were marched down the steps. They looked haggard, and everyone could see that their hands and ankles were bound, allowing just enough movement for them to hobble down the steps. On the dais, other soldiers carried seven heavy wooden blocks, setting them down in a line. There was an audible gasp as a few in the crowd began to understand what was about to happen.

  The men, their courage clearly broken, were led onto the dais one by one. None looked out at the crowd. The youngest was weeping, shaking his head as if to clear it of a bad dream.

  "These are seven of the worst sinners we found among the thieves," Alhmanic said, turning back to the crowd. "Each one of them is responsible for many murders, rapes, and unspeakable acts. To seal our pledge to you, the decent people of the city, we will carry out their sentence before you, so you can see justice being done."

  There were more gasps from the crowd as others began to catch on to what the Preacher Divine intended. Turnitia had never before seen public executions and, indeed, had prided itself in the past with the idea that they were not needed. Some people were clearly revolted by the idea and yet, as Alhmanic had guessed, they could not seem to bring themselves to turn away.

  Alhmanic gave a nod to one of the Swords, who then turned to his men and barked an order. As soldiers forced the thieves to their knees, the executioners stepped up to the dais as one. They hoisted their halberds, the silvered axe blades glinting.

  With seemingly no signal from Alhmanic, the halberds descended as one.

  "What in the hell...?"

  Lucius' exclamation drew a few stares from those closest to him, but the attention of most was riveted on the events happening up on the dais. He had recognised Hengit the moment the man had been led out of the Cathedral, and saw Martelle following him. The other thieves he recognised, but their names escaped him at that moment.

  He listened to the Preacher Divine blathering on about the evils of the city, and knew that any charges levelled at the men were read purely for the benefit of the crowd. They were thieves, true, but not one of them was a murderer. As soon as the wooden blocks were broughtout, Lucius knew what was about to happen.

  Lucius yelled his defiance and began pushing through the crowd. Some responded angrily and pushed back, but he was oblivious. He took no notice of the shoves and kicks, nor of the soldiers whose attention he gained and were themselves beginning to make their way through the crowd towards him. All he could think of was reaching the dais. He reached out for the threads of magic, trying to decide what manner of sorcery to unleash.

  The halberds were raised, yet Lucius had barely managed to push a dozen yards through the crowd.

  "No!" he cried, hand outstretched as if he could stop the halberds from descending.

  An iron grip seized his arm and spun him around.

  "Don't be a fool!" a voice hissed in his ear, and he turned to see Adrianna, her eyes glinting dangerously.

  Behind him, Lucius heard the halberds biting into the wooden blocks and dropped his head as the crowd cheered. Adrianna glanced at the soldiers closing in on them, and pulled at Lucius, propelling him away from the Cathedral and now bloody dais.

  "Come on!" Seeing the look in Adrianna's eyes, people parted before her.

  Lucius stumbled behind her. He vowed that the Empire would pay for what it had done, but first, he wanted to ensure that no other thief would be executed in that manner again. For that, he would have to call the council together.

  He had never seen Adrianna's home before, but it surprised him that she had a very respectable house within the higher end of Turnitia. It was nothing like the mansion of de Lille, but she was well placed among the most respected craftsmen and professionals of the city.

  The interior of the house did not seem to match her personality at al
l, with rich rugs, furniture and ornaments suggesting a lady of means, perhaps a lucky widow. Then again, Lucius considered as he luxuriated in the bath Adrianna had insisted he take after smelling the stink of sewerage on him, anything that could throw people off what she really did for a living was a good thing.

  The house must have cost Adrianna a fair sum and he supposed all those years taking Shadowmage commissions while he had been in the Anclas Territories playing mercenary had paid off. The bathroom was tiled, with gilded hooks for clothes and towels lining one wall. A mosaic depicting a forest scene, complete with sunny glade and deer, dominated the opposite wall. The bath was large enough to accommodate three or four.

  "Are you comfortable?" Adrianna asked, and Lucius turned to look over his shoulder. She was carrying his clothes, apparently having just washed them, and was hanging them up on the hooks that ran along the wall. He sank deeper into the water.

  "This is divine." He guessed that some soothing herb or mineral had been added to the water.

  "It was the first thing I installed when I bought this place." Adrianna stepped out of her long, black dress.

  As she climbed in to the bath, sighing happily as the water closed over her, Lucius could not help but stare, seeing for the first time her well-toned legs, immaculate pale skin and small but firm breasts.

  She slid down, submersing her head under the water, and he felt her legs slide along his. When she surfaced she gave him a quizzical look.

  "What's wrong?"

  Lucius found that words refused to come, and he ended up shrugging pointlessly.

  "There was nothing you could have done for those men, you know," she said

  "I know. It was a good thing you were there."

  "Where else would I have been? The cabal was there. I could feel them. They were there, in the Cathedral, watching the proceedings."

  "For what reason?"

  "If I had to hazard a guess, I would say they were looking for us."

  He thought about that for a moment. "You think they are as good as Vos believes they are?"

  "Yes."

  He groaned. "So what do we do now?"

  "Oh, I have an idea," Adrianna said, and she moved over so that her face was just inches from his. Lucius was acutely aware of the pressure of her breasts on his chest.

  "I have a very good idea," she said, as she pulled herself up to kiss him.

  The sex had been vigorous but brief. Passionate but cold. Adrianna had been skilful, as he had always imagined, in his most candid moments, she would be. But the whole incident had seemed rather abrupt. He sat up in the bed, wondering what to say.

  "I want you to join us," Adrianna said. "Properly I mean. Stop messing around with your little group of thieves, and start fighting."

  "What do you have in mind?"

  Adrianna's eyes glowed for an instant as the passion took her. "We unite, as an army! With the Shadowmages working together we cannot be defeated! We will smash their soldiers and tear down their precious cathedral. And then we'll march on the Citadel itself. Their wizards will not be able to stop us, and this cabal will wither under our assault! The city will be released from the yoke of the Empire, and the people will thank us for it. We'll then do as we wish!"

  "What does Master Forbeck have to say about this?" Adrianna's eyes flashed dangerously. "The fool cannot see beyond his own studies," she said, almost spitting the words. "Look at what he is doing with you. Testing and poking and prodding, trying to unearth some great inner secret. What he should be doing is showing you what power you possess and how to use it!"

  Lucius began to get the uneasy feeling that seducing him had been Adrianna's way of getting him to agree to her plans. If that were indeed true, it was an unusually clumsy move on her part. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, gathering the sheets around his waist.

  "Forbeck has been very useful, Aidy," he said. "I understand far more now about what we do than I ever did before."

  "You still know nothing! There is so much more, Lucius, and I can show it to you. I can be your new teacher. The Master has the talent, yes, but he lacks the vision of what the Shadowmages could be!"

  "Are you challenging his leadership?"

  She looked at him curiously for a moment. "No. But I do want to show him where he is going wrong. One solid victory from you and me, and the rest will come down on our side. He will have no choice then but to accept what we have done, and then continue the good work. We can do this, you and I."

  Lucius looked into her intense, unblinking eyes. "I can't."

  He did not see the slap coming, and he staggered under the force of the blow, his cheek stinging hotly.

  "Damn you, Lucius! You are deserting us, now of all times?"

  Raising a hand, as much to ward off her anger as defend against any further attack, Lucius struggled to keep his voice even.

  "In case you had not noticed, Aidy, the thieves have deeper problems right now, and they need me."

  For a moment, just a brief moment, Lucius thought Adrianna would strike him down with a powerful blast of magic. She was furious, and he could see her shaking with barely controlled rage. Abruptly, she turned, facing away from him.

  "Look," he said, trying to find some way of placating her, yet not daring to reach out and touch her shoulder. "Let me get the thieves together. They are good at what they do. We can use them as spies and find out exactly what the Empire is up to. Then we can hit Vos where it really hurts. You and me. Together."

  For a few seconds, Adrianna did not say anything. Then, without a word, she stalked towards the door and flung it open. Her hand still on the handle, she turned back.

  "From you, I guess, that will have to do," she said to him. "You can let yourself out."

  Chapter Nine

  Lucius hunched over his tankard, painfully aware that he looked every inch a ruffian not wanting to be spotted. The common room of the Red Lion was busy with quiet conversation, not yet full of the coming evening's revellers. Known to a few select thieves, the Red Lion and its smooth-talking owner had a long history with the guild. The establishment had provided a safe meeting place for conspiring thieves, a location to store stolen goods and even neutral ground for burglars and their fences. This evening, the inn was serving as the council chamber; or, at least, one of its upper rooms was.

  When he entered the tavern, the landlord - Myrklar - had caught his eye, a pre-arranged signal that Lucius should simply sit down at the bar, order a drink and keep a low profile. There was someone in the common room that Myrklar was suspicious of.

  More people entered the tavern, demanding drink; a few others left. While pushing three full tankards to a group of tradesmen, Myrklar glanced quickly at Lucius, his blinked signal missed by everyone else in the common room. Standing up, Lucius moved to the back of the tavern and, once out of the lantern light and among the shadows, located the steep wooden stairs and began to climb.

  Keeping his footsteps light, knowing that the thin floor could betray him to anyone listenly below, he padded to the end of the short hallway. At the far door, he paused, then knocked three times, each with precise pace.

  The door opened a few inches, revealing Wendric's suspicious face. Upon seeing Lucius, the man relaxed. As he followed Wendric into the room, Lucius noticed the man sheathing a dagger.

  "A little jumpy, Wendric."

  "You're late."

  It was a far cry from the council chamber of the guildhouse. Small and dirty, it looked as though Myrklar had used it to store things perhaps best left forgotten. There was no table, just a single fragile looking chair occupied by Elaine. Wendric and Ambrose sat on upturned wooden crates.

  As he sat on a barrel, Lucius flicked a glance at Elaine. The lines on her face betrayed the strain she was under and, not for the first time, Lucius found himself half-wishing he had accepted responsibility for leadership of the guild himself. Their relationship would certainly be easier under these circumstances and, perhaps, a lot closer. If he we
re leader, no one would see anything wrong in him betraying affection with a hug or a kiss. It would be a natural thing for a guildmaster to look after his mistress.

  "Myrklar delayed me," Lucius said, then looked around, frowning. "Where's Nate?"

  Elaine just shrugged, while Ambrose shook his head.

  "Like you, he should have been here some time ago," Wendric said flatly, and there was something in his tone that made Lucius look at him curiously.

  Wendric looked as though he were about to continue, but Elaine cut him off. "He may turn up later. We'll start without him."

  Raising his hands in a helpless gesture, Ambrose said "Well, where do we start? You have my loyalty as always, Elaine, but what is the council without a guild?"

  "It's a start," Lucius said.

  "That's right," Elaine said. "So long as the leadership is intact, the guild has direction - which is what I have called us here to discuss."

  Clearing his throat, Wendric took the lead. "It's obvious. The executions in the square were a travesty, one we cannot let go unanswered."

  "What do you suggest?" Ambrose asked.

  "We hit back," Wendric said. "We go after the Vos officers, those fops in the Order of the Swords of Dawn, their wizards, and then the Preacher Divine himself."

  "There are not enough thieves to do that," said Lucius. "And I am not sure we could execute such a large scale attack without some thief turning to Vos and informing them of our plan."