“Before we get too carried away discussing a suitable bride for Marin here, I have business to discuss with our northern friend. You have caused me great distress brother. I am lucky to be live right now.”
Soron looked at Ramon with concern, “What happened?”
“Those damn women almost tore me to shreds when I only had two pieces of jewelry to show them. I had to swear on my mother’s soul I would bring more soon just to leave with my skin intact. You better have more pieces hidden somewhere, or I am going to be in trouble.” Ramon threw a heavy sack of coins on the table, “there is your payment for the first two pieces.”
Soron took the sack of coins and inspected it. Handfuls of golden coins filled the sack. He looked up at Ramon “How much is there?”
Ramon laughed, “Two hundred gold coins, I probably could have gotten you more with other buyers but I have a particular fondness for those two, and they will be repeat buyers, so you get a little less now but in the long run will be better off. You will live well in Venecia friend; you will have no shortage of income as long as you can make more of your jewelry.”
Soron was surprised, he had no idea his artwork had such value. He would be able to live comfortably in Venecia without worrying about an income. He could do whatever projects he wanted without having to worry about eating. The idea was very appealing. “Thank you Ramon.”
“Just make sure you bring me more of your jewelry,” said Ramon with a smile. “Now back to Marin’s situation. Let me tell you about Lady Lucille…”
6
Trouble in Paradise
FOR A WEEK SORON roamed the city, exploring its streets, going through its large open market. He spent time checking out the vendors selling their wares on the streets, inspecting the different shops. The city had a strange and diverse culture. The range of different tribes and sailors from distance land that came through Venecia made for a colorful melting pot of people. Every day Soron heard a new accent, or saw something new to him. The sailors that roamed the docks, and the nearby bawdy houses, were a breed unto themselves. Hard working, hard playing with a colorful language that would make the hardest man blush at times.
The famed Thieves’ Guild of Mithbea had not made its way across the strait yet, but that did not mean there were not plenty of pickpockets and con artists roaming the streets. They were just not as talented as those on the southern continent. Soron learned early to keep only a couple coins on his person and the rest safely stored with Ramon Ventego his new friend.
After a day of wandering, Soron returned to the Dew Drop Inn, the friendly inn having been his home for the last week. When he got there, he could see something was amiss. Mariah the inn keeper’s daughter was nowhere to be seen and her father Howard was serving in her place. The man had a troubled look on his face.
“What’s troubling you Howard? Mariah late for work?” asked Soron.
Howard shook his head, “No, Mariah is not well today. Nothing serious,” replied Howard as he cleaned a table.
Howard was a terrible liar; his troubled face told a different story than the one coming out of his mouth.
“Come on Howard, I know you well enough now to know when you are lying. Is everything okay?” Soron was concerned. Howard was normally a jovial sort, laughing and smiling. The inn keeper was always happy to be interacting with his customers.
Howard sighed and sat down. All day he had stewed over the situation. Perhaps the friendly northerner would have an idea on how to deal with this. “It Mariah, she worked as a server at another pub last night to help out a friend. The pub was a little seedy but she had helped out there before. Last night she was grabbed and taken like a working girl, a common whore. The bastards used her, beat her and left her in a heap in the back alley. She is lucky to be alive.
Soron felt a burning in his chest. Mariah was a sweet girl, flirty yet innocent. That anyone would do her harm was incomprehensible. “Where is she now?” asked Soron.
“She is in her room. Her friend noticed she was missing last night and went looking for her. When she found her she took her to a doctor then came and got me. The doctor says she will eventually be fine, but she is badly bruised and hasn’t said a word all day.” Howard had tears in his eyes as he spoke. He shared his daughter’s pain.
“And the ones who did this, have the city constables found them?”
“The constables know who did it, but can’t touch them,” said Howard bitterly. “The city constables are easily purchased in this city, and the ones who did this come from powerful families. No one that was in the pub will even admit the group was in the pub last evening. My daughter’s friend says they were there, but she is terrified to say anything else. No one will stand in the way of the noble shits. Their fathers buy the constables off and anyone who complains about the lads ends up hurt or out of business. There is nothing to be done.”
Soron frowned. His anger was turning into a burning rage; this was the kind of injustice that brought Soron to a boil. A calm man, Soron held a deep anger within him. Some said it was from the giant’s blood that coursed through his veins. But regardless of the reason, once Soron got to a certain degree of anger, he would act without hesitation. His dislike for violence thrown aside as the need arose. It was what allowed him to destroy an elite squadron of foot soldiers; it was the same force that gave him the strength to defeat some of the mightiest of foes. Now Soron’s anger was directed at an unknown group of men who used an innocent girl and escaped justice due to the influence of their families.
“What pub did she work at last night?”
Howard looked up at Soron. There was something in the northerner’s tone that suggested that to not answer his question was to invite danger. Howard could see a flicker in Soron’s eyes that scared him, Howard didn’t want the northerner getting hurt on their behalf but he was not about to lie to the man again. He simply answered Soron’s question “The Hell Cat.”
…
Marin found Soron sitting at a corner table of the Hell Cat. He was nursing a drink while watching the crowd. Marin could see the storm brewing within the great northerner. “May I join you?” he asked.
Soron looked at his friend and gave him a nod, he was in no mood to smile or be friendly. “Of course.”
“I was at the Inn looking for you; Howard said I might find you here. I heard what happened to Mariah.” Marin paused, “I don’t suppose I can stop you from doing something stupid?”
Soron look at Marin, “Define stupid.”
Marin treaded carefully, Soron was a friend but the man looked ready to explode. “Well, by stupid, I mean anything that gets your head chopped off by the city guard. The constables are a joke, but if you are caught killing those men, without having just-cause the families will insist on the city guard being called in. The city guard is much more formidable than the constables, and not as corrupt. I would have a hard time bribing them to release you.”
Soron looked away, “so what would you suggest? Let them go free, don’t avenge Mariah?”
“Nah, just for a moment pay more attention to my words. If the men were caught in the act, or attacked you, then anything you did would be justifiable. You can avenge Mariah, and do all of Venecia a favor while doing it. But you have to do it in the correct way. Those men are vile creatures and treat the city like their own private playground. Do what is needed, but do it in a way that can be explained. I beg it of you. I don’t want to lose a friend because of these animals.”
Soron’s facial expressions softened for a moment, he sighed. “Alright, but I am dedicating my immediate future to this task. Nothing will prevent me from getting my hands on them, one way or another.”
Marin nodded, “Good. Now unless you have a better idea, let’s go somewhere a little nicer. I am hungry and we need to discuss your new friends.”
Soron nodded, and followed Marin out, he would return another time.
The second pub was much nicer. It was farther away from the docks and catered more to the locals
of Venecia instead of the sailors and visitors. As they ate, Marin explained his plan to learn more about the men who had abused Mariah. “I don’t know much about them, but Ramon will. Give me a day, I will talk to Ramon and find out as much about the men as I can, then you can plan a way to bring justice to them.
Soron nodded, “Alright, I will wait.” Now that he had set his mind to the task, he would take as long as necessary to deliver some justice for poor Mariah.
After the meal Marin went to find Ramon while Soron head back to the inn, he wanted to check on Mariah.
7
Avenging Mariah
“DECLAN LARSON, CALE PEARCE and Owen Gordon,” Ramon said. “Those are the ring leaders of the group. There are ten to twelve of them, but those three are the main leaders. All come from powerful families with strong ties to the Council. The others follow the lead of those three. Rape, torture, theft, and murder, the list of their sins is long.” Ramon paused and looked at Marin and Soron carefully before continuing. “If you are serious about this, I can arrange it so that you stumble upon an ‘attack’ tonight. It won’t be completely honest, but the men there will all be part of the group.”
“I’m no saint Ramon, I would gladly take a knife and meet each of them in an alley, but I promised Marin here to make sure I didn’t get my head chopped off for outright murder. Do what you have to, I will do my part,” said Soron. If the law didn’t care about stopping these men, then he didn’t care about the law.
Ramon nodded, “Meet me tomorrow at the Wandering Donkey around nine o’clock. Bring a couple of your pieces of jewelry.”
…
The Wandering Donkey was a rambunctious bar along the waterfront. The pub was known for its excellent food and brought in a diverse crowd.
Soron spotted Ramon right away, he was talking to a short older gentlemen. Soron went over to them.
“Soron, I would like you to meet Jarret Case, he is a deal of antiquities and jewelry.”
“Hello, nice to meet you,” replied Soron.
“Soron, I have heard so much about your artwork. I am pleased to meet you,” said Jarret.
Ramon pulled the men towards the back of the pub, “come I have reserved a private room so that we can discuss business in a quieter setting.” Ramon then led them to a medium sized room with a table and three chairs set up for them. “The cook here does an excellent baked trout, I would recommend trying that.”
As they sat down at the table a server came into the room, bringing a bottle of wine and three glasses. The server explained their menu options for the evening. “Tonight its rib roast with vegetables, the baked trout or steak and lobster.”
Soron wasn’t here for food, but to keep up appearances he thought aloud over the menu. “The trout sounds good but I have never had lobster. I’ll try that.”
After Ramon and Jarret order the trout the server left the room, leaving the men alone.
“Soron, why don’t you show Jarret what you brought, then after dinner we can haggle over price, if you are willing to part with them. I warned Jarret that my lady friends will want me to bid on the pieces, but I promised Jarret an opportunity to see your work.”
Soron nodded and took out the jewelry he had brought. The first piece was a woman necklace; the design was one of Soron’s hexin pieces. The white steel was crafted into the shape of a butterfly with three small emeralds in the body of the creature. The second piece was a small intricately carved black steel dagger. The small weapon had a combination of the black steel and white woven together in the handle.
Jarret examined the pieces, while Soron and Ramon drank their wine and discussed Marin’s love life. Ramon had a few suitable women in mind and wanted Soron to help him convince the bachelor to at least meet the woman. Soron knew Marin was worried about his father’s plans and would agree to meet them.
Jarret returned the dagger and necklace to Soron, “I must say I thought Ramon was exaggerating when he described the quality of your craftsmanship. I did not know steel could be turned into such delicate designs, and the colors of the steel, so fascinating.”
Suddenly a scream broke out from an adjacent room. “Help”
All three men rushed out to find out what was going on. Soron led the way, carrying the small dagger.
The door to the room was blocked by a large man, “Nothing to see here gentleman, move along.”
Ramon insisted “We heard a scream.”
The man shook his head, “I don’t care what you heard, I said move along.”
Soron waited no longer, driving his fist into the man’s head. The thug hit the floor with a thump. Soron lunged forward putting his shoulder into the door. The light wooden frame broke and the door swung open.
A woman was on the floor, dress torn, with a bleeding lip. She was surrounded by six men. The men seemed shocked by the intrusion. Several pulled out daggers while others reached for nearby swords. Several of the men were half dress.
“Leave now or suffer the consequences,” said one of the men. “This has nothing to do with you.” The man walked towards the door pointing a sword at Soron.
Soron did not reply, he simply walked forward and pushed the man’s sword aside with the dagger before grabbing him and thrusting it into his heart. The move was so quick that the man hadn’t even realized Soron intended to attack him. As the Soron withdrew his dagger from the man, the rest started to attack, five men against one.
The fight was not fair. Not even close. Soron moved like a demon, twisting and turning his way through the men, carving and jabbing with the small dagger. With his free hand he smashed the men that got too close, sending them reeling. Before long all five men had joined their fallen companion on the floor.
Soron put the dagger away and went to see to the girl, making sure she was okay. While Soron was attending to the injured woman the pub owner and several patrons rushed into the room.
The pub owner demanded to know what had happened.
“We were in the next room waiting for our dinner when we heard a scream. We came to investigate and the man outside the door told us to go away. Soron knocked him out and broke the door down. We came in and saw the woman being assaulted. The men then attacked Soron, you can see for yourself what happened next,” spoke Ramon.
One of the patrols looked at the bodies on the floor, “That is Cale Pearce, and that one is Owen Gordon. You will hang for this friend.”
Another voice rang out, “And the other one is Zac Case, my son. I also witnessed the men attacking this woman. If anyone hangs for this it will only be because one of these men isn’t completely dead yet.” Jarret Case looked at the dead body of his son with disdain and sadness.
The pub owner mumbled “Well I suppose no point calling the constables after all.” He then took the girl to the kitchen to get cleaned up while Soron, Ramon and Jarret left. Soron would have to wait for another day to try lobster.
8
Pair of Thieves
“THERE ARE STILL MORE of them,” said Soron. The statement almost could be a question, but the emphatic way that Soron said it left no doubt that despite tonight’s bloodletting, he intended to see his mission through to its bloody end.
Ramon nodded, “Declan Larson and his small band of thugs still remain. I will not be able to contrive anything to speed up the process this time I am afraid. You will have to keep an eye on them, wait for them to make a mistake. Tomorrow go down to the docks, I have arranged for you to meet a pair of thieves. Do not be fooled by their appearances, they are talented at what they do. The pair will follow Declan and report back to you. It would be impossible for someone your size to be stealthy enough to go unnoticed all the time. Use the thieves to track Declan and his men. When the time is right, and you catch him in an act that justifies action, do what needs to be done. Be warned, Declan’s family is powerful and vindictive, if they find out that you had anything to do with their son being harmed you would have a powerful enemy.”
Soron nodded, he was used to havin
g powerful enemies. He would not back off. He would see Declan Larson and his slimy friends punished. “Thank you Ramon, I don’t know what you did to arrange tonight but I believe it was just.”
Ramon nodded, “Let’s just say many good people have been waiting for an opportunity to bring justice to that group of men, including Jarret Case. It is a sad day when a father must consort against his son, but when the child chooses the way of evil… Your involvement as an outsider to Venecia is what allowed this to happen. No one, myself included, could be the hand that killed the nobles. You are different. You are an outsider. The politics of the families doesn’t apply to you. You were able to do what was needed. No one will say it aloud, but many are grateful you killed them.”
Soron felt tired, all this talk of killing and politics was draining.” I am headed to my room, I need some sleep. Tomorrow I shall head to the docks to meet your thieves. What shall I look for?”
“Don’t worry, they will find you,” replied Ramon as he bid his northern friend goodnight.
…
When morning came, Soron went downstairs for breakfast. Again Howard was serving, but he seemed in brighter spirits this morning. Not his normal cheerful self, but certainly an improvement of the previous time they spoke. “Good morning Howard, how is Mariah today?” asked Soron.
Howard gave Soron a smile, he then left the room. Howard returned with two large plates of breakfast. “I had these made especially for you.” Howard put the large plates of food in front of Soron. As he did this, he whispered into Soron’s ear. “She is better, and thank you for what you have done. Mariah and I both sleep better knowing those bastards will not harm another girl.” Howard stood up, patted Soron on the shoulder and returned to the other inn customers.
Soron's Quest Page 5
