City Of Light

by Darren Deegan

  ‘Gods, could you two get a room already? I didn’t come here to have my stomach upturned.’

  Although reluctant, they broke apart at the lips, and turned to see Eric, a mischievous grin plastered across his face.

  ‘Why don’t you go find yourself a nice girl and go bug her.’ Selene said, a little annoyed at being torn from Gareth.

  ‘I could… but it’s so much more fun bugging you.’ Eric said, reaching across them and grabbing the mug of ale. ‘Thanks, Gar.’

  ‘I’ll put that on your tab, Eric.’ Gareth said, turning back to the long wooden bar. ‘Another ale, please, Mick.’

  ‘I see your sister is doing well tonight. Are the others here yet?’ Selene asked, sipping her pink wine.

  Deep within his mug, Eric just pointed to a table at the far wall, next to the hearth. It took only a moment for her to see Robert’s warm, round face. He was laughing with a wonderful intensity, and Selene couldn’t help but smile. ‘Let’s go over.’

  The crowd stamped their feet, and continued to cheer Marisa on, who was caught up in it all, singing an exciting tune of myths and legends. She could tell it would not be her last, she was still looking full of vigour and excitement. When at last she made it through the excited patrons, Selene could see Robert, wrapped in Tom’s arms, taking up an entire table by themselves.

  A tall boy, brown hair, warm eyes and of stocky build, he had been her friend for many years, almost as long as she’d known Gareth, who had introduced them. Tom was more of a recent addition to their circle, and an even newer partner for Robert.

  He was taller than Robert, lean, muscular, a rugged handsome look that Selene would have fallen for herself. Tom was the protector of the group, always looking out for them, even Gareth, who needed no protection. It didn’t take Robert long to fall for him, their relationship has been like a wildfire ever since.

  ‘Well I see you two are having fun without us.’ Selene said, sitting herself down on the bench opposite the boys.

  ‘Just getting warmed up, awaiting your arrival, of course.’ Robert gave her that wonderful warm smile of his. ‘Besides, the night is just getting started, there’s plenty of fun to be had.’

  That much she knew. They had reached the Hairy Lemon earlier than they would have on any other day. Most of their excursions took place at night when vast shadows that crept amongst the rooftops and alleyways of Eitane would cloak them. Such work would never put a time limit upon their fun, unlike their current job.

  ‘So how was the picnic?’ Robert asked, at last free from Tom’s arms.

  ‘You knew about that?’ She asked, surprised.

  ‘Of course, I practically gave him the idea.’

  Selene looked at Gareth, ‘all your idea, huh?’

  He just threw her a cheeky grin.

  They all laughed a little to themselves.

  ‘Let’s get to the fun part then?’ Selene raised her glass, ‘to our adventures tomorrow. May we return whole, with our pockets full.’ They all joined her in the toast.

  ‘More than our pockets.’ Eric said, downing his free mug of ale.

  * * *

  ‘I’m telling you, this is definitely my last one.’ Robert said, swaying a little. ‘I’m full up to here.’ He moved his hand up to the base of his neck.

  Hours disappeared into the ether, Robert now looked as intoxicated as Selene felt. She knew it would come back to bite her in the ass, but the pink wine had been so delicious, she hadn’t wanted to stop. The night had been filled with music, and laughter. Stories of great days they’d had together, and ones that only served to embarrass their subject, but each told with the vigour and intensity that only a master storyteller could muster.

  Eric had entertained them all with his vibrant and creative tongue. He had a way of retelling events, true or fiction, that drew in an audience, ensnared their senses, and left them hanging on his every word. When he was done with the group, Eric had taken up a stool before the hearth and turned to the crowd surrounding them. Men and woman had formed a circle around him, sat and stood as close as possible, entranced in his melodic tone.

  Selene listened in now as did her friends. Eric had been asked to tell the tales of old, people of legend who may never have existed, but made for entertaining stories.

  ‘And what of the giants?’ A man shouted from the far side of the circle.

  ‘A long tale, my friend, perhaps for another night.’ Eric said, taking a sip from his mug, exaggerating its movement, showing it was empty.

  ‘Another ale for the Seanchaí, on me.’ Said the same man, announcing Eric as a Seanchaí, great storytellers of old. ‘Tell us of the giants, friend, the time when they came upon our lands.’

  ‘Well, if you insist.’ He said, a sly grin on his face. Selene knew his game. It was rare for Eric to remove a coin from his pocket on nights such as this.

  ‘For this, we go back an age, to the time when the immortals lived amongst us. When Emeer was a far better place, crops were bountiful, fish abundant, and not a man nor child begged for coin upon the streets. A time when these lands were rich, and vibrant, but that vibrancy had a price.

  All across this world, other people and races swam in jealousy. They wished that they could have an ounce of Emeer’s greatness, that they could live within its borders, and bask in its glory. But, we could not allow it, for those of other lands had not the grace or good character to be among Emeerians.’

  A great cheer rose up from the crowd at the idea of Emeerians being so fine a people.

  Eric raised a hand to quieten his enthralled. ‘This created a great many enemies for the old kingdom. Not because of something we did, but because of what we had. The fiercest of these, were the Fomorians.

  A race of giants, grotesque and deadly. The body of a man with the head of a beast, they towered above all others. These demons craved nothing but destruction, chaos, and darkness, they are the embodiment of death. A race made by the gods of the underworld to bring about the end times.’

  Gasps sprang out across the crowd, eyes widened, and they leaned in closer, spurring him on. This was what he loved most of all, Selene knew, an audience to hang on his every word.

  ‘These hell-spawn came in droves across the sea with malicious intent, their sights set firm on the shining beacon that was Eitane. But it would not be as easy as they thought. For as they reached our lands, a great storm appeared as if from nowhere.

  Black clouds covered the sky as far as you could see, pouring down rain and hail that could kill a man. Thunder rumbled across the sea, as if the gods themselves had voiced their anger at the creatures’ gall. Blinding bolts of lightning struck hull after hull as waves the size of Eitane’s great walls washed over the ships.

  Their fleet crashed upon our shores in ruin, broken by the might of the storm. What was left of the Fomorian army spilled out on to the beaches, in a desperate attempt to salvage their assault. When their ranks at last formed, the remainder of their leaders took command and began the march on Eitane.

  From high upon the city walls, people looked on in horror as these deformed beasts grew closer, stride after stride. It was then, in the final charge of the invaders, that a single forked bolt of lightning struck the earth before them, forcing them to halt their advance.

  Both invaders and citizens looked to the northern hilltop where a lone figure waited astride a great dire wolf. Lightning struck again, more powerful and deadly than the last, and when the Fomorians recovered from the blinding beam of light, they looked again to the hilltop.

  No longer alone, the rider held a great army at their back. Hundreds of warriors stood upon that hill, their armour shining in the light of a newly revealed sun. They drew swords and spears, bows knocked, battle stances taken. They would not allow the soulless creatures to take these lands without a fight.’

  Selene found herself enthralled by Eric’s story. She always thought these ancient races, battles of immortals and gods, were so far fetched. But she had to admit, they made for a
great story when the right person told it. He was a master storyteller, far beyond what one would deem possible for someone so young. The crowd were right to call him Seanchaí.

  ‘Who were these warriors?’ One woman shouted. ‘Were they the army of Eitane?’ Another man followed.

  Eric continued, ‘no, these were men and women of a race gifted with long life. The Tuath Dé, as they are known, are the mightiest of warriors, people of the gods, graced with powers you could scarcely imagine. The great army charged towards the Fomorians, their mighty commander upon her wolf at their head.

  A wave of immortals crashed upon the lines of underworld creatures, washing them from the face of this world. The battle was not long fought, for the hell-spawn in their broken state, could not match the might of the Tuath Dé.’

  Cheers rang out around the room, shocking Selene out of the fantasy world Eric had so skilfully drawn her into. She didn’t know what time it was, or how long he’d kept them all bewitched, but it was far too late for anymore.

  ‘I think we should call it a night? We’ll need clear heads for tomorrow, and if we listen to another of Eric’s tall tales, we’ll never get to bed.’ Selene said to the table.

  ‘My brother does tell a good story, doesn’t he? I told him he should make a living of it when he’s too old to prowl the rooftops of Eitane.’ Marisa laughed a little.

  Selene couldn’t help but wonder what she’d do when she was too old to ply her trade. Better start saving, she mused.

  ‘You’re right of course. I’ll walk you home.’ Gareth said, getting up from the table. ‘The rest of you should do the same, tomorrow will be something new and exciting for us, but also more risk than we would usually take. Get some sleep, you’ll need it.’

  NINE

  Selene woke early, preparations still needed to be finalised for the heist in the upper quarter and she wanted to leave nothing to chance. Gareth and the twins planned to meet before breakfast, to ensure they had everything the team would need for the day, and to do a quick sweep of the market square and sewer access they would use to enter the upper quarter.

  This was a strategy they had used numerous times before, but with the parade route coming dangerously close to the sewer entrance in the market, they felt it would be prudent to double check that no guards would block their access.

  She descended the stairs, already washed and dressed, surprising Molly as she entered the kitchen. As usual, Molly appeared to have risen at dawn, baked bread and was preparing breakfast. This was her usual routine before getting to work early at the local bakery. It was rare that Selene would ever see Molly before she left for work, but never had she been ready to leave before her.

  ‘Washed and dressed? Have I completely lost track of time?’ Molly said.

  ‘Funny. And no, you haven’t. I’m meeting Gareth, we want to get a good spot for the parade later, so we’re leaving early.’

  ‘Early, dear? I'm struggling to remember the last time you saw this time of day. You know it goes through half the city, right? I don’t think you need to leave this early.’

  Selene couldn’t tell Molly what her real intentions were, and even leaving that early for her true purpose, was far too early. Patience was not a strong trait of hers, even on a good day, and it was definitely not her best day. Sitting around waiting was not something she could do.

  ‘I know, but we’ll meet some others first, and then head to the market square. I might be late home too, just so you know.’

  ‘When aren’t you late.’ Molly said, chuckling a little to herself.

  She always appreciated that Molly never gave her a hard time about her comings and goings and did her best not to antagonise Molly by staying out late without notice.

  ‘I’d better be off, don’t want to keep the boys waiting.’ Selene said, grabbing an apple from the table on her way out.

  She knew Gareth and the twins would already be investigating the market, so she made her way to the slum entrance of the market to meet them on their way out.

  It wasn’t a long walk to the slum gate, but by the time Selene had gotten there, she’d past an unusual amount of guards, considering most were supposed to be securing the parade route. She wondered if they were simply on their way to the Merchants Quarter sections of the parade, but worried that maybe something else had happened during the night.

  She passed with a quickened pace through the slum gate and walked the boundary wall to the slum entrance of the Market Square without incident, but all the time seeing more guards, which in the slums was particularly worrying.

  Ten minutes had passed before she saw Gareth and the twins coming through from the market. Each of them looked unhappy, worried even, it was not a good sign. When Gareth spotted her, his face changed, and he smiled, but not enough to fool Selene.

  Gareth moved in closer and kissed Selene. ‘I thought we were meeting later?’ He said.

  ‘I couldn’t wait. Sitting around with Molly, acting like nothing was going on just wasn’t going to happen.’ She said. ‘And now I’m glad I came, because none of you look in high spirits. What’s wrong?’

  ‘Well it appears that the guards on duty have doubled around the entire city. They drafted in the military reserves this morning to fill in the gaps from the extra guards needed for the parade.’

  ‘I was wondering why there were guards everywhere on my way here. We need to call this off then, it was risky enough with most of the city guards being at the parade, it’ll be impossible now.’ Selene insisted.

  Eric moved up from behind Gareth and said, ‘not impossible, just a little more interesting. Now it’ll be fun.’ The grin on his face went from ear to ear.

  Selene thought she’d like to seem surprised, but knowing the twins’ run head first attitude, Eric’s comment didn’t surprise her in the least. Fun wasn’t the word she’d use to describe this move, interesting it would most certainly be, but she thought suicide would best describe it. She scanned the three of their faces, and although worried, they still seemed determined to enact their plan.

  ‘So how are we planning to get passed so many guards? I assume Marisa’s charms aren’t going to cut it this time?’ Selene asked.

  ‘Hey, my charms never fail. It’s just that I don’t think we need them in this case.’ Marisa chimed in.

  Selene looked around for someone else to fill her in on the new plan, assuming there was a new plan.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ve already come up with a rough idea of how to get into the sewers. We must leave earlier than planned though, and that will mean sitting down in the sewers for a while before we come out in the upper quarter.’ Gareth said.

  ‘Awhile? How…’ Selene began before being cut off.

  ‘We’ll explain on the way, but right now we need to get the others and suit up.’ Eric said, pushing them forward.

  That means I’m not going to like the answer, she thought as the four of them moved through the slums towards the guild house.

  * * *

  The market square was mostly occupied by city guards when Selene and the others arrived. The people of Eitane had begun to gather along the route the king’s parade would take, but it was still over an hour before the parade began, and even longer before it would reach the market, so numbers were still low. When Gareth had told Selene that they had a rough idea for getting into the sewer, he meant it, it was rough and child like in its simplicity. Simple enough that Selene was more worried knowing the plan than she had been when she was still oblivious.

  There were nine thieves in total, including Gareth. Selene and the twins gathered within a short distance of the sewer entrance. It was a matter of waiting for the distraction that Eric and Gareth had devised earlier and utilising it to enter the sewer. While Selene wasn’t convinced, her bigger issue was the fact they would have to sit inside of the sewer for an hour before they could emerge on the Upper Quarter side.

  ‘Where is your ingenious signal?’ Selene asked while glaring at Eric.

  �
��Gods, are you always this impatient, woman? How do you stand her, Gar?’ Eric said, in the usual tone he used when taunting Selene.

  ‘Remind me to kick your ass when we’re sitting in the stinking sewer for an hour.’ She teased.

  Just as Eric was about to retort, Marisa nudged him and looked towards the opposite side of the square. A black plume of smoke was now rising from behind one of the stores, and a young boy was yelling 'Fire, Fire', as he ran across the square. Selene recognised the boy as one of Gareth’s minions, as she liked to call them.

  ‘Every guard in the square isn’t going to run to investigate a fire, Gareth, they’re not that stupid.’ She said.

  Before Gareth could answer, Selene's attention was captured as every guard in the square moved to the building, or to fetch buckets of water from a nearby trough.

  ‘Don’t say a word.’ She said. Preempting his inevitable sarcastic comment.

  Gareth gave the signal to the others, and they all moved quickly and quietly towards the sewer entrance between two buildings. Each dropped through the opening while Eric kept watch for the guards, who still put out the small fire they’d had set on the other side of the square.

  The air was heavy, and the smell so foul, that it penetrated Selene’s senses even while she was attempting to hold her breath. She removed a small tin of strong mint balm from her bag and placed some beneath her nose, an old trick they used whenever they entered the upper quarter, she hoped she’d brought enough for the unusual extended stay.

  ‘Okay, lets move quietly, there are guards posted close to most entrances along the way, we don’t want to alert them.’ Gareth said, leading the way.

  ‘Yeah, like any of them are paid enough to venture down here.’ Eric said beneath his breath.