Thieves' Race

by Isaac Padgett

  "Hey, she ran this way, I see her! She's on the ground; I think something finished her off!"

  Footsteps were approaching at a run, or so I thought in my delirium, "You're right. Maybe another hunter, though it's more likely she just couldn't go any farther. Who knows... Wait, what's th- Oh shit, there's a boy over here, Marvin. Damn, he's bleeding bad, come on, help-"

  Blackness.

  Groggy, I tried to sit up and found myself tied to a strange bed. It took me a moment to remember what happened, but once I did, I realized where I was.

  "Doc?" I called weakly, my voice barely more than a whisper. The pain in my throat told me something, probably food, was forced into my stomach at some point.

  A young girl who I hadn't seen in the room stepped up to the bedside and laid a hand on my shoulder, pressing me gently down, "You have to stay still for a while. The stitches will take a long while to heal. You're at the medicia; my name is Maria. The doctor will be back to check on you in just a moment, now that you're up."

  I grunted, knowing the process better than almost anyone else. This wasn't the first time I was tied down in the dull room. Sensing my discomfort at being tied down, the girl tried to strike up a conversation, "You were torn up pretty bad when they brought you in here. The doctor thought it might have been a bear or something. What were you thinking, going and pissing one of them off?" Pretty green eyes, so like mine, peered out at me from behind pale brown hair.

  I shook my head, trying to think past the pain of the stitches, "Aether? Did she find me? Where is she? How did she find me in the woods?"

  The girl shook her head, a frown creasing her brow, "A girl, I don't know her name, was here earlier. She wasn't the one who found you, though. Two hunters brought you in, claiming they had found you in the woods while they were tracking. They stayed a while but had to leave. They left their wishes for your recovery, though."

  I snorted and instantly regretted it as pain flared across my chest and side. I glared at her when she put her hand back on my shoulder, trying to calm me down, but said nothing.

  "It was a close call; if it had been any later, you might not have made it. As is, it will be a while before you're up and running again. Would you mind sharing what you can remember? The doctor, as well as myself, is curious to know what happened. Just in case it may happen again."

  I closed my eyes, resting my head back and trying to relax, knowing that tension in the muscles could irritate the stitches, "My bow broke. Then I tried dancing with a bear. Neither one worked out very well, it seems. No worries about a repeat performance though, dead bears don't dance very well."

  She stared at me in disbelief, trying to piece together what I said. Not bothering to give her the time, I asked, "So, how many loops do I got in me? Hopin' it's more than last time; it's sorta pointless if you don't even break your record."

  She was saved the need to answer by a chuckle from the doorway. I couldn't see him at first but knew the doctor had finally shown up. By now, I couldn't keep my eyes open, but if I focused hard, I could make out his words, "You did indeed break your record if it matters—a hundred and thirty-six stitches. You've certainly outdone yourself this time. You fall apart faster than I can put you back together, sometimes."

  I tried to laugh, but the sudden flare of pain sent me back to the realm of darkness. The last I heard was the doctor telling the girl, what was her name? Mary? Marie? To change my bandages. Lord, are her hands cold...

  The next time I woke, I could see Aether sitting next to me, her face in her hands. I knew she must be exhausted. She must have heard me move as I woke, for she peeked out from between her fingers, "Jack? Are you awake?"

  I coughed slightly, a smile forcing its way on my face, "Naw, I'm just sleepin' wit' me eyes open. Wake me up in 'bout half a mark or so."

  She laughed and sobbed at the same time, an interesting combination to witness. Tears clouded her blue eyes, making them look like small ponds with a murky center, "You're lucky you're injured; I would smack you otherwise. How dare you worry me like that? I thought you were dead... I saw the sheets the doctor took away to burn; there was so much blood...how could there be so much blood?"

  For a moment, I forgot about my restraints and tried to sit up to comfort her. When they brought me up short, I sighed, "Aether, it's alright, I'm fine. The doc is real good at what he does; he used to do it for my boys and me all the time. Ain't nobody better, to be honest. The man always had a soft spot for us poor folk."

  She sniffed hard but nodded and tried to calm herself, "What did you say to Maria? She was out there with a storm cloud about her head, muttering about how foolish you were, an absolute idiot from blood loss. She said that last with a smile, though, I think she might fancy you."

  I felt myself slipping into sleep once more and mumbled out a few words, "Tell 'er fro' me tha' t'wasn't blood loss what done it, I'm jus' normally an idiot."

  Aether sat beside Jack's bed long into the night, sending away the servants who tried to bring her food or water. She was too worried to eat, soon falling asleep with Jack's hand held tightly in both of hers.

  With a new wave of sluggishness, I woke to a blinding pain lancing its way through my chest. Even my hastily applied mental exercises didn't stop me from gasping aloud, waking Aether with a start.

  "Jack? Are you alright? What's wrong? Is the pain awful? I can have to doctor come back and add some more balm. Or I could do it! I think I know which of these jars has the right ointment in it." She started to frantically search through the various jars and bottles that were littering the room.

  I was able to think past the pain enough to talk, though it was a stretch, "I'm fine, wait for Doc to get here. But you gotta tell me, what time is it? It's not morning already, is it?"

  Aether blinked at me, not understanding the question for a moment. After a breath, she put down the bottles she was holding, "Morning? Um, yeah. I suppose it is. I must have fallen asleep here. It's actually been a couple of nights... I thought you knew. But that's good! The doctor said if you made it past the third night, you'd be past the worst!"

  I groaned and let my head fall back against the pillow. At any other time, I would marvel at how soft they could make things like beds and pillows, but now, worry was all that was on my mind.

  "Damn. Elroy wanted...to meet with me the other night. He warned me, now I don't...Damn that bear! Damn those hunters! And damn these blasted restraints!!!" I pulled hard with my arms, straining even though I knew it was useless.

  Aether slapped me, lightly but hard enough to sting, "You stop that right now, young man! You are not allowed to rip those stitches out, or I will have the doctor sew your lips shut too! Now you calm down, and I can tell you what Kate told me!"

  I stopped pulling and looked at her, "Kate? What's Kate got to do with anything?"

  Once Aether saw that I was calm and wasn't about to tear anything, she sat back down, but on the edge of her seat, almost as if she would leap up to stop me from hurting myself again. "Bear? So it was a bear that did this? What were you thinking, Jack, trying to take on a bear on your own? You've done some stupid things before, but oh, this one definitely takes the cake."

  I blushed under her scolding and mumbled, "Didn't mean to. Bear came out of nowhere. Just wanted the deer."

  She shook her head and looked at me wordlessly. For a long moment, we sat there, soaking in what had almost happened before I broke the silence, "Shit, though. I was supposed to go somewhere the other night-"

  Aether cut me off with a hand, "I know. Kate told me, the moment we found out what had happened to you. I went and hid behind some boxes. I could hear everything they were saying, but not who was saying it. Someone, I'm assuming it was Elroy, was telling others that since you didn't show, the plan was moving forward. They were to send out some date and time to someone. Even went so far as to ask if they had enough numbers or if they needed to hire more. Something about if "the guy" had his job down... Whatever it was, Jack, it didn't sound good. I th
ink we should tell someone about this before something happens."

  I relaxed, my mind whirring quicker than I thought possible, "Wouldn't do any good, no real proof. All it would do is tell Elroy we know he's doing something soon. Now we just gotta find out what. Did the doc tell ya when I can get these damn straps off me? I ain't never tore a stitch before. Won't start now."

  Aether looked around quickly before loosening the straps. I grinned at her in thanks and sat up slowly, rubbing my wrists where the straps had dug into them. Red welts shone against my skin, and I wondered how soon they'd fade. We sat together in silence, each looking around the white, almost sterile-looking room. The silence wasn't broken until the doctor entered the room.

  The man was gaunt, almost too thin, with his cheekbones and chin jutting out. His mouth was almost always a scowl, and his gruff appearance did little to soothe frightened patients. Under his rough demeanor, however, kind eyes stared out from underneath bushy gray eyebrows, the only hair on his head, "Jack, my boy! You're up and about already, excellent!" He ran a hand over his bald head, a habit from his younger days when he had a full head of hair. "I must say, I'm glad that for once, I'm tending you from something other than knife wounds or barroom brawls. It's a refreshing change, though I'd still rather you not come to see me so often. I think you hold the record for the most stitches in the town!!"

  I gave him a mixture of a grin and a grimace, trying to stand to greet him, but he motioned me back down, "I need to check the stitches, make sure nothing is festering or torn. You know the drill by now, so behave yourself. Aether, honey, you can stay if you wish, but I would advise you to leave the room. This isn't something one not trained should see. It won't be a pretty sight, and there may still be a bit of blood."

  She shook her head, setting her face into a grim expression, committed to staying by my side. "Don't worry, Doc," I quipped, "She's used to lookin' at me. She won' be scared by a little more ugliness on top of everything else."

  The doctor grinned tightly, looking over at Aether one last time to be sure before peeling back the blanket and gown I wore covering my chest.

  Even I took a quick intake of air at the sight laid bare. Four long gash marks, stitched tightly closed, stood out stark against my chest. They were surrounded by a dozen similar scars, though none came close to the sheer size of these.

  The doctor's fingers, so gently, traced the stitches quickly and methodically, making sure of each's strength and anchor points. "You already know these will scar. There was nothing I could do about that, not with how much damage was done. A nice addition to your...assorted collection, I suppose."

  His hand briefly rested on an old, puckered, star-shaped scar that stretched over a rib, "A glass bottle, here, right? That one was a bit of luck, if even one shard of glass had remained...you've led an eventful life for one your age, boy. See that you keep living that eventful life though, I'd hate to see you end up going too far one day."

  He stood up straight, wiping his hands on a towel before applying new bandages, "You can go home or stay here. But if I see you on my table again one day before those stitches need to be removed, I'll give you even worse, you understand?"

  I nodded, and he left, one hand patting my shoulder twice as a farewell. Aether helped me to my feet, holding me steady, "Should he really be letting you go so soon after the surgery? Shouldn't he make sure you're okay by holding you for a few days?"

  I laughed weakly, hobbling towards the door with Aether as a crutch, "No, he knows better by now. The first time I was in here, I didn't trust anyone. I had gotten hurt...it doesn't matter. But when he wouldn't let me leave, I tried to break out at night. The fall from the window was high, and the splint holding my leg together fell apart. It just made the problem all the worse. So now, he knows I'll take care of it and lets me leave. He does always give the same warning, though." I smiled softly, shaking my head at the memory.

  I stared after the man briefly, my voice soft, "He's done a lot for me and mine. And he's never asked for anything, to boot. He's good people. One of the few truly good ones that you can find in this world. I trust him with my life."

  By now, it was all Aether could do to get a grunt out, so much of her effort was going to try to keep me upright and moving. The walk home seemed to take forever, though with the smell of her hair filling my nose and her presence beside me, I didn't mind the walk home.

  But as with everything, this too passes, ruined by the person I wanted to see least in the world.

  Elroy stood in the middle of the small street, his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently. His blonde hair was askew, almost as if he hadn't slept the night before and didn't bother to run a comb or brush through his hair.

  When he saw us, he straightened, brightening up visibly, "There you are. I heard about what happened. Tis sad, but I'm glad to see you're on the mend. I'm willing to give you one last chance to jump in, what with the circumstances being what they were. So, what do you say, Jackie boy?"

  He tried to make light of the question, but I could hear the slight tremor hidden behind his false bravado. Elroy never could hide anything from me. He was trying to keep something from me. It was almost as if he had something at risk here, not just me. Could something happen to him if I said no? And did I care?

  In response, I mustered up my strength to spit on the road between his feet, "Go burn already, Elroy. You knew what my answer would be ever since you started with this silly charade. And you should know by now that it won't be changing any time soon, or ever, in fact."

  Elroy sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it look even messier, "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. But I guess we'll see when the time comes. We'll see. But you have to remember, you gave me no choice. No choice at all." He turned and walked away slowly, feet scuffing the ground and sending pebbles skittering across the road.

  I almost called after him to bring him back. I wanted to ask what was so bloody important that he would go through this much to try to recruit me. Whatever I planned to say, though, was forgotten as a stab through my chest took my voice away. Every breath was agony, the skin of my chest stretching against the stitches.

  "Come on, Jack. We're almost at your house. Don't worry about him. You need to get home and rest. Just get whatever he's planning off your mind; it's not important. What's important is you getting better. Then, we can see about finding out more."

  It was sound advice and came from her heart. And of course, I promptly ignored it and set my mind to plan a way to follow him later tonight. The rest of the trip was mostly quiet, with the occasional grunt from Aether or a rock turning under our feet.

  She got me home and laid me down into a bed of straw that she or Kate had bribed Tom to bring here. I could barely feel her kiss my forehead or stroke my hair back from my face. Reaching out, I once more felt her hand grip mine before sleep overtook me.

  I was crouched down in a small, dark recess of an alleyway. It was unimportant, used mainly for trash and refuse, but it ran alongside a rich manor that held more food than I thought my shriveled stomach would ever be able to eat. A blond boy sat, perched precariously on top of the wall separating the two, staring intently down into the yard beyond. A small voice, barely a thought, whispered in my mind, 'Elroy.'

  Where did that come from? The boy hadn't told me his name yet... Just that he had an easy way to make a good bit of coin. My stomach rumbled, banishing all thoughts but food from my mind.

  The nameless boy...no, Elroy, turned and flashed a quick smile down at me, reaching to take my hand and pull me up beside him. We sat there, side by side, for a few long, breathless minutes, waiting for the last lantern in the house to be blown out. Darkness reigned.

  "Just you wait and see, boy," The blond boy whispered softly, but it still seemed to carry far in the dark silence, "This one score, and you'll have enough coin to feed yourself for a season. More coin than you could imagine."

  The last light blinked out, and we dropped softly into
the unknown. Creeping quietly, unsure of where we were or what was around us, Elroy led us to a door that opened into the side yard. It was most likely used by servants and maids, keeping them from interrupting the guests and family members. Lord help us if the rich had to actually deal with the people who cleaned up after them.

  He held up a finger to his lips and slowly cracked open the door, listening to hear if there was any movement inside the house. I knew which manor this was and thought it risky to be breaking into the most powerful man in town's home, but my hunger drove me past the point of reason, blindly following a stranger into a new situation.

  Opening the door wide, he motioned me inside as if he was a humble servant and me a lord, smiling in the dark. The smell of breakfast cooking in the early morning hit my nostrils, and I almost stopped following my new friend in order to find the source of the wonderful scent. Reality as to where I was, however, soon came crashing down, and I tried to shake myself from the captivating aroma. Was that cinnamon and some sugar? Maybe a bit of honey...