Thieves' Race

by Isaac Padgett

  I sighed, looking over at Aether, who was sitting there, quiet, "None of us knew what was going on. From what I gathered here, though, there are three sides to this. We are one of the sides, obviously. The second was Azereth or the shadow man as you know him. He seemed to be working with someone higher up in a rebellion against Satan. My guess is the fat man; he always seemed to have the most control over those hounds. They wanted to get the celestial bow to threaten Satan with it since it seems to be able to kill him."

  Aether spoke up, "And where does Victoria fall into all of this?"

  I started to respond, but a creaking made me stop and listen. The night was quiet, too quiet. The hounds were gone or dead, and Victoria was sneaking up on us.

  "She's one of the daughters of Satan, it seems. I think he sent her to clean up the rebellion; it appears that he somehow got wind of it. It probably had to do with me dying and all that. Satan wants the bow because once he gets all three, there is nothing that can stop him."

  Elroy blanched, "There are three of these damned bows?!? Where are the other two?"

  Aether cocked her head to the side and looked at me quizzically, "Are we able to get the other two somehow and use them tonight?"

  I shook my head, "One is in Purgatory, the place I was after I died. The third is in Satan's hands already. There won't be any help from there."

  A scrabbling sound behind us made us turn and see Victoria standing on the roof behind us, claws gleaming and wings stretching from her back as well.

  Elroy panicked, running towards the edge and slamming into me as he went. The quiver, and all the arrows, clattered onto the roof and spilled down into the courtyard below, "Damn it, Elroy! You've doomed us!"

  Aether hunkered down next to me, one hand reaching out to grasp mine. As Victoria stalked towards us, I whispered, "I always loved you, Aeth. And even after everything that's happened, I still do, damn it."

  She blinked back tears and smiled at me, bringing me light even in that dark time. With resolve, I stared up at Victoria, "Well? You gonna kill us, or what?"

  Victoria stopped, one hand outstretched, "It doesn't have to be like this, Jack. Join my father and me, and live by my side forever. Don't you remember all the fun we had? Can't you imagine being with me for the rest of eternity?" Her hand slid slowly up her side, and her tongue stuck out a bit. It stirred old feelings deep in me, and I had to push the thought process back.

  I sat and thought for a moment and watched a perverted form of hope in her eyes, "I can imagine it. And it's nothing that I'd ever want, now that I know who and what you are."

  With a snarl, she reared back to claw at us. I turned to look at Aether and, together, we closed our eyes. When the end we expected didn't come, we looked up, confused.

  Victoria stood there with a dumbfounded expression on her face, her hand still at the apex of its journey. From her middle, we could see an arrowhead sticking out of her abdomen, gleaming both silver and red.

  As she toppled, we saw a shadow standing behind her, another arrow in its hand, waiting.

  "Oh shit, not another one. You here to kill us too, you damned shadow people!!" Elroy got loud and belligerent, falling back on that in his time of fear.

  "Oh, I'm not here to kill you all. The opposite, really." Puck stepped out of the shadow into the dappled moonlight on the roof, "What makes you think I'm with them? Please, I like to think I have much more sense than those schmucks."

  Aether and I spoke at the same time, "Puck?" and then looked at each other, startled. I laughed and spoke easily for the first time that night, "You're going to have to tell me how you two met. But first, what's going on, Puck. Why are you here as well? What role did you have in all of this."

  Puck smiled and held out the second arrow, "The name is actually Alfpunuk, but that's such a mouthful. But anyways. This is yours. The rest are still on the ground, but I didn't think I had time to gather them all up. And to answer your question, I'm here to protect you and....well, to answer some of the questions that you will obviously have. A lot has happened these past few years, more than you could even imagine."

  Aether stood up next to me, holding onto my arm, while Elroy had a mental breakdown at our feet, "But where should we even start? So much to ask, so much we need to know."

  Puck shrugged, a smile still evident on his face, "Well, why not start at the beginning? That's where all good stories start."

  I nodded, "But first, let's get down off this roof. That might help with Elroy a bit. And we can all have a seat. Not inside, though!" I amended quickly.

  Puck laughed, "Is that because there's nowhere to really sit, or the things inside?" He waved aside my questioning look, "When we get on the ground, right?"

  We jumped from the roof, though it was more of a tumble to the ground and pray nothing broke in Elroy's case. Puck had us all gather under a tree. It no longer swayed on its own or gave me the creeps, and Puck must have noticed my look because he answered without a question.

  "Yes, a lot has left this place. We were...guardians of a sort. Once you took the bow, they were no longer needed, so they left. I gather that you had a run-in with a few on the ground floor?"

  "Maybe we should start there. This place, this....house. The demons were not able to come in and get the bow themselves. The presence. All of that."

  "And you start with one of the biggest questions of all." he shook his head and smiled," Then again, you would. But I'll do my best to answer it for you. This house, and its grounds, were a temple if you will. Its sole purpose was to guard the celestial weapon until someone... no, not someone." He sighed, "This is going to blow your mind, Jack, and I'm sorry about that. But this place was built waiting for you to come and take the weapon."

  "Me? What in the world makes me so special? Anyone could have come in here and picked up the bow. I was just there by chance, coincidence."

  He shook his head, "There is no such thing as coincidence. You were the only one able to take it from its place. It burned Elroy. No mortal but you could first lay hands upon it."

  "Again, what is it that makes me so special? Why me?" I clenched a fist and felt Aether's hand on my shoulder. She smiled at me and murmured, "Who else, Jack?"

  "Yes, thank you, Aether. Jack, believe it or not, you are in a part of a bloodline that is so ancient that it begins with you."

  I stared hard at the man, hoping that my friend hadn't lost his mind, "You do understand that that makes absolutely no sense at all, right?"

  "To my kind and my Master, Time is no river that runs in only one direction. It is a circle, but more than that. Time is a circle linked in with dozens of other circles so that multiple paths are taken at every point. It is not to be understood by any but One."

  I waved away his explanation, "Fine, let's just say I believe you. What about the people, or the things, that were here."

  "They were my brethren, ones set to guard the house against any intruders. Part of the reason Azereth and Victoria needed a human to cross the boundary first. Without you, they could not have crossed the boundary line. I know not why they had such a reaction with you, maybe a residue from your time in the middle-world. I don't think we'll ever know, truly."

  "Fair enough. Now these weapons. I'm told they can be any shape or form, but both the ones I have held were bows. Why is that? Why not a bow and a sword, or a bow and a knife. If there is no such thing as a coincidence, then why two bows?"

  Puck gestured to it, and it morphed in my hands, flickering to a broadsword, morning star, half-moon axe, and back to a bow, "They change to suit the wielder. You are most proficient with the bow, so it makes itself a bow. If you had been a swordsman instead of an archer, it would have been a sword. It molds itself to its owner's nature."

  "So, what was the weapon, the bow, or the arrows? How can it be split into pieces like this and still work?"

  Puck shook his head, "Oh, the arrows are usually nothing special. Any arrow would work if fired by that bow. These arrows were with the bow for such
a long time that they gained power of their own."

  I started to ask him another question, but he stood and held out his hand, "I am being called, and I must answer it. Just know that you are being watched. Guard that bow with your life, and pass it on to your descendants. Your blood contains what is needed to put an end to all of Satan's meddling. Keep the bow safe and we'll do everything we can to keep you safe. I must return to my family now."

  He turned, and before I could object, he changed. In his place stood a pure white dove who cooed softly to me before flying off into the sky. Aether gasped in delight, "Jack, I think he was an angel. Or at least, the equivalent of one."

  I stood, and she at my side, "Call me crazy, but I think you're right Aether. I think you're right... We should get going. But not back to Ethron. I don't know where, but we can find somewhere else."

  "We?" She smiled shyly up at me and stepped up close.

  I smiled back at her and reached out, "Like Puck said. There's no such thing as coincidences. And I figure if fate has thrown us together so many times that I think that this time around, running will just end badly. So why not embrace it and finally be with the one I love."

  She grabbed me and hugged me, crying, "Where will we go? What will we do? And what are we going to do about Elroy?"

  I looked out at the rising sun, "I'm not sure; we'll figure that out, and why not leave him here. He brought this mess upon himself. He'll figure something out if he can get back to Ethron."

  Together, we started to walk. We would know when we got wherever it was we were going. It took me a while to finally realize the truth. That as long as we were together, the destination wasn't all that important.

  Epilogue

  Smoke rose in the distance, clouding the air and smothering life all around. Hacking coughs sounded throughout the streets of the small villa. Sickness and death had a certain cloying scent to it, one that was unmistakable.

  If a stranger had walked the streets, even without knowing what was going on, they would understand that this was a place where death stalked the town, an unopposed ruler.

  A plague had struck the world, and it hit here hardest of all. One in every other family was lucky to survive, and even then, they were scarred for the rest of their lives. Most of these scars were physical, but the worst of them all were the emotional ones.

  No one was spared some sort of misery. They were all injured, if not from the sickness to themselves, then the sickness hitting their family members.

  A small group of strangers picked their way slowly through the streets. They stuck to the middle, avoiding the infected houses on either side of them. Some of them, those who found themselves so blessed that the plague wouldn't touch them, or those already getting over the infection, walked closer to the houses. They would hand out bits of bread or help someone stand for a drink of water.

  One of these was a woman who was old enough that her hair was more gray than black, and wrinkles almost completely masked who she once was. She also walked close to the houses, closer than anyone else, but not to help. She seemed to be searching for something in particular, though she would pause if someone close by needed her.

  Almost halfway through the town, it seemed that she found that which she sought. A small, once-white house was stained gray and black from the practically constant smoke. It was modest but well built, still standing where many other homes had already fallen.

  She signaled to the rest of the group to stop and take a break, which they did gladly, breaking out some wine and bread. They shared it solemnly, staying quiet. Even a group that usually laughed, danced, and sang during breaks was so affected by the atmosphere that not a one of them even raised their voice or tapped out a beat.

  The woman stood up straight, eyes locked on to the door. With a small sigh, she started to make her way to the door. She knew what she would find, but it didn't seem to be enough to stop her.

  The door opened without so much as a creak, and the inside of the house was dead silent. The woman made her way through each of the rooms, searching for something. She ignored the food, the things left behind by looters. Nothing in any of the first-floor rooms caught her attention or deterred her from her goal.

  The first room at the top of the stairs was what she had been looking for. She stepped into a large bedroom that was filled with odds and ends. The two most noticeable things, however, were a silver rod in the corner of the room and a cradle holding a baby that had to be dead. From starvation or plague, no one would ever really know.

  She walked over to the bed first, seeing a couple holding each other, even unto death, "At least you finally found each other again. And to die in each other's arms was both a blessing and a curse. Did you know your legacy would die out, or did you hope that it would somehow continue? Or at this point, were you too far gone?"

  She sighed and shook her head, reaching out to touch the man's hand, "I could never call you mine, but at least you were happy...and later, so was I. I found out what I felt for you was true, but not the only. So go in peace, knowing that even I turned out happy in the end. I will take that which I came for, the rod, and protect it with my life until.... I'm not sure. Maybe until I die. But your lives were not in vain, and you lived well. Goodbye Aether and Jack. May your afterlives be together and happy forever."

  She closed her eyes and bit back tears before backing up. With sorrow, she stumbled to the corner to grab the rod. It was stiff, though wrapped in a silver cloth that, somehow, she knew better than to try to remove.

  As she started to leave, she heard a sound that stopped her heart and made her tremble.

  A soft, pitiful wail from inside the room made her slowly turn to face the cradle. With hope and no small bit of surprise, she slowly crept up to look inside.

  A thin, almost skeletal baby was curled up inside, eyes barely able to open and mouth opened in a mewling cry. It could scarcely be heard, even in the silence of the house.

  With all the care in the world, she lifted the babe from his bed and stared in wonder. It took her a moment to think of what to do, but she was soon crashing through the house, calling to her people, "I need my herb bag, some fresh milk, a bit of honey, and I need it now!" Her voice shattered the silence and sent her people scattering to do as she asked.

  A woman hurried up with her bag, "What is it, Wise one? A babe? Is that what you were looking for in there?"

  As the Wise woman started to rummage through her bag to feed the starving baby, she shook her head, a tear falling. In a croaking voice, broken by un-shed tears, she spoke, "It is more than I could have ever hoped for. More than I could have imagined." Everyone stepped back as she started to go about reviving the child. It would take all of her skill, but all there had seen the almost miracles she had pulled off before.

  "It seems we'll have a new member of the family," One of the men spoke up, his voice a deep rumble, "How about we get out of here, once he's healthy, and have a celebration for our newest member. But what should we call the lad?"

  The woman, Kate, looked up at her husband and smiled, "Bran. Let's call him Bran."

  A small cheer went up from the people gathered around them, and Joel, her husband, whooped the loudest. Everyone knew that they had been trying to conceive for the longest time and failed completely.

  Bran's eyes opened all the way as he started to suck on the small rag placed in his mouth. His piercing blue eyes locked on with Kate's and wouldn't look away until they closed, and he drifted off to sleep.

  "Bran, son of Jack. I guess his legacy will live on after all. And when he comes of age, he will take on where his father left off with the silver rod. I just have to keep him safe until then." Kate sighed and closed her eyes, drifting off as well, still clutching the baby tight.

  Night fell as the band of travelers left the area around the dead village. Howls filled the night, and cries of outrage thought to be heard, as many later called that night the night of terror. No one left their wagons as they sat around, holding onto their
family members. Finally, a crack louder than any bolt of lightning split the air, and all else was silent.

  A man somewhere sat up, eyes vacant, and said in a monotone voice, "And so it is that the rightful hand shall once more wield Mist, and with it destroy all those who wish to walk where they do not belong. Tremble, ye Prince of Darkness, for your undoing is slowly being set into place, and if nothing is done, you shall be destroyed as utterly as a bug under a boot."

  He collapsed to the surprise of everyone around him. Someone hurriedly wrote what he had said to try to decipher what it meant, while everyone else stared at the man in wonder.

  ---

  And here ends the tale of Jack and Aether. But the war is not over, and neither is the story, as it continues on in the life of Bran. Will he be able to once and for all put a stop to Satan's meddling, or will he too fall like all the others before him?