Skulduggery 2

by Logan Jacobs

  “Once your business is completed, you are to be outside of these walls no later than sundown,” the elf commanded as he handed the contract to Marver.

  “Yes, my lord,” Marver replied, but the elf guard had already swirled around to walk back to the gate.

  “The night elves better not fuck us,” Dar grumbled next to me.

  As the elven guard vanished through the gate, we slowly followed, and an entire world that the walls had hidden appeared before our eyes.

  “Easy, easy,” I whispered to the horses when I saw the road up past the gate actually looked like fucking white polished marble. I didn’t want the horses to slip, but all the elaborate stone did was let out a staccato clacking sound when their hooves walked over it.

  “Pricks,” Penny huffed as we passed an Elven Guard barracks near the entrance. “I bet I’m a better shot than most of them.”

  “Want to ask?” Dar challenged the pixie as he pointed to a target range decorated by silver feathered arrows pierced into human-like dummies.

  “Just look forward,” I said as the guards who hung around the barracks stared at us as we rolled through.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Cimarra sighed as she looked into the distance toward the White City. The various palaces, homes, and towers lay perched atop a green hill like some sort of beacon of hope.

  No hope came from that place, though.

  “Gorgeous … but evil,” Penny added.

  “This was all built by the hard work of the lesser races, and maintained by our slavery to them,” Dar spat, and I nodded in agreement.

  “See that pyramid?” I asked as I nodded ahead of me toward a sparkling building so tall, the pointed top disappeared within the clouds. “I bet that’s where the day and night elves debate when the sun rises and falls.”

  “What about those glass domes?” Cimarra asked as she pointed to the structures hovering in mid-air like bubbles.

  “More elf bullshit,” Penny scoffed. “Just like those white stone arches over there. No purpose but to gloat in their riches.”

  “Enough trash talk,” I whispered. “We are coming up to the first shops, and we don’t want any of these bastards to hear us. Play nice until we get back home.”

  “Got it, boss,” Dar said, and the two beautiful women nodded in agreement.

  A few moments later, we entered what looked like the first merchant area of the city and mingled with the light elven foot traffic. A few elves walked alongside our wagon in silence as they entered storefronts just like the one my dad and I had visited so many years ago, and their presence made my heart slam in my chest.

  None of the elves talked or greeted each other as they went about their business, and their silence only made the tension in my back increase. I was sure the city carried more sounds, but where we were, it was deathly silent and sterile.

  “Thank the Ancients we’re not headed directly through the capital,” I whispered when we eventually followed Marver’s cart off the main road and into a forested area. “The less time we have to stay in this District the better.”

  “I agree.” Dar nodded next to me.

  The marble pathway ended suddenly, and the road shifted into black dirt as we moved deeper into the wooded area. The air smelled of thick pine and lemons, but the heightened senses the keys gave me made me question if I was smelling actual trees or magic.

  “I’ve heard these trees are full of magic, too,” Dar murmured with his mouth agape, and his eyes searched the trees above us like they had secrets to share.

  “I don’t want to find out,” I said flatly. I didn’t like being in the elves’ territory. I’d rather have them be on ours, where I knew the layout, and I didn’t have to wonder what’s full of magic and what wasn’t.

  A few minutes later, we came upon a wooden sign with Elvish written across it that marked the entrance of a neighborhood.

  “Nice enough place,” Penny remarked as we turned to the left, where a large elven house was nestled in between some lush trees and a creek.

  “Eleran must be a fan of the forest,” I said as I took a closer look at the elven mansion.

  The home was as big as the warehouse where we stole the sacramental wine from a few weeks ago. The sides of the mansion were made of cemented gray riverstone braced at the joints with dark wood beams. There was a massive glass window that wrapped around the entire house, and I imagined we could have driven eight wagons stacked two by two through the glass if we so desired. Three triangular peaked roofs framed the glass work, and I noticed each of these was actually a live pine tree, and the designer had trained the branches to create a gutter out of pine leaves.

  It was breathtakingly beautiful.

  “You ever think you’d step foot in an elven home?” Dar chuckled. “I sure didn’t.”

  “Never,” I answered as I nodded toward the house. “I’d like to live in one though, without the elf of course.”

  It’s here.

  The keys’ voices rang inside my head and shocked me.

  “What the … ” I whispered. The elves could sense magic, so I had left the keys hidden in the stables.

  How were they able to still talk to me?

  “You okay?” Cimarra asked as her hand squeezed my shoulder.

  “Smell something?” Penny added.

  “I’m fine,” I said as I gave the dancer a smile I hoped reassured her and then turned to Penny. “No, I don’t smell anything.”

  We continued down the long driveway of the house until it brought us to a side that dipped off into a covered port below.

  “Park here.” Marver pointed to the spot next to his wagon. “We’re out of the way, and the guests still have room to park their carriages if they choose to do so.”

  “Let’s get this shit unloaded and ready,” I said, and then we all began to pull crates of food, silverware, and other equipment out from the back of our two wagons.

  “You’re late,” a smooth and graceful voice stated from behind us when we were halfway finished unloading. “Three humans, and two halflings, this should be amusing.”

  We immediately stopped working and turned to face the individual who had addressed us. His skin was a lighter shade of red that was somewhat common for day elves, his silver hair hung past his shoulders, and his robe looked to be made of a whole ream of white silk tied together with half a pound of golden chains.

  “Yes, yes, my lord, we apologize for any inconvenience our lateness has caused you and the master of the house.” Marver laid on the charm thick, but he was the one with experience, so I trusted he knew exactly how to treat these pointy eared pricks.

  “Follow me with your things,” the day elf said as his gaze locked onto me. “What are you looking at, human?”

  “Uh, I’m … ” I hesitated as the elf’s eyes began to glow.

  “Disgusting creatures,” the elf huffed, and then he spun around to walk toward the house. “Hurry up.”

  “Of course.” I nodded, picked up a giant pot of greens that apparently the elves obsessed over, and then followed after the asshole.

  Penny and Cimarra followed right behind me with a few other containers of food, but Dar stayed back with Marver to help him unload the last of the items.

  “We don’t see a lot of your kind come this way,” the elf said as he ran a hand through his long silver hair. “I’m not used to your stench or attitudes.”

  “I … uh, I’m sorry,” I responded.

  “For what?” The elf glanced back at me with silver eyes that looked like polished steel.

  “Our stench?” I shrugged as I continued to follow the elf up a winding cobblestone staircase until we reached the front door.

  They think they know everything.

  The keys’ voices seemed more intense than usual, and I tried to hide my surprised reaction as best as I could. When I’d first found the keys, they each had a distinctive sound, but now each voice blended into one soft melodic tone that sounded like chordal music.

  “Speaking of sme
lls,” the elf’s silver eyes widened slightly, and his nostrils flared as he sniffed, “what is that aroma around you?”

  “I’m not sure, my lord,” I whispered as I prayed he wasn’t sensing the keys’ magic.

  “I hadn’t noticed because of your natural odor.” The elf ambled closer with his pointed nose lifted into the air and his stare fixated on me.

  I was fucked. A human with any magic would be a terrible thing for an elf to discover.

  “I um … ” I cleared my throat, and my arms began to quake as my heart quickened.

  Before I could respond, the elf reached across me and pulled the lid off the giant pot I held in my arms.

  “Mmm,” the elf hummed in my ear and slowly secured the lid back on, “one of my favorite dishes.”

  “Oh, yeah,” I sighed with relief. “We--”

  “We want all of our customers to be completely satisfied,” Cimarra chirped happily from behind me.

  “Let’s hope so.” The elf turned and waved for us to follow him through a white wood door with gold embellishments dotted on the frame and handle.

  Penny, Cimarra, and I followed our guide into the next room, and it took everything in my power not to let out a gasp of amazement. White stone, marble, and bright natural light illuminated the entire place as if it were crafted with the sole purpose of taming every single ray of sunlight cutting through the tree roof. The glass flooring must’ve contained some kind of magic since our steps sent bolts of jagged light scattering like scared fish underneath the water.

  “Lord Eleran will surely want to meet with you before the party begins,” the elf said as he stopped again to look at us. “Who should he speak with when he so chooses?”

  “I-I-I’ll meet with him,” I choked out. I knew I needed to relax, but being in the elven home was more dangerous than just a normal break-in robbery. None of us were going to go to prison if we got caught.

  We would be tortured for endless years until we begged to die.

  “Very well.” The elf pointed to an opened double doorway that led to a room with a long, lavish dining table that could’ve doubled as a small shelter for a halfling family. “Through those doors and past the table is the kitchen where you’ll be operating from today.”

  “Thank you,” I said and added a cheap bow. I already said “lord,” so I might as well poor it on thick like Marver.

  “Oh, and I shall come for you soon, human,” the elf added before he left the room to us.

  “Shittttt,” Penny whispered as soon as we entered the dining room where the massive table was. “How heavy do you think that is?”

  The table was crafted with thick white wood full of intricate designs and patterns throughout. The legs were plated in gold and had the sun carved into the metal that connected them to the table’s surface.

  “I don’t know,” I huffed from the dizzying display of wealth, power, and magic. “Let’s set this shit up.”

  “You sense anything from the keys?” Cimarra whispered and looked around the dining room.

  “Not yet,” I said as I opened the door to a kitchen about quadruple the size of Adi’s.

  Dar and Marver soon joined us, and we worked together to finalize everything we needed to ensure we pulled the event off without a hitch. The girls prepared appetizers and organized the utensils for the meal as Marver, Dar, and I finished prepping the main courses. As we worked, I waited for the keys to give me some more guidance as to what we had to look for, but nothing came.

  “Human,” the silver haired elf peeked into the kitchen just as we were about to finish setting up, “Lord Eleran will see you now.”

  “And why is that?” Marver asked.

  “Are you questioning me?” the elf asked as he stepped through the kitchen door.

  “N-n-no, my lord, no.” Marver froze and shook his head so fast his chin and cheeks jiggled. “I just need him to complete some final preparations for the meal to--”

  The elf lunged forward in a blur of silver and red. I couldn’t really follow his movement, but I heard a smacking sound and then saw the elven man standing with his hand to the side of Marver’s face.

  The master chef’s mouth hung open with surprise and terror, and he slowly raised his hand to where a red mark was forming on his plump cheek.

  The heavy elven hand was a bitch, and Marver just caught a taste of it.

  At least he was still alive.

  “Your human will be back shortly,” the elf growled at Marver, sniffed the air, adjusted his robe, and then motioned for me to follow him.

  “Y-y-yes, my lord,” Marver stuttered.

  “This should only take a few minutes.” I nodded to my crew, gave them a reassuring smile, and then turned to follow the robed elf.

  “Your chef needs better manners,” the silver-haired elf scoffed as we walked through the elaborate dining room and turned into the first hallway.

  “I apologize, that wo--”

  Suddenly, my heart felt like it exploded, and I thought I was about to bleed out all over an elven noble’s home.

  “Human?” The elf had stopped and turned to look at me. “Please don’t delay me more than your chef already has.”

  “I’m … ” Something in me vibrated and pulled at my guts so hard an audible grunt escaped from my mouth, and I gripped onto my chest as soon as we turned left down the hallway.

  “Are you ill?” The elf widened his silver eyes.

  Here.

  “Sorry, I’m just … ” I regained my composure and pointed to my stomach. “I’m nervous that’s all. I want this event to be perfect.”

  “Do I need to get someone else to talk to the noble?” The elf shuddered in disgust. “I don’t have time for this.”

  “I’m okay,” I reassured the elf and looked to see I was in a wide hallway with elegant framed paintings on each side.

  “You better be,” the elf muttered as he continued his stroll ahead of me.

  This painting will lead you to where you need to be.

  “This?” I murmured as I turned toward the painting closest to me. It was of an old, ancient even, battle scene between the elves and humans. The humans were obviously being massacred, and some of the elves even had smiles on their too-beautiful faces.

  My fists tightened, and I wanted to spit all over the shitty image. I didn’t want anything to do with that. The more I looked at it, the more hate pumped through my veins.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The silver haired elf dropped his slender hand onto my shoulder and sent a jolt of electricity through my arm. “But I wouldn’t keep Lord Eleran waiting if I were you.”

  “I apologize,” I said and took one last look at the scene of graphic war.

  This will lead you to the next treasure …

  I didn’t know how the painting would lead me to another treasure, but this was the strongest I’d felt the keys’ voice since I’d first discovered one in Hebal’s office, so I trusted in what the magic told me.

  But now was not the time to steal the painting, and I forced myself to turn back to the red-skinned, silver-haired elf. Then I followed him down the hallway and kept my head down.

  We finally arrived at another door at the end of the hallway that looked like a frozen waterfall, and my escort motioned for me to go through it.

  “My lord, the caterer you requested,” the silver-haired elf announced, and then he was gone before I could blink.

  “Is everything set to my liking?” Eleran asked as he rose from a tall arched wooden throne made from white wood. When he stood, he was much taller than I expected and had bright braided hair that was either white or extremely blond. As he motioned for me to come closer, gold, silver, and turquoise bracelets slid down his arms and clinked together to create a metallic song.

  “Yes, we’ve prepared everything you requested.” I bowed deeply.

  “Your mind is busy,” Eleran said, and his voice was deeper and darker than his silver haired assistant.

  “I just want your party to go--�
�� I paused when he raised his long index finger with a pointed nail to silence me.

  “No, your eyes are scheming, human,” he said. Then he lowered his finger and hand to his side, and the movement brought on another gentle chorus from his bracelets.

  My heart quickened, and I swallowed hard, so hard I thought Dar probably heard it from the kitchen.

  Fuck.

  I wished I had my blade or anything else I could use. I would have preferred to die fighting than have to pretend to obey this bastard.

  “My lord,” the silver-haired elf declared as he suddenly appeared in the office, “your guests are already arriving, you should greet them as discussed by--”

  “Very well,” Eleran interrupted the other elf with his long finger as he had with me. “Return to the kitchen, human. Do not let me catch you roaming about my manor, or you will be dealt with in a painful manner.”

  “Of course.” I bowed again, and I swore to myself that one day I wouldn’t have to bow to an elf ever again.

  I left the office and turned down the same hallway where the prized painting hung on the wall. The assistant followed me back to the kitchen, so I couldn’t snatch it then, and most likely not during the party, but I was coming back for it no matter what. I now knew where it was, and for a thief, that was all I would need.

  That painting was mine.

  Chapter 3 - Ava

  The rain poured down like a city wide waterfall and made the streets feel like thick glue on my feet, so I pulled my hood over my head and quickened my pace.

  “Five hundred steps,” I muttered to myself, and the timer in my mind started to tick.

  As much as I loved the rain, most people didn’t, so it caused the hustle and bustle in the spice market of the Halfling District to thin out. I didn’t need the cover of a crowd, but I always felt more at ease when I was hidden.

  Even as a child all I did was hide. That hindered the chances of being adopted, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t because I was scared of being adopted, I just didn’t want anyone to feel responsible for me. I wanted that to be my job and my job alone.

  I realized at a young age when people tried to control others and couldn’t, they’d grow angry and frustrated until they threw their hands up in the air and gave up. In my case, I just wanted to wait the orphanage out until they gave up, too.