Siege of Pailtar (2 page)

This was much more of a concern than the man across the street. A man on the roof would be able to follow her progress through the alley and onto the busy street where she had planned her getaway. She would need to improvise. She closed her eyes and thought about the different buildings in the area. She smiled to herself. She had thought of a new escape route that would hinder any attempt to follow her from the rooftops.

She turned her attention back to the street. The mark had left the vendor’s cart and was moving towards another cart that sat on the other side of the alley entrance. Shortly the fake woman would be walking past the alley. The perfect time to strike!

Comfortable that she had thought through most of the likely scenarios, Kiana was reasonably sure that she could succeed. It was now or never. The man, disguised as a woman, walked past her towards the vendor’s car. Kiana sprang into action.

First she needed a distraction, something to draw the watcher’s eyes away from the man/woman if only for a moment or two. Kiana lifted her hands to her mouth and used a technique her mother had taught her, to throw her voice. She howled into her hands like a wolf. The sound bounced off the walls, making it seem like it came from further down the street, right behind a couple of horses pulling a wagon. At the sound of the howl, both animals jumped in fright. The pair of animals whinnied loud and started to pull the wagon hard. The shocked driver pulled hard on the reins and yelled at the animals to calm down.

While the crowd looked to the commotion down the street, Kiana stepped out of the shadows of the alley. She took three quick steps and was right behind the man in the dress. She watched as his eyes went up the street towards the startled animals. With a smooth and practiced move Kiana took another step forward, so that she was right beside the man. Then with startling speed, her hand slid into the hidden dress pocket, sliding the small purse out without even a hesitation.

Purse in hand, Kiana stopped moving. She stood right beside the man in the dress. She tilted her head to the side, as if looking down the street to see what the commotion was. As the horses calmed down, the crowd returned to normal. The man in the dress, her now purse-less victim, turned towards the vendor. Kiana turned back towards the alley. Anyone watching would have thought she had been drawn towards the sound of the horses and seeing nothing of note had returned to the alley.

Once in the alley, Kiana took another two steps. She knew from this spot no one from the market street could see into the shadows. She started to sprint down the rest of the length of the alley. If the rooftop watcher had seen her pick the man’s dress pocket she would have little time to make it to safety. As she reached the edge of the opposite end of the alley she slowed then stepped out onto the busy street. The bright sun beat down on the dusty street. The crowds of downtrodden slaves and servants mingled with merchants and sailors looking for mischief and more.

Quickly looking both ways, Kiana crossed the street, avoiding the fast-moving wagons that headed towards the docks, heavy with merchandise to be sent across the narrow strait to Venecia and beyond. When she made it across the street, Kiana entered a small tavern. Before the bartender could berate her for being too young to buy a beer in his bar she was walking through the back door and out onto the next street over. If the man on the roof had been watching he would not have been able to follow her. She was now safe, and had successfully robbed her mark! Despite it being a trap she had succeeded. Kiana smiled to herself, her mother would be so proud.

Kiana turned and walked down towards the docks. She turned once to make sure no one was following her. When she was comfortable that she had indeed made her getaway cleanly, she jumped onto one of the large wharf’s support beams. Like a cat she moved up the short length of beam until she was sitting on top, looking down at the wharf. Kiana liked heights. She felt safer when no one could easily grab her.

Curious as to what she had lifted off of her mark, Kiana opened the purse. Inside she found three copper coins and a note. She pocketed the coins and read the note

Congratulations, you have passed your first test. Enter the Barnyard by the backdoor before noon.
∞

The infinity symbol, or a sideways eight, was one of the marks the Guild used to signify its presence. Kiana wasn’t sure if a symbol that represented longevity or unending value in mathematical terms was a good fit for an organization built on grift and thievery. Obviously someone within the organization was a little grandiose, or had an excellent sense of irony and humor. Judging from the members of the Guild that she knew, her mother and uncle, she suspected the latter.

Kiana looked to the sky. The bright and scorching sun had almost reached its apex. She had little time to reach the Barnyard. The Barnyard was a dive of a bar, which catered to the numerous sailors who would visit Pailtar. Naturally it was a favored establishment of the Guild, rife with opportunity to steal sailors blind, before sending them back to their ships, thinking they had had a good time. When the Guild had discovered that outright robbery was much more complicated than running gambling, whoring, and drinking establishments, it marked the beginning of the Guild’s rise to prominence in Pailtar. Now a large portion of the dark and seedy nightlife offered by Pailtar was controlled by the Guild.

Hopping down from her perch, Kiana moved quickly towards the Barnyard. Luckily, the dingy bar was only one street up from the docks and she had plenty of time to get there and try discovering the secrets to the bar’s back door locks. Without doubt the door would be difficult to enter.

Entering the back alley, Kiana studied the door. Thick oak, with a large heavy handle, the door was by no means inviting. The note had not specifically said to break into the building so Kiana tried the traditional means of gaining entry into a locked door. She knocked.

When no one answered, she knocked louder. Again, no one came to the door. She had not expected anyone to come to the door, but it was much easier explaining herself after knocking than if caught trying to pick the locks. Now that she knew she was going to have to break into the building, she studied the locks.

She could see the keyhole by the door handle was high quality metal and would not give if she tried to force her way into the door. Not that she would, brute power was not her style. Kiana was an artist, especially with a lock pick. Taking her tools out of her pocket, Kiana went to work.

As she tested the tumbles of the lock, Kiana realized this was no ordinary lock. Ordinary locks had a series of several tumblers, small devices that were lifted when the correct key was entered. Most locks she saw had three maybe four tumblers. This lock had seven.

Breaking into this door would have been difficult, if she had not been picking locks since she was three years old and barely able to say the word tumbler. Her mother spent many loving hours imparting her skills on Kiana. With deft fingers Kiana manipulated the lock. Within moments she heard the sweet sound of the lock giving way. Turning the handle she entered the back door of the bar. Inside, she found herself on a small landing platform, with a small set of stairs heading up and another heading down. Above the set of stairs that descended she noticed a small infinity symbol ‘∞.’ Down the narrow dark set of stairs she went.

The stairwell went down, turned and went further down. Sixty-seven steps later (one never knew when knowing small seemingly trivial bits of information might come in handy) she found the basement. The basement was a dirty corridor with four doors on each side. Above the third door on the left she could see another infinity symbol carved into the door frame. The symbol was very small, hardly noticeable, but that was how the Guild worked, small deceptions towards a greater gain.

Inside the room was a table with two chairs, one on each side of the cheap and flimsy looking table with a candle sitting on the table spreading its flicker soft light into the room. On the other side of the room, standing in the shadows was the outline of a person. Kiana could not make out the mysterious person’s face beneath the hooded grey cloak. A soft clear voice spoke from the hidden face.

“Kiana Clairmont, only daughter of former guild member Lilliana Clairmont, wife of non-member Spencer Clairmont, potter and non-magic user. Your grades at city school were above average but not exceptional. You kept a low profile, school records show no incidents. Outside of several teachers noting a distinct level of stubbornness you were decidedly average.

Decidedly
average, that is awesome!
thought Kiana. Decidedly average sounded terrible, but to a wouldbe thief, average meant blending in. Decidedly average was a high compliment in the Guild’s world. Come to think of it, decidedly probably wasn’t even a real word was it? Her grammar teachers would have preferred to call her that stubborn mule child instead. Kiana’s musings on the word were interrupted by the continuation of the stranger’s report on her history.

“You have never been caught pickpocketing or breaking and entering, but by all accounts you have entered at least twelve residences in the last year under your mother’s supervision, and have been spotted picking pockets in the market by Guild members at least three times in the last year. The members that noticed only had complimentary things to say about your technique.”

This last part surprised Kiana. That her mother kept the Guild informed about them breaking into houses as practice was not surprising. That Guild members had seen her picking pockets was what caught her off-guard. She had thought no one had ever noticed her. A silly thought, now that she had to admit it. It was more a childish source of pride that a realist outlook. The Guild had eyes everywhere.

Still only three times was pretty good considering the hundreds of pockets she had slipped her hands into over the years. Her mother had trained her exceedingly well.

“Today’s assignment was to take the purse off of the blonde woman in the burgundy dress in the market. Hand over the purse please,” said the stranger.

Kiana pulled the small leather pouch out and placed it on the table.

The stranger stepped out of the shadows, walked to the table and took the purse. The man felt the purse and quickly spoke “and the coins?”

Reluctantly Kiana took the three copper coins out of her pocket and placed them on the table.

The man inspected the coins, before placing them back on the table.

“Tell me about the lift. Were you noticed? Describe the process.”

“After receiving the note this morning, I headed to the market. When I saw the lady that matched the description I followed her. Once I found a pattern to her movements I went through an adjacent ally to a spot where she would likely walk. There I waited until she arrived. Using ventriloquism, I created a small diversion and walked out and lifted the purse. I then returned to the alley. I sprinted to the other end, and then slowly walked out and across the street. Not noticing any pursuit, I went through a pub to its backdoor and then down to the docks. There I opened the purse, and read the note. When I got to the back door I knocked, no one answered so I picked the lock. Upon entering the building I noted one of the Guild markers and headed down. The same marker was above this door.” Kiana’s description was brief and to the point. Her mother often had her report to her on how a lesson went.

“What did you notice about the mark?”

“I noticed the hidden pocket, and then when she got closer I noticed she was a man.” Kiana paused, deciding to reveal one of the things she had noticed. “You make an excellent woman by the way, if not for your Adam’s apple I wouldn’t have known you to be anything less than a fat lady trying to get a deal. I also noticed the man across the street watching you and the watcher on the roof top.”

The stranger lifted the hood of the cloak of his head, revealing a smiling man’s face; his green eyes twinkled in amusement. “You knew the lift was a trap and yet you continued?”

Kiana shrugged, “That was my mission. I thought about backing off, but the opportunity was there. The man across the street was distracted by the horses, and once I knew there was a watcher on the roof I changed my exit strategy accordingly. I felt it was doable.”

The man smiled. “Indeed, it certainly was. How did you know I was the woman?”

Kiana pointed down at the man’s feet. “Your wardrobe changed, the wig and makeup is gone, but your shoes are the same ones. Scuff mark on the inside of the left shoe where you tap it against the ground when a vendor gives you a price you don’t like.”

“Impressive,” said the man.

“Yes it is. Now when did you know I was here?” came another voice from the shadows of the far corner.

Kiana squinted and looked closely at the dark shadows. She could just make out the outline of the second man. She lost a little of her cocky attitude. “Just now,” she admitted.

The first stranger laughed. “Take your coins, go home and we'll be in contact. A good showing today, Kiana Clairmont.”

3

Morthon

“YOU FAILED,” SAID KING Ganus.

The spy shrugged, “Your Darcarion mages failed. I gave them everything they needed to succeed. Now Balthazar has the tomes. If he figures out the secrets they hold, we will never get what we want.”

King Ganus glared at his ally. The man was a traitor to his people, willing to sacrifice thousands for his own personal gain. But, he was a dangerous man and without him Ganus would not be able to take Balta without losing a significant portion of his armies. Something Ganus was willing to do if necessary, but it would slow his long-term goals down too much. It was better to work with this man then go it alone. Besides, once he had control of Balta he would deal with him again. Only the next time the terms will be much different. “I suppose you’re not too blame for their failure, but you did not prevent it either.”