Siege of Pailtar (3 page)

“I fulfilled my end of the bargain. I provided the information you needed; I even made sure no one would be there when you attacked that goofy old mage. The reason your plan failed is you have a spy in Morthon. Someone told the Stoneblood boy about your plans. If not for that meddlesome brat we would both have what we want now.”

“Yes, I did find that piece of information very useful. I’m surprised you were able to find that out. I would think your king would have wanted it kept quiet.”

“Oh he did,” replied the spy. “Only the inner council, trusted family, and administrators with long times of service were privy to that information.”

“How lucky that you are held in such high esteem,” replied King Ganus with a smirk. Finding someone willing to betray his people among the most trusted people in Balta had been worth every bit of gold it would cost.

“Yes, and if King Verbon weren’t such a stubborn idiot I would be held in even higher esteem. His lack of vision and care for the ‘common folk’ is pathetic.”

“Don’t worry, when the time is right the world will know who you are. Of course they may be more in fear of you than holding you up in high esteem.”

The spy shrugged his shoulders in indifference. “They’re about the same. I’ll take fear any day.”

“Speaking of fear, you should come join me. I’m about to deal with that pesky spy issue.”

The spy followed King Ganus down a narrow and dark corridor. The dank air filled his nostrils. The corridor opened up into a cavern. One wall of the cavern had been turned into cells. Thick metal bars went from floor to ceiling. Five cells, all momentarily empty. In the middle of the room was a man, naked except for the thick black hood over his nose and eyes. Chained to the floor and ceiling, his restraints spread his arms and legs wide, the prisoner looked like he had been there awhile.

“I would like you to meet Plavan. He is part of a resistance group that believes I am not a suitable king and should be replaced. Isn’t that right, Plavan?” said King Ganus as he prodded the ribs of his prisoner.

“You’re a sadistic monster, you care nothing for your people,” groaned the wounded prisoner, Plavan.

King Ganus turned to his companion. “It’s sad what has happened. People like this fool think that being nice or caring for one’s people has anything to do with being a good ruler. Balta is to blame for this. Your kings have provided a bad example and now commoners all over the continent think they have rights. We’re going to have to put an end to this madness.”

“Why don’t you just kill me?” said Plavan. The pain and agony was clear in his voice.

“Because, I am going to kill you very slowly. It could take years, in fact. Once I am done torturing you I will start removing body parts. You really don’t need arms and legs to survive. But don’t worry I will keep you alive.”

The spy watched in fascination as King Ganus tormented his victim. The man had been correct about one thing: King Ganus was sadistic.

“Tell you what, Plavan. I’ll make you a deal,” said Ganus while he ran the tip of his knife over the man's exposed nipples, slicing into his sensitive skin. “Tell me everything about this group you are in. Tell me all about the people trying to take my kingdom from me and I will kill you quick. What would you prefer, years of torture or a quick death? It’s your choice.”

Judging by the number of fresh wounds and scars, King Ganus had been working on the man for a few days. The spy was impressed. He would have given up everything much easier.

“Come on, Plavan, you know I am going to find out anyways. There are others that I know of who will not resist the way you have. Save them from torture. Save your family from torture. Don’t be so selfish. The longer you resist telling me the truth the more people I will torture.”

The spy watched Plavan flinch at the mention of his family. Obviously, King Ganus had been saving that threat for a while. His earlier torture of Plavan had been for his own enjoyment. Now he was moving on to the business of finding out what Plavan knew. The poor man had no choice but to tell King Ganus everything. No man alive would wish this kind of torture on anyone he cared for. Plavan would sell his soul to keep his family from enduring what he had. Just as he thought would happen, the spy listened as Plavan finally cracked.

“Okay, I will tell you everything. Please just don’t hurt my family,” Plavan sobbed. His spirit had been broken, and the only hope he had left was for mercy. Not for him but for his loved ones.

“Start talking,” said King Ganus. “How did King Verbon learn of my plan?”

“Everet. His name is Everet.”

Pailtar 2

Family pride

WHEN KIANA GOT home, her mother and father were sitting at the dinner table, from the looks on their faces they had been arguing before she got home. Spencer Clairmont was not a fan of the Guild, nor did he approve of Kiana joining the elite den of thieves However, he had agreed to support Kiana in whatever choice she made, and Kiana wanted to join the Guild.

Spencer got up from the table, walked around and gave Kiana a hug. “I am going out to my workshop to make a pot or two; I will leave you ladies to talk business.”

Kiana smiled, despite her father’s dislike for the Guild he was a very supportive parent, and he always laughed and thanked her whenever she returned his wallet when she practiced her lifting techniques on him.

“Well, darling, are you going to tell me how it went?” asked her mother.

Kiana sat down at the table, placing the three coins on the table.

Her mother gave her a look, “Oh, you got the purse?”

Kiana’s chin lifted in a defiant pose. “Was that not what the note said to do?”

Her mother sighed, Kiana was a wonderful child, but she had stubborn streak a mile wide. Lilliana smiled at Kiana. “Was it a normal lift, or a setup?” she asked. The Guild had a series of tests they liked to use when testing potential applicants. Lilliana was curious to which test they had given her daughter.

“It was a setup,” admitted Kiana.

“Ah, I see.” Now Lilliana understood why Kiana had that look. “Honey, I thought we talked about this. That if they used a setup, the correct course of action was to back off and not do the job.”

Kiana knew her mother was right; they had talked about that, a lot. “But, Mom, it was too easy. Even with a fake mark, there were only two passive watchers, one across the street and one on the roof. Also, the purse was in a hip pocket. One small distraction and I was in and out in seconds. I was careful, honest. I knew I could do it.”

“Sweetie, I know you can do almost anything you set your mind to. That is not the point. The point is the same as what we discussed before; the Guild wants careful apprentices, not cocky ones. When I told you that you needed to be careful, I was being very serious.”

Kiana lowered her head, her defiance had left her. She knew that she had ignored her mother’s warnings on purpose. She had wanted to prove she was a great thief already.

“It’s okay, dear; it is not the end of the world. You will be fine; it just means you have to be more careful now. So was the lift your only task today?” asked Lilliana.

Kiana shook her head, “No, inside the purse was an address and a time. I had to break in the back door of the Barnyard pub.”

Lilliana smiled, Kiana would have had no issues with that task. She was a master locksmith already. “Are they still using a five tumbler lock? It has been a few years since I broke into the Barnyard.”

“No, they must have upgraded. It has seven tumblers now.”

Lilliana was impressed; the Guild was making things more challenging for its potential members. She wondered if the more difficult tasks were standard or because Kiana was her daughter. It was likely the later.

“After I picked the lock I went downstairs. I picked the door with the infinity symbol and went in. A man had me sit at a table and go over the lift. He was the one who dressed up as a woman to be the mark. He seemed amused, and then when he was done another man stepped out of the shadows … He wasn’t as amused,” said Kiana.

“Let me guess, when they asked you to report on the lift, you told them everything. How you figured out all the mistakes they made. I’ll bet you told him how you knew he was a fake and where the guard and watcher were too.”

Kiana nodded, and then lowered her head farther. She knew what her mother was about to say.

“So you wanted to show off, let the Guild know what a great thief they were getting. Kiana Clairmont, do you hate me?”

Kiana looked up at her mother in shock, “No, of course not. Why would you say that?”

“Well, I know you hated having to go to normal school all these years, and you resent us living in Pailtar. You think we should move and be wealthy thieves. You know my history with the Guild and yet first opportunity you get you are making waves and bringing attention to us, stirring up old wounds. Did you do it to prove a point to me?”

Tears filled Kiana’s eyes. She had really screwed up this time. “No, Mom, I love you and dad. I understand why you left the Guild, and I can handle that you made me go to normal school. It’s just whenever I run into a Guild member or an apprentice and they look at me like I am not worthy. I get so mad. I just wanted to show them that I am as good a thief as any of them, and they can’t look down at me.”

Lilliana sighed, stood up and walked over to her daughter. She hugged the crying girl tight. “Honey, anyone that looks down on you is stupid. Most of the Guild members don’t like seeing you because you are a reminder that I chose to leave, that I chose a life with a simple potter over the opportunity to become the leader of the Thieves’ Guild.

Kiana looked up at her mother in surprise. “You? A leader of the Guild? I didn’t know that.”

“Yes, well there is alot you don’t know yet, after all I am still a thief. Keeping secrets is something in our blood.”

Kiana gave a small smile, it was true. She was grateful her mom was choosing to share some of those secrets with her.

Lilliana continued her story. “When I met your father, I was one of the best thieves in the Guild. I was a very good pickpocket but a superb cat burglar. I was in great demand and consistently one of the top earners for the Guild. When the old leader was killed during an altercation with an associate, many within the Guild wanted me for their leader. I represented a good balance between being a busy and productive thief and one smart enough to be a good leader. However, I knew I wasn’t the right candidate. I knew I was in love with your father and did not have the desire to deal with the politics of leadership. I preferred to just keep being a simple thief. After I was pregnant with you I kept doing jobs until I had a bad luck situation and ended up getting cornered and attacked by guards. I was so worried that I would lose my baby I vowed to stop doing any jobs until that child was all grown up.” Lilliana paused and smiled, “Of course once you were of a suitable age to begin training I had to do some work, purely in the interest of keeping my skills up. You know, just to be sure I was teaching you correctly.” Lilliana winked at her daughter when she said this.

They both knew she loved the rush of taking down a mark, using her unique blend of skills and magic to do things others thought impossible.

“Now describe the men from your interview,” said Lilliana.

Kiana thought back to the dark basement, “The first man had short dirty blonde hair, was about five foot eleven, one hundred sixty pounds, with brilliant green eyes. The second man never left the corner, but he had a deep voice.”

Lilliana thought back to her days at the Guild. Keyon Upton? She was a little surprised a senior guild member was involved in her daughter’s selection tests. But on the other hand, Keyon being involved was a good sign, she had always considered him a friend, as much of a friend as one could have in the Guild. Lilliana lowered her voice; she had an amazing talent for mimicking other people’s voices. “Did the second man sound like this?” she asked in a deep male voice.

“Yes, that was the second man. You know both of them?” replied Kiana.

Lilliana looked at Kiana thoughtfully as she nodded in acknowledgement of her daughter’s simple question. “The men who interview you were Keyon Upton and Duncan Reed. Keyon and I were friends, Duncan not so much, but I wouldn’t consider him an outright enemy. You certainly could have had worse interviewers.” Lilliana paused for a moment, “You really lifted a purse off of Keyon? Your pickpocket skills are getting much better. Keyon knows all the tricks, heck he invented half of them. He is the now the senior pickpocket and lockpick instructor for the Guild. Well, that explains the bar having a seven-tumbler lock, that is a Keyon move. Keyon won’t mind that you were a little cocky; he will just blame that on you being too much like me. Duncan is a different story. He will not be happy that you chose to go on with the lift despite the results, he doesn’t appreciate showmanship. You will likely find the next tests much more challenging. He will probably want to make an example of you, humble you a little.”

Kiana was glum, she had let down her mother, letting her stubborn pride override common sense, and now in her first day of testing had aggravated an important member of the Guild. “I will do better, Mom, I promise.”

Lilliana smiled, “I know you are going to, dear. Just try to keep a lower profile.”

Kiana went to bed feeling more nervous than the previous night. At first she had been eager to join the Thieves’ Guild, to show them how good she was. To prove that her mother’s talents were not wasted by leaving the Guild, they were just passed on to Kiana. Now that she had gone through the first days testing she already felt different about it. She had known the lift was risky, yet did it anyways, and then she proceeded to tell one of the Guild instructors everything he did wrong.

After a lifetime of learning to keep secrets, blending into shadows, being discreet at all times, she had been brash and telling on the most important day of her life. The Guild testing days were not just a formality, what subjects she would be allowed to study in, and also the grade of the courses, depended on the tests. Getting into Guild only to spend her time doing first year courses would be a total waste of time.