The rain came down in sheets,
filling the gutters and cascading into dirty pools of mud and waste that lined
the back alleys of Yuruido. The ancient shells of once glorious megastructures
were dotted with the small fires of survivors attempting to live in the
crumbling ruins. Yuruido’s newer but more ramshackle buildings filled what little
space there was between the ancient buildings. Running parallel to the main
streets the back alleys were a maze of passages. Full of dead-ends and blinds
turns, and shadowed by the tall windowless backs of the many looming structures,
the alleys were avoided by honest people and were instead used by those who
considered honesty a liability.
Moving quickly and carefully
around the pools of water, Yun Kadak knew the alleys well. The thief-turned-spy
pointlessly wrapped his thin, soaked cloth around his head, grumbling under his
breath. One of the thousands of thieves in Yuruido, Yun grew up under the
shadow of the Old World and unable to reach for the New. He stopped and glanced
back towards Lord Nakadai’s castle and scowled. There was a new world being
born from the ashes of the old, but Yun was not yet a part of it. He smiled.
“But maybe soon,” he thought to
himself as he carried on through the rain.
Yun had lived in the streets and
fought other boys and dogs for whatever food he could find. He would brag about
this over beer, whenever he could steal enough money to afford it. He would
tell stories to anyone too drunk to walk about facing six wild mongrels or
burgling into a prefect’s house, right under the snoring guards or some other
exaggerated feat. Over the years he gave up thieving (though he sometimes still
partook in the target was too tempting) and found spying to be far more lucrative. He had become quite skilled, and was sought
after by those who knew where to look. Many nobles wanted to get the upper hand
on their rivals and they paid handsomely.
In these days it seemed information sold better than jewels but even
better, Yun enjoyed it. It made him feel powerful; to secretly watch someone or
listen to them and know that they did not know he was there. He felt a rush
through his blood and a tingle up his spine after a job. He particularly enjoyed
jobs that involved beautiful women. Yes, the money was great, but it was just
plain fun.
”Except this job”, Yun scowled at
the thought.
This one was much more complicated
than he had ever had. Usually he met some representative or even the poorly
disguised noble himself. He found out what needed to be done and set his price,
usually demanding payment upfront. The task always revolved around some petty
blackmail or financial information. They were always straightforward and
simple. This last one was different and he hated different. He had never met this client, having only communicated
through a letter written to him anonymously. After the job was finished then he
would be paid. More than five hundred ryes was too tempting to argue but it was
another red flag to Yun. The job itself was strange too. Unlike the more
obvious tasks of rifling through documents for secreted information, all Yun
had to do was listen in on a party. He was told to listen in on a dinner hosted by a lowly prefect Kin Datha, a newly appointed prefect for Old Town. Old Town district was vagrant infested ancient slums. He valiantly spoke of clearinf out those old structures and removing
the squatter but it sounded like empty rhetoric. It was all very boring stuff
to Yun, but he did what he was paid to do and listened. He wasn’t even sure
what the value of the information could possibly be. He shrugged; he wasn’t the
one paying for it, so it didn’t matter really. As long as he got paid he was
happy.
He stopped at an intersection in
the alley and glanced around. He was to meet the client here. The rain had let
up but the chill sent a shiver up his spine. He saw a quiet corner and slipped
in to wait for his client. He glanced up again and instinctually reached for
his dagger, panic knocking out all sense.
Seemingly out of nowhere a huge
shape stepped out of the shadows. A man dressed in the dark battle robes of the
Ordi Savoth stood before him. Rain dripped off the edge of a wide, round straw rain-hat,
leaving the man’s face in darkness. The man stood motionless. Yun, alarmed
first by the man’s great height and then by the sword at his waist, brandished
his knife.
The savoth raised a hand, “Calm
yourself, Yun Kadak,” he said his voice soft but laced with a power that frightened
Yun more than anything else, “You do not wish to die before you have been paid,
do you?”
Yun paused, his look of terror
softened as the words sank in. This huge savoth was his client. The Savoth was
a dwindling order of warrior monks. Since the Sundering they have sought
penance for their involvement with what happened and the Ordi Savoth has feebly
pledged itself to keep the peace of Lord Nakadai. However, with each passing
year their numbers grow smaller and smaller. Most people saw them as righteous
but ultimately ineffectual do-gooders. He breathed a sigh and put away his
dagger. He bowed, water dripping from his scalp into the ground.
“Forgive me Da’savoth. I usually
work for merchants or politicians, rarely warriors and never those of your
Order,” Yun looked back up at the warrior that was strangely more than a
warrior but could see nothing of his face behind the straw mesh of his hat. He
felt eyes pass through him, searching his soul. The feeling left Yun exposed,
as if all of his secrets were laid bare.
He briefly wondered if those people he watched ever felt this way.
“What did you hear?” the savoth’s
voice retained its calm but Yun knew it would be in his best interest to get to
the point. It would be better to tell this man what he knew and be on his way.
Yun wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.
“Kin Datha spoke of many things,
the weather was typical, but nothing of consequence. He mentioned Old Town and
sending men there”
“Who was there?”
Yun thought for a second then
brightened, “Ah, one of your Order, master savoth! Har Kivin and if I remember
isn’t he the savoth adviser to Lord Nakadai?”
The savoth said nothing. Yun went
on, “He tried to hide it but I knew, I could tell. He dressed in regular clothes
but I’ve seen him before when I-!”
“Anything else?” The savoth’s
voice seemed to boom and Yun’s babbling ceased.
“That’s-that’s all I know.” Yun
replied, sputter as rain water trickled into his mouth.
The savoth nodded, dipping the
straw hat down and causing rain to trickle down. Yun felt so small and weak in
this man’s presence. He wanted to get home and away from this strange savoth. Although
as far as Yun was concerned, all of the Ordi Savoth were strange. They were
warrior monks and their skill with the blade was unmatched by any other
warrior. But ancient legends told that they seemed to have intimate knowledge
of the true ways of the world and could alter reality as will. Yun didn’t
believe any of that, or he hadn’t. Standing in this Savoth’s shadow seemed to
lend credence to those old tales. Yun stood in silence for several seconds. He
thought it odd that a savoth of Kivin’s station would visit a lowly prefect,
but he thought it more odd that another savoth would spy on their brethren. Yun
wondered if this information would be worth anything.
The savoth reached into his robes
and took out 500 ryes. The gold jangled in his palm as his handed it to Yun.
The spy took the money eagerly and bowed, never betraying the grin he felt.
Yes, he could sell this little bit of information about the savoth. There were
always those interested in them and they would pay well for any shred of
information to use against them. Yun pocketed the money as the torrent of rain
chattered on the rooftops. Yes, tonight started out miserable but things were
looking up. A nice tall glass of beer and a warm meal awaited him and who knows
what companionship he would buy tonight? He turned and wrapped his cloth around
his body.
“Yun”
He stopped when he heard the man’s soft voice, clear even over the intensifying rain and turned back.
The savoth shook his head
slightly, as if disappointed, “So silent of foot, but your thoughts are as loud
as thunders.”
Yun’s eyes went wide and reached
for his dagger. Faster than the eyes can see, the savoth drew his blade and cut
through the air and rain. Yun’s head fell back into the muddy water with a
splash. The body stood stupidly for a second more before it crumpled into the
muck. The savoth watched the body drift down the current of rainwater that
rushed through the alley and disappeared behind a sharp angled corner. He returned
his sword to its sheath and turned. Without a glance he adjusted his rain-hat,
and walked out of the alley and toward the Lord Nakadai’s palace.
No comments:
Post a Comment