Fairyfly - 17. Den of Thieves

Approaching the Lykos village, Rulf threaded slowly, careful not to be seen or heard. Going back to investigate Fendrel’s house was out of the question, that much he was certain of. He could not risk the king’s guards ambushing him again. He realized that if the king’s men had their eyes on Fendrel, then he was probably off the hook, but he knew that one could never be too careful.

Avoiding the area where Fendrel’s house was located, Rulf made a big detour and found himself several streets away. As much as he tried to act normal and relaxed, he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that someone was following him. On several occasions, he even stopped and turned around, but there was no one suspicious – just ordinary Lykos residents he was used to seeing every day, going about their business.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid, Rulf thought. How could I not be? After everything that happened with Fendrel and Esthor, I likely won’t get any sleep for weeks.

Esthor… His face was constantly on Rulf’s mind, and his name on Rulf’s lips. No matter how heartbroken he was or how angry it made him, the Lykos couldn’t bring himself to stop thinking about the young sorcerer and caring about him.

How can I be with him after everything? That I do not know, but… How can I be without him?

At that moment, Rulf decided he needed to do something he often did – confide in his best friend. Bess was there for him when he lost Arabella. She provided him comfort, advice and a shoulder to cry on. Rulf hoped she would be able to help him now too, as he did not know what else to do.

He knocked on her door and was soon greeted by a surprised face of his dear friend. As soon as she saw him, a warm smile spread across her face and she offered him a hug, which he gladly accepted.

“You look… Rough,” Bess said. She could see the man was tired and that he likely hadn’t slept in days.

“Hah! Nothing gets by you, eh, Bess?” Rulf chuckled, following her inside.

Being back in her cozy home and listening to her talk made him realize how much he missed his best friend. Bess led him straight to the kitchen, where he sat at a table as she poured him his favorite brew.

“Sweetie, I was only half joking when I said you looked rough. What’s going on with you?” Bess asked worriedly as she sat opposite of him. Wondering where to begin, Rulf just looked at the mug she gave him as if he would find an answer there.

“Hey? Talk to me, darling.”

With a big sigh, Rulf looked up and shook his head. He hadn’t talked to anyone about Esthor, but he knew he couldn’t keep it to himself anymore or he would explode.

“Uh, so much has happened. I don’t even know where to begin,” he whispered.

“Go from the start and tell me, what’s bothering you? I hate seeing you like this.”

“From the start?” Rulf asked, taking a sip of the brew. Maybe that will give me some courage, he thought. “For one, you were right about Fendrel. He is sick.”

“You mean – the Fever?”

Rulf nodded.

“And he was the one who attacked Bella. He infected her.”

“Ohh Rulf, I am so sorry,” Bess said, taking Rulf’s hand across the table and squeezing it with her own. How could he do something like that?”

“He wanted to punish the king, to avenge the death of his parents. But… he didn’t care who else gets hurt.”

Once he started talking, Rulf found it hard to stop. With Bess’ encouragement and words of comfort, he laid out everything in front of her: how he found Esthor in the forest, how they fell in love, and finally, how he learned of Esthor’s role in Arabella’s death.

Just when Bess thought he couldn’t surprise her more, another new detail would be revealed. In the end, she sat there misty-eyed, feeling sorry for her good friend and what he went through. After what happened with Arabella, she had hoped Rulf would eventually forget about her, find someone else and be happy. However, she never thought it would be like this.

“Oh, darling, I am so sorry. I know this is so hard for you since you love him so much.”

“I don’t even know anymore… Do I love him or hate him?”

“I think it’s quite clear,” Bess said with a sad smile, looking Rulf straight in the eyes. “That’s what makes it so difficult.”

“You’re right, but… What he did…”

“What Fendrel did was vicious. He acted out of hatred and hunger for vengeance,” Bess stated, not breaking eye contact with her friend. “But I do not believe Esthor operated out of evil, at least according to what you told me. He was hasty, he was inconsiderate, but darling, we know he couldn’t have saved Bella. There is no magic that can cure that.”

“Still, he shouldn’t have…”

“Look, I know you loved her and you want to honor her memory. But don’t go harboring hatred against the wrong person.”

Sitting there and looking at his friend, Rulf felt as though Bess exposed his innermost thoughts, everyhing he felt deep down but wasn’t willing to admit to himself.

“Thank you,” he finally mumbled as he wiped his tears away. “You… You’re right.”

After a big meal that restored much of his lost strength, Rulf got up to leave. Bess noticed that he suddenly stopped and glanced through the window as if he noticed something odd.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, I… I just keep having this weird feeling that someone is observing me. I’m probably just paranoid.”

“I can’t blame you, after all of that… Go home and get some rest, darling. I’ll come by later to check up on you, alright?”

The two friends hugged and Rulf left, looking forward to getting reacquainted with his warm bed.

~~

Perched on a branch of a walnut tree, an eagle was closely observing a run-of-the-mill house across the street in a derelict part of the town of Eelry. It was after midnight and the area was mostly empty, with barely a soul passing by every now and then. The sound of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl were the only things breaking the silence of the night.

In his fairyfly form, Esthor was settled on the eagle’s talon, patiently waiting for something to happen. As he looked around, he wondered if the owls he heard from nearby trees were actual animals or other shifters. He found it funny how he never thought about things like that before he became a shifter.

Even though neither Pepin nor Esthor could talk in their animal form, they preferred staying shifted, not merely because of Esthor’s eyesight, but also because it allowed them to remain concealed. Now, all they had to do was wait and hope that Olivia would show up soon.

Their eyes were on the house at the very end of the street. Even though it looked like just any other, they knew it was the base of operations of Lucius, the self-proclaimed ‘king of thieves’. According to what Huck told them, the man was a Shade as well. Even though he pulled off many dangerous thefts in his prime, in the last several years he preferred delegating more and more of his tasks to his ‘employees’ – other thieves. Most of them were Shades, like Olivia, but Lucius didn’t mind working with shifters or ordinary people, as long as they were discreet, stealthy and efficient.

The ruby on Queen Loreena’s crown was said to be one of the most expensive gems ever and Lucius was desperate to get his hands on it. Now, Olivia would finally bring it to him in exchange for her brother’s freedom.

Just as the two men were starting to lose hope that Olivia would show up that night, they noticed movement down the street, in the shadows. A small, slender figure clad in black appeared, walking silently at a brisk pace. When it approached the front door of the house, the figure knocked on the door twice and took off the hood that was covering its head, revealing short black hair and pale face.

That has to be her, Pepin thought.

A few seconds later, the door opened and the woman walked inside, closing the door behind her. Suddenly, dim light appeared in one of the upstairs windows facing away from the street, and Esthor and Pepin took off from their hiding spot in the tree and flew toward the house. A tall figure appeared in the window and drew the curtains.

Damn it, now we can’t see what’s happening inside, Esthor thought as they approached the house.

As he was landing on the grass in the backyard, Pepin made sure no one else was outside. Hidden behind the wall of the house, he shifted back and held out his palm, allowing Esthor to land on it.

“We have to be careful now. Fly up there and try to hear what’s happening inside,” Pepin advised him and without a moment of hesitation, the tiny insect flew up to the window.

I need to give the old rat the crown, get Tristan and get out of here, Liv thought as she entered Lucius’ house. The place gave her the creeps. She never felt comfortable inside it. It just had that aura of filth and deception. Her heart ached as she thought about her little brother being locked up there for weeks. If bloody Norius hadn't caught me, I’d have done this weeks ago and Tristan would’ve already been free. If anything happened to him, I’ll never forgive myself. And Lucius is dead if he even touched him!

Following one of Lucius’ guards upstairs without a word, Liz clutched the crown that was tucked in safely under her black leather jacket. That crown was the ticket to her and Tristan’s freedom from that bastard.

As they climbed up the stairs and reached the first door on the left, the guard knocked.

“Come in,” a chilly voice spoke.

“Sir, she’s here,” the guard announced in a quiet tone as he opened the door.

“Let her in,” the man inside the room replied, now in a much more pleasant voice.

Liv entered the room and saw the tall, blond man standing by the window, drawing the curtains. He had just lit several red candles that stood on an elaborately carved wooden desk in the richly furnished room.

“Lucius,” Liv spoke coldly, standing at the door. “I brought you what you wanted. Where is Tristan?”

“Olivia, what a nice surprise. It took you long enough,” the man said as he turned around, sporting a fake smile on his thin, yet handsome face. “Come in, sit. There is no reason we should act like we are merely acquaintances.”

“I am not interested in exchanging empty pleasantries with you, not after you kidnapped my brother. Where is he?” Liv asked rudely. The bronze dagger she stole from the king was in her pocket, ready to be drawn out at a moment’s notice.

“Now, come on. It sounds horrible when you say it like that. Your brother has received nothing but the best treatment all this time. Did you not, Tristan?” Lucius said, looking behind Liv.

The Shade immediately turned around and saw her little brother at the other end of the hallway, two burly guards standing next to him, holding him by the shoulders.

“Liv!” the little boy shouted, relief and happiness mixed on his face as he saw his big sister.

“Tristan! I’m so sorry for being so late,” Liv exclaimed and stepped toward him, but was promptly stopped by the third guard.

“Uh-uh,” Lucius cooed. “First, the crown.”

Liv turned to her employer and looked at him with distrustful eyes. Slowly, she unbuttoned her jacket and pulled out the precious bejeweled object.

“If you hurt him…”

“Olivia, I gave you my word,” Lucius replied in mock surprise, which quickly turned into a big, devious smile as he received the crown. “Would you look at that! Beautiful…”

After being lost in the beauty of the giant ruby embedded in the crown, Lucius returned to reality and looked up at the guards holding Tristan, gesturing them to let him go. As soon as the rough hands were off his shoulders, the boy ran toward his sister, hugging her, tears streaming down his face.

“Tristan, are you ok?” Liv said, unable to hide her tears. She wrapped her arms tightly around her little brother, afraid to let go.

“Yes! Where were you?” he sobbed into her shoulder.

“I’ll tell you all when we’re out of here. What’s important is that we’re together now,” she replied, gently stroking the boy’s black hair.

Suddenly, the two guards snatched the boy away from her arms.

“Yes, about that...” Lucius spoke slowly as his pale eyebrows rose. “You see, I’ve discovered that you can be highly efficient as long as you’re properly motivated. And what better motivation than your brother’s safety?”

“You weasel…” Liv frowned, looking at Lucius with contempt.

“Take him away. Liv and I have some new business to discuss,” he said, waving of his guards.

“Liv, help!” Tristan shouted as he tried to wiggle out of the strong grip of the two men holding him, but it was useless.

In the blink of an eye, Liv pulled out her dagger, and upon seeing her reflection, vanished on the spot. A second later, she reappeared behind one of the guards and slashed his throat. The man collapsed on the ground, dead.

Being a Shade himself, Lucius knew all the tricks Liv could pull, such as teleporting short distances upon turning invisible. Quick as lightning, he did the same, vanishing and reappearing a moment later next to the girl. Lucius knocked her to the ground, as the bloody dagger slipped out of her hand.

“I’ll finish you!” Liv hissed as she tried to reach for the blade, when she felt a blow to her stomach.

“You forgot who you’re dealing with!” Lucius shot back, ready to deliver another strike.

All of a sudden, a rock smashed through the window with a loud bang, causing everyone to look up in surprise. Before anyone could realize what was happening, Esthor appeared in the middle of the room and with one swift wave of his scepter, everything and everyone before him turned to ice.

“Pepin, you can come in now!” he called out as he found his way to the window and opened it wide. He couldn’t risk unfreezing the wrong person, so he needed the healer to guide him.

The large bald eagle flew in and shifted back into his human form.

“Looks like we’ve arrived just in time,” Pepin noted as he took in the sight before him. “Follow me.”

Guiding Esthor’s hand, Pepin pointed to Olivia.

“Quick,” he urged the sorcerer.

“Relax, they’re not going to unfreeze on their own,” Esthor chuckled. “Here.”

As the crystal at the tip of his scepter started glowing, the ice started disappearing and Liv was soon back to normal.

“What happened?” she asked, looking suspiciously at the two strangers in front of her – one of whom seemed to be blind! “Wait, you’re that sorcerer… I remember you from the dungeons.”

“Yes, I’m Esthor. We’re friends of Terryn and Huck. We came to help,” Esthor explained. “They told us-“

“Thank you, but… Oh, Gods, Tristan! What have you done with him?!” Liv exclaimed desperately as she saw an ice statue that closely resembled her brother. How could this be? She did not come this close to freeing her baby brother just to see him melt before her eyes!

“He’s just frozen, don’t worry,” Esthor told her. “Where is he? We’ll fix it right away.”

In a matter of seconds, the ice from the little boy vanished and the first thing he felt were his sister's arms wrapped around him once again.

“Oh, Gods, Tristan!” Liv sobbed, hugging her brother tightly.

“Liv!” the boy cried, holding onto his sister for dear life. “I was so scared, I thought something bad had happened to you.”

The two siblings cried and laughed at the same time, as they held and tried to comfort each other. As Liv finally pulled away and wiped the tears from Tristan’s face, the boy noticed the two men standing nearby.

“Who are you? And holy… What happened to these guys?”

Pepin chuckled, looking benevolently at the little, frightened boy.

“My name is Pepin, and this is Esthor. He turned these guys to ice.”

“Wow! How did you do that?” Tristan said, completely overlooking the fact that the person he was talking to had no eyes.

“Well, it’s magic,” Esthor smiled.

“Speaking of which, what happens to them now?” Liv asked, pointing at Lucius and his two guards that were frozen. The third one, whose throat she slashed, laid dead in a pool of blood.

“That depends on you. I could just unfreeze them like I did you two, but I doubt you want that.”

“I’d rather leave them to slowly melt,” Liv said pointedly, looking at the ice statues.

“Or we could speed up the process,” Esthor suggested.

As he raised his scepter in the air, the crystal started emitting a warm, yellow light. All eyes were on the three frozen men as they quickly started melting, until nothing but a puddle of water remained on the floor.

~~

Massive dark clouds had started to clear, revealing an azure blue sky, just as Zane was readying to leave the castle and summon his troops. It will be a clear night after all, he thought, making plans for what was to come later that evening.

He was not in full battle armor, instead opting to wear a heavy brigandine, leather pants and mesh boots. He carried his sword and a light, but sturdy shield, as he approached a soldier that stood in front of the castle.

“Gather at least twenty best men and inform them that we shall be heading out before nightfall,” Zane ordered.

“Sir,” the man nodded and walked away.

If he wanted to catch Fendrel, Zane knew he couldn’t take any chances. The more men he brought with him, the better. They needed to cover a large area and be on the lookout. The bloody wolf was strong, extremely agile and desperate. He did not care who died and was ready to defend himself until his last breath. Worst of all – he had the Fever, which meant that he could infect anyone with his bite.

The best royal archers were already placed on strategic positions in and around the castle, ready to shoot at the first sign of the Lykos. However, Zane was not willing to wait for him to come to them. No, he was determined to hunt down the wolf and bring him before the king.

As he headed toward the stables, he came across Marcus the herald, mounting his white horse. The man was dressed in his official uniform, which meant he was on a mission. That aroused Zane’s curiosity, so he stopped to have a word with the man.

“Marcus. Where are you headed to?”

The herald, now mounted on his horse, turned to Zane.

“Commander,” he nodded. “I’m off to the town square, and then the church. King Norius wants me to read the new proclamation.”

“What proclamation?”

Marcus took out a large scroll from his bag and handed it to Zane. Unrolling it, the commander started reading.

“I, King Norius of Alduin, hereby proclaim that all forms of magic be banned in the entirety of our kingdom. Should anyone, other than the Seven Royal Sorcerers, be seen and reported to be using magic for any purpose, they shall be promptly arrested and brought before the court to be tried and sentenced.”

At the bottom of the scroll, there was the signature of King Norius, just below the official royal seal of Alduin.

This I can agree with, Zane thought as he rolled the scroll and returned it to the herald. Whether it will accomplish anything or not is another thing, but it cannot hurt. What is the use of magic anyway, other than to pose danger when its wielders use it in wicked ways?

“Carry on,” Zane nodded and watched as the herald rode away on his horse.

Alduin shall certainly be better off without magic, he thought. The question is, how will Khalgos, Esthor and other sorcerers react? I have no doubt they will protest.

We shall have to be ready for it.

Huge thanks to everyone reading, commenting, etc.!
Esthor is so close to restoring his sight, so stay tuned for more!