by Nyki Blatchley
in Issue 141, October 2023
Loshi sauntered through the streets of Shimeth, putting a deliberate swagger into her walk. She’d been in the city for ten days now, and life was good, especially when you were seventeen and just where you’d always dreamt of being.
The colourful bazaars were stuffed with fascinating goods she’d never seen before, the streets were stuffed with fascinating people, and the smart merchants’ houses were stuffed with wealth she intended to liberate. There was even a salt-tanged wind off the sea today that dried the sweat from the blaring sun on her face and shaven head.
She was examining a stall of spices whose blended aromas made her head float delightfully when her senses picked out someone approaching from behind. She turned at a quick but measured pace, noting as she did that the stallholder pretended not to notice. Could be the local protection mob. Or just someone who thought a girl on her own might be available.
Two men were behind her, one like a weasel and the other like a bulldog. Neither held weapons, but their stance suggested they were armed.
“Loshi vi Assarid?” said Weasel, in a tone that was barely a question.
“At your service.” They clearly knew, so there was no point in denying it, and politeness was usually the best initial approach. “What can I do for you?”
“We’ve had some disturbing news about you,” said Weasel.
“Yeah, disturbing,” added Bulldog.
“Word on the street is,” Weasel continued, “some minor merchant’s house got knocked over last night. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“Yeah,” Bulldog put in, “you know anything?”
That would presumably be the house from which she’d liberated a small bag of gold and a few pieces of jewellery last night while it was empty and very poorly locked up. Could she have misread these men? No, if they were employed by the owner, they wouldn’t have been so vague.
“Afraid not,” she said, putting on an expression of mild concern. “If I hear anything about it, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Now, that makes me very disappointed.”
“Very disappointed.”
“See, this job hadn’t been authorised by the Guild, and the Guild don’t like unauthorised jobs. But I reckon a kid like you, new in town, maybe don’t know that. So Guild’s inclined to let you off this time, long as you pay the levy on the job. One quarter of your takings. But if you carry on working without joining the Guild, it won’t go too good with you.”
“Not good at all.”
It was time for wounded innocence. “Gentlemen,” she said, spreading her arms, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I’ve come here from Kurris with the hope of finding a rich husband, and…”
“Yeah, and I’m the Demon Queen,” said Weasel. “You’re from Kurris all right. Known for being the best burglar there, though that’s not saying much. Bring your levy to the Guild House by tomorrow, and register too, if you know what’s good for you. Cause if not, we know how to find you.”
“Yeah, we know.”
“And, if you don’t believe that, maybe you want this back.”
Loshi froze in the blazing heat as Weasel handed her the little soapstone figurine of the Lady with one antler missing, which she kept for luck. Which she’d left this morning in her rented room.
“Guild House, tomorrow,” said Weasel, then turned on his heel and stalked off.
“Just a moment,” said Loshi. “Even if I were who you think, I don’t know where this Guild House is.”
“Just ask,” said Bulldog. “Everyone knows.”
He turned and followed his comrade.
Loshi stared after them, as the two men disappeared into the crowd. What in the Lady’s name was that all about? There were gangs in Kurris that got unreasonably upset if you cut in on an area they considered theirs — that was part of the reason why she’d left — but they didn’t walk up to you as bold as a lancer in the market to tell you about it. Nor did they tell you to report to what sounded very like some kind of office. That seemed more like the authorities, but surely they’d be trying to catch thieves, rather than demanding a levy from them.
“You look like you could use a friend.”
The voice behind her made Loshi jump, not least because she was rarely surprised that way. She turned to find a woman eying her with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. A woman long past youth, with heavy wrinkles around her eyes, but her face seemed lively.
“Sorry, you’re not my type,” said Loshi, then immediately wondered whether it was the best thing to say. Or whether it was true, for that matter.
The woman’s eyebrows shot up under her neatly coiffured hair. “I never said I was. I just thought you might like someone to talk to.”
Loshi began stammering an apology, feeling herself turning red, and the woman laughed. “I know an excellent tea house just round the corner. Very quiet. I imagine there are things you’d like to know about what’s just happened to you.”
“Well, yes.” Loshi wasn’t sure at all what this woman’s motives were, but it was true she needed explanations.
The stranger turned on her heel and led the way, leaving Loshi to catch up. The woman remained silent as they walked, and Loshi was too confused to attempt conversation. It wasn’t until they were both seated in the tea house, down a flight of stairs and lit by an extravagant number of candles, that she asked, “So you saw what happened?”
The woman inclined her head. “I did. My name’s Jaslai, by the way.”
“I’m Loshi.” She half extended her hand to her companion, but withdrew it when Jaslai made no move to reciprocate.
“I know. Loshi vi Assarid from Kurris.”
Loshi tried not to let her frustration show. How was it that everyone here seemed to know all about her? Who were these people?
She was saved from having to answer at once by their tea arriving. Both sat in silence while the waitress went through the ritual of pouring. A fair-skinned girl, presumably from the Northland, she looked thoroughly bored as she completed the ceremony and spoke the greeting in an emotionless voice while they both took the first sip.
When the waitress was gone, Jaslai leant forwards, resting her chin on one fist. “I expect,” she said, “you want to know more about the Guild and why they’re interfering in your affairs.”
Loshi took another sip, giving her time to consider her reply. “Well, I’d like to know why they’re interfering in what they think are my affairs.”
Jaslai smiled briefly. “Of course. You know, my dear, I was very like you when I was your age. We’re both… believed to be in the same profession, but naturally that’s a mistake.”
Loshi felt a strong temptation to stop dancing around and simply trust this woman, but she resisted. She’d heard of cases in Kurris where a confession had been tricked out of a thief by someone posing as a kindred spirit.
“Naturally. So what is this guild?”
“The Guild of Thieves, Burglars and Cutpurses. As you’ve seen, it controls all crime in Shimeth.”
This didn’t make sense. “But, from what those men said, everyone knows about them. So why doesn’t anyone just go and arrest them?”
Jaslai laughed, though it was a restrained laugh. “Because, my dear, the Guild was set up by the Grand Council of Shimeth.”
“What?” Loshi examined the older woman’s face for signs that she was joking, but there were none.
Even in Kurris, she’d taken very little interest in politics, but she thought the city-state of Shimeth was governed by a council of the great merchant houses. What would they want a thieves’ guild for?
As if reading her mind, Jaslai explained, “They find it useful to have on hand if they want to punish rivals or wrongdoers, so no-one interferes the Guild’s activities. Well, within reason. After all, it’s cheaper to send thieves to rob them than to go through the process of law. The drawback for… people such as we’re taken for is that any unauthorised work is strictly forbidden.”
“So,” said Loshi slowly, “if I really were in that line of business, I’d have to give the Guild… what was it? A quarter of my takings?”
Jaslai nodded. “Not to mention the registration fee of ten gold pieces a year. Now, even if you really were the thief who robbed Hanlan vo Shalre’s house last night, that might still be a problem, mightn’t it?”
It could be, especially with the quarter she’d also have to pay. It did occur to Loshi that she could simply claim the haul had been half the true amount, but she had a nasty feeling they already knew the sum to the last copper.
“Well,” she said, trying to put a brave face on it, “it’s lucky it doesn’t actually concern me, isn’t it?”
Jaslai took a sip of her tea and leant forward. “Loshi, my dear, shall we stop dancing around one another? You’re a thief. So am I, although I mostly employ people to do the actual work now. You need enough money to join the Guild and still have sufficient to live on, if you’re going to stay in Shimeth. And that’s where I can help you.”
It took a heartbeat for Loshi to decide Jaslai was right and the pretence was futile. “Very well,” she said. “So how can you help?
“I need your assistance, my dear. A big job, very rewarding, but it has to be someone unknown in Shimeth. We do it together and split the takings in half.”
“Less a quarter, I suppose?”
Jaslai shook her head, a slight smile playing around her mouth. “Not this time. Just this once, we take it all. It’ll pay for your Guild membership for at least the next ten years, with plenty more to spare.”
Loshi examined the older woman’s face for any sign of double dealing, but there was none. Not that it meant much. She suspected Jaslai could announce the sun had risen in the west without showing any sign of untruthfulness.
“So what’s the catch?”
Jaslai’s smile deepened for a moment. “The catch, if that’s what you want to call it, is simple. This won’t be an easy job. I’m good at sizing people up, and I don’t think that’s going to put you off.”
“Depends on what you mean by not easy. Are you talking about a long climb? Complicated locks? A lot of guards?”
“All those, to some extent.” Jaslai paused and fixed Loshi with her eyes. “Also sorcery.”
Loshi was trying hard to take everything as it came, but she couldn’t help snorting in derision. “Sorcery? Conjuring tricks, you mean?”
“You don’t believe in sorcery?”
“I’ve been to fairs. I’ve seen men make a coin seem to disappear, or raise their assistant in the air with wires you can’t see. That’s all magic is: sideshow trickery.”
Jaslai smiled. “Then I take it you have no objection to facing it. Is it agreed?”
Loshi hesitated a moment. Something about this seemed odd, but maybe it was just that she wasn’t used to the big city. It did occur to her that she could cut her losses and leave Shimeth with what she had, but it was unlikely to be that easy. The efficiency with which the Guild had found where she lived suggested they could still be one step ahead of her.
In any case, to leave would be to admit defeat. She’d have to go a long way to find another city as large and rich as Shimeth, and she had no intention of settling for being a small-town thief.
Then there was the promised reward. She wasn’t going to pass that up for a doubt.
\“Agreed,” she said and held out her hand. This time, Jaslai took it.
Jaslai had told Loshi to meet her when the bell stuck the fifth hour of the night. That had left her with several hours to prepare, and she’d returned straight to her lodgings from the tea-house. Several people were loitering in the street outside, and one man was very blatantly watching out for her. Presumably he was meant as a warning. The Guild’s genuine watcher would be less obvious.
The first thing she did when she reached her room was to check the takings from last night were still in the hiding-place where she’d left them, under the loose floorboard. Everything seemed to be in place. Did that mean Weasel and Bulldog hadn’t found the hoard, or that they were giving her the opportunity to follow instructions?
The second thing was to replace the statuette beside her bed. Even though she scoffed at magic, Loshi believed in luck as fervently as any thief, and this was her good-luck charm. Part of her was convinced she couldn’t come to harm while it protected her.
After ordering a light meal and eating it abstractedly, as she turned over in her mind all that had happened today, Loshi washed thoroughly, shaved off what little hair had grown on her head and body and covered herself with oil, everywhere but her hands and face. This was nothing more than an old habit, from the days when she’d been a half-naked child in the gutters of Kurris. Someone had told her it would make her harder to catch, and she’d taken the advice very seriously. She always went through this ritual before a job.
She set out with plenty of time to slip through the dark streets to the meeting-place, but was nearly late because she didn’t know Shimeth as well as she’d thought. She found herself in a quarter she failed to recognise, though belatedly realised she’d been there in the daylight.
The bell was already tolling five, an hour before midnight, when she slipped into the alley Jaslai had specified. It ran beside the Dolphin tavern, and she saw a figure that was just distinct from the darkness.
“Jaslai?” she murmured, just loud enough for her voice to carry to the figure.
The woman emerged from the shadows. In the light spilling out from the tavern, Loshi saw she was dressed in a tunic and leggings of leather, perhaps black. She took a moment to note that Jaslai had a surprisingly svelte figure for her age, but quickly pulled her attention back to business.
“I’m glad to see you’re not late.” Though she didn’t speak loudly, Jaslai made no attempt to murmur or whisper.
“Not late”, rather than “on time” — was that meant to be a mild rebuke? Loshi shrugged off the thought. She had to keep her mind on the job, whatever that proved to be.
“So where do we go now? Presumably it isn’t around here.”
The houses flanking the tavern were modest, though not hovels, while facing it across the road was a blank, unprepossessing wall several storeys high.
“On the contrary. Our target is there.” And Jaslai pointed at the wall.
Loshi examined it, trying not to show any reaction. From the little she could make out of the lower portions, it was brick-built in the modern style, but without the usual patterning and embellishments. As far she could see, upwards and to either side, it contained neither doors nor windows..
“So what is it? If I’m going to break into somewhere, I need to understand it.”
“That, my dear,” said Jaslai, “is the back wall of the Guild House. You and I are going to rob it.”
“The Guild House?” Either Jaslai was mad or she was herself. “The Guild everyone’s scared shitless of? How exactly is that a good idea?”
“Because,” said Jaslai, “if we steal from the Guild, they won’t dare to take revenge. It would be terrible for their reputation if it became known that someone had broken into their headquarters and got away with their treasures.”
That made a kind of sense, but… “But that wouldn’t apply if we got caught inside, would it?”
“Certainly not. We’d probably be flayed alive and then boiled in oil.” She sounded unreasonably calm about it. “I trust your sense of self-preservation, Loshi.”
What Loshi’s sense of self-preservation was telling her right now was to get out of this job, and preferably out of Shimeth, whatever the risks. On the other hand, that wasn’t her only sense.
“So… how much are we talking about?”
Jaslai shrugged. “As much as we can carry. Gold, jewels and a few other rare items. As I said, it’ll set you up for years to come.”
Loshi hesitated. The fear in the pit of her stomach was saying no, but she’d lived with that fear for as long as she remembered. Few of her childhood friends were still alive, and many had died in horrible ways. On the other hand, she’d known too much hunger to turn down a good pay-out easily.
And Jaslai was putting herself at risk, too. She must know what she was doing.
“All right.” Loshi took a deep breath. “What do we need to do?”
Jaslai pointed up into the darkness. “There’s a window up there. Just one, on the fifth floor. Locked, of course, but I presume that won’t stop you. That’s where we’ll get in.”
Loshi scanned the dark wall, trying to estimate how high up the fifth floor would be. “It looks quite smooth.”
“Quite smooth, but not too smooth. I’ve no doubt you can climb it.”
“And you? Can you climb it?”
Jaslai gave a soft laugh. “Maybe, if I had to. But I’ve no intention of doing so. I’ve brought a rope-ladder, which you can let down when you’re inside.”
“And then what?”
There was a slight hesitation before Jaslai said, “Let’s take one step at a time, shall we?”
Of course, maybe Jaslai thought if Loshi had too much information she wouldn’t need to let the ladder down. Or was there another reason? Loshi had no particular reason to trust this woman, but she wasn’t going to pull out just for that.
“All right. Do we start now?”
“Why not?”
Loshi waited while Jaslai retrieved the rope-ladder from the alley, and she tied it securely around her waist. Then, after checking the area as well as possible in the faint light, she crossed the road and examined the lower part of the wall with eyes and fingers.
Jaslai was right. There were cracks between the masonry — not wide or deep, but she’d climbed worse. She found two handholds above her head, then put her left foot in the first foothold, the soft moccasin moulding into the gap.
Letting herself fall into the semi-trance of concentration she found best for scaling walls, Loshi made steady progress up the wall. She allowed her instinct to count the number of storeys she passed, and when she reached what should be the fifth floor, she stopped and scanned around till she caught the faint glint of the tavern’s light on glass, just to her right and a little above.
The ledge was only as wide as her hand, but it gave her just enough room to balance on her knees and examine the window. Inside was totally dark, but there was sufficient light outside to make out the leadwork criss-crossing the glass. No chance of smashing it, even if that would be safe.
Instead, Loshi cast around with her free hand till she found the place that must be the lock. Simple enough. She fished out a pick from her belt-pouch and had it unlocked in a few heartbeats.
The next part was tricky, as the window opened outwards. Lowering herself carefully, Loshi worked her way down till she was holding the ledge just level with her head and braced her feet in cracks. Then she let go with one hand and pulled the window open.
After that, it was the work of moments to pull herself up again, crawl through the opening and drop noiselessly into the room beyond.
Loshi stood motionless for several heartbeats, listening hard and forcing herself to breathe lightly. Nothing. She was as sure as she could be that she was alone in the room.
She unfastened the rope ladder from around her waist, secured the end to the ledge and slid the rest through her hands so that it descended slowly and silently. After a moment, a tightening in the ropes told her Jaslai was climbing.
She’d been expecting a long wait, but the older woman’s form blocked the lighter patch of the window in an impressively short time. Loshi helped her down, though Jaslai didn’t really seem to need much assistance.
“So where now?” asked Loshi, keeping her voice low.
“Finding the door would be a good start.”
For a moment, Loshi thought that was all Jaslai was going to say, but the other woman relented. “We need to reach the basement,” she said. “There’s a back staircase that’s rarely used and shouldn’t be too heavily guarded. Though it may be guarded.”
“You know the Guild House well?”
After a slight pause that probably indicated a smile, Jaslai commented tartly, “I’ve been a… respectable citizen of Shimeth for many years, so yes, I’ve been in this building many times. Usually by the front door. Now, shall we get on with it?”
“So, what sort of guards?” asked Loshi.
“I’ve no idea. It’s safe to assume, though, they’ll be armed and alert.”
Fair enough. Loshi found the wall with her hands and worked her way round. As expected, the door was directly opposite the faint patch that indicated the window. Locating the handle, she determined that the door was unlocked and opened easily, though with a squeak that set her teeth on edge.
“Will anyone have heard that?”
“We’ll soon know if they have,” said Jaslai. “But it’s unlikely.”
Resisting the urge to ask how she knew that, Loshi slipped through into the darkness outside. She stood still for a moment, but nothing seemed to be stirring. “All clear,” she whispered through the opening.
She heard and felt Jaslai’s presence join her, but only just. The woman could move noiselessly when she needed to.
“Which way?” Loshi asked.
“Left out of the room. About twenty paces to the top of the stairs, if I remember rightly.”
Loshi turned to the left and stretched her arms experimentally. Walls on both sides. She moved her hands to the front and walked forward slowly, counting paces silently. On the twenty-first, her hands touched a wall, and she felt around to find an opening on her right.
“Here it is.”
“Good.” Jaslai’s voice came from just behind, but Loshi had known from the faint breathing she was there. “The stairs are narrow and winding, so watch your footing.”
Biting back the response that she always watched her footing, Loshi started down, feeling along the wall and testing each step. She could sense Jaslai behind her, though the woman trod noiselessly and her breathing was barely audible.
After a while, she came to a small landing with an opening to her right. Murmurs drifted along the passage, and Loshi stood motionless and silent for a moment, gauging what she could hear. At least two men, perhaps three, no more than twenty paces away. No doubt the guards Jaslai had spoken of.
Then Jaslai breathed, “Further down,” and with relief she carried on down the darkened stairway. The same thing happened twice more, with faint voices off each landing. Loshi was fairly sure, though, the distance between the landings meant there wasn’t one for every floor. How far down had they come? Were they below ground level by now?
A little way after the third landing, she rounded the bend to see faint light playing on the wall. Not a window: the flickering spoke of a flame. Perhaps a torch.
She waited till Jaslai was beside her, then leaned over to the other woman’s ear. “Guards on the stair. Stay here, I’ll look.”
She sensed Jaslai nodding and moved slowly down the stairs, taking care to keep her footsteps and breathing as soundless as possible. Sidling round the curving wall, she saw a man on the next landing beside a torch burning in a wall-bracket. He held a grounded spear about his own height, and Loshi made out a long knife sheathed in his belt. No armour, and no other weapons visible. He looked bored stiff.
She considered her options. If she’d been on her own, she’d probably have tried to create a distraction and slip past him unseen, but there didn’t seem much chance both of them could do that. Which meant she was going to have to put him out of action.
Loshi was, as usual, carrying a slender knife and a sling with a pouch of stones, and it only took a moment’s thought to pick the sling. Fitting a stone, she took aim carefully for the man’s neck and let fly. He cried out and dropped to his knees.
Loshi rushed down the few stairs and grabbed the spear before it hit the ground. Swinging it round awkwardly in the confined space, she lodged the tip against his windpipe.
“Don’t make a sound,” she hissed.
The guard looked up at her from dazed eyes and simply gulped.
Loshi was aware of Jaslai coming down to the landing. “We need to tie and gag him,” she said, without turning. “Can you…”
Before she could react, Jaslai had reached past her and pushed a knife between the man’s ribs. His breath bubbled and his eyes stared at Loshi with a faint accusation, before he collapsed forwards.
“What did you do that for?” In her shock, Loshi forgot to whisper. “He’d have been all right if we’d tied him up.”
Jaslai raised an eyebrow. “Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know about you, but I intend to get out of here alive. He’s not important.”
Loshi just turned away, trying not to look at either Jaslai or the body. It wasn’t that she’d never killed anyone, but both times had been in self-defence. And both times she’d gone home afterwards and thrown up.
“I wouldn’t have had you down as soft hearted.” Jaslai sounded amused. “Not with your background.”
“I’m a thief,” said Loshi between her teeth. “Not an assassin. I prefer to use cunning.”
“Ah, a thief with principles. Never mind, dear, you’ll get over it in Shimeth. Now, it shouldn’t be far. There may be other guards, so perhaps you’d like to go and reason with them before I kill them.”
Not trusting herself to answer, Loshi turned and stalked down the stairs. She realised belatedly that she was still holding the dead guard’s spear. Perhaps it would come in useful. More likely it would just get in the way. She leant the weapon silently against the wall.
The next landing, though, was a dead end, with an iron door blocking the way. It was unguarded, at least on the outside.
Through her confused emotions about the killing, Loshi began to feel something very wrong. Jaslai had warned her of danger and a heavily guarded place. This might be a back staircase, but if it led to the treasury, shouldn’t there be more than one guard? Where were they all?
Or was it that the real danger lay beyond this door?
“Here we are,” said Jaslai, rounding the bend with the torch in her hand. “I thought you might need light to work with.”
That was fair enough. As the older woman brought the torch closer, Loshi knelt and examined the lock. It looked as if there were multiple tumblers to trip, but nothing beyond her abilities.
“All right. You keep the light steady, and I’ll get this open.”
She took her small pack of tools out of the pouch on her belt. For the window, she’d taken the first that had come to hand, but for this more challenging job she chose the pair of picks mounted with ivory, among her most precious possessions. She’d taken them from the body of a thief famous in her neighbourhood (though nowhere else, she realised as she grew more sophisticated) after he’d been killed by a rival. Everyone had taken something, partly from practicality and partly as a mark of respect. They’d continue to employ the things he had no more use for.
The lock wasn’t the most complex she’d dealt with, but it took time and concentration to work through it, and she was relieved Jaslai didn’t interrupt or hurry her. The woman was an experienced thief, after all, so she should understand the process.
At last, the final tumbler clicked. Loshi stood up and slowly, cautiously, eased the door open.
The torchlight showed an empty passageway behind it.
“All right.” She turned to Jaslai. “Is this as safe as it looks?”
Jaslai considered a moment. “Probably not. But I doubt if there’s any immediate danger if we walk through.”
Was that referring to the possibility of hidden guards, or was Jaslai talking about sorcery again. Somehow, here in this dark building, Loshi felt a little less inclined to scoff at the idea than she had in the light of day.
\Still, waiting would achieve nothing, so Loshi led the way carefully through the doorway. No-one jumped on her.
After a short way, the passage ended in a crossway, and Loshi froze. Voices floated down the right-hand corridor, and she heard the clink of metal.
“The treasury’s to the left,” Jaslai said in her ear. “It’s not far now.”
Loshi listened for a moment, but she could hear nothing from that direction. “So why are the guards the other way?” she demanded.
“Oh, there are valuables that way, too, but not the ones we want. And there are guards where we’re going. They just don’t make so much noise.”
In a way she couldn’t quite define, this revelation made Loshi feel more confident, and she turned down the left-hand passage, treading even more softly than usual. After a short distance, another door blocked the path. This was far flimsier, though, and even before Jaslai brought the torch up, Loshi could see it was the kind of lock she’d been routinely picking by the time she was eight.
Fighting down another attack of doubts, Loshi took out her picks and dealt with the lock in a few movements. Easing the door open, she found there was still no sign of guards.
“What’s going on?” she demanded.
“Not sure.” Jaslai peered over her shoulder through the doorway. “I expected something by now. But that should be the last door. The treasury’s inside.”
Loshi waited a heartbeat, but the older woman didn’t offer to go first. She hesitated, but there was really no choice. She could go through the door, or she could make a fool of herself and say goodbye to any chance of prospering in Shimeth.
She stepped through the opening.
The door slammed shut behind her, and weird wisps of light began rushing around the space inside. A shriek rose all about her.
Loshi spun around, desperately searching for a way out, only to see shapes materialise out of the air. Though human in general outline, they were large, dark and shambling, with nearly half the face taken up by a huge mouth and long, pointed teeth.
As they advanced on her from all sides, Loshi forced down the panic that threatened to freeze her to the spot. These things couldn’t exist, but she’d deal with that later, if there was a later. She was deafened by the shriek and could only hear the drumming of her own blood, but the strange lights allowed her to see clearly.
Loshi reached back to try and open the door but, as she’d expected, it was locked again. No way back; no sign of an exit to either side. That left straight on, but the creatures blocked her way, and all she had was a knife.
A saying of the streets came back to Loshi: if there seems no way out, do the unexpected.
Drawing her knife, Loshi rushed at the nearest creature, slashing upwards with her blade. It contemptuously batted the little weapon away, but while its attention was momentarily distracted, she dived full length and threw herself between its legs. It grabbed at her, but the remains of the oil on her body sent her slipping through its paws.
She was up and running before any of the things had time to turn around. Although she was half convinced she was going to come up against another locked door, the lightless space she careered into proved to be a twisting, forking labyrinth of passages. Once the light from the swooping spectres had vanished, Loshi kept her hands stretched in front of her to find her way, blindly following the path of least resistance.
The thump of heavy feet followed her, and she heard snuffling and snarling, magnified by the echoing tunnels. Loshi was fit and could keep running for a long time, but what about the creatures? These weren’t just beasts. She’d seen them appear out of nothing, so it was difficult to doubt they were supernatural in some way. How long could they keep going?
Time passed without any meaning. There was only the now of running, feeling, turning and hearing the pursuit behind her. The muscles in Loshi’s legs ached, there was a knife-thrust in her side, and still the creatures followed.
And then, without warning, she ran into a space which, the echoes told her, was a moderately large chamber. There was a grinding roar, and something fell heavily behind her. Loshi whirled round and her hands touched the iron grille that had fallen.
Time passed in darkness. After quickly determining that the only way in or out of the room was the opening she’d come through, Loshi slumped her spent body down to sit against the wall. She was so exhausted, her head fuzzy and her whole body feeling as if it were falling apart, that it was only after some time she realised none of the creatures could be heard outside. Perhaps they’d done their job.
What had happened, back there at the door? Loshi had never believed in sorcery or the supernatural, but it was hard to find any other explanation. Jaslai had warned her.
And what about Jaslai? The older woman hadn’t followed her through the doorway, but was that because she didn’t have time? Or was she perfectly aware she was taking Loshi into a trap?
No, that didn’t make sense. What would be the point in getting Loshi to open the treasury and trigger the magical defences if she were shut out. Had Jaslai been caught on the other side of the door?
Loshi tried to avoid thinking about how she herself was going to be punished. She’d known as long as she could remember that she might one day be caught. She wasn’t sure about Shimeth, but her own city of Kurris still hanged thieves, despite regular protests from the temple of the Lady. She’d learnt early that the worst thing she could do was try to imagine what it would be like.
Then again, this wasn’t the city’s authorities who were holding her. The Guild certainly wouldn’t be moved by the Lady’s mercy, and their punishments might make hanging seem attractive.
As her aching muscles eased and her head cleared, the realisation dawned on Loshi that this room wasn’t empty. She must have been truly exhausted not to notice that the echoes weren’t quite hollow enough.
Dragging herself to her feet, she felt her way around the walls. Sure enough, they were covered with shelves, and her fingers instinctively recognised the blocks stacked on them. Not just gold bars, but the highest quality of gold.
So this was the treasury, or at least part of it. But how did Jaslai envisage them leaving laden with this much gold? It didn’t make sense.
Moving round the walls, however, Loshi found shelves containing smaller objects. Her fingers made practiced passes over some of them. Statuettes, trinkets, ornaments: all gold, and mostly studded with gems. This was more like it.
Her hands were examining a little figure, about the size of her Lady but definitely not made of soapstone, when she caught the sound of tramping feet down the passageway. She instinctively thrust the object into one of her hidden pouches as the sound drew closer and a blaze of light came round a bend, casting the bars of her prison into stark relief. Half a dozen shapes stopped just beyond the grille — they looked human.
A torch was thrust between the bars, though she couldn’t make out the features of the figure behind it. “Stay where you are,” snapped an unpleasantly familiar voice.
The grille crunched and squeaked open, and the torchbearer entered the room, followed by several others. When he thrust the light forward to see her better, enough illumination reflected off him to show this was Weasel, one of the two men she’d met that day.
“Well, well. Never expected it to be you. You have been a naughty girl, haven’t you?”
“Very naughty,” came a deeper voice from the pack of men behind him.
“We gonna have fun?” demanded another voice. “Ain’t much, but better than nothing.”
Ice stabbed through Loshi’s guts, but Weasel spat. “Nah. Guildmaster will want to see this one right away. Remember, we still haven’t found her accomplice.”
There was a little rebellious muttering, and Weasel turned back to Loshi. “So who was you with, and what happened to them?”
“I came here alone,” said Loshi, not looking at him. Her instinct was not to rat on a partner without good reason. Anyway, if she did have to betray Jaslai, she could probably get more benefit by telling the Guildmaster.
Weasel shrugged. “Course you did. Never mind, you’ll talk, girlie. We don’t mess around here, like you might be used to.” He turned back to his men. “Chain her and bring her with us.”
Her arms were forced behind her and iron cuffs were snapped and locked around her wrists and ankles, and one of the men (she thought it was Bulldog) yanked her to her feet. The chain between her feet had enough length to allow walking, though running would be hard, but her wrists were bound tightly behind her buttocks.
Several of the men were casting longing glances at the treasure on the shelves. “Eyes front,” snapped Weasel. “Hope none of you’s stupid enough to think you could get away with anything here.” His eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion. “You didn’t help yourself, did you, girlie?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t see anything till you got here.”
“Hm.” He didn’t seem convinced. “Better search her,” he told one of the men.
She nearly threw up as a large, clumsy pair of hands pawed her body, taking advantage of the licence to touch her everywhere. She breathed lightly, trying without much success to send herself into a trance state until the ordeal was finished.
“All right, all right,” snapped Weasel. “You’re supposed to be searching her, not having fun. Find anything? Well, bring her along, then.”
Loshi wasn’t sure whether she was more relieved that it was over or that the man had been too busy with his lechery to find her hidden pocket. Whatever the piece was, she still had it.
Weasel was talkative as usual while they marched Loshi through the twisting passages, by turns goading and threatening her. She resisted the urge to rise to his goading, but she was able to glean some information from his comments.
It seemed that the Guild’s sorcerers who’d laid the trap had been alerted as soon as she tripped it. Weasel talked of the sorcerers with mistrust in his voice, but he seemed to have no doubt about their effectiveness, and Loshi couldn’t bring herself to disagree. Once the demons had been dismissed, everyone had been turned out to search the vaults. Only Loshi had been found, although the sorcerers were convinced that two people had entered through the great iron door.
They eventually led her out onto the landing, but instead of starting up the staircase, Weasel unlocked a door disguised as a panel. Beyond here were more passages, a couple of halls and several shorter stairways, leading to a more sumptuous part of the building. Deep carpets covered the floor and rich tapestries hung on the walls. The door they came to at last was inlaid with gold.
Two armed men stood in front of it, far more alert than the guard Jaslai had killed. They didn’t move.
“Prisoner for the Guildmaster to see,” said Weasel, oozing importance.
“He didn’t want to be disturbed,” said one of the sentries.
“Believe me,” said Weasel, his voice turning to a sneering threat, “he’ll want to know why he wasn’t disturbed for this. And it won’t be me responsible.”
The sentries exchanged glances, and it seemed to Loshi they were calculating something. Then the one who’d spoken shrugged. “Your head, not mine,” he said, and they stood aside.
Weasel opened the door and led the party inside. The interior was a surprisingly functional office with a large desk, but Loshi only briefly took that in before two things captured her attention. One was a large figure lying still on the floor, wrapped in a purple robe.
The other was Jaslai sitting behind the desk.
There were gasps and shouts all around Loshi, and the scrape of weapons being drawn. “It’s her!” yelled Weasel. ” She’s killed him! Get her!”
Jaslai didn’t rise as the men surged forward, but she held up a large seal. “I claim the seal.” She spoke calmly, but her voice penetrated the clamour. “I’m your Guildmaster.”
The charge stopped, and the men exchanged confused glances. “Can she do that?” asked someone.
“Yeah, reckon so,” Weasel replied. “Right of assassination. She’s still a member, after all. Nothing we can do about it.”
He returned his knife to its sheath, and the rest gradually did the same.
“All right,” he said to Jaslai. “Never thought I’d see you again, but you’re the boss now.”
“Good. Tell everyone. Now, leave me alone. I want a word with Loshi here.”
Slowly, bewilderment on their faces, the men turned and filed out of the room. The last thing Loshi heard was a voice — Bulldog, she felt sure — asking, “So how can she be a master?”
“So you survived the demons,” said Jaslai, when they were alone. “I didn’t really expect that. Congratulations my dear.”
“You expected me to die?” Loshi was almost too confused to be angry. “Was that the point of this bullshit?”
Jaslai gave a ghost of a smile. “I needed a distraction, that’s all. When you set off the magical traps, it got nearly every armed man in this place down to the vaults. That made it easy to get in here.”
“Past the guards outside?”
“Oh, they’re my people. I’ve been planning this a long time, you see, to take the position that bastard robbed me of.” She nodded at the body on the floor, which already had flies buzzing around it. “I’d have been elected two years ago, if he hadn’t fixed the ballot, then chased me out. So I used the other way: right of assassination. It’s a very old tradition, and no-one’s going to dispute it.”
“So that’s it? You kill me for that?”
“I didn’t particularly want you dead, and I’m not sorry you survived. But…” She shrugged. “The stakes were too high to be fastidious. As you’d have been, no doubt.”
“I don’t know,” said Loshi between her teeth. “Undo these chains, and I might just try that right of assassination.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. You’re a fine thief, Loshi, but you’re not a killer.”
She didn’t answer. Jaslai was probably right, although if she were able to get at the woman now, it might not stop her. Instead, she asked, “So the treasure I saw — was that all of it?”
“Oh no, the main treasury was the other way. That has mainly more conventional guards. But where you were — there are some very special things in that chamber. Which is why it’s guarded more effectively.”
“Good. When do I get my cut?”
“What?” Jaslai looked genuinely confused.
“Well, if you’re in charge, it’s yours to give. A deal’s a deal.”
She smiled without humour. “No, my dear, it doesn’t work like that. It’s not mine to give away as I like.”
“So you’re going back on our deal?”
Jaslai leant forward, steepling her fingers. “Loshi, if you expect everyone to honour their agreements in the world you’ve chosen, you’re not going to last very long.” She looked the girl up and down for a moment. “I tell you what, how about another deal? And I will keep this one. You can walk out of the Guild House door, and no-one will interfere with you in future — as long as you pay the Guild its share. And I’ll personally pay your annual fee for as long as you stay in Shimeth.”
“Or as long as you dodge the assassins,” Loshi added.
Jaslai smiled more warmly. “I don’t think I’ll prove as easy to kill as that idiot. But of course, if that did happen, I wouldn’t be able to help you any longer. So perhaps it’s in your interest to help me stay alive. Deal?”
Loshi thought about it for a few heartbeats. She didn’t trust Jaslai, of course, but the woman could have her killed right here, if that were what she wanted. And if she reneged on this agreement, Loshi would just have to do what she’d always done and survive on her wits.
There didn’t seem any way she could come out better, so she nodded. “Deal.”
The sun was peering over the roofs when Loshi walked out of the Guild House’s front door, and the morning was heating up. A few people stared at her askance as she emerged, but there was respect as well as wariness in their looks.
When she was out of sight of the Guild House and in a deserted lane, Loshi fished out the object she’d picked up from the treasury. It was the first time she’d actually seen it, and its beauty took her breath away. A golden hare with the breasts of a woman (perhaps one of the ancient gods), it was encrusted in gemstones. Loshi knew enough about precious jewels to feel pretty sure this little thing was worth many times her entire haul from the night before.
Assuming she could sell it, of course, without attracting undue attention. Ah well, she’d climb through that window when she reached it.
Putting the beautiful little thing safely out of sight, Loshi rubbed at where the manacles had chafed her wrists. Never mind. She still had more than enough left from her last job, even without the quarter she’d have to hand over, to buy some scented salve. Meanwhile, the city was full of people with more wealth than they could use, and she had full licence to relieve them of some of their burden.
Despite everything, Loshi thought she was going to like Shimeth.
© October 2023, Nyki Blatchley
Nyki Blatchley is a UK based author and copywriter. His fantasy novel At An Uncertain Hour was published by StoneGarden, and his short story collection Eltava: A Sword for All Ages by Gypsy Shadow Publishing. He’s had more than seventy short stories and novellas published. This is his first appearance in Swords & Sorcery.