I sat in the smelly pipe over the central room of the Outsider's hideout, watching the crew down below through the small metal grate. My notebook was balanced on my knee as I sketched and noted the movements down below. The cosmic joke of Theo being partially responsible for teaching me the skills of a scout and those skills being used to end his life brought a sadistic smile to my face.
I had to leave Sob behind in a hay-stuffed stable before coming into the tunnels. I knew that would be a problem when he returned to his regular size. It cemented for me that I couldn’t stay here among the rebels even after I’d completed my gory mission. If searching for my friends wasn’t a strong enough reason, not abandoning one of the few I had left was plenty strong enough.
Frank was still with me, although he had deserted his regular place on my shoulder for a perch beside the grate. He eyed the other surviving players with the same eagerness that I did, hopping and flapping about as his head turned one way and then the other.
I drew a cross beside the line I’d just written, frustrated that after three days, I still hadn’t seen either Theo or Gabby. In fact, I hadn’t really recognized anyone other than Ryan and Tanya. I suppose that was to be expected; I hadn’t exactly been Mister Popularity.
Frank grumbled quietly and flapped his wings, pecking at my fingers that were apparently in his way. Despite the pecking, the raven was being exceptionally well-behaved. I’d been nervous about bringing him with me. It’s hard to sneak around when your companion is screaming at everyone to shut up every few minutes after all. I reached into my bum bag, pulled out one of the blackberries I had foraged by the river on our journey back here, and tossed it to the bird. He deserved a treat.
“Come on,” I whispered as I watched Ryan return to the slab of stone in the middle of the pool down below. “Tell me where the bastard is.”
Ryan started moving little carved figures over the top of the slab like a kid playing a strategy board game. It was boring to watch from a distance. If I had known Theo had been out on a mission, I would have just walked straight back into the sewer hideout and gathered information that way. Instead, I worried that the bastard would return the moment I descended from my hidden pipe up above, so I waited.
My boredom was broken by a pock-faced teen running across one of the four bridges, his oversized robe flapping behind him.
“Sir, a patrol has been spotted by the Western Outpost. What would you have us do?” The boy said in a rush.
I frowned, a little surprised that the Outsiders had expanded from this slimy hellhole. I hadn’t been gone for that long, had I? Did they already have outposts before? I suppose this ignorance was what I got for not paying attention the first time I was here.
The young mage stopped by the raised slab, visibly panting and sweating from his run. I focused on my Identify skill, grateful I was close enough to see anything at all.
Patrick Hern– Level 17 Amatuer Cleric
I gripped the bars hard, my eyes widening as I stared at the kid. No wonder Ryan kept the brat close. It didn’t matter that he was low-level; a healer in the midst of a war was worth their weight in gold. Probably five times his weight in the case of the skinny boy standing in front of the towering rebel leader.
Ryan straightened and turned, cupping his hands over his mouth to amplify his bellow. “Tanya, get over here.”
The mature woman came clacking across the bridge, holding up the hem of her plain robe. Something about her face was a little harder than it had been before, but she still radiated dignity. She brushed her mousy brown braid over her shoulder as she came to a stop beside Ryan, tilting her head to look up at him as she folded her arms.
“Yes?” she asked.
“The horde is getting closer. Has Theo composed himself yet?”
Tanya sighed and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Losing Gabby has been… difficult for him.”
Ryan swore and turned, tugging at his wild red beard with impressive force. “What use is such a powerful commander when all he does is sulk and drink himself into a stupor?”
“He is hurting Ryan, but he is not lost,” Tanya said, reaching up to squeeze the large man's shoulder.
Ryan shrugged off her hand. “He is useless. The Outsiders are short on warriors as it is. If he doesn’t participate or contribute, then he can leave.”
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My smile would have broadened if it weren’t for the news of Gabby. Theo might have betrayed us, but I didn’t think she had been a part of it. At least, I hoped not. Still, Theo being incapacitated made my job a hell of a lot easier. Later, when I wasn’t so strapped for time, I would mourn her properly.
“I will speak to him. Give me a chance, alright?” Tanya asked.
Ryan sighed and rubbed at his face, turning his sun-tanned skin a ruddy shade of red. “Fine. One more chance. I’m not a man of endless patience.”
I saw an unspoken smart remark twinkle in the woman’s eyes before she bowed and turned away. The other members of the Outsiders stepped aside to let her through as she headed for the tunnel that would lead to Theo’s quarters.
“What should I tell the overseers at the Western Outpost, sir?” the boy asked.
“Tell them to hold the line. I don’t care what they have to do. Just get it done. If we lose Perth, we lose our chance at survival. Do you understand?”
The boy rubbed his hands together, shifting in a way that reminded me of Frank’s hopping about. “Could I perhaps take a mage or two with me? We need the firepower.”
Ryan pounded his fist on the stone slab, making his figurines shake and almost topple. “We are not protected here either. We need them to keep the crafters safe. Take the last batch of poisons that idiot Joe made and a Gunslinger crew.”
Rude, I thought, sticking my favorite finger up at the prick.
I scratched at my short hair, wondering what kind of disaster could have made them burn through the supply of poisons I’d pumped out. It had been a hell of a lot. If they were wasting it, I was going to kick some ass.
My curiosity was peaked by the mention of a horde. I flicked through the pages of my notebook and added ‘visit Western Outpost’ to the bottom of the ever-growing list of tasks I was accumulating. At least I’d been able to cross off the ‘fix Sob’ task.
The young mage bowed his head to Ryan and rushed away, disappearing from my view. Ryan swiped his figurines off the slab. They scattered over the ground, some of them splashing into the waters of the pool. I could see some of the other Outsiders cast him worried glances as they hurried about their business. Whatever was going on, it was breaking the rebel leader, and he was doing a poor job of hiding it from his followers.
As quietly as I could, I slithered back through the tight confines of the damp pipe, backing my way to the fork not far from me. Frank awkwardly waddled as he followed me like a lost puppy. I took the other path, screwing up my nose at the filth that soaked my leathers. Every once in and while, I came across a grate that offered me a small amount of light from down below to navigate by. I’d mapped these tunnels for days before I’d settled by the one over the main hall. It was the only reason I didn’t need to stop every time there was a glow to check the drawing in my notebook. The one I was following would take me somewhere near my old chambers. It was a shame they didn’t go straight over it.
The pipe I was crawling through let out into an echoing cavern of pitch darkness. Unseen water was rushing somewhere in the gloom. I gripped the edge hard as I stuck my head out over the edge. Down below, I could see rays of light filtering through a row of bars.
“Get out!” a familiar bellow resonated around me.
I recognized Tanya’s voice when she replied, even though I couldn’t see her. The pain in her words made my chest tighten just a little. “Ryan won’t allow you to stay if you keep this up, Theo. Please, listen to me; I’ve been where you are. I can help.”
“Unless you can bring her back, I don’t want to hear it,” the warrior snapped.
A door slammed. Tanya’s sigh was loud in the silence that followed before she solemnly walked away.
Carefully, feeling around with my hands, I climbed out into the darkness. Climbing without being able to see was difficult. I reached out with a foot, feeling around for a foothold before shifting down and doing it all over again.
Frank let out a small noise as he flapped easily down to the bars, perching on the edge of the circular entrance and sticking his feathered head through them.
“Show off,” I grumbled.
I reached the bars and clutched onto them. The hall on the other side was thankfully empty. I tried to force my way through the bars, but they were spaced tightly together. Frank chittered and hopped through, flaring his tail feathers at me as he strutted on the other side.
“You really do suck. You know that?” I whispered.
“Shut the hell up!”
I swore under my breath and shuffled to the side, climbing back out onto the rough stone wall with dangerous haste. I barely made it in time to avoid the door flying open again.
“Frank, is that you?” Theo asked.
“Frank shut the hell up!”
My arms shook from the exertion of holding myself tight to the wall. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. If the bastard saw me now, my sweet revenge was over. I couldn’t take on the high-level warrior in a face-to-face attack. Nor could I pretend to still be the man's friend after everything Nigel had told me. My only option was stealth.
“Where’s Joe? Is he with you?”
Frank screeched. I closed my eyes, praying the black-feathered idiot wouldn’t give me away. A wet sob sounded, followed by the door slowly closing and the latch clicking into place. I crept sideways, looking through the bars at the empty hall on the other side.
I sighed and smacked my head against the cold steel. Why do my plans never go the way I want them to? I thought.