CHAPTER TEN

WOLF

Night falls. Time for rest and sleep. Across the lands in the kingdom of Ferro, in its cities and villages, after a long day’s work people turn in for a well-deserved rest; as the shops, markets, and fields go vacant, so does the number of people decrease out on the streets. It is silent and peaceful... for most places.

However, in the city of Union, it is the opposite. Its streets fill with a swarm of faces as this is the perfect time for work. Hidden by the dark, they conduct their illicit activities. Prostitutes flock the streets to earn money from all those who can pay; this works particularly well with those of noble blood as being seen with a commoner, much less a prostitute is less than ideal for their reputation. Slave trade surfaces even though outlawed some years ago. To be perfectly honest, the ban of slavery was an old political attempt to glorify the once-proud city of Union; banned on paper but never enforced. Drug peddlers know this is their time; they sell their shabby products to the desperate and the hopeless. They are never low on customers. Assassins, smugglers, counterfeiters, and many villainous and heinous scum gravitate out; drawn by the night as a moth to the flame.

In this den of filth, there is one occupation we must not fail to mention, one that we cannot neglect. Thieves. They make most of the population. Working with a simple motto of taking from the rich, the poor, and everyone to give unto themselves. If a city could be proud of the number of thieves guilds it has, then the city of Union would be the proudest of all.

Waiting in an abandoned building is the small one Little Pete, the big one Big Pete, the bald one Harry and Noname. Overlooking one city treasury as they wait for the perfect time to begin their heist.

“Haw long, do we hawta wait?” Little Pete asks Big Pete.

Big Pete shrugs; he never was a man for words.

“I dun like this. There are too many guards and sucha a like,” Noname adds.

“Da plan is good, I tell ya. Dere is coin to be made,” Harry says as he takes out some dried herbs from his pouch and snorts them.

“I thought ya stopped wit dat crap?” Noname says, slightly annoyed.

“Wat are ya? Mah mama?” Harry snarks back.

“I can’t answer dat question. No one, no who ya mama is,” Noname quickly responds.

Little Pete and Big Pete laugh.

“Ya gat me dere,” Harry says as he smiles.

“I don trust dat man. He is a Kushien. Nuting good ever come from Kushien’s,” Noname adds.

“Dat he may be but if dere is coin to be made,” Little Pete adds.

“Wat ya think Big Pete,” Harry asks as Big Pete shrugs.

“Ya see, Big Pete agrees,” Harry adds.

“Big Pete, sometime I wish ya wud say less,” Noname says as her right eye rapidly twitches.

“Da guard change is a coming. It is our time,” Harry says as he signals for them to get ready.

“Lunch of worms! Lunch of worms!” Noname blurts as her right eye twitches and her finger flips.

“Hald ya evil spirits, Noname. No time for dem naw,” Little Pete says, showing his brown teeth.

“Imma hold ma dagger on ya throat,” Noname says as she flips off Little Pete in rapid succession accompanied by her trademarked right eye twitching.

At the city's treasury, the guards change shift. The dynamic quartet gets ready as they notice a familiar face on one guard. It is the cloaked man who gave them this job, the Kushien. He talks to the other guard as he leaves his post.

“Is time for us,” Harry says, preparing himself mentally.

“Time to make da good coin,” Little Pete adds as he smirks.

Big Pete nods with confidence.

“You sure bout dis, is you?” Noname asks, skeptically.

“You not going chicken on me, Noname?” Harry asks.

“Chicken my ars. I gat da bad fealing bout dis,” Noname says as she looks at the Kushien who impatiently waits.

“Ya always have da bad feeling’ bout stuff,” Harry dismissively responds.

“Mah gut feeling is always right... well, right half da time,” Noname says as she stops and thinks.

“Dat cos ya always say you gat da bad feeling’ bout dis. If you say ya got a bad feeling all da time, chances are, ya will be right half da time,” Harry says as he stops for a moment and uses his fingers to count and recheck his statement.

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“Since when are ya all logical and stuff?” Noname asks, surprised by what appears to be the first sensible thing Harry said in a long time.

“Hawta be all dat drugs he is snorting. Hawta have cleared his brain. His brain is clear as a virgin...” Little Pete says as he gets cut off.

“Clear his brain down to mush, I reckon,” Noname adds as she playfully throws a dagger in the air; she fails to catch it.

“Enough with dat chatter! We do dis or not?” Harry says in frustration as he looks at his fellow thieves.

“Imma for,” Little Pete says.

Harry turns to look at Big Pete, who ponders in silence; he always pondered in silence. Big Pete nods.

“Good,” Harry says as he turns to Noname.

She thinks for a while. Noname has learned to rely on her gut feeling. It served her well, but she does like coin; she likes, even more, to steal that coin or steal anything for that matter.

“Imma in,” Noname says.

“Den lettuce get ready to go,” Harry says as they move.

Little Pete turns to Big Pete as pauses for a moment.

“Dintcha he say lettuce?” Little Pete asks in confusion.

Big Pete shrugs.

“Me thinks, me takes back what me say bout those drugs,” Little Pete says as he continues.

At the gates of the city’s treasury, the Kushien stands, visibly annoyed.

“Where in blazes were you?” the Kushien asks.

“We were dere now, we are here. Wat is it to ya?” Noname says as she flips the Kushien. On purpose.

The Kushien grunts.

“Get on with it,” The Kushien says as he lets them inside.

The four walk in without a care in the world.

Inside the stone structure lies a narrow path leading to a large enforced wooden door.

“Never seen a door dat can keep us out. Dontcha agree, Noname?” Harry says as he laughs.

“Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!” Noname blurts.

“Dere a wolf here?” Little Pete asks.

“Nah, you twat. It is her evil spirits,” Harry responds.

“Ah, right dat,” Little Pete says, a little embarrassed about the question.

Noname takes out a small worn-out wooden box; as the box opens it reveals a magnificent array of tools. Her prized possessions.

Tension wrench, half-diamond pick, hook pick, ball pick, rake pick, decoder pick, bump and skeleton keys. The entire array of thievery essentials. One cannot be a proper thief without them, and Noname is a proper thief.

With unwavering confidence, she lockpicks. Word on the street is that Noname learned to lockpick even before she learned how to walk, but to be honest, the streets of Union are filled with a lot of questionable people. To take their word for anything is highly suspect.

A movement here and a movement there she opens the door and as the door opens it reveals... nothing.

“Nuthing!” Harry blurts out without thought.

“Nuthing?” Little Pete blurts out as his eyes widen.

“Nuthing,” Noname quickly adds with a twitch of her right eye.

“A-gi-gi-ging,” Big Pete tries to speak.

Suddenly, they hear a noise. The thieving quartet turns around to find the Kushien standing there accompanied by a dozen well-armed guards.

“You!” Harry blurts out, revealing some teeth.

“You?” Little Pete adds, revealing brown decaying teeth.

“You,” Noname says as her right eye twitches and finger flips.

“Gah-uh,” Big Pete attempts to speak, revealing a tongueless mouth.

This is, without a doubt, is a trap. Too many of them for the four thieves; with a single glance at each other, they realize their chances and drop their daggers. The guards arrest them and haul them away.

Noname looks at Harry as she shakes her head.

“DEATH TO THE QUEEN!” Noname blurts out as her right eye twitches and her finger flips.