Merrick the Hawk coughed as though he would spill half his lungs onto the straw. With each hack, his face reddened and his body shuddered violently.

The thief pulled himself unsteadily to his knees, waiting for the fit to pass. He took a quick glance at Wurhi. “You…alright over there?”

Wurhi the Rat sniffed, wiping her nose and remaining tears on her ruined sleeve. “Am now,” she grunted sullenly.

“Good.” He groaned, rising slowly to his feet and giving a ginger touch to his side. “Think that bastard burst half my ribs. Must be metal bricks in those shoes of his.”

The Zabyallan shook herself and stood to examine their prison. It rose high above their heads and stretched to a width that would have stabled several horses. The great hole proved far too vast to serve as a prison for merely one pair of thieves. She glanced about it in suspicion. Why would-

Sniff.

Her nostrils flared as the sour reek of decay wormed its way in.

“Ugh!” she grimaced. “We’re not the first ones here!”

“What’re you on abou-Argh!” The Hawk recoiled.

A tangle of discoloured skeletons lay piled against the pit’s wall with a veritable nest of rats swarming through the bones. From the heap’s size and sheer number of skulls grinning from its confines, the pit must have held a dozen captives at one time.

She approached the bones with caution; mouldy straw squelched beneath her bare feet. She could not help but imagine what filth lay beneath, as rodents skittered from her path to burrow back into their bedding.

Halting a few paces from the bones, she crouched. “A lot of these have been chewed on.”

Merrick groaned. “You think they got some beast down here with us?”

Wurhi peered at a thick thigh bone, noting the rough indentations that ran its length. One spot made her recoil. “Ugh. There’s a tooth stuck in that one. I…I think it’s human.”

“Oh, balls.” Merrick moved beside her apprehensively. He sounded sick. “They damned well ate each other!”

“Shit, shit!” She stared up at the cross-section of logs above. Each spanned thicker than a strong man’s arm and lengths of hemp rope bound them together cross-ways. A ramp in the stone spiralled up the pit’s side, forming a wide path where one could walk - or be dragged - to the top.

They would never be able to lift the logs: the stones weighing them down looked massive enough to crush Wurhi into a red smear.

Merrick let out a sardonic chuckle. “A hole in the ground. Merrick the Hawk unravels any knot, picks any lock, undoes the most devilish traps and what finally does him in? A bloody hole in the ground!”

Wurhi snorted in accord. She had been right when she first saw the pit; none of her skills would help here. “Damn all demons and gods!”

With grinding teeth, she snatched the chewed thigh bone and heaved it into the logs above.

Thwack!

It rebounded to land with a revolting squelch in the straw.

“That’s helpful.” Merrick kicked the bone away. “Do that a time or two and maybe the guards’ll get pissed enough to come stick us with spears. Might spare us from all the fighting and tearing at each other when we get hungry enough.”

The Zabyallan threw him a withering look before climbing onto the ramp.

Wooden boards covered its surface to provide solid footing while - beneath them - the earth was packed hard enough to support an oxen’s weight. “Shit.” She touched the walls. “The ramp’s dirt, but the walls are stone.” She glanced to Merrick. “Check the floor.”

The Laexondaelic thief looked down upon the filthy straw as though it were hot coals. “If you want to root through that unwholesome mess, go ahead. I’ll not be touching it. Probably full of fleas and maggots.”

She blinked at him. “How long do you think it’ll be until that big, mange-bearded bastard comes waddling back to feed us to those lion-man-scorpions? You being squeamish now?”

“If I’m dying, I’m dying with clean hands.”

“Oh, by the gods,” she groaned in exasperation. Jumping down, she carefully shifted aside the straw. Moist things slithered across her hands and a rat’s furry body brushed her palm as it scampered away. She grimaced, thankful it didn’t take one of her fingers for its next meal. “Shit, it’s stone too.”

“Well of course it is, it’s a bloody mountain, isn’t it?”

She whirled on him. “What’s wrong with you!? Outside you were counting all the damn fires in the valley and figuring our chances! Now, you’re just standing there like a useless, weak-handed fool!”

“Aye, and I figure our chances are about as good as a frog in a falcon’s beak right now.” He stepped onto the ramp - by far the cleanest place in the pit - and eased himself down against the wall. “Save your strength. Maybe get some sleep. We’ll try something later.”

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Wurhi paused. “So, we wait for a better chance?”

“That’s the way I’m thinking.”

She considered the top of the pit for a few breaths - her beady eyes squinted and her mind attempting to conjure some miraculous escape. None came. With a sullen snort, she climbed back onto the ramp and seated herself close to the top. “Furry, filth chewing bastards.”

“Aye, that they are. That they are, at that.”

The two thieves sat in silence. From the cavern came the low din of groaning men and grumbling beasts. A gnashing utterance spread through the air as though some lesser thing had gained the perverted rudiment of speech. Wurhi shuddered, wondering if such foulness came from the human-faced lion creatures.

Above all, the chanting resounded through the mountain.

“So, what brought Wurhi the Rat here?” Merrick peered at her appraisingly. “That’s the thing I haven’t been able to work out. When someone first told me they’d seen you, I didn’t believe it: I thought he’d had too many mushrooms. So…what’s one of Zabyalla’s best thieves doing in Laexondael?”

“Why do you want to know?” She eyed him in suspicion.

He shrugged. “Don’t quite feel like sleeping – what with all the filth and looming death and all - what else am I to do to pass the time? I’m curious is all, so… I’m asking. Last thing I expected was to run into The Rat robbing the same stupid rich boy I was.” He gave an amused snort. “‘Course I didn’t expect a damned wolf-devil to come bursting through the shutters of my hideout either. Wrecked my place up good before they grabbed me, the bastards.”

Her face grimaced with bitterness. “They tore up Paradise and came at me hard. Right after I’d been with a woman for the first time in months!”

“Ah, so that’s how it is. Well, you got lucky, I’d say.”

Wurhi looked at him incredulously. “How is this lucky?!”

“Oh, this? All this?” He gestured to the rot-infested pit. “This is piss poor luck, but they could’ve come at you before you’d been with your lady friend: you got to have a tumble before all this. Me, on the other hand…” He sighed, looking toward the ceiling. “When I get out of here, I’m going to the finest pleasure-temple in-Oh piss, they tore up Paradise, you said! Damn flea-bitten shits wrecked the best place in Laexondael!”

“Killed a lot of people too,” she growled. “I liked it there.”

“Aye, so did I, Rat. So did I.” His face took a wistful look. “But you never answered my question. Why Laexondael?”

For a few breaths, silence hung between them.

“It’s a long story.”

He gave a chuckle like scratching glass. “You think I got somewhere to be?”

She shrugged. This could be the last time she got to talk to anyone. “Alright, you asked. So, back in Zabyalla…months ago now, my partner, Kashta - may demons chew on his spirit until the seas dry - owed a lot of coin to The Maw. Well, one day this prince comes to the city and he-”

Surprising herself, Wurhi told Merrick everything. She detailed the deaths of Kashta of Mabatia and Aparis of Illia. She painted her meeting with Kyembe of Sengezi and their conflict with the Merchant Prince Cas.

“Bloody piss, the bastard had hold of everyone’s dreams?” Merrick gawked. “Damned sorcery: that stuff always scared the spit out of me!”

“Same.” She scratched her head, quickly looking at her hand. Good. Nothing crawled in her hair. Yet. “But then I found myself up to my eyeballs in it. After we gutted Cas, Kyembe found a ship and a lot of Cas’ guards were wandering around Zabyalla, probably wanting me dead. So, I decided maybe I should get on board too. And then-”

She detailed the journey north over the Sea of Gods and their ill-fated capture by Avernix the Blood-Bearded in Garumna. She went into their bloody sojourn through the Forest of Giants, including their meeting with Saint Cristabel.

“Wait, so the Solidblade Knight was trapped in a pit too?” He roared with laughter. “Strongest woman in the north nearly dies to a hole! That’s too much!”

Wurhi smiled, despite herself. “Yeah, and she would’ve been dead if Kyembe and I didn’t come along. But then we got found-”

She finished her tale by laying out their encounter at Gergorix’s Tomb and their quiet journey to Laexondael by river. “-after that, it was just drinking, feasting and gambling for months.” She shook her head. “We had it good. I should’ve left that damned jewel alone.”

“Aye, I’ve been wishing that too.” He snorted. “But I’d been watching that rich boy for months. Bloody months!”

“Why?”

“‘Cause he was the easiest mark I’ve ever seen!” He threw up his hands. “Look at him! The boy prances about with two reeds rattling about his skull and acts like he’s richer than the Emperor of Cymorillia! Did you know the bastard shoes that big horse of his with gold?”

She snorted. “You’re lying.”

“I swear on my father’s grave! Little pissant’d probably wed that bloody beastie if he could!”

“That’s some love - letting gold get pounded between dirt and hooves.” Once again, she wished she could break that boy’s nose. “And what do you mean he acts like he’s rich?”

“Ooooh, that’s just the thing, Rat.” He gave a dark chuckle. “I paid some folk. Had them ask about: his family’s well off and old but not half as rich as he makes it look. They got lands and jewels, sure, but they’re not the bloody duke. And since his mother got murdered, he’s been throwing around silver like it’s water. Fool’ll empty his family coffers in months, so I thought it better to get the prize while there was still a prize to get.”

“No way. Then how’s he got a horse like that? The damn thing looks like it should have an emperor on its back! And he shoes it in gold!”

“His ma.” Merrick tapped the side of his head. “She was sharp, from what I heard. Knew how to wield the family fortune proper and keep it going. Of course, she spoiled her boy worse than milk left out in summer, and now she’s dead: nothing stopping him from getting robbed buying a hundred horses like tha-”

“Wait!” She held up a hand. “Listen!”

“What?”

“Shhh!”

Merrick fell silent.

Somewhere toward the cavern’s entrance movement sounded. Low voices muttered. Rocks shifted. The thieves looked at each other. They silently crept up the ramp to the pit’s mouth and tried to peer through the bars, but the logs were bound too close for either to slip their heads through. Instead, they listened with held breaths.

Thnk. Thnk. Thnk.

Footfalls treaded up one of the ramps.

Scrp.

Bound logs were dragged back in place and the anchoring rocks soon followed.

“Bloody piss, you think it’s those lion things?”

Wurhi sniffed the air. “No…I only smell humans.”

He gave her a look as though she had three heads, but she gave no heed. Footsteps approached their pit, the closest walking with a heavy tread.

A familiar face appeared at the hole, wearing an evil smile. “Well, I’ve got some good news for you!” Berard chuckled through his beard. A clot of wolf-masked cultists framed him, all with vicious bronze spears clutched menacingly.

Scrp.

Grunting, downcast slaves moved aside the stones and shifted the bound logs.

The thieves tensed for an opportunity, but a pack of cultists moved to block any possible escape. They filled the top of the ramp and levelled their spears toward the two captives.

“Good news is you might get to live today!” The giant man stepped forward with bags in his hands. “If you come with us quiet, the Sacred Alpha’s deemed you get a chance for your lives. You resist, and we will skewer you right here and now.” He looked down at them with a hunger that made Wurhi shudder. “We’ll start with your feet and work our way up. Make it last.”

“We won’t trouble you!” Wurhi blurted. She glanced at Merrick, who nodded quickly.

The big man sighed. “Too bad. No sport. Bag ‘em.”