Theo – Part 1

The stone walls of Theo’s cell glittered in the warm candlelight, a shimmer of moisture curtained the four walls that surrounded him and the earthly fragrance of moss was intoxicating. Theo, an elf, crouched low with his back against a wall and focused on the distant voices. He had been told to wait here, as part of his initiation into the ‘Webbed Children’ guild. A new and secretive guild within the city of Leeside.

It was no surprise that this secret organization that seemed to have a certain fascination with spiders—would choose the sewer system as their base of operations. Theo had infiltrated the guild using his rogue talents and offered to join. A few hours later he was here; in a sewer cell with nothing but the rats for company. The sound of running and dripping water seemed eternal down here in the city beneath a city, and faint whispers seemed to float throughout its many tunnels.

Theo’s keen ears focused on the voices he could hear down the corridor and began to distinguish words. Down here in the sewers, one could train his ears to pick up the quietest of whispers. Having elven ears and magic just helped a little. Theo meditated and enhanced the voices that were distant and far off down the corridor. To the people talking, they would have had no idea anyone but themselves could hear them, especially not the elf that resided in a cell over one-hundred feet away.

“Kidnapping it is then,” said the first voice.

From the roughness of the voice, Theo imagined the man to be large and beefy, without much neck. Theo could hear his labored breaths as he walked and talked.

“Let us not underestimate the boy…. he’s gifted” said the second voice, much shriller than the first. Theo imagined this man to be the complete opposite of the first man, both in size and stature.

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“He’s young and stupid, but the God’s favor him, it has to be done safely” the second man continued.

“Why is it,” the first man replied, “the gifted ones are always idiots”

The man said this as if he himself was a scholar, not some low-grade bandit hiding in a sewer.

“The smart ones go off to the capital I’d imagine, become rich and assimilate with the powerful” the second man said, and Theo could hear the voices grow louder and clearer.

“It’s fortunate this teenager happened upon us and remained in Leeside. Gives us an opportunity”

“Are we even sure, he’s as powerful as we are led to believe?” the first man said.

“His appraisal seemed to say as much” the second man replied.

“Phaar” the first man spat. “Anyone can bribe the steward into getting a decent appraisal”

“Not this high, my friend. Anyway, I will need some muscle to help with the retrieval, and someone quiet perhaps, a rogue”

“Say no more, I have three new lads just itching to get their hands dirty, and as for a rogue; an elf came in only this morning. Got him locked up in a cell as fitting for new recruits”

Theo listened intently, the voices were still a good sixty feet away and to any human ear, nothing but gentle gossip would have been heard. Perhaps a human would have called out, thinking it was time for him to be let out. Not Theo though, he had heard everything and sat patiently, awaiting the two men to arrive. He heard their footfalls grow louder and louder, their leather boots slapping against the rough wet stone.

Theo’s cell door slammed open making his single candlelight flicker and die. No doubt this was to awaken or even frighten the prisoner; not Theo, he only remained squatted and looked up. Warm torchlight flooded in from the outside, revealing two silhouette figures. As predicted, Theo saw a short and barrel-chested man, and beside him, an elongated skinny fellow.

“Good day to you, elf,” said the skinny man. “You may call me Skinner; I hope you don’t need a demonstration as to why I’m called that”

Theo shook his head side to side silently; a name was just a name he thought.

“I believe you’re quite the rogue” continued Skinner. “As luck would have it, I currently require the service of a rogue. Help me on a job and consider yourself an official member of our guild, does that sound reasonable?”

Theo nodded softly, staring deathly into the eyes of Skinner who returned a smile.

“Yes,” Skinner said slowly. “Quite the rogue indeed” His lips peeled back to reveal broken and yellowed teeth.