Honor Amongst Thieves

Chapter 10 – Lighting the Fuse

Both men looked towards the source of the scream, then back at each other. By unspoken agreement they turned their blades from each other and began to run. There was only one person they knew of out here, and it was someone dear to them both. Someone neither could ever bear to part with. And whoever had made her scream would soon be very, VERY sorry.

Hadren and Artemis heard the sounds of the struggle before they saw it and slowed down. Elianna was still fighting. That meant that she was more or less alright, and their thief instincts took over. Rescuing someone was just like stealing. Whenever possible, assess the situation, determine the most efficient course of action, then go in and take the prize. Once Artemis was able to get a decent view of the small clearing, he was glad they had not rushed in. There were six of them, it looked like. Big men, men he didn’t think he had ever seen before. They stood, five in a circle, with the sixth holding Elianna captive in the middle. To her credit she was fighting like a wildcat, but the man had one hand trapped against him behind her back, the other trapped in his right hand, and his left hand wrapping around her face and clamped over her mouth. She was struggling, but there was little she could do against a man so much taller and more muscular than she and Artemis knew it. Trap might have been able to get out, but she had years of training. Artemis gritted his teeth as another man walked out of the circle and up to Elianna.
“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, my dear girl. You must be Elianna Sendant. My, aren’t you the prettiest little thing. My name is Garret. More properly,” he said, slowly drawing a short sword coated in soot so it would reflect no light, “I am your captor. Your ruler. Your father and mother. Your god. I decide if you live and if you die, and if you keep struggling, I know exactly which one I will choose.”

Elianna’s eyes widened and she stopped struggling. “Good, my lovely little pet. Now, I’m going to have Hal back there let your mouth go. But you’re not going to scream will you?” Elianna, obviously scared, shook her head as much as she could. “Because you know if you do I’ll have to mar that pretty little throat of yours right?” She nodded. Garret looked up and nodded. The man holding Elianna moved his hand from her mouth and gripped her shoulder to make sure she didn’t get any ideas. Garret smiled a toothy smile at her. “There now, isn’t that better? Oh my, you do look so lovely…” He reached out a hand towards Elianna’s cheek and she flinched away. He paused and grinned again. “Oh, don’t worry my precious one. I’m not going to hit you. I was told to bring you in undamaged.” He let his gaze wander slowly up and down her form. “Of course, what the old man can’t see won’t get me in trouble, and I’ve been awful lonely…” Elianna’s eyes widened even more, and she seemed paralyzed with fear.
Artemis tensed and almost sprang from his cover before he caught himself. If he leapt out there now he’d do nothing except get himself and Hadren killed, not to mention possibly Elianna. He felt his insides cool, then grow numb as he began planning a job faster than he had ever planned before. To anyone who saw him right now he looked detached, aloof, as if the tableau he saw unfolding before him was simply a show put on by street performers. Bad street performers, not even worth a copper. On the inside however, his mind was racing. Alright, what they needed was an edge. Perhaps he could climb a tree…

And that’s when he felt the cold edge of a blade press against his neck.

“Get up,” he heard Hadren snarl at him, his voice edged with hate.

Artemis cursed silently to himself as he rose. Hadren was a better actor than he had given him credit for, and now he was going to pay the price. Hadren loved Elianna, he had no doubt, and Artemis would be the perfect bargaining chip. He had to hand it to the boy, he had never guessed how ruthless he could be. He sighed. Looks like it’s back to the old room for me, he thought.
Hadren walked up closer behind him and brought his blade around the front of Artemis’ neck. Artemis toyed for a second with the thought of trying to elbow the boy in the ribs and escaping, but that blade felt sharp, and a slip could end him, so he remained docile.

“Give me your sword and walk,” Hadren hissed, and Artemis held up his sword and had it grabbed away forcefully. He began to walk as instructed, and entered the small clearing. Elianna was pinned on the ground at this point and seemed terrified and disheveled, but her clothes were on and she seemed unharmed. Garret looked up from working on the straps of his trousers. He was so stunned at two men walking into the clearing, the obviously younger one holding a sword at the other’s throat, that he stood there and gaped at them, his trousers sagging on his legs.

“Hail, Garret!” said Hadren loudly, and this seemed to shake Garret out of his stupor. He quickly redid the straps of his trousers and turned to face the pair. “Hail…” he started, cautiously. “State your name, your business, and what you’ve seen here.”

Hadren stopped, and it was then that Elianna was able to blink away her tears enough to recognize the two men and what position they were in. Her eyes showed a mixture of hope, fear, and most of all confusion. Hadren replied to Garret, “I am Hadren O’Connor. Most recently of Tyro. My business is my boss’ business, as is yours, for I assume we work for the same man. As for this scum here,” at this he pressed the blade harder against Artemis’ neck, “he is the brother of that dainty little thing you’re about to claim for your own, and happens to be the reason you’re taking her back to my boss in the first place. Speaking of, I wouldn’t recommend continuing. I’d have to tell Lathander that you weren’t true to the agreement, and then you would get nothing for your troubles, or at least half the original payment. A very poor business decision, I would think.”

Garret smirked. “There’s six of us, boy, and I’m willing to wager we’re to a man trained far better than you in the use of the blade. Now what’s to say we don’t just kill you, capture him, and take them both to Lathander. Then I get my fun with the pretty one here, and maybe even a reward for the brother, hmm?”

Hadren chuckled darkly behind Artemis. “You’re forgetting one very important fact. My boss is a hard man. A slave driver, almost. You think I would dare to come out this far from the city without his knowledge? He knows exactly where I am, and exactly how long I’m supposed to be here. When I turn up missing he’ll put two and two together, and then you’ll have a guild war on your hands.”

Garret smirked. “Boy, our guild has been in this city long before yours was. We have more and better men. I know who would win in a war.”

“Let’s think about that for a second shall we? You would defeat us, most likely, I’ll give you that. But we wouldn’t make it easy. You’d lose men, and resources, and who knows? We might be able to expose you to the law. And when you’re standing there, explaining to your guildmaster how all this could have been avoided if you had just managed to keep it in your pants while on the job, I can just bet he will be oh so understanding. Tell me, what do they do to people who betray the guild in –your- guild?”

Artemis watched as Garret’s face when through the emotions. Contempt, anger, hate, and finally a surly acceptance. “Fine. We’ll do it –your- way. You come with us, bring the brother, we take in the sister, and everyone will be happy,” he growled.

Hadren pushed Artemis forward next to the circle. “Excellent. I’m glad you see things my way. Still, I’d prefer it if your men took custody of him. I got him by surprise, but I can’t count on my ability to hold him.” At Garret’s grunt of assent Artemis felt the blade turn, and a hand at his back pressing him to turn away from it. He did so, so that he was facing Hadren with his back to the other men. The tip of Hadren’s blade rested on the underside of his chin. The boy was smirking smugly. “Well Artemis, looks like this is the fork in the road for me, and I’ve made my choice.” His hand tightened on the hilt of Artemis’ sword and he pressed forward, driving himself and Artemis into the middle of the circle. Artemis scowled.

“How could you decide on –this-? I thought you were honorable, Hadren. No matter what you did, you had honor.”

Hadren snorted and stepped forward to bring himself less than a foot from Artemis, looking him dead in the eyes, the sword still at his throat. “I’m a thief, Artemis Sendant. That is what I –am-, not what I do. I lie, and cheat, and steal for a living. I’ve accepted this, why haven’t you? Honor has no place in our line of work.” He smirked. “Besides, a little bird told me what you were like, and exactly how I should treat you when I found you. Why should I change that?”

Artemis took half a second to realize what Hadren had just said and comprehend what he intended. His eyes widened a little. Hadren struck.

Artemis spun to the side as Hadren lunged forward, the blade sliding past him and the tip burying itself in the chest of the man past him. Artemis caught the hilt of his own blade, now held invitingly in Hadren’s left hand, and whipped it up into a lunge of his own, artfully plunging it into his startled opponent’s eye. Stepping back into a guard position, he found himself back to back with Hadren. Alright, now it was four against two. Better odds, but they were surrounded. He looked down at Elianna for just a second, and time seemed to slow. Her eyes were flashing between the two men, writhing on the ground only a handful of feet away, screaming. She looked up at him, and a horrified question seemed framed in her eyes. Artemis smiled, sadly. In a way he was glad she didn’t understand. She was growing into a beautiful, intelligent woman. For Artemis, though, she would always be his baby sister, and her uncomprehending gaze meant she was still naïve when it came to how the world worked. He sighed a little. She would probably change that, this day. Today was the day Elianna learned that killing to protect loved ones was still killing, and that it had little to do with being noble and much more to do with necessity. She would learn that her brother and her boyfriend were part of a world far from the simple clarity of her home, a world where everything existed in shades of grey. She would learn, understand, and compromise. And that very first compromise, that very first allowance that something that is inherently wrong may be good, would mark the end of her childhood. And she would never have it back.

That was when Garret recovered from the shock of seeing two of his men dropped and shouted, “Kill them!” Time sped back up, and Artemis had no time left to think, only act.

The two that he was facing both had longswords, which was a boon in that they were slower than his rapier by a considerable amount, a curse in that they had slashing edges and weight enough to cut through his sword if they made a solid strike. They seemed to have practiced fighting together as well, as the one on his right made a solid downward slash at his head while the other went in for a chop at his knees. Artemis swung his slender blade up and brought it against the inside flat side of the downward rushing sword, catching it and pressing it wide to the side. He couldn’t sidestep out of the way of the low chop, however, or it might very well strike Hadren, who by the sounds of it had engaged in battle about six inches behind him. So he used a trick Rane had taught him in one of their sparring sessions. He twisted his right foot, lifted his left boot, and caught the edge on the sole of his left heel, where the leather was thickest. The impact would have tumbled him even though he was expecting it, if it weren’t for the slight resistance provided by the other man’s blade on his own. He felt the blade bite into his heel a bit, but not deeply, as he drew it down to the ground and somewhat steadied himself. He had now blocked both blades, but was in a ridiculously unbalanced position, one he could barely defend from. He was dead. The man on his left yanked his sword of his heel, pulling his foot out from under him and back a little, setting him on his knee. He felt a knot of a tree root jam hard into the soft part in between his kneecap and shin, jarring him. He looked up and saw both of his opponents raise their swords high, preparing the finishing blow.

“Down and switch!”

Artemis ducked the instant he heard Hadren shout the familiar phrase taken from a common childhood game of the area, and he felt the lad roll over his back. He heard the sound of metal striking metal and knew that he still had time to live. Looking back the other way, he swung his blade up in something more akin to a motion he had seen the fighters from the exotic southern lands demonstrating in the town square as they passed through in their caravans than anything resembling the controlled motions that belonged to rapier fighting. Still, it worked, catching and turning the double lunge made by Garret and his stooge. The blades turned to the side and with Hadren off his back and, by the sound of it, decking one of the other men, Artemis stood and sent a kick purely on reflex at the man in front of him. It connected with the man’s knee, slamming it straight and hyperextending it, but not snapping it. The thug stumbled back, crying out in surprise and reaching down to grasp his leg. Garret slashed at Artemis’ midsection, harder and faster than a longsword had a right to go. Artemis couldn’t block it outright, because it would snap his blade and cut him anyway. He couldn’t step back, because Hadren was back there somewhere. So he stepped forward. Spinning, he reached his sword arm around Garret’s, he kept turning. As Old Terni said in one of his first lessons, ‘where a part of the body goes the rest of the body goes.’ Garret, surprised by the maneuver, spun with him, stumbling a little. They continued around, and Artemis watched as he slammed Garret’s blade into the side of the goon’s head, causing the man to crumple, twitching. Garret managed to get his feet under him and pulled back. Artemis dodged, but not fast enough. He felt Garret’s blade scrape across his ribs as it sliced his abdomen and he let out a growl of pain and hunched a little as he turned to face Garret. Behind him he heard the sound of metal clashing and took heart that Hadren was still putting up a fight. He tried to straighten, but the searing pain made him double over again, his left arm covering the wound and the stream of crimson blood flowing from it.

Garret chuckled at Artemis’ pain and assumed a fighting stance. “You’ve killed my men. That means the contract is off. You die. The kid dies. And your sister, well, I’ve heard some great thing about prices for young girls down south. After I -”

A cry of rage erupted behind Garret and he yelled as hands wrapped around the back of his head and clawed at his eyes. Garret screamed as one of Elianna’s nails made solid contact and blood and clear fluid began sliding down his face. Artemis smiled. Elianna had saved his life just then. She’d given him a chance and he’d be damned if he passed it up. Grasping the hilt of his sword as hard as he could manage, he stepped forward and rammed the blade at Garret. Unfortunately at the last second Garret turned to the side to fling Elianna off of him, so instead of going solidly into his gut Artemis’ blade slid into his side through the back. Garret arched and let out a scream of pain, stumbling away a few steps. Artemis glanced to the side for an instant to check on Elianna, but she seemed to be fine, staggering back to her feet. Looking back, Artemis saw that Garret had retreated outside the forest clearing. He thought about pursuing but his wound brought him up short. Garret turned to look back at the clearing, rage and pain turning his face into a hideous demonic mask, accentuated by the blood still pouring from his eye.

“You have betrayed us, and you have killed our men! You will pay. Both of you, your families, your friends, your pitiful guilds, you all shall pay! You have incurred my wrath, and the wrath of the Shadow Guild. Your time is short, and your days are numbered!”

With that he staggered quickly off into the forest and was soon lost to Artemis’ sight. Artemis fell weakly to his knees, and then looked up at Elianna, who had stood and walked behind him. She looked at him, and then at her hands. Her left fingers were streaked with blood, and she stared at it uncomprehendingly. A scream from behind Artemis made him turn, and watched as Hadren’s second opponent fell, trying to hold in his entrails even as he died. Hadren turned to face the Sendants, his left arm hanging limply, a gash in his upper arm bleeding profusely over his sleeve. Numerous other cuts and gashes covered his frame, but Artemis could tell that they weren’t all that serious.

Still, seeing her boyfriend bleeding profusely started Elianna out of her shocked stupor. She ran over to Hadren and wrapped his mostly uninjured arm around her, helping him stay steady. Artemis decided to lean against a nearby tree for a few seconds, now that the adrenaline rush of the fight had begun to fade and the wound on his gut decided to make its presence known more fiercely. He looked up at Hadren. Hadren looked at him. Elianna looked between them both. She and Hadren hobbled over to him and she slipped Artemis’ arm over her other side. He managed to give her a soft hug and worked up some semblance of a reassuring grin. She looked up at him, her face grim and unsmiling. That hurt Artemis more than any blade, any weapon in the world, ever could, and the grin faded from his face. She turned away from him and then, as one, they began to slowly head back toward the Sendant family home. No one said a word.


Pitien was the first to see them, lit by bright rays of the Twins that were resting serenely in the sky as if nothing was wrong. Artemis could see a reprimand for being late die unsaid on his lips as he saw the state that the group was in. He ran towards them, calling back behind him to the house to get water and bandages. Reaching them he took Artemis off of Elianna’s shoulder, aiding her with her burden. Artemis permitted himself to sag against his father. Looking down he saw that the bleeding from his gut had slowed and whispered a small prayer of thanks to Tahira that the wound, although wide, had been shallow. He hissed as Pitien began walking him towards the house. It still hurt a lot, though. He looked over at Elianna and Hadren as Aremo and Julianna exited the house and Julianna gasped in shock. Elianna was looking worriedly at Hadren. Hadren, to his credit, was looking straight ahead, and Artemis could almost hear him consciously willing his feet to take step after step. The wound on his arm seemed to have slowed its bleeding as well, and Artemis guessed whoever had hit him had mainly hit muscle and missed the major blood vessel. He whispered a quiet prayer to Tahira, thanking her for giving them the luck to survive the night.


Artemis lay stretched out on the living room floor, a sheet stretched beneath him. Hadren, having the more numerous and grievous injuries, had merited the sofa, and Artemis didn’t begrudge him it in the slightest. The boy had shown remarkable strength making it as far as he did, but the instant he lay on that sofa he had passed out into a fitful slumber. His family had wrestled both of them out of their shirts and begun dabbing at them with clean rags soaked in water that Artemis’ mother had begun heating immediately. No one had asked them what had happened as they worked, as focused as they were on their work. Aremo had been sent to go get the local surgeon once both boys had been situated comfortably. Artemis figured that he’d be here within half an hour. Wounds had been bound with cloth as best they could be, and activity had died down. Hadren had awoken and had been propped up so that he could drink some water, which Elianna held for him, before succumbing to unconsciousness again. A heavy silence fell over the room, and Artemis knew what had to be asked, and knew what he’d have to finally reveal.

“What happened?” asked Pitien, in a quiet yet strong voice that promised retribution upon any who would dare to bring this harm upon his children and friends. Artemis feared his anger more than anything else, because he knew that it was his fault they had come for his baby sister. His fault the Shadow Guild would come for them all. There was nothing for it. It was time to tell them all the truth.

“Bandits. They were bandits, out in the woods. Hadren and Artemis fought them off.”

Artemis stared at Elianna as her quiet voice echoed throughout the room. She turned to look at him, returning his gaze. Her eyes were calm, cool. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth for just an instant, so brief that Artemis had to reassure himself that he had seen it. She turned to look away, fielding questions from the rest of the family. Artemis continued to gaze at her. She would keep their secret. He let out a silent breath as she wove an artful lie about how ragged bandits from the hills had attacked them in desperation. She had done it. Compromised. The person sitting on the couch, one hand holding a cup of water and the other wrapped comfortingly around the head of her beloved was no longer his baby sister, not in her heart. She was a young woman. Smart, strong, gifted. She was a woman Artemis was proud to have for a sister, but she didn’t need him anymore. The days where she would toddle after him while he held her hand on the way to the farmer’s market were long gone. She was grown.

Good luck, Eli, he thought. You’ve been yanked into the harsh light of the world, and you’re doing well. Still, rough times are ahead, and even though I cannot stand in front of you and shield you anymore, I swear that I will stand at your side and protect you from whatever comes, Shadow Guild or no. I swear.


Elianna hadn’t talked about what happened to Artemis by the time he left for town tomorrow morning. His parents had practically pleaded with him to stay and recuperate, but Artemis declined, saying that he was fine and he wanted to get back to work so he could distract himself from what had happened. Hadren had yet to reawaken as well, but the surgeon who had stitched he and Artemis up said he’d be fine. Artemis wasn’t so sure, what with him probably not being able to contact Lathander for a while, but he couldn’t do anything about that. What he –could- do was make it back to Old Terni as fast as humanly possible. Assuming what Garret said came to pass, one of the greatest nightmares of the thieves’ guild was coming true. A guild war, between the Shadow Guild and themselves. They had to prepare, and they had to prepare –now-.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Made it to the double digits. Remember, reviews are food for authors!