Honor Amongst Thieves

Chapter 6 – Trapped

Pain. That’s all that mattered. There were five things in the universe, but only pain affected him directly. There was The Pain, which was less or more, but always. There was The Man. He caused The Pain and asked The Question, and Artemis hated Him. There was the Question, which Artemis knew the answer for, knew it would stop The Pain, but knew he could not give it. There was The Room, the world, the universe in which The Pain and The Man existed. Nothing existed outside The Room. Finally, there was The Raven, the red-haired goddess. Artemis did not know where this vision in his mind had come from, for there had been nothing before The Pain, correct? Still, whenever Artemis’ will began to fail, whenever he was about to give the answer to The Man, The Raven’s face flashed in his vision, and a miracle occurred. He found his heart began to fill with some strange feeling that was not pain, that could fight back The Pain, and so he held on. He must hold on. He had forgotten why, but he held on.

“Still won’t tell me? Commendable, Artemis, truly commendable. I’ve known spies who’ve undergone the most rigorous torture resistance training to break earlier than you have. However, break you will, I have no doubt. Shall we give it another twist?” Lanthander referred to the corkscrew device now embedded in the wall behind Artemis. That wouldn’t have been so horrible had it not gone through Artemis to do so. Lanthander gave a grin and, excruciatingly slowly, turned the handle of the enlarged corkscrew a half-turn to the right, driving it further into Artemis and the wall behind him. The gem, which had been strapped to Artemis to free up Lanthander’s other hand and to provide constant healing continued to glow brightly as it continued to keep Artemis alive by attempting to repair the organs, bones, and nerves that were shredded under the onslaught. Of course, the side effect was that no part of him ever lost feeling, so he could feel every twist, every slice into flesh. Artemis felt his intestines get snagged, pulled, and shredded for the hundredth time. He felt his stomach cut itself on his own spine yet again, only to be healed anew. He felt his lifeblood pouring out of him by the liter, replaced almost instantly by that damnable jewel, even as the old blood pooled at his feet, adding to a red lake that had streams that reached the far wall. And he screamed.

Lanthander stopped turning the corkscrew and looked reflective. “That’s really quite extraordinary, you know, Artemis. I’ve been torturing you for what must be close to five hours now, and you still haven’t learned that screaming is simply a waste of energy. Hmm, I believe Granth must be right, screaming is purely instinctive. Bother,” he said, pausing to casually rip out a barbed harpoon that had been embedded in Artemis’ thigh, “I guess that means I owe him a silver. Now then, are you going to give up this futile resistance and tell me what I want to know?” Lanthander’s face suddenly became a mask of rage. “WHERE IN THE FIVE HELLS OF NAGATH IS YOUR DAMNED GUILD HOUSE?!”

Artemis managed to groggily look Lanthander directly in the eye. Drawing strength from some unknown part of him, he stood fully, though he pulled at the corkscrew and caused the nails in his kneecaps to grind more against the bone. Now standing fully erect, though wobbling, Artemis looked at Lanthander…and stuck his tongue out.

“HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME! I’LL CUT THAT TONGUE OF YOURS OUT!”

Artemis knew he wasn’t joking. He’d done it once already. As he prepared to futilely struggle against what he knew was coming, first the nails in the ears and then the clamp and blunt scissors on the tongue, he inwardly smiled. He had made The Man angry. He could win. All he had to do was think of The Raven, and she would help him. For a moment, Artemis was content. Then only The Pain mattered.

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Jerrie had made it back to the guild hall as fast as he could, because that was where Trap could be counted on to be this time of day. Taking the stairs up to the second floor rooms two at a time, he ran down to Trap’s room and turned the corner to look in, catching his breath for a moment before saying “Trap!”
“Ow! Bloody hells, Jerrie! That hurt!” Said Trap, bending down to pick up the dagger she had been practicing tossing in the air when Jerrie had come in. Retrieving it, she began to suck on the fingertip the point of the dagger had poked when Jerrie had distracted her. Removing the finger to examine it, she continued, “I’ve really got to stop injuring myself, you know?”
Trap was one of the younger full-fledged members of Terni’s guild. Barely sixteen, she could still disarm any trap set before her twice as fast as any of the older members, hence getting her nickname and the respect of everyone in the group. She had a cool, calculating mind, a natural aptitude with anything mechanical, and a razor-sharp wit. None of this could be guessed by a casual observer, however. Her incredibly blonde hair was cut short, barely reaching her shoulders. She had large, innocent blue eyes and naturally red lips that she could turn into a natural pout, a skill which had gotten her out of more than one jam with the law. She was slightly small for her age, only about five foot seven, with a willowy figure and a light step that seemed even more in tune with dancing than with thievery. She was an incorrigible flirt, though seemingly just for the fun of it, and jokester. It was an odd month indeed that passed without her pulling at least one harmless prank on someone in the guild. To those older than her, she was looked upon as a younger sister. To those younger, mainly apprentices, as an example that it is possible to be a thief and still have humor in your heart. The girls of her age saw her as a best friend and most of the guys her age had a crush on her. All in all, she was quite possibly one of the best people, on the whole, that there was in the guild.
“So, big guy, what’s going on?” Turning with a smile she laughingly asked, “Finally leave Rumple for me?” It was then she saw the look on Jerrie’s face. Her smile vanished and the warm look in her eyes suddenly grew cold. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Artemis.”
Trap’s eyes widened, then she reached behind her for her pack, which she always had packed for a job, day or night. Slinging it over her shoulder, she walked towards the door. “Let’s go, you can fill me in on the way.”


Jerrie and Trap made it back to the place where Raven had revealed Artemis’ location, only to find Rumple and Rane already waiting for them. With a silent nod of greeting passed between the two groups they merged and headed off to the north.
Trap was the first to break the silence. “So what do we know? We know that Artemis is being held in an underground building in the northern mountains, right?”
“Correct,” replied Rumple.
“And we know that this building is probably rather well guarded and trapped, or else he would not have specifically asked for Rane and myself.”
“Also correct,” said Jerrie.
“So we four are about to head into an unknown building with possibly only one exit that is filled with an unknown number of enemies and traps. Am I correct?”
“Yes,” replied Jerrie and Rumple together.
“Anything else?”
“Raven was still here when we got back. She said that on average there were about ten guards in the building at any one time, although it has fluctuated between fifteen and five. The guards are all hired men, murderers and cutthroats by profession, so there’s no need to give them professional courtesy. If they threaten the mission’s success, kill them, and don’t hesitate. There are traps, but she didn’t know any details, and there are two guards directly inside the entrance. Artemis is in a small room near the very back and down a few levels. She had to go back there, or else her guild master would have gotten suspicious.”
“Do we have a plan?”
“We go in, get Artemis, and leave,” Rane told her in his usual succinct manner.
“Works for me. But if they’ve killed him,” Trap said coldly, “I call some of them for me.”


Discarded and bloodied instruments of torture lay strewn about the room in disarray. Even the chair was broken into splinters, having shattered after being used to repeatedly smash into Artemis’ sides and legs. There lay a chisel, blunted and chipped from repeatedly being driven through Artemis’ right forearm. Next to it lay one of the hammers, having cracked its handle after pulverizing Artemis’ fingers for almost the twentieth time. Only the vile corkscrew remained, rammed through him and into the wall behind just to the point where his ribs snapped from strain, only to be healed by the gem and snapped again. Lanthander had found that point by accident, but was now relaxing against a red-speckled wall, taking delight from the pain so obviously etched on Artemis’ face. Finally, however, he pushed himself off the wall and sauntered over to Artemis’ squirming form. Pausing and glancing down, he picked up one of Artemis’ old fingers, which had been torn off earlier in the day and was now drenched in blood, and examined it closely. He then proceeded to poke Artemis with it.
“Well, I guess I have to give the day to you, Artemis. I’ve thrown everything I could think at you, and you still refuse to give me the location of your guild hall. Unfortunately, I must leave you at this time, as a guild does not run itself, which means I will not be here to personally oversee your torture. But don’t be sad, Artemis, I will be back here tomorrow, and the day after, and however many days after that it takes until you tell me. In the meantime, I have a present for you. Would you like to see it?”
Artemis gazed out through his pain-blurred eyes to see Lanthander pull on a pair of gloves that seemed to be made out of some strange, green, shimmering material. He then reached into his vest and pulled out a bag made of the same material. Reaching in, he pulled out what appeared to be a normal, black stone. As Artemis looked on apprehensively, the rock seemed to pull the surrounding light into it and began to glow with a lavender hue, although the center seemed to be composed of some different yellow crystal. The rock continued to glow brighter and brighter as strange small green bolts of energy shot off of it, only to dissipate before going more than a few inches. Artemis continued to watch, stunned, as the rock grew brighter and brighter, the energy bolts extending to almost six inches. A few struck Lanthander’s gloves, only to reflect back off and dissolve harmlessly into the air. Finally, the rock seemed to reach some form of equilibrium, as the light surrounding it did not seem to be getting sucked in, and the glow did not get any brighter. Lanthander sighed. “It is fully charged. You may have heard of something like this before, Artemis, though I doubt you’ve ever seen one. This is a Dryamlan stone, named, of course, for the god of magic. Does it ring a bell? No? These amazing rocks actually have the ability to absorb any latent magical energy in the vicinity, store it, and discharge it in short bursts. Some have said being struck by one of these bolts feels similar to being struck by lightning, but I would not know, as I have never been stuck by either. I have made it a recent hobby of mine to look for these rocks. They are rather rare, but I have come across a few so far. It’s my dream right now to find a decent spot to actually mine for these rocks, but alas, I cannot find a spot. But I digress. I give you this rock to keep you company while I am gone, but first, let’s see if we can’t get rid of that corkscrew.”
Lanthander took hold of both handles of the enormous corkscrew and began to twist to the left. Although Artemis could feel some of his inner organs yet again disintegrate under the onslaught of the rotating metal, he sighed inwardly at the relief from the constant breaking and healing of ribs. He sighed again when the corkscrew disengaged from the wall, knowing that this particular torment was nearing its end. That was when things changed.
“Free from the wall, is it? It’s about time.” Lanthander braced one foot against the wall behind Artemis, set he, and pulled with all his might. Artemis felt his skin and ribs resist the force for a moment, but ribs are made to stop things coming in, not going out. With a horrific cracking sound, Artemis’ sternum split in half and most of his ribs pulled free from his spine. Suddenly, the corkscrew was out, mostly unidentifiable pieces of entrails and flesh still clinging to it. Something that looked like it could possibly be half of a shredded liver fell from it with a wet slap. For a moment Artemis blacked out, only to awake an instant later, feeling the gem do its job, replacing lost organs, flesh, and blood as quickly as it could, while also mending all of his broken bones. Artemis leaned over as far as his chains would allow and retched, his new and therefore empty stomach still doing its best to empty itself onto the floor.
“You survived? Good. I wasn’t sure if the shock and damage would have killed you instantly or not. At any rate, time for the rock, just before I leave. Picking up one of the larger blades off the floor, still covered in drying blood, Lanthander stepped up and jammed it hard into Artemis’ gut. Blood began to run from Artemis’ mouth, though it was hard to tell, as it was running along where blood had gone before it. Reaching over to where he had placed the rock, Lanthander grabbed it and shoved it into the rapidly closing hole in Artemis’ skin. “Yes, right between the lungs, that ought to be good. Pulling his hand out, he watched with a grin as the first shocks hit Artemis, causing him to jerk uncontrollably. As more and more shocks hit, Artemis began to look like a sick perversion of a marionette, pulled by unseen strings. “Well, I’m sorry, but I really must run. I have to take a bath before I do anything else, though. You know how I hate blood.” Without looking back Lanthander walked through the door and shut it behind him, locking Artemis inside, with only the rock and the gem as company.


They finally spotted the door about an hour after they had passed by the outskirts of Tyro, when the sun was half-set. They huddled in the trees a few hundred feet from the entrance and reviewed their new, more detailed plan.
“So, Rane goes in first, as he has the best chance of taking the first guards unnoticed. Trap is in second, as she has to run point to make sure we don’t die from anything devious. Then Rumple and I follow. Once inside, Trap takes point, as stated, with Rane following close behind to provide her cover and to act as a surprise attack on anyone ahead of us. Rumple and I bring up the rear, making sure we don’t get hit with any surprises from behind. Once we get to Artemis, I’ll carry him, if he can’t walk, leaving Rumple to guard behind. We sprint out as fast as we can, and we don’t stop until we are safely inside the guild hall. Is everyone agreed?” asked Jerrie. Three other heads nodded in confirmation. “Then let’s go.
Slowly the four intrepid rescuers snuck up to the door, then, making sure that there was no way for someone inside to see outside, Rane began to work on the lock while the others surveyed the surrounding terrain, looking for ambushers and plotting escape routes. Rane popped the lock, then put a little oil on the hinges of the door to prevent it from squeaking. Motioning for the others to stay back, Rane opened the door and moved into the hallway, as silent as a ghost.
Inside there sat two scarred guards, chatting. Neither looked at the door as Rane came in, both accustomed to having the door squeak awfully whenever someone opened it. Rane snuck up as close as he could to them, sticking to the shadows to avoid notice. Once he had gotten to within about ten feet of the back of one of them he paused and withdrew a throwing dagger.
The guard was so surprised to see a dagger flash past his head and bury itself into his fellow employee’s throat, causing his joke to end in a gurgle instead of a punch line, that he did not even turn to see who his attacker was before a pair of strong hands lifted him out of his chair and rammed the side of his head into a particularly rough patch of wall. The world went dark and he crumpled, guided down softly by the hands of Rane.
His first objective done, Rane glided back to the door and opened it, motioning for Trap to enter. She did, and walked up to the point where one guard lay with unblinking eyes and the other lay against the wall, unconscious. She did not stop to admire the handiwork, but immediately began to use her natural instincts and well-honed senses to scan the upcoming corridor for traps. Seeing no evidence of any, she gave the all clear signal to Rane, who passed it on to Jerrie and Rumple. The last two came in with long swords drawn. They all met near where the guards had been talking, Trap going so far as to sit in the chair that the dead man lying next to it had sat in.
“We’re in. Raven said that the guards had a way of disarming the traps from here. Trap, do you see any way this could be done?” asked Rumple.
Trap stood up and began to examine the walls and floor more closely. Finally she paused at a normal stretch of wall and ran her hands along it. Finding what she was looking for, she hooked her fingers on the edges of a stone and slid it out with ease. Behind it there was a small lever. “Yes, I do believe I do.”
“Are you certain that that will disarm the traps?”
Trap examined the lever closely for another half of a minute. She then reached her hand in and closed it around the lever. “Yes, I’m certain. Besides, I’ve never been wrong before when it came to levers.” She pulled. From somewhere farther back in the building came the sound of a large gong ringing. She slowly pulled her hand out of the hole and replaced the brick. She then turned to face Rumple’s accusing stare.
“Trap, that sounded like an alarm.”
Trap smiled somewhat ashamedly. “Well there’s a first time for everything.”


Raven heard the gong. Oh no! What have you done? I will do what I must, and pray you can get out of here. Tahira, let them escape, she thought as she gathered her weapons and prepared to do her part to help defend the enclosure from the apparent attack.


The rescuers were moving as quickly as they could down the hall, allowing just enough time for Trap to scan for mechanisms and Rane time to make sure no one was ahead of them.
“You know, maybe it wasn’t an alarm, maybe it was a coincidence. They’re having a party, and someone rung a huge gong that sounded incredibly like an alarm at exactly the same moment I pulled the lever,” postulated Trap. Seeing the others’ unbelieving stares, she said, defensively, “Well, it could happen.”
“I’m just surprised they haven’t found us and attacked us yet,” said Jerrie.
“Trap,” replied Rane.
“Yes?” she answered.
“They’re laying a trap.”
“They can’t be laying me, I’m here. Besides I barely know them,” said Trap with a smile. Rane just rolled his eyes.
“You’re probably right, Rane,” said Rumple as they began to reach the end of the corridor where it cornered off to the left. “I just hope that whatever surprise they have in store—“
“STOP!” hissed Trap. They all froze right at the corner. Trap snuck forward and kneeled down, inspecting the floor. Running her hand along the junction between two of the stone blocks making up the floor, her face took on a thoughtful look. Her hands continued to trace the line from between those blocks to the next set of blocks, and her eyes followed it all the way to the wall. Looking up at the ceiling, she smiled. Standing back up and stepping back, she asked, “Rane, honey, think you could go get that unfortunate guard who got the dagger in his throat and bring him here?” Silently, Rane turned back to go get what she wanted. Coming back, he almost-formally presented the dead man to her. Slightly disgusted, she held up her hands to hold him off.
“I don’t want it for me, silly. When I tell you, chuck it into the middle of that corner, understand?” At his nod of assent, she drew out her shorts word and readied it. “Very well then…NOW!” Rane tossed the body, and Trap hesitated a moment before jumping almost straight up and slightly forward. The body hit the ground and, in the blink of an eye, the ceiling slammed down on it, crushing it flat. Trap, who had just hit the top of her arc over the part of ceiling that had crashed down, swung her sword with all her might at one of the cables that attached the trap with the ceiling around it. It snapped instantly. The trap tried to withdraw back into the ceiling, but the extra strain snapped two other cables, causing it to list over to one side and jam up the mechanism. Landing lightly on the piece of the ceiling that was now on the floor, Trap skipped down into the next section of hallway. Turning to regard her companions over the ruined mechanism, she smiled. “Ah, the Meat Tenderizer, a classic. Easy to spot from the slight depression in the floor and the slightly larger-than-normal straight crack in the ceiling. Utter evil to try to disable though, and it has to be triggered first. Speaking of which, watch the blood as you come over, you don’t want slip and break your neck.”