Chapter 10, the Drifters

(Reskeme)

He crouched low on the slanted roof of a well kept building. His teeth chattered as he pulled his dark grey cloak tighter, shivering. Occasionally, silent figures moved amongst the pale shadows of the dark streets below, disguised by their cloaks. At this time of night, the shadowy alcoves hid unscrupulous people from the attention of unweary civilians and city guard.

He had to admit most people out in the late hours of night were unscrupulous. Reskeme crouched, creeping from one building to a gap and lept to the next.

His stomach lurched as for a moment, he got a good look at the alley two stories below. A cluster of five figures on the far side of the building drew his attention. They faced each other, waving clubs or, in the case of the larger group, high-quality swords.

Creeping along the peak of the roof, Reskeme stepped cautiously towards the gutter to peer into the alley below.

" What do you think you're doing, you gutter bred bat turds? This is the territory of the pit vipers." Said a short, burly man, anger in his voice. The man twirled his club playfully.

" Did your momma drop you from a cliff when you were young? This is the territory of the Drifters!" said a woman with disdain in her voice.

" Why you little shits? You think just because we don't have a new leader, you can come take our land?" said the second man, swishing his dagger in what Reskeme assumed was supposed to be menacing.

" Yes.... Are you slow or something? That is exactly what we are doing." Said the woman. She spoke with confidants while her comrades stood beside her, brandishing their own polished swords. In the shadowy starlight, the metal gleamed beautifully. These three must be wealthy.

Reskeme watched as the two pit viper members floundered, taking a step back as all three Drifters drew glimmering steel.

" Ya, well, you're lucky we have other business tonight!" said one as he turned away. The second pit viper member turned as well and fled with haste matching his comrades' rapid steps.

Shivering against the chilling night air, Reskeme paused as the three Members of the Drifters thief's guild walked away.

It was nearing the weekend, and Reskeme was getting desperate. So far, he had heard nothing, even after several nights. Every day spent at the academy felt worthwhile. He was learning to control his mana better, and he was slowly uncovering the secrets of Dacian. That tugged harder on his conscience as no doubt Rory, Alex and Michael were terrified.

Yawning Reskeme followed along, pursuing the Drifters. He hoped they went somewhere other than their guild base. The eastern district of the capitol was a maze of allies, slums, and dead ends. But the three Drifters continued on purposefully.

Around three in the morning they paused in front of a building.

Reskeme leaned out as close to the edge of his alley as he dared. His heart raced in his chest.

" Are you sure this is the right house? It looks like the last dozen." Said one of the two men.

So far, the woman had been leading them for the last hour.

" Yeah, the target should be inside. Brendon, you will test the boy while Gary and I watch your back." said the woman decisively.

A dog barked from the house as the three thieves crept up the front stairs.

" I hate dogs. Why do they have to be so noisy!" said Brandon.

One of the three picked the front door as though he had the key and they drew weapons before entering the house. On the second floor, a small figure was outlined as a light came on. How someone in this area could afford a rune lantern was beyond him. The young boy was perhaps ten, maybe eleven. He held a small rune lantern. From Reskemes position on the street, he looked terrified.

The boy cowered away, out of Reskemes sight. What should he do? Were these drifters going to hurt these people? No one screamed or shouted in the house. Whatever was happening, the three thieves were doing it quietly.

Reskeme shifted, brushing up against the cold stone of the alley. The scent of sewage filled his nose, drifting from a sewer grate. He supposed people avoided allies for that very reason. They didn't like the fumes of the sewers. The dog's barking cut off abruptly with a high-pitched yip of pain. Reskeme glanced to the neighbors, as expected no one in this neighborhood would stick their nose where it didn't belong.

The door to the plain two-story house swung open. The three figures walked out, shutting the door behind them. They didn't have an armload of stolen items or a thrashing captive.

Reskeme pressed himself against the wall of the alley. He listened intently to the clearly angry drifters.

" I'm going to punch Jacob in the teen when I see him." Snarled Brandon.

" Don't get you panties in a wad. We have other business. Once we report back to the master, we can go remind Jacob why he shouldn't lie." said the second man, smacking his knuckles into his palm with a meaty smack.

Whoever this Jacob was, he was going to wake up on the morrow with a few less teeth and a rearranged face.

From The house the thieves just vacated, Reskeme could hear crying drifting through an open window.

He gritted his teeth, watching the retreating thieves. They were going to their master. This was his chance to find the leader. But what were these drifters looking for? He straightened. If he just rushed after those three, he would be in trouble as the guild master would most likely be surrounded by his supporters.

Crossing the windy street, Reskeme pulled his flapping cloak tightly around himself. He twisted on the door knob opening the port gently. Inside, the entrance was lit by a soft orange light. A mother and her son sat in the living room. The son had a tear-stained face, but aside from that, Reskeme saw no injuries.

They both looked up at the door opening, their faces pale and terrified. Shutting the door behind his, Reskeme held up his hands. He smelled it the acrid stench of blood and wet fur. A small dog lay on the floor, its head bent at a harsh angle from a heavy boot.

" You got what you wanted, just leave." said the woman fearfully.

" Excuse me, can you tell me why those people were here?" Asked Reskeme softly, staying by the door.

" He killed biscuit, mommy why did he kill biscuit?" asked the boy, sobbing uncontrollably once more.

" It's alright honey, they are gone now." Said the mother, stroking her son's hair. Reskeme met the mom's angry eyes.

" I'm here to help, if you can tell me what those three thieves were searching for."said Reskeme, hoping he conveyed his sincerity.

" I don't know, it made little sense." said the woman, clearly still flustered.

" What do you mean?" asked Reskeme, standing against her withering glare.

" At first I thought they were here to rob us, but all they wanted was to see my boy. I'm not going to let no one touch my boy." said the woman, the steel of a dagger glinting in her right hand.

They sat in the chair, her son's face buried in her shoulder.

" What did they do to the boy?" asked Reskeme, pushing down his anger.

" One of them touched him with a necklace, the metal flashed and then, he swore up a storm. The guy snarled something about Jacob lying and kicked biscuit." Said the woman, rocking her son gently.

" What was on the necklace? Anything off about it?" Asked Reskeme.

" Well, from what I could see, there were eight marks." Said the woman.

" Did any of the marks glow?" asked Reskeme, now much more suspicious.

" Yes, one turned grey. That was when the man got furious and killed biscuit." Reply the woman.

The necklace had to be one of those expensive testing amulets, Reskeme thought. If so, why were there only eight marks? And then it struck him like a runaway cart filled with donkeys. It was a testing amulet from Pentir, a dead giveaway with only eight symbols. Reskeme still thought it was rubbish that they didn't believe in Destiny magic, but there was nothing he could do about it.

" What does that necklace do? Do I need to take my son to a healer?" Asked the woman, anger and concern crossing her face.

" It will be fine, but you should feel lucky. You just got your son tested for magic affinity for free." Said Reskeme.

The boy, upon hearing Reskeme's words, perked up.

" What's magic affin, affinity?" Asked the boy through a sob.

Reskeme smiled at him.

" Well, you are a wind mage. The colour grey is the symbol for wind." Said Reskeme cracking a wan smile.

The boy cracked a grin, his emotions changing from sad to happy in moments. The mother's face also flashed through several emotions, ranging from excitement to concern.

Reskeme sighed. This was exciting for the young boy, but it didn't really answer why those thugs were here. He turned, resting his palm on the cold metal of the doorknob.

" Did they say anything else before they left?" Asked Reskeme, watching her from the corner of his eye. The woman shook her head.

Reskeme's heart sank. Well, that was less fruitful than he hoped. His boots droned on the hard cobbles as he closed the door behind himself. He rapidly descended into the street, heading in the direction the three thieves went.

Now he was pretty much out of options. His only choice would be to confront them directly. The longer he waited, the further they might take his friends. His boots thudded rhythmically on the stone and his breath came In long deep breaths.

A gust of cold air rustled his cloak, caressing his skin with icy fingers.

Reskeme searched for his targets, running for ten minutes. He needed to be careful or he would run right into them. Breathing heavily, he weaved around a trash bin. He glanced over the shadowy street, gasping to catch his breath. Had he chosen the wrong street? This was where those three had been headed. He slid to a stop, clasping his knees and gasping for breath. Reskeme ducked behind the trash bin, plugging his nose so as not to gag from the stench.

Glancing through the piled trash, he stares down the street. The building on the end had light streaming from the windows even in the dead of night. From what Reskeme had gathered, it was the temporary house of the thieves' guild hall for the drifters.

He shivered, gagging at the stench as we waited for anyone to come or go from the building. Reskeme seriously doubted they would keep prisoners inside the building. He was sure they would be keeping them in a separate place as to throw off the guards.

Or at least he hoped so. Infiltrating an entire guild of presumedly murderous thieves was not his idea of a good time. He ran his hand over the leather case of three, rune etched throwing knives. All three were still there, tucked under his right arm. The straps buckled on his torso but looped over his shoulder and around his waist, holding the leather case against his body.

Two figures departed the guild hall and hurried down the street to his left. The juncture where the street met the guild was in the shape of a T, meaning his direct pursuit would force him to walk by the front door. Rising from his foul smelling hiding spot, Reskeme pattered after the two thieves.

Reskeme took a side street, cutting around the large buildings separating him from his quarry. He rounded the corner and caught sight of them once again. Up ahead near the two thieves, a dog barked, and one of them cursed.

Excitement welled in his chest as he followed the two thieves. The figure on the right was broad shouldered and walked with a cocky swagger, while the figure on the left saunter down the street, swaying her hips in a hypnotic cadence. Reskeme found his eyes lingering on her hips and the curve of her butt. He shook himself. Now was not the time!

Once again, Reskeme was happy he could see in the dark. Sure, his dark sight wasn't perfect, not as good as on a bright, sunny day. His vision in the dark was more like an overcast rainy day, dreary and full of grey shadows.

Now, how was he going to subdue these two? They were both taller than him and would weigh more. The thieves turned down a side alley and Reskeme had a choice: wait or pursue. Not being a complete idiot, he waited. Was that a dead end? He watched from down the street for over a minute, then two. Nothing. Reskeme palmed one of his knives in each hand.

Each knife comprised a polished length of metal lacking any handles. Their tangs fit perfectly in his hands. Each knife spanned the length from his wrist to the tips of his fingers. Reskeme swallowed. They were not an ideal weapon by themselves in a confrontation.

He crept silently towards the alley, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He really wished he had a longer weapon, maybe even a long dagger with a real hilt.

Cautiously, he peered around the building to the alley. It was a dead end, after all. Aside from the occasional trash littering the alley, all that remained was a dead cat being eaten by a vengeful rat. As Reskeme entered, the rat hissed. The damn thing hissed at him! Ignoring the vicious beast, he examined the bare wooden walls.

If he hadn't seen those two in this alley, he would've never guessed there was an exit here. His body tingle as a trickle of Mana flowed through his body. The mana felt like drinking too hot tea. It flowed through his veins, following his widened channels. He tightened his hold on his mana, smoothing the power out like Profesor Nijel taught.

It was meant to enhance the pressure a mage put out. Reskeme had other plans. He had no intention of making his presence known by everyone within a city block. Sure, most people would shit their pants if a powerful mage channeled their mana in such a way, but Reskeme did not appreciate being sensed.

He brushed his fingers along the coarse wooden walls of the alley. There had to be an illusion, and judging by the fact he couldn't sense the mana, the user was good at weaving layers of mana together.

He walked in a slow square, running his fingers along the walls. If his last three nights of rooftop stalking had taught Reskeme anything, it was patience. Days of sitting and waiting tended to do that. They had also been excellent for practicing his control over mana. He smiled to himself, immediately feeling bad for the progress. If not for the fact Ror,y Alex and michael were missing, he would have been ecstatic.

Reskemes strained his senses, brushing his fingers along each of the three walls, feeling no hint of mana. He ground his teeth, glancing up at the roofs overhead. If he couldn't find the place, all he needed to do was wait for the two who went inside to leave.

Reskeme yawned, leaving the alley. He searched all the buildings nearby, looking for a quick route to the tightly packed roofs. He scaled the front of a two story building using its windows and gutter as an unstable latter. The iron gutter dug into his callused fingers, but Reskeme was getting good at scaling theses treacherous buildings.

With a whomp, he sat himself on cold, slated tiles next to a chimney. The chimney billowed smoke into the sky. It appeared as dark clouds gusting away the second it left the hole. Reskeme shivered, leaning against the stone surface.

Overlooking the alleyway, he sat back to wait. The chimney stones were slightly warm, giving him some comfort as he clutched his cloak in tight around himself. Through a small gap in the roofs, he watched the alley below, waiting for the thugs to reappear.

Time flew by and his eyelids grew heavy, as though a sack of coppers was pulling them shut. He glanced at Trishas silver and gold time piece. The small gears inside slowly turned, and the hands moved along with them. It was five in the morning now. Reskeme groaned. He only had three more hours until he needed to be at the academy. He needed to go back to the inn for a couple hours of sleep or he wouldn't be awake enough to learn anything.

A shadow crossed the alley. Reskeme blinked several times as a square shadow formed on the cobblestones. Then, like magic, a person's head appeared from the stone, followed by their Lyth body. The woman from earlier exited after glancing around the alley and even up towards Reskeme.

Reskeme didn't move, and she stepped out. He wasn't worried that she would see him. In the dark, with his cloak, he would be nothing but a shadow against the backdrop of the chimney. These measly humans didn't share Reskemes ability to see at night. He paused. Where had that came from? Seconds later, the wide-shouldered man appeared head first. The woman touched the ground in one corner of the opening in the floor. She then walked to another spot, pressing down. Reskeme stared intently as she pressed three separate places one by one.

The shadow disappeared, returning to normal looking cobblestone, and the two thieves turned, leaving from the alley. Stretching his sore back and shaking his throbbing legs, Reskeme smiled. He hoped the drifters wouldn't be too upset when he robbed them blind.