Escape?

Provisions for two weeks, warm clothes, bow and twenty arrows, fire tinder with flint and steel, and sword. Lontel smiled at the neatly stowed supplies. Davlena would certainly think he was helping her when she got to here, the northern most dock of Sepultha. Grinning he trotted through the quiet streets of his home. If he and Davlena were to slip away, now was the time. The shopkeepers were busy counting their day’s take, and the revelers were not yet crowding the streets.

"Why the hurry?" a voice called. Lontel turned and saw Nomplum, the torch lighter.

"You know how much the dark scares me," he answered. Both men laughed at the thief’s joke and continued on their separate ways. Soon Lontel ducked into the Bull. He stared around the tavern. Greta, the barmaid was swamping the floor. Brulo was preparing his glasses behind the counter. Excellent! As nonchalantly as his pounding pulse would let him, Lontel crossed the well-worn wooden floor around the many tables with their benches stacked on them to the hall leading to the tavern’s rooms.

At the far end of the hall sat Yunta seemingly asleep as he slouched against the wall. Cautiously Lontel approached him. When he was still five paces away Yunta turned towards him.

"What are you doing here, Frog?" he groused. Lontel bit back his anger. He had to remain in control.

"I have come to see the elf," Lontel replied evenly. The sight of the squat mass of muscle before him turned his guts.

"Why? Do you think you can convince her to do more with her pretty mouth than talk and sing prettily?" Yunta’s smiled with a dirty-toothed grin. "You can’t. She is tighter lipped than any virgin you will ever meet, and death will not sway her either."

"You are a pig and a disgrace to the guild," Lontel spat. Yunta laughed, but soon his visage turned horribly mean.

"Does our pretty frog not like the feel of a woman’s lips?"

"Not when they have to be forced, but then you, slime of the earth, no doubt have to force them. None would willingly touch you with a dirty mop."

"Slime of the earth! I am not the one who dives into sewage!"

"That is because you would sink to the bottom where your mother intended you to go when she shat you out. You are nothing but a walking turd."

Roaring, Yunta dived at Lontel’s legs, but the younger man jumped aside knowing what was coming. Yunta slammed into the wall, but jumped to his feet unhurt whipping a dirk from beneath his shirt. Lontel slid his own out of its sheath as he jumped back eluding Yunta’s first arching swipe.

Their dirks clashed together overhead. Lontel landed a smashing blow into Yunta’s jaw. The shorter man grunted and retreated for a moment then, his face contorting with rage, charged with his dirk swinging wildly. Lontel tried to sidestep the madman, but Yunta’s dirk sliced thinly across his chest. Seeing the ribbon of blood spurred Yunta to press his advantage. He charged again.

Lontel stepped inside Yunta’s swing and drove his dirk in and up piercing his surprised opponent’s heart. He felt the dead man’s knife puncture the left side of his back. Wincing, Lontel let Yunta slump to the floor. He turned and found Brulo staring wide-eyed at him.

"Where is Greta?" Lontel asked through clenched teeth.

"She has gone to fetch Titarnaes and others. You know it is forbidden to fight in here." Lontel sheathed his weapon and unlocked the door. Davlena was sitting on the bed.

Lontel motioned her out and together they faced Brulo. "Don’t try to stop us," Lontel said. Brulo studied Lontel for a moment then Yunta and decided he would be no hero. Carefully he backed out of the hall and away from the avenue of escape. Quickly Lontel led the way out of the Bull and down the street towards the harbor where his dory awaited them.

Lontel and Davlena were not quite halfway there when he heard a shout come from behind them. He glanced back to see Yunta’s partner, Umseth, leading a gang of guild members after them. "Now we must fly," he gasped, already feeling the loss of blood.

"I’ll not slow you," Davlena said. Fear surging through his veins, Lontel sprinted through the growing crowds in the street. Just behind him, Davlena paced him running like a doe lightly bounding through the forest.

Lontel bowled over a heavy merchant whose loosely tied purse spilled onto the road releasing its golden contents. "Thief!" the man shrieked as Lontel scrambled to his feet and ran on. The fat man began to rise only to be knocked to his back again by Lontel’s pursuers. When he did rise, not a coin was left. "Thieves!" he cried.

After what seemed an eternity, Lontel and Davlena rounded the last warehouse and could see the dock. Glancing back, Lontel knew he could be off before being caught. He plodded heavily down the wooden dock to where his boat was tied with Davlena stepping lightly behind him not even breathing heavily. When they were twenty paces from the boat, Titarnaes and three others climbed out of the boat and faced them.

Lontel stopped and stared in disbelief. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be. Titarnaes laugh snapped him back to reality. Lontel turned to retreat, but could see his pursuers clambering onto the dock. He was finished unless… He eyed the water.

"Don’t do anything hasty, apprentice," Titarnaes said. "You have led us a merry chase. I wasn’t sure we would find your boat before you escaped." He glanced at the outfitted dory. "It seems you have prepared for a long journey. What are you planning to do, take our young elf to her kin at Shangri-la?" Lontel heard the incredulous grumbling and amused guffaws behind him.

"That is exactly what I was going to do," he declared. His captors laughed openly now. "If you don’t believe me, ask Davlena."

"Lontel speaks the truth. He said he would help me reach Shangri-la," Davlena said. Her clear, soothing voice stole the edge from the angering crowd.

"So he said, mistress elf," Titarnaes said. "However, is that what he meant? I am wondering if he didn’t say that so you would unwittingly help him kidnap you from us." Lontel felt Davlena’s eyes question him, and his face reddened. Titarnaes continued. "Well, lad, what do you say? Was that not your original intention?"

Breathing deeply Lontel answered, "No. I would never do that because the Thieves’ Guild would hunt me down wherever I went. At least, I would never be allowed in Sepultha again."

"Nor should we let him live now," Umseth growled. He started forward with his dirk drawn. Titarnaes stopped him with an upraised arm.

"Not so fast, Umseth. Our apprentice may be doing us a favor. After all, who among us would willingly sail off into the unknown just to aid an elf?" No one spoke.

Umseth finally said, "He killed a fellow thief in the Bull. You are the one who forbade any violence in our tavern. Are we to let Lontel go totally free?!"

"I think not," Titarnaes replied. "We will send him on his way just as he is. That should be punishment enough." Several in the crowd grumbled their disagreement. "Look for yourselves!" Titarnaes roared. "He’ll not get far in his condition." Lontel stood on rubbery legs. Blood stained his entire front and much of his back. His exposed chest wound showed no signs of stopping its flow.

Titarnaes grabbed Lontel by both shoulders. "Apprentice, as guild master I grant you your boon. You can aid Davlena in her quest for Shangri-la. However, in return you must return to the guild the king’s reward the elves will graciously give to you. Also, you must never return to Sepultha should you fail because we will hunt you down like a common rat and snuff out your life slowly and painfully."

Through the fog of semi-consciousness, Lontel clambered into his boat ahead of Davlena. Umseth cast off their mooring line, and the boat drifted towards the north and open water. Titarnaes watched as Lontel jerkily went through the motions of setting the sail. "Good luck, bastard son," he whispered.