CHAPTER 3: The Raid
"You know, it usually was Gorm that smiled at criminal activity," Sheaf remarked.
"I suppose a lot of him rubbed off on me since you left. Let's put it to good use."
Key unlocked a door and the both of them descended a set of stairs that led to Key's basement. Sheaf looked around and noticed a myriad of artifacts and tools. He also saw a trapdoor set in the ceiling, a ladder below. This was clearly the Belker's base of operations.
Sheaf leaned over a table Key had prepared. It was covered with various sheets of paper, some with words or diagrams, and some blank. Sheaf noticed a heavily annotated map of Saúte hanging on the wall. He gestured to the map. "What is this?"
Key glanced back, while she organized and checked on her gear. "Map. It has notes on all sorts of things, mostly hotspots and danger zones. Easy places to find work."
Sheaf nodded, and grabbed a pot of ink. He closed his eyes and focused, then set to work copying down documents he thought were important. When Key returned, she was surprised at the papers on the table.
"Where did you get those?"
"I saw them on the ship that led us here. I thought they might be helpful."
"Won't they be missed?"
Sheaf shook his head, "They're copies. I just wrote them out."
Key blinked, and squinted at the papers. "Gods, Sheaf, I didn't know you could do this sort of thing. This is great! How did you actually get this?"
"I went in the ship. I found the documents. I got out."
"Fair enough. Let's see…" She pointed to one column on a document. "Here, these ships, the High Caller, and the Keese Point, the meetings will be held there."
"How can you tell?"
"They're the two largest ships, save this Windsplitter. But that ship heads the fleet, and by these reports it's all practical. Too ugly to host such high profile guests. As well as that, look here. It has far more crewmen than its size calls for. Unless those extra crewmen are chefs, servants, generally people meant to make things comfortable. Every other vessel here is outfitted for combat and nothing more, but these two are meant to impress."
"Very well. What's our plan, then? I will take one and you will take the other?"
Key looked at the document with uncertainty. She glanced at her map and turned to Sheaf. "I don't know. That's a lot of people on paper, and the clans are sure to bring a good amount of men with them. I don't think I can handle that many on my own."
Sheaf thought about the numbers. "You're right. And I know little about the operation of the Jimenas or the Yiguays, so we will be a touch outside of my comfort zone."
"Okay, okay, let's back up. We're looking at a lot of problems, how do we solve them? What are our goals?"
"Well, I think we have two sets of goals. The Cockatrice's goals, and the Belker's goals. The Cockatrice wants to weaken Duskstone's hold, and expose this deal. And the Belker…"
"Wants to eliminate Jimena and Yiguay."
"But we cannot afford to split up. Teamwork will be essential."
"It's been a long time since I've done that."
"You will fall right back into it. I propose, of course, a stealthy approach, unless you have a better idea."
"No, that's definitely the way to do it. We can take the ships one at a time. Do we have any assets I don't know about?"
Sheaf showed Key his flare. "With this, I can summon the aid of the Cockatrice, should we need it. If they see it, they will start firing at the Navy ships."
Key nodded. "That's something to keep in mind, to be sure." She closed her eyes and focused, breathing deeply. "Okay, I have a plan. It's simple, but it should do what we want. We infiltrate the High Caller, find the meeting room, and take out whoever we find in there. We grab whatever we find, documentation-wise, then get out. We move to the Keese Point, and do the same there. With that, we cut the heads off both clans, hit some of Duskstone's higher people, and leave with proof of the deal. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like a good plan. An hour after nightfall?"
Key nodded and ran a hand through her hair, still staring at the papers before her. Sheaf looked at her. She was tense, tired and her eyes darted from word to word. He reached out and touched her shoulder. She looked up at him, confused at his touch.
"I have a question for you."
She blinked a few times, then responded, "what is it?"
"What does the Belker want? When has the Belker won?"
"The Belker?" She thought for a second. "He's won when Saúte is freed. From the clans, from the king. This city and its people is strong enough to survive alone. The clans are parasites, and the Court is negligent. The Belker has succeeded when Saúte belongs to none but Saúte."
Sheaf nodded, and looked her over again. Now, Key stood tall. Her head was held high and her eyes burned defiantly. "Good," Sheaf told her. "Do not forget that."
Her face slowly fell into a smile, and she started laughing. "Damn it, Sheaf, you always know what to say, you… you bird, you." She rubbed her eyes and sat down. "We really can't plan any more than this, can we?"
"I don't think so."
"Okay, then I'm going to get some rest. If you need anything, help yourself."
"I think some rest would do me well too, actually."
Key nodded and walked off toward her room. Sheaf set himself up in the living room once more, laying on his side and falling asleep.
Key shook him awake hours later. Through the window, he could see the colours of a setting sun in the sky. He stood and stretched, feeling well rested. He hadn't had this much sleep in days.
"What do we have to prep?" He asked.
"Not a ton. We already have a plan, a pretty simple one at that. I have some gear to put on, whatever you need you'll have to prep, but aside from that, I think we're set. The ships have come in by now, yes?" Sheaf nodded at her question. "Then I say we take the time to scout it out. We have the whole night ahead of us."
Sheaf agreed, and set to his things. He intended only to bring what he thought would be necessary, so he wouldn't be carrying any dead weight or anything that could noisily give them away. Once he was satisfied, he walked to Key's basement to find her finishing up some straps at her leg. While her robe was hitched up like that, he could see a band of throwing knives wrapping around the leg. He imagined the other was much the same.
He jokingly asked, "Are those weapons, or armour?" She whipped her head up at his voice, not having noticed him enter.
"Gods, Sheaf, don't scare me like that."
"It's what I do. Anyway, you should be taking care, should you not? We are preparing for a mission."
"Right," she said, clearing her head. "I'm just used to this being completely safe. You're the first person I've let in here, you know." He nodded, and gestured to her to continue. He looked over their table once more, and saw nothing new. The map on the wall, though, had a new note. Over the dock, an annotation reading, "Duskstone/Clan deal. May be the end." It gladdened Sheaf. Key knew that there could be an end, a lot more than he could say for many in similar places. He turned around and saw her patting herself down. She looked up at him after.
"I'm ready, are you?" Sheaf nodded, and Key fastened her mask to her face. The Belker was going back to work, one more night. She gestured to the ladder and began to climb, rising into the alleyways of Saúte. As she glanced back, Sheaf saw her eyes glow with the ki he'd already felt around him.
The two flew across the rooftops, whipping through the wind under dim moonlight. Jumping from ledge to ledge, the pair quickly arrived at the docks, where the giant Navy fleet had arrived. Sheaf scanned the waterfront, pointing out the High Caller. Key nodded and dropped to the ground, Sheaf close behind. They approached as closely as possible, before Sheaf took the lead. Sweeping through shadows, he found his way onto a ship neighboring the High Caller, much smaller than the galleon beside. The schooner Sheaf boarded was the merchant ship that had tagged along with the fleet, and was near empty as the cargo was being sold off. What little crew remained on board were tired and off-guard, and Sheaf found no difficulty knocking them out, with either a sharp hit to the head or a stranglehold.
Sheaf waved Key onto the now empty ship, and she quietly joined him. He led the way over the side of the ship, grabbing onto a curtained window. Once Key had joined him, they slowly made their way across the side of the ship, until they found one of the cannon ports this ship had. Sheaf slid a crowbar under the wooded slat, prying the port open until the flimsy latch broke. He held it open as he clambered inside, Key close behind. When the port closed behind her, they were left in darkness. Key cast her eyes around as Sheaf focused his ki, allowing him to see through the shadows once more. They both found a door, and took up either side of it. Sheaf pushed it open, and saw a well-lit hall. Thudding footsteps made their way down the hall, and Sheaf quickly eased the door shut, leaving a tiny gap. He listened closely as the soldier passed the door, then he pushed it open, grabbing the guard and pulling him inside, slamming his head with a crowbar.
The incapacitated guard was left in the cannon room, and the pair made their way down the hall, now with Key leading the way. They slunk their way down, trying to find the meeting room. As they worked their way through, Key spoke up.
"Does something seem wrong, here?"
Sheaf thought, then realized. "We've met only the one guard."
Key nodded. "Maybe they put all their force atop deck?"
Sheaf tilted his head, and opened his beak to speak when he was interrupted. A man's voice spilled from a room, saying, "So, we have an arrangement, do we?"
Sheaf and Key looked at each other, and quietly rushed to the source of the words. They slowly opened a door, and entered into a small room. As soon as they did so, the door slammed behind them. They whipped around to hear a bar be slammed down on the other side of the door. A menacing laugh filled the room and a lantern was lit from the far side of the room. Light filled the room, empty except a few chairs, a table, and the Navy's admiral on the other side of a tight grid of lead bars.
"I was expecting you, pirate, but the Belker himself? What a surprise. It makes no difference. You both fell straight into the trap."
Key ran straight to the bars, the gaps wide enough only to push fingers through. "Where the hell are Jimena and Yiguay?"
"Those criminals? They're having pleasant conversations with a few of my best men, on our beautiful Keese Point."
Sheaf furrowed his brow. "How can you be sure they do not know about each other?"
The admiral smirked. "Simple. I don't need to. Your acts of heroism have actually forced them to work together, Mister Belker, if you can believe it. I should thank you for that. I've promised a bonus to the clan that brings me your head. Of course, it looks as though I'll be keeping that."
Key slammed a fist against the bars. "How did you know to set this trap?"
The admiral laughed indignantly. "Are you serious? Mere days before, the head of this fleet, the Windsplitter, was attacked, by none other than the infamous Cockatrice. The captain was seen, being taken captive by none other than you, kenku. Nothing else was missing, strangely. But of course, you would not have left so empty-handed. So, we took precautions. We ensured the High Caller would be the first plausible ship you saw, and therefore the one you would board. The Keese Point is, of course, safely at the back of the fleet. So now you are here, and my brutes," he said, pointing behind them, "are there."
Key and Sheaf turned around, and the tiny room was filled with a pair of massive men, who grabbed them both. Key attempted to fight back, before quickly giving up. Sheaf gave no resistance, as he knew the admiral had the upper hand. The brutes set them each in a chair, and put them in chains.
The admiral smiled when they were trapped. "Now, as much as I'd love to kill you both here and now, your deaths will be much more valuable to me in public. I have things to attend to, so sit tight. Lovely meeting the both of you, gentlemen."