Chapter VII: Hiatus Ends
Artemis padded steadily down the dusty street. The moon cast a dim haze over the entire city, seemingly calm. Seemingly. The young assassin knew that around every corner there was a theif cutting a purse from a merchant, or a street urchin gnawing the marrow from a chicken bone...or a whore turning a trick. He shook his head, banishing his thoughts for the moment. Now was not the time. Artemis turned down a side alley, gingerly depositing the parcel Dwhavel had given him into the hands of a blind cripple.
"May the one god be with you, good sir..." The man croaked as he greedily plunged his dirty fingers into the tepid food.
Artemis laughed outright. "You'll be cursing me in the morning...."
The old man gulped the food, barely taking time to chew. He paused a moment and lifted the bandages from his eyes...grinning as he watched the assassin continue down the alley. "Surely I may, Artemis Entreri. Surely I may..."
* * * * *
Derrick leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped thoughtfully beneath his chin. He sniffed, clearing his throat as he wached the disheveled halfling.
Dondon paced the length of the room again, his feet dragging upon the lush carpet.
"And you left him?"
The halfling stood still as a statue for a moment.
Derrick raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Good."
Dondon's lip trembled. Such was the way of the guilds of Calimport. If you were not fit enough to survive, then you would be left behind. Only the strong flourished in this city. "We have to put a stop to them, Derrick....Even the Old Man would agree..."
"Basadoni does agree. But that does not change the fact that we are currently without any means of doing so."
The halfling stared hard at Derrick. The man put up a good facade, he had to admit, but through the gruff exterior Dondon could see that the guild's head-man was racked by worry. And rightfully so.
"I suppose our time is wearing thin, as is my patience. We cannot wait for Entreri to return. I'm going to have to send Lucas. And you're going with him..."
Dondon didn't know what made his stomach turn more---The possibility of the Temple gaining a definite foothold on the city, or the thought of being sent into that temple again with only Lucas to protect him...
Both Derrick and Dondon snapped their eyes toward the door as they suddenly heard it slam.
"Artemis?! What are you doing here?" Dondon asked incredulously as the young man made his way across the room toward Derrick.
"You insolent maggot...how dare you come crawling back here after deserting this guild the w---...." Derrick gasped as Entreri's dagger thunked into the wall beside his head.
"Good shot..." Dondon muttered.
Entreri shook his head..."I missed."
* * * * *
Regis stretched languidly upon his bed of sand, the dim moon showering silver light over his chubby face. "What will you do with your life, Jorie?" The halfling asked casually.
"I don't know. What kind of a question is that?" She laughed, resting her head on Regis's ample belly.
"A serious one..." he rebutted.
Jorie lay quietly for a moment, her heart pumping like a bellows in her chest.
"Jorie..." Regis began to ask, his voice as serious as she had ever heard it.
"I know what you want to ask. You don't have to. I don't know who the father is. I only know who it is not." She lapsed back into silence, closing her eyes, a hand straying up to twirl at a lock of hair.
"I'm sorry, Jorie. I ask because there is something I must tell you. These past days have been pleasant and invigorating for me, but...well....I must return to my guild. I have no interest in living out the rest of my days on the streets. You won't be able to come with me.......I'm sorry......" The halfling winced as Jorie sat up. "I...I don't know what you plan to do....but in a month's time or less you will not be able to survive like this. You must seek help----go to your family---or if they will not have you, seek aid from the Temple...just swallow your pride. If not for yourself, then for the child you carry..."
"How dare you?" She spun, dull, moss colored eyes glaring weakly at the small man. "How dare you assume that it is pride that keeps me here? You think I would not drop to my knees and beg if I thought there was a sliver of a chance that it would do any good?" She wiped at her face, dirty fingers smearing ruddy stains upon her cheek...
"Jorie. I'm sorry. I cannot help you anymore. All that I can do is take you to someone who can." The halfling stood, for a moment eye level with the woman. "Come. I'll take you there..."
* * * * *
Dondon huffed and puffed, his small chest heaving as he pumped his short legs as fast as he could. He groaned as he saw Entreri turn another corner; and couldn't help but wonder if the assassin was trying to lose him. The halfling rounded the corner and ran full force into the waiting form of Artemis Entreri...
"Trouble keeping up?"
Dondon fought for his breath, his lungs burning... "Of....course...not...."
Artemis grinned wryly. "No matter. It's slow from here on out. Pull your cowl down---and for the last time, if you make so much as a peep, I'll silence you myself."
Dondon did not need to ask what Entreri meant by that. There would be no assassination tonight. It would be madness to try it without any prior scoping, even for someone as skilled as Artemis Entreri. Tonight would serve as a taste. Tomorrow would be the five course supper.
"Stay close---but stay out of my way. Come on..."
The halfling nodded and tailed the assassin as silently as his experience would allow. Dondon recalled a time only a handful of years ago when an awkward street urchin named Artemis Entreri was following behind him...a thief teaching a future assassin the ropes...He almost had to laugh at the absurdity of it.
Artemis pushed his dark hair from his face and pulled his cloak around himself as they neared the entrance to the Temple. If ever there was an irony, he mused, it must be this. The structure was tall and crisp; the spires reaching to the heavens like five spindly fingers. The facade of the building was embellished with a myriad of stained glass and ornate carvings. It was beautiful....but as the assassin had learned at a very young age, beauty rarely encompassed the entirety of an entity. One whif of the stagnant air was enough to reinforce the reason he was here. Death was in the air. He could smell it, and he could feel it. "Steady. Keep covered. We don't want another casualty this eve."
Dondon drew a shaky breath and pressed closer. It was like deja vu' almost...only this time, his escort packed a set of blades. The halfling smiled inspite of himself.
* * * * *
Note: I know this has been about the longest chapter in coming (six months or more, if I'm not mistaken!) and I apologize for such. I've been terribly busy with life in general. Although I cannot promise a new chapter each day, or even each week, I do vow to churn out one regularly----at least, until the story ends! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed. -CBS
Artemis padded steadily down the dusty street. The moon cast a dim haze over the entire city, seemingly calm. Seemingly. The young assassin knew that around every corner there was a theif cutting a purse from a merchant, or a street urchin gnawing the marrow from a chicken bone...or a whore turning a trick. He shook his head, banishing his thoughts for the moment. Now was not the time. Artemis turned down a side alley, gingerly depositing the parcel Dwhavel had given him into the hands of a blind cripple.
"May the one god be with you, good sir..." The man croaked as he greedily plunged his dirty fingers into the tepid food.
Artemis laughed outright. "You'll be cursing me in the morning...."
The old man gulped the food, barely taking time to chew. He paused a moment and lifted the bandages from his eyes...grinning as he watched the assassin continue down the alley. "Surely I may, Artemis Entreri. Surely I may..."
* * * * *
Derrick leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped thoughtfully beneath his chin. He sniffed, clearing his throat as he wached the disheveled halfling.
Dondon paced the length of the room again, his feet dragging upon the lush carpet.
"And you left him?"
The halfling stood still as a statue for a moment.
Derrick raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Good."
Dondon's lip trembled. Such was the way of the guilds of Calimport. If you were not fit enough to survive, then you would be left behind. Only the strong flourished in this city. "We have to put a stop to them, Derrick....Even the Old Man would agree..."
"Basadoni does agree. But that does not change the fact that we are currently without any means of doing so."
The halfling stared hard at Derrick. The man put up a good facade, he had to admit, but through the gruff exterior Dondon could see that the guild's head-man was racked by worry. And rightfully so.
"I suppose our time is wearing thin, as is my patience. We cannot wait for Entreri to return. I'm going to have to send Lucas. And you're going with him..."
Dondon didn't know what made his stomach turn more---The possibility of the Temple gaining a definite foothold on the city, or the thought of being sent into that temple again with only Lucas to protect him...
Both Derrick and Dondon snapped their eyes toward the door as they suddenly heard it slam.
"Artemis?! What are you doing here?" Dondon asked incredulously as the young man made his way across the room toward Derrick.
"You insolent maggot...how dare you come crawling back here after deserting this guild the w---...." Derrick gasped as Entreri's dagger thunked into the wall beside his head.
"Good shot..." Dondon muttered.
Entreri shook his head..."I missed."
* * * * *
Regis stretched languidly upon his bed of sand, the dim moon showering silver light over his chubby face. "What will you do with your life, Jorie?" The halfling asked casually.
"I don't know. What kind of a question is that?" She laughed, resting her head on Regis's ample belly.
"A serious one..." he rebutted.
Jorie lay quietly for a moment, her heart pumping like a bellows in her chest.
"Jorie..." Regis began to ask, his voice as serious as she had ever heard it.
"I know what you want to ask. You don't have to. I don't know who the father is. I only know who it is not." She lapsed back into silence, closing her eyes, a hand straying up to twirl at a lock of hair.
"I'm sorry, Jorie. I ask because there is something I must tell you. These past days have been pleasant and invigorating for me, but...well....I must return to my guild. I have no interest in living out the rest of my days on the streets. You won't be able to come with me.......I'm sorry......" The halfling winced as Jorie sat up. "I...I don't know what you plan to do....but in a month's time or less you will not be able to survive like this. You must seek help----go to your family---or if they will not have you, seek aid from the Temple...just swallow your pride. If not for yourself, then for the child you carry..."
"How dare you?" She spun, dull, moss colored eyes glaring weakly at the small man. "How dare you assume that it is pride that keeps me here? You think I would not drop to my knees and beg if I thought there was a sliver of a chance that it would do any good?" She wiped at her face, dirty fingers smearing ruddy stains upon her cheek...
"Jorie. I'm sorry. I cannot help you anymore. All that I can do is take you to someone who can." The halfling stood, for a moment eye level with the woman. "Come. I'll take you there..."
* * * * *
Dondon huffed and puffed, his small chest heaving as he pumped his short legs as fast as he could. He groaned as he saw Entreri turn another corner; and couldn't help but wonder if the assassin was trying to lose him. The halfling rounded the corner and ran full force into the waiting form of Artemis Entreri...
"Trouble keeping up?"
Dondon fought for his breath, his lungs burning... "Of....course...not...."
Artemis grinned wryly. "No matter. It's slow from here on out. Pull your cowl down---and for the last time, if you make so much as a peep, I'll silence you myself."
Dondon did not need to ask what Entreri meant by that. There would be no assassination tonight. It would be madness to try it without any prior scoping, even for someone as skilled as Artemis Entreri. Tonight would serve as a taste. Tomorrow would be the five course supper.
"Stay close---but stay out of my way. Come on..."
The halfling nodded and tailed the assassin as silently as his experience would allow. Dondon recalled a time only a handful of years ago when an awkward street urchin named Artemis Entreri was following behind him...a thief teaching a future assassin the ropes...He almost had to laugh at the absurdity of it.
Artemis pushed his dark hair from his face and pulled his cloak around himself as they neared the entrance to the Temple. If ever there was an irony, he mused, it must be this. The structure was tall and crisp; the spires reaching to the heavens like five spindly fingers. The facade of the building was embellished with a myriad of stained glass and ornate carvings. It was beautiful....but as the assassin had learned at a very young age, beauty rarely encompassed the entirety of an entity. One whif of the stagnant air was enough to reinforce the reason he was here. Death was in the air. He could smell it, and he could feel it. "Steady. Keep covered. We don't want another casualty this eve."
Dondon drew a shaky breath and pressed closer. It was like deja vu' almost...only this time, his escort packed a set of blades. The halfling smiled inspite of himself.
* * * * *
Note: I know this has been about the longest chapter in coming (six months or more, if I'm not mistaken!) and I apologize for such. I've been terribly busy with life in general. Although I cannot promise a new chapter each day, or even each week, I do vow to churn out one regularly----at least, until the story ends! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed. -CBS