I know...it's been awhile. BUT, I have a really good excuse. School has been crazy, soccer is taking over my life, I've over committed myself on my community service and social life...you're right, I got noth'n. Anyways, hear is chapter 14.
Disclaimer: You caught me! I was going to infringe on copyright laws, but I guess since my conscience is kicking in I'll fess up to not owning anything.
There once was a fountain a little ways from the Dancing Dove, where a group of local ruffians used to pretend to "hold court" like they did in the Rogue. The fountain has long been knocked down by some fight or another, and most of those ruffians are gone or turned respectable. One man, however, is still playing the game, but it's no longer pretend.
Marek looked at the map on his wall that showed the city of Corus. It was sectioned off into areas and was fairly old being that it had been in the Rogue's possession for over 200 years.
Marek knew every little detail on this map. Every street, every ally, every tunnel, and every secret entrance into the city was embedded into his mind. Currently, his attention was focused on one spot: the spot where the fountain used to be.
The fountain brought back memories of a happier time, when he could still look at his former friend turned rival without a scowl on his face. When there weren't people dying or going missing every few days. When the fate of all he knew and loved wasn't in jeopardy.
It was a bit of a relief then, when Marek was disrupted from his thoughts by the opening of the office door.
"You're improving on moving more quietly Luke," he said without turning around to the young man standing behind him. "But why are you limping?"
Luke had to work hard to keep the amazement out of his voice as he replied, "a fight with the past."
Marek turned around at this and surveyed Luke with knowing eyes. "Those are the worse," he said quietly, "and I assume that's why you're here."
You might have heard of the man I had my earlier disagreement with," Luke said. "His name is Kris Roe."
Marek raised one eyebrow. "The Tyran Rogue? Explain."
"You might want to take a seat," Luke said emotionlessly. "This could take awhile."
Marek's eyes narrowed. "I'll remain standing."
Luke shrugged. "I've always been quiet about my life before coming to Tortall, but after what happened today, I've realized that being quiet isn't going to help anyone, least of all me."
Marek's interest was peaked as nodded to Luke to go on.
"It was just me and my ma for a long time," he began. "Weaving isn't the most money-making profession so things were kinda tight around our house. I couldn't have asked for a better ma though. She never got mad and always seemed to understand. I wanted so badly to help her."
"Then, one day when I was seven, I was on my way home from the market, and I heard yelling coming from behind one of the stalls. A group of kids had ganged up on this other kid and were beating him to a pulp. Before I knew it, I had dropped my packages, and was fighting my to the kid they were beating up. I told the bullies to shove off and they scattered. After I had helped the kid home, I got this weird sensation someone was watching me. I turned around, and there stood this tall black man back at me."
"He said he was the Shang Hawk, and that he was looking for a pupil to teach. He had been impressed with the way I had jumped in to help that kid, and said that I was a natural-born fighter."
"I didn't know what to say. I knew that those who became Shang had to leave their parents, and go live with their master, and I wasn't about to leave my ma. Well, when I told the guy that, he just smiled. He said that he wasn't the usual run of the mill Shang master and that I could live with my ma still."
"That's where I learned how to fight," Luke explained to Marek, "from him."
"From what I've heard though," Marek said a bit bemused, "is that your fighting style is similar to the Shang style, but isn't."
"It is nothing like the usual Shang way of fighting," Luke agreed," but my master was anything, but normal. He said he had been traveling through lower Saren when a Doi fortune teller offered to tell him his fortune. He never said what she told him, but whatever it was it caused him to come to Tyra to look for an apprentice."
"The style of fighting he taught me was a mix of Shang fighting, an ancient form of Carthaki martial arts, and Zallarian acrobatics."
"Zallarian?" Marek interjected, surprised, "as in Zallara, that little country to the south of Carthak?
"That's where he was from," Luke explained patiently. "My ma was a bit worried at first, but she was really proud of me. I worked as hard as I could. Then one day, when I was fourteen, he just left. He didn't give any warning or anything, he just left. I was really devastated and really angry. I couldn't believe he had just left without saying goodbye or leaving a note or something. That was the turning point."
"I begin to look for ways to use my skills. It was then that I met a member of the Rogue. He had heard that I was a real good fighter, and he needed a messenger that could hold his own if he got into trouble. It also helped that I was a kid. The job paid more than I had been making doing nothing, so I said yes. I never told my ma exactly what I was doing because I didn't want her to be ashamed of me, but I couldn't help feel a little bad when she bragged on me for helping her pay for groceries."
"My skills began to get more and more attention within the Rogue, and I was starting to get more high paying jobs. I couldn't keep hiding from my ma where the money was coming from, so I told her. She was more worried for my safety than she was about where the money was coming from. She warned me about the dangers of working in that kind of business. It was the only time I remember that she said I was just like my da, couldn't help but be crooked."
"When I was seventeen, a new Rogue came to the throne. Kris was only two years my senior, but he treated me like a child. He kept me relatively close to him because he was afraid I might try and overthrow him. He was really paranoid about that, even though I had said I didn't want the throne because of the potential danger to my ma. Unlike the Tortallian Rogue, the Tyran Rogue doesn't really have a strict sense of honor, so top official's families are in danger of being kidnapped or murdered."
"What did you to Kris to make him hunt you down like this?" Marek asked pointedly.
"I'm getting to that," Luke replied with a wave of his hands. "Kris and I were never on friendly terms. He thought I was thin-skinned and didn't look out for the Rogue as much as I looked out for the commoners, and I thought he was too cruel and self-absorbed. What made it worse though was Ferencia."
"I met Ferencia when I had first started working for the Rogue. She was also a messenger, and we were often paired together. We became fast friends and soon like family because she had no family herself and my ma treated her like her own child. When Kris became Rogue, Ferencia was sixteen years old, and was starting to become a woman. She had caught the attention of quite a few admirers, but none as persistent as Kris. He wrote poetry, gave her gifts, flirted with her constantly, and even offered to let her live with him. Ferencia, however, never even gave him the time of day. She always said he was too cold for her, and that she already knew the exact type of man she wanted to marry."
"Let me guess," Marek said, "a man like you."
Luke nodded. "I never put two and two together though, so her feelings were unreturned. Maybe it was because I only saw her as a sister, but I can't believe I didn't see it coming. Well, Kris was really jealous of me when he found out, and punished Ferencia by telling her she was to go undercover as a prostitute and get information that way. Ferencia of course was outraged, and I was beside myself with rage. Kris, however, was the king, and the only way I could overturn it was by becoming Rogue myself, something Ferencia begged me not to do. She said that she would only do it until she could support herself outside of the Rogue."
"Well, weeks turned to months, and months turned to years and Ferencia had been a prostitute for five years before we figured out a way to get her out. A ring of pirates that had previously worked with the Rogue had severed ties and had double-crossed us and stolen a couple ships worth of cargo. Ferencia and I promised the return of everything and the death of all involved in return for our freedom."
"It was after this proposal, that my ma caught the plague that swept threw the Eastern lands last year. She wasted away before my very eyes in two short weeks. Her dying wish was for me to become respectable. So I went before Kris, and promised my life if our mission failed. The opportunity was too good for him to pass up, so he consented. We were given a fortnight to complete our mission."
"At first, everything went as planned. We disabled the perimeter guard and were in the process of cleaning out the cargo, when things went bad. The pirates ambushed us, someone must have tipped them off, and Ferencia and I were separated from everyone. I knew that if I ran the pirates would come after me because I had pissed them off way too many times before. That way Ferencia could escape with everything and leave the Rogue behind. I didn't tell her what I was going to do because I knew she wouldn't have agreed to it, but that I would meet her at the docks and to have a boat ready. She agreed, but before she left I kissed her on the cheek and told her to be careful. She probably guessed what my plan was then, but she didn't let on, she just kissed my cheek back and left. That was the last I saw of her."
"I managed to evade the pirates, but just barely and I didn't escape unwounded. I left Tyra, positive that everyone else had gotten out all right. I was wrong though, and that's one of the reasons Kris tracked me down. Ferencia came after me, but the pirates got to her and slit her throat. He blames me."
"What's the other reason?" Marek asked looking serious.
"He's brought the Tyran Rogue under the power of the Alliance," Luke said bitterly. "Even though Tyra's supposed to be neutral, he still did it just to satisfy his own cravings for power."
Marek closed his eyes and sighed. "That would explain it," he murmured.
Luke stared at him. "That would explain what?"
"For the past couple of weeks, the amount of smuggled goods getting passed us has increased," Marek replied heavily. "No one can figure out how they're doing it because we weren't checking neutral transports that come straight from that country such as Tyra. We're going to have to find out how many Tyran merchants actually know about the smuggled goods and how many are clueless.
Luke groaned. "Oh no, Tyra's our biggest trading partner," he said. "Who knows how many ships and caravans we'll have to search?"
"Tyra's involvement might be checked though," Marek said as he suddenly realized something.
"How?" Luke asked.
"From what you've told me and from what I know, Kris isn't incredible popular in Tyra," Marek explained. People like him always have quite a few horrible little secrets that can be used against them. If we could somehow overthrow him, we could turn Tyra to our side."
"There's no one in Tyra that would try to oppose Kris," Luke said disheartened.
"That's where you come in my dear boy," Marek said with a smirk as he began to formulate a plan.
"So you've only been working for the Alliance for a couple of months now?" asked Rhazier of the small trembling man before him. The man's nerves were not helped by the fact that Rhazier was casually flipping his knife in the air as he questioned him.
"Ye—yes sir, that's right," the man replied uneasily. "I've only done a couple of jobs for them anyways, and that was only to support my family!"
Rhazier took one look at the fine quality of the man's tunic and snorted. "If you're going to start lying to me I'm going to have to find a way to keep you honest," he said grinning wolfishly at him while pointing the knife at him.
The man squealed. "Oh please don't hurt me!" he pleaded. "I'll tell you anything you want to know!"
Rhazier grinned. "Glad to here that."
About a half an hour later, the man was sent on his way, a new merchant indebt to the Rogue, and Rhazier had some disconcerting news.
"Loni," Rhazier called softly from the door.
Loni walked into the room and shut the door behind her. "What's up?"
"You know how we've been getting reports about stuff slipping by us that we used to catch?" Rhazier questioned her.
"Yeah," Loni said as she nodded her head. "What about it?"
"Apparently Tyra has started to aid the Alliance and the goods are coming in on their ships," Rhazier said grimly.
Loni's eyes widened in shock. "They've betrayed us," she said disbelievingly, "I can't believe it."
"Neither can I," Rhazier replied as he sat down heavily on a chair. "Well, the Leader needs to be told," he said as he stared out the window, not moving.
Loni frowned. "Rhazier, are you ok?"
He looked at her with a small smile. He marveled at how cute she was when she looked at him with her nose scrunched like that. He had to be strong. For her. "I'm fine," he reassured her.
He got up and crossed the room to where she was standing. "About earlier..." he said.
Loni blushed slightly as smiled up at him. "Yes?"
"I just want you to know, that when this is all over you have a future," he told her.
Loni smiled sadly. "How much of one is the question?"
Rhazier took a deep breath. "Hopefully," he said, "one with me."
Loni's eyes widened as she took in what he had just said. "Rhazier...do you mean?"
"Loni," he said, "I've been in love with you for a long time, and I hope that when you're ready, you'll be my bride."
For once, Loni was speechless. Then she flung herself at Rhazier and kissed him passionately as if she could put all of her love for him in that one kiss. He responded with the same passion, as they released what had been building up for quite some time. They were both panting when they broke apart.
"I'll take that as a yes?" Rhazier said happily as Loni just laughed at him. "I need to go to the Leader's," he said regretfully as he held her close.
She nodded as he kissed her gently before he walked out the door. Loni put a hand up to her lips as if she was in mild disbelief. She had been waiting for years to hear Rhazier say those words. Granted, it had totally come out of nowhere, but the feelings had been there all this time hadn't they?
It didn't matter. Whatever his incentive, Rhazier had proposed to her, and she had accepted. Who knew? Maybe they would move out of the city some day and live in some small town with a bunch of kids of their own.
And with that happy thought, Loni began whistling a tune, totally unaware of the trouble just around the corner.
A little sappy at the end...ok really sappy, but I think my characters are sexually frustrated so I just went with it. You like? No? Well tell me! BTW...
Rubber Duck: Thank you for your continual support. You're awesome! Seriously, if I didn't think customs would totally tear it apart, I would send you a cake.
Liali: Thank you so much, I love new reviewers! Thanks for the plot nod too. I try not to just put total crap up here.