Chapter 6

The dimly lit corridors were a perfect sight for Jack. As he nimbly jumped from shadow to shadow, trailing his mental image of the blueprints in his mind, he began to wonder why this heist seemed so much easier than the rest. His path had led him down a row of stairs and approaching a small opening that revealed a large chamber. As he slowly moved along the walls towards the chamber, he could hear voices aloft in the center of the room.

"Are you sure it's kept safe? With that murderer on the loose, who knows what could happen if he arrives here!" The voice seemed that of an elder, one who had served the church for a long time. His raspy tone seemed to be an evident reminder that the church was often long-winded, and caused many of their speakers to lose their once stern and commanding voice. "I don't want to take any chances… do you understand?"

"Yes, Father, and I assure you it's been taken care of. The key resides with Miguel." The young apprentice acted in confidence. It seemed he was not worried in the slightest about a killer being on the loose, but more about the whereabouts of the "key" he spoke of. "I don't think anyone would think twice to give him an issue, should they discover he contains the chamber's only key."

What chamber are they speaking of?

"Good… well see to it that no one finds it."

"I will, father." With that, the apprentice exited the chamber down the hall that Jack was to follow. The priest remained in the center of the room for a moment. He had a look of unease upon his face. He seemed to stare at the ceiling, as if asking God what he should do next. After a few moments, and some soft utters beneath his breath, he continued on to a door connecting the chamber to a common area.

Jack gently walked across the chamber, now curious as to what the men were talking about. He followed the hallway he had just witnessed the young man walk down. Upon reaching his mark, he reached for the handle on the door he wished to use.

Just then, down the hall, he could hear multiple footsteps approaching. It sounded as if someone had been aware of his presence and was moving quickly to intercept him. He quickly drew his dagger from his sheath, and attempted to hide in the nearest of shadows he could find. As the footsteps approached, he could hear the men talking in hushed voices.

"Are you sure you heard something?"

"Yes, I'm sure, damn it! I heard footsteps in the Judge's room! He wasn't due to return until later." The man's conviction sounded more sincere when he jabbed his aide who had just questioned him. "Besides, even if he had an early return, these were fast footsteps. We all know Judge Burke is an old man, not capable of such swiftness. Keep your eyes open… Someone is here this morning."

The men slowly moved into the hallway Jack had just hidden in. As they came closer, he started cursing to himself. Damn it! My body count has to remain low on this one. If I have to kill, I will surely be caught here… but there's no escaping this one. He edged his dagger downwards, waiting for the right moment to pounce from the shadows and end his adversary's life.

Just as he was about to take his first mark, another man came running in from the chambers.

"What is the meaning of this!" the elder priest said. "I can assure you no one is down here. Jonas and I were just speaking in these very halls and not one thing could have possibly slipped by. What are you looking for? Surely no rat would be a concern for you?"

"No, Father… we heard footsteps in Judge Burke's room," the tall, burly looking man said. His broad shoulders expanded well beyond what most men's shoulders would appear as, only accenting his strength. "I informed Alben here, and we were instructed to search the premises… every nook, cranny, and shadow."

"He heard footsteps, Father… not I. I did not wish to partake in such a ghost hunt." The younger looking man appeared annoyed with this charade. He sheathed his sword and approached the priest. "Forgive me, Father… we will go now. Miguel has mistaken a bump in the early morning for thoughts of an intruder."

"Hey, shut up, fool!" Miguel quickly smacked his partner on the back, hard enough to knock the wind from him. "Father… I…"

"Enough… though I am weary with thoughts of a killer on the loose, I can personally promise you that no one is down these halls. It is likely that what you heard was in fact Judge Burke. He took early leave from his speech this morning. He has not been well lately." A moment passed before he continued. "He will not be around much longer, I'm afraid."

"But, Sir… Fa…" Miguel's own words caught up with him and before he could speak again the priest was already angrily confronting him.

"Do not call me Sir, son… I am not your commanding officer. I am a priest of this temple! You have sworn to defend us and respect us. Calling me 'sir' destroys that respect." He let a pause to let his words sink before continuing on. "And don't think I won't reassign you for such hastiness in your words, son. It is an honor to serve this church, and I won't have that honor disgraced by someone of your stature."

"Yes, Father. I apologize. I meant no disrespect." Miguel lowered his eyes to the ground. Disrespecting one of the elder priests was a lot like smacking God in the face. He knew he would get a much larger, and more colorful, chewing out later that evening when his shift was over. He slowly regained his composure, and stiffened his back.

"Now… leave these halls. There is no need to search them. I have given you my word, no one is down here. Unless you wish to disrespect me more by saying my word is not trustworthy." He paused and rhetorically waited on a response. When none came, he continued, "Then go. I shall see to it that you are reprimanded for your lack of respect. Be on your way."

The two continued on out the hall the way they came, both obviously frightened at what has just happened. When they had finally left, the priest let out a sigh of relief. Again, he stared at the ceiling, but this time Jack could make out his mutterings.

"Dear Lord… please watch over that man. We've put trust in one that cannot be fully trusted, only due to his arrogance and intelligence. I pray we have not made a mistake in trusting brawn over faithfulness and allegiance." And with that, he slowly lowered his gaze, and appeared to stare right at Jack. A slight chill ran through Jack's bones as the man's eyes appeared to bore into him. But he did not appear to see him, and he slowly turned and returned to the chamber, then to his common area.

Jack's heart never once rose in rhythm. Though his secrecy was almost discovered by the three men, his body knew that fear and excitement would only cause the situation more problems. One of the things Joel had trained him in before leaving the guild was training your body not to feel pain, excitement, or fear. This skill had proved valuable, even upon the day that he left what he had learned to call his home.

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"Well friend," Joel said, "I fear that it's time our paths part." Another cough and Joel seemed to clear his throat for a moment. He smiled at his now adult friend, and his smile slowly faded to a stern face. "I fear you are the last of the men I will have trained."

"Don't flatter me, brother. You'll train more after my leave." Even Jack knew Joel could sense the lie he had just spoken. "Do your best to keep yourself healthy. I would like it, one day, to return to see you with that so called garden of yours."

They both smiled at each other as Jack gathered his gear. They exchanged a handshake, which quickly grew to an embrace. It had been years since Jack had let anyone in on his personal space. Joel was now like the father he had never had.

Only hours after leaving the small village outside of Aire, Jack had longed to go back. He knew that soon he would reach the actual town of Aire, and there he would plot his stay and course. He decided it would be wise to disappear from the village area for a few days… perhaps a week. Just to disassociate himself from the area so when he returned, no one would recognize him.

His first night, he made camp nearly twenty miles out; Just out of range of the guard's patrol, but close enough for a five hour walk back into the village. Upon setting his stones for a fire, he heard the gentle rustling of leaves nearby. He quickly grabbed his blade, but stopped. Even in the midst of battle, one's fear or excitement can cause one's blunder. Do not let these overcome you, or you may not live through your fight. Joel's words flooded back to him. He slowly crouched down, and gently withdrew his blade.

Three wolves had wandered in search of food directly into Jack's camp. One wolf would have been easy, but three would cause problems. It is possible for a man to take on three of his own, in an environment that suits him; However three such animals, not familiar to him, in an environment he was not fully aware of in the darkening day…

The wolves seemed to not notice the man crouched behind a few small shrubs. As two of them quickly lost interest in their hunt, they chased after a small hare that had taken off in the distance. The one wolf that remained seemed intent on finding his mark. He seemed to be scouring the area in search of the "meat" he was sure he could smell.

Jack poised himself into an attack position without making a sound. His heartbeat remained steady and constant. As the wolf neared, he prepared himself to capture his first feast of his long journey. When the wolf was in range of his jump, he quickly leaped out, still in tune with his heartbeat, and slashed at the wolf before it had a chance to evade. The wolf attempted to let out a cry, but was cut short as the blade fully lacerated its throat, completely muting its cry before it could be made.

The wolf stumbled, as blood quickly flowed from it's now gored throat, and collapsed on the ground in a gently growing pool of its own blood. And at the exact moment the wolf closed its eyes and let its last breath go, Joel's soul gently released itself from its mortal coil…