City of Hawks (10 page)

Gord’s nature denied him membership anyway. He was a loner, and the very idea of having to be the lowest on the scale, the butt of all others in a gang, was sufficient cause for the boy to stay away from a gang even if he would have been accepted. He was known to many of the other lads in the area, and because he fled from them or was caught and trounced by them, these boys despised and derided him. He was never simply called “Gord”-gutless, chicken, or a similar term always accompanied Gord’s name or was used in place of it. The nature of the slums was for the strong to pick upon the weak, and there was no question that Gord was physically weak.

“You live in our fief now,” a member of the gang called the Headsmen told him at the start of low summer. “You give us half of everything you get, or else we’ll take everything-and beat the crap outta you in the bargain.” Gord told the boy he would do as he was told, but he didn’t actually comply unless circumstances compelled him to. He could be physically bullied, and he cried from the pain of being beaten, but mentally Gord had plenty of courage. Threats and beating made him agree then and there. But once he was away, it was an altogether different matter. He did try cooperating once or twice, voluntarily going to the gang’s headquarters to split some haul with the other boys-only to discover that they took all of his loot anyway. After that, he never sought them out and decided to take his chances instead.

The Headsmen soon caught on to Gord’s defiance and lurked in ambush for him. Whenever they caught him, these bullies seized whatever Gord had, pummeled him, and then let him loose again. It was diversion, amusement, and profit all in one, for Gord usually had something worth taking. The gang profited, but Gord grew weaker still, for he could manage to amass no store of things against the future. Each day he had to find enough to eat, devour what he found immediately, and then attempt to carry anything remaining back through the hostile territory to his own den, without revealing the location of his hideaway either coming or going. Most of the time the return was a disaster. Gord would throw his prizes away, if the opportunity allowed, to avoid being beaten; or else he would be caught, his booty taken from him, and then he would be hit and kicked in the bargain.

There was no other place for him to go, so Gord had no choice but to put up with it. It was a humiliation and a shame. It began to prey upon his mind even as the conditions ate away his strength and stamina. The very names of Chopper, Jot, Snaggle, and the others of the Headsmen were enough to make the boy furious Inside. Finally, after living this way for the better part of a year, Gord decided he had to do something. If he were still in the same area when another winter came, the lad knew that he’d die as Leena had.

“I’ll never manage here in the slums,” he said to himself as he gathered up what little he owned. Not wishing to risk the well-crafted box with the parchments inside, the only thing he possessed that had any real and lasting value, Gord hid it away in a place where no one but him would ever find it. Carrying his few remaining items, the boy went off, headed for the workers’ district. Although he was nabbed in the process and stripped of even what little he held, Gord remained determined. He would leave the Slum Quarter regardless.

Wearing clothing that was barely presentable, and feeling frightened inside, Gord managed to make his way from the upper part of Old City all the way into the Foreign Quarter, a far-off and exotic place he had only heard of. Nobody seemed to notice him or, if they did actually see Gord, pay any attention to him. That bolstered his spirits and encouraged the boy. There were riches everywhere in this fabulous place. With his skill and daring, Gord was certain he could take some of the readily available wealth and soon be set up for life in such a place.

But self-confidence and speed weren’t enough. The experience of stealing in the slums was certainly in-, sufficient training for this place, where real artistry was required to defeat the guardians and sharp-eyed protectors of goods displayed for sale in the Foreign Quarter’s marketplaces. Gord tried, of course, and then he was caught, taken before the authorities, and sentenced to penal servitude all in the same day. The boy didn’t realize it at the time, but that calamity was a turning point in his life.

“You saw him?”

“I think so. He fits your description pretty well. Who can tell for sure? All those little guttersnipes look pretty much alike.”

“He’s been sent to the Old Citadel?”

“For three years-imprisoned and working off a theft.”

“Will he survive it?”

“Not very likely. The boy’s too small and weak to manage there for more than a few months. Between the labor, the abuse, and the food, I’d say that the coming of winter solstice should see him dead.”

“That can’t happen.”

The nondescript man scratched his leathery cheek. “I never did understand this whole business anyway, Markham. If one little urchin is important, why in the hells didn’t we pull him out of the slums long ago?”

Markham was a fat trader who made his living buying and selling goods brought into Greyhawk from foreign parts. He didn’t really care about politics or meddling in affairs of states and governments. Matters of tariffs and taxation interested him, as did profits and costs.

Still, the obese trader had some other concerns. He was an agent for an association that covered the whole of Oerik, from the Flanaess to the distant West. Markham was a small cog in a complex organization that sought to keep the balance between Evil and Good while promoting the status of the neutral group that viewed all as a necessary part of existence. If the trader was a small cog, then the shabby-appearing Tapper, to whom he spoke, was a mere tooth on the gear.

“Who can say. Tapper? I don’t make the decisions, I just carry out the directions given to me. Now I’ll give you yours.”

It paid to listen and follow instructions. Markham got cash from someplace and passed it on to Tapper and others. Tapper was one who believed in balance, of course, but he believed in seeing to himself first, too. The coins were worthwhile, and the strength of the group was persuasive too. Although the group didn’t flaunt its power, incurring the enmity of the shadowy organization would mean trouble indeed. Tapper knew that his life wouldn’t be worth a drab if he crossed Markham. Still, after hearing just the beginning of his instructions, he couldn’t help being frank about his reservations.

“No matter what, I can’t manage to get the little bugger out of the workhouse-not without arousing a whole lot of suspicion!”

“Relax,” Markham said. “Neither you nor I will be required to do anything stupid or dangerous. You just have your friend at the prison keep an eye on the kid… Gord, is that his name? Be sure that he isn’t worse off than any of the rest of the lot there. Sooner or later an opportunity to get him out of there might come; then your associate is to see to it that the boy gets it.”

“Gord’s the name all right, Markham,” the nondescript man said. “Sharp Clyde is my contact there. The warden doesn’t realize he’s a member of the Thieves’ Guild, and the guild doesn’t know he’s an agent of the Balance.”

The fat trader knew everyone who Worked for Tapper, whether or not they were dedicated members of the organization or knew not a whit about the Balance and merely performed small services for the money paid to them. Markham was careful and thorough, and kept tabs on everything. That’s why there was a lot more to the fat man than met the eye. “Right, then-look up Sharp Clyde now, and give him the word.”

“That alone isn’t going to guarantee that the boy survives.”

“I know that,” Markham said with a sigh. “My instructions are to give the lad whatever help can be given without revealing it is being given.” Whatever those who run things were thinking, Markham didn’t know, but his own orders could be interpreted, on the surface, in only one way: The organization’s interest in the boy was not to be exposed, even if refraining from this meant that he might not survive. When Markham tried to reason one step deeper, he ran into speculation and uncertainty. It seemed that whatever value was placed on the orphan, it was only marginal, and not worth risking the organization in any way. Or possibly, the reason that no attention must be focused on the boy could be that his value to the organization was actually much greater than Markham could perceive. That made for a whole different set of probabilities…

“Just a moment. Tapper, I want to read something again.” Markham pulled out a small sheet of thin paper, unfolded it, and read the tiny markings on its surface again, very carefully this time:

“The loop of fate may pin some small part of our web squarely on this urchin’s dirty collar. Then again, he might stem from those who seek to disturb the scale, tip it a bit one way or another. Watch for him, assist without being evident, but do not actively interfere. His value is uncertain, and better to lose him than imperil us in any way.” Markham decided to share his information with Tapper. “Here, take a look at this and see if you notice anything.”

Tapper took the letter and peered intently at it for a long time. His lips moved as he went over the passage a second time.

“…loop… pin… web, that’s it!” Tapper looked at the fat trader with a grin of pride. “The parts of a key are named in the first two sentences, Markham! See? Loop, stem, collar, pin, web-that’s even named twice, ’cause bit is another name for the web part of a key. Hells, I make enough of ’em myself!”

“Very perceptive, Tapper, very perceptive indeed!” Markham looked at the semi-retired thief with new respect. Tapper was still a member of the Thieves’ Guild-one big reason why he was so valuable an operative. The guild allowed him to be semi-retired because he operated a locksmith shop. Only the few who ruled the guild knew that Tapper was a still-active part of the organization. In fact, most thieves had no idea that the man had ever been a fellow of theirs. “I’ll take that piece of paper back now,” said Markham with a smile, “and here’s a lucky for your work.”

The coin spun through the air, and Tapper plucked it from space with an easy move of his hand. “Thanks, Markham,” the thief replied as he handed over the paper, regaining his composure but finding it hard to suppress his pride and excitement. “I’ll inform Clyde to keep an eye on the kid.” Tapper had a clear idea that Markham’s masters were in fact taking special notice of the urchin boy Gord, notice beyond what either of them had perceived before Tapper discovered the hidden message.

“Do more than that, Tapper,” said Markham with new vigor in his voice. “Tell Clyde that there’s a lucky in it for him, too, if he gets the boy out of the workhouse without attracting attention. Wait a minute,” the fat trader added as Tapper started to leave. “Perhaps I should speak to Clyde myself. You two meet me at the Four Pots tonight.”

“About nine,” Tapper said as he left. He knew the little tavern well, and knew that Sharp Clyde would have no objections to going there either, for it was out of the way and safe for meetings of this nature, since thieves seldom went to it.

When the nondescript Tapper had gone, Markham took the note and burned it, then broke up the ash into powder.

Finding the parts of a key in the message told Markham all he needed to know. No matter what the note seemed to say, the boy was very, very important to the Balance. Of course, this fact could not be conveyed directly in writing, in case the paper intended for Markham found its way into the wrong hands. But it was now obvious that, for some reason, the skinny little urchin from Old City’s slums was thought to be so vital that no hint of his importance must be revealed even if the boy’s life was at risk.

Markham knew that his duty was to do everything possible, short of revealing the organization’s interest in him, to get Gord out of the workhouse and located elsewhere, preferably in a place where he could be overseen and would not be so vulnerable to other sorts of outside influences and threats. No, that last was too much of an assumption… Markham decided that before the meeting tonight, he would seek more detailed instructions as to just what he should do in this matter. Cursing himself for not having deciphered the message without Tapper’s help, the fat trader hurried out to atone for his stupidity.

“I’ve made a small fortune this day, barkeep! Ale or wine for all of these good patrons gathered round the bar, and for yourself too!”

The stolid proprietor of the Four Pots nodded and touched his forelock in thanks and respect. “Thanks, Trader Markham. Right happy to hear you’ve done well… as are the fine souls here who will be glad to drink to your health and prosperity-right, lads?”

“Aye!” came a chorus from the seven or eight others in the immediate area. “To your health and fortune, trader!” they added, quaffing the drinks that the tavernkeeper hastened to deliver to them.

Markham beamed, swigged a good portion of his dark beer, and casually looked around the place. He noticed two men sitting at a back table idly playing a game of plaques. The fat trader ambled over to the pair and watched the play for a minute. “May I join the game?” he asked amiably.

“Why not, friend?” one of the men said, barely glancing up from his study of the tableau on the stained wood. “We can use some fresh coin.”

“Barman! A round for me and these two here. They’ll soon be making me richer still, and I’ll want them happily oiled before that.”

Nobody in the place paid any attention to the three gamers thereafter. Markham was well known as a drab-pincher. Although his largess tonight must mean he had indeed managed to cheat some unfortunate customer out of much silver, he’d never spend that much on drink nor lose it in a game of chance. The plaques game would involve nothing more than brass and bronze coins, perhaps a copper in a big pot. Watching such a contest was about as exciting as viewing the wet rings on the table as they were slowly absorbed by the wood and dried away by the air. For all the other patrons were concerned, Mark-ham and the other two didn’t exist after the first flurry of excitement.

“Two zees on that one!” The fat trader said this loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. Then, under his breath, he added, “The lad has promise if we can train him. Can you manage to get him out?”

“And another!” Clyde cried out in the same loud tone as he tossed three bronze coins onto the table in answer to Markham’s bet. “In time, I am sure of it,” he said softly.

Quietly, Markham said, “Do so, and you’ve earned a lucky.” Then, loudly, looking at Tapper, “And what about you, friend?”

“I’ll match the three zees, never fear!” Tapper replied, then whispered, “What’s the boy to be trained as, a thief?”

“Can’t be done,” Clyde said in a hushed voice. “He has to be sponsored, and that’d attract attention.” He revealed his plaques then, and the three talked loudly about it, for he had won the hand. Between plays, however, the undertone of conversation progressed. Clyde was to get the boy apprenticed to the Beggars’ Union. That was the best prospect any of them could come up with.

“Enough!” Markham rose with a sour look “You two have managed to reduce my profits to nothing in the space of an hour. I’m for home and bed, a poorer and sadder man.”

“Bah,” Tapper said, looking at the coins in front of him. “You lost but a copper or two in total.”

“I’m an honest trader, not some rich noble. Besides, I swear I’m down twice that sum,” the fat man said as he stumped from the tavern. Several of the customers laughed at his display, but Markham didn’t mind. All had occurred as he’d hoped. Tapper and Clyde thought that they had determined the course of apprentice beggar for the boy. All the while, however, Markham had steered them to it-as instructed by the man he took orders from, the learned sage…

…No. He mustn’t even think of that name. In any event, it was out of his hands now. Sharp Clyde would manage things from here on. If he succeeded, then another would take over. Who that was, even Markham didn’t know. It was enough that his part had gone smoothly and as planned.

Tapper and Clyde spent a little more time and money at the Four Pots so as not to arouse suspicion. The place was frequented mostly by laborers and the common workers from the brewery nearby, but there was no harm in avoiding unnecessary risks. One could never be certain who was a spy, an informant, or the like.

“I cursed my assignment to the workhouse,” Clyde said quietly to Tapper. “Now it seems lucky indeed that I pissed off the captain and got the Old Citadel assignment as punishment.”

“Not much there in the way of income for a thief, though,” Tapper observed.

Clyde grinned. “I thought so at first, but there are plenty of coins to be picked up-bribes for adjusting the work schedule, bribes from the better-off inmates for special treatment, and good money for selling off prisoners.”

“Selling prisoners?”

“Sure. Change identities with some corpse due for discharge soon, or a falsified death sometimes. Then the former prisoner can be sold into indenture. Of course,” Clyde added thoughtfully, “it’s more profitable to have a long-termer buy freedom that way, but not many with that much money need to use such means to escape.”

The nondescript locksmith looked at his associate with new admiration. “So you’ll sell the kid as an indentured servant, take Markham’s coin too, and be paid as a guard in the bargain!”

“None of which will make me a wealthy man. Tapper,” the thief said as he nodded agreement. “I still need to get out and about in order to make ends meet.” He referred to his trade, naturally.

Tapper, older and less interested in carousing, managed quite well on his fees for services from the Balance to augment the income from his trade and kickbacks from thieves. He understood what Clyde remarked on, though. High living In Old City cost plenty. If it was done in New Town, it was even more expensive. “It’s hard to keep a full purse,” Tapper agreed.

“True, friend, in more ways than one… when I’m about,” Clyde said with a wink.

Laughing together, the two then departed the tavern. Tapper headed toward the secret thieves’ portal that would enable him to return to his place in the Foreign Quarter, and Clyde turned north to go back to the prison where he was barracked.

Next morning Clyde made a point of finding out where the boy was. Gord was the kid’s name, and he was a skinny, weak-looking little urchin. His group was a mixed lot of weaklings, children, and the aged. They were quartered together In a common cell and taken out six days of the week to work off their crimes against the city and its honest citizens. Their assignments were fairly light ones, considering they were being punished. Toil was the lot of the poor anyway, and what the gang of criminals had to do each day was no more strenuous than what many free persons had to manage. Of course, they did get the dirtiest and most dangerous work, but that could be expected as well.