Theo 2 – Part 3

“No,” Thana said with untarnished absoluteness. Thana seemed irritable as of late, but Theo had been too busy to get to the bottom of it. With the daily reports to Cedrick Broome and the extra responsibilities of the guild, Theo would have gladly accepted a good night’s sleep tonight, but he had to do this.

At the start, Theo could not have given a single ounce of interest in the WC’s goals. He collected information for Cedrick Broome and in return, he would be pardoned for his previous crimes. It was a simple transaction, but now Theo could not stifle the building concern of just what the WC was up too, and how it went beyond the typical low-grade level of crime. Something big was happening he suspected, something that was bigger than not just him, but the entire city. The need to talk to the wizard, Arthur, became an obsession.

“Please Thana” he pleaded. But Thana only flashed her ruby eyes at him in fury.

“Ask me again Theo, and I’ll rip out your throat out,” she said and stood to leave before Theo could consider whether she was telling the truth. Just what was up with her?

When Thana had melted away down one of the corridors connected to the feasting hall, Theo felt his hand tighten into a fist and slam against the wooden table, causing his bowl of chicken soup to bounce and splatter.

Just how was he going to gain access to the cell that held Arthur? he wished he were sensible enough to ask Skinner, back when Skinner offered him any favor in his power. If he hadn’t been so fixated on Sabrina at the time, maybe he would have been thinking straight.

Just where was Sabrina anyway? The two of them had returned together only a few hours ago, and she told Theo she would meet him in the feasting hall. But here he was at nearly eleven in the evening and still no sign of her.

Theo was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice when Brock approached his table with another bowl of soup.

“Try getting this one in your mouth, pointy ears,” he said, dropping a fresh bowl of soup and wiping away the mess in one wide sweep of his towel. Theo looked up at him and an idea came.

“Brock, can I talk to you a minute?” Theo asked.

“Sure thing,” Brock sat, flinging the towel over his shoulder; droplets of chicken soup rained on the floor behind him.

“I never thanked you for helping me down in that tunnel,” Theo began. “So, thank-you.”

Brock shrugged and bared his lower canines.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, “Thana said a couple of rats got the better of you.” Brock withheld a smirk, and Theo choked down the false embarrassment. He couldn’t exactly tell Brock the truth. Brock stood to leave.

“Wait,” Theo said, a little too excited. “I need your help again, Brock”

Brock sat back down slowly like a man about to hear some bad news.

“What’s the problem Theo, I have rats to skin.”

“Do you know anything about Ar—about the wizard we have locked up”

Brock gave him a contemptuous look and took a second to answer, his left arm leaned on the table and Theo felt its weight buckle the iron hinges that held the table together.

“I know you helped Skinner retrieve him and I know it cost nine lives,” Brock answered matter of factually. “I also know Skinner doesn’t want anyone talking to him, except himself of course”

Theo leaned in close and lowered his voice despite the feasting hall being absent of people.

“I need to speak to him” Theo stated, and Brock's eyes glazed over with suspicion.

“Well you can’t,” he said flatly.

Theo gasped.

“Which is why I need your help”

Brock’s brows raised in disbelief and he stood to leave.

“I’ll pay you handsomely” Theo heard himself say despite himself, and then a wave of panic struck him. Just what was he doing right now, he was an informant, yet he threw caution to the wind in an instant.

Brock paused a moment then turned. His amber eyes suddenly, thankfully, looked greedy, and Theo knew he had him.

“How much?”

Theo allowed himself to breathe, feeling the cool sensation of relief wash over him like a tide.

*

An hour later he and Brock were making their way down a narrow tunnel towards the cell that held Arthur Down. This place was off-limits to everyone except those given permission by Skinner. Theo was happy to know Brock could still mask his lumbering steps when he tried. He was not as silent as Theo, who seemed to float across the wet stone below, but still maintained some degree of stealth despite his large size.

Theo had not been down this end of the sewer before but knew it was where Thana took Arthur; she said as much; and when Theo heightened his ears, he was relieved to hear some chatter ahead. Ahead stood two guards, both of which were amidst a conversation and protecting a large, reinforced door.

Theo knelt to listen in on the conversation, signaling Brock to crouch and wait too.

“There was this one girl though,” one man at the door said. “Think her name was…Kate or Catelyn. Doesn’t really matter; prettiest girl I ever laid my eyes on mate, had a cute little body s’well”

The second guard chuckled “Oh yeah.”

“Yeah, and I knew her mother worked down in the castle’s kitchens, so I had a word with her. She said I could have the girl’s maidenhead for a Golden Mark would you believe” the first guard said in disbelief. “I tried workin my charm on the girl first, but sometimes the younger ones don’t know a real man when they see one”

“Or their noses are more sensitive to your breath” replied the second man.

“Fuck off,” the first guard said coldly. “Anyway, I figured it would be a Golden Mark well spent; to bury my face in that girl’s long hair and to see if she tasted as good as she looked”

“Yeah, yeah, did you fuck the girl or not?”

There was a stubborn pause.

“Would you let me finish?” said the first guard.

“Is that what she said or you?” came the retort.

“Forget it”

There came an echo of laughter from the second guard when Theo turned to face Brock, he looked anxious and Theo began to reconsider asking Brock for his help. Especially if things did not turn out as smoothly; he was not sure if the half-orc had it in him to do anything if the plan went bad.

Theo reached over to grab Brock firmly on the arm.

“Listen,” he whispered “These cutthroats only know one thing and that’s power. Just follow my lead”

Brock’s watery eyes stared into his and Theo had to break the gaze before his own resolve faltered. He straightened himself up and walked loudly (for him) down the corridor towards the two men. Predictably, the two men held their rekindled conversation and lifted their torches towards the approaching duo.

Neither one of them called out, which perturbed Theo who would rather have known these guards were the typical cliché guards; the type of guards that call out ‘Who goes there’ whenever they hear the wind whistle, or a rat scurry past. Instead, these guards seem to be of the sort to silently draw their blades when they heard a noise and use them without much hesitation.

Theo allowed himself to bathe in their torchlight, attempting to maintain his ruling posture of authority. He hoped it was working because his insides felt hot and wiry.

“Good evening gentlemen” he managed without stuttering. The men remained as if they were made of stone, their palms still gripping the hilt of their swords.

The shadow Brock cast over them all gave Theo some confidence. He watched the guard’s peer up over his shoulder, to gawk at the giant half-orc and Theo felt elated. Fear cuts deeper than swords.

“I trust you know who I am?” Theo asked, trying his best to sound irritated like Thana had been in the feasting hall.

The two guards looked over at each other, each as speechless as the other.

“Theo Wood” one said, and Theo recognized him to be the one with the impressive story.

“Good,” Theo replied suddenly wishing he had a name like ‘Skinner’ to work with. “Stand aside. I require a quick word with Arthur Down”

Theo hoped that his sternness, in conjunction with the fact he knew the wizard's name, would be enough to gain entry in the cell, that and the towering half-orc at his back.

To Theo’s dismay, the two guards silently stood there unflinching, regarding the situation with careful delicacy. It was their lives on the line after all if they made a mistake.

“Skinner said under no circumstances should anyone speak to the wizard,” the second guard said sheepishly.

Theo took a deep breath in annoyance and glanced over at Brock; this was all a big performance, but Theo felt he was still in control if he played his cards right. He shook his head and reached into his pouch that Skinner gave him.

“You know, I’ll have to congratulate Skinner on placing the two best men for this job,” Theo said rescuing four Golden Marks from his pouch. “I’m going to enjoy telling him what fine men you two are”

He placed two Golden marks in the leather breast pockets of the guards and gave the coin a reassuring pat with his palm. The guards did not move, and only the second guard looked down at his pocket, now two Golden Marks heavier.

There was a screeching hiss as the first guard suddenly unsheathed his longsword; the corridor filled with the shimmering light of steel and Theo backed up into Brock who stood as unyielding as a boulder. The second guard took up the call and unsheathed his own longsword and now there was two of them advancing on him.

Theo ducked when the first guard took a wide swing, channeling all his weight behind it. Theo heard it cut through the air above his head and connect with something meaty. He turned to catch a spray of blood hit his face and stumbled backward, lost in the carnage of it all. It all happened so fast Theo could not even believe what was happening. The guards were attacking him, attacking Brock who took the longsword in the waist. Its steel had buried itself at least two inches into his flesh, but Brock seemed to hardly notice, seemingly processing the sudden attack himself. If it were not for Theo’s reactions, he figured the swing would have taken his head clean off.

Brock grabbed the first man around the face, completely swallowing his head in his hand while he struggled to release his blade from Brock's side. There was a shrieking yell, quickly followed by a sickening crunch when the guard's head exploded in the palm of Brock, and then it was Brock that yelled when the second guard planted his longsword deep into the half-orcs side. The sword impaled Brock deeply enough to poke through the other side, the guard pulled fruitlessly to withdraw the longsword but abandoned it, removing instead a dagger from his boot.

Before he could leap on brock and deliver the fatal blow something wickedly fast dashed over Theo and collided with the guard, already halfway into his fatal lunge. It knocked the man down and Theo wanted to cover his ears when he heard the screams.

It was Thana, and Theo stared in starch horror as she thrashed violently at the guard beneath her, her nails had grown to disturbing length, ripping large strips of flesh from the guard's chest below his leathers, and the guard writhed in agony. Theo became hypnotized by the attack like a man becoming hypnotized by the dancing flames in a campfire.

The attack was unnecessary, the tormented screams continued on and on, until at last Thana latched her canines into the guard's neck, to drown out his screams and turn them to gargled breaths; his legs twitched grossly and Theo began to stand soberly.

Brock was kneeling in a large pool of his own blood, looking over at Thana in disbelief, the look on his wounded face was one of absolute surprise and fear. He fell heavily in his life’s blood and went still.

The feeding went on as Theo approached the body of Brock. He was alive but only barely. Any man would have died instantly from the wounds inflicted on Brock, but he was cut from a different cloth. Theo tried to stop the heavy flow of blood that seeped from the wound on his side, but the wound was just too great, the sword still impaled deep within him and Theo disputed whether he had the strength to pull it free.

Then Thana appeared next to him and Theo retreated slightly in startlement. Her mouth was stained red and her eyes burned so brightly that Theo couldn’t look into them. Thana looked down at Brock in absolute despair and Theo thought he heard a sob.

She gripped the hilt of the sword the guard had so viciously impaled into Brock and pulled. Despite the guard’s fruitless attempts earlier, Thana pulled the sword free as difficult as if she were pulling a cork from a bottle of red wine, to unbottle its matured vintage. Thana quickly reached into her pocket and retrieved a healing potion—quickly dousing the wound in its sparkling liquid. Within a few seconds Thana was already reaching in her pocket for another potion, and another; sealing the wounds that closed magical before their eyes, she then forced Brock to swallow a mouthful of the stuff.

Theo looked on helplessly until Thana was done, she lifted the unconscious head of Brock in her lap and began to stroke his head as tenderly as if he were a child.

“GO!” she barked loud enough to cause Theo to jump. “Go get the information you wanted Theo” she continued, her words heavy and pungent with remorse.

Theo complied and fetched the key from the first guard’s corpse, his head nothing more than a collection of skull fragments and brain matter.

Inside knelt Arthur Down and Theo thought with incontrovertible truth: he looked worse than all of them.