Chapter Thirty Eight

The week spent travelling to Sidus was surprisingly comfortable. Lor’gan, Ashal, and the six other gnolls that were a part of the escort were friendly and polite. Although Shuka noticed they didn’t seem to trust her much, she figured that was the curse at work. She learned quite a bit about their tribe through talking with them, although some things they refused to tell her. For example, Asheron’s glowing eyes apparently came from a magic ritual she’d done, which extended her life and slowed her aging. Any additional details about the rituals were kept from her though.

It does make the large age gaps between Asheron and her two husbands make a little more sense. She probably married Kalfar back when they were both a similar apparent age and she aged slower than him. She might even be older than him now that I think about it.

The small group was fast approaching the city of Sidus, its large walls dwarfing even those of Lancrin and Rockmarsh. These walls were pristine white, with gold adornments that made the city feel all that more, well, celestial. Shuka didn’t have very long to admire it though, as Lor’gan and the rest of the gnolls quickly left the main road once the walls were in view, back into the woods. It didn’t seem like they simply wanted to enjoy nature either, they were looking for something. Shuka felt tempted to ask what they were looking for, but she figured she would find out soon anyway. After a few minutes of all the gnolls, except Ashal, shoving their hands into the side of a hill, one of them finally found what they were looking for – a hatch in the ground, covered by grass to hide it. He swung it open, revealing a dark tunnel that dug into the earth. Shuka couldn’t tell how deep it was or how far it went, but if she had to guess, she would say it went all the way to the capital. Lor’gan walked over to the hole in the ground and gestured for everyone to enter it.

“I hope none of you are scared of tight spaces, because we’re gonna be in one for the next couple of hours”

*

True to his word, it took several hours to get to the other end. Luckily there were magical lights that activated automatically once you got close to them, so the trip wasn’t done in complete darkness. Still, with nothing but stone walls to look at, the trip became rather monotonous. Shuka didn’t mind, but Maryam couldn’t help but chat almost the entire trip. Mostly to Shuka and Xorvos, but her latest conversation was directed at their gnoll escort.

“So it’s obvious this is some sort of smuggling route, but why do a bunch of gnolls who live out in the middle of nowhere know about it? You guys don’t really seem like the smuggling sort.”

“Only a bad smuggler would seem like the smuggling sort. The best criminals look as unassuming as your friend Shuka looks nefarious.”

Maryam thought back to Aurulin, the seemingly gentle and kind High Priestess who had an office full of invisible assassins, and found she couldn’t deny that.

“So what, are you saying you’re a tribe of smugglers?”

“Nah. Smuggling you guys is actually the first crime I’ve committed to be honest. No, wait… is it illegal just entering the city like this? Because I have used the tunnel before, so that might be a crime I’ve committed.”

Xorvos seemed a bit uncomfortable at the casual manner in which Lor’gan confessed to his misdeeds, so Xorvos asked a question of his own.

“If you were committing no crime, then why did you use this tunnel? Couldn’t you have just entered the city normally?”

“Oh, I did, but Ashal heard about a ‘secret smuggling tunnel’ the last time she was in Sidus and couldn’t be convinced not to get a tour. I was the unlucky sucker that had to go with her. Somehow she kept her enthusiasm long enough to go through it both ways. That was a day I won’t be getting back.”

“How are you not excited!?” Ashal almost yelled. “This is like, the coooolist place ever!”

Obviously she still hadn’t lost her enthusiasm. Shuka envied how she seemed almost incapable of getting bored. Still, with each question Lor’gan answered there seemed to be a new question that she had to ask.

“If you aren’t a smuggler yourself, then how did you even learn about the tunnel in the first place? This seems like the kind of thing that would be pretty well hidden.”

“Big sis Asheli told me about it. She’s like, the second most important person in Sidus, so she knows a lot of cool things.”

“Wait, second most important? What makes you say that?”

“Mama told me. She said it like a bad thing though, but I think it’s cool.”

“Why would being the second most important person in the capital city of an entire empire be a bad thing? It seems pretty great to me.”

“I know right!? But mama said that she needs to either be more important than the Grand Priest, or less important than the Emperor, but since she’s not, she’s failed.”

What kind of standard is that? Isn’t the Grand Priest the head of the entire Celestial Order? If I remember correctly, the Grand Priest is supposed to have a position equal to the Emperor. How are you meant to top that? And what did she mean by less important than the Emperor anyway? Doesn’t that just include everyone?

Shuka was very confused, and she wasn’t alone in that.

“What do you mean by less important than the Emperor?” Maryam asked. “That seems like a weird thing to aspire to.”

Lor’gan was the one to answer.

“Chieftain Asheron likes to keep a low profile. In her eyes, you should either be unimportant enough that no one bothers you, or so important that no one could even if they wanted to. It’s why our tribe isn’t even on most maps, and we barely interact with the empire. Or at least we didn’t until Asheli decided to take a quarter of the tribe with her to Sidus.”

“Right, but… why is the Emperor the cut-off point for not being important enough to bother with?”

“Oh, well he is a massive pushover.”

“The Emperor?”

“Yeah. Honestly, if it wasn’t for his royal advisers, anyone could go up to him and ask for anything and he would grant it. Not because he’s really generous or anything, he just doesn’t have the guts to say no. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard, it’s not like I’ve actually met him myself.”

It was hard to move on from having her mental image of the Emperor shattered, but Shuka was going to try anyway.

“So what does Asheli even do to make her the second most important person in Sidus then?”

“Well, aren’t you impatient? If you want to know so badly, ask her yourself; we’re here.”

To Shuka’s shock, they were. She was too distracted by the conversation to notice, but the end of the tunnel was finally lit up. There was a short ladder that led to a wooden trap door in the roof of the tunnel. Lor’gan climbed up the ladder and pushed on the trap door… only to find it locked. A small slat on the door slid open to reveal a pair of eyes and a gruff voice.

“Password?”

“Oh, right. Uhh, crap, what was the password again? Wait, you haven’t changed it since I was here last year have you?”

Without a word the slat closed and shortly after there was a grating scraping sound as if something heavy was being moved… onto the trap door.

“Well… shit.”

It was quite obvious that that did not go quite as Lor’gan planned. Maryam was very displeased and she wasn’t afraid to make that known.

“Lor’gan I am not walking all the way back through this damn tunnel just because you forgot that this ultra secret smuggling tunnel might need a password. You better get that goddam door open.”

“Well what do you want me to do, bash it open?”

“I don’t know, bribe them or something.”

“With what? A song and dance?”

“Fine then, I’ll do it.”

Maryam was walking over to the ladder to have a go herself, when the scraping returned. The heavy object was being moved off the trap door again, and the slat opened a moment later. This time there was a different pair of eyes on the other side though. The new pair was a deep, glowing orange. Orange and yellow, like a burning flame. It was the same kind of eyes Shuka saw on Asheron.

“Asheli!” Lor’gan called out. “It’s me, Lor’gan. Mind letting us in, I uhh, may have forgotten the password. Sorry.”

“Is Ashal with you?”

Her voice was deep and powerful, but also distinctly feminine. It was interrupted by a much higher-pitched voice coming from Ashal.

“Big sis, big sis, I’m here! Are you excited to see me?”

“Is that little Ashal I hear? Let’s get this door open then, I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting.”

The slat closed, several locks were removed, and the door opened. Ashal was already waiting at the bottom of the ladder, so as soon as she saw her sister, she bounded up the ladder rungs and leaped into Asheli’s arms. Asheli herself was a big woman with a toned body rippling with muscles. Even her tail looked like it could hurt someone. Her fur was a lighter shade of brown, broken up with darker, almost black spots, but her hands, feet and the tip of her tail were gray, just like Acheron’s. She wore a simple sleeveless shirt of muted reds and oranges, which left her abs exposed, and a set of baggy pants. On her wrists were engraved metal bracers that Shuka was sure were enchanted. While she wasn’t wearing any shoes, the shape of her animalistic feet wouldn’t allow her to wear most anyway, she did have several anklets. Some were simple metal rings, while others seemed to be made of twine and had small bone charms on them. She had more accessories of a similar style in the form of earrings, necklaces, and even small bone beads that were tied into her voluminous mane of hair. All in all, her outfit was an odd mix of modern and tribal, that somehow still looked coherent.

“Ashal, how long has it been, a year? You’ve only grown cuter in that time. Have you been a good girl?”

“Nope!”

“You took my lessons to heart then, I’m so proud of you.”

Ashal had a wide smile on her face and joy in her eyes, and Asheli was the same. Her moment with her little sister couldn’t last forever though as a man by her side fitted out in leather armour and holding a loaded crossbow nudged her and asked her a question.

“Boss, what about the others? Those three in the back match the descriptions we got from Aurulin.”

Isn’t Aurulin that priestess Xorvos and Maryam went to see? That’s not good, I don’t think she would have said much good about us. I guess I just have to hope Lor’gan and Ashal can convince Asheli not to hand us over to her.

“Hmm? Huh, you’re right. So, mother actually fulfilled a request of mine, how surprising. You seem pretty lax in transporting them Lor’gan. Only six gnolls and no restraints? You didn’t even take their weapons. You wouldn’t happen to be charmed by her, would you?”

“What, charmed? No.”

Asheli held Ashal in one arm and used the other to grab one of her necklaces, a fancy metal one with an amythest set in it that was hidden under her shirt. She whispered a word under her breath and then extended her arm outward, down into the tunnel. A wave of barely visible purple energy emerged out of her hand and washed over everyone still in the tunnel. Shuka flinched when it reached her, but it seemed harmless, only leaving a slight tingling feeling, which was probably her body reacting to the mana in the spell. Asheli put the amulet back under her shirt before speaking again.

“Are you sure?”

“Yup.”

“Alright, you can come up. Everyone else, keep an eye on the two humans and the Quanso. And confiscate their weapons too.”

The second bit was directed to her companions up top, most of which Shuka was pretty sure she couldn’t see. Lor’gan started climbing the ladder, then Shuka went after him. When she reached the top she found herself surrounded by a dozen men and women of various species, all with weapons and wands ready, if not pointed at her. The man with the crossbow from before stood in front of her and gestured to a nearby table.

“Put your weapons there. Make a move or cast a spell and I’ll shoot you.”

Shuka didn’t need to be told twice. As much as she did not want to leave her bow with them, she wasn’t about to start a fight over it. She was less sad about leaving her sword and hunting knife on the table. Her near-daily training sessions did little to make her appreciate the sword, and the knife was just a knife, she could buy a new one. Maryam was next, but all she had to hand over was a single dagger. Shuka was surprised she didn’t have a wand, she could have definitely afforded one. Xorvos was last, and also the most apprehensive. His gauntlets were rare, and Shuka knew they were a gift from his father. Xorvos hesitated for a moment, and then two. Only when the man with the crossbow raised his weapon did Xorvos move, slowly taking off his black gauntlets, revealing a rare look at his bare hands. During all this, Asheli had been talking with Lor’gan and playing with Ashal. When she saw they were done, she put Ashal down and patted her on the head

“Now Ashal, big sis has some work to do so why don’t you play with some of the friends you made the last time you were here.”

“Okay!”

Ashal quickly scurried out of the small room they were in, while Asheli walked over to Shuka and her group. As Ashal left, one of the gnolls who were escorting Shuka followed her.

“According to Lor’gan, you three have been framed. I will be the judge of that. Come, let’s talk in my office.”

They were led out of the room and into the common room of the building they were in. It was a cozy looking place, with wooden walls, floor, and roof, that was generously lit with the same kind of magic lights that were in the tunnel. Tables filled the room, with most of them occupied by men and women of just about every species. Some were drinking, some were playing games of cards or dice, and some were simply chatting with their friends. While weapons were common and there were a few people Shuka certainly wouldn’t want to meet in an alley at night, the place didn’t feel especially dangerous. There were individuals who did, with Asheli being one of them, but most people just seemed to be having a good time. Shuka saw Ashal already playing with a small group of what were either halflings or children. She didn’t have very long to look around because she was led straight to a nearby door that had a stylized animal paw painted on it in gray paint. Asheli unlocked the door with a key then opened it up wide for Shuka and her friends to go through. Inside was a simple space: four walls, a desk, and some chairs. The only thing that stood out was a small blue orb inserted into the desk. Asheli took her place on her side of the desk, while Shuka, Maryam, and Xorvos all found their own seats. After sitting down, Asheli tapped a claw onto the orb in her desk, and the little sphere floated several feet up into the air, before it unleashed some sort of spell. Nothing visible emerged, but Shuka could now feel mana in the air, and she felt something affect her, even if she couldn’t tell what it was.

“Well, first things first, introductions. What are your names?”

“Xorvos.”

“Maryam.”

“Shuka Vondoom.”

Did I just say Vondoom? I wasn’t trying to. Well, that’s probably for the best anyway, Asheron thought I was trying to hide something when I didn’t tell her my last name.

Before Asheli could talk again, Maryam asked a question.

“Hey, what’s up with the orb? It looks like a privacy sphere, but you’ve added something on to it and I can’t tell what.”

“Pretty bold of you to be asking questions in a situation like this, but I suppose the daughter of the Archmage of Artifice just can’t help herself when it comes to magical artifacts, can she? You are right, it is a sphere of privacy, no sound will leave this room, and if the whole building wasn’t already unscriable, it would prevent that too. The modification is a truth spell. As long as you are in this room, all of you will be incapable of lying or even withholding relevant pieces of information. So I would hope the truth treats you kindly if I were you.”

So that’s why I told her my full name. Well I guess it’s a good thing the truth is exactly what I want to tell her anyway.

“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, Maryam, give me half of the gold you have on you, right now.”

“What!? Half my gold, are you crazy? Why would I do that?”

“Because you don’t have much of a choice. Besides, the gold will be better used in my pocket than yours.”

“Well, why only me then, Shuka and Xorvos have money too you know.”

Asheli snorted derisively at that.

“I would be surprised if they had a hundred gold between the two of them, it’s not worth my time and I don’t steal from the poor anyway. The price the rich pay for meeting me is their wealth, so pay up.”

Xorvos was even angrier about the situation than Maryam, and he wasn’t about to stay silent about it.

“Whether it is against the rich or not doesn’t stop a crime from being a crime. We have done nothing against you and yet here you are, extorting us for no other reason than to fill your own pockets with gold. It’s dishonourable.”

“Yeah, what about it? I don’t give two shits about honour. The good that I can do with that money is so much greater than the bad that comes out of one rich kid losing a bit of pocket change.”

“Good? What good are you going to do with my money? Buy another magical trinket to decorate yourself with?”

“Sure, I could do that. Or I could use that money to buy food for the poor. Or use it to expand the apartment complex I built, the one that doesn’t charge rent for the homeless. I could even use it to bribe greedy people to do good things. Oh, but I suppose bribes are dishonourable too, right? What were you going to use your money for? Petty indulges I’m sure.”

Both Xorvos and Maryam were silent at that, although clearly angry. Shuka was processing everything. She thought she had an idea of who Asheli might be, but now she wasn’t sure.

Well, Lor’gan did say I can just ask her, right? No better time than now.

“Asheli, if I may ask… who exactly are you?”

“You don’t already know? Well fine then, I suppose I should give my own introduction. I am Asheli of the Ashfire tribe, leader of the Thieves Guild of the Celestial Empire.”