Grimdark Magazine Issue #10 by Jesse Bullington

Author:Jesse Bullington [Collins, Edited by Adrian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, General
Publisher: Grimdark Magazine
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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‘Nice place,’ Gallis commented, a small glimmer of greed lighting his gaze as he surveyed the mansion. Derla supposed it was too much to ask for him to forgo his thief’s instincts for one night. She had to admit it was an impressive house, standing three stories high with numerous glass windows rather than shutters. It lay just to the north of where the Brinewash deepened and curved back on itself for a short stretch, creating a teardrop-shaped bulge where many of the city’s merchants made their homes. The depth and course of the river insulated these worthies from Varinshold’s less desirable precincts whilst remaining within a reasonable carriage ride of the docks.

They had crossed the river just after the tenth bell tolled, making use of a somewhat leaky boat procured by a bargeman of Gallis’ acquaintance. Once ashore they hid themselves in the deep shadows of the house’s exterior wall, Gallis peering through the railings to gauge the best way in.

‘Plenty of pickings to be had in a house like that,’ he went on, Derla detecting an obvious question in his tone.

‘Get me where I need to be,’ she said, ‘then the place is yours.’

‘Kwo said he’s got a wife and two daughters.’

Derla met his gaze, seeing another, weightier question there. ‘Not my concern,’ she said, ‘or yours,’ she added, raising her voice to address their five compatriots. ‘Tie them up and gag them. That’s all.’

‘And the pirates?’

‘That’s your score to settle. Just don’t be too quick about it.’

‘Right then.’ He settled the coiled rope over his shoulder and reached up to grasp the railings, pausing for a second before hauling himself up. ‘You know you should’ve killed Kwo, right?’ he asked Derla.

She ignored the question and gave an impatient flick of her hand. Get on with it. Gallis pulled on a leather mask that covered the upper side of his face, flashed her a brief grin and leapt, gripping the top of the railings and vaulting over in an effortless display of his art. He landed softly, took a second to scan the surrounding flower beds then beckoned to the rest of the crew. They duly clambered over the railings to crouch at Gallis’ side whereupon he led them towards the house in a straight sprint across the lawn. Derla lost sight of them as they rounded the mansion’s north facing wall. Now she could only wait.

As the seconds stretched to minutes, her eyes flicked from one dim window to another, ears alive for the sound of alarm. She knew Gallis would be climbing the rear of the house, searching for an unsecured window or other useful entry point. Once inside he would toss the rope to his crew and the night’s business would begin in earnest. She found her hands trembling a little as the minutes dragged by, and frowned in puzzlement at the sweat dampening her palms. Since viewing Livera’s corpse she had felt little save an unwavering sense of purpose, yet now the fear chose to make itself known.

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