(mysterious music plays) The Thieves Guild,
by Jake Kerr.
Episode 105:
Truth and Lies.
Their horses were very fast, but Rogers was not a very good rider, and
thus, he and Velo had to travel much slower than they otherwise would.
In fact, after Rogers had once again nearly fallen out of the saddle during a
gallop, Velo muttered...
"You are hopeless. We will trot the rest of the way."
Velos didn't seem to mind, and it soon became clear why.
They had worked their way east, the wall of Ness far in the distance.
The plains were very flat and Rogers took advantage of the light pace to take in the
lands he had never seen before. The mighty mountains
dominated the horizon, and stood tall and sheer as far as Rogers could
see, curving around Ness and continuing to the north.
Everything else was scrub and plains.
As Rogers looked over his shoulder to strain his eyes to see if there was anything to the
west, Velo spoke up.
"What do you see?"
Rogers turned to Velo and shrugged.
"Nothing much.
Scrub, brush, grass.
Flat land as far as I can see."
Velo nodded.
"Indeed. Now tell me what you don't see."
The clip-clop of the hooves were all that could be heard as Rogers
pondered the question. Finally, he answered...
"People,
crops,
buildings.
It appears a wasteland." "Are you surprised?"
Without thinking, Rogers nodded, and that's when he realized why Velo
was okay with them trotting along at a slow pace.
He was going to pepper Rogers with questions. But to what end?
"I thought as much,"
Velos replied to Rodgers nod.
"Very few in the city know what happens outside the walls."
Velo pointed to the north.
"What is different about that than that?"
Velo then pointed toward their destination, the outer fields.
Rogers spent a significant amount of time studying the terrain, but finally
answered...
"I know not."
With a nod, Velo replied...
"It is higher terrain. The mountains drop to a flat section of land across the north
fork. On this side, the terrain slowly rises again.
Ness is nestled in a valley, and all the water from the mountains flow down
through the city, avoiding all of this."
Velo waved his hand across all the land to the north and west.
"It is essentially a desert."
Rogers nodded, finally getting it.
"Ness is in a fertile plain, between three rivers and the mountains, and everything else is starved for
water and thus, fertile land."
Velo reached over and gave Rogers a hard pat on the shoulder.
"And now you will be able to pass much more easily as a
Harvest Guild member,
thief."
Rogers looked over at Velo, hiding his alarm.
But Velo was smiling. Rogers probably should have denied being a thief,
but he was too stunned by Velos casual assertion.
Finally, Rogers replied...
"If I'm a thief, then why am I not dead?" "The main reason is because
Quinto believed you. He knew immediately you weren't a Harvest Guild member.
I had my doubts, but Quinto just knew.
But, he also believed that your information was accurate, and I told him how you had
helped a group of Harvest Guild members escape Saxe's tyranny.
We both believed that." "I see."
"But, the biggest reason is that everyone knows that no one has
done more to help the Rangers than the Thieves Guild."
Rogers nearly fell off his horse. He had no idea what Velo was talking
about. The Thieves Guild helped the Rangers?
How? He knew that Meo, the thief captain in charge of the plains
outside the wall, had nothing but bad things to say about the Rangers.
Of course, Rogers spent nearly all his time in the lower quarter, so there
was no reason for him to know anything that happened outside the gates.
Despite his racing thoughts, Rogers hid his ignorance well by quickly
replying...
"Of course." "Still..."
Velo continued frowning.
"While we are disgusted by executioners' hollow, we are no fans of
the thieves. You man the wall, and we honor you for that.
You calm the outlanders, and we honor you for that.
But you are still thieves and take what isn't yours."
"Of course," Rogers thought. "The southern part of
the wall is guarded by the Thieves Guild.
Of course the Rangers would know that." As to the stealing, Rogers
simply replied...
"We take so we can give."
Velo didn't ask for clarification, but instead made a clucking noise,
increasing their pace.
Before long, they reached the north fork, which was a much wider and violent river
outside the city than it was inside. In fact, it was immediately
clear to Rogers why the outer fields could be maintained without much concern for an
attack. They were protected by the river.
"We will cross north of here. It is not a short journey, uh, but
there is no other safe way across the river." "Is it a bridge?"
Rogers asked. To which Velo replied with a hearty laugh and
another slap on Rogers shoulder...
The path along the river was worn smooth, and it was clear that many horses
and people had rode up and down the river.
Rogers assumed it was due to the Rangers guarding the river, but it struck
Rogers that it very well may have been outlanders constantly looking for a way
across. The river widened and Velo stopped.
"We're here."
Rogers looked up and down the river, and didn't see anything.
No ferry, no bridge, not even a worn path leading up to a
shallow part of the river.
The only thing that Rogers noticed was that the river looked much calmer.
Velo noticed Rogers' confusion and added...
"There is a drop to the bottom of the river here.
It is very deep, but it also slows the river down.
We believe there is some underground river that may lead to the outer fields that
originates here."
Velo waved toward the river.
"So, it is calm." "How do we cross?" "We
swim."
Velo smiled.
"Don't worry. The horses are good swimmers."
Rogers tried to hide his fear. "Unfortunately, I can't swim."
"I expected as much.
Just hold onto your horse's saddle, he'll pull you across."
Velos again slapped Rogers on the back before dismounting.
"Just don't let go." "But how do they not sink?"
Rogers was trying to think of a way out of having to get into the water.
Before Velo could answer, he looked north.
"Isn't there a bridge or shallow crossing?"
"There are rumors of a wide and shallow crossing far to the
east."
Velo started to secure his stirrups to the saddle.
"How far east?"
"On the other side of the mountain."
Velo smirked and then added...
"And to answer your question, their lungs are large and allow them to float."
Rogers was not quite terrified, but he fully expected that death was a
possibility.
Still, he had a mission, and he would fulfill it had he not faced
death in the pit.
The last thing Velo did oddly made Rogers feel better.
He secured the letter for Polo on the top of his horse's head.
Rogers figured if Velo and Quinto trusted that the horse wouldn't ruin the letter,
he could trust that the horse wouldn't ruin him.
"Go first and I'll keep an eye on you," Velo said.
Rogers was grateful, but also not sure what to do.
"Just hold onto the saddle," Velo added, as if reading his
mind.
Rogers followed his horse into the water, which was bitterly cold.
In fact, the cold of the water almost made him forget his fear.
The horse clearly had made this journey before, for he strode forward until the
water was too deep, and then began to swim, pumping his
legs.
Rogers clung to the saddle and was surprised how calm it actually was.
The calm water helped and the horse's pumping legs moved them across at a
slow but steady pace. There were moments where the horse would struggle a bit to
maintain its trajectory to the opposite shore, but it never made a violent twist
or movement.
By the time he could feel the muddy gravel of the opposite shore, Rogers felt
confident he could make the journey again.
The real issue was the cold. The water must have originated in the snow-capped
mountains, and as he walked up the shore, Rogers couldn't
stop his teeth from chattering.
"Time for a fire,"
Velo said as he led his horse up to Rogers.
He walked over to a pile of rubble and moved some rocks.
Underneath were some dry wood and a flint.
Before too long, they had a fire going and their clothes were drying on rocks.
The sun had recently set, and the two of them sat in the flickering firelight.
Velo held the dry letter for Polo between two fingers.
He slapped it against his other palm again and again.
Rogers wasn't sure if Velo was just nervous or thinking.
Finally, Rogers spoke up. "What do you think it says?"
"I know what it says."
Rogers wasn't sure if he had the right to ask, but he did anyway.
"What does it say?"
"It says that the Rangers will be crossing the North
Fork to join in an attack on the Night Watch.
We will take the wall and then see how Saxe reacts."
"I thought you said there was no easy way across the North Fork."
"I lied," Velo said, smiling and nodding across the
river.
Far across the plains were pinpoints of light.
Many, many pinpoints of light, as if from the fires of a gathering
army.
(instrumental music plays)