The Brotherhood of The Black Rats

4.29 Oaths

“Well the good news is The Grey Guard knows nothing,” said Thompkins once he was back among The Black Rats on Staten Island. The group had decided on laying low for a few days, while things blew over. Not only that but there was still the matter of the mysterious fairy girl who was only just beginning to regain her strength in full. “The bad news is that our very own Kai is currently the most wanted fugitive in the Tri-State Area.”

“Dang, that’s quite a bounty on his head,” noted Calvin as he read from the newspaper “One from the Grey Guard and one from The House of Gilded Crane. We could live like Kings for a year.” He added.

“Give me that!” snapped Simon ripping the paper from the boy’s hands to see for himself. “Would you look at that picture…I can’t believe she sold you out like that.”

Simon held the story up for his friend to see. Kai had rarely left the Fairy’s bedside since the group had returned last night, even know he seemed more preoccupied with her health than the reward on his own head.

“Say I got an idea…” said Colin then “Kai you ever pose for a glamour before?”

“This is a serious matter,” said Thompkins “It’s not just Kai who’s screwed here, we all are, and there’s still been no word from Spider?”

“You mean the bastard who set us up?” Gabriel piped up from his place near the kitchen sink, it was barely afternoon and already the man was crafting a cocktail from the ingredients Simon had in storage.

“We don’t know that,” Said Simon “Last I recall Spider looked just as surprised as the rest of us when…” he couldn’t bring himself to finished the sentence.

“Then where the hell did he go?” asked Gabriel.

“I don’t know,” confessed Kai “And has anybody heard from Doc? He hasn’t been around since the last night.”

“I told him to put all his essence into finding Spider, figured there was no sense in having him cooped up with us here anyway.” Replied Simon.

“Way to go, we lost our Dungeon Master,” stated Calvin.

“Oh whatever shall we do?” quipped Gabriel.

“I had him tail my old associate this morning.” Admitted Thompkins “If the Belvedere Court is behind all this we’ll know soon enough.”

“If the Belvedere Court is behind all this, we might as well give up now,” reflected Colin.

“The Belvedere Court,” said Kai “They must be holding him against his will.”

“The same bastards who tried to pin us for Pixie Trafficking,” added Thompkins.

“The same bastards who killed us,” added Calvin intently.

“What’s the word with lady luck over there?” Simon asked directing his inquiry toward Kai and The Troll.

“She’s coming along,” answered Thompkins “Kai just need’s to keep up with the warm towels and linen while her body calibrates to the mortal realm.”

“Lovely,” said Simon “Any idea who she is yet?”

“She came to a little before dawn, kept saying something over and over again,” answered the Cartomancer.

“Well what was it?” asked Gabriel before anyone else could.

“The Thorn is broken, The Thorn is broken,” said Kai and even as the simple chant left his lips the girl in the bed slowly stirred.

“What!?” asked Thompkins inquisitively. “You never said that before.” He added rising from his chair and leaving the room in haste.

“It was just after you left this morning then again around noon before you came back,” replied Kai following him along with the others. “What does it mean?”