And in the Air Was Murder by Joel Kininmonth

Short Story:

"And in the air was murder" by Joel Kininmonth

It was the start of summer, the bees were coming out, the birds were chirping and a little house in the town of Meridia is waking up to the coming heat. The mist in the air was disappearing and it was the one time a day when the stale, thick Smokey air coming from the inn next door wasn't noticeable. In this house there lived a family, but this wasn't just any old family, there was something special about this family. There were no arguments over who needed to do what, and there were no disagreements over what was on the plate for dinner.

The man of the house, Tomas, was being woken up by the rays of sunlight creeping through the window. Tomas is a fairly thick body but most of its muscle; he has a small clean-shaven moustache and Brown-Blond hair which he dyed black. "It's going to be warm today" he said as he scrambled out of bed. Years of living inside the house had given him senses that no other man who hadn't lived in the same house for the same amount of time could possess. Tomas worked in the guild of thieves and was one of the better thieves. He would go prowling around the streets of Meridia stealing from the peasants and other merchants of the town. If he was lucky he would cross a merchant renting out a place for the night travelling from the city of Secdral in the north, down to the city of Kento in the south. Tomas was a single man who once got drunk with a whore and she died while giving birth to his son, John. John was a teenager and a troublemaker in the town. His dad's knack of the job had passed through to his son and he is becoming an apprentice thief. John is solidly built; he has broad shoulder like his father and dark brown hair. Tomas would often go out to do business and leave his son to play with the other kids. Tomas and John had a strong father-son relationship. When Tomas come back with excess money from the job he would go out and spoil his son on new clothing and the often necessities.

Tomas went to the room opposite his and knocked on the door. Immediately he heard rustling and he thought it must be someone getting changed. There was a quick murmur of speech and then the sound of a window opening. Then the door swung open to see John standing with a big grin on his face. John was a ladies man; he would never be seen without one. Tomas said "I'm going out to see the Boss" and then with a mock tone said "try to keep your pants of for one day" as he bent down to pick up a dress. "She might need this" he said then walked of laughing leaving a blushing John standing there. A quick rush of noise had told Tomas that the dress had been delivered.

The rush of Merchants and buyers trying to get from one stall to another was a blur of colours as Tomas walked down the main street. The yelling of a farmer getting his bag of gold stolen and the rich perfume scents coming from a exotic stall wasn't very new to Tomas as his life had revolved around this town. In a small grate down the side of an alley was the entrance to the sewers, which was the centre of movement for the thieves' guild. As Tomas opened up the grate a foul smell let itself out as a cold gust of wind blew. Tomas's years of being in the thieves' guild had made his nose immune to the foul smells of the Sewers. This was always a good place to have an organisation as the smell kept off any stray visitors. As Tomas jumped into the grate he barely made a splash as he fell into the warm muck. He knew the way to the base off by heart and could easily make his way through the maze of tunnels in the dark. By running his hand along the left wall and pacing his steps he found a section of the wall that was a little bit rougher that the rest. He felt four bricks down as he felt a little hole in the bricks. He pulled ever so slightly as the brick slid out and it weighed next to nothing. He felt the back at the empty space where the brick used to be and found a little rucksack. Inside he got out a small dirk, some naphtha in a glass jar and some black clothing. He put on the clothing very quickly and put the dirk in his pocket. He always left the naphtha out just encase of a quick get away. He kept walking down the tunnel but this time on the right side. He felt the brick on the side lead to an empty space and went down the tunnel on the right. At the end it was a dead end only to those who didn't know where to go. There was a small gap at the corner of the wall that concealed a hidden door. Tomas slid his fingers around and pulled the door out.

He quietly slid in and pulled the door shut. All of a sudden he felt a fist enter his gut and all the wind left his lungs. "Come on dad, I would like to see the day when you actually beat me" Said John as he skilfully dodged a blow from his dad. "And I would like to see the day when you actually would listen to me". Inside it was a large room with a couple of tables and chairs. There was quite a cluster of thieves, which was surprising for this part of the day. He asked his son what was going on. "Some word that the Boss is going to make an announcement. Quite abnormal if you ask me because the Boss never makes public announcements" Tomas chuckled at that, as he had known the Boss for eighteen years and his son was obviously making a mockery of him that made him feel like a rookie when he didn't know a thing. A man in the corner asked for quietness as the Boss entered the room. The boss was quite a youthful looking man. He was big and muscly and looked like he could defend himself in a fight. "My most trusted agents and I have been discussing this for a while and we have come to a decision. You all should know of the murders that have been happening around this area. There is no significant pattern to the murders they just seem to be happening at random. Some good men have died and even some members of the thieves guild have been killed." After that there was a bit of murmur amongst the people. "We have decided the best course of action is to go after these assassins and bring what they have been dealing out to them" Tomas and John looked at each other when he said that. "We have arranged lists for specific nights to go out on a look and hunt down these murderers. Tonight's job will be as follows, the leader will be Tomas and the followers: Aruyam, Mason and John. The rest will be posted on the board by tomorrow morning." Tomas looked on the edge of voicing his complaint but thought better of it. Arguing with the Boss was a letter to death. "Bring back any clues that might help us track down their whereabouts. Go now those who have been