The Parting

     The cloaked Blue Gelert sauntered toward the very end of the Merry Munchin’ Marbluk, a tavern in the Haunted Woods, to meet the Skunk Zafara who sat sullenly with a tankard in a corner table. She glanced up, staring at the Gelert hard with deep blue eyes as she tugged at her black and white mane that had been pulled back into a messy ponytail.

     “And here you are, Kanrik,” the Zafara said tartly as he pulled out the chair directly in front of her and slid – rather, she thought it more appropriate to say he oozed into the chair. “Let me guess. Now that you’re the leader of the Thieves’ Guild, you want me back?”

     Kanrik frowned and glanced away, reaching up to touch the scar on his face. “Good guess.” He took a deep breath and folded his gloved hands on his knee. “Look, I can’t undo a lot of things Galem Darkhand did. But I made sure he’ll never do any of that, to anyone else, ever again, Beatrix.”

     After raising her eyebrows, Beatrix shook her head. “And you even got to save an entire race of Bori from extinction. Word is, you’ve also been hanging around that Hannah more often.” She curled her lips into a sardonic grin. “A happy ending, by all accounts, for Kanrik the master thief. He becomes a hero, gains control of the Thieves’ Guild, and Hannah – “

     He waved a hand and cut her off. Beatrix merely took a swig of her drink.

     “Beatrix Halliday. On behalf of the Thieves’ Guild…I apologise for what happened to your brother and sister. On that day, Galem broke the most important law of the Guild.”

     “Yet no one dared to unseat him, after he made a mockery of our Code of Thievery. After he let Segwin and Myrtle...” Her face twisted into a dark frown. “Their first job with the Thieves’ Guild was to join us in searching old ruins in Terror Mountain, and when things went sideways…”

     She held Kanrik’s brooding stare with her stony glare.

     “You know what happened, Kanrik.”

     “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.” The Gelert leaned away from her, ever so slightly, and folded his arms across his chest. “Somehow, nobody knew the ruins would be guarded.”

     “And you know what happened next,” Beatrix hissed, “after Galem Darkhand sacrificed Segwin and Myrtle for the ruins’ treasure and his own scaly skin.” Before he could say anything, she continued, her words a pained rasp. “He blamed me for this, when it was he who left them behind. It was he who stopped me from going after them. And he got away scot-free, continued leading the Guild, which was wrapped around his claw!” She slammed her tankard down onto the table so loudly that not a few patrons took notice.

     “That’s why I came to find you,” Kanrik said steadily, holding up his hands. “I wanted to apologise. I should’ve done more. I shouldn’t have listened to Masila.”

     “No one should be listening to Masila.”

     “I know, I know. But unlike Galem, I don’t plan on breaking the Code of Thievery any time soon. There are certain lines even thieves shouldn’t cross.”

     Beatrix snorted. “Hah! I’m surprised Hannah would still give you the time of day even after you used her and left her to die! Maybe that’s why no one wanted to take Galem to the Thieves’ Court; the Guild has always been rotten. Most of them don’t know, or don’t care, that we have a Code of Thievery.”

     An expression of what looked like guilt, or perhaps embarrassment, flashed across Kanrik’s face. “I said sorry to Hannah after what happened! You think she and Armin let me hear the end of it? Anyway!” He sank slightly in his seat before straightening up again. “The Guild can’t afford to lose someone like you, one of its best fighters, with a silver tongue to match.”

     “Don’t try to flatter me.” The Skunk Zafara glared at him again while a waitress cleared her empty tankard. “The Guild already lost me, the day I lost what was left of my family. For most of my entire life, I raised them, kept them safe, made sure they lived good lives and didn’t have to join the Thieves’ Guild like me…and I was right, the moment they got involved, Galem used them as bait. Hmm, that sounds familiar.”

     “Please, Beatrix,” said the Gelert through gritted teeth.

     “No,” was the cold reply. The chair scraped against the floor as Beatrix stood up, her bangs falling partly over her face as she growled, “We’re done here. I’ll never return to the Thieves’ Guild.” She dropped several Neopoints onto the table, then wrapped her own cloak around herself and swept past Kanrik, her nose in the air. “Go ask Hannah to join if you’re so desperate for members. Though, I’d give her three days at most before she leaves, too.”

     At first, he watched her go while a Spotted Kau collected the Neopoints into her pinafore, cleared the empty tankard and wiped the table. Then, he hurried away to follow Beatrix.

     * * *

     ”Beatrix, don’t leave. Masila said Galem will come around, she promised to talk to him.”

     “And you believe that little Wadjet?” the Zafara snarled, holding a poultice over the bruises around her left eye with her hand that wasn’t in a sling. “There’s nothing in it for her! Masila never does anything without a catch! For all we know, she’s been stringing us – you – along!”

     Kanrik gasped. “Don’t say that! She would never…”

     “Oh, just like how Galem said he would never break the Code and then left Myrtle and Segwin to the sentinels guarding the ruins?” Her tears mingled with the droplets of water from the cold poultice.

     “She’s…” The Gelert groaned and spread his arms. “No, I’ll…”

     “Forget it!” said Beatrix. “I’ve had enough. All I did was remind Galem of the Code of Thievery, of our most important law…and this is what I got!” She moved her hand away from her face and gestured to herself. “If this is his idea of ‘talking’ then there’s no point! He doesn’t care about my siblings. All he cares about is keeping the entire Guild under his iron claw. I’m leaving.”

     “What? Beatrix, you can’t…”

     She slapped the poultice back onto her eye and grinned mirthlessly. “I’ve got nothing to lose. I lost the only family I had. The Thieves’ Guild was never my family. Galem can come after me if he wants, but I doubt I’m worth his time. He might even be glad to see I’m gone.” The Skunk Zafara turned away from him, her steps deliberate but unsteady as she walked away.

     “But where are you going?”

     “Anywhere where I can be away from this accursed Guild. From everything.”

     * * *

     I should’ve known it was only a matter of time before they found me again. Beatrix swiped at her face, at her watering eyes. But I was right. I wasn’t worth Galem’s time, he didn’t even send anyone after him. Then Kanrik goes and sends himself…

     Ugh. Speak of the Devilpuss.

     “Stop following me. I already said no,” Beatrix said, whirling around with one hand on her cutlass hilt.

     “Beatrix,” he whispered as he caught up with her, “I know I can’t change your mind, but at least let me say one last thing.”

     The Skunk Zafara put her hands on her hips and made a show of tapping her foot.

     Kanrik took a deep breath. “Again, I’m sorry I didn’t do more for you, or for your siblings. I shouldn’t have believed Masila so easily when she said she’d try to get Galem to apologise to you or make it up to you. And I’m going to make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. And…and Beatrix, I am honored to have worked with you, ever since you entered the Thieves’ Guild. I heard you’ve taken up mercenary work these days, so maybe…maybe there’s a chance we could work together again?”

     Silence. The bushes on the side of the path rustled and a few Meepits trundled out, crossed the path, and vanished into the shadows.

     “Does the Thieves’ Guild need to find a lost Petpet or figure out what’s lurking in old Aunt Cartimar’s basement?” said Beatrix acidly.

     “Well…not right now, no.”

     “Then I don’t think so.”

     “Right.” Kanrik sighed. “At least don’t be a stranger, Beatrix. Just because you’re no longer in the Guild…”

     Beatrix shrugged and said, “We’ll see. But I don’t want you or anyone else from the Guild to find me again for a while, if you get my drift.”

     “I get it. Loud and clear. So, this is goodbye? For now.”

     “Yeah, but before you go, I also have one last thing to say to you.”

     “What?” The Gelert stiffened.

     “Apology accepted.” She gave him a split-second smile as she watched him relax. “Now get out there and make the Thieves’ Guild a much better place than it was under Galem Darkhand. If I find out that you’ve turned into another Galem…” Beatrix tapped her cutlass.

     Kanrik grinned back. “I know, I know. See you around.”

     “See you around.”

     The End.