Secrets in the Stone

"There's nowt yer but barrels, like he said Cap'n. An' all wi' the bonding masters sign on 'em, right proper." The guards just stood there, looking at the Captain, mindless now that the trail was cold.

'Not a brain between them' he thought as he pondered the situation. He had seen the pilfering little sneak go into the tavern. He had most definately not seen him leave, and he wasn't here now. Well, unless he hid better than a rat in drainpipe, that is.

"Rat in a drain pipe" tapping his lip now, mind linking the pieces of this jigsaw. " Search again boys, and then again. Go through this place inch by inch. Take up floor boards if you need to, but find that petty little thief. Find him and I double your pay tonight."

Blagg the barman watched nervously, the last thing he wanted was some petty guard captain using the tavern as a step stone to promotion. He could risk them finding the hidden cellar, many places had hidies and the such, but it was not to his liking. "I got another cellar, captain, afore yer lads go tearin' my liveli'ood t' ruin" he motioned up the steps "up 'ere, I keeps it fer me special bits, like."

And so he showed the guard over to the hidey, and protested much when they insisted on watching him open it up. "Not much use now as a hidey" he muttered, as the last guard disappeared into the darkness. Still, the Stone foundations that supported this canal cursed city held many secrets, a few more bleached bones wouldn't make much difference. He grimaced as he heard the first stifled yell from below, and pushed the well concealed trapdoor firmly back into place. He slid the bolt as the first fists beat at it in frenzied terror. He laid the carpet back down - that helped dull the noise - and soon the yells died down, soon there was silence.

Blagg hoped the guards wouldn't be missed, not least until his story was straight, anyway. "Guards? what, here? No sir, they wouldn't be drinkin' in a dive like this now would they, Sir? Not that I wouldn't want the coin an' all, Sir, but your boys, they got standards don't they, Sir?".......