October 27, 2023 • 10 mins
Thinking on his feet, Ralan uses his wits, speed, and riding skill to navigate a chaotic escape from the Knight Tower. Just as freedom across the Great Bridge seems within reach, he discovers powerful forces aligned against him are waiting in force.
Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
---
Intimidated that you're dozens of episodes behind and afraid to start listening? Don't be. Here's a handy Listener's Guide that let's you know spots where you can start listening further in the story.
---
Interested in the development of the complex story and want to know how writer Jake Kerr puts it together every week? Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to his Patreon. Love world building? Want ongoing updates? Free members get ongoing story updates with interesting reference material about the guild hierarchy, geography, and history.
Free Patreon members also receive copies of the first two Thieves Guild ebooks. The next book will be released in 2025 and Patreon members will also receive that book (and all subsequent books!) for free, too. Want to go directly to get your free books? Click here.
---
If you would like to view a map of Ness, you can find it here.
----
Grab some Thieves Guild merch!
https://store.podcastalchemy.studio
----
Check out our other drama podcasts!
Artifacts of the Arcane
A historical urban fantasy set at the beginning of World War Two.
The world has abandoned magic, but magic hasn’t abandoned the world.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/arcane
Thursday
A cyberpunk VR thriller.
No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/thursday
Jake's Theatre of the Mind
Nebula Award nominee Jake Kerr narrates short stories twice a week.
----
Find out more about writer Jake Kerr: https://www.jakekerr.com
Follow Jake on Bluesky @jakekerr.com
Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
---
Intimidated that you're dozens of episodes behind and afraid to start listening? Don't be. Here's a handy Listener's Guide that let's you know spots where you can start listening further in the story.
---
Interested in the development of the complex story and want to know how writer Jake Kerr puts it together every week? Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to his Patreon. Love world building? Want ongoing updates? Free members get ongoing story updates with interesting reference material about the guild hierarchy, geography, and history.
Free Patreon members also receive copies of the first two Thieves Guild ebooks. The next book will be released in 2025 and Patreon members will also receive that book (and all subsequent books!) for free, too. Want to go directly to get your free books? Click here.
---
If you would like to view a map of Ness, you can find it here.
----
Grab some Thieves Guild merch!
https://store.podcastalchemy.studio
----
Check out our other drama podcasts!
Artifacts of the Arcane
A historical urban fantasy set at the beginning of World War Two.
The world has abandoned magic, but magic hasn’t abandoned the world.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/arcane
Thursday
A cyberpunk VR thriller.
No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/thursday
Jake's Theatre of the Mind
Nebula Award nominee Jake Kerr narrates short stories twice a week.
----
Find out more about writer Jake Kerr: https://www.jakekerr.com
Follow Jake on Bluesky @jakekerr.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
The Thieves Guild,
by Jake Kerr.
Episode 20.
Not getting caught.
(00:24):
Raelan knew that his biggest strategic asset washis biggest tactical
weakness, his yellow tunic. It would make him aclear target for every knight in the
tower. It would distract them all from hisfriend's escape, but it also made him stand
out in the sea of white, making him much easier tocatch.
He didn't think much about it until he made itthrough the front gate of the tower.
(00:47):
Getting there wasn't very difficult.
The knights all wore their armor, whether it wasthe thick ornamental armor
or the chain mail of the working knights.
Raelan found it easy to sprint past one knightwhile dodging another.
In fact, his entire life had consisted of himrunning through crowds and
avoiding outstretched hands.
(01:10):
One of the things Raelan had mastered was usingthe momentum of one pursuer
against a different pursuer. This was made mucheasier by the bulk of the knights.
He would pull a knight off his feet, only to haveother knights trip over their fallen
friend. The most difficult trial was getting pasta string of knights at the front
gate, who stood with their swords unsheathed.
(01:33):
But Raelan had been through a similar gauntletduring several escapes.
Of course, he'd been caught more than a few timesfacing them,
but the difference between success and failurealways came down to one
thing, the floor.
Raelan ran to the knights who all appeared to besalivating at the opportunity of
(01:54):
striking him dead right then and there.
There was one particularly huge knight near themiddle.
Raelan pointed at him and grinned, runningstraight at him.
The knight set his legs and swung his sword infront of him.
With a slight leap, Raelan feigned a punch.
The knight brought up his sword only to see Raelandive toward his feet.
(02:14):
Just as the guard brought his sword down, Raelanslid between his legs, the
smooth marble of the tower floor offering littleresistance.
It wasn't a perfect fit, which was fine forRaelan.
He tugged on the knight's white cloak, whichpulled him up and the knight backward.
As the knight fell, he got in the way of the otherknights.
By the time they had realized what had happened,Raelan was in the grass field beyond the tower's
(02:39):
large iron doors. He had escaped so quickly thatthere was confusion as
shouts and alarm claxons rang. Shouts of, "Stophim!" were
followed by knights looking around for whom theywere supposed to stop.
"This is almost too easy," Raelan thought, as acry of,
"Stop the craftsman!" came from the tower.
(03:00):
Moments later, an arrow hit the ground at Raelan'sfeet.
Yellow tunic surrounded by white, archers on thewall.
"Not good," Raelan thought. And then he saw it, alarge wagon with four
horses pulling it. It was on the side of the roadwith a broken wheel.
"Thank you, Mela," Raelan thought. He zigzaggedthrough the field,
(03:21):
arrows barely missing him. Sprinting around thewagon, he stopped as it
shielded him from the archers on the wall.
He quickly pulled off his yellow tunic and tossedit on the ground.
With a quick sprint, he ran up and leapt onto theback of one of the horses at the
front of the wagon.
The horse was muscular and rested, and with akick, Raelan was off.
(03:45):
Another skill that few knew that Raelan hadmastered was riding horses.
When he was younger on his parents' property inthe Upper Triangle, he would ride his
favorite horse way out to the outer fields, wherehe would steal fruit from the
orchards.
Without fail, a guard would chase him onhorseback.
But Raelan on a horse was perhaps more agile andslippery than
(04:09):
Raelan on his feet. He would leap hay bales andtake tight turns
around trees and gallop along treacherous creekbeds.
His adventures ended one day when Polo visited hisfather.
From that point on, Raelan had not ridden a horse.
Yet, as he took off down the road on the back ofthe mighty steed, it felt like he had never
(04:32):
missed a day of riding in his life.
The rhythm of the gallop felt natural as Raelanleaned forward and let the horse guide
him.
The trouble was that outrunning the news of theprison escape didn't matter.
He was already the subject of a citywide manhunt.
He'd get to the Great Bridge, and the fact that henow wasn't wearing a guild color combined
(04:54):
with the expectation that he would escape to theold quarter meant that everyone on
the bridge would target his approach before he waswithin a hundred yards.
Still, he had no choice. The horse raced away fromthe great gate up River Road, the
river to his right and the flats to his left.
The sun was setting and the road was thick withtraffic as crowds of
(05:17):
people were making their way to the flats fromtheir work in the harvest fields or the
mines.
He passed coaches, wagons, horsemen, and crowds ofpeople walking along the
road. He raced past a knight on horseback, and hisspeed betrayed him
as the knight called out-
Hey you, what is the hurry?
The knight immediately started to pursue Raelan.
(05:41):
There were too many people to put distance betweenRaelan and his pursuer, so he took a hard
left into the flats. The knight was not too farbehind, and Raelan galloped
as fast as the horse would go, and then he wouldtake hard turns into paths that led
behind houses.
Glancing over his shoulder, Raelan could notbelieve that the knight was still
(06:02):
pursuing him.
In fact, the knight was catching up."He's a goodrider,"
Raylan thought. "Let's see if he's fearlessthough."
Raylan patted the neck of the horse. "Be strongand trust me."
Raylan turned to the back of one house and a largehedge that separated
its rear yard from the rear yard of a backinghouse.
(06:26):
The hedge must have been about five feet tall.
Raylan kicked the horse and leaned down as thehorse leapt the hedge.
The horse stumbled as it landed, but Raylan heldon.
Glancing over his shoulder, Raylan smiled. Theknight did not attempt the jump.
He still wasn't far, so Raylan gave the horse akick and led it across another lawn
(06:47):
and another jump.
This one was lower but more dangerous as it was afence with sharp edges extending
up.
After clearing the jump, Raylan yanked the horseto the west and they galloped
back toward the Great Bridge. "You did me a favor,knight," Raylan
thought. "Even those pursuing me won't know whereI'm at now."
(07:09):
As he reentered River Road, Raylan had to slow hishorse to a walk.
He was closer to the bridge and a steady stream ofpeople flowed into the road, clogging
it and making a fast pace impossible.
Something he had never considered before suddenlydawned on him.
"There are hundreds of guild members that live inthe Wretched Quarter.
(07:29):
All of these people in Harvest Guild colors, andeven some Craftsman
colors, are heading to the Old Quarter.
They must live there and work on this side of theriver."
The concept that so many guild members lived inthe Wretched Quarter shocked
Raylan.
It went against everything his Upper Trianglefamily had taught him.
(07:54):
Shaking his head at the continued uncovering ofhis own ignorance, Raylan looked at
the bridge in the distance. It was a massivestructure that crossed the nearly
mile-wide Great River.
Rocks and steel were combined in one of thegreatest of architectural
feats,
a bridge that expanded the original city of Nessover the river into the lush
(08:16):
fields that would soon become the new center ofthe city.
Raylan knew little about the Wretched Quarter, no,not Wretched Quarter, Old
Quarter, I must call it the Old Quarter, acrossthe bridge.
He had been taught that it was full of murderersand thieves and the squalid poor who
did no work and lived off of cheating thehardworking citizens on his
(08:40):
family's side of the river.
Yet now he felt a new interest in it and itscitizens.
The Thieves' Tower was there, but what otherartifacts of the old city
remained? Were there other guild towers nowabandoned?
What about the ash fields? He did know that theentire move across the river was
(09:00):
due to over-farming and the need to abandon thefields that no longer could grow
crops. Were those fields truly covered in ash?
These thoughts went through Raylan's mind as heslowly made his way to what he hoped would be
nothing more than a shout from one of the knights,and then him rushing past on the
back of the horse.
(09:21):
He wanted to be within just a few yards or evenfeet of those looking for
him before they noticed him.
Then they wouldn't have time to organize any kindof true barrier.
He was over a hundred yards away, however, when analarm sounded.
Raylan looked up and a group of men in armor andblue capes was pointing at him.
(09:44):
To his horror, there were dozens of them.
"I'm not going to be able to dodge all of them,"Raylan thought.
(dramatic music)
The Thieves Guild,
by Jake Kerr.
Episode 20.
Not getting caught.
(00:24):
Raelan knew that his biggest strategic asset washis biggest tactical
weakness, his yellow tunic. It would make him aclear target for every knight in the
tower. It would distract them all from hisfriend's escape, but it also made him stand
out in the sea of white, making him much easier tocatch.
He didn't think much about it until he made itthrough the front gate of the tower.
(00:47):
Getting there wasn't very difficult.
The knights all wore their armor, whether it wasthe thick ornamental armor
or the chain mail of the working knights.
Raelan found it easy to sprint past one knightwhile dodging another.
In fact, his entire life had consisted of himrunning through crowds and
avoiding outstretched hands.
(01:10):
One of the things Raelan had mastered was usingthe momentum of one pursuer
against a different pursuer. This was made mucheasier by the bulk of the knights.
He would pull a knight off his feet, only to haveother knights trip over their fallen
friend. The most difficult trial was getting pasta string of knights at the front
gate, who stood with their swords unsheathed.
(01:33):
But Raelan had been through a similar gauntletduring several escapes.
Of course, he'd been caught more than a few timesfacing them,
but the difference between success and failurealways came down to one
thing, the floor.
Raelan ran to the knights who all appeared to besalivating at the opportunity of
(01:54):
striking him dead right then and there.
There was one particularly huge knight near themiddle.
Raelan pointed at him and grinned, runningstraight at him.
The knight set his legs and swung his sword infront of him.
With a slight leap, Raelan feigned a punch.
The knight brought up his sword only to see Raelandive toward his feet.
(02:14):
Just as the guard brought his sword down, Raelanslid between his legs, the
smooth marble of the tower floor offering littleresistance.
It wasn't a perfect fit, which was fine forRaelan.
He tugged on the knight's white cloak, whichpulled him up and the knight backward.
As the knight fell, he got in the way of the otherknights.
By the time they had realized what had happened,Raelan was in the grass field beyond the tower's
(02:39):
large iron doors. He had escaped so quickly thatthere was confusion as
shouts and alarm claxons rang. Shouts of, "Stophim!" were
followed by knights looking around for whom theywere supposed to stop.
"This is almost too easy," Raelan thought, as acry of,
"Stop the craftsman!" came from the tower.
(03:00):
Moments later, an arrow hit the ground at Raelan'sfeet.
Yellow tunic surrounded by white, archers on thewall.
"Not good," Raelan thought. And then he saw it, alarge wagon with four
horses pulling it. It was on the side of the roadwith a broken wheel.
"Thank you, Mela," Raelan thought. He zigzaggedthrough the field,
(03:21):
arrows barely missing him. Sprinting around thewagon, he stopped as it
shielded him from the archers on the wall.
He quickly pulled off his yellow tunic and tossedit on the ground.
With a quick sprint, he ran up and leapt onto theback of one of the horses at the
front of the wagon.
The horse was muscular and rested, and with akick, Raelan was off.
(03:45):
Another skill that few knew that Raelan hadmastered was riding horses.
When he was younger on his parents' property inthe Upper Triangle, he would ride his
favorite horse way out to the outer fields, wherehe would steal fruit from the
orchards.
Without fail, a guard would chase him onhorseback.
But Raelan on a horse was perhaps more agile andslippery than
(04:09):
Raelan on his feet. He would leap hay bales andtake tight turns
around trees and gallop along treacherous creekbeds.
His adventures ended one day when Polo visited hisfather.
From that point on, Raelan had not ridden a horse.
Yet, as he took off down the road on the back ofthe mighty steed, it felt like he had never
(04:32):
missed a day of riding in his life.
The rhythm of the gallop felt natural as Raelanleaned forward and let the horse guide
him.
The trouble was that outrunning the news of theprison escape didn't matter.
He was already the subject of a citywide manhunt.
He'd get to the Great Bridge, and the fact that henow wasn't wearing a guild color combined
(04:54):
with the expectation that he would escape to theold quarter meant that everyone on
the bridge would target his approach before he waswithin a hundred yards.
Still, he had no choice. The horse raced away fromthe great gate up River Road, the
river to his right and the flats to his left.
The sun was setting and the road was thick withtraffic as crowds of
(05:17):
people were making their way to the flats fromtheir work in the harvest fields or the
mines.
He passed coaches, wagons, horsemen, and crowds ofpeople walking along the
road. He raced past a knight on horseback, and hisspeed betrayed him
as the knight called out-
Hey you, what is the hurry?
The knight immediately started to pursue Raelan.
(05:41):
There were too many people to put distance betweenRaelan and his pursuer, so he took a hard
left into the flats. The knight was not too farbehind, and Raelan galloped
as fast as the horse would go, and then he wouldtake hard turns into paths that led
behind houses.
Glancing over his shoulder, Raelan could notbelieve that the knight was still
(06:02):
pursuing him.
In fact, the knight was catching up."He's a goodrider,"
Raylan thought. "Let's see if he's fearlessthough."
Raylan patted the neck of the horse. "Be strongand trust me."
Raylan turned to the back of one house and a largehedge that separated
its rear yard from the rear yard of a backinghouse.
(06:26):
The hedge must have been about five feet tall.
Raylan kicked the horse and leaned down as thehorse leapt the hedge.
The horse stumbled as it landed, but Raylan heldon.
Glancing over his shoulder, Raylan smiled. Theknight did not attempt the jump.
He still wasn't far, so Raylan gave the horse akick and led it across another lawn
(06:47):
and another jump.
This one was lower but more dangerous as it was afence with sharp edges extending
up.
After clearing the jump, Raylan yanked the horseto the west and they galloped
back toward the Great Bridge. "You did me a favor,knight," Raylan
thought. "Even those pursuing me won't know whereI'm at now."
(07:09):
As he reentered River Road, Raylan had to slow hishorse to a walk.
He was closer to the bridge and a steady stream ofpeople flowed into the road, clogging
it and making a fast pace impossible.
Something he had never considered before suddenlydawned on him.
"There are hundreds of guild members that live inthe Wretched Quarter.
(07:29):
All of these people in Harvest Guild colors, andeven some Craftsman
colors, are heading to the Old Quarter.
They must live there and work on this side of theriver."
The concept that so many guild members lived inthe Wretched Quarter shocked
Raylan.
It went against everything his Upper Trianglefamily had taught him.
(07:54):
Shaking his head at the continued uncovering ofhis own ignorance, Raylan looked at
the bridge in the distance. It was a massivestructure that crossed the nearly
mile-wide Great River.
Rocks and steel were combined in one of thegreatest of architectural
feats,
a bridge that expanded the original city of Nessover the river into the lush
(08:16):
fields that would soon become the new center ofthe city.
Raylan knew little about the Wretched Quarter, no,not Wretched Quarter, Old
Quarter, I must call it the Old Quarter, acrossthe bridge.
He had been taught that it was full of murderersand thieves and the squalid poor who
did no work and lived off of cheating thehardworking citizens on his
(08:40):
family's side of the river.
Yet now he felt a new interest in it and itscitizens.
The Thieves' Tower was there, but what otherartifacts of the old city
remained? Were there other guild towers nowabandoned?
What about the ash fields? He did know that theentire move across the river was
(09:00):
due to over-farming and the need to abandon thefields that no longer could grow
crops. Were those fields truly covered in ash?
These thoughts went through Raylan's mind as heslowly made his way to what he hoped would be
nothing more than a shout from one of the knights,and then him rushing past on the
back of the horse.
(09:21):
He wanted to be within just a few yards or evenfeet of those looking for
him before they noticed him.
Then they wouldn't have time to organize any kindof true barrier.
He was over a hundred yards away, however, when analarm sounded.
Raylan looked up and a group of men in armor andblue capes was pointing at him.
(09:44):
To his horror, there were dozens of them.
"I'm not going to be able to dodge all of them,"Raylan thought.
(dramatic music)
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