Den of Thieves: Telk's Reckoning, part one

Telk led the courier Vik into his back office, then stepped forward and bent down to open the chest -- pad in place to avoid the needle trap, and key inserted confidently as he always did it. He lifted the lid, regarded the empty interior, and then closed it again. 

"Telk?" asked Vik. 

Telk lifted the lid again, confirming that the chest was empty. "I'm fucked," he said under his breath, and then: "Goblinfuckers! We've been hit."

Vik shifted forward, looking over his shoulder. "Oh, shit." 

"It must have happened during the brawl," he said, and straightened. 

"Can you make it good?" asked Vik. 

"No!" Telk was shouting, but he didn't care. The door was closed, and Vik would understand. "This was everything. I can't send my cut, I can't pay my people, and on top of that Smash is missing."

Vik took this in with the imperturbable calm of somebody whose problem it definitely wasn't. "All right. What do you do?"

Telk sighed and pushed past him to the desk. Business was still business, after all. His immediate boss was Orek, but this might go all the way up to Orallia. He pulled a fresh sheet of paper, plucked his pen from the inkwell and gave it a quick wipe. Just the facts, he thought, and started to write.

I've been hit. Funds are gone completely. Must have happened during the brawl tonight. He sprinkled sand over the ink, gave it a moment to dry, and then shook it clean and handed it to Vik. "Get that to Orek. Don't say anything to anybody."

"You don't have to tell me," said Vik. "I wish you luck."

Could have used that earlier, Telk thought, but he only said, "Likewise."

He looked around, but the bars were still on the windows and the chest had been locked. Could someone have removed the money by sorcery? And if they could, why would they? No, it had probably happened during the fight. The lock on the chest wasn't the best, but it was enough to turn away anybody who knew what to expect from the Guild. If Smash still lived, if Telk could find him, that might tell him more. Had the bard seen anything?

Frowning, he went outside to ask.