Black Hart

Gradsul by Twilight

Chapter 17 - Trial and Terror

As Adar lifted his head from the pillow the room spun violently about him. He felt as though he'd been drinking pints of Velunian Fireamber the previous night, and not for the first time! Within a few minutes he was almost back to normal, although his body ached and he was coughing frequently throughout what seemed to be a difficult and tiresome process of getting dressed.
The barman offered him some breakfast, but he did not feel that he could stomach anything, so gestured him away. He also let him know that he had passed on the message as required. He sat down and awaited the arrival of his new companions.

Akhan's head pounded - he felt as though he had the greatest hangover ever, but from the pain of moving knew it was far worse than that. He took one look at the mess of his face and knew he had better seek some healing that day at whatever cost - he was not likely to survive another day like yesterday.
He bundled up his torn and blackened clothes, slinging them by the door to be safely ensconced in Halykk's garbage later. Looking through his backpack, the only other clothes he had brought with him was the outfit he inherited from Hamman. It was a fine suit of clothes, he resented wearing them knowing the kind of trouble he was likely to get into that day, but he had not others and a tailor would take days to prepare a new suit and at no little expense.
His heart sank when he descended to breakfast, finding Halykk still within the dining room.
"A fine Waterday's morning Master Vesic," Halykk boomed as he entered. "Ah gather yer was involved in all the kerfuffle at the docks last night."
Akhan nodded as he poured some of the fine fruit juice Halykk provided - he was not sure what it was, but he had taken a great liking to it. He sat down on the table the package of Kyros's clothes which he had raided from his friend's belongings.
"Terrible times," Halykk continued. "Yer friend a-visited me last night, well-tanned chap wearing a bandanna. Said he needed to contact yer partner as a matter of urgency - couldn't find yers. Ah hope ther's nothin' up that ah haven't seen him about."
Akhan was trying to work out what to say about Kyros when thankfully, but not surprisingly, Halykk kept on speaking.
"Anyways, ah may have yer more on this Gelder's chap, leave that to me. Ah'll be sure to arrange fer yer ter come along on Starday night after ther meetin'. Got ter go now Vesic, business is business..."
With that he wiped his mouth with a napkin and left the table, slapping Akhan heartily on the back as he left the room with his bodyguards. Akhan quickly scoffed a hearty breakfast and hurried off to the Golden Anchor.

Eloi passed more than a few profanities when Smokelight awakened him at some ungodly hour the next morning. Even before the mage began to relate the previous night's tale of woe at the Shelliak he could see that something had happened from the mage's singed clothing and hair. Combined with the injuries sustained during the fight with the drowned ones, Smokelight did not look too healthy.
When they arrived at the Golden Anchor, Adder was already waiting there. He said little as they sat down and awaited Akhan's arrival, but he was glad to see that neither of them were looking very sprightly - Smokelight in particular seemed to have taken several injuries from the fighting and the explosion. They waited, with little conversation so as not to have to repeat it when Akhan arrived.
By the time the half-elf arrived, in a new and equally obnoxiously dandy outfit, Adder wanted nothing more than to crawl back up to bed and sleep the day off. He was heartened further to see that Akhan was looking very close to death's door himself, and almost made the mage look healthy. Akhan sat Kyros's clothes on the table, briefly muttering an explanation as to what they were, and sat down. He looked up at his companions - Eloi was as ugly as ever, and Smokelight looked as bad as Akhan felt, obviously singed and battered. Adder, on the other hand, was looking off-yellow in colour and Akhan had the feeling that their new acquaintance was going to keel over at any minute.
Eloi's stomach grumbled - he was hungry. Before the others had a chance to start their stories from last night he took his chance and made for the bar. He ordered a massive fried breakfast and passed a few minutes in idle conversation with Barad.He returned to his seat and looked round everyone.
"Well, don't you all look the picture of success and good health. What the feck happened last night?"
Ordinarily, Akhan approved of hearty breakfasts, but for some reason the sight of Eloi jamming large chunks of lard-fried food in his gob was more than usually offensive this morning. There was no desire to tackle him on the subject however. The last thing Akhan felt like right now was arguing; and that made him more concerned about his well-being than ever. He knew he must have taken some shrewd knocks last night.
Eloi's question needled him out of his passivity momentarily though. "Why, we recovered their store of gems, that's what! I thought they'd have told you by now," Akhan said looking at Smokelight and Adder in a surprised fashion. "Of course, what with you sitting on your fat arse back here in the pub you don't qualify for shares."
Akhan leered maliciously at the Baron but he couldn't maintain the necessary venom.
Exhaustion overtook him again and his head drooped. His mouth twisting in disgust, Akhan relayed the gist of the events aboard the Shelliak.
"We found an artefact of some sort but I got careless. I blew the trap and, well, I'm sure you probably heard the firework show which followed that little blunder." Akhan looked at Smokelight and Adder again and said, "I didn't say so last night, but...well, I'm not used to making mistakes like that. Sorry." He snorted at the inadequacy of this. "Anyway, we're not dead and we've deprived them of something they valued highly enough to go to the trouble of setting such an elaborate trap around." He shrugged. " I guess we have to find out what it is now."
"As for the rest of the events last night, perhaps you could tell us what you know about those stinking zombies. Is that part of the Red Ones plans too? Or is this just a quaint regional sporting event around this time of the year?"
Eloi smiled, not a pretty site as pork fat stained his teeth and dribbled down his chin.
"It would seem to me that they are gathering ingredients to construct or conjor some kind of gate. We know what they have - fake gold or lead I should say. We know what they had - gems. We know what they need - jet and jade."
He took a big bite out of a rack of pork ribs. "The fake gold is not one of the ingredients, but is to be used to purchase the jet. Vesic, it would have been useful if you had been able to continue your tracking of O'Shad's 'brother'. If we could find who they plan to buy the jade from we could inform them that the payment is fake."
He shook his head. "We also knew their base of operations, the race track. They know they have been rumbled there, so will no doubt change locales. They will also be on guard now. They know someone is onto them."
He looked round the table as he cleaned his grease-covered knife on a loaf of bread, before ripping a huge chunk from the bread and stuffing it into his mouth. "There are several things we need to do today. Spring our religious friend from the local gaol. Try to find out who is supplying the jade and the jet. Keep an eye on the remains of the Shelliak. They may return to salvage the gems. Find a local mage who may know the significance of the ingredients and what they could be used for. Any other suggestions?"
As soon as Eloi started, Akhan regretted his feeble attempt to wind him up with the fictional gems aboard the Shelliak. He groaned softly in exasperation but didn't have the energy to interrupt the enthusiastic mixture of slobbering and conjecture. Staring at the floor, he almost felt like weeping.
When the Baron finally reached the end of his speculation, Akhan took a deep breath and said, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no..."
He placed his fist down on the table in an exageratedly careful movement and pushed himself back in his seat until he was facing Eloi. "Look, forget I ever mentioned anything about there being any ice on board the Shelliak. I'm such a bastard, so I am. But I lied. There wasn't any - it was a wind-up. Forget that whole bit."
Akhan gave Eloi an encouraging smile. "Now, what we did find was a completely boring-looking stone. Unfortunately, in the process of procuring it, I managed to turn the ship into kindling. So we won't need to worry about keeping an eye on the remains 'cos there aren't any. It's all so much flotsam floating in the harbour." Akhan paused and thought. "You know that's probably quite useful - the owners won't know that it wasn't the zombies who set it off. Hmm, maybe, maybe not."
"I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here. We should mull things around a little more before we decide on our plans for today. Besides, we can hardly consider poor Adder here as having been brought up to speed on the situation. I don't know exactly what you know about our job," Akhan commented to his jaded-looking companion. "But I'd like to know how you rate these characters that are after our Olidamarran friend. The Mareschal described their leader but you're the only one that's seen them so far seemingly."
Akhan looked at Eloi, wondering if the Baron would pitch in now and describe their mission to Adder. However, the noble mouth was well-stuffed with the ender of the loaf and Akhan decided he really didn't want showered with Eloi's masticated breadcrumbs. "Our targets are Brotherhood agents. First is a Brother named Vellip O'Shad, he was spotted arriving by two of the original team here, but both of them have disappeared now. We don't know what's happened to them so you can see we're playing for keeps here. There's a probable contact named Gelders whose cover is as a merchant. O'Shad's been using the ship we shredded last night and he brought a cargo with him, registered as lead. This is actually lead in the form of fake gold pieces." Akhan looked significantly at Adder. "Makes things interesting, eh?
"Me and Zeb," Akhan pointed at Eloi so Adder would realise this was a covername, "spotted them transporting part of this shipment to an arena last night. O'Shad met with another one of the Brotherhood agents here in Gradsul." Akhan leaned forward and caught Smokelight's eye. "Here's the alarming bit. We realised that we're dealing with were-rats here. We know this cos O'Shad managed to lose our tail on him when he first arrived here and all the trail he left was a pile of clothes. Second, we saw the same thing in the arena with discarded clothes. Third, we've seen were-rats before when there was an assassination attempt on the King's life. So, be aware. These things can take many shapes. The one I saw in Axewood palace was disguised as a guardsman."
"I stayed on at the arena to see what else was happening but a very large number of them started to arrive and I was spotted. I had to leggit."
Akhan drew a long breath and grabbed the serving boy as he dodged past.
"Get us a tot of brandy." he said and turned back to Smokelight. "What happened with the other cartload of lead you were tailing last night?"
"No idea," the mage replied. "It was hauled inside a warehouse, as Zeb has told you, and that was the last we saw of it. We were about to move in, when we heard the commotion down at the docks. Zeb and I arrived as the zombies were attacking the docks. That's when we met up with you. There is more to tell - but let me allow Zeb to tick off his points."
Smokelight nodded at Eloi's synopsis of what had been learned. All of the pieces seemed to be arranged correctly. Yet, in a way, it seemed they had not learned anything substantial since arriving in Gradsul, other than whatever the Scarlet Brotherhood was up to involved counterfeit coin, and that Halykk was not as trustworthy as he was earlier thought to be. Eloi stopped eating and continued. "Vesic is correct, but he has made one or two assumptions. We do not know that O'Shad is actually a member of the Scarlet Brotherhood. His companion at the racetrack probably is as O'Shad referred to him as 'Brother'. Gelder's is in it up to his neck and appears to be the source of O'Shad's 'business' contacts in Gradsul. He is also providing storage for O'Shad's cargo."
"Vesic failed to mention another player, Halykk. Halykk is another local merchant and a high ranking member of Orgsworth Thieves' Guild. This thieves' guild is a rival to Gelder's. We thought Halykk was an ally until one of O'Shad's crates was delivered to one of his warehouses. Now we are not so sure."
"Now that the Shelliak is out of the equation it is my opinion that our next target should be Gelders. He is undoubtedly the weak link in the chain. He is doing this for money, not some questionable faith or belief. We capture him and beat the living crap out of him and perhaps he will tell us what we need to know."
"If not at least we have taken one of O'Shad's contacts out. It will be much harder for O'Shad to conduct and finish his business. It may also force him to make an approach to Halykk. If, so we can be ready and waiting."
Eloi stood and approached Akhan putting his arm round his shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Vesic, I am disappointed that you couldn't track O'Shad's brother. It was really important that we found out what his mission was, but never mind at least you are in one piece."
Eloi patted Akhan heartily on the back, before unleashing a startling blow to the back of Akhan's head. "Don't ever lie to me again, Vesic!" He lowered his voice. "Perhaps you don't take our mission seriously, but for some of us the stakes are high. The next time you lie to me, even in jest, I will rip your guts from your stomach and use them as a nice neckerchief round your neck. Friend or no friend." He looked up at the others. "And that goes for anyone else."
Eloi moved back and pointed a finger at Akhan. "Don't even think of retaliation. You know I could best you at any time."
He sat down again and looked around the table. "We have lost two team members, and a prospective third, because they were undertaking missions on their own. From now on no-one goes off on their own. A minimum of two team members should be together at all times. We can't afford to lose anyone else."
Akhan felt sick with rage. The first shock of the unexpected blow had passed but the realisation that he didn't dare pay Eloi back in kind almost made him choke. He sat shivering with incandescent fury, staring at the floor and saying nothing.
Akhan had heard the rest of Eloi's words through his daze and strangely, now that he knew he was too weak to do anything immediately, Akhan did the only thing possible - think. His eyes narrowed in vicious, focussed thought. He couldn't understand what had got into Eloi. The Baron was not the most subtle of individuals but this was out of all proportion.
Two possibilities suggested themselves. Either the elevation to the nobility had unbalanced him, made him think he could treat people in such a fashion. Or something else had happened to him since he had left the arena last night. Akhan remembered seeing Eloi almost paralysed at one point during the fighting last night. Could he have been affected by the zombies? Or was it something else? Akhan felt a sudden pang of worry. Was it the stone? Adder did not look at all well and now Eloi was behaving strangely.
Akhan shook that suspicion off. Smokelight did not seem ill and Adder had jumped into that noisome harbour water last night to save him. That water would have made anyone ill.
One thing was for sure - now was not the time to be asking Eloi to stand as a character witness for Kyros! Somehow he had to persuade the rogue to let him and possibly Adder or Smokelight go along to the hearing. Akhan was unable to sit at the table with Eloi any longer however.
"Anyone anything else to add?" Eloi asked, keeping an eye on the quiet Akhan.
The old mage pulled on his beard, and thought again about the 'gate' suggested earlier...
"Could the Brothers of the Scarlet Sign be building a magical Gate somewhere in Gradsul? To what end?" he mused out loud.
Smokelight wasn't so sure about Eloi's suggestion to simply go beat the crap out of Gelders, and said as much, although he quite agreed with keeping the team paired up.
"What makes you think Gelders knows much more than us?" he asked. "Beating him up or making him 'disappear' is just another warning signal for our enemies, too. And what about our wayward cleric? What are we to do about him?"
Adder listened to the speculations and absorbed all the details as best as possible. He sipped on some kaffee while trying t oforce down some breakfast sausages, needless to say in a more civilized manner than His Prominence. So far his recent experiences in this town seemed independent of the game afoot, but perhaps the lot of them would find something interesting or relevant. Adder wished he was getting hazard pay for the beating he had taken.
Pausing momentarily in his breakfast, he spoke up.
"Well, the group that I saw talking about the priest seemed able. I don't know what the capabilities of the priest are, but that team acted fast," Adder said seriously. "From what I gather, they probably had him in custody before I even ran into Akhan," he continued, addressing Eloi.
As Adder stopped speaking, his face took on a pained look. Suddenly he rose to his feet, clutching at his stomach, and, more stumbling than running, headed for the back door to the inn, bursting outside and out of sight.
"Bar food," Smokelight said, shaking his head. "Remind me not to eat that spicy stuff early in the morning. Look what it did to Adder," he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder in Adder's direction.

As Adder was talking, his mind was wandering to the feeling within his stomach. His intestines were involved in an epic struggle with those sausages he had just forced down, and he had the feeling the sausages were winning. Again his head spun somewhat and, as he stopped speaking the room spun violently about him as it had earlier.
Knowing the battle was lost he stumbled to his feet and lurched out the back door, heaving as he passed into the morning air and spewed his breakfast out onto the cobblestones of the rear inn yard. As he stood there regaining his breath, a cold sweat forming on his brow, Adder felt as weak as a kitten.
After catching his breath, Adder returned to the bar-room looking ill, and rejoined the group. He made a mental note of the Baron's violence, even towards those on his team. Adder'd be damned if that half orc'd ever slap him in the head. He mentally debated whether the Spymaster had made a wise choice in one who's vested interests lay in a wenches bosom and the bottom of a beer stein.

"Where's the cook in this place?" Adder growled, still looking worse for his loss to his breakfast.
"When I arrived in town at a certain personage's behest, I used the little I did know to try and find whatever I could about your group. Fortunately, nobody either knew anything or was speaking about it." Adder seated himself again. "However, it appears to me that enough people know now that life is only going to get more difficult."
Eloi looked calm as he realised that it was Adder who had been following them earlier.
"I suggest you brush up on your tailing skills then," Eloi commented. "You stuck out like a sore thumb."
Adder laughed slightly, remembering tailing Eloi and Smokelight casually. 
"I didn't feel the need to pursue that any further at the time, still using my third party advantage to learn what I could about the group while being outside of them, and seeing if there were any other interested parties. I did see your debacle on the docks, and even neutralized an unrelated threat to you and the half-elf. Someone who had a severe dislike towards half humans, and was very good with a garrotte." Adder rubbed his neck at his mentioning of the incident. "It seemed he had eyed you two up for some reason, and so I took care of it. The situation with the priest was the final straw of hay, and I felt the need to contact your group. But it certainly seems I was too late."
With that he stood up and went to get something known to be edible in this dive. As he went to rise, his arm shook and he lowered himself back into his chair, closing his eyes. His face grimaced in pain, then he started coughing violently. After a couple of minutes, while all looked on at him, he managed to get the coughing under control. As he looked at the hand that had covered his mouth, he saw that he had been coughing up blood!
Each cough burst through Adder's lungs like it were a burst of dragon's breath, and his whole body ached. As he stared at the blood on his hands he realised how shallow his breathing was, and how much it hurt. He was confused and in pain, and had difficulty even thinking straight.
Suddenly his eyes rolled back into his head and he pitched forward out of his seat, only Akhan's quick reactions saving his head from striking off the table. He was still breathing, albeit quite noisily, but could not be roused at all.
Akhan looked down at Adder in distress. This was not a good start to the day!
"Quick, let's get him upstairs into a room out of the way," he said to Smokelight and Eloi. Akhan bent down to the stricken Adder and examined him for any obvious wounds before starting to lift him up.
The only wounds that Akhan could find were the ones he had seen inflicted on their new companion the previous night - but something there was not quite right! The wounds, instead of partly healed and nicely scabbed were red and sore, painful to Akhan's tidy eye.
Eloi rolled his eyes to the heavens. 'Fer feck sake! What is it now!"
He mused at Akhan's apparent discomfort at his 'clip round the earhole' - Akhan obviously wasn't used to Orc culture. The leader had to defend any challenge to his leadership and Eloi considered Akhan's remark to be such.
Eloi grabbed Adar's legs and started to help Akhan carry him upstairs. "I have papers from his sponsor which might be useful. Have a look over them when we get Adder to his room. They might throw some light on this for I do not think it is purely a spur of the moment thing."
Smokelight followed as Eloi and Akhan carried him towards the stairs - it was a testament to the 'quality' of that place that most of the other denizens did not even look up, obviously assuming their friend had passed out through drink. Barad, the barman, met them at the stairs.
"I'll show yers to his room," Barad said. "Is he alright?"
Barad read the grunts of Akhan and Eloi as they made their way upstairs and asked nothing further.
"I was meaning to ask yers anyhow," Barad continued as they entered Adder's room. "Dyavitz, the boy that lived with Meyrit - he ain't been about today an' none of the other lads have seen him since yers last saw him at the docks. Maybe yers could call in on him, 22 Chendlers Row they live."
As they laid him on the bed, Barad seemed to take the hint from their lack of reply that they were too busy to converse, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Akhan took out the scroll and read it aloud.
"Another comes from Cryllor on behalf of the Father's interests. Kyros is to expect unwelcome company from Tringlee. They go by the names of Halstus (a one eyed man), Drimmian, Arminna, and a half-elf addressed as Mareschal. They are in Gradsul right now and were overheard in the Golden Anchor. They know about your half-elf and half-orc companions, as well as Halykk. Hopefully, this does not arrive too late, as their intentions are none too pleasant."
Akhan looked to the others, saying, "The parchment is signed with some sort of snake entwined around a sword. That's all!"
Eloi cursed, things were getting much more complicated. He looked at Akhan and Smokelight. "Do we have time to be nursing Adar? I trust Barad, I am sure he can be relied upon to get a decent doctor to tend to our new found friend. This news about the trio from Tringlee worries me and makes me eager to free Kyros. Vesic, you have spent some time in Tringlee, do you know of these people?"
Akhan had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was not right here.  Adder's wounds were screaming that something was seriously wrong. But he was so tired and drained, he couldn't think fast enough to work out what was wrong.
"The three from Tringlee are enemies from Gresten's past. They're the ones who've got him locked up in the Mareschal's gaol. They want to extradite him to stand trial. That's why I've got to make sure I testify for his good character. The Mareschal is sympathetic but there's little he can do for now."
"Listen, I promised him I'd testify so that's what we should do. But we should try this by the legal route first. His lawyer seemed positive that they could exonerate him so we should play it softly to begin with. We don't need the Mareschal after our blood as well as the Red ones."
"Hopefully, if all goes well, we can bring Kyros back to help out Adder."
Eloi looked at the parchment, pretending that he could read it, desperately trying to understand the words.
"I am also worried about Dyavitz. He has served us well since we arrived in Gradsul. We should visit Meyrit's house on our way to the gaol."
"Sounds like a plan to me. Time's a wasting, so let's be off!" Smokelight said, looking at Eloi and Akhan.
"Well, if we are agreed lets be off," Eloi said. "We have a busy day ahead. First stop, Meyrit's house then onto the gaol to spring Kyros."
They made their way downstairs to the bar, where Eloi spoke quietly to Barad. Barad stared at Eloi as he handed over a silver piece.
"A doctor? What kind of doctor? What's wrong with him?" he demanded.
Eloi shrugged his shoulders.
"That's why I want a doctor for him," Eloi said as they walked out.

Adder bathed in the golden sunshine - it was so strong that he did not open his eyes, but just lay there listening to the silence. The warmth spread throughout his body, making him feel strong, relaxed, alive - he had not felt so good in many years, the tiredness seeping out through every inch of his body.
The light became more dull, and he opened his eyes - he was within a brightly lit hall, and in front of him were a priest, wearing the robes and holy symbol of Pelor, and the barman from the Golden Anchor. The barman breathed a sigh of relief as Adder opened his eyes, and the priest smiled and moved on to tend another man.
Adder sat up - he was on a pew in some sort of Peloran temple, but he had no idea how he had come to be there. Last he remembered he was in the Golden Anchor with the others - a quick check revealed that none of them were with him.
"What happened?" he said to the barman.
"Barad," the barman said. "You collapsed in the bar, and Zeb and the others took you up to your room. Then they all left, and asked me to take care of you - gave me a Rittern to look after you, daft bastard half-orc. I knew when I saw you that you were beyond the local quacks, so I brought you here. Luckily the priests knew what was wrong - many of those who were attacked by the Drowned Ones last night have come down with the same thing. They cured you with healing magic."
Adder's mellow feeling of wellbeing was ebbing away at the thought that Eloi had left him to die in the care of this simple barman - luckily for him the man was possessed of more common-sense than the half-pig was.
"Where are they?" he demanded.
"I told them that Dyavitz, one of the streetgang boys who was working with them yesterday, had disappeared. He was living with Meyrit, one of your team who also disappeared a few days ago. They went to check out her home at 22 Chendlers Row in the Docklands, to see if they could discover anything."
A few choice words to share with the half-pig were beginning to form in Adder's befuddled mind. As he sat there, stunned at the incompetence and his close call with the Reaper, an elderly priest came by.
"Praise to Pelor that you are healed. As sure as the sun shines tomorrow, it is great for the defenders of Gradsul to be cured of this dreadful plague of the undead!" he said in a lilting tone.
The priest smiled at Adder, then moved on.
"I thank you for your generosities" Adder called out the priest. It had seemed Our Lady had intervened again on this one's behalf. "As it is written, so shall it be done" Adder thought to himself, repeating an old Baklunish proverb he had heard in Ket while at the Palace of Shadows.
With that he turned to the barman. "Thank the Lady that you had a wisdom to bring me here, and that Fate allows those fools to suffer in turn." With that, he pulled a platinum piece from one of his pouches and gave it to the man. "I am going now to this place....22 Chendlers Row. If the others return to the Golden Anchor, be sure to tell them I am seeking them."
Adder headed out of the temple, but not before leaving a sizeable donation of fifty Merkke with one of the priests. Adder shouldn't have been so bitter about the whole experience, especially since perhaps if the priest Kyros had been there, he would have recognised the dire nature of the situation. And to tell the truth, Adder himself hadn't recognized how bad off he was. A curse on those drowned wretches!
His thoughts came back to the rest of the group though. He had questioned Thoggin's choice of leader in Eloi, and now was firmly convinced of his scepticism. And he wasn't all that impressed with the other members of the team to be honest, as far as this mission was concerned. Perhaps if the Brotherhood sought to poison all the wine in the region or steal that precious Keoish Blue, this group would be more suitable, be more motivated, and have more success. Adder wasn't coming to the conclusion that things had to change, or else this team wouldn't have to worry about any Brotherhood schemes. They'd take out themselves, and save Vellip O'Shad the trouble. Maybe enough people hadn't disappeared or died yet for that lot to sober up.
Adder'd had his close call, and was damn sure he wasn't gonna be the next one to turn up missing. And with that resolve, he continued his steady purposeful walk into the Docklands...

Eloi was feeling nervous for some unknown reason at approaching Meyrit's house. As far as he could tell she was the first to disappear - followed shortly (very shortly) by Cinion, then Kyros. Now Adder was out of play too - as he looked at his two surviving companions he could not help but worry at what Thoggin might think of such losses in his first outing as team leader.
Soon enough they were in Chendlers Row - number 22 seemed typical for this area of the dockland - sleazy and dirty, it was a ground floor apartment with a stout wooden door to the front. The two windows that looked out onto the street had their shutters closed.
He had kept a careful view of their rear and took a tortuous route to their location, looking out for anyone that stayed in sight for any longer than a few streets.
Eloi looked blankly at Akhan and Smokelight and shrugged his shoulders.
"Vesic, check to see if there is a rear access to the house. We should keep all avenues of entry and exit open."
"Not likely, Zeb!" Akhan stated forcefully. "I need to see our religious counsellor soon for a little bit of that Olidamarran healing. That explosion on the boat almost killed me and I'm most definitely not arguing with so much as a dead fish until I feel a bit better."
"Not that it makes much difference, eh?" Akhan kicked the wall. "Look, the hearing's this afternoon. Why don't we check this house and then get ourselves sorted out. I haven't felt this bad since I got shot in the eye at Galden Field. We could all do with a bit of healing after the fracas with the zombies. And talking of zombies, Adder was beginning to look like one of those damn things! Why don't we ask Halykk where to go for a good healer. In his line of work he must know. It's hardly the most risk-free!"
Eloi nodded, then stepped up to the door, planting three loud and positive knocks on the front door.
He moved his head close to the door and spoke softy.
"Dayvitz? It is Zebediah from the Golden Anchor. Open the door, boy. I want to be sure that you are well."
Almost immediately there was a crashing noise from within, as though something had been knocked over.

"Crawk!"
Smokelight turned just before Eloi pounded on the door, and saw the raven who had greeted him. It was about ten feet away, perched on a railing outside a house. It had been some time since he conversed with the crows, but Smokelight was pleased that the bird greeted him so.
As Eloi's pounding stopped, it cawed to him again.
"Hungry?" it asked. "Dead meat inside!"
Smokelight stared intently at the bead-black eye of the large raven then looked back to the door.
"Oh no..." Smokelight said under his breath as Eloi took several steps back and shoulder-charged the door.

Kyros turned in shock to Kerrald O'Tyan, and the look on the Advocate's face matched the way he felt.
How could this be?
"I must protest..." Kerrald said as the Sheriff arose, turning to leave the courtroom.
The Sheriff paused for a moment and turned to the advocate.
"Protest all you will, Mister O'Tyan," he said. "That is my decision and it is final! You were clever enough to bring out your client's interesting history and to prevent his extradition. However, in the end, he was responsible, by refusing to yield to a King's Mareschal, for the death of an innocent man who was at that time assisting the Mareschal. If we do not make an example of this type of behaviour, our Mareschals' work will be made even more unbearable than it already is in this lawless state."
The Sheriff ended abruptly and turned, leaving the room and Kerrald O'Tyan slumped into the chair beside Kyros. He turned with a sorry look that betrayed how devastated the lawyer was at the turn of events, but could not say anything to him.
One of the Mareschals' men reached over and took hold of the manacles that were about Kyros's wrists, leading him from the court.

The door was stiff, but flew wide open as Eloi's bulk crashed into it. As he ran into the room, the first thing to strike him was the smell - it was like an abattoir. Someone of a more sensitive disposition might have retched, in fact someone of a more sensitive disposition almost did, as Akhan stood back immediately on entering after Eloi. The room they were in was an open plan kitchen and living room, and in the centre of the kitchen area, laid out on the table, was the neatly dissected naked corpse of a woman.
Akhan put his hand to his mouth as he stepped into the dark and stinking room - the woman had been sliced in two, from groin to neck, and he could see other marks over the rest of her body. There were scars and burn marks all over her, a few fingers and toes and chunks of flesh were missing. He suspected those had been done while she still lived, from the many splatters of blood around, but there was not enough blood to suggest she had been filleted while she still lived, mercifully.
Smokelight shook his head as he stood at the front door, peering in.
There was a door leading away from the kitchen area, which was closed, and a set of open wooden stairs leading up. From upstairs there came a muffled groan and a banging noise.
Eloi groaned. "I think we have found Meyrit. Our priority is now to find Dayvitz. Stay here if you want, but I am going to explore the noises from upstairs."
Eloi drew his dagger and using all his skill quietly and cautiously made his way upstairs. Smokelight looked sadly at the corpse of the woman - torture, then ritual killing seemed to be the case - possibly sacrificial, but probably not as this was not a place consecrated to unholiness... well, not that they knew of. No-one deserved what this woman must have suffered through.
Eloi was right to move in quickly - other unfortunates in here might still be alive, and in need of their help. Smokelight followed the half-orc up the stairs, following about ten feet behind him. The mage was thinking that there was little need for stealth now, after they'd broken the door in.
"I'll watch the door. We don't want the town guard finding us here. It might take some explaining away." Akhan tore his horrified gaze away from the carnage on the table and kicked the splinters of door out of the way so that he could close the door as much as possible and scan the street.
"Besides," Akhan thought to himself, "I'm definitely not about to take on whatever monster did that to that woman in my state." All the same, he kept his hand gripped (almost painfully tightly) on the hilt of his sword. He knew he'd have to join them if they did get into a fight upstairs.
It struck him that Bermen had talked of the King being staked out on the floor of that windmill after the ambush on the road from Axewood. Was this dissection what Shabass T'Lan had had in mind for the royal person? And thoughts of that sinister figure reminded him all too forcefully that there was still the mystery of exactly what had happened to his body. Akhan shivered. This was a dirty, unholy business and he would not be at all surprised to find T'Lan resurrected somehow. It could be done. He knew there that there were arcane procedures for doing so. And wouldn't that bastard be the one to have friends who'd know how.
Akhan cocked his head and listened intently to the sounds from upstairs. They ought to search this place before they left. Although he wasn't too keen. Who knew what they'd find?
Eloi heard the crunch of something striking wood, then another and the sound of a door going in, just as he reached the stairs. Then there was silence from above. He continued his way up the stairs, Smokelight following ten feet behind - they were wooden and creaked unbearably, but he was making as little noise as he could.
As he reached just over half-way, a dark head popped over the stairwell - it was human sized and shaped, but covered in a black mask or hood or something that showed only a pair of cold eyes. Eloi saw them for but a brief moment as a gloved hand appeared and dropped thousands of tiny, fluttering, shimmering grains towards him.
Suddenly, Eloi turned away from the dust and coughed outloud, a harsh, lung-ripping cough. He began to walk back down the stairs, coughing and choking, blinded by the dust. Suddenly he misplaced his footing and went tumbling to the ground floor. But the fall did not concern him - he could not control the spasms that wracked his chest, he could not breath at all.
In the background he could also hear Smokelight cough, but not his usual lungy cough, a horrendous one like Eloi's. Eloi's face was burning, he thrashed about frantically trying to draw breath as the world went grey then black...

The cloud of silvery dust whooshed down from the stairwell, and as Akhan saw both Eloi and Smokelight drop, coughing and sneezing, to the floor, he sprinted out to avoid the cloud that was speeding towards him.
There was some coughing, and then silence within. Akhan waited as long as he could bare it, and what was but a minute seemed like eternity, then cautiously went inside.
Both Eloi and Smokelight lay still on the floor - totally motionless, not even their ribcage moving as he was sure they were not breathing. Beginning to panic, Akhan went to help his friends, but stopped dead as he heard a noise behind him in the kitchen. Still grasping his sword, he turned and heard the rattling again - it seemed to be coming from the wooden cupboards by the table.
Akhan scrabbled feverishly at his face, managing eventually  to remove his eyepatch. Uncharacteristically he was frozen with indecision, or possibly even fear.
He was certainly not rushing upstairs! But who, or what, was in the kitchen cupboard?!
"First things first then, you big yellow coward" he thought derisively to himself.
Concentrating with the Eye he stared hard in the direction of the cupboard. What was it Mordekei and Zarn Varnt had taught him about its ability to divine the evil intentions (or otherwise) of the people within its range? That was it! Akhan directed this so-far little-used power of the Eye at whatever was making the racket in the kitchen. It struck him that anyone with evil intent would hardly be advertising their presence so loudly but an image of were-rats kept flooding into his mind. Akhan wasn't taking any chances.
If this was some other poor soul abducted by whoever was upstairs, Akhan felt sure it would be best to free them and use their help to get Eloi and Smokelight out of here quickly. They needed the healing skills of whichever temple he could get them to first! But what was going on upstairs?

Kyros paced back and forward within his cell - many things had annoyed him that day, but he could not say that the trial had been unfair. The Sheriff had refused character witnesses as irrelevant, but accepted the evidence of three mages who attested to the magical effects of his amulet. A Peloran priest had further attested to divining a wholesome aura from him that bespoke not of a horrific murderer, but the beneficial, caring soul that he had become.
Halstus was there, of course, and had his say - smiling throughout the trial, he had not wavered for one moment in an evident smugness at his adversary's situation. The Mareschal too had spoken, and mostly spoken in his favour.
With little thought, the Sheriff had dismissed the warrant for his extradition, on the grounds that he was convinced that the person detailed in the warrant was not the same person who stood before him. Kyros looked smugly to Halstus, who began a half-hearted protest, but the Major's lack of true concern at losing immediately unnerved him. And then the Sheriff had explained all.
"Do not worry so, Major, for I fear you will see an acceptable, if unplanned, conclusion to your efforts. Mister Telliran, I have before me an indictment which I now serve upon you for the murder of Sergeant Drimmian Aban of Nyrond."
Kyros had only learned the man's name that day as the Mareschal and Halstus had both described the circumstances of his arrest. The man was the one who had died in  the backlash of the Mareschal's magical javelin! The Sheriff's next words still tore through his head like an exploding fireball.
"Mister Telliran, I have already heard all the evidence in this case today, and there is only one conclusion to which I can possibly bring today's proceedings."
There was a heart-stopping pause and all within the courtroom were silent.
"I find you guilty of the murder of Drimmian Aban, then in the course of performing duties as directed by a King's Mareschal. There can only be one sentence for such a crime, and that is death by hanging! Sentence to be commuted immediately within the grounds of the Umberdtine."
Kyros stopped pacing and lay down on the raised platform that was his bed. There was no point in worrying any more - his fate lay outwith his own hands.

Akhan felt shocked, almost pained, as the emotions and thoughts flooded into his head through the Eye's magic. Not cowardice, but fear, pain, and a repeated urge to be brave. But mostly dark, all-encompassing, pant-wetting fear!
The thoughts of whatever was within focussed mainly on Meyrit, and were childish, like a scared child longing for its mother. Still unused to such overwhelming thoughts and emotions of others, for he rarely used his powers, Akhan could have sworn he felt the sensation of a tear coming to his cold, bejewelled Eye.
With a partial sigh of relief, Akhan moved towards the cupboard. As he opened the door, he heard the noise from above, the thumping on the floor, continue.
Within, as he had predicted, Dyavitz was curled into a ball, eyes half-shut in terror. Akhan felt sad how this cocky, streetwise boy now seemed so frail and opened out his arms for the boy to come to him. He could almost feel the relief in the boy as he launched himself from out of the cupboard and into his grasp.
"She would...she wouldn't tell him," he sobbed, "he hurt her and hurt her, but she kept telling him nonsense and he killed her."
Akhan almost leapt out of his skin as five figures walked through the door, each wielding a sword - then he peeled his grip from his sword's handle as he realised it was a born-again Adder using the same magical power to create identical images as he had used the night before. Adder looked healthy, but puzzled at the sight of a prone Smokelight lying in the middle of the floor, and Eloi in a similar fashion by the wooded stairs that led up to where the thumping noise was coming from. Adder felt sure in his heart that both iof his new companions were dead, for they had that look which only death could bring to their faces.
Again the muffled sound of someone shouting came down from upstairs.
"He has a halfling tied up, took him upstairs this morning," Dyavitz said, still clutching desperately to Akhan.
"Just two minutes ago some dust fell down from upstairs," Akhan explained to Adder. "Smokelight and Eloi were coughing and choking then fell down. The mage is dead, and I reckon His Munificence too."
A grimace of disdain became evident on the myriad images of Adder.
Taking in the scene, he quickly rushed to the two fallen men, sheathing his sword,and reached for something. He produced an old and dark glass vial, stoppered with cork and wax. He could no longer remember for sure how it had gotten to be in his possession, but there were times for knowing, and times for doing, and this was one of the latter. Instinctively, he unstoppered the bottle and poured a draught of it into the mouth of the smoke-stained mage, and then the wretched half-orc. Unconsciously he quietly muttered the old Baklunish death-prayer, the 'to-kabal'.
"As it is woven, so shall it be done."
He noticed that this didn't pass Akhan's ears unnoticed, but reckoned it would be better explained later that the saying referred to The Colourless and All-Coloured Lady of Fate's influence on the fates of mortals. It seemed that Our Lady wasn't finished with the life-weave of these two.
Yet.
With a cough, first Smokelight, then Eloi, began moving as Adder's potion took effect upon them. With a groan, both men sat up and saw they were right back where they were. Before them stood five perfect images of Adder, clutching a potion vial in his hand, and the erstwhile Akhan who had the boy Dyavitz clutching fearfully to his leg.
Smokelight coughed as he rose unsteadily to his feet, helping Eloi as he did so.
"Well, snap the bonds of Fate and call me Mordenkainen! I guess someone is looking out for us," he glanced heavenwards. Eloi gasped and looked at the multiple images of Adder.
"What the feck?!" He then looked at Akhan and the boy, Dayvitz. A look of relief crossed his face. "Someone is going to have to explain all this to me cause I don't understand it."
"Come on, Baron," Smokelight said, a worried look on his face, "I think we'd better get out of here before are fates really are sealed..."
In spite of the grim situation, Smokelight smiled and silently said thanks to the meddling of Oerthen deities.
Suddenly, the boy jumped in fright as there was a loud banging from above and the muffled sounds of someone shouting.

Eloi grimaced as he heard the noise from upstairs and the previous events suddenly came flooding back.
"I wouldn't mind getting a hold of that little bastard. Unfortunately I don't seem to be in too good a shape to do anything about it."
Eloi wheezed, his breath still laboured from the dust.
"We must act quickly. Our friend above seems in no hurry to leave, but none of us are in a fit enough state to do anything about it. Adar, you seem a lot better than when we left you? In fact you look like a new man! Five new men if you pardon my pun. I would ask again, are you fit enough and can your four friends do something to deal with our friend above."
He looked at Dayvitz. "You have seen much more in this day than most men would want to see in a lifetime. You do not need to see anymore. He removed his cloak and placed it gently over the shattered corpse. He knelt down. "We will need to talk later. We need to know what information the man wanted from Meyrit. Just when you're ready."
"Alright, I'm on it." Adder replied. He quickly took off his bandana. "And let's have a care. I've only got one draught of this "Liquid Miracle" left."
With that he took the bandana and tied it around his face, forming a rough and tight cover for his nose and mouth. Fortunately, he had no need to breathe, but he wasn't taking chances.
He made his way over to the stairs, sword still drawn and glowing with a soft blue light similar to the blade possessed by Akhan. As he slowly made his way up the steps he alternated looking in all directions and tapping the stairs, walls and ceiling two or three steps ahead of him.
"Asked her a lot of things," Dyavitz said as Adder passed out of sight.. "Who she was, who she spied fer, who else ther wer, who the halfling wer. She told him, told him lies, lots of different stories - he would hurt her and then stop, let her rest, let her feel better, feed her sometimes. Then he killed her, likely 'cause he couldn't tell which story was the truth - then he started to cut her up."
"He was upstairs with Meyrit when I came home yesterday and I just managed ter hide. He brought the halfling in early this morning, asleep ah think - he left a while but ah wer too skerred ter leave."
"He talks strange, like he don't come from here or nearabouts - kept his black mask on all the time, likes to scare Meyrit. Knows it skerred me - never used his blade on her till she wer dead, but his hands made her squirm and scream plenty."
A tear ran down the boy's face. Smokelight stiffly walked over to where Dyavitz was speaking. He felt sympathy for the courageous boy. Dyavitz was trying his best to give information to them, traumatic though the recent events were to the poor lad.
"Who, Dyavitz?" Smokelight asked, his voice low. "Who was he? Did Meyrit call him by a name?"
The boy shook his head, then bowed it as though ashamed at being unable to tell them more.
Akhan rested his hand on the urchin's mat of filthy hair, trying tocalm his obvious terror. To be truthful, he felt as bad as the
white-faced Dyavitz looked and he wished the boy would let go of his leg. It felt like he was cutting off circulation.
Gently, Akhan coaxed the boy to let go of his leg, but he still kept a firm grip on his hand. However the silence from upstairs was unnerving and Akhan couldn't help from calling upstairs, "Adder, are you all right? "

Cautiously Adder made his way up the stairs - he could barely see the fine powder that had been dropped from above, but he had no wish for a closer view. As he made his way up, he heard the rhythmic thumping and the muffled voice grow louder. As he neared the top he was sure the voice was crying for help.
As his head reached level with the next floor he paused for a second, then took two stairs at once so he could see immediately - this was a large attic room, a bedroom by first impressions, open plan with sunlight streaming in through the opened shutters of a dormer window. Lying on the floor next to a bed, bound and gagged, lay a battered and bruised halfling The halfling squirmed and nodded his head sidewards repeatedly, towards the open window.
As he made his way quietly over to the halfling, Adder scanned the room constantly. paying particular attention to the window. He could see now that the shutter had been smashed open from inside.
Quickly checking the halfling's bonds he saw they were tied well and his mind was eased of the prospect of treachery. He quickly cut the halfling's gag, which was quickly spat onto the floor.
"He went out the window a couple of minutes ago," the halfling whispered. "Cut my bonds, quick!"
The halfling seemed somewhat bruised and battered, purple welts arising on his face. He might have been the missing Cinion, but all halflings looked the same to Adder, so he couldn't be sure.
From downstairs, Adder heard Akhan's voice shouting, "Adder, are you all right? "
"I'm fine" Adder yelled. "I've a halfling in my possession here, a bit worse for wear."
Adder decided not to chase after the unknown assailant, which at best could be a rooftop marathon or slugfest. Either decision was bad, so he opted for the safer of the two choices.
"Are you capable of moving?" he asked the halfling, before preparing to return downstairs. Teh halfling nodded, twisting his face and saying, "I'll get out of here if I have to claw my way down with my teeth!"
Adder quickly cut his bonds and went to help the halfling down the stairs.
"Wait!" he said, looking over towards the bed. "He didn't have time to fetch my stuff, my sack's over there."
He motioned to a sack with a short sword thrust through it sitting by the window, then hobbled over to fetch it before they went down the stairs.

All hands went to their weapons as two pairs of feet appeared on the stairs, but almost immediately they recognised Adar's boots and the hairy tufted feet of the missing Cinion. They could all see that his face and those parts of his body that were showing were covered in horrible bruises.
"So you found me at last," Cinion said as he staggered down the stairs. "Don't suppose you have any apples, I've not eaten for days."
As they shook their heads, he continued.
"Well I ain't much for the religion about here, but I feel a visit to the priests coming on," he declared. "And I see I won't be the only one partaking of their services."
He looked over the motley half-dead crew that stood before him.
"I will assume there's been some action in my absence, but please, let's away from here - I have no desire to meet that masked Suel for a third rematch," he said.
"Third rematch?!?" Smokelight exclaimed, in response to Cinion's comment. "Who is this person, and how many times did you meet him earlier? Nevermind, you can answer me later, after we've all visited some local priests...speaking of priests, we had better to see to our Anointed Friend..."
The paunchy mage began moving towards the door, looking back at the others.
"I'm ready to leave this place if you all are... Let's visit the gaol."

"Yes, the third time," Cinion said on the way to the Peloran Temple. "He was the same man that threw me from the roof of Hannay's house. Somehow, though I was invisible, he saw me and kicked me off. I'm sure he stole my ring too, as he was going about invisible at times as well. And he's definitely a Suel - I saw him briefly without his mask, so he's either Sueloise or wants us to think he is."
Cinion went quiet for a moment, then resumed, somewhat more sombre.
"I have suffered at the hands of the Scarlet Ones before, and I recognised something of their efforts in his, em, 'questioning' of Meyrit," he said, looking at Dyavitz. "He would induce pain, then ease it, working her mind rather than her body. She did break and tell him of us in the end, but she told him so many different things that he couldn't possibly know which was the truth."
"As for how I came to be there," he continued, "I do not know - I awakened to him standing over me in a strange place, and he kept me drugged the whole time. Only in the last few hours, when he seemed concerned with something else downstairs, did he lapse and allow me to regain consciousness."
There was an air of fear among the party as they climbed the staies towards the Temple entrance, and they said little else until they were all safely healed.

Eloi paced back and forth frantically like an expectant father-to-be.
Akhan watched his discomfort, and would have enjoyed it had he not felt thesame way - they had been waiting at the courthouse for three hours now and nobody could tell them what was happening. By the time they were done with the Temple and got to the gaol, Kyros was already in trial. The bailiffs refused to let them into the courtroom and no amount of Eloi's threats or protestations would change this. Eventually they were told that it was a closed court and their testimony would not be required.
Eloi looked as though he were ready to kill someone.
Finally the doors opened and people began to leave. Akhan saw Olff Veshper leave in a huryy, and the Mareschal almost walked past him until he was called by name.
Olff looked to them with an angry gaze.
"I have no good news for you, Akhan," he said, glancing at the others.
He looked up at Eloi, then addressed him instead.
"Your lordship, were it only under different circumstances that we met," he said. "I am Olff Veshper, Mareschal for this area. I assisted Kyros in his defence, but to no avail - it seems the Nyrondese have pulled some political strings here to ensure his demise. The Sheriff refused to extradite, but one of the Nyrondese was killed in the scuffle of Kyros' capture. They indicted him on a murder charge and he was found guilty. He will be executed tonight."
The Mareschal lowered his head somewhat, as though ashamed in some way.
"There is nothing we can do," he surmised. "His advocate, Kerrald O'Tyan, is one of the best and he is at a loss for an open course of action. I can allow you to be present at the execution within the Umberdtine, but I must be sure any foolish notions of rescue are gone from your minds. Kyros will die for his sins tonight, and all you can do is comfort him in his last minutes by your presence. The area will be swamped with the King's soldiers."
Veshper paused, as though searching for something else to say, but remained silent, awaiting their response. Eloi gave Olff a look that would curdle milk then exploded in a rage.
"I want to see that half-wit of a sheriff now! I am a Baron and personal friend of the King's!! Do you really think I would visit this stinking cesspool of a city without good reason?! Do you really think I would be interested in a cretin like Telliran if I didn't have too be?!"
Eloi turned and lashed out at the nearest bench, kicking it over. He then turned and glared at Olff. "Are you still here? Do you want to join Kyros at the gallows tonight? I'll personally sign the fecking order!!!!"
Eloi lunged at Olff and aimed a kick which fell somewhat short at the Mareschal's arse. "Now get going before I get done for murder too!"
Akhan was so appalled at the invective spewing from Eloi's mouth he was rooted to the spot. They needed Veshper!
Veshper was actually trying to help them out and here was the Baron treating him like a goddam stable boy. He finally snapped out of his amazment when Eloi kicked out at the bench next to him, quickly stepped into Eloi's path and started to drag him off. He hoped the others weren't far behind him as Akhan could only think that Eloi had gone berserk.
Veshper seemed shocked at Eloi's tantrum, but maintained his cool. As he lashed out the kick, his hand went to his sword and two of the court's bailiffs ran over.
"Fangs of Iuz!" Akhan swore at the enraged half-orc.
As Akhan stopped the Baron, Veshper raised his hand to stop the baillifs arresting him.
Close up, Akhan was treated to the full experience of Eloi's personal odour and he was alarmed at the reddened and blotchy face from which the Baron's maddened eyes bulged. He hoped Veshper had left now - there was no way to smooth things over right at the moment but Akhan thought that he might be able to salvage something if they saw the man again without Eloi's presence. This little display of pique had completely destroyed any chance of the Mareschal going anywhere near the rogue in the nearfuture.
"What's got into you? What are you thinking about?" Akhan shouted at the demented face in front of him.
"The Baron has had a bad shock," Veshper said calmly to Akhan, ignoring the enraged half-orc. "I think in his frame of mind his presence would not be helpful, but if you are at my office at four bells. I will see you through to the execution. It is all I can do. And if I can do nothing to help him, Baron, be assured that you cannot either."
With that he turned and left.
"Why do I get the feeling that was a bad man to make an enemy of," Cinion said, stepping out from behind Smokelight's bulk where he had been half-hiding. Something about law enforcers struck at the very core of his being and he could not help but wish to avoid them. "So what now?"
As they stood pondering in the aftermath of Eloi's tantrum, Akhan noticed a new scar on Smokelight's neck, sewn up with gold thread. It seemed strange as they had all just been to the Peloran Temple for healing, and Smokelight had plenty of opportunity to have it healed.
Cinion looked to everyone with a shrug. It was only two hours until  the execution, a remarkably quick time for it to be carried out in, and he had no idea how to help his new companion. Akhan took his hands off Eloi and dropped them disconsolately.
"What now is we put our heads together and figure some way out of this mess."
He looked at the bustling groups of people congregated in the corridor and decided that discussing a possible jailbreak right here was a bad idea.
"Come on, there's bound to be some rooms here for these blood-sucking lawyers to hold meetings. We'll just commandeer ourselves one of them." Akhan glanced up and down the corridor and, not seeing any obvious choice, chose to try the opposite direction to where the Mareschal had gone.

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