Black Hart Black Hart
Gradsul by Twilight
Chapter 19 - There's No Such Thing as a Good Day to Die!
They were within an internal courtyard, somewhere in the
Umberdtine. It was surrounded by high walls, five towers of the
dark grey stone so prominent in Gradsul and the walkways between
them hovering above. Before them, in the centre, stood the
three dark wood gallows, on one of which their friend was about
to die.
A raised wooden parapet led from the gallows to a thick door on
the side of the widest tower. There were about fifty marines
standing about the courtyard and on the walkways, and other men
who were dressed like officials and nobility. They recognised
no-one elsepresent save Olff Veshper.
The courtyard was protected from the stiff breeze that had been
cutting into the afternoon outwith the Umberdtine, but it still
felt cold surrounded by the dark stone. Unseen to the trio of
friends, Major Halstus and his entourage watched form anearby
tower, eagerly awaiting the end of their mission. Veshper had
thought it more prudent to have them away from
A drum roll broke the near-silence, and glancing over they saw
the iron-bound door open.
Like a funeral procession, four guards led Kyros, shackled hand
and foot, with the hooded executioner and another four guards
following. It seemed an eternity before they were assembled on
the gallows, and Kyros scanned the crowds until he found them. A
smile, genuine and hearty, broke across his face and he nodded to
his friends. He then briefly said something, which they could not
hear from that distance, and the executioner stepped up, placing
a hood over his face. Kyros seemed accepting of his death,
comforted in some small way by the appearance of his companions,
Smokelight thought. He was glad that he had attended the
execution, if only to offer his Annointed Friend a final comfort
by just being there.
The hooded executioner led Kyros up three stairs to the noose,
placed it about his neck, then stepped back down.
There was a horrific pause, and they could only imagine what was
going through the priest's mind. Then he plunged as the
executioner dropped the trapdoor, and there was a popping noise
as he reached the end of the rope, dangling almost at eye-level
in front of them.Akhan turned his head slightly, screwing his
face up - it was so quick, so final.
Olff Veshper turned and they could see the tears welling in his
eyes. Without saying a word, he led them back out.
Kyros was dead.
When Eloi reached the Golden Anchor, Cinion was sitting there
alone, staring into his applejuice.
"I couldn't go," the halfling said as Eloi sat across
from him with an ale. Cinion didn't know why he felt so bad - he
had only briefly met the priest and they owed no debt to each
other. Still, he thoughtof the times he too had stared execution
in the face, and wished he could have done more for Kyros.
Perhaps in some backwater or lawless place, but not here, in the
midst of Keoish civilisation, surrounded by hndreds of armed
guards. Still, the futility of the rescue scenario did not make
him feel any better.
About half an hour later Akhan, Adder and Smokelight traipsed in,
and in that time the two had not said a dozen words to each other
as they sat staring into their drinks.Eloi was thinking mostly of
what Thoggin would think of this matter - still, Kyros was the
twisted gnome's choice, not his, so if anything it should be Eloi
who was mad at Thoggin for being so careless.
Eloi looked up as they approached with a questioning glance, then
quietly asked. "I take it the deed is done? Kyros has been
put to death?"
Slumping into his seat, Akhan gave Eloi a sour look. Executions
had never entertained him in the least. Perhaps it was the fact
that he ran the risk of a very similar fate in his more usual
line of work which had always soured his enjoyment of hangings.
But Kyros's death and its likelihood of remaining permanent were
depressing his spirits.
Now that it was over, Smokelight felt like he should feel guilty
- but he didn't. How could they have rescued Kyros? How many
innocent men might he have killed or harmed, if he had tried to
rescue Kyros? Smokelight didn't feel Kyros got a fair trial - but
on the other hand, he didn't feel responsible for Kyros' death
either. Kyros' blood was now on the state, the law, the ephemeral
social forces of the Flanaess.
"He's dead." Akhan sat staring vacantly for a minute.
"Veshper did tell us something which might be to our
advantage or might not. There's a Nyrondese ambassador coming to
Gradsul in a few days. That was partly what did for our friend -
they didn't want to upset any deals that were on the table by
going against Nyrond's wishes in the matter. However, I've heard
of the man they're sending: a Lord Wolff of Woodwych. He was a
cavalry officer when I knew of him in Rel Mord. Bit of a
Nyrondese hero from dustups with the Aerdi."
Akhan sat thinking further on any possibilities Lord Wolff's
presence might provide. He frowned. "Mind you, with his
position and his history of fighting against the Aerdi, I don't
imagine he'd look all that kindly on the plight of Sablefist. In
fact, seeing that list of charges they had against him, I rather
think Wolff might be a bit peeved that he missed the
execution."
"But I did hear rumours that he had connections with the
underworld in Rel Mord. Whether that means he'd be open to
negotiation on the subject of our friend's body I don't
know." Akhan sighed. "Where did you disappear off to in
such a hurry then?"
Eloi nodded sadly at Akhan soliliquie to Kyros, but perked up
significantly at the news of Lord Wolff's visit.
"Well, I now who our nemisis is anyways. The bastard that
murdered Meyrit and nearly done in Smokelight and myself is known
as 'Whisper'. He is an assassin employed by the Scarlet
Brotherhood to carry out a killing in Gradsul. His mission is to
kill a noble who is visiting the city, but it appears he has gone
rogue and is acting against Brotherhood orders."
He wiped his brow in mock relief. "At first I though I might
be the target, but no-one should know that we are here. You news
that Lord Wolff is going to visit suggests to me that he may be
the target."
"We should find out more about Wolff and what he is going to
be doing in Gradsul. We should also try to find out if there are
any other nobles in Gradsul. It may not be inconceivable that one
of them is the target. Perhaps Veshper could help us, if we
haven't pissed him off too much? Also this assassination may be
linked in some way to our mission."
He looked serious. "We should make plans of our next move.
Any suggestions other than the above course of enquiry?"
"We pissed him off?!" Cinion stated. "Hmmmm.
Anyway, perhaps it isn't an additional course of action we
need, but our original one. Shouldn't we really be trying to find
the man we were sent here to watch - and that would best be
served by watching Hannay and Gelders' houses. And what about
this arena - if the enemy do have some sort of gate there,
shouldn't we raid it, or at least check it out?"
Cinion stood up, his drink now empty.
"You're the boss, Eloi," he said. "I think we have
all the suggestions we need, its time to make decisions, and the
right ones this time. And the first one is, what are you all
drinking?"
Cinion motioned towards the bar.
"Just exactly how did you come by all this information,
Eloi?" Akhan asked Eloi sweetly, ignoring for the moment
Cinion's offer of getting the round in. He looked expectantly at
the Baron.
Eloi smiled. "Now you don't think I am going to reveal my
sources. Lets just say that we have made some good friends in our
previous adventures."
He looked expectently at the bar. 'Where was Cinion with those
drinks.'
"Well, if they're our friends then yes, I do expect you to
reveal your sources. I didn't pour that healing potion down your
gob after you got minced by that great big green thing months ago
for you to get all coy on us now. You've already managed to
forget to tell us that Halykk is a major player in this city.
We're all friends here so let's just share and share alike."
Eloi smiled at Akhan's comments. "I didn't say my source was
our friends. He is a representative of our friends and I do not
feel it necessary to bandyhis name about willy nilly and put his
cover in jeopardy."
"Another thing of great interest," he continued,
remembering something important and changing the subject all at
once. "Apparently our old chum Shebbed O'Harle has come into
some money. They plan to use it 'bringing the Royalists to their
knees'. Wouldn't it be hilarious if we found out it was the
Scarlet Brotherhood's fake money? They'd be laughing on the other
side of their faces when their arms suppliers found out."
"We need to consider our next move. We shall do the
following."
"Find out when Wolffe is going to be arriving in Gradsul.
Maybe he is already here? At the same time we can make enquiries
regarding the other nobs who may be visiting Gradsul. We shall go
and see Veshper, maybe you'd be better doing the talking."
Eloi nodded towards Akhan.
"After that we try to find out about how and why the Scarlet
Brotherhood are distributing the money. Perhaps Halykk could help
us out. We could also make enquiries about recent purchases or
orders for Jet and Jade."
"Then tonight we shall visit the arena. I am sure the
Scarlet Brotherhood will have moved on by now, but perhaps they
will have left some useful clues."
"We also need to start making some enquiries regarding
'Whisper'. I reckon he may be staying at the 'Red' Hannay's
house. Maybe Dayvitz and his friends could keep an eye on the
place?"
"We shall also leave a message for our dad at the
guesthouse. I don't expect to get a quick response, but maybe by
the time we are contacted we may have more idea about what's
going on."
Eloi supped the drink that Cinion provided. "Oh, one other
thing, from now on we do things together. We have lost two party
members through fragmenting the group. There is less chance of
further casualties if we stick together."
Eloi clasped his hands then downed his drink. "If no-one has
anything to add let's get going. First stop the gaol. I hope
Veshper is not going to hold our last meeting against me."
Eloi stood up and waited for the others then started off for the
gaol.
On the way he turned to Akhan. "Keep a close eye out. Let
me know if you suspect we are being followed." Eloi
carefully observed the surrounding streetscape as the made their
way through it. Every few minutes he glanced backwards, trying to
remember faces.
As they walked back towards the gaol, Akhan could feel his
stomach turning at the thought of returning to the place so soon
after Kyros' gruesome departure. "You can call this game any
way you like Zeb, but I reckon you're forgetting our ratty friend
can blend in with the local lowlives even better than we can. And
I doubt that those little molly-boys of Dayvitz are going to jump
down a sewer following him. If we're going to hit the arena,
they'll be even more difficult to spot at night. I say we should
hit it now while it's light if we're going to hit it at all. Let
the ankle-biters watch Hannay's and Gelders' joints."
"You really think it is a good idea walking into the arena
in broad daylight? Why don't we just walk up to Gelder's
warehouse, knock on the door and say 'Hello, I am Baron Eloi
Brandt of Amarr. I believe you are in the service of the Scarlet
Brotherhood? Tell us what you are up to or else?'"
As Eloi's smug grin spread over his features, Akhan's patience
almost snapped and he vowed to himself that the next time he had
occasion to have the Eye uncovered, he'd use it on Eloi.
"Damn tight-arse. He's getting as bad as Aranon was when he
was keeping that woman closeted away." he thought angrily.
It's be too obvious to uncover it right now - Eloi knew that the
Eye was special although Akhan couldn't remember how much the
half-orc would know of its abilities. He'd certainly told
Mordekei and Jean-Paul of its ability to look into people's
thoughts when they were interrogating the previous Baron Ammar's
magist. But what did Eloi know? "Well, there's only one way
to find out!" he thought amusedly.
"And the 'ankle biters'," Eloi continued, "are
probably more aware of the goings on in Gradsul than we will ever
be. We need their skills, but yes, you are right that they should
watch Gelder's and 'Red' Hannay's joints."
"Actually I thought going into the arena during the day was
a good idea," Cinion declared. "Its busy during the day
- we could wander around, case it out, see what we can see under
cover of the other punters. At night its dark, we have to break
in and some of us," he said glancing at Smokelight and
Adder, "need light to see by."
"And didn't you whack Akhan earlier for a bit of sarcastic
humour?" Cinion said drily. "To be honest, your mock
plan of confronting Gelders has more appeal than this random
approach you are taking. Watch him for a while here, watch her
for a while there. And what has this friend of yours, this
Halykk, got to do with anything? And this 'Wolff'? There must be
a dozen nobles in Gradsul at any time, including yourself,
Baron!"
Cinion sighed and put his hand to his head, pausing for a second.
"I'm sorry, I'm still a bit stressed at what happened,"
he said, staring firmly at the ground. "I just don't see
where we're going with this. One minute we're jumping all over
Hannay's house, next minute its a boat, a couple of carts, a
Mareschal, a merchant, a Nyrondese ambassador...and we never seem
to really do anything to do with our target. Perhaps if someone
tied a bottle of Keoish brandy to Vellip O'Shad you'd be more
interested in him."
Cinion looked a bit pale and leaned against the Umberdtine's
thick outer wall.
"What I mean is, do we have any idea where this is heading?
Or more particularly, when will it end?" he quizzed.
"If we try to suss out all of these targets it could be next
month before we even see our target, and by then this 'gate'
could be built and the town swarming with hordes of Amedian or
Hepmon savages, or Tharizdun's black servants. We need to
prioritise, to focus our efforts." Cinion looked up at Eloi.
"You need to prioritise, leader."
He stared at Eloi, waiting for a reply.
Eloi raised his hands in exasperation. "Well, it seems the
stakes have raised somewhat. It may have escaped your notice, but
there is a little more to contend with here than Vellip O'Shad!
We have lost one party member to a Scarlet Brotherhood assassin
called 'Whisper' and one to the gallows! There have been so many
distractions over the course of the last few days, it has been
kind of difficult to keep our minds focused."
He looked towards Akhan and then looked at Cinion. "Okay,
don't say I don't take the opinions of the group. Once Vesic, has
had his chat with Veshper about Wolff and any other nobs we shall
go to the arena and see what we can find."
He then looked at Adder and Smokelight. "You two are very
quiet! We are going to need everyone's input if we are going
solve this mystery."
"Your plan sounds fine with me," replied Adder,
"though I agree with Cinion here. We need to focus on one
thing at a time."
"Going to the arena sounds good to me," Smokelight
added. "I haven't been there yet, and that seems to be the
main staging grounds of our enemies. And what about the sewers
below the arena? We should probably check that area out
too." Smokelight was getting tired of the espionage. Let's
catch something, he thought, and make it talk.
Eloi took Akhan to one side and spoke to him privately.
"My friend, it probably hasn't escaped your notice that I am
not myself at the moment. To be honest I am finding leadership of
this group to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. I am
used to be in charge of only one thing - myself. I want you to
speak up louder. If you feel that my decisions are wrong then I
want you to persist in making you feelings known. I need your
help here Akhan, you are educated and probably know a lot more
about the ins and outs of these things than I do. I may be a
Baron, but to be honest I am nothing more than a street thug and
thief. I am not used to all this sneaking around, I prefer the
more direct approach, strike first, talk later."
Before he had a chance to respond, Eloi saw Akhan turn his head,
then gesture him to look back with the most subtle flick of his
eyes. Eloi turned back towards the Umberdtine, and saw the
Mareschal standing in the archway that led inside, holding the
reins of a fine grey horse.
"I am assuming that you were coming to see me," Veshper
said. "I was on my way home, I take it this is something
that cannot wait until tomorrow?" With a sigh, not waiting
for an answer, Veshper led them them back inside, handing his
horse to a marine within the first courtyard.