"And rewarded?"
"No—just noted."
Lisette puzzled over the information only briefly. Of course. They only reason they wouldn't reward for word of her working as an assassin is that her old masters wouldn't want lies. Just information. And she knew, likewise, why they'd care. If she practiced her old trade she'd face a bounty of her own. Before, she'd been playing it safe. Of course they were actively watching her.
The smart thing to do would be to find Karag and disappear into the night.
But Avelis had half a fortune left to hand over, and Lisette meant to earn it. Besides. Lisette despised anyone telling her what to do.
"Well?" Devin asked. "Did you learn what you needed?"
"I did." She lowered the gun.
Devin smiled in relief. "I wasn't sure I believed you."
"Oh, I keep my word," she told him, then dropped on him with the knife.
paizo.com #3236236, Corry Douglas
Chapter Seven
A Final Word
Elyana
Elyana was grooming Calda in the stables in the hour before dawn when the guardsman Stefan came to see her with a young man in tow.
She stepped out of the stall, bringing the lantern with her. She hung it from a nail, set her brushes on an overturned bucket, and brushed the horsehair from her hands. "Good morning, Stefan."
Gray-haired Stefan always looked tired, but was dependably to be found at the postern gate every night. He preferred the hours. "And good morning to you, Lady Elyana."
Elyana didn't particularly care for the title, but Drelm had insisted upon it. She held no formal rank in Delgar, and the half-orc thought it undignified for the guards to address her by her first name. She had tried that for a while, but the soldiers seemed generally more comfortable addressing her with an honorific.
"You have a visitor." Stefan indicated the boy behind him, then moved aside.
The young man stepped forward and Elyana's eyes tracked to the folded paper he carried in one hand. "Your pardon, Lady." He sounded as nervous as he would addressing a real noblewoman.
Elyana smiled as gently as she could, then knelt so she might greet the boy eye to eye. Men of all ages seemed intimidated by her appearance. She understood they found her attractive and knew too well how ardor made fools of those who desired her. She had long cultivated a distant manner toward most men, but was kinder to youngsters. It was hardly their fault she looked like their ideal, and she didn't wish to seem cruel.
"Do you have something for me?"
"A letter." He met her eyes, then looked down. "From the gentlemen known as Mr. Venic, um, milady." Belatedly he extended the paper toward her.
She took it, curious, and studied the wax seal. The stamp lacked any kind of sigil—it was just a round pattern to smash the wax. Carefully penned lettering addressed the note to her, Lady Elyana Sadrastis.
It must be a farewell note. Probably Venic had decided to resign via this method rather than face the more pronounced shame of a face-to-face meeting. What else could it be?
"You've delivered your note," Stefan said behind the boy. "Best be on your way."
"There's something more," the boy said as Elyana fished a couple of coppers from her coin purse.
"Oh?" Elyana arched an eyebrow and held back from giving the tip.
The young man nodded briefly. "I wasn't supposed to hand that to you unless he didn't come back last night. To the inn, I mean."
Elyana studied the boy. He couldn't be more than ten, lean and sun-browned, with a band of freckles across his nose. He seemed uncomfortable in the scrutiny and shifted a little.
"So he didn't return?" Elyana asked.
"No."
Strange. "Did he say where he was going?"
The boy shook his head. "All he said to me was that he'd be going out, and if he didn't return I was to give this to you before dawn. He paid me before he left."
"I see. And you're sure he didn't make it back last night? He might have checked into his room while you were sleeping."
"No, ma'am. I looked at his room this morning. Very carefully."
Elyana smiled wryly at the last. "I'm sure you did. Alright, young man. Thank you for doing as you were told." She dropped a handful of coppers into his hand and nodded to Stefan, who led the boy out of the stables.
Elyana broke the seal and stepped closer to the light.
Venic's hand was even and unremarkable, rather as he was.
To Elyana Sadrastis,
I go this evening to speak with a member of our expedition about her past. My sources inform me that the woman presenting herself as Lisette Demonde, the bounty hunter, was once a member of the Chelish guild known as the Black Coil. If you have not heard of them, it is because their activities are usually confined to Cheliax. They are murderers for hire. It is my fear that Ms. Demonde is targeting someone within our expedition, and I urge the utmost caution. I strongly suggest you ask her about my whereabouts this morning if I do not arrive to speak with you before departure time.
Venic of Gralton
"Marvelous," Elyana said to Calda, who had her head down as she contentedly munched some hay.
Venic's cool manner had troubled her from the outset, but she'd put that aside when she saw just how competent he was with his blade. Who was she to turn talented help away? He wouldn't be the first or last River Kingdoms dweller with a dark past, or the first washed-up warrior looking for a chance to earn some gold.
Yet his letter stretched credulity. If Venic had been worried about Lisette's identity, why confront her by himself rather than coming to Elyana beforehand? Especially if he thought her some kind of elite assassin. And who, exactly, were his sources?
If Venic were here now, he might claim he'd wanted to give Lisette an honorable way out, but that explanation didn't wash. And so Elyana was left with an ugly little mystery and the seed of discord. There were several possibilities. The first was that Venic was simply looking to trouble the expedition. The second was that someone else was looking to trouble the expedition and had played an elaborate scheme with Venic as a pawn. Either of those options suggested there were some who wanted the expedition to fail, which made no sense unless the beast's rampages had a purpose, which required a great deal of conjecture.
The third possibility was that Venic had written the truth about Lisette's profession.
Yet Lisette Demonde was a bounty hunter, come to Delgar in search of another quarry entirely before throwing in with the expedition when she learned of it. Why would an assassin pretend to be a bounty hunter? Assassins survived by remaining hidden, and Lisette was hardly that.
The more Elyana turned the problem, the more she became certain someone was out to jeopardize the expedition. Lisette's marksmanship was phenomenal, and at close range her guns had better stopping power than arrows. Moreover, she was a seasoned veteran. To lose her would weaken the group, and the more Elyana thought about the matter, the more she thought that must be what Venic wanted.
Why he sought to bring trouble was a question she didn't understand.
Come dawn she was sitting saddle upon Calda as the expedition members filed into the keep's walls. Drelm, Demid, Illidian, and the elves were performing a final check of the foodstuffs. Only a faint trace of light colored the sky, but it was enough for elven sight.
As Cyrelle sorted the gear in her saddlebags, her dog pack lay at ease, lolling with deceptive calm beside her horse, each with its head on its front paws. The Oaksteward was quietly performing a dawn prayer near the eastern wall, and the red-haired wizard, Votek, was in a quiet but animated discussion with the halfling. Drutha's dog sat beside her, white-and-brown-spotted fur hung with packs and storage gear. Calvonis, Grellen, and Marika were looking carefully over their stock of arrows.
Lisette and her dwarf were adjusting the saddles on the horse and the donkey they'd been loaned by the mayor. Neither looked any more suspicious than anyone else, but she supposed that if Liset
te were a trained assassin she wouldn't have any tells.
Venic made no appearance.
At a sudden thought, she called out for the wizard. "Votek!"
The man heard his name and turned, then walked quickly over. He smiled affably up at her. "Good morning!"
Elyana noticed for the first time that the haft of a lute poked up over the wizard's right shoulder, tied somehow to his large shoulder bag. He must be strong, for all his paunch, for she had noted earlier that it bulged with gear.
"And to you, Votek. Tell me, do you know any spells for learning the truth?"
Votek rubbed at his wild shock of red hair, looking chagrined. "I'm afraid that's outside my line of specialty. Why do you ask?"
Disappointing. But then, she'd never found magic the easy answer promised in stories. "Just curious. Tell me about this." She reached behind her, rifled through her saddlebag, and brought forth Onderan's wand. She handed it down, being careful not to direct it at him.
Votek grasped it cautiously. "What's this?"
"A man used it to murder every man, woman, child, and farm animal he could shoot a few weeks ago."
Votek's eyebrows rose. "What does it do?"
"It fires some kind of acid. But I have no idea how to activate it. It would be of great use against the monster we hunt."
"It certainly sounds like it. Do you know the trigger word?"
"No. I was hoping you could help me with that."
Votek scratched at his hair again. "This is a matter that requires study. Maybe when we stop this evening?" He turned it over. "I don't recognize the make," he admitted. "But maybe if I examine the magical signatures on the thing." He turned it over once more and ran a hand over the banding. "Do you mind if I hold onto it? I might be able to try a few things whenever we stop for a break."
"By all means. Just be careful."
He bowed his head with a theatrical hand flourish. "Fear not, my fair Captain. I know what I'm about."
She nodded to him, then scanned over the assembled folk once more and glanced to the closed postern gate. Roosters crowed outside the wall. From somewhere near at hand she heard the bleat of sheep.
There was still no sign of Venic. Elyana straightened in her saddle and called for attention. Gradually, everyone ceased their activities and turned to face her.
"Have any of you seen Venic since yesterday evening?"
Lisette answered almost immediately. "He had a drink with me, last night." She smirked. "He tried to follow me to my room."
Elyana hadn't expected such an easy answer but let no surprise show on her face. "Had he been drinking?"
"Oh yes."
"He's probably still lying in the gutter," Marika said, then laughed slowly. "Or under some fat whore."
"None of that talk," Drelm growled from behind Elyana. "There are ladies present."
Lisette grinned at this; Marika traded a startled glance with her friend Grellen.
Elyana raised her voice to address them all. "Has anyone seen him, at all?"
The expedition members looked back and forth among themselves. Finally, the halfling piped up. "Should we send someone out to look for him?"
"I'll go, if you wish," Demid volunteered.
But the Brevan was too useful to send on an errand boy's outing. She looked down to the attentive officer, speaking quietly. "No, thank you, Demid. This is Venic's lookout. If he doesn't turn up, he doesn't go. And if he doesn't go, he doesn't get paid." She faced the others once more. "Finish checking over your gear. We'll leave in a quarter-hour."
Shortly thereafter, Drelm called for everyone to form up and began handing out the supply packs, assisted by Aladel. Elyana wasn't quite sure how that had happened, or why, but the dark-haired elf had taken over the clipboard as Drelm turned over the bags and wine sacs. He still wore his own gear rather than the traditional garb of the forest rangers, though Illidian had told her he'd served on the border decades ago. He seemed to have a good head for organization, so she let him be.
The expedition members moved swiftly through the line, then carried their belongings to their mounts. Elyana watched every one of them with great care, trying not to make her scrutiny of Lisette too obvious.
Damn Venic and his stupid letter.
Demid drew up beside her stirrup and cleared his throat. "Elyana?"
She found the handsome Brevan smiling confidently at her.
"You're a man short," he observed. "Although he was a short man to begin with."
Elyana acknowledged the cleverness with a faint smile. "We will make do without him."
"Allow me to volunteer my services." Demid brought his heels together and straightened, clearing his expression.
Elyana shook her head. "No, Demid. You're in command of the city guard until Drelm returns."
"Gered will handle things just fine."
"Gered will manage things." Elyana dropped her voice and leaned out toward Demid. "But he will not lead. The gods forbid it, but if something awful should happen, the guards need a leader."
Demid nodded reluctantly.
"I thank you, though," she added. "It was noble of you to volunteer."
He dismissed the compliment with an easy wave and a broad smile. "These walls are no place for a cavalryman. Someday...someday I'll have that money saved up."
"I'm sure you will." More than once the Brevan had wistfully discussed his wish for land in his native country, where he meant to raise horses, but had disclosed little else about his past. The longer she knew him, the more certain she was that he had once been an officer in some army, and probably a nobleman to boot. If Demid wanted her to know the details, though, he would tell her. There were far more pressing matters to worry over.
Finally, everyone was mounted, the halfling on her dog, Karag on a mule, and everyone else on horses.
With the barest nudge of her knee, Elyana set Calda forward along the line of them. "The beast was sighted west of town two days ago. First thing, we're all looking at the tracks." She resisted a sudden impulse to set Calda curveting. No need to show off. "Fall out."
She led them down the central street past the long lines of homes and shops. Many of Delgar's residents turned out to wish them well, and the priestess of Calistria shouted blessings upon them as they passed. So too did the masked priest of Razmir, in his way, calling that if they took succor in the faith of the living god no harm would befall them.
The lord mayor and his daughter waited at the very end of the road. Avelis raised a hand and told them to go with the blessings of all the gods of justice and mercy. Daylah stared forlornly at Drelm, but if she looked for a final acknowledgment of love or tenderness, she searched in vain, for Elyana knew that the half-orc believed showing such things while on duty reduced his dignity. He allowed himself only a raised hand in farewell before he faced forward.
At this, Daylah reached up to wipe tears from her eyes. The half-orc, Elyana thought, had much to learn about women.
After a half-hour, the sun was fully risen and filtering through the trees by the riverside. Much of the River Kingdoms woodland was old growth, so there was enough space between the trees for riding. The shade beneath the boughs of oak and pine gave everything a false twilight.
She didn't have to remind anyone in her group that they needed to be on guard: she had picked only the best. She set her squad of five on point, with Drelm's group flanking to her right and Illidian's squad a quarter mile to the left, nearer the river. With the elven captain was the Oaksteward, who she assumed would be treated with respect even by Kyonin elves, and Calvonis. Riding with Elyana were Cyrelle the huntswoman, Votek, Lisette, and Karag. Cyrelle's hounds ranged ahead.
Elyana and Cyrelle rode point. In addition to the hounds, the thickset huntswoman had loosed her hawk, Balok, as they left the town, and Elyana knew from their previous venture that Cyrelle's distant look was her communing with the mind of the animal, a power granted her by a ring passed down from her grandfather.
Elyana's squad arrived at
the most recent tracks in just under an hour. A half-dozen hounds milled about the site, their noses to the ground. Elyana raised the horn and gave three swift bleats—the prearranged call for the other groups to hold position—then slid down to examine the area once more. Votek joined her, his eyes settling apprehensively upon the shadowy woodlands. Cyrelle walked with her hounds.
"You two, keep watch," Elyana called to Lisette and the dwarf, then stepped over to Cyrelle, now bent beside one well-defined imprint. Her lead hound, a gray-black beast named Scouter, stood nearby with his ears cocked to attention. His immense head reached Elyana's thigh.
"Have you ever seen a print like it?" Elyana asked.
"No." The huntswoman shook her head, bemused. Her voice was a low alto and bore a faint, rolling accent of the far northwest. "It's even larger than I imagined."
Elyana had seen three sets of tracks in the weeks she'd spent stalking the beast, and these were among the clearest. They were as large as a wyvern's print, and similar in that five pads were clawed. But this monster seemed heavier, displacing more ground as it walked.
She broke off the examination to eye the surroundings, surreptitiously checking on Lisette and her dwarf. Both were faced away, and shifting appropriately to take in their surroundings. Votek finished with a complicated set of hand movements, then dropped his eyes from out of the magical world so that they met Elyana's own.
"There's nothing magical here." The wizard sounded almost embarrassed. "No residue, no nothing."
As she expected.
"It's interesting." Cyrelle stood and peered off into the woodland, shading her eyes with one large hand. "There are no signs of droppings anywhere."
"I've never found any," Elyana agreed. "Any idea when these tracks were made?
"I'd say four days old," Cyrelle continued, which jibed with Elyana's assessment. "Probably..."
Cyrelle fell silent in mid-speech, stilling utterly as she listened. A dog barked, and she looked over to Elyana. "Barten's found something." She headed east at a quick trot, doubling back to parallel the route by which they'd entered the little woodland.
Stalking the Beast Page 10
