by M. Gregg Roe
Ariel looked down and began to fidget. “Um … I left a note,” she said meekly.
Isadora sighed and then patted Ariel gently on the head. “Very well. Since you are here, you may help us. But you are going to have to deal with both Alessandra and your parents when we return. I will get you something to eat.”
While Isadora was getting Ariel some food, the five of them looked at one another. Gabriel was worried, but Siljan was exasperated. “Now at least one of us is going to be tied up keeping an eye on her,” she whispered. Gabriel and Saxloc both nodded their agreement.
After Ariel finished eating, Isadora said, “Ariel, you look quite tired. Perhaps you should go lie down and get some sleep. You may use the bedroom on the right.”
Ariel actually yawned before saying, “Okay. I’m really tired.” She went down the hall and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Isadora addressed them. “I used magic on her, so she will be out for a while.” She sat down on the floor and looked at them sadly. “This is bad. I am concerned about Ariel facing undead. It cannot help but bring back memories of Larna. But I know better than to try to convince her to stay behind. I prefer her where I can keep an eye on her. Please do your best to watch out for her. All right?”
Gabriel immediately stated, “I will watch out for her.”
Siljan rolled her eyes. “No, Gabriel. We need you to hit things with your sword. That’s your job. And Hankin and Saxloc need to be free to use their magic to fly around. I’ll do it. If Ariel does her job, then she can protect me and let me cast spells.”
“All right,” agreed Isadora. “Thank you, Siljan.”
Audrey was tempted to object. She knew a number of ways to subdue someone, but she realized that her training would be useless if she couldn’t get close enough. And Ariel fought with two weapons.
They went back to discussing strategies, now trying to figure out what to do with Ariel. When she emerged from the bedroom a couple of hours later, they briefed her on the plan.
They all looked up when the door suddenly opened, but it was Aliva finally returning. She was smiling broadly as she walked in, but her smile faltered when she spied Ariel. Aliva looked lovely, clad in a form-fitting purple dress with a low-cut front. She sat down on one of the chairs before addressing everyone, and Audrey thought that she looked tired.
“I’m happy that you all made it here. Things went well tonight. I spent most of today at a tavern called The Glass Goblet. Morton showed up in the evening, and I let him buy me drinks and flirted with him. I told him I would be back there tomorrow evening, and he said he would definitely be there.”
Aliva smiled in a sultry fashion. “I’ve got him now. He really wants me. He was begging me to go home with him tonight, but I’m playing hard to get.”
“That sounds perfect,” said Isadora. “We will put the plan into effect tomorrow night, assuming that the mercenaries show up as planned. I just want this to be over.”
“I agree. I’ll wear my really sexy dress tomorrow.”
Isadora nodded, looking relieved. “I think that we are all tired now. Aliva is using the bed in the small bedroom, and I will sleep on the floor there. The rest of you can decide who will use the other two beds. There are more blankets in the storage closet next to the pantry.”
They started discussing the sleeping arrangements. Audrey and Siljan were given the other two beds, with Ariel on the floor. Gabriel and Saxloc picked spots near the front door, while Hankin bedded down in the hallway. Audrey really was tired, and she soon fell asleep.
♦ ♦ ♦
In the middle of the night, there was a loud pounding on the front door. Ariel and Siljan both beat Audrey out of the bedroom with weapons in hand. Audrey couldn’t get through the hallway to see what was happening, but she suddenly heard a very familiar voice. Grasapa was speaking to Ariel, and she didn’t sound happy. Audrey finally made it out of the hallway, and Grasapa gave her a nod. She looked exhausted and her clothes were dusty.
Grasapa looked around at everyone. “I apologize for waking you. We should all try to get some sleep. I will deal with my disobedient daughter in the morning.”
Ariel actually cringed, and Audrey saw Siljan take her hand and lead her down the hallway. Audrey followed, and the three of them all tried to get back to sleep, although she suspected that Ariel was now too fearful to sleep.
♦ ♦ ♦
Everyone was a bit cranky in the morning because of the sleeping conditions. Audrey was in the kitchen starting to put out more cheese and sausage when there was a light knock on the front door. She opened the door without even thinking about it, and then backed away fearfully. Standing outside was a huge man with an ugly and scarred face, wearing much-used metal armor. He was holding a paper bag with loaves of bread sticking out and was startled by her reaction. He smiled and pointed to the bread, and she began to relax.
“It’s all right,” said Saxloc as he walked up. “We know him. He must be one of the mercenaries that Alessandra hired. He can’t speak, and he doesn’t seem to have a name.”
Audrey stepped back and motioned for the man to enter. He walked over and set the bag of bread on the table, smiling and gesturing that it was for all of them. As they all ate their breakfast, she was impressed by how well he could communicate using only gestures and facial expressions. His gentle demeanor seemed quite at odds with his imposing appearance.
After breakfast, Grasapa led her daughter into the small bedroom. Ariel followed meekly, looking like she was being taken to be executed. Audrey was relieved that she didn’t hear any yelling or crying. A while later, Ariel emerged looking glum, but it wasn’t long at all before she was back to her usual cheerful self.
Grasapa told them that she would also be helping out with the mission. Then Audrey noticed her going off with Siljan to speak privately. She assumed that they were discussing how they were planning to deal with Ariel tonight.
Saxloc, Gabriel, Ariel, and Hankin left with Isadora to familiarize themselves with the town, while Aliva went to take a nap. Audrey busied herself cleaning up the kitchen and folding up all of the blankets and putting them away. The mute man saw what she was doing, and he gathered up all of the trash and took it outside.
After finishing her talk with Siljan, Grasapa walked over and asked, “How are you, Audrey? You do not need to participate tonight.”
Audrey hesitated before replying, “I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t scared, but I’m determined to go. I’m going to stay with Isadora and try to act as her guard so that she can use her magic.”
Grasapa smiled her approval. “I think that is an excellent plan. It sounds like you have thought things through. I would only be concerned if you were not frightened.”
Siljan walked up looking sleepy. “She’ll do fine. She kicked a bugbear in the balls on the way here.” Siljan yawned. “I’m going to go take a nap. Wake me when it’s time to kill Morton.”
Grasapa had an amused expression as Siljan walked away. “In the balls?” she asked.
Audrey grinned and said, “He was wide open. You taught me to target vital points.”
“True. Make certain that you tell Danj about it. He absolutely despises bugbears.”
“That’s just what Siljan said. Maybe I can use it to distract him if he starts trying to tell me stories again.”
“I think that is an excellent plan.”
Saxloc and the others soon returned from their walk. He told her that they had strolled casually around and gotten a look at Morton’s house from a distance. It overlooked the beach, but there was a small cliff that prevented direct access from that direction.
When Aliva reappeared after her nap, Gabriel suddenly started looking through his belt pouch. He pulled out a letter and handed it to her, saying, “Sorry. I should have given this to you last night.”
Aliva took the letter and her face lit up. She had a definite look of relief when she finished reading it. “It’s from my father,” she told them
. “He forgives me for running off without telling him. He says he’ll try to come and visit me sometime this Summer. Hurray!”
Audrey gave Saxloc a questioning look and he said, “It’s kind of complicated. I’ll explain it later after all of this is over.”
Later that morning, there was another knock at the door and Isadora answered it. Audrey saw a handsome, dark-haired man wearing armor standing outside. Saxloc whispered to her that his name was Harlock and that they knew him too. He walked in boldly and said, “Greetings … friends,” with a rather pained look. “Leopold and I are eager to bring the foul villain Morton to justice.”
“Who’s Leopold?” she whispered to Saxloc.
“He’s imaginary,” he replied. “I think he’s actually Harlock’s conscience.”
Audrey did not find his words reassuring. Relying on a mercenary with an imaginary companion sounded like a bad idea.
After lunch, Isadora began to brief everyone. She quickly reviewed Aliva’s role for the benefit of Grasapa and the two mercenaries. Then she held up the drawing showing the floor plans of the two adjacent houses.
“The two houses were originally completely separate, as this drawing indicates. I would be very surprised if Morton has not created holes in the walls between the two houses to provide easy access. The ground-floor windows all have iron bars protecting them, but the upstairs windows do not. The windows of the supposedly empty house are all kept shuttered.
“Morton has some followers living with him, but we do not know how many or what their capabilities are. They rarely seem to leave the house. We also do not know how many undead are inside, or what types might be there. At least a dozen people are unaccounted for, but we suspect that Morton also had dead bodies shipped to him.
“The town guard will be assisting us, but their primary role will be to keep any spectators away. There are many dwellings and buildings near our target. Everyone needs to be careful using fire magic or anything that might ignite a fire.”
Audrey noted how disappointed Siljan looked after that warning.
“After dark,” continued Isadora, “we will leave here in small groups and gradually make our way to the vicinity of Morton’s house. Take indirect routes. Everyone should be in place by two hours after dark.”
Grasapa spoke up. “That is all very well if things go according to schedule, but you need to plan for things going awry because they almost always do. What if Morton is not fooled? We might end up with Aliva held hostage, and Morton and all of his forces alert and ready.”
“He is not going to take me hostage,” said Aliva indignantly. “I can displace away.”
“What about Morton?” countered Grasapa. “Can he displace? Turn himself invisible? Fly? How do we stop him from escaping? There are four doors and many unbarred windows. We cannot guard all of them. And what about roof access?”
Isadora nodded. “I agree with you. We can benefit from your greater experience.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “I am certain that Morton can turn himself invisible, but I do not believe that he knows any flying magic. Morton is skilled in combat, but he is not that powerful a spell-caster.”
Isadora proceeded to describe what she knew about Morton’s capabilities, starting with the magical gauntlet that he always wore. Morton had training in unarmed combat, and the gauntlet seemed to be able to greatly amplify his punches.
Siljan chimed in as well, saying that she had personal experience in fighting Morton. She had been hit by some kind of force bolt that he fired from his gauntlet, and later struck directly by it. In each case, she had been injured and flung backward.
“If we do end up fighting Morton,” said Isadora, “then Siljan and I will try to strike him with Argent Lance spells. They do not inflict much damage to humans, but they drain magical energy. If we drain enough, Morton will be unable to cast spells.”
“Excellent,” said Grasapa. “That is exactly the kind of thing we need to think about. Now, what about the doors? Should we try to magically lock some of them? Or would it be best to conserve our magic? Wooden doors are easy to break open. Perhaps we should leave them alone and position sufficient people on each side of the two houses.”
Isadora said, “Those who have flying magic could try to enter through an upstairs window. I can cast Levitation, but I am not skilled in combat. I plan to watch for Aliva’s signal and then provide support. If undead should make it out of the front of either house, I will attempt to deal with them.”
“And I’m going to stay with Isadora,” added Audrey. “I’ll try to keep any undead away so that she can use her magic.” She noticed both Isadora and Saxloc nodding their approval.
Isadora turned and addressed Grasapa. “I believe the two of us should go speak with Captain Fleming while the others continue strategizing.” Grasapa agreed, and the two of them departed.
They continued to discuss possible plans and what spells to cast in advance. Harlock’s suggestions weren’t helpful, but the ones that he said were from Leopold were actually reasonable, much to Audrey’s amazement. The huge man simply stood and observed. Audrey watched without comment and found the whole process fascinating. Eventually, Isadora and Grasapa returned and said that everything was set for that evening.
Late that afternoon, Aliva went back into the small bedroom. When she emerged an hour later, she was attired in a tight red-and-white dress and was absolutely ravishing. The two mercenaries both seemed quite taken with her. Harlock said, “Leopold says he has never seen anyone so lovely.” Aliva smiled beautifully and winked.
Aliva held out her scabbarded sword to Isadora, but she suggested having Audrey carry it. Aliva handed over the sword, and Audrey then asked Saxloc to show her how to wear it properly. He helped her put it on, showing her how to tie the scabbard to her leg so that it didn’t flap around.
Aliva gave four small ceramic vials to Gabriel. “These are regeneration potions that my father made,” she explained. “But don’t worry. There are no weird side effects. Well, that’s what he told me anyway. Don’t blame me if they turn you purple or something.”
Gabriel gave Siljan and Saxloc each one, kept one for himself, and then surprised Audrey by giving her the last one. Saxloc explained: “It’s kind of like a slow healing potion. It can be very useful if you’re fighting a long battle.”
Then everyone set about donning their armor and getting ready. All Audrey had to do was put on her wrist sheathes, because she was already wearing her dagger.
As the sun was setting, Aliva donned a dark gray cloak before heading out for her rendezvous with Morton. Isadora wished her luck, but she looked worried. She reminded everyone to stay away from The Glass Goblet and described its location.
After Aliva had departed, Audrey said to Saxloc, “Why don’t we go and have dinner? Then we can walk around and shop and then eventually end up near Morton’s house.”
He looked questioningly at Isadora. She nodded and said, “That is an excellent idea, Audrey. We should all try to look as natural as possible. You two go right ahead.”
The two of them soon departed, and they walked south toward the lake. After exploring for a while, they came across a beautiful old building called The Crystal Inn that had a view of Fog Lake.
“This looks good,” he said. “Let’s eat here.”
“It looks kind of expensive,” she replied hesitantly.
Saxloc smiled and said, “Audrey, you are still a poor peasant girl at heart. That’s one of the things I like about you. I think we can afford it. This might be a long night, so let’s have a nice meal and relax for a while before things start getting exciting.”
Audrey took his arm. “Okay. I bet they have good fish here.”
The fish was good. Very good. But as they ate, she noticed that some of the other diners kept looking over at the two of them. “This might have been a mistake,” she said to him. “We’re attracting a lot of attention. You’re wearing armor and we’re both wearing swords.”
Saxloc glan
ced around and then said, “Actually, I can see two other people wearing armor, and they’re not dressed like the town guards. They’re probably either guards for merchants or visitors like us. I think they’re actually staring at me. I don’t think they see many elves or half-elves here.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right; I haven’t seen any here. Well, that’s a relief.”
He turned serious and lowered his voice. “I had been hoping to stay by you tonight. I wanted to cast some spells to help you when things began to happen, but that’s not going to be possible. Hankin and I discussed it. We are going to cast Levitation and then hide on the roof of a nearby building. We’re planning to enter the house through one of the second-floor windows. I’ve got a spell that should be able to blow a large hole through a window.”
“I see,” she replied, trying not to show her disappointment.
“Actually,” he continued, “even if I stayed by your side, I might not have time to cast any spells on you. I think we have a good plan, but things will almost certainly go wrong. There might be magical protections we don’t know about. Morton might have allies we didn’t anticipate that attack us while we’re still outside the house. Aliva might be captured or even killed if Morton realizes that she’s half demon.”
“Great,” said Audrey drily. “Now I’m even more frightened.” But she was smiling as she said it and he smiled in return. “That reminds me. What is displace?”
“It’s a spell that functions as a short range teleport. A teleport spell can instantly take you anywhere in the world, provided you know exactly where you want to go. Teleport spells don’t function here in Andoran’s Realm, but displace does.”
“I see. So if Morton can displace, he might be able to escape.”
“Yes,” he replied, now looking worried. “He could just displace himself out into the street, or even into an adjacent building. He has already escaped us twice before.”
Audrey smiled and tried to appear confident. “I’m sure we’ll get him this time.”
“I hope so. I do not want to have to do this again.”
