by Kate Novak
"Officers, this man attacked me," Joel declared, indicating the blood and scars from the freshly healed wounds on his arm and shoulder. "His henchmen have just abducted my friend, a woman named Jas. It's imperative that I find her before they smuggle her out of the city, but he refuses to tell me where they have taken her."
The highest-ranking Hardhead stepped forward. "Is that right?" he asked the priest of Iyachtu Xvim.
"The woman indentured herself as our servant," the priest said. "We are only reclaiming our own."
That's a lie. She's a free woman," Joel snapped. "You have no claim on her."
"We'll have to sort this out back at headquarters," the Hardhead leader said. "Tell us where the woman is," he ordered the priest, "so we can determine the truth of your stories."
"I have no idea," the priest said.
"He's lying," Joel growled.
"Mitchel, convince the witness to cooperate," the Hardhead leader barked.
One of the other Hardheads stepped forward. The priest of Xvim glared disdainfully at the man. The Hardhead began a chant.
The Hardheads, Joel recalled, had special magical ways to make witnesses talk.
"You will never force me to speak!" the priest shouted. "I will die first!" With the fanaticism of the mad, he lunged forward until the razorvine about his neck sliced through his throat. Blood gushed down his robes, and he collapsed to his knees. He hung against the wall, still trapped by the razorvine.
Joel blanched in horror. Even the Hardheads looked shaken. The one casting the spell stuttered and grew silent. One of the younger Hardheads whispered an oath.
"You'll have to come in with us, sir, and file a statement," the Hardhead leader said.
"Please," Joel asked, "couldn't I search for my friend while the trail's still fresh? I don't think they could have taken her far. They have her wrapped in a net, so they'd have to go to ground nearby or risk being spotted by your patrols."
The Hardhead leader considered Joel's words briefly, then gave a sharp nod. "We'll help you. Describe your friend and the men who abducted her," he ordered.
"She's got short, dark hair, brown eyes, and she stands about this high." Joel held a hand up to his chin.
"Human, sir?" the Hardhead leader asked.
"Yes," Joel said, "but she's been cursed by the priests of this man's god," he explained, pointing to the priest d Xvim. "She has wings, and her skin is covered with feathers." The bard didn't bother to mention that Jas had the wings long before the priests of Xvim had transformed her into a dark stalker. There was no sense in confusing the authorities. "The men were common street thugs in dirty clothes. Three were pretty scrawny, but the fourth was a big, muscular man with chains around his body. The; must have taken her in that direction." Joel pointed back up the street.
"You three go with this gentleman," the Hardhead leader ordered three of his men. "Stop anyone coming it your direction. Ask if they've seen her. Mitchel and I will knock on doors."
Joel hurried down the street with the three Hardheads His heart was heavy with the fear that he might never find Jas. Anger gnawed at his gut as well, anger born of the suspicion that he and Jas had been set up for the ambush, anger now directed toward a certain suspicious kender by the name of Emilo.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Somewhere in the outer planes a fire flared in an empty brazier. As brightly as it shone, it could not illuminate the edges of the dark hall where it burned.
In a high-pitched voice, a small creature cried out, "The summons! The summons!"
From the shadowy recesses, a deep, spiteful voice announced, "Finally the summons is issued." Then the speaker commanded, "Fetch the makers and their infernal machine while I prepare for our journey."
There was a scurry of activity in the great hall as servants hurried to carry out the order.
In a more brooding tone, the speaker murmured, "My scheme has taken root. How appropriate that it should happen at this very moment. Tymora has just lost one of her favorites, and soon she will lose far more. Tymora's Luck will be mine."
ACT ONE SCENE 2
Emilo had heard the priest of Iyachtu Xvim mutter the words that would extinguish the magic of the light boy's wand. There was menace in those words, of that tit kender had been sure. The moment the light went out. Emilo dodged to the side and crouched behind a wall but tress. Once Joel used his own magic to light the blade t! his sword, the kender was able to observe the attack completely unnoticed. The attackers didn't bother to search for him. They must have thought he'd run off, or else they didn't really care if he was present, thinking he posed no threat to their activity.
Joel seemed to be holding his own in his fight with the robed attacker, but Jas was completely inundated by tit four men intent on bringing her down with a net. She screamed, "Fire!" at the top of her lungs until the men unstoppered some sort of vial under her nose. Then she collapsed, unconscious. The men dragged her off in the net There was no time to wait for Joel to finish his battle wit the fifth man. Emilo took off after the four men abducting Jas.
The kender had no trouble trailing behind the men despite the dark and the fog. The man who had first grabbed Jas was wearing chains which weighted him down and made it impossible for Jas to fly off. The chains jangled as he walked, and he and his companions all complained about having to drag the weight of the small winged woman. Emilo simply followed the noise they made.
They turned into a small alley. Near the back of the alley, a short set of steps led down to a door in the rear of a building. One of the men unlocked the door with a key and opened it. The men dragged their prize into the building and closed the door behind them. Emilo slipped quietly down the steps and put his eye to the door's keyhole.
A lantern lit the basement room beyond the door. The men hung the net holding Jas from a hook in the low ceiling. Then they sat in rickety chairs surrounding a rickety table and began playing cards. Emilo put his ear to the door.
"Perr's going to be mad about losing his light," one of the men commented. "Going to expect a bigger cut for leading the gullies our way."
"Not our fault. Priest were the one what fizzed it out," another man said. "Let him ask the priest."
"That's cold. And him just a boy. Still paying for the wand, he was," the first man said.
"Think we should tell the priest to light it up for him again," a third man said.
"Right," the first man agreed.
"You ask him, Sladdy. I'm not asking that snake for anything more than the money he owes us. Got venom in his looks, he does."
"What's taking him, I wonder? Don't suppose that berk with the sword did him in, do you?"
"Not a chance. Probably just got lost. No matter. His boss will be here soon. He's the one with the purse anyway."
"The priest's boss is the one that gives me the shakes. There ain't no man under that cloak. It's a creature from the Lower Planes, if you ask me."
"No one asked you."
Emilo pulled away from the door. Even if Joel did defeat the priest, Jas wouldn't be safe. Someone else would be coming for her, someone undoubtedly very nasty, unless Emilo could rescue her somehow. Hastily the kender concocted a plan.
He pounded hard on the door with the back of his dagger. "Sladdy, it's Perr!" he called out in a fair imitation of the light boy's voice. Then he ran back up the stairs and hid in the shadows.
A few moments later the door opened and one of the men poked his head out.
"Perr? Where are you, boy?"
"Hiding," Emilo whispered in the darkness. "Hardheads caught the priest. Priest turned stag on ya; told 'em where to find you and the girl. Hardheads are coming this way. Better run while you can," he called out. Then, keeping to the shadows, the kender ran back down to the end of the alley and ducked behind the corner.
Emilo had to wait only about a minute before all four men came tearing out of the alley and ran off down the street. He hurried back into the alley. It was a simple matter to pick the lock on the door and sl
ip inside. The lantern was still lit.
Jas still hung inside the net on the hook. She was just regaining consciousness, stirring in the net and muttering some foul oaths.
"Jas, it's me. Emilo. You've got to hold still so I can cut you out," the kender hissed.
"Where are we?" the winged woman demanded as Emilo sliced at the rope net with his dagger.
"Somewhere we want to get far away from quickly,' Emilo answered.
"Why?" Jas asked.
"The priest's boss is coming here. Someone from the Lower Planes, they said. Is that a bad place?"
Jas swore again. She grabbed Emilo's dagger and began slicing at the net in frenzied fear. Emilo worked more methodically with his sword. In a few moments, Jas tumbled to the floor, landing on her tailbone. As Emilo helped her to her feet, she grimaced in pain. "There?" she asked, pointing to the door to the alley.
Emilo nodded. They rushed out the door and hurried up the steps. Once in the alley, Emilo froze. From the end of the alley, he heard a noise, a croaking, gulping sound. There was a whiff of sulfur in the air.
The kender dragged Jas farther down the alley and pulled her down to crouch beside him in the dark shadows.
They'd left the door to the kidnappers' hideout open, so a faint beam of light streamed out into the alley. A giant creature stepped out of the mist into the beam of light. It resembled a frog, though it was several feet taller than a man. It made its way down the alley, walking on its hind legs. It seemed to be looking straight at them. Emilo felt a momentary sense of hopelessness steal over his heart.
Then the kender felt Jas stiffen and sway. Her eyes seemed to glow in the dark. She reached her hand out toward the frog creature. Fortunately the frog creature, standing in the light, could not see into the dark shadows where they were hiding. Nonetheless, its gaze seemed to exert some evil power over Jas. The kender slid his hands over the winged woman's eyes.
Jas's body shook, then relaxed.
The frog creature shimmered and shrank, then transformed itself into the shape of a man in a great cloak. In human form, it made its way down the steps, ducked through the door, and disappeared into the thugs' hideout.
Emilo grabbed Jas's hand and tugged her to her feet. They ran past the door, down the alley, turned, and dashed down the street, around another corner, and down another street. They didn't stop running until they bumped into a Hardhead with a light wand who ordered them to halt.
"I haven't done anything," Jas insisted. "I'm running from a creature who tried to abduct me."
"I know, miss," the Hardhead said. He blew a shrill whistle. A few moments later, Joel and two more Hardheads appeared out of the mist. Joel's tunic was torn and stained with blood, and his flesh beneath was scarred but not bleeding. He looked sick with worry.
"Jas!" Joel cried out. "Thank goodness you're all right."
"Thank Emilo," Jas corrected. "He helped me escape. If it hadn't been for him, I'd be a prisoner in Gehenna right now."
Joel looked surprised, but he was relieved to learn his suspicions about the kender had been incorrect. He broke into a smile and clapped a hand on the kender's shoulder. "Thank you," he said heartily.
"Show us where you left the thugs that captured you," one of the Hardheads ordered.
"I don't want to go back there!" Jas declared, her voice rising in pitch. "There's a monster back there who wants to take me to Iyachtu Xvim."
"Iyachtu Xvim?" the Hardhead asked, puzzled. The other two Hardheads rejoined the group in the street.
"Xvim's an evil god of one of the Prime worlds," Joel explained.
"The monster was an evil creature from the Lower Planes," Emilo added with obvious relish. "It was a giant green and yellow frog, ten feet tall. It shape-changed into a man in a cloak."
Joel bit his lower lip, wishing the kender were less extravagant with his description. No one is going to believe such an exaggeration, he thought.
But the Hardheads seemed to take the description in stride. "Hydroloth," one said.
"Undoubtedly," the leader replied.
"It's in a basement room in the alley beside the alchemist's guildhall," Emilo offered helpfully.
The Hardhead leader nodded. "Got it. You three can wait here," he told Jas, Joel, and Emilo. "Follow me, men."
The Hardheads followed their leader into the dark mists of Sigil, intent on apprehending the amphibian culprit.
"Let's go," Jas whispered.
"They told us to wait here," Joel replied.
Jas rolled her eyes and sighed. "They said we could wait here. They didn't say we had to. If you think I'm waiting around so I can testify against a hydroloth in a Sigilian court of law, you're nuts. I've had it up to here with this whole dark-stalker problem. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to keep from getting delivered to Iyachtu Xvim, even if it means asking for help from another god. Now, are you going to take me to Finder or not?"
"All right," Joel agreed before the winged woman had a chance to change her mind. "Let's go. This way," he said, heading down the street in the direction of the Civic Festhall. Jas followed.
Emilo trotted along beside Jas. "This scholar friend of Joel's that we're going to see-is that Finder?" the kender asked.
Jas nodded.
"Is he really a god?" Emilo asked excitedly.
Jas shrugged. "He and Joel seem to think so." Joel turned and shot Jas an annoyed look.
Jas grinned. "But neither of them claim that he's a real important god," she explained.
"But he lives in a place called Arborea?" Emilo asked.
Joel nodded.
"Is that in the stars?"
Joel shook his head. "It's one of the Outer Planes. That's where our gods live… most of them anyway."
"Is that different from the Lower Planes, where the frog creature came from?" the kender asked.
The evil gods dwell in the Lower Planes, one of which is called Gehenna. That's where the frog creature came from. Arborea is one of the Upper Planes. Finder is a good god," Joel explained. He shot a challenging look at Jas, but the winged woman made no comment. Her mind, Joel could tell, was on the evil god in Gehenna whose priests were trying to enslave her.
ACT ONE SCENE 3
Bors Sunseed slipped quietly back into Factol Montgomery's private reception hall where she was evaluating the evening's performance with her advisers.
Montgomery's consort Da'nanin looked up at the paladin. "How is Ayryn doing?" he asked in a soft voice.
"She's resting comfortably. Just exhausted," Bors replied.
"Good, good," the bariaur Annali Webspinner said. As the registrar for the society, Annali had "discovered' Ayryn's gift first, and consequently felt a certain protectiveness toward the scrying genasi.
"More importantly, will she try it again?" Adviser Kenda Fretterstag asked.
"That's a decision she should sleep on, I think," Bon replied, keeping the tone of his voice completely neutral Kenda charmed more people with her statuesque beauty than she did with her magic, but Bors did not care for the human sorceress. Her interests were always selfish.
"Just so," Quellig, a wizard, said. "Time for me to go, I think. I had a perfectly lovely evening, Erin." He took the factol's hand and kissed it, giving her consort a sly glance. The wiry-framed, blue-skinned Quellig was a tiefling, with all the love of mischief and flirting for which tieflings were renowned. "You throw such interesting parties."
"Thank you, Quell," Montgomery replied, rising to her feet. "And you are always such a perfect guest."
Taking the hint, Kenda and the other advisers rose and bid their host and hostess good night. Then they filed from the private reception hall. When the last one had gone, Bors closed the door behind them. "My lady," he addressed Montgomery.
"What is it, Bors?" the factol replied.
"Two matters," the paladin said. "First, I was curious how that Prime, Walinda, managed to insinuate herself onto the guest list for this evening. Security is a very sensitive matter. That is why you asked me t
o serve this evening. Did you know she was a priestess of the god Bane?"
"Of course I knew she was a priestess of Bane. However, now that Bane is dead and Walinda has abandoned her quest to resurrect him, I am not overly concerned that she might rat on us to her god," the factol said with a grin. She curled up on the sofa beside Da'nanin.
"How do you know she hasn't already offered her services to the Baneson, Iyachtu Xvim, or one of the other evil gods who've filled in the void of power left by Bane?" Bors objected.
"I've spoken with her at length," Montgomery replied. "I don't think that's very likely. She's rather soured on gods of the male gender at the moment. She played by all his rules, yet Bane did not reward her as was her due. It's left a rather large scar on her. As a matter of fact, I asked her to come this evening to help her search out a goddess to whom she might be willing to offer her services. Frankly, I'm surprised by your reaction. She said your friend Holly Harrowslough recommended she come to us."
"Holly was taunting Walinda when she suggested that. Walinda was belittling our quest for sensations. She is too fixated on her own sick desires to understand a decent pleasure." Bors halted. He remained silent for several moments, trying to find how to put his feelings into words that did not offend.
Montgomery did not need his words to know his feelings. The topic of discussion between them was not a new one. "Walinda came to join us, Bors, and Annali was convinced of her sincerity. Annali has always been completely impartial in such decisions, and I am not about to override her nomination of a registrant. Walinda has made all five of her recordings for us, and they have been approved."
"I see," Bors said, lowering his eyes. All initiates were required to make recordings of worthwhile experiences that focused on the five senses. Once an initiate had contributed recordings covering all five senses and those recordings had been accepted, the initiate became a full member of the faction.
"Yes, so you should," the factol replied. "Walinda is a Sensate now and entitled to the rights and respect deserving of her position. I expect you to welcome her as you would any other member."
