by Ed Greenwood
The Lady Jalassa Crownsilver,” the aging steward announced with precise dignity, ushering the last of the three noble guests into the Turret Room.
Lady Amdranna Greenmantle inclined her head to him imperiously. “My thanks, Thaerond. You may now withdraw from the North Tower and wait in the entryhall until we ring for your presence. No one is to enter the tower-or the hall itself, for that matter, until I say otherwise.”
“ Very good, my lady,” the steward replied, bowing low and backing out of the room. They heard him close the doors, and the doors of the passage in the distance beyond.
“Is he reliable?” Lady Muscalian asked.
“Completely.” Lady Greenmantle handed her a decanter and a tallglass. “I let him pleasure me once, and he hungers to do so again. Fulfillments of special orders I reward with special favors.”
“He looks about sevent-” Lady Yellander started to say, then blushed and went silent as Lady Muscalian gave her a glare as chill as the winter winds.
Imruae Muscalian had seen somewhat more than eighty winters, and had no hair left to call her own. Her long lustrous black mane outshone Rharaundra Yellander’s own, but was said to owe more to the manes of certain palfreys than the scalps of servants. Most noble matrons of Waterdeep had a wig or two, if only to thrill their husbands on rare nights with memories of long ago moonlit adventures with other women, but “Old Shrew” Muscalian was the only person Jalassa Crownsilver knew who owned-and always wore-a wig-mask.
It was a thing crafted in Sembia by locksmiths and wizards, a metal band that screwed tightly to Imruae Muscalian’s skull. That was unusual enough, but it did more than bore into the head of its wearer: its fore-edge was adorned with a row of little claws that pulled the wrinkled skin of her face tight before all the powder was dusted on by her three hard-working maids. Some said Imruae Muscalian’s shrewishness was due to years of the barbed cut-and-thrust of Suzailan high society; others said it was rooted in the everpresent headache her wig-mask gave her. Whatever the cause, stooped, birdlike, sharp-boned Lady Muscalian seldom engaged in converse without making dry, nasty comments.
By contrast, Lady Rharaundra Yellander had seen perhaps forty winters, and was tall, jet-haired, statuesque, and briskly cutting-tongued when she wasn’t being loftily urbane.
Their hostess, Lady Amdranna Greenmantle, seemed altogether more approachable. She was a shorter, plumper honey-blonde of lush charms, sleek wit, and warm, welcoming beauty.
All three women were looking to Jalassa for guidance.
She gave it to them, as briskly as was her wont.
“Your house wizard?”
Lady Greenmantle smiled. “Safely on the way to Marsember, riding alongside my husband. To ensure that House Greenmantle does nothing too stupid-or treasonous-in our dealings with fleet owners.”
“You should have bought your own boats, long ago-” Lady Yellander began.
“Ships, dear. They’re called ships. ” Lady Muscalian was as peevish as ever. “And we can talk about them another time. Jalassa’s here and by the look in her eye, ’tis time to thrust hard into the vitals of the Crown of Cormyr at last! ”
“ Hush, Imruae,” Jalassa hissed. “Until you all put on these necklaces, my warding protects only me from war wizard spying!”
“Oh, but Jalassa, we’re all wearing ward-baubles-the best that coins can buy! Really, I-”
“Mine, I’m certain of. Yours could be anything, sold to you by any trickster-even Vangerdahast himself, in a spell-spun disguise! And even good wards can clash with each other, leaving gaps a war wizard can find from afar. Take yours off, throw them on yonder couch, and put these on!”
Three hands reached eagerly for the plain silvery chains she held forth. Jalassa watched a ring on her hand. When its changing glow showed her all of the wards were linked and working, she smiled, took up the decanter and tallglass Amdranna had put in front of her, and leaned forward.
“Yes, ladies, the time has come at last!”
She let them cheer and wave their glasses, then added, “As you know, I have schemed against the Crown of Cormyr for years, seeking to free our fair realm from the decadent, lust-brained Obarskyrs and the sinister war wizards who have made the foolish Obarskyrs their toadies-mages who truly rule the land without having the slightest right to do so. Since I recruited you, those I’ve been working with have covertly tested all of you, several times-”
There were stiffenings of alarm and looks of dismay, which Jalassa smilingly waved away.
“Fear not, ladies; none of you have been found wanting. My superiors have gone so far as to promise me that I and all of you shall be given positions of importance in the governance of Cormyr after the Obarskyrs and the wizards who own them are gone. Provided, that is, that we carry out certain tasks.”
“Tasks?”
Three faces were thrust forward, eyes blazing into hers.
Jalassa smiled thinly. “It is work of a certain… delicacy, that I know-for your tongues have told me so, repeatedly, in our gossip together-we are all suited for. And in doing it, we will do much to free Cormyr!”
“Yes?” Lady Greenmantle blurted out, unable to wait longer.
Jalassa examined her freshly painted nails, then addressed her remarks to them. “Most war wizards are men-and all men can be seduced, one way or another.”
“Yes?” It was Lady Yellander’s turn, this time, and the delight in her voice made it clear she’d guessed just what was coming.
Jalassa’s smile broadened. “We shall each contrive to be alone with a certain senior war wizard. These men have been chosen because they are suitable, and because they are known to favor older women of sophistication and power. We shall bring about ‘accidents’ that befall them in private. Harming their heads is best. Topples down stairs or over battlements, being underneath falling statues… that sort of thing. To maim or preferably slay-but ’tis vital that no magic nor any overtly hostile acts on our part be involved, so if our unfortunate old war wizards happen to survive, they won’t suspect we meant them any ill.”
Jalassa knew her fellow conspirators. Bored, jaded, and spiteful, they erupted not with scandalized fury or misgivings, but with savagely eager glee.
Even Lady Muscalian had nothing sneering or belittling to say. What she did was lick her wrinkled lips and hiss, “Who and when?”
Even Jalassa knew not that the ward-necklaces were shields against all but one watching wizard.
To that smiling watcher, they were eyes and ears.
It was why he was smiling, despite the annoying singings clashing and ringing around him: the collective din of the strongest ward-spells he knew how to craft, which were now cloaking the meeting in the Turret Room of Greenmantle Hall far better than the necklaces alone could.
The noblewomen could not help but be caught, of course, and removed. That had become desirable. It was past time to be rid of them and their meddlings. He’d been careful that no link even the brightest mage might follow stretched from him to Jalassa Crownsilver. So he was safe.
The four would probably fail, in the main. Yet any harm they managed was helpful. Their targets were the very war wizards who by inclination or active investigation stood closest to uncovering this watching wizard, whether they knew it or not.
Ah, such spite, ladies. You are the perfect dupes.
As he toyed with his favorite ring, tracing the smooth curves of its unicorn head, the watching wizard’s smile grew.
It shone even brighter a breath or two later, when Jalassa so precisely relayed the task he’d given her to her fellow lady traitors.
Precisely, that is, save for one small omission. Somehow Jalassa Crownsilver neglected to tell her eager audience that her mysterious superiors based in Westgate-for so Jalassa believed “them” to be, never knowing who she was truly dealing with-had promised her two thousand rubies, all of them larger than her thumb, if she successfully carried out all of the killings.
But then, perhaps Lady Crownsilver was smarte
r than he’d judged her to be. Perhaps she knew the rubies did not exist, or that neither she nor her three conspirators would live long enough to collect them.
Perhaps she even thought the paltry magic items she’d so carefully collected down the years would safely whisk her away to a far country, to dwell out her days under another name, safe from any vengeful spell that could reach out to her from Cormyr.
Now, that would be amusing.
There was nowhere in Rhalseer’s to hide coins. Every second floorboard could be easily pulled up-they were riddled with dry rot-and every lodger knew it. The ceilings were hardly better, and trying to make holes in the walls was more likely to bring the place down on an energetic thief’s head than craft a hiding place.
Now that it was full dark and Dragons on the battlements of the citadel and along the city wall couldn’t notice her at a casual glance, Pennae was up on the crumbling slate-shingled roofs of Palaceside Arabel, seeking to lash her precious bundle in the right sort of angle between chimneys, and cover it with the bird dropping-infested remnants of old birds’ nests she carried in the small sack at her belt.
She found just what she wanted on the roof of Hundar’s Fine Carpets, Perfumes, and Lanterns, and was able to secure and disguise her riches in a few hard-breathing moments. The rumblings of four passing slate-carts even raised enough echoing racket to cloak any small noises she made.
Then she stretched, catlike-it had been a long day-and crept to the edge of the roof to peer down. Her friends should be strolling out of the Barrel about now… yes, there they were, Florin turning to say something to Islif as they spilled out into the street… probably something about having a thief among the Swords who left early to do dark-work…
Then Pennae saw something more.
Something that had her tense and alert in an instant.
A gently sloping half-roof ran along the front of Hundar’s, a floor below her perch, and a man in smoky gray hostler’s leathers was lying full-length on it, cradling something in his hand that few hostlers would have carried casually at their belts: a handbow. Four more of the little hand crossbows-all cocked and loaded-were laid ready on the roof, arranged in an arc in front of the man’s hands. The man looked vaguely familiar… Ah: because he’d come into the Barrel earlier, for a lone drink at the bar, and had looked across the taproom at the Swords.
An assassin. Who was even now raising his bow, steadying the arm that held it with his other hand, taking aim Pennae had the knife that lived in her sleeve in her hand and was dropping heels-first over the edge of her roof, body angling back so she’d slump against Hundar’s uppermost windows and shove the hired slayer out toward a fall over the edge, rather than taking that tumble herself.
He’d have a backup-must look-find Indar Crauldreth heard something, twisted his head to look up, holding fire-and Florin Falconhand lived a little longer without a crossbow bolt buried fletchings-deep in his face. Indar’s neck was twisted when both of Pennae’s boots, with all her weight behind them, came crashing down on it.
The assassin bounced, writhing spasmodically and sending a crossbow bolt cracking away into the night, in the general direction of the rear of Ongluth’s Ropeworks. As Indar, his neck and throat crushed, made a sort of wet spewing sound, Pennae landed hard on her behind, grunting at the pain. The last despairing, unthinking thing Indar did was to try to get away, to spring…
Into oblivion. Over the edge, plummeting to the cobbles below. With Pennae’s left boot caught somewhere in his clothing, dragging her Pennae made a desperate, twisting lunge, and managed to pluck one of the handbows into her grasp as she went over the edge.
They crashed to the cobbles together, right in front of the astonished Swords, and Pennae, feeling bones break under her, slit the man’s throat out of sheer habit ere she rolled to her feet, looking wildly around at the rooftops.
“Scatter!” she spat at her fellow adventurers. “There’s sure to be-”
Even as the words left her lips, she caught sight of what she was seeking: a small man in the shadows behind the Barrel, balancing a full-sized crossbow on some crates, aiming Pennae shouted wordless alarm as she raised her handbow and fired.
Fired nothing. The string hummed and writhed uselessly; the bolt had fallen out during her tumble.
The second slayer’s crossbow cracked, deep and loud, and a war-quarrel capable of tearing a hole through a man came humming hungrily at the Swords.
Pennae was already sprinting at the man, knowing she was too late, and hoping There was only one Sword anywhere near the path of the quarrel, and he was a tired forester who’d recently downed two large drinks. A forester who seldom hesitated in battle, and thought nothing of hurling himself face-first at hard, dirty cobbles.
Florin dived and rolled. The quarrel passed harmlessly through where he’d been, streaking across the street to smack deep into one of the ornate window frames adorning the turreted mansion of the wealthy local landlord and sundries merchant Kraliqh.
Whose servants heard nothing-or affected not to-as Swords shouted, weapons singing out of their sheaths and scabbards and into their hands, and a hard-running Pennae saw the hired slayer let the bow fall as he turned to flee.
Bey’s hurled dagger flashed past her to bite deep into the back of the man’s neck. He fell, as heavily as a full, wet grainsack, groaned once, and lay still.
When they turned him over, his eyes were staring at nothing, and the dagger was protruding bloodily from his throat.
“Let’s get gone,” Bey snarled, jerking his blade free. “I don’t want to spend all night explaining to suspicious Dragons why we butchered two fine upstanding citizens of Arabel in the street.”
Pennae whirled and called, “ Move! To our rooms, like the very wind!”
The Swords moved.
The war wizard came up the trail stealthily, wand ready in one hand and dagger in the other-and at his every move tiny motes of light winked, sparkled, and faded.
Maglor’s lip curled. A shielding spell of some sort, to keep the mage oh-so-safe against spells, arrows-and swords, too, no doubt.
Brave men, wizards were, these days.
The cleft between the two rocks gave the apothecary a limited view, but he could see his trap well enough. Three of his mixing bowls, the cups that had held the two powders and the third he’d combined them in… and the glowing symbol he’d made, once the mixed powders had begun their glow.
Wizards can never resist magical-looking symbols.
This one came cautiously to the edge of the old campsite and peered warily around into the deepening night-gloom. The symbol-a thing of circles, arcs, squiggles that looked like writing, and similar nonsense, a mere fancy Maglor had gone on drawing until the powder had run out-glowed at the mage’s feet, bright and impressive.
Scarcely daring to breathe, Maglor crouched, watching.
The wizard looked around, long and hard-and his eyes fixed on the trap itself: a rock, six or so paces from the symbol, lying on the ground. It was covered in glowing fingerprints, where Maglor had picked it up with the glow-powder still thick on his hands, and set it down again. Atop a piece of parchment.
Wizards can never resist pieces of parchment.
The war wizard stalked forward, carefully keeping to the edge of the trees, looking around often for signs of movement, and peering the rest of the time at the ground in front of his boots.
The night was almost still, and Maglor kept his breathing as shallow and quiet as possible, the six large, sharp stones arrayed in front of him for throwing. He hoped he’d not have to face this hound’s spells.
The war wizard had been snooping around Eveningstar for days now, obviously under orders to seek out lawbreakers and conspirators. Zhentarim, for instance. And suspicious local apothecaries, who might well concoct poisons. Malbrand-that was his name-had spent the better part of a day poking into simmering concoctions and peering at the fading labels on Maglor’s vials, asking oh-so-casual questions about the uses of this an
d who’d ordered that.
He’d hinted heavily that Vangerdahast and every mage who worked with him knew all about Maglor’s Zhent loyalties, and were just waiting for some Brotherhood mage of importance to visit before swooping down to capture, torture, maim, and slay the apothecary of Eveningstar and his guest. For why butcher one, when two could be had by using the one as bait?
Why, indeed? But let us see, now, what bait tastes best…
Maglor held his breath. The wizard was much nearer, only a few paces from the rocks where Maglor was hiding. And he was stopping just above the rock pinning down the parchment.
Stopping, and squatting down over it, he peered all around, listening long and hard.
Silence. Stars glimmered, no breeze stirred… here on the edge of the high pasture overlooking the mouth of Starwater Gorge, high above Eveningstar, the night continued to pass, uncaring.
Abruptly Malbrand turned back to the rock, pushed it aside with his dagger, and sprang away to avoid any eruption, striking snake, or The stone rolled over, revealing more glowing writing: also nonsense, but small and close-packed, intricate nonsense. The war wizard peered at it, then picked it up to look at it more closely.
Still holding his breath, Maglor smiled in relief and satisfaction. The man had doomed himself.
Malbrand took up the parchment in his other hand and turned it over.
Which meant he was now, in the glow of the rock still in his other hand, reading the words Maglor had written there:
Die at the hands of one who has outwitted you all along, War Wizard fool. Maglor murders you.
The war wizard’s head came up sharply. Then he got to his feet-or tried to. Halfway up his limbs started to tremble and failed him, leaving Marbrand to topple helplessly onto his face in the trodden earth and old ashes.
The same poison was thick on the rock and on the parchment, and to someone who hadn’t imbibed the antidote, touching either meant death.
There was enough hardiclaw on either to slay a dozen war wizards.
