"Don't look so surprised, my good man! Your eyes are ready to fall clean out of their sockets! Haven't you ever heard of ventriloquism before? Voice throwing? This is clearly Elissa doing the talking. Or," amended the bird, seeing as how a still blushing Elissa was at this point giggling far too much to actually be holding a conversation via any means, "perhaps I'm that wizard just ahead… Sorlin. You never know with us ventriloquists, after all!"
The wizard in question turned his head at that point, smiling despite himself.
"Behave, you two. Leave the poor man alone."
"Always a pooper somewhere in the party," Sorn muttered for the benefit of Elissa, still trying desperately to control her giggles, though not with much success. Sorn took that moment to do a little extra preening, pointedly ignoring the guard's shocked expression.
"Just think of it as a familiar, chap. Makes the whole thing a might bit more palatable," Sorlin advised the wide-eyed guard.
The young armsman nodded gravely at the wizard, keeping his eyes firmly off the crow, who was at that moment insisting that he was no one's familiar.
"The king has arrived!" barked one of the two guards barring the way into the royal guard's wing. "All make ready for the king!"
With that, both men formally opened the double doors leading into the guards' quarters, bowing low as the king passed.
The king gave a relieved sigh. "Well, at least we can take comfort in one location where loyalty to me is unquestioned."
"You may always count on the mages tower as well, as I would hope you would know, Your Majesty," replied a slightly hurt Sorlin.
"Of course, Sorlin, of course," the king soothed. "You understand why this is the route we must choose for now, my friend. More than at any other time prior in our city's history, perhaps, it is vital that we do nothing to jeopardize the famed neutrality of the mages guild. The last thing we would want is for the lords to be in open conflict with the royal house while simultaneously declaring that the mages are getting directly involved in politics for their own personal ends. If anything would cause havoc within the local populace, it would be that."
"Indeed you speak the truth," sighed Sorlin. "I've studied all too well the history of magic in this part of the world, and of the years and sacrifices it had taken for mages to achieve their present position in society. How long and hard we have worked as a whole to be respected, yet not feared. We stand safely apart from politics in the specific, while simultaneously demonstrating our loyalty to the well-being of Caverenoc as a whole. Since we mages by ancient treaty only involve ourselves militaristically in defense of our homelands, this has served, if anything, as a deterrent to war, and as added solace to the general population, before the coming of this blasted Empire."
Sorlin sighed. "It is too much to hope for, I suppose, that the Empire's wizards hold to the Mages Accord that has kept our kind from destroying one another and thousands of innocent lives for centuries."
The king nodded solemnly. "The accord assures that mages won't seek to accrue power by violent means, using their magics for the good of all or in defense of their homelands and the capturing of criminals. That your fellow mages have honored their oaths so thoroughly, showing unquestioned impartiality in so many affairs, is but one reason why I trust the Tower to have our best interests at heart."
Sorlin frowned. "Even so, certainly our own nobility still expects wizards such as myself to stay out of anything that even smells of politics, particularly in tumultuous times such as these. Your choosing the royal guard over the mages tower as our base of operations is sound thinking, my king. Yet such being the case, is it safe for me to even join you?"
The king waved away his companion’s concerns. "Fear not, Sorlin. None can blame you for having witnessed the report our discrete agent 'brought' us. In fact, it is common custom for one mage at least to accompany the guard when going against what is considered to be a serious threat to the safety of the city. And I will certainly be one to assert that someone randomly murdering people with illegal crossbows definitely constitutes a serious threat to the wellbeing of our populace. As we both know, no one is safer from a crossbow quarrel than a prepared mage."
Sorlin nodded thoughtfully. "You are right, of course. Even the simplest of crossbows are dangerous affairs, and most patrollers wear little more than a quilted gambeson. Sufficient for catching a crude blade and saving a guardsman's life from your common pickpocket, I don't think it would fare so well against a soldier's crossbow."
The king smiled. "Precisely." At which point he rapped on the captain's door, the door being opened so fast by a man standing ramrod straight saluting to attention that he must have been standing beside it. His shirt, however, looked to be hastily buttoned, and his pantaloons were still undone at the bottom.
Sorn, beside himself with curiosity, peered past the hastily dressed captain into the room beyond. He beheld what appeared to be a figure of the feminine persuasion staring at him from the tip of a sheet wrapped about her bare form.
"Well, well, well! I see someone's been having a relaxing evening!" quipped the crow. "Perks of the job and all that, right, Captain? Kinda makes me want to sign up myself!"
The captain, possessing a well-built figure, for he was still a young man despite his rank, started to blush furiously, his blond mustache making an interesting counterpoint to his crimson face. The guards who had joined the King's party were either grinning at their poor captain or giving surprised gasps when they realized who had been making the sly remarks.
"Can it, crow," the king admonished, his cool gaze abruptly silencing the bird who immediately lost interest in trying to ogle the blushing blond hiding under the covers, suddenly becoming immensely preoccupied with preening his wing feathers.
"Never mind the bird, Captain. What you do on your own time is your own affair." The king's tone rapidly quieted the good-natured snickers of the guardsmen.
"We have a significant problem on our hands, Captain. Now if you will be so gracious as to excuse your evening’s company with my apologies, there are important matters for us to discuss."
Shortly thereafter, the attractive young woman was courteously led from the quarters by a gracious servitor, the guard captain already deep in counsel with the king.
If the king was at all perturbed by the state of the captain's quarters he did not show it, instead focusing the captain's attention on the far more crucial situation at hand. He gave a brief summary of Sorn's report, letting it be known that there could well be an enemy stronghold deep within their own city, with a tunnel leading straight under the city wall to enemy reinforcements. Trusting his captain's discretion, the king also let it be known what party they suspected was guilty of said treason, and the maneuverings occurring in the lord's council even at that very moment.
"So that explains Vorstice's fury when the city guard was unable to find heads or tails of this supposed warrior mage Sorn." The guard captain nodded his understanding.
"I had thought the whole situation a bit odd when I found out that he had demanded the imprisonment not only of the captain whom he claimed had attempted to assassinate him, but his entire crew as well. They also performed a search and seizure. A highly unusual action without a court’s approval as Your Majesty knows, but seemingly countenanced by an emergency session of the lords."
Apparently not at all fazed by the captain’s off-hour pursuits, Elissa had, however, given a faint gasp upon hearing the guard captain’s words, her gentle green eyes widening with surprise.
"Sorn… you mean Captain Halence's companion Sorn. He is supposed to be the ship’s mage?"
"Why yes, my princess," the captain replied, addressing her solemnly. "Vorstice does claim that he is a warrior mage in disguise and did conspire with Captain Halence not only to butcher Vorstice's entire home guard, but also to frame Vorstice for treason. I must admit to finding the story rather… irregular. After all, if Sorn and Halence were the ruthless foreign instigators Vorstice is trying to make them out
to be, why should they bother with the complex, difficult, and uncertain task of trying frame Vorstice with treason when it would have been so much easier just to eliminate him? Especially since Lord Vorstice claims that they had already killed all his men.
“His arguments that Halence’s ship was only able to get past the embargo because they were the Empire’s own agents does seem a bit more plausible, I will admit. The sale of the much-needed grain would indeed be a clever cover, if in fact their claims of being risk-taking merchants was indeed a ruse. For their actions on our city’s behalf do place them both in the city’s gratitude and, until now, above suspicion."
Elissa looked shocked at this, her expression soon becoming a troubled one, painfully aware that Vorstice's story sounded all too plausible to be ignored entirely.
"That bastard," she whispered furiously. "That bastard is lying!"
"I quite agree," Sorn soothed, flying to her shoulder and gently bumping her head with his own, an action which earned him a gentle stroke of his feathers in turn. "Vorstice is a slimy scoundrel trying to frame some of the bravest, sweetest, most loyal and all around wonderful men you will ever meet. Particularly Sorn. A true gem, that one. Kind, sweet, good-natured, a gentleman in every way possible. Possessing a heart that could fill the world, and a mind keener than a mithril blade!"
"And the bird's not his familiar," Sorlin chuckled with an amused shake of the head.
"Well it's just the plain truth!" huffed the crow.
The captain paused before speaking, caught off guard as he was by the reality of a talking crow. He would not be captain of the king's guard were he not an adept and flexible thinker, Sorn supposed, quickly regaining his composure and addressing the princess.
"What I mean to say, my princess, is that the story Vorstice is spreading is highly questionable even with the concerns he does raise. And we now know at last, by your father's own wise words, the truth that he is trying so very desperately to hush. Accusations that Vorstice himself is hiding the Empire's men here. Furthermore, whatever a spy's machinations, it makes no sense that he would betray his own countrymen's forces by gloating of his offiliations unless he was seconds away from killing his prey. And as Captain Halence quite deliberately brought Vorstice, injured but very much alive, to the palace itself, I imagine that Vorstice's claims that Halence and this Sorn are in cohoots with the Empire must be false. And so I am forced to question both Vorstice's story and his motives."
The guard captain gave a frustrated shake of his handsome head. "Unfortunately, as his majesty well knows, I dare not do anything directly. Which is why the king's plan to investigate the warehouses under the pretext of rumors of murders occurring in the area is a good one, free as it is of any accusations against the nobility, the culprit, in this case, being some random assassin."
"Well, actually it was my idea," grumbled the crow, to Elissa's prompt hushing.
The bird let himself be distracted by the wonderful sensations rippling through him as Elissa gently stroked his feathers.
"You certainly are a cheeky thing, aren't you?" Elissa crooned, smiling at her feathered companion.
"I know," sighed the crow, luxuriating in Elissa's touch. "We crows are audacious creatures. It's part of our charm."
Elissa giggled at that. "Are you really Sorn's familiar?"
"Let’s just say he and I share a close bond."
"Is he safe?" asked Elissa, deep green eyes full of concern.
"Oh yes, dear Elissa." The crow would have smiled, save that such was a considerable challenge with a beak. "I assure you he is quite safe."
"Where is he?" She asked breathlessly. "I am sure my father can hide him if he needs our help."
"Oh no, no. I don't think he would want to risk further conflict between your father and those noble popinjays."
Elissa smiled at the reference. "They truly are like popinjays, aren't they? All their pointless posturing and preening."
"Not that preening is necessarily a bad thing, mind you," the crow allowed, fluffing up his feathers. "I will tell you this, dear Elissa. Wherever Sorn is, he would far, far rather be with you than anywhere else in this city."
Elissa blushed brightly at that, and she smiled despite herself. It was an act that sent her fair face near glowing with an elfin beauty all her own. It was then that Sorn the crow realized he had a lot more in common with Sorn the man than he did Elthsiss the dragon.
Feeling just a bit troubled by what were, after all, strange thoughts for a bird, Sorn proceeded to preen his feathers to dispel the last of his agitation as the now larger party by fifty some guardsmen headed toward the back exit of the palace.
"Are you okay, dear crow?" Elissa asked, mildly concerned for her little companion's seeming agitation.
"Just peachy, dear! Between you and me, I think Sorn has a thing for you, but he's too shy to say it."
Elissa blushed at this, but her smile was a pleased one. "Well then, we shall just have to convince him to confess when next we meet, shan't we?"
"Indeed we shall!" concurred the crow, forgetting for a moment that he and Sorn the man were, in fact, the same being.
"Well, dear," said the king as he turned to his daughter, favoring her with a benevolent smile. "We have set the wheels of justice moving, you and I, and this is where we leave matters in the capable hands of Sorlin and our Royal Guardsmen to handle the particulars from here on in."
Elissa's expression turned from barely contained exuberance and not a little bit of fear at the thrill of the investigation ahead to one of petulant frustration.
"But Father…" she said as the guardsmen, with knowing smiles, calmly filed out the back entrance, arms and gear already equipped, such was their speed and discipline.
"No ifs, ands, or buts," her father said firmly. "I know well your fondness for audacious escapades, and if you think I am going to allow my only daughter to be put within the sights of several hundred enemy soldiers, you are sorely mistaken." The king's light blue eyes turned soft as he gazed at his child, and his words were solemn. "You mean far too much for me to risk that, my beloved daughter."
Her argument diffused before she could even speak it, Elissa could only mutter a half-hearted protest on behalf of her new companion.
"But what about Sorn's crow?" she said, no one even questioning that he was other than Sorn's familiar, despite the bird's abject denials. "He knows exactly where to look for the soldiers and would no doubt serve as an excellent scout, should he feel inclined to do so."
"No doubt he would," her father said, eyes twinkling as he smiled. "Which is why I am sure he would be more than happy to accompany Sorlin to the site of our supposed 'murders'. It is, in fact, a perfect cover, for then it could be claimed that our feathered friend was none other than Sorlin's familiar, and who would have the arrogance to disagree with the claims of a high mage?"
"Your father's right, my princess. It would be best if I accompanied Sorlin." The crow rubbed the soft feathers of his head gently against her cheek as she sighed. "Far better that we don't risk your kingdom's most precious jewel on such a dangerous and thankless task as is our own."
The king favored the bird with a smile. "Well said, good crow. I bid you and Sorlin good hunting." The king gazed thoughtfully at the bird a moment before continuing. "Is there any message you would like to convey on behalf of your master before you go? If he is in any need of our assistance, fear not that we would allow Vorstice's spurious accusations to at all hinder our willingness to come to the aid of your good master, should he be in need of such."
The crow, flapping to a bemused Sorlin's shoulder, turned and gave the king a formal bob of his head. "Please don't fear on the account of Sorn, Your Majesty. I can assure you that he is quite content where he is, and quite active as well for the good of your kingdom in his own way. I shall convey your kind regards, of course, and rest assured, he greets you both with reverence and warmth."
Sorlin bowed formally to the king. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, all will b
e resolved before this night is through."
"Well then happy hunting to you all," the king called as Sorlin and the guard captain prepared to leave the castle via the back passageway as the guard had moments ago, and the two bowed their thanks in unison to the king's good wishes. With a final cry of "tootles!" from the crow, the three left the palace to join the men outside.
At which point the captain of the King's Guard turned to address Sorn directly. Now armed and armored with chain hauberk and helmet, he looked fresh and hale, and appeared if anything invigorated by the upcoming mission. Yet overlaying this he gave an impression of cautious concern. There was not a shred of embarrassment for the impromptu evening session interrupted but a short time ago, the young man's mind now obviously on far weightier matters. No doubt he was interested in knowing as much as possible and proceeding as prudently as possible to absolutely minimize any risks to his men, as any good officer should. And so to his credit, he asked for the crow's full report with the same formal regard as he would treat the missives of any of his scouts.
"Well," said the crow, tilting his beak up at a contemplative angle, "the deed we saw indicated that Vorstice had purchased the farthest warehouses from the docks. They also happen to be the highest above sea level, which is useful for obvious reasons, such as digging tunnels and such. I had gotten a bird's-eye view of the location flying above, and I will tell you what I saw. The warehouses are connected by a series of wooden plank fences joining the structures together. They probably serve to keep movements from one building to the other out of sight. It should be pretty easy to spot. Oh. All the shutters on the top floors of the three warehouses were open, and the inside is cloaked in shadow. Obviously, the odds are good that they have a number of snipers posted there, and if we are not very careful as we approach, we may end up squealing pigs in a shooting gallery."
At this point, one of the captain’s men interjected a hasty comment. "Captain, I know just where that is. I remember thinking that the conjoined warehouses looked a bit odd. I guess I just assumed they would eventually be linked up entirely, not just have their alleyways fenced off."
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