Vannerbehn's Luc

I needed a place to think. The Eagle fit the bill nicely.

Ludianne was ready to listen, and I appreciated her concern, but the Janni was no specialist in monogamous relationships. Nor could she help me figure out how blunderbuss-man and his friends had tracked me to my room.

I was absolutely certain that no one had followed Aressine and me last night. I would

never

have risked leading a tail to my secret room. Magic, then? But what kind of magic?

The tavern was quiet - almost deserted, in fact. Perfect. As I settled into my usual table, little Megane came to take my order.

After half a dozen encounters, I still couldn't decide if she was cute, or just homely. She had long, stringy, brown hair, and big grey eyes, which reminded me of Marta. But the resemblance ended there.

Megane's mouth was a little wide, her chin was small, and her forehead was high. The combination was just ... unusual. It didn't matter, really; I had no intention of starting anything with Megane. There were already too many women in my life. That was one of my problems.

Yes, I wanted Aressine. Now that I'd seen her naked, I desired her even more. But did I want her exclusively?

Marta would understand, I think, if I changed our arrangement. Pamna was pretty reasonable, too. But could I stay away from Ludianne? Doubtful. Did I even want to?

But this problem was secondary. There was no point having a girlfriend if I was going to get her killed. Malena was dead, and Aressine had been in serious danger last night. Damn, she'd been amazing ...

I felt someone approaching my table, and looked up to see a dark-skinned man in expensive clothing. He had shaved his head, leaving only a bit of stubble. His lips were tightly pursed. I couldn't tell if he was a pirate, or some sort of merchant. From the look on his face, and his posture, he seemed to think quite highly of himself. He was wearing gloves, for some strange reason.

- "You're sitting at my table." he said. His voice was cold, expressionless.

- "I'm sorry." I said. "I didn't see any sign that this table was reserved." I chose to be reasonably pleasant about it; sarcasm is enjoyable, but it can lead to trouble.

- "You should move." he said, jumping straight from annoyance to arrogance.

I looked him over for a moment, as if I was trying to make up my mind whether to comply with his

request

, or not. Then I met his eyes.

- "No." I said. "I don't think I should."

For a moment he just stared at me. His fingers didn't twitch. Slowly, he pulled the glove from his right hand. I wondered if he intended to strike me with it.

Instead, he raised his index finger, and touched the side of his nose.

- "I will remember you." he said.

With that, he turned on his heel and left the Eagle.

Megane fluttered over to my table. "Oh, Sir, I'm so sorry!" she said.

- "Not your fault. Unless that was your boyfriend. Or your brother."

- "Oh, no. He comes here from time to time, but I don't - I mean, he's not -"

- "Not your boyfriend?"

- "No, Sir. I'm engaged to be married, you see."

- "Congratulations!"

I asked the required questions, and she shyly gave me a few of the details. She didn't overdo it, though - for which I was grateful. I left her a big tip.

My luck was better: Kima and Taliesine were at the house.

- "Can you spare a few moments?" I asked the raven-haired wizard.

She and Kima both listened as I related what had happened last night. I didn't hide the fact that Aressine and I were alone, naked, in my room. Neither of them seemed particularly surprised.

"There's no way those idiots could have tracked me. No way!"

- "You're absolutely sure?" asked Kima. "Maybe you got sloppy. It happens."

- "Let me put it this way: no." There are only a few things at which I excel; recognizing and ditching a tail is one of them.

- "So you are wondering if they found you using magic." said Taliesine.

- "That's it. See, Jerian has a wizard working for him - and you know her: Syrava."

- "Oh." she said. She exchanged a look with Kima. "Then you could be in considerable danger, Kelsen."

- "What?"

- "You must know that she detests you. And she is a very capable spell caster. Divination is one of her schools."

Even I knew what that meant. Syrava could find things. Objects, and people. Taliesine explained: Syrava knew my name - that alone was enough. But she had met me, and knew exactly what I looked like. If she could acquire something that belonged to me, an item, a piece of clothing, or even a clipped toenail or a stray hair... it would be child's play to locate me.

- "Damn! Teeshay." She could easily have nicked something of mine. No wonder she was so eager to see my room. And there I was, patting myself on the back because I'd seen through her lies. Idiot!

Taliesine raised her eyebrows.

I backed up, and told them the whole story. All of it. They were going to be my housemates; they deserved to know what kind of trouble I might be leading all of us into. I also related my attempt to break into Jerian's house - and Syrava's unusual words.

- "She knew you were there." concluded Taliesine. "She was no doubt distracted, by whomever she was speaking to. But once she realized that you were in the house, she cut off their conversation, and then raised her voice to alert you."

- "Why warn me?"

- "It was not part of her plan to kill you in her employer's house. That might have been inconvenient."

Then a horrible thought struck me.

- "Could she find any of my people?" Denya. Her brother. Puli and Camenus and Marulamda. They might all be in danger because of me.

- "Unlikely." said the wizard. "The spell she uses to track a target is not omniscient. It will tell her where you are, but she cannot see you. Nor can she hear with it; those are completely different spells."

- "Thank goodness." I said.

- "Of course, if she knew in advance where you were going to be, she

could

cast all three."

Wonderful.

- "Can I ask you two for a small favor?"

***

Denya was unimpressed. "Why do we have to hide? I can take care of myself!"

- "Den - I nearly died last night. There were four of them - with a musket like a small cannon. And they found one of my safe houses - the one I thought was safest."

That got her attention.

"I don't want to worry about you, or your brother. Or Puli ..."

- "I get it. I get it!" Nobody does snarky like an eleven year-old street rat. Especially the female variety. But just for a moment there, I think that Denya understood how worried I was.

"Alright." she conceded. "I'll spread the word."

- "Thank you." I passed her some money. If she and her brother stayed off the streets, they wouldn't have any income.

Then I went to meet Teeshay.

This was going to take careful handling. Since I had last seen her, yesterday, she had sent me into an ambush, which I had avoided by using my telekinesis spell. Had I been stupid enough to knock on the door, blunderbuss-boy would have blown my head off.

Then, that very evening, the same killers had interrupted my tryst with Aressine. Thank goodness she'd been there; I wouldn't have been able to handle all four attackers.

I had to guess at how much of that Teeshay knew. Well, how much Syrava knew. Not for the first time, I wondered why she disliked me so intensely. Hate at first sight?

Then I had some re-thinking to do. Was I so sure, now, that both Teeshay and Syrava held me in contempt? It never pays to underestimate your enemy. With that in mind, I decided to proceed as if they knew quite a bit.

My fluent little liar did not act surprised to see me; she already knew that I'd survived both attempts on my life. But I could have been an actor, too. I'd made a living conning people, and I drew on those skills now.

- "WHAT THE HELL?" I shouted.

- "Sshh! Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "What's wrong?"

I changed my mind, at that moment. Teeshay

wasn't

that good an actor.

- "I NEARLY GOT KILLED YESTERDAY! TWICE!"

People were starting to look our way. Teeshay pulled me down the street.

- "Hush! You can tell me about it - but quietly! There's no need to draw a crowd!"

- "Dammit! I'm serious!" I shouted - a little less loudly.

- "Over here." she said, steering me down the street.

Once we were far enough away from the spot of my first outburst, she tried to drag me into an alley. I wasn't too keen on that.

- "I need a drink!" I said, loudly.

- "Alright. Alright!" she said.

I led her to the Bell and Candle. It was my first time in the place since Malena's funeral. We got a corner table, and ordered drinks.

Teeshay faked a look of concern. "What happened? What's got you all excited?"

I looked around the room, as if I expected to see enemies lurking, or spies listening in.

- "That address you sent me to - Nanamon's?"

- "What happened?"

- "They opened the door and let fly - with a feckin' blunderbuss!" I pitched my voice low, as if I was afraid to be overheard, but let her think that I was still agitated.

- "No!" she said, feigning surprise.

- "I don't know why, but I suspected that something was off. Just a feeling, you know? So I stepped aside, just as this massive musket went off! I ran for it - got away clean."

- "Wow ... you were lucky." she said. "You could've been killed."

If you changed the 'could' to a 'should', then Teeshay was probably telling the truth. Unfamiliar territory, for her.

- "Why did you send me there? They were waiting for me!" I complained.

- "Damn." she said. "They must be on to us." Then, after a measured pause, she said: "I'm so sorry, Kelsen! I had no idea! I would never have sent you there if I thought it was dangerous. Wait - didn't you say twice?"

- "Yes. That night, I was with ... a friend. In a place of mine that nobody knows about."

- "Your safe room? The one you showed me?"

- "No - my

other

safe room. Four men kicked the door in. If ... my friend hadn't been there, I'd be dead, for sure."

- "Unbelievable!" said Teeshay. "How did they find you? D'you think they were connected to the men at Nanamon's?"

- "They came through the door and let fly with a blunderbuss! Of course I think they're connected - it was the same men!"

Teeshay made appropriate noises, and commiserated with me.

- "What do we do now?" she asked.

- "I'm not sure." I said.

- "You know ... I found out something useful." She hesitated, then launched into her little tale. "I'm still friendly with one of the girls who works in Jerian's house. She told me that she has some time off, four nights hence."

"Apparently Jerian and his lady have been invited to some important function. Pirate Lords and their wives only."

- "So ... his house will be unoccupied ..." I had to pretend to consider what she'd just told me. "Four nights from now?"

- "That's right."

- "I don't know. This is getting dangerous."

- "Come on, Kelsen. The house will be empty. Opportunity knocks, and all that."

- "I'll think about it." I said. "Listen - I have to go. I'll be in touch." I tossed a few coins on the table, and made my way to the door.

There, I turned around for one more look at Teeshay. She gave me a nod and a wink.

I don't think she had any idea that in the small alcove next to our table, there were two women seated. You had to be a regular at the Bell and Candle to know that the alcove even existed. Both women were cloaked and hooded. Kima and Taliesine - just as I'd asked them to do. A small favor.

***

Back at the house, I asked them if they'd recognized Teeshay.

- "Never seen her before." said Taliesine. "But Kima has."

- "She's been watching the house for the better part of a week." said the redhead.

- "What?" I said, incredulous. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

- "Do

you

tell

us

everything?" said Kima.

She had a point there. So I told them about Teeshay's reactions earlier today.

- "She also made a point of telling me that Jerian's house will be empty four nights from now."

- "It's a trap." said Kima.

- "Of course it's a trap. But the nature of the trap may tell me a great deal. Also, if they're confident that their trap will work, they may leave something important in the house."

- "It could be very dangerous." said Taliesine.

- "Which is why I won't be going alone. What if I could reunite the whole crew that went after Molun?"

***

I couldn't.

It took me the better part of two days to talk my housemates into it. They finally had to agree that Teeshay knew that they were sharing the house with me - which undoubtedly meant that Syrava knew as well.

They also had to face the fact that if I died doing something stupid - like breaking into Jerian's house alone - that Ludianne might be annoyed with them.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find Aressine at home. I didn't want to go in person, in case Syrava was still spying on me magically. I sent runners, though - half a dozen times. Pamna wasn't home, either. I had no idea where Fhaernala lived.

Finally, I decided to ask Mehdawi, down at the Gale, if he'd seen Pamna.

- "She left you a note." he said.

- "You couldn't have let me know?"

- "I'm not in the delivery business, Kelsen. And I'm a little busy here, in case you hadn't noticed. I could really use your help."

Pamna's note was brief, and to the point:

Aressine is mightily annoyed. What did you do? Going hunting with her & Fhaernala. Back in a week or so. Love, P.

Crap.

***

Both Kima and Taliesine insisted on wearing armour. I didn't even try to talk them out of it. Even unarmored, neither one would be particularly stealthy. Kima had a little grace, like a bear; Taliesine was as flexible as a water buffalo.

Climbing through the kitchen window wasn't going to work at all. Just as well, I suppose; if Syrava truly was laying a trap, the kitchen might turn out to be a very unpleasant place.

We came from the back of the property. I cast my silence spell as we went through the neighbour's yard, hoping that it would cover up the racket the Thunderfoot twins were making. No one challenged us, and we reached the back door of Jerian's house.

Taliesine cast a spell before she would even let me approach it.

- "Detection of magic." she told me.

The door began to glow as she spoke to it. It wasn't just my imagination.

"Warded. As I expected." she said.

- "What do we do now?"

- "You keep silent, and stop interrupting me. Then I will dispel the wards." Taliesine didn't even bother to look my way, but Kima was grinning.

The glow on the door vanished. The wizard stepped back, and waved a hand at me. A quick check confirmed that there were no mundane traps. I had my lock picking tools ready, but I barely needed them. It was child's play to open the door.

I entered first, and led the way, followed by Taliesine, with Kima acting as rearguard. We had decided not to use a candle or lantern, because the light might show through a window, when no one was supposed to be home.

I wasn't the only one with low-light vision. Taliesine had it, too - courtesy of a spell. Kima simply told me not to worry about her.

Once inside, the wizard insisted on casting her detection spell again.

- "Clear."

There was no need to go near the kitchen, as far as I was concerned. Jerian's room, or study was a better goal. I went slowly, checking the floor ahead of me carefully before putting my foot down. I kept my rapier in my left hand, and regularly tapped the wall on either side. I looked up, too - many thieves forget that.

When I found the foot of the stairs, we immediately began to climb. The steps were thickly carpeted, and didn't creak. I was just glancing upwards, when I saw a dark shadow fall from the ceiling - behind me.

It dropped on Taliesine.

On the top of her head, to be exact. Then it fell over her, like a blanket, or a piece of drapery. It was dark, almost black, and only large enough to cover her head and shoulders.

But then it moved.

The damned thing was alive! It swirled, and wrapped itself around her head, while the parts of its body on her shoulders tightened around her neck.

I didn't dare stab it with my rapier; the creature - whatever it was - didn't seem to be very thick, and I didn't want to injure Taliesine. A pistol was out of the question. I considered scraping at the thing with a dagger - but what if that didn't kill it, or force it to let go?

How long could Taliesine breathe, with that thing over her mouth and nose? Or would it strangle her? My next instinct was to cast my second spell.

- "DAZE!" I shouted.

There was no fear of harming my companions. My little spell has no area of effect - it only affects a single creature. If the thing around Taliesine's head was an animal of some kind ...

It seemed to sag, and the folds around her neck drooped down over her shoulders. I grabbed it with my right hand, and yanked it off her head.

Then several things happened at once. Taliesine shrieked, because when I tore the black creature off her head, I must have taken a handful of the wizard's hair with it.

Kima shouted, too - a warning, I think - just before a second black shape fell over

my

head. I tried to shout, but the dark, leathery skin was in my mouth before I could cry out. It was moist, and slightly slimy.

I could feel the folds of hide tighten around my neck, even as it pushed tight against my mouth, and my nostrils. I immediately dropped my rapier, and with both hands clawed at the creature, trying to pull it away from my throat.

The damned thing was stronger than I was. It was difficult to get a good grip on its slimy hide, and I couldn't pull or push its slippery folds of skin. Panic wasn't going to help me, but it was awfully tempting ...

Then I heard Taliesine's voice. "

Pew! Pew, Pew!

"

The creature around my head shuddered, as if struck by repeated blows. Its hold on my neck loosened. Then it was my turn to shriek, as the little monster was torn from my head - and a hunk of my hair went with it.

Kima threw the thing to the floor, and then spitted it with her sword. My eyes were watering, but I could see two black shapes on the carpeted stairs. Kima had finished both of them off.

I didn't thank or congratulate her, because at that instant, a massive shape leapt over the banister from above, almost right on top of us.

It was some sort of ape, covered in thick black fur, except that it had four arms, and massive tusk-like teeth growing out the sides of its mouth.

It landed almost on top of Taliesine, and knocked her down the stairs. She fell heavily, tumbled down five steps, and hit the floor awkwardly.

The gorilla then spun around, and slammed two arms into me. I was hammered up the stairs - and I was pretty sure that I felt a pair of ribs breaking.

Then it turned on Kima. She was a few steps below it, which turned out to be a fortunate advantage. The ape swung an arm at her, which she was able to duck. Then the monster swung a pair of arms from the opposite side. Kima ducked the top arm, and blocked the lower appendage with the sharp edge of her sword.

The creature roared.

With its height advantage, the ape could have kicked her, but it was too heavy, and too bandy-legged. Besides, with four arms, it was probably accustomed to solving its problems with those. On this occasion, though, it never got the chance.

I drew both pistols, and unloaded them into its back, at point blank range.

The ape roared again, but it staggered forward a step, just as Kima drove her sword into its gullet. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the four-armed menace fell on its back. The red-headed warrior straddled its body, twisting her weapon in the enormous hole she'd gouged in its throat.

I actually backed up two more steps, so as not to get hurt by the creature's death throes.