A
Silhouette
(Mea
Culpa)
I looked at J'layah with a look of disapproval,
and said, " why did you not tell me, J'layah ?"
She replied by saying, " Oh Mea, you must
understand that for the last few weeks I have been under a terrible strain and
honestly I nearly told you about it all, when you came up with this funny idea
to surprise Balefire, it seemed like a good way to let go for a short time ".
I was temporarily stunned, listening to J'layah,
however my ire was brewing and I said, " if it is Okay with Balefire, I
shall be with you and once and for all settle this account, with these
despicable beings".
" So yes, Balefire, I'll be with you and by
Sacre Noir we shall exterminate these cretins" I growled, looking at
Balefire's wrath, I was beginning to feel sorry for any of those, who thought
they could conquer life with the dark side.
From outside the lightning flashed the thunder rolled
and I heard a scream, shortly followed by a almighty crunch at the door which
actually flew open.
I turned to see what Father wind had to say this
time instead I saw a most peculiar thing, err ...... things actually, a
silhouette of a man in the background and what appeared to be the crumbled form
of some other being laying on the floor inside the Tavern, obviously the cause
of the crunch.
Edwynster, was walking towards them and talking
away, funny I had never noticed how impressive Edwynster looked, he was
motioning towards our table as if inviting them ...
As the people within the Angry Porcupine watched the door
to see who Edwynster would bring in, Balefire felt something behind him.
Something magical. Something that he recognised, but had not felt for a long
time, and when he did remember what it was, it brought a smile to his face. The
black vertical line appeared at the back of the common room, and then stretched
out in the familiar shape of a Window. A man walked through the Window, into
the Porcupine, long black cloak billowing in a magically created wind, Daedric
armour gleaming brightly, Dai-katana strapped across his back. The Window
closed behind him.
"Hail, Balefire!" called the newcomer.
"Hail, Darkflame," the Warmage replied. "Still something of the
dramatic sort, I see?"
"Aye, brother. It keeps me amused. When you know you are going to live a
while, you learn to appreciate such things.
I see that I am here none too early, for a reunion has begun." Darkflame
turned to the ladies.
"Mea, J'layah," he said. "Always a pleasure. Have you still my
gift?"
He looked at Zarth, and a crease attached itself to his brow. "You my
friend, I do not know. I am Tenaka Khan, Dreadlord. And you are?"
***Edwynster looked from the crumpled figure to that of
the adventurer who spoke. "By the look of yer fallen foe, he be one
of the Dark Brotherhood. We be open, as we always be. And if ye be an
enemy to the Assassins' Guild, the new owner will be making ye doubly welcome,
Milord. Elfiran has retired, or nearly so, and left the Porcuppine in the
care of his old comrade, Balefire. Mayhap ye have heard of
him? The warmage from Ebonheart in Morrowind? He has just learned
that which has caused him to wax wroth, and it bodes not well for the Dark Brotherhood.
Looks like war, it does, and 'at suits the boss right well. 'Tis his
profession, ye see, and he be good at it. But 'light and come in,
Milord. Ye may speak to him yerself. He be the big dark elf, he of
the crimson eyes. Mind ye stay clear of his staff, now. 'Tis
enchanted, and a fell thing, vampiric
life-stealer it is, not caring whom it strikes, if Milord Balefire keeps it not
in check."***
"Yes, I know Balefire. We....rode together, years ago".
I removed my cloak and shook my head to remove some of the rain drops.
He motioned me to go to a table near the rear wall of the inn. "Later, the
fire beckons".
I walked toward the fireplace and found a comfortable chair. My back to the
wall, I leaned back and waited for the fire to dry me off.
A pitcher of warmed red wine flew from the bar and hovered two feet in front of
me. As I grabbed the pitcher and took a drink, I felt the gentle waft of a
detect magic spell probing my weapons and armour.
A few moments later, I sensed Balefire approaching. Without looking at
him, I inclined my head toward the door. "Look at the blunt
instrument that the Assassins' Guild has sent. If an offensive against
the Dark Brotherhood is planned, it seems a crime to waste the opportunity of
using the blunt instrument against its masters".
Balefire laughed, "You haven't really changed, have you?"
His mood greatly improved by the unexpected arrival of his
brother Darkflame, otherwise -- and more famously -- known
as Tenaka Khan, Balefire turned toward the other new arrival. Anyone who
announced his coming with a beaten assassin as a calling card deserved
immediate attention, and his style provoked a memory.
Ever wary, the warrior mage cast a Detect Magic spell, and the results brought
a warm but still wolfish smile to his scarred dusky features.
"Hah!" Balefire thought to himself, "Four Dispel-enchanted
kukris bound two each to upper and lower arms, and a broadsword enchanted with
Firestorm. I know only one warrior who wears elemental-entrapped
kukris. Could it be...?"
In the firelight's flickering glow he glimpsed the newcomer's shining black hair,
and discerned the swatch of platinum white on the right side. "By
the Scales of Akatosh," he murmured softly, "'Tis Sri Daoud, after
all these years! I might have known by his entry."
The Warmage approached his old comrade quickly but silently, and was about to
speak when the apparently oblivious warrior
chuckled.
***"Look at the blunt instrument that the Assassins' Guild has sent.
If an offensive against the Dark Brotherhood is planned, it seems a crime to
waste the opportunity of using the blunt instrument against its masters".
Balefire laughed, "You haven't really changed, have you?"***
"Aye, old friend," the mercenary mage continued, "we can send
this weapon back to its dispatcher easily enough, but it seems that you have
left him in such a state as will keep for awhile yet. Rouse yourself from
your seat and come meet my friends. Most of all, you will be surprised to
know that my brother lives after all, and doubly surprised to find who he is,
or rather has become, since last you and I rode together."
Balefire chuckled grimly. "I recall that you ever gave short shrift
to assassins, Sri Daoud. "Tis good to see you. If you would
once again ride with me to war, you will find targets aplenty for your
blades." Shaking his head in bemusement, he continued, "A fine
day for surprises, this. I would wager that even my brother has never seen
kukris in Tamriel; mayhap not at all...I know not whether he wanders among
other planes as much as do you or I. Come, you must meet him."
"Ho! Tenaka Khan! Darkflame, my brother! And Mea, Zarth,
and J'Layah!" Balefire's battlefield-trained voice boomed
out and echoed in the rafters, "Allow me to present an old comrade, or
listen as he presents himself. Meet Sri Daoud."
As the gathered heroes turned their attention toward the bellowing Warmage and
his companion, another familiar voice range from the shadows near the
hearth. Mellow where Balefire's voice was harsh, ringing as his boomed,
soft but nonetheless perfectly audible, the melodic voice carried just a hint
of mocking amusement as a raven-haired elf-maid glided from the dark, her black
armour seeming a piece of the shadows detached and flowing smoothly forward.
"Greetings, swordbrother. And welcome Mea, J'Layah, Zarth, and
especially Darkflame. 'Tis a rare pleasure to see you again, regardless
of the circumstances." She smiled as she pulled off an ebon
gauntlet, extending her hand as she approached, moving like a great hunting
cat. "Sri Daoud, I believe we may have met, albeit briefly, long
ago. You would not remember me, I think, as I was but a fledgling Warmage
then, under Balefire's tutelage. I am called Twilight, and a friend of my
swordbrother's is a friend of mine. Hail, and welcome."
A rare grin of sincere joy suffused Balefire's face, and he blurted,
"Twilight! Most welcome, swordsister! I did not expect to see
you again so soon."
Tossing her hair back over her shoulder, Twilight grinned and reached to
embrace him. "I ran into a spot of bother much nearer and sooner
than expected, Milord, and returned ahead of plan. I would have been here
an hour ago, but I stopped to decorate the battlements."
"The city battlements, Twilight? Not...?" Comprehension
grew in his crimson eyes.
"Aye, Milord. A score of the Dark Brotherhood's minions had the bad
grace to waylay me but a half day's ride from the
gates. I have affixed a dozen of their heads to spikes along the
walls. The rest were too badly charred to bring back, more's the
pity." She laughed softy, her smile beautiful but predatory,
"That Wrathbolt spell of yours lacks subtlety, Lord Balefire. Yet
glad I am that you taught me it. In the open, its power makes up for
its...ah...poor discrimination. But let us talk of such
things later. Now I crave wine; this killing is thirsty work, and I
warrant there is much more such ahead of us."
(Sri Daoud)
As I followed Balefire and Twilight to the table where the
others awaited us, I sensed the assassin beginning to stir near the door. I
quickly cast a spell of immobility to keep him where he was.
At the table I removed the assassin's possessions and spread them out for all
to view. One side of the coin purse made a crackling sound as of paper
crinkling. Looking closer, I spotted a corner of a piece of papyrus at the
bottom of the purse.
I pulled the papyrus out and spread it on the table next to an assortment of
jewelry and trinkets. The paper showed a map of the southern part of Menevia
province, and the name of a city and its castle were circled in red. It meant
something, but what?
Twilight leaned forward and stared at one of the pieces of jewelry. She said,
"I've seen it or one very like it recently. But where?"
"Easy enough to find out," I responded. I cast a come hither spell
and lifted the assassin to a pillar near the table and bound him to it. He saw
the piece of papyrus, and started to struggle frantically against the bonds of
magicka.
Twilight waved her hand, and one of the pokers on the hearth fell halfway into
the flames with a clang. The assassin turned pale.
(Mea Culpa)
I saw J'layah get up, bend over the table and get
a good look at the amulet that was among the assassins possessions, her face
went deadly pale and she sat down with a grunt!
"What" I asked "is the Matter Jay
?"
J'layah looked at me with horror glowing in her eyes, and said, " That
amulet belonged to my sister !!" "It was a birthday present from me
to her, for her becoming of age!"
J'layah's chair flew backwards as she got up and
grabbed the Papyrus map, looking at the map intensely, she muttered, "this
is where I'm going, it must be where they are holding her."
Stuffing the map in her pocket, she got ready her
gear and made to leave, when Balefire's voice boomed over the table.
" Do not move J'layah ", With Red
burning eyes that would wither souls, he continued " Alone that is, we
shall go together and rescue your sister from that damnable place, even if it
means our lives."
Turning his wrath towards the now whimpering
assassin he said "...
Betrayal made a quiet entrance into the inn, stepping
unnoticed up to the bar, where he sat on a stool and silently watched the
ongoing proceedings, curious as to the assasins reaction to the menacing
figures surrounding it.
"With just Balefire there he might have gotten away alive, but with
J'layah and Twilight as well.. he'd better start repenting now, and
pray to his new god Balefire for forgivness!" he thought, then turned to
the barkeep and ordered a glass of Amber Ale.. taking a long pull of his
drink, Betrayal turned back to watch the proceedings.
(Sri Daoud)
***Turning his wrath towards the now whimpering assassin,
Balefire said, "Churl, if you treasure even one small part of your
miserable existence, you'll tell how you got that amulet."***
"Hold, Balefire."
I turned toward the assassin and spoke, "And if your story doesn't sound
convincing to Balefire, you'll have to face me. Twilight, may I?" She
nodded yes.
I summoned the poker from the fire and left it hovering in mid-air a foot or so
from the assassin's face. I stared at the tip of the poker for a few seconds
and willed it to grow white hot.
"He's yours now, Balefire."
The assassin gulped and began his tale:
"The amulet was given to me by the master of my chapter in the south of
Menevia. It was taken from a woman who overheard part of the negotiations for
an attack on a merchant caravan.
"We, we took over the castle protecting that town several months ago.
You've no idea how the illusion of protection causes caravan guards to lower
their defences. And, and it's much easier to fulfil a contract on people who
are trapped inside sturdy walls.
"I I'm only here because I'd been told that somebody at The Angry
Porcupine was a possible threat to our business. I was to find out who and
silence them. If I'd known that the inn was a gathering spot for B, B, Balefire
and his friends, I'd never have come within ten leagues of the place."
J'layah screamed, "What have you done with my sister?" She tried to
grab the poker and thrust it at the assassin, but Darkflame grabbed her first
and carried her to the far side of the table. She started sobbing.
"She, she was safe. Uncomfortable in the castle dungeon, but safe as of
one week ago," the assassin explained.
(Mea Culpa)
I walked towards J'Layah and got out my hanky, I
started to dab at her eyes when J'Layah grabbed the handkerchief, and
spluttered " I can do that you know, I'm not totally incapable of looking
after myself!"
I grabbed J'Layah by the chin and forced her to
look me in the eye, I saw a lot of hurt in those dark brown human eyes, and
understood that her life hasn't been easy, that at least explained all the
worry lines on her face.
Eventually J'layah looked at me, I don't know what
she saw, but whatever it was, made a change in her, she stopped crying
straightened up and said quietly " thanks Mea, I needed that" and
with that we both fell in to each others arms and started to cry happily together.
After a short time I looked up and saw my company
of friends looking on worriedly, except for Twilight, who's expression seemed
to say " I understand ".
Turning my attention towards my friends, I said
" Don't be worried everything is okay now".
Which gave me a lot of confused looks from the
male side of my friends, feeling obliged to explain, I muttered " It's a
girl thing you know, we where crying from happiness" and figured if those
Macho guys couldn't understand that, well bad luck.
Looking at J'Layah and Twilight, all three of us
burst out laughing, I gotta tell you the expression on Balefire's face was
classic, wise Warmage he might be, but understanding women, well that is
another story...
***"And if your story doesn't sound convincing to
Balefire, you'll have to face me. Twilight, may I?" She nodded yes.***
Balefire stifled his start of surprise at Twilight's acquiescence; she had
never been squeamish about extracting information. Indeed, she had a real
talent for the more physical forms of "information retrieval", and
often preferred them to the magical means Balefire was more prone to use.
Evidently she was keeping her own counsel in order to observe Sri Daoud in
action.
***I summoned the poker from the fire and left it hovering in mid-air a foot or
so from the assassin's face. I stared at the tip of the poker for a few seconds
and willed it to grow white hot.***
The Warmage smiled grimly and took the opportunity to gesture toward the
bar. A filled goblet appeared in front of Betrayal, along with a glowing
scroll which, as it unrolled itself before him, said, "Greetings and
welcome, Betrayal. Be at home here while we interrogate this assassin
scum. The unfamiliar face is Sri Daoud, an old and valued comrade, and a
deadly warrior. Have a drink on the house, and observe what events unfold."
At the bottom of the scroll, Balefire's personal sigil pulsed briefly through
the spectrum and then disappeared, followed quickly by the scroll itself.
***"We, we took over the castle protecting that town
several months ago. You've no idea how the illusion of protection causes
caravan guards to lower their defences. And, and it's much easier to fulfil a
contract on people who are trapped inside sturdy walls.***
The dark elf Warmage’s lip curled in distaste, but he held his tongue while the
captive assassin continued.
***"I I'm only here because I'd been told that
somebody at The Angry Porcupine was a possible threat to our business. I was to
find out who and silence them. If I'd known that the inn was a gathering spot
for B, B, Balefire and his friends, I'd never have come within ten leagues of
the place."***
The mercenary archmage nodded and was about to speak when he was pre-empted.
***J'layah screamed, "What have you done with my sister?" She tried
to grab the poker and thrust it at the assassin, but Darkflame grabbed her
first and carried her to the far side of the table. She started sobbing.
"She, she was safe. Uncomfortable in the castle
dungeon, but safe as of one week ago," the assassin explained.***
Ignoring for the moment the interplay among his friends and brother, Balefire
glared at the assassin and hissed, "Fool. Offspring of diseased
camels. Know that you must have an enemy among your so-called dark
brothers. Better for you that you had been sent to storm Oblivion alone
than that you attempted to ply your loathsome trade here. Know also that
J'layah's sister lacks her soul, and if it is not returned to her fairly soon,
she will waste away and eventually die in the dungeon where you believe her to
be 'safe'. Look upon your impending death, worm, and reflect upon your
valueless past, while I decide what shall be done with you."
Turning to Sri Daoud and the others, Balefire growled, "This maggot-bait
half-wit has clearly been sent to lure us into a trap. Had he been killed
outright instead of questioned, no doubt the Dark Brotherhood would have sent
another, and another, until we finally got the story they wish us to
believe."
Glancing at the trembling captive, the scarred mercenary snarled, "You
damned fool. The Assassin's Guild would now use me to cull their ranks
for them, killing brainless scum like you. An you would have a chance --
albeit a slim one -- of leaving here alive, take this," he moved his
fingers briefly and a scroll, quill, and ink appeared on the table nearest the
assassin, "and draw a
map of the castle. As detailed as you are able. Your treacherous
colleagues have abandoned you to your fate; if you produce an accurate map, I
shall give you a fair chance at securing your freedom."
Seeing hope mingled with craftiness on the captive's face, the warmage rapped
out, "Have a care! The quill is enchanted. Attempt to write or
draw any falsehood, and it will turn into a viper in your hand. Begin,
and work quickly...my patience has limits."
Balefire turned to his comrades, ignoring the assassin's horrified stare.