The Sapphire Crescent soa-1

by Thomas M. Reid

  He slipped down to the tiles next to the cistern and held there, listening through the doorway that led inside. He heard nothing coming from that part of the house, so he skirted the pool and went to the balcony overlooking the west gardens. Climbing carefully up onto the banister, he swung over the side there and lowered himself down to the next level, dropping softy to the next porch down. From there, he dropped down behind a large rain barrel and several planters that had been filled with some of Hetta's favorite blooming plants. There were no lights burning in his grandmother's rooms beyond the patio, and no sounds coming from inside. From down in the garden, however, Vambran heard the telltale sounds of men talking.

  Carefully, watching where he placed every hand and knee, the lieutenant crawled over to the railing, where he could peer through the balustrade and down to the lawn below. A group of three men-guards, it looked like in the moonlight-were huddled together, talking and laughing softly. One of the three was smoking a long-stemmed pipe. That right there was a good indication that something profound had changed with the house guards' loyalties, for Hetta had never permitted the soldiers they employed to smoke while on duty. She considered it distracting to their concentration.

  Vambran backed away from the railing and moved carefully across the patio to the other side. There was where his efforts would become tricky, he thought at first, for the gap between Hetta's porch and Emriana's was thirty feet or more wide, and there was only a large trellis attached to the wall, overgrown with creeping vines, for him to traverse in order to reach the other side. Beyond the difficulties in keeping his balance, the mercenary also feared making noise or otherwise being noticed. The only other choice he had was to descend one set of steps that led into the gardens and scoot over to head back up the other staircase, which connected to Emriana's porch that way.

  He nearly snapped his fingers in disgust, refraining from that foolish gesture at the last second when he remembered he was trying to be quiet.

  The magic Uncle Kovrim bestowed upon me should still be functioning, he realized.

  He could use that easily enough to cross the void between the two balconies, and never have to set foot down in the grass at all. The only problem there was the three guards. As long as they stood around talking, he doubted they would think to look up, over twenty feet above their own heads, to watch for intruders. But any motion out of the corner of someone's eye, any flutter of fabric in the breeze, or clank of the joints in his breastplate, would alert them that he was there.

  I either wait until they move on, he thought, or else I risk it. Unless I just decide to shoot them right now, he thought snidery, considering it a punishment too kind for their traitorous dispositions.

  But he knew he would not attack a man unaware. He was just going to have cross the gap and hope they didn't see him. Cautiously, starting several steps back and in the shadows, Vambran attempted to ascend the air. The magic still functioned. Nodding in relief, the mercenary started toward the edge of the porch, stepping perhaps four feet above the tiles, plenty of room to clear the railing. He tread carefully, one slow step at a time, trying to minimize any unnecessary movements. One foot in front of the next, he moved out over the drop-off, then proceeded, watching the three guards, who seemed right next to Vambran, but who were in reality a good fifty paces away.

  A muffled grunt from ahead made Vambran freeze. It had come from Emriana's rooms, and it was followed by a second grunt. They both sounded as though someone was in discomfort. The lieutenant had to resist the urge to speed up, to jump forward and dash into the rooms beyond. But his other fear was that the noises coming from inside would attract the attention of the three guards below, who would naturally look up to see what was going on and spot him.

  In desperation, Vambran moved on, continuing to set one foot in front of the other as quietly as he could, until he was over the railing guarding Emriana's patio. At that point, he angled his descent sharply, reaching the tiles in two steep strides. He let his momentum carry him forward, to a pillar, and stepped close to it, trying to blend with its shadows.

  From there, Vambran could see through the gauzy material of the drawn curtains into the interior of his sister's rooms. Emriana was there, all right, as was her handmaiden, Jaleene. The two women were tied in chairs, and Emriana had been stripped to her shift. That alone made Vambran's blood come near to boiling, but then he saw Denrick. The pompous ass was still dressed in the same clothes he had worn to Emriana's birthday party earlier in the evening, only he had removed his jacket and preened in front of the women, bare-chested. Next to him stood a rather pudgy man with disheveled white hair and a set of spectacles perched on the end of his nose, who was peering at Emriana and Jaleene with a mixture of interest and timidity.

  As Denrick walked around to stand in front of Emriana, his words made Vambran's blood turn to ice in his veins.

  "Yes, use your magic to make her drawn irresistibly to me. I want her to desire me and take me willingly to her bed."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Kovrim refused to admit it to anyone but himself, but he was growing fidgety. Xaphira had probably not been gone all that long, but to the priest, it seemed like it had been an eternity. He paced back and forth in the shadows near the mouth of the alley across the street from the Matrell estate, anxious for her to return.

  In contrast to him, the soldiers that made up Vambran's platoon within the Sapphire Crescent mercenary company seemed calm and relaxed, though Kovrim knew that it was a technique practiced by many professional mercenaries. Inside, they were probably just as restless and eager to get started as he was.

  They just hide it better, Kovrim thought with a wry smile.

  For perhaps the tenth time, the priest halted his pacing and crept forward to the very edge, peering around the corner to where the wall of the estate came closest. It was still a good forty paces away on the other side of the street, and it was where Xaphira had climbed over and disappeared into the compound. There was still no sign of her.

  Kovrim was just turning to head back into the alley when a soft voice called from above him, "What's wrong? Are you worrying about me?"

  The priest nearly jumped out of his skin, but when he realized it was Xaphira, he let out a long, loud sigh and looked up.

  The woman was just dropping down from a second-story railing that ran around the entire perimeter of that particular building, front to back. As her feet hit the hard-packed dirt of the alley, she tucked her knees to soften the blow, then came smoothly up again. Kovrim moved closer to her so they could converse quietly.

  "Yes, I was beginning to worry about you," the priest admonished. "Allow an old man to fret a bit."

  Xaphira chuckled softly.

  "It's nice to know someone still cares," she said. "All right, I've reconnoitered the entire perimeter of the place, as well as a couple of potential points farther inside the walls where I think we can get through unhindered. I have an idea of how we can go about getting this brouhaha started, but it requires that we split the troops into two squads."

  "I'm listening," Kovrim said, "but let's get the two sergeants involved in this. Their men are the ones on the line here, after all."

  The two of them receded into the alley and gathered the officers to them, and Kovrim motioned for Xaphira to begin explaining her plan. When she finished, and they had discussed and adjusted a few minor points, she peered at each one there.

  "All right, then," Xaphira said. "Are we in agreement?" Everyone gathered at the discussion nodded in turn. "Then let's get started."

  The mercenaries jumped up as soon as the word was given that things were about to start happening. The sergeants quickly had them divided into two equal groups, with each officer commanding one unit. Both sets of soldiers were led to their respective spots, and Xaphira went with first one, then the other, slipping over the wall again to double-check that the locales were all clear, or to take a guard out who might have been too close. That left Kovrim by himself to get through the g
ates and provide a distraction.

  The priest waited for a while, a set time that they had all agreed to beforehand, gauging the passage of time by the moon. He hoped that all of it would work, not just because failure would mean chaos for the soldiers who were trusting their lives to a couple of people they hardly knew, but also for the sake of the Matrells inside. Kovrim tried to imagine how he would feel if he were in Vambran's shoes, or Xaphira's, for that matter. He doubted he would be holding up nearly so well. He had to admire that about them.

  Finally, it was time to go. Taking one slow, calming breath, Kovrim prepared a couple of spells that he would use to both capture his foes' attention and protect himself. He walked toward the gates, his talisman of Waukeen in his grasp, and called on the favor of his goddess to ward him from attack. He felt the protective magic settle into place around him just before he reached the gates, which were closed.

  A pair of guards stood on the other side, and as they noticed the priest's approach, they leaped to action, coming close to the wide gates and demanding to know who it was.

  Kovrim simply smiled and began to weave the second bit of magic he had in store for the men, speaking as he did so.

  "On this night, of all nights, we are blessed by the serenity of the moon, and the breeze off the harbor," he said, just rambling, knowing it really didn't matter what he spoke of, so long as he kept up the speech for the duration. He watched the two guards closely to see if they were drawn into the mesmerizing words. They both seemed to be, for they relaxed and settled their gazes on him quietly.

  Still speaking, Kovrim reached through and unlatched the gate, opening it just enough to step through. The guards didn't react to that, for they were attentively listening to his speech, which had become a diatribe concerning the evils of hoarding coin and how that held Waukeen's golden age of plenty at bay. Farther up the path, though, someone shouted, and three more guards rushed down toward the gates to see what was going on. As they neared and began to hear the priest's speech, they too stood still to listen. Kovrim smiled as he continued, pleased to see even more of the guards running in his direction.

  Emriana made a strangled cry and shook her head vehemently as she heard Denrick's words suggesting that the wizard, Bartimus, might ensorcell her into desiring the man. The thought horrified her, was more terrible to contemplate than the notion of being taken by force. The idea that her free will could be taken from her so that she would give Denrick what he wanted sent her spiraling down into a dark pit of despair.

  Denrick noticed the girl's reaction, and he smiled.

  "What, don't you think it would be better like that?" he asked Emriana. "At least you'd be fooled into looking forward to it," he added, that wolfish grin growing more feral by the moment. He turned back to the diffident wizard. "Well? Can you do it?"

  Bartimus nodded and replied, "I can, but these things are never guaranteed to work, and there are always unintended side-effects. I'm giving you these warnings so that you will be fully aware of them and not blame me later if it doesn't all turn out as wonderfully and romantic as you're envisioning right now. Furthermore, I have to say that-"

  "Are you quite done?" Denrick asked, cutting off the babbling man. "I don't want a full lecture on the details. I just want to know if you can do it or not." The wizard simply nodded. "Good, then get on with it."

  Emriana sobbed and began to thrash in her bonds again, shaking her head violently back and forth, mmphing through the wad of cloth shoved back in her mouth, pleading with Denrick not to go through with his foul game. The young man simply gestured expectantly toward her while staring down the wizard.

  Bartimus walked cautiously over to stand near Emriana, shoved his glasses farther up his nose, and said, "All right; we've got a couple of choices here. I think perhaps… yes, that should do nicely."

  Emriana whined plaintively at the man, trying to make him see her side of things, but Bartimus was effectively cowed by Denrick and he totally ignored her, other than to begin the casting.

  That's when Emriana began to rock her chair back and forth again. She had been moved farther away from Jaleene so that they couldn't help one another escape again, and the handmaiden had been gagged, too. But Emriana wasn't trying to reach her companion in the hopes of getting her knots untied. She simply wanted to tumble over, fall flat on her back, knock herself unconscious, perhaps. Anything was better than being magically charmed into crawling into bed with Denrick right at that moment.

  The girl heaved her weight around, trying to increase the motion. As she got into a rhythm, Denrick came around and grabbed the chair, halting it. Emriana whimpered in absolute disconsolation. Then Denrick slapped her, once, hard enough to cause her to grunt again. He leered at her.

  "All right," Bartimus said, "I think I'm ready to begin. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

  Denrick stepped back from Emriana's chair and replied, "Yes, use your magic to make her drawn irresistibly to me. I want her to desire me and take me willingly to her bed."

  Bartimus opened his mouth to begin, but he never got even the first words out, for both his and Denrick's attention were suddenly drawn to something behind Emriana. They were looking in the direction of the doorway leading out to her patio.

  The girl turned her head, straining to see behind her, but the chair's angle and high back made it impossible.

  "If you don't shut your mouth right now"-it was Vambran-"I'll plant this crossbow bolt right into the middle of it."

  Em closed her eyes in relief.

  "Damn you!" Denrick cried as Bartimus stammered, mumbled, and backed away. "How the hells did you get past the guards?"

  Vambran advanced into the room and into Emriana's view. She could see that he carried a crossbow, which he had leveled at Denrick's chest.

  "Hello, Em," Vambran said, giving her a smile, though he never took his eyes off his target. "I came as soon as you called."

  Emriana gave her brother a steady stream of joyous, thankful, but incomprehensible gibberish through her gag, though she knew he understood the gist of it.

  He made it, she thought, and not a moment too soon.

  "Well," Denrick snarled, glancing down at the girl. "You managed to do a little more than untie your hands while I was gone, I guess." He backed away from Vambran, who was slowly closing the gap between the two of them. "And you managed to show up where you weren't wanted all over again," he said to the mercenary. "Just like the other night, when you had to go dashing in to save poor, pathetic Jithelle. You messed everything up!"

  "And you're a sad, spoiled little boy who never learned that the world and the people in it don't belong to you just because you're wealthy," Vambran replied. "Now, you're either going to drop down to the floor and plant your face on the tiles, or else I'm going to put this bolt right in your nose. Your choice. What's it going to be?"

  In response, Denrick grabbed Bartimus, who had edged over by the merchant's son, and he thrust the wizard between himself and Vambran. Denrick gave Bartimus a good shove to send him careening in the direction of the mercenary then he took the opportunity to dart out the door.

  Vambran cursed and stepped forward, apparently intending to chase the fleeing man, but the wizard hindered him just enough that it was obviously a fruitless exercise, and Vambran held up after only a couple more steps.

  Instead, he turned back to the wizard and snarled, "Get over there and untie my sister, you lecherous little worm."

  Bowing and holding his hands up in front of his face, as though trying to ward off Vambran's anger and the impending bolt that might be fired at him, Bartimus scurried over to where Emriana sat and went to work on the knots.

  As soon as one hand was free, Emriana yanked the gag free of her mouth once more and drew in a deep, fresh breath.

  "Oh, thank Waukeen you got here when you did!" she gushed, wanting to get up and hug her brother. She grew impatient with the wizard's fumbling fingers and knocked his hands away.

  "Go untie her" she o
rdered Bartimus, pointing toward Jaleene.

  The wizard nodded and ran over to comply, leaving Emriana to free herself. The girl finally managed to get the last of the bonds undone, and she leaped up and hugged her brother with every ounce of her strength. She didn't want to let him go.

  That's when Jaleene screamed. Emriana released Vambran just in time to see a huge black hound materialize right in front of the chair where the handmaiden was still bound. The beast wasn't quite there, but seemed instead to be made of shadows. Even so, its huge fangs and glowing red eyes were visible enough. The hound, a mastiff, growled low in its throat and reared back to lunge at the helpless Jaleene.

  At the same time, Bartimus was waving his hands through the air and murmuring in a low voice. As Vambran reacted, raising his crossbow to fire at the wizard, a blue, shimmering curtain of light formed next to the pudgy man. The curtain parted to reveal a doorway, and Bartimus leaped through it, the crossbow bolt glancing off his cloak. The doorway winked out.

  Emriana stared, dumbfounded, as Vambran rushed forward, dragging his sword free of its scabbard in one smooth motion. Just as the shadow hound was about to bite Jaleene, Vambran got between them, slashing down with his blade.

  The huge dog howled in pain and leaped away, landing in the corner. It turned to face Vambran, who was closing with it, his sword held defensively in front of himself. Warily, the two of them began to circle one another, the hound snapping and biting at the blade, Vambran feinting and thrusting back.

  Emriana ran over to Jaleene, who was trembling. The girl began to work on the knots that still held the woman tightly. After several moments of frantic tugging, she managed to free her companion and pulled her out of the chair.

  At that moment, Emriana turned to see her brother lunge at the hound again, drawing thick, black blood. In response, the dog opened its mouth wide and let out an ear-splitting bay that chilled the girl to the bone and made her want to flee right out into the night. She and Jaleene together ran to the opposite side of the room and cowered in the corner, watching Vambran combat this magical creature of shadow.