masterghandalf

Chapter 15: The Warlord’s Bargain

Valyria was seated at the table in Sarrin’s main hall, idly toying with one of the goblets that lined it in one hand. The morning sun was streaming through the high windows, illuminating the stark, militant decorations, most of which seemed to have a patriotic theme. Valyria didn’t much care for them – she’d never much cared for Karrn culture in general, though she respected its military order – but they reflected an owner who was a strict, loyal man. She hoped her assessment of ir’Sarrin’s character was true; he could potentially be a great help if so.

She glanced over at Pitar, who sat with his arms crossed, idly drumming his fingers while wearing an impatient look. They’d arrived not long ago and told the guards that they had urgent news for Lord ir’Sarrin; the soldiers seemed on edge, and it looked like the ground in front of the gate had been recently burned. Nonetheless they’d been invited inside, where a young man in robes had escorted them to the main hall and informed them that the lord was occupied at present, but would be with them shortly.

The doors at the far end of the hall suddenly opened, and Valyria turned her gaze sharply towards it. Two men in the same uniforms as the rest of ir’Sarrin’s guards entered, followed closely behind by a tall older man who could only be the lord himself and a strikingly pale elf-woman in black. “My apologies for keeping you waiting,” the man said, striding forward. “I had other matters that demanded my attention. I am Lord Kharvin ir’Sarrin, and this is my house wizard and personal advisor, Irinali. Welcome to my home.”

Valyria stood and gave a half bow, Pitar following her direction. Ir’Sarrin returned it, though Irinali only managed a curt nod of the head. The two Karrns took their seats, and Valyria and Pitar resumed theirs across the table. “Now, then,” Ir’Sarrin said, “I was told that you have news of some sort for me? Apparently, my personal safety is at stake?”

“Yes,” Valyria said. “I am Sister Valyria Entarro, an inquisitor of the Silver Flame; my companion is Sir Pitar Tallano, a paladin of the Flame. We are tracking a fugitive, and have reason to believe that she and her companions were coming here.” She removed the picture of Thyra from her pouch and held it up for ir’Sarrin and Irinali to see. “Have you seen this woman here within the last couple of days?”

The warlord and the elf both started faintly and traded glances; a minor reaction, but not one that escaped Valyria’s notice. “I’m afraid I haven’t,” ir’Sarrin said, his tone casual, but Valyria’s eyes narrowed. He was lying; she was certain of it. “She looks harmless enough, though. Who is she, and what sort of threat to me could she possibly be?”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Valyria warned. “Her name is Thyra Entarro, and she is… was… my sister. She is wanted in connection with the death of a priest, Brother Nalin of Flamekeep, and worse, we have reason to suspect that she is no longer truly human.”

Irinali leaned forward, suddenly interested. “Could you explain further?” she asked. “What exactly does ‘no longer human’ mean, in this case? Call it professional curiosity.”

“Have you heard of rakshasas?” Valyria asked; from the sudden dark expressions on both faces, she could tell that they had. “Based on Brother Nalin’s research and information gleaned from his corpse, we have reason to believe that Thyra is possessed by such a creature, or channeling it somehow. Using Thyra’s form, the creature fled to Sharn, where it hired a team of mercenaries that it then brought to Karrnath. Witnesses who overheard their conversations indicated they were coming here, to you. Do you have any idea why that might be, Lord ir’Sarrin?”

The warlord appeared genuinely mystified. “Honestly, I have no idea,” he said. “I served Karrnath in the Last War, but in that I am little different from dozens of nobles with holdings scattered around this country. I have no magical abilities myself and have never had dealings with fiends of any kind, and if the rakshasa wanted to kill or subvert me, there are any number of people much more influential than I who would make better targets.” He grinned. “Unless you’re suggesting that one of my political rivals has a monster from the depths of history on call, I can’t imagine what it might want.”

“Nor I,” said Irinali with a shrug. “I’ll admit, I’ve dabbled in magic you Flameites wouldn’t exactly approve of, but I’ve never dealt with fiends either, and I don’t have any artifacts or spellbooks in my collection worth crossing the Five Nations for. Are you certain your sources heard correctly?”

“Yes,” Valyria said, sighing. “This is unfortunate; I’d hoped we could help each other. I have no wish to impose on your hospitality any longer than necessary, so perhaps we’ll simply have to take our search elsewhere.”

Ir’Sarrin stood. “I’m sorry I don’t know anything about your quarry. I don’t agree with your Church theologically, and I’ll admit to having no love for Thrane, but I do respect the followers of the Flame for their convictions, and bringing a murderer to justice is something that I’d gladly help with. I’m sorry your stop here proved unfruitful. Would you permit me to escort you to the gate?”

Valyria stood and bowed her head. “We would be honored,” she said.

///

“Well, that was a waste of time,” Pitar said as he and Valyria strode down the road leading from Sarrin’s gate. “Now we’ve lost the trail. We’d have been better off trying something when we found their camp the other night.”

“They outnumbered us three to one and the rakshasa seems to have some sort of hold on them,” Valyria replied. “We’d have been killed before we even got to Thyra… what used to be Thyra. Besides, I wouldn’t call it a complete waste of time.” She leaned in close and whispered into Pitar’s ear. “I watched their reactions when I showed them the picture. They hid it quickly, but they recognized Thyra. I think she’s been here. I’d wager a platinum dragon she’s still in that fortress somewhere, in fact.”

“So, what do you want to do, then?” Pitar asked, looking dubious.

“We wait by the road,” Valyria said. “I don’t know if Thyra is ir’Sarrin’s prisoner or his guest, but either way, she can’t stay in their forever. Sooner or later she’ll leave, or escape, or the warlord will take her somewhere. We’ll watch, and when she does, we’ll have her.”

///

The sound of ir’Sarrin’s footsteps faded from the dungeon, and when he was gone, the prisoners hung in silence for a long while. Finally, Len turned to Yhani. “Are you all right?” she asked. “She didn’t actually manage to hurt you, did she?”

Yhani smiled wanly. “No, love, she did not. I am bruised and dirty and hanging from chains, but that puts me at no worse off than any of us.” Her expression darkened. “But that Irinali – there was such hate in her eyes when she threatened me. Most of the time she was here she merely seemed cold, but not then.”

“Do you know her?” Ghazaan asked. “Sounded kind of personal, from where I’m hanging.”

“Well, I know she was the one who caught me,” Rinnean said. “One would think I would have learned by now not to go poking around in a wizard’s study, but apparently not, and I thought Thyra’s map might be there. Judging by her choice in décor and reading materials – not to mention the fact that she sicced a damned skeleton on me – she’s probably a necromancer.”

“That would explain much,” Yhani said quietly. “She said she hated her own people, and I thought I heard an Aereni accent in her words – well hidden, but there. The practice of necromancy is not condoned in my homeland.”

“Really?” Thyra asked. “I’d always heard the Aereni worshipped their undead ancestors.”

Yhani sighed. “A common misconception,” she said. “The Undying Court are not undead. They are sustained by the reverence of their living descendants, given freely. The relationship is symbiotic; our worship keeps them on this plane and prevents their spirits from slipping away into Dolurrh, and they in turn preserve our history and wisdom, to guide our people in times of great need. The undead draw their power from darkness and decay; they are parasites that only take, a perversion of what ought to be. That is why their creation is forbidden. But there have always been those drawn to the dark arts, seeking a quick route to power and immortality without needing to be raised to the Court. I suspect Irinali is one such. She would not be the first.” Yhani’s voice trailed off, as if she was about to say something more and thought better of it.

When it became obvious she wasn’t going to say any more, Len turned to Thyra. “And you,” she said, “I’m not sure if you’re incredibly brave or phenomenally stupid. I’ll make up my mind when I see if it gets us out of here. In any case, were you making that up about being able to open the vault for him?”

“No,” Thyra said. “At least, not entirely. Taras said that my blood might be able to let me pass safeguards left by rakshasas, but he never said anything about this vault. I think it’s worth a shot, anyway.”

“When we get back to Sharn I’m going have a very long talk with this Taras Zanthan about putting us all up to this,” Len groused. “And I don’t suppose you could have mentioned earlier about this?”

“I wasn’t lying; I didn’t know the vault was sealed, or how,” Thyra shot back. “I didn’t even know where it was; that’s why I needed the map. And I’m not sure you’re one to complain about other people keeping secrets, Captain.”

Her words hit Len like a slap to the face. In the course of the conversation with ir’Sarrin, she’d almost forgotten she was still in her true form, but suddenly the knowledge of that fact was inescapable. She felt exposed, vulnerable, almost naked, and she hated herself for it. “I didn’t lie to you either,” she snapped. “You never asked if I was human, you just assumed it – that’s your mistake. What, now that you’ve seen my true face, do you think I’m going to sell you out? I’m still the same person I was. Or do you think I’m ashamed of being a changeling? I’m not, but I still don’t show this face to people I don’t know well if I have any choice in the matter. I don’t strip naked in front of strangers either. I’d think you of all people might understand that better, but apparently, I was wrong.”

Thyra’s eyes were wide; apparently Len had been yelling rather louder than she’d meant to. Finally, the girl lowered her head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I think I do understand, at least a little bit. I shouldn’t have said that. I think that – “

“Wait!” Havaktri hissed. “I sense someone coming. I think ir’Sarrin is back, and Irinali too. There’s something else with them, but I can’t sense its thoughts.”

The sound of jangling keys echoed through the cell again, and then the door opened and ir’Sarrin strode back inside, with Irinali a pace behind and behind her a cadaverous figure in antique armor. It was something Len had hoped to never see again, and her skin crawled at the sight of it against her will. Ir’Sarrin had brought a skeleton warrior with him.

“Maybe it’s just the lighting,” Rinnean said, “but that thing looks even uglier down here than it did when it jumped me upstairs.”

“Quiet,” ir’Sarrin snapped. He focused his gaze on Thyra. “You, my dear, are fortunate. I just had a meeting with a young woman who claimed to be your sister. She corroborated your account that you have some manner of connection to the rakshasas, though the two of you differ on the details; and while the Flame and I have our differences, I’ve found that it’s followers are not typically liars. Perhaps against my better judgment, I find myself believing you.”

“So, what are you going to do with me?” Thyra asked. “Hand me over to Val for the Church’s hand in friendship?”

Ir’Sarrin shook his head. “Now, why would I do that?” he asked. “Throw away such a valuable resource as yourself? I think not. I require a success to please my… superior, and having no other options, I’ve decided to take you up on your offer. You will come with me to the vault in the Mournland, and we shall attempt to open it with your blood.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t intend to bleed you dry, but girl, for your sake you had better pray that this works.”

He gestured to Irinali, who stepped forward with a key in one hand and unlocked Thyra’s shackles, first the ones on her ankles and then the ones on her hands. The young woman stepped forward, rubbing her wrists, and looked over at ir’Sarrin. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I want to find out what’s in that vault every bit as much as you do.”

“Glad to hear it,” Irinali said, “but just in case you do try to double-cross us, I brought this along.” She gestured at the skeleton, which lumbered forward and rested a hand on Thyra’s shoulder; the girl shuddered at the touch. “Attempt to attack any of us, or cast a spell of any kind without my permission, and my pet here will twist your pretty little head off your shoulders. No point in trying to charm or manipulate it, even if your self-righteous sister is right and you really are a rakshasa; it only obeys me. Am I clear?”

“As crystal,” Thyra said. She turned to look back at Len. “And the others? If I go with you, will you set them free?”

“Your friends are collateral,” ir’Sarrin said. “Open the vault for us, and when we return I’ll set them free and will make no attempt to punish them for their attack on my home. Fail to do so, and I’ll ship them to Korth to face the King’s justice. Betray us, and they die. I’m not a cruel man, but neither am I a merciful one, and as of this moment I’m on a rather tight schedule.”

“I understand,” Thyra said, her voice cold and even. “When do we leave?”

“It will take a little time to get ready for the trip,” ir’Sarrin said, “but I’m in a hurry and intend to leave within the hour. I will not let this prize slip away from me. Come, Irinali. We have preparations to make.”

The lord turned and swept from the dungeon, Irinali a pace behind. Thyra and the skeleton warrior took up the rear, and the girl looked back over her shoulder and gave an apologetic look at Len and her team. Then she was out of the cell, and the metal door slammed shut behind her.

///

And so the final act of this fic is set into motion. Ir’Sarrin is headed for the Mournland with Thyra in tow, while Valyria lies in wait to ambush her sister. Len and her team remain in the dungeons, though I did take the opportunity to deliver some further exposition about Yhani’s religion and Len’s thoughts about being a changeling (and yes, Yhani knows more about the Lich Queen and her origins than she let on here). Otherwise, not a whole lot to say, other than the fact that things are about to start heating up in a major way.

-MasterGhandalf