"Do you have to help train the farm girl today?" Neeshka asked, pouting. "Come and study with me and Sand… please?" It had been several days since Marcus and Neeshka had started studying with the moon elf. Sand had spent most of his time with Neeshka, though, because Marcus had to split his time between the Watch, training Shandra (something Neeshka was not happy about) and studying with Sand.
Marcus let out a long suffering sigh. "Neesh, sweetheart, as much as I'd dearly love to come with you to Sand's, I made a promise to Shandra and I intend to try and keep it."
The tiefling scowled. "I hate it sometimes that you try and keep your promises… though I'm glad you kept your promise to me," she said with a seductive smile.
"Oh no, emotional blackmail isn't going to work, sweetheart, not this time," Marcus said with a grin. "Anyway, after today you should have me all to yourself again, from what Casavir and Khelgar were saying. They've been helping me with Shandra's training. " He put his arms around her and pulled Neeshka into a hug.
"Good, because I'm getting sick of sharing you with another woman," Neeshka said, as she kissed her man.
Nasher was on his throne, Nevalle at his right side. They were talking with Sir Grayson, Lady Nimas, Sir Darmon and Ophala of the Many-Starred Clocks about the progress of the investigation in Blacklake (or lack thereof), when there was a sudden commotion at the door. As they all turned to look, the door to the throne room burst open, and Torio Claven, the Luskan ambassador, strode in, followed by two hapless looking palace guards.
Both guards bowed slightly. "Lord Nasher, forgive us. She said it could not wait," one of them said apologetically.
"It is a matter of some urgency, and there is little time," Torio said, with an impatient gesture towards the guard. "Milord, I come to you with…" she started, a little more casually than was proper, but Nevalle cut the Luskan ambassador off angrily.
"You will bow to Lord Nasher," he said, with his eyes narrowing.
"Of course." Torio hastened to adjust her tone. "I meant no disrespect... milord." She bowed.
Not much, you don't, you Luskan witch, Nasher thought. "What brings you here, Torio?" he said out loud, and let his irritation over the unsuccessful murder investigation clearly show in his voice. Let her wonder if she went too far. "If there is some new dispute with Luskan, speak with the trade guild first, then…"
Torio shook her head. "Oh no, milord. This matter concerns Neverwinter. There is a murderer loose in your city," she said, putting on her best worried face.
"Murderer?" Nasher asked seriously. "And whom has this murderer killed?"
"The entire village of Ember lies dead, milord," Torio replied, looking slightly ill. At least I don't have to act this part, she thought. Garius is out of control and for what? Some chunks of silver?
Nasher frowned as he turned to face the Captain of the Nine. "Nevalle, have our scouts reported anything about this?" he asked.
"The village was slaughtered, and by one if your own watchmen, Lieutenant Cole!" Torio snapped. "Now he hides here within your walls. You must initiate a search at once!"
Nasher turned cold, angry eyes on the Luskan Ambassador. "Only one of us wears a crown, yet you dare to give me orders within my halls?" he asked. "I will do nothing until I confirm this village's destruction. Then, if I see fit, I will act. Do not test me on this."
"Whatever pleases you, milord. But I would act quickly, lest the murderer slip through your fingers," Torio replied with some insolence. "If that were to happen, I have no doubt there would be serious repercussions." Torio turned to leave; as she was walking away, she added, "I do not need to remind you of the extradition treaty."
"By every God and their mother, what a fool I was to ever sign anything bearing Luskan's seal," Nasher growled, as the door closed after the ambassador.
"I can have Torio detained, Lord Nasher," Nevalle suggested.
Nasher sighed as he smiled. "That would please me a great deal, but she would not be so bold if there were not something to her claims," he said. "Dispatch scouts, Nevalle, and go see Captain Brelaina. I think it would be in our interest to find Lieutenant Cole before Luskan does."
"If I may, Lord Nasher," Sir Darmon spoke up. "Perhaps I should go and see Master Cole, as I am somewhat familiar with his group."
"Very well. See to it, Darmon," Nasher said with a nod of assent. "And when you locate young Lieutenant Cole, send him here." Sir Darmon nodded and left the room.
"I know of someone well suited to aid in our search, milord, an agent of ours, Sand. I think that he can help us find our true murderer, no matter how deep Luskan tries to hide him," Nevalle said.
"Sand? I know him, the moon elf wizard from Luskan," Nasher said with a slight frown. "I thought he was our eyes, but not by exactly by choice. Though Kari has befriended him."
"In this matter, milord, we may trust him implicitly. He takes a certain... pleasure... in bringing Luskan truths to light," Nevalle replied.
"Then make it so, Nevalle," Nasher said with a nod of assent. Nevalle nodded and left as well.
"This has to be a Luskan plot, milord," Ophala said softly.
"That much is certain, old friend," Nasher replied. "But how do we prove it? And save the neck of an innocent man?"
"How can you be so sure that Lieutenant Cole is innocent?" Sir Grayson asked, confused.
"Because the Hosttower in Luskan has been hunting the young man for some reason for quite a while now," Nasher said. "It seems they want to get their hands on him very badly. But the damned extradition treaty…" he trailed off, looking at Sir Grayson. "Sir Grayson… you are in need of a squire, are you not?" Nasher asked, an idea forming in his mind.
The knight nodded. "I am milord… but I don't understand."
Nasher smiled. "The extradition treaty with Luskan was split into two parts for a reason. They have the right to dispense low justice for crimes committed in their territory but if Lieutenant Cole was, say, a squire… then he has to be tried here, before me. It would give us the time we need to find out what Luskan is up to." Nasher's eyes shone.
Ophala chuckled. "Torio would have to get up pretty early in the morning to outfox you, milord."
Nasher smiled. "Thank you, Ophala. It will only buy us some time. And Torio will be brought down a peg or two, though she will see it for what it is. It may make her Luskan masters play their hand sooner than they'd like."
"If I may be so bold, milord?" asked Lady Nimas. "Why the interest in the Lieutenant?"
"Apart from the fact he reminds me of myself in my youth, you mean?" Nasher replied. "He has in his possession something that the Hosttower seem to want and I will do all I can to deny it to them. Also, there is another matter that has yet to be finalised, and I may well need his service for that as well." Nasher paused a moment. "But, most importantly of all, I will not allow Luskan to kill an innocent man, and treat the law with so little regard. So what say you, Sir Grayson? Will you take the young Lieutenant as your squire?"
"If my lord commands it, I shall," Grayson said with a nod. "But you have to agree that this is most unusual."
"It is, indeed, Sir Grayson but then, we are dealing with Luskan. Unusual is normal for them," Nasher said grimly.
Sir Darmon walked into the Sunken Flagon, looking very grim. Lord Nasher had been right. Captain Brelaina had known where to find her Lieutenant… or at least a good place to start looking. Both she and Cormick were shocked and appalled that the snake Torio would claim such a thing.
Darmon saw Elanee seated at one of the tables, reading some druidic tomes Sand had found buried in one of his store rooms. "Good morning, Lady Elanee," he said.
The druid looked up and smiled. "It's good to see you, Darmon, my friend." Her smile faded. "You seem troubled. What is wrong?" the wood elf asked.
"Have you been to the village of Ember recently?" Darmon asked. "It lies just within Luskan territory."
Elanee nodded. "Yes we have, we passed through it on the trail of some githyanki that had kidnapped a woman who was staying here." The druid frowned. "What has happened?" she asked, concerned.
"For whatever reason, Luskan has had the gall to accuse your friend Marcus of slaughtering the entire village," Darmon replied gravely. "Lord Nasher has sent scouts to investigate. I'm here to talk to Marcus about this and send him to see Lord Nasher."
Elanee could not respond for several moments, as she was so shocked. "By the gods, that's outrageous," she said. "Marcus would never do such a thing."
"That was much my thoughts as well when I heard," Darmon replied. "Outrageous or not, I still need to speak to Marcus," he said, turning to the innkeeper and waving him over. "Duncan, you'd better fetch Marcus if he's here. I need to speak to him. It's urgent and you all had better hear what I have to say."
Duncan nodded. "Yes, he's just out the back, I'll go get him."
Shandra was happy, or as happy as she could be since she'd joined up with the oddest group of people she had the misfortune to meet. Well, it wasn't a complete disaster, as she'd found their leader to be attractive, but there was the matter of his tiefling girlfriend. The farm girl suppressed a shudder. Shandra still couldn't accept the fact that Marcus was spoken for, no matter how hard she tried.
"Shandra, is anything wrong?" Marcus asked. "You look as though you're miles away," he said, concerned. They were both in the small exercise yard out the back of the Flagon.
"Oh… nothing, really, just thinking," Shandra said, looking sheepish and a little guilty.
"Nothing?" Marcus asked, not believing her. "You've been distracted for the past half hour. That's not nothing, Shandra, so come on out with it," he said with a slight frown.
The farm girl sighed. "Alright, you win, but please don't yell at me. I'd just like to know how an obviously attractive man like you ah… falls for a tiefling?"
Marcus just stared at her for a few moments. He didn't know whether to laugh, cry or scream to the gods. "Shandra, who said I fell for Neesh? She may have fallen for me, you know," he said at last with a smirk.
"Never thought of that…" Shandra muttered. "Still, you obviously find her attractive? I just can't understand why."
Marcus let out a sigh, but before he could answer, Duncan came out, looking troubled. "You better come inside lad. Sir Darmon is here to speak to us all, and I don't think it's anything good."
"There you are, Marcus my friend," Sir Darmon said grimly as he studied the harbourman's face, looking for any sign of guilt. "Luskan has accused you of murder… an entire village, no less. Have you ever heard of Ember?"
The harbourman frowned as he scratched his beard. "You mean that little village that lies about twenty miles past Port Llast?" he asked. "I've been through it I admit, but…"
The knight nodded. "I have to say that I've scraped things from my boots that I respect more than Luskan. But unless we find some means of clearing you of these charges, we will have to surrender you to them," Sir Darmon said with disdain, as he'd never liked the treaty. "We've signed a treaty with Luskan. They have the right to dispense low justice for any crimes committed on their soil. But I'm not about to turn over a loyal member of the Watch to the Luskans on this day or any other and neither is Lord Nasher."
"How in the hells do we do that?" Marcus asked, puzzled. "I'm no knight or anything like that."
Sir Darmon hid his smile. You are far closer to the truth than you know, my friend, he thought. "Yes, that's rather the problem, as your guilt is no doubt preordained in a Luskan court. However, if you were a lord, knight, or even a squire, then matters would be different. You would be subject to high justice, and your trial would take place here in Neverwinter, before Lord Nasher." Sir Darmon now allowed his smile to show. "It seems that Lord Nasher may have a way out for you, as he has requested that you go and see him in Castle Never as soon as you can, Marcus. I suspect that he may make you a squire to one of his Knights." Darmon paused a moment. "I suspect that Sir Nevalle may also send a... friend of his... to assist you as he has proven invaluable in such cases in the past." The knight sighed. "Mind you, the matter must still go to trial, and if you cannot prove your innocence, then you will face execution. For now, let's deal with what we can. Pledging yourself to Neverwinter's service will give us time to counter these Luskan lies." Darmon looked into the harbourman's eyes. "And until you answer for these charges, or Lord Nasher says otherwise, the gates of the city will be barred to you. Go see Lord Nasher but do not try and leave the city." A stunned silence settled over the Sunken Flagon as Sir Darmon finished speaking.
Sir Nevalle strode into Sand's shop. The moon elf, who was busy teaching Neeshka some advanced concentration techniques, stopped, looked over his shoulder, and sighed. "Continue with those exercises and I shall be back in a few moments, Neeshka."
"Ah, I thought I smelled one of the Nine… and Nevalle, no less, not an aide," Sand said flippantly as he walked towards the other man. "To what do I owe this rare honour, my liege?" he asked sarcastically.
"I see your post at the Docks hasn't improved your temperament, Sand." Nevalle remarked, slightly amused, as he looked around. "And when did you take on apprentices? I'd thought you'd sworn off having them after the incident with that girl Qara."
Sand frowned. Trust you to bring her up, Nevalle, he thought bitterly. "Until recently I hadn't found anyone worth my time, if you must know, Nevalle," he shot back. "Yes, well, the docks had been a step up from the Merchant Quarter, actually. Less politics… until now." The wizard rubbed his hands together. "So, is there something you wish to interrogate me on, or can I go back to wondering where my life made such a sharp turn?" Sand asked flippantly.
"Something has happened... and I will need your talents to set it right," Nevalle answered in a grim, business-like manner. Neeshka, by this time, had come to stand by the moon elf.
"No way in the hells will I let those Luskans get their hands on you!" Duncan cried angrily. He had to suppress a chill that ran down his spine, as this was too eerily familiar to the innkeeper. Instead of his fear that it would be Neeshka that would face the hangman's noose, it would be his kin.
"But there's still something we can do… right? Sir Darmon has said as much, all you have to do is pledge yourself to one of the knights, and Luskan can't touch you!" Shandra said.
"And we're innocent, besides. I mean, the slaughter of an entire village? That's going too far, even by Luskan standards… isn't it?" Neeshka asked, uncertain, as she entered the inn, a little out of breath.
"Is it?" Bishop asked snidely. "If you have something Luskan wants, they'd kill an entire city for it. They don't care. They attacked Neverwinter once, and even now, they're sending fleets to attack Ruathym," he said coldly. "Give them an excuse, and you'll soon find Luskan blades at your gate."
"Sand, what are you doing here?" Marcus asked when he noticed that Sand had arrived with the tiefling.
"I am here to help you," the wizard said. At Marcus' raised eyebrow, he carried on. "I... seem to have been given a... directive. I have heard of your... troubles with Luskan."
Hang on, the harbourman thought. "Sand, you mean to tell me you're the friend that Darmon said that Sir Nevalle might send?" Marcus asked.
"Ah, you already seem to know of my liege." Sarcasm dripped from the last two words. "Know that if you are sent to Luskan, you will be killed," Sand said, matter of fact.
"Tell me something I don't know," Marcus said darkly.
"I realize Duncan may find my sincerity difficult to believe, but allow me to act on your behalf, Marcus. There are laws, and there is right and wrong. I know you try and uphold the law, so I do not believe you are guilty of this... I believe people should answer for their crimes, but it must be just," Sand said.
"What exactly would happen if the harbour boy were sent to Luskan?" Neeshka asked, worried.
Sand tapped his chin in thought. "Well, at best, they would put him on trial… or what seems to be one, then execute him. At worst, they will dispense with the courtroom mockery and execute him as soon as he steps within the gate. And when I say 'execute', Neeshka, do not think it will be one clean chop of a headman's axe... Luskans have all sorts of inventive ways for executing prisoners that is not best to describe on a full stomach," the wizard said grimly.
"I'm still not convinced why you want to help him," Shandra muttered. She didn't like Sand for some reason. Maybe because he was teaching Neeshka? Shandra wasn't entirely sure.
The moon elf glared at the farm girl. He was well aware of the… rivalry that existed between her and the tiefling. As if the farm girl has a chance, he thought. "If you have ever been ruined by politics, you know that at some point, one must make a stand, or else more will fall. Luskan is not ruled by men, it is ruled by magic, by the masters of the towers. And I suspect that what they seek may have consequence beyond you, beyond me… for much of the Realms," Sand said, trying to drive the seriousness of the situation home.
"What's the next step then, Sand?" Marcus was glad to have the moon elf on his side.
The wizard smiled. "Fortunately, becoming a squire is enough for our needs. And I believe you have already been told about going to see Lord Nasher, yes?" Marcus nodded at that. "Let me join with you. I have considerable experience with these matters… and foiling Luskan plots is something I relish," Sand said eagerly.