Chapter 10 Stalking a Different Prey

The first rule: find a place which provided a good view of the subject yet was secluded enough to allow you to observe undetected. A vacant estate, most recently used in a sting operation by the City Watch, provided the ideal location. It was a simple matter to pick the lock on the kitchen door and slip inside under cover of darkness, then head quietly up to the servants' quarters in the attic where a small window overlooked the back of the subject's residence. Hold a pillow against one of the panes to mask the sound of breaking glass. Then all that was left to do was to get comfortable by pulling over a chair to the window and arranging the dust cover to hide under it. But not too comfortable. It wouldn't do to fall asleep and be found like that. The only light was that provided by Selune, but that didn't matter once your eyes adjusted to the darkness. Surveillance was tedious work though. The only company was buzzing insects and skittering rodents.

Then wait for an opportunity. Rule number two is 'One shot, one kill.' Take down the prey quickly without drawing attention to yourself and thwarting any chance of escape. Thus the poison. The bolts had been dipped in a concoction made of wyvern venom, arsenic, deadly nightshade, and yew berries. Once the poison got into the bloodstream, unless the target had an antidote at hand, death occurs within minutes. It was unlikely that the victim, no, target would have an antidote that would work on all four poisons, or could receive immediate treatment by a cleric who could neutralize the poison. But it was possible; therefore the shot itself had to kill.

Also essential was an escape route. The best way out of here was over the rooftops, moving silently as a ghost, but that would only take you so far. It was impossible to cross from Blacklake to the Merchant quarter that way without help. There was also the option of slipping away through the sewers too, but that was risky unless you had contacts in the thieves guild to show you the safe paths. Going over land there were the Watch outposts to deal with. Forntunately the incompetent, lazy, and corrupt hadn't been entirely eliminated from the ranks of the Watch, so it was just a matter of knowing who was on duty. And just to be safe, some kind of magical disguise would further ensure that you wouldn't be recognized. Something like alteration powder. The sniper shouldn't use bolts that bore any identifying marks and should also use a crossbow that could be disposed of in the sewers after the deed so as not to be found in the vicinity with the murder weapon.

Murder. Yeah...Murder. That's what this was for sure, no way of getting around that. But you have to remind yourself it was no less than the Luskan wench deserved and more than likely the only way she would ever face justice for her crimes. Therefore a small spyglass was an essential piece of equipment as well to be certain the target was the intended prey and not just some hapless servant. There would be little time for another shot, and a leathal shot would be difficult if not impossible once the prey spooked.

The third rule was to become familiar with the prey. Servants were a great source of information and happy to oblige with gossip, especially servants who weren't treated well by their employer. It proved easy enough to chat them up at the market if you dressed and acted the part. So far, she was a creature of habit; she rose at the same time every morning, had a massage, bathed, dressed, ate a light breakfast, abused her servants, then made an appearance in Nasher's court. Sometimes she shopped, but she rarely bought anything. She didn't seem to socialize much outside of the embassy, nor did she receive many callers. Too bad; she was still fairly young, wasn't bad looking, and here she was wasting her youth away for what, money? Power? No doubt she expects to be richly rewarded for her service.

There was the other 'ambassador' to contend with too, the one who matched the description the dryad gave as the leader of the murder squad. He was no where to be seen so far and must be keeping a very low profile, or he may have already slunk back under whatever rock he crawled out from under. She seemed nervous and fearful of someone, possibly him, but probably her Luskan masters. She often paced alone in the garden, which would be an ideal place to strike as it was hidden to view from the street or the mansion. Watching her pace like a caged animal, it was almost possible to pity her. Almost, but you just had to remind yourself what she did and harden your heart like steel.

"Yeah, steel." Dee banished any thought of pity and leaned forward and squinted at her target. "Focus, girl. Remember why you're here." These new spectacles were definitely worth the price, she thought grimly. She watched her, following her movements with the sight on the crossbow. Dee felt some satisfaction seeing that the Luskan wench didn't seem to be able to sleep either. She held her breath, put her finger on the trigger, pulled lightly, hesitated, then released it and sat back. She wiped away the sweat beaded on her forehead. The Luskan wench turned and entered her residence.

"Hells woman, get a spine! The trial's in two days," she muttered. She sat back and took a deep breath and thought about it. There was still the matter of the other one. It was caution staying her hand, nothing more. She needed to know if he was about. After all, he was the one who had actually carried out the murders. She had to know for sure who he was. The name, the description, it was just too much of a coincidence. She justified her hesitation. "I'm not losing my nerve. I need to wait and see if I can get him too."

This was the third time she had come here since the day Bishop set out with his hunting party, and she was running out of time. He didn't know what she was doing. No one did, not even Neeshka, and it was no small matter keeping her activities a secret from her companions, especially Shandra, who shadowed her every step. It was no simple task getting rid of her. Dee had disappeared to her room again complaining of headaches, made a pretense of drinking a herbal draught offered by a concerned Elanee, and stuffed the bed with pillows to make it appear she was there if someone should look in on her. Cillian reluctantly stayed behind in the room and growled at anyone who looked in. Nothing like an 800 pound bear to keep visitors at bay. Anyone looking in would see the sleeping bear and assume Dee was there too. Then it was a simple matter of slipping out through the attic window and to the roof of the adjoining building and so on until it was safe to go overland.

Poor bear. She would make it up to him, she hoped. She told herself over and over that whether she was found innocent or not, this wench and her accomplice were going to get away with murdering the people of Ember, and she just couldn't let that happen. She took a drink of water wishing it was mead and went back to the window and waited, cursing herself again for missing the opportunity. "Hells," she admitted, "I didn't miss the opportunity; I lost my nerve." What was so different now? She'd already done plenty of killing in her twenty years.

She couldn't stay much longer. She needed some sleep, and she had promised to go shopping with Sand for something to wear for her trial. The later she stayed, the more likely it was she might be missed. She had just gotten back and crawled into bed the night before when Duncan and Casavir opened her door to check on her. They had even sent for the Artificer of Gond to see if the spectacles were causing her headaches. She'd had plenty of time to think sitting here alone. She missed Bishop terribly. If he knew what she was planning, would he be here encouraging her? She wondered at the timing of Bishop's hunting party. In her heart, she knew that despite his offer to run away with her down some hidden trail, Bishop didn't want to make himself her accomplice. She wasn't so blinded by her feelings for him that she didn't notice how readily he invoked the wrath of the paladin when she agreed to his suggestion. She wondered as she leaned forward at the window again if he was even aware of his insincerity.

"So this is where you've been sneaking off to."

Dee swore and nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun and aimed in the direction of the voice. All she could make out in the darkness was the telltale swish of a tail and red glowing eyes narrowed at her. "Neesh? Cyric's balls! What are you doing here?," she growled.

Neeshka stepped closer, hands on hips, and spat tersely in her nasally, high-pitched voice, "I should be asking you that. Who's the mark, and why didn't you cut me in? This really hurts, Dee."

Dee snapped, "'Tis my own business. There was no need to involve anyone else in it. How in the hells did you find me?"

"Find you?" Neeshka chuckled darkly. " It was easy enough to follow you. You almost slipped off a roof twice, and besides, you make as much noise as a bear in a pottery shop. I watched for a while, and when you didn't come out, I came to see what you were doing." Neeshka then took in Dee's dark clothing, the crossbow, the bolts laid out carefully next to the chair, the spyglass, and the broken pane in the window and gasped, "You're not here to rob someone! You're here to..." She put her hands over her mouth to keep herself from saying it and stared at Dee, wide-eyed. Although she had hoped since they had met to pursuade Dee to become her partner in crime, Neeshka was confronted with a side of Dee she had never seen before and hoped to never see again. She broke out in a cold sweat realizing how desparate Dee must be. It occurred to her to wonder how far would she go to protect her secret.

Dee turned back to the window. "I'm doing what I have to do. Trust me, Neesh, you don't want to know. You're my friend. That's why I didn't drag you into this. And because you're my friend, I'm gonna trust you t' mind your own business!"

Neeshka felt warmth flooded her. Friend. Dee really meant it. "That's what friends do, Dee. They watch each other's backs." She bent and reached for a bolt to examine it. "I never knew you had assassin training."

Dee snatched back the bolt. "Don't be touchin' those without gloves on. I don't, but it ain't all that different from hunting. Besides, I found a book at one of the book merchants--Secrets of the Blackwatch Assassins. It's got all the rules." She pulled a booklet out of her belt pouch that was almost too small to contain it, a fact which wasn't lost on Neeshka, who put it on her list to examine the first chance she got.

Neeshka glanced at her gloved hands and shivered at what that implied. "Hells, Dee. You're scaring me." The implied poison was one thing, but the worst part was her thinking she could learn assassination from a book. Dee had come far from the green farm wench she once was, but Neeshka was still astounded by how naive she could be and would have laughed in her face if this wasn't so serious. Neeshka had a brief vision of her friend standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. She swallowed hard and reached out to talk her back to safety. "You've found plenty of evidence to prove your innocence. It's not as bad as it looks. There must be another way, Dee."

Dee sighed with resignation, "Not from what I can see. Besides, I can't let them get away with it."

Neeshka tried another tack. "You haven't covered your tracks. The merchant might remember selling the book to you once word of the killing gets out."

Dee shrugged. "He might if I had bought it, but I thought of that and filched it." Even in the dark Neeshka could make out the flush of shame on her cheeks. "I left him more than enough coin on his counter to pay for it. I still feel bad though."

Suddenly light flared in an upstairs window across the way. Dee grabbed the spyglass and trained it there then set it down and picked up the crossbow and leaned forward. "This might be my last chance," she murmured. The Luskan wench came into view, but Dee cursed as she realized she couldn't get the shot off from this angle. Not a killing shot, anyway. "Damn! The angle's all wrong for that window."

Neeshka picked up the spyglass and peered out the window beside her. "So that's the one? Torio Claven? What is she wearing? Is that what passes for style in Luskan?"

Dee nodded and stared at her quarry. "Looks like she's arguing with someone judging from her expression and the way she's throwing her arms around, and not one of the servants for certain. Women like her don't tolerate insolence from servants, or so she told the one that I talked to that she sacked last week . She looks like she wants to choke whoever's there with her." She stood and tried to get a better view of where the wench was looking.

There he was. She snatched the spyglass from Neehska and peered through it. "Could it really be him?," she whispered. She studied him again and gasped, her heart in her throat from a fear she hadn't felt since she was a girl.

Neeshka grimmaced as she stared at him. "What an ugly brute! I'd hate to run into him alone in a dark alley. You know him?"

Dee nodded and grabbed the chair to steady herself. "He's a Harborman too. His little brother Bevil was my best friend. Lorne's about eight years older than us. It's been years since I last saw him. Brute's a good word for him. He was one of those people who couldn't take a breath without doin' something mean. The Mossfield boys used to follow him around like puppies. They learned all their nasty tricks from him. You know, I think one reason I got together with Wyl Mossfield was so he would leave my friends alone."

Neeshka nodded. "You've talked about Bevil. He didn't sound like a bully though."

She smiled for a moment. "Bevil was really sweet. He and Lorne were different as night and day. Did I tell you he was the first boy I ever kissed, back when we were five? Me first, then Aimee. I think he takes after his ma, or maybe it was that his pa took off when he was still small. But Lorne? His favorite sport was giving Bevil a good thrashing, and his ma couldn't even control him. He didn't know how to hold a conversation that wasn't punctuated with a slap on the back of the head, a pulled braid, or a punch in the arm."

"This is good, I've distracted her," Neeshka thought as she smiled slyly. "Didn't anyone try to stop him?," she asked.

Dee sat back in the chair. "Cormick. He made it his duty to keep an eye on him and protect the rest of us. He was the only one strong enough to take Lorne. It got worse when we got older. The girls all avoided him. He was always trying to fondle us even though Aimee and I were barely developed, and he just laughed if someone's pa complained. He even tried to force Vera into their barn, but Bevil saw him and ran and got his ma."

"Sounds like a real creep." Actually, he sounded like half the men Neeshka had been involved with, so she looked over at him again to see if he looked familiar. "Did they run him out of town?"

"No, he left on his own. Lorne was never the same after Cormick beat him in the Harvest Brawl. Cormick didn't just take him down a peg, hells, he took him down all the pegs. We all started standing up to him. He ran off and joined the Greycloaks when Cormick did, and no one ever heard from him after that, not that anyone missed him except the Mossfields. His poor ma though--she still asks every merchant, tinker, or traveler who passes through West Harbor if they had seen him or would look for him, but most of us assumed he either got killed in the war, or he was rotting in Nasher's gaol."

Neeshka studied him. "See the tattoos? I've heard that Luskan assassins get facial tattoos to mark which squad they belong to and how many they've killed. It's not common knowledge though, or he wouldn't be able to show his face around here. Unless he uses that alteration powder all the time."

Dee set the crossbow down. "That alteration powder must be pretty good stuff if it made him pass for me."

Neeshka toyed with her tail as she thought about it. "It's good, but it's too expensive to use all the time. Besides, didn't that dryad say she gave him the powder?" She grew quiet and they sat in silence, but from the rapid swish of her tail, Dee could tell she was plotting something.

Dee sighed deeply and looked down. "Gods, I do not want to be the one to tell poor Rhetta about him. It makes sense now there's never been any word. If anyone found out what he's become, they probably didn't have the heart to tell her either."

If someone had asked who served as the voice of reason in their band, no one in their right mind would have suggested the tiefling, but now Neeshka spoke with an uncharacteristic clarity. "Hells, Dee, what are you doing here? Sure, you've killed, but you're not a cold-blooded murderer, and that's what this would be. You're not Lorne. And have you given any thought to what happens after? You're not going to stop the trial, and Luskan will just send someone else after you. You might provoke another war with Luskan! You may feel some satisfaction that they paid for Ember with their lives, but look at her eyes. She's haunted by her guilt and it's eating her up. And as for Lorne? Walking dead, and his soul's already left. His kind don't live long. I have a better idea."

Dee sat back and quaffed her water then said quietly, "I guess I hadn't thought it through enough. I hadn't even thought Luskan might use it as an excuse to attack. Go on."

Neeshka took a deep breath before she spoke. She knew she had to tread carefully here if she had any hope of saving Dee and helping herself at the same time, for she rarely did anything for anyone, even one of those few beings whom she considered a friend, that didn't benefit herself as well. "All right, hear me out before you say anything. What if we pinned something on them? Something that won't come to light unless you're convicted. They'll be disgraced and thrown out of the city, and you can bet they won't receive a warm welcome from their masters. If they're lucky they'll die quickly, and if not, they'll rot in a Hosttower dungeon. We hit the Collector..." she raised a hand to halt Dee, who was already opening her mouth to protest.

She continued quickly before Dee could object. "Just hear me out, Dee. I don't need to loot much from his vault, just get proof for Leldon's gang that I was there, that I beat him to it. We use the alteration powder to make us look like them." She nodded towards the window. "We get proof, we take something to plant as evidence over there, and if you're found guilty, an tip to the Watch leads them to the ambassador's residence. Or we send word to the Collector himself and let his private mercenaries take care of them. Word on the street is he's pretty ruthless. People working for him have 'disappeared.' He beats his mistress too." Neeshka surpressed a smile. She knew that would get to Dee. "Besides, most of his collection was aquired under questionable circumstances. You could return some of it to its rightful owners or give your cut to the poor!"

Dee shook her head skeptically. "That sounds crazy, Neesh."

Neeshka grinned and dropped to her haunches next to her. "Crazier than assassinating them? Crazy enough to work. We can get in and get out before the alteration powder wears off. Just remember to call me 'Torio.'"

Dee leaned forward and whispered, "So how do we get in? And what about his private guards? Hells, what about the servants? If anyone gets killed or even gets hurt, I'm as bad as Torio says I am." Dee steepled her index fingers under her chin as she thought.

Neeshka fingered a couple of wands in her belt which they had taken from someone undeserving in their travels. "That's where these Wand of Paralyzation and Wand of Sleep comes in. We use it on the guards, and I have some Sleep scrolls too, choking powder, Entangle scrolls. I'm ready." She handed Dee a sap. "Here, knock them out if you have to. We tie them up and intimidate the servants into making nice in the kitchen."

Dee nodded and interjected, "Hells, no need to intimidate them, toss them a bag of gold or some gems and that should buy their cooperation. Most household servants aren't paid well, but they get a change of clothes a year and better food than many so they put up with it. So...there's still two details you haven't thought of yet. How do we get in, and how do we plant the goods over there, hmmm?"

Neeshka grinned and hugged her. "Kitchen midden from the sewers to get in over there. We don't even need to get in though. It'll look like the loot's been stashed in there. For the Collector, we go in through the service entrance. The cook's apprentice gets up early prepping for breakfast, but there won't be many other servants about at this hour."

Dee put her hands on Neeshka's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "On one condition. You said you would retire if I did this for you, and I want a promise. Swear it, by Tymora."

Neeshka swallowed hard as Dee's blue eyes bored into her. Could she do it? Stealing was second nature to her, had been since she was old enough to walk. Still, she'd be a legend, even though few would know it. Was it worth it? "I swear, Dee."

"By Tymora?" Dee looked at her gravely.

Neeshka took her hands in her own. "If we do this, I swear by Tymora I'll retire." She even meant it, at least for now.

It was like the gods were smiling on their plot. Dee had questioned Sand about the alteration powder, so she knew how it worked: it was snorted while thinking of or looking at the person whose appearance you wanted to mimic. It sickened Dee at first to think that Lorne had been close enough to her to see what she looked like now without her even knowing it, but Sand had explained that they had only needed to scry her.

They hid in the shadows of the kitchen garden then caught the cook's apprentice as he was taking a bucket of refuse to the bin. Neeshka/Torio grabbed him from behind and held a stilletto to his throat while Dee/Lorne kept watch. Neeshka hissed, "Cooperate and you'll live. Quickly! How many inside?"

The boy answered, trembling, "Just me and the night maid, but Cook will be up soon. There's two guards in the hallway past the kitchen and two more upstairs on the landing, if you're after His Lordship's vault."

Neeshka/Torio hissed as she caressed his cheek, "Never you mind what we're after. You're going to be a good lad and go to sleep, aren't you?" The boy nodded, and she aimed the wand at him. A greenish ray flashed out from the wand, and he slumped to the ground. Dee/Lorne looked at him guiltily and slipped a handful of gold pieces in his vest pocket. They quickly bound his hands and feet and pulled him behind a hedge of rosemary and lavender and slipped to the door.

There was no one in the kitchen, and they were able to surprise the night maid and buy her cooperation with a promise she wouldn't be hurt and with a gold necklace that Neeshka hsf looted somewhere in their travels. They tied her up in a comfortable chair, and before they gagged her, she offered the helpful suggestion to take a vase of water to put out the fire the master always kept burning upstairs. She explained she had seen him hiding something there, possibly the key to his vault. Dee/Lorne thanked her and gagged her. "You can breath alright, lass?" She nodded, so they went to the door and listened for the hallway guards.

Neeshka/Torio stepped into the hallway and distracted the guards there by lifting her shirt and flashing them while Dee hit them with a paralization ray. They bound the guards and listened at the door of the barracks. Neeshka slipped in the door and read the Sleep scroll to make sure the sleeping guards remained asleep then wedged a dagger between the door and the jamb to make it hard to open from the inside. They crept up the stairs. Paralization only worked on one of the upstairs guards though, but Dee/Lorne was able to overpower the other with a minimum of noise.

Just enough noise to awaken the Collector's mistress, Vania, a buxom, faded blonde. She seemed appalling eager to betray her lover. She casually handed over her key and suggested they use her as leverage to get her lover to give up his key. They looked at each other and shrugged. They led her into his room and roused him from his sleep. Dee/Lorne growled, "Stand and deliver!" (she had read that line in a book and liked it). "Turn over your key or the wench gets it!" Neeshka/Torio held her stilletto at Vania's throat, and Vania acted sufficiently frightened.

He looked from one to the other, then to his mistress and chuckled. "You can't be serious. Do you really think I would turn over my collection for her? No. Vania, my dear, I will give you the finest funeral this city has ever seen. You will be missed, my pet."

Vania gasped, "You greedy old bastard. I've given you my youth for this?" She turned to Dee/Lorne as she fought back tears. "That painting--he just had it stolen from Lord Amcathra of Waterdeep and it's the star of his collection. Do me a favor and put your sword through it while he watches?"

Dee/Lorne drew her sword and held it to the painting. "Sure thing, sweetheart."

The collector gave a strangled cry. "NO! Take my key." He reached for a book which had been hollowed out and handed it to her. "You won't get away with this. I swear I'll have you hunted down like rabid dogs. And Vania, I'll see to it you end up back in the gutter where I found you!"

Dee/Lorne snarled, "I'm really gonna enjoy this!" and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. Vania helped Neeshka/Torio tie him to the bed then helped herself to a few trinkets before she led them to the vault. Neeshka, who was wearing a Ring of Fire Resistance, easily retrieved third key from the fireplace without resorting to anything as ridiculous as dousing the fire with a vase of water

Vania helped with the numerical code to finish unlocking the vault door. Dee/Lorne took her by the hand and whispered, "You know it's over when you start betraying one another. Take some of his gold and start a new life. Leave. Now! Join up with a merchant caravan leaving the city at first light. Oh, you might find a friend in this Lord Amcathra if you tell him who has his painting." Neeshka/Torio arched an eyebrow as Vania filled her skirt with as much as she could carry and ran off to pack and wondered how long it would be before Dee was going to have to heed her own advice.

Dee/Lorne rushed back up the stairs after making sure Vania got out safely and leaving a bag of gold in the kitchen for the servants to divide later to find Neeshka standing over Leldon's corpse. It was the strangest coincidence that he had arrived to rob the Collector the same night. What were the odds? It felt more and more like they were puppets on some grand stage, and she wondered who was pulling the strings.

Neeshka/Torio looked at her with a shrug and said, "What? It was him or me. Let's get out of here before someone manages to get out of their bonds." She had finished looting some Cormyrian platinum pieces, a dozen rare old coins, and all the gems she could find when Leldon showed up. He didn't recognize her until she goaded him about being a better thief than he could ever hope to be, then she drew her rapier and dagger and ended his life before he had time to react. He had always underestimated her, and now he paid for it with his life.

Dee/Lorne scooped up a bag of gold pieces. "This is going to the temple of Ilmater for the poor. You got what you need? Let's get out of here." She turned to go and spotted a suit of armor on a stand that took her breath away. It was beautiful, Elven made, mithril, and intricately etched with scrollwork and flowers. She touched it gently then caressed it sensuously like a lover. She could tell it was very old and would only have been worn by Elven royalty, and she was dead certain that this man hadn't aquired it honestly. It belonged on Evermeet, not hidden away in this vault. She opened her enchanted bag and took it off the stand piece by piece and slipped it inside as Neeshka watched the door and growled, "We have to go! " How would she get it back to its rightful owners though? Of course. Sand. She knew him well enough to know he would be deeply outraged too. He wouldn't even ask how she had come by it.

They left the mansion the same way they entered and headed first to the temple of Ilmater to leave a bag of gold in the offering box then with time running out quickly dropped into the sewers where they narrowly avoided a large but amiable utyugh, a carrion crawler, and a few other people who were obviously up to no good. Once they found their way beneath the kitchen of the Luskan embassy, Neeshka stuffed the coins into one of her pouches as Dee stretched up and worked a brick loose with Bishop's dagger in an area of the wall that could be reached by someone through the trap door above. Neeshka raised her eyebrow and asked, "Does he know you have that?"

Dee shrugged. "I more than repaid him for it, so I figure 'tis mine."

They shoved the pouch into the opening and she put the brick back loosely so that if anyone examined the wall, it would be obvious that something was hidden there. Neeshka chuckled as the powder began to wear off and for a moment Dee looked like Lorne with long, pale hair.

They continued through the sewers all the way to the Docks district, and Dee grudgingly admitted to herself it was good to have a guide through the twists and turns and dead ends. Neeshka also seemed to know where the otyughs were stationed. On her own she would have gotten lost for sure. She tried not to think too hard about what they were trudging through. She dumped the poison bolts not far from the tavern. Neeshka nudged her and whispered, "Do me a favor and dump that assassination manual too."

"Oh yeah, thanks Neesh. Got to get rid of the evidence."

Neeshka rolled her eyes and bopped Dee on the back of the head. "No, dump it because it's a whole lot of crap. It belongs down here. Gods Dee, next time, ask the pro."

Dee grinned sheepishly and tossed the manual into the slurry and watched it sink.

After they had climbed out of the sewer and entered the women's bath through the window, they stripped, doused each other with buckets of hot water and scrubbed themselves for a good while with the strongest soap they could find until their skin was red. Dee put her clothes in the laundry basket with a hefty payment and profuse apology to the launderess, but dropped her boots down the privy back into the sewer. She sighed, "I just broke those in too."

Neeshka giggled. "It's just an excuse to buy more."

Dee wrapped herself in a towel and wrapped up her things in another and grabbed the bundle. "I hope Sand doesn't come too early. I'm beat. I think I can finally get some sleep. Night, Neesh."

They parted ways with a hug and slipped quietly back to their rooms. Dee had just opened the door and dropped the bundle on the floor when she was grabbed from behind roughly. A familiar voice snarled, "You're obviously getting real good at lying to the paladin. Where the hells have you been? Slutting around with the devil girl?"

"Bish..." she gasped as he pushed her into the room. "When did you get back?"

He caught her hair and pulled her close to him so he could smell her. "Bathin' in the middle of the night? Had to wash his scent off?"

Cillian stood and growled. She pushed him away. "Don't be ridiculous, Bish!" Maybe it was because she was fresh from the bath that his own scent was so strong, and he had that strange sweet scent about him too. "Ugh, you need a bath. Need a back scrubber?" She gazed into his warm amber eyes knowingly and took him by the hand and led him out of the room.

Bishop pulled his hand away. "You haven't answered my question. Everyone seems to think you're in bed with a sick headache. That damned paladin had the nerve to tell me to leave you alone. So I left and came back through your window. Imagine my surprise to find your bed full of pillows and your damned bear standing guard. You're up to something, and if it's another man, he's dead!"

She sighed. "Hells Bish, I can't believe how much I missed lyin' beside you, but I can't take your jealousy tonight. What is it you always say, 'Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no tales.' Alright then, ask me no questions, and I won't make you an accomplice after the fact. If you can't live with that, then good night." She turned to leave, but he grabbed at the towel and pulled her back.

"Accomplice? You're full of surprises, sweetheart." He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. "Now what was that about a back scrubbing?"