Chapter 21

Setzer held M'lar close speaking soothingly to her as she cried out her anger, hurt and disappointment in him. "I am sorry little sister. I won't leave you alone again. Come on lets head back to your room, you have been in the sun too long and you need shade and fluids." He laid his arm around her shoulders and followed Kait as she led them back to the rooms they had taken upon their arrival.

From the growing darkness in stealth with head and faces covered; dark figures worked the shadows to stay hidden. The leader used hand signals to pace the three while they approached a larger building in the center of the city that held rooms used by travelers and visitors to the area. With the ease of a Ninja, the figures moved to follow and lay in wait to strike.

Hugging close to the walls of the pyramids that housed the dead Kings and Pashas from the past. One in particular followed the breed watching her move arm in arm with the man at her side. He smiled and there was no humor to be found in that smile. His quarry was before him. He would use her to force his brother out of hiding. He would come to recuse her, and he would be more than willing to take another of his loves from him to teach him a lesson.

He knew exactly what he would leave for his brother to know he had what he coveted. She would die slowly in front of his brother just as the other one had died. He pressed further into the shadows when he saw the huge golden figure overhead circle lower and lower. He was in awe of the huge golden dragon that now circled the three moving along the streets in the city of the dead. The golden dragon that was sacred to his tribe slowly lowered his wings and landed and began to shimmer and reform into human form. "Setzer Collens! Is that you my old friend and who is that you dare to hold close and cuddle without me?"

Dorian watched the golden one approach the group, peering at the bred with a look of longing and wanting to belong to her and her alone and this piqued his interest. He watched as he moved to scoop her into his arms and hold her close then kiss her gently on her forehead and then a more passionate kiss on her lips. He held his breath, had his informant been wrong, she appeared to belong to the golden dragon from the way he held to her and treated her more as a lover than a friend. He watched her run her arms around his thick neck and press into his body to return his kiss.

Perhaps he needed to question his informant more. He was told she was an exotic creature with auburn hair, half elf and he was not sure what else the other half should have been. Moving his fingers in thieves cant he withdrew his contingent of men informing them to meet later and regroup.

He knew instinctively they had withdrawn from their pursuit of the three now four and were soon gone from sight and sound. However, he continued to watch with interest as the dragon lord, the man and the two women. Disappeared into the building and from his immediate sight. He had to know more about her so he pressed forward into the growing shadows, removed his mask, and withdrew appearing in a traditional mid eastern dress with a covered body in white linen and head covering allowing him to blend into the surroundings.

Moving into the common area of the hostile that housed visiting travelers. He took a seat in the corner to watch the reunion. "Droc, will you join us for dinner? We have been out in that horrible heat most the day and frankly, I think M'lar has fried her brains looking at all those drawings on the walls out there and if we had to stay another minute without Setzer showing up I would have thought my own brains were at risk for being boiled in that horrid heat. I miss the trade winds of the island and only want to go back as soon as we are done here. I also miss Gillian, she went to Waterdeep with Daemon and I am sure they are already back on the island."

Dorian's ears perked hearing the name of Daemon. He wondered whom this Gillian was that he was with in Waterdeep. Dorian set back and ordered a tankard of ale. Pang he hunkered over the tankard and continued to listen. To the happy group now seating themselves in the center of the room at the large table. Through the door a tall statuesque female entered and just from her bearing, Dorian knew this had to be the female dragon that always was with the male dragon. "Hey there is Mahalia! Mahalia, over here!"

Kait's bright cheerful voice caught the attention of the striking female and she moved with a sense of purpose to the group at the table. He watched the breed stand up and move to the female and embrace her in an intimate way by kissing her on each cheek then hugging her. She spoke in draconian language to the female and wondered what was exchanged. It must have been very complimentary for her because she smiled and lifted the woman up and swung her around and returned the kisses to each cheek. "The blessings of Bahamut upon you sister."

Dorian listened was this bred part dragon? That could not be she was half elf. Droconis laughed slapping Setzer on the back. "So you old reprobate are you through chasing your elusive dream and are you going back to the island?" They had ordered a round of drinks and food and the happy group had settled down for what seemed to be the night.

The door opened, Dorian glanced up at the pressure change in the room and watched one of his clan enter the room. He looked the room over taking in who all was there. Seeing his leader sitting at the table hunkered over the drink he moved his fingers in thieves cant trying to determine if he wanted him to sit with him. He received his answer quickly. ~Get closer to the table with the five in the center of the room and listen to their conversation, they had mentioned Daemon.~

Moving into position at a table near the center of the room he too ordered a tankard and hunkered over it to sit and listen to the lively conversation going on between the two men and three women. "So, Loremaster, did you find the information you had come to find?" Mahalia had accepted the tankard of ale as it was delivered.

Dorian turned to peer over at his comrade again with the thieves cant. ~Did she just call the breed Loremaster?~

~Yes, so does she follow Bahamut or Oghma?~

~Listen, we will figure this out, one thing we know for sure, she is our link to Daemon.~

"I found a part of what I was searching for on that last wall. What I had not realized was what Kait found which for the large war referred to as the gathering many of our old friends were here. I even saw Marstoq's image on the wall, which you can imagine my surprise."

Kait became animated, "There was also am image of Shayla and Kane, Ageis, and I thought I saw Morgan's image on the wall too. You can just imagine my surprise at seeing Zach image there and Joe's along with Shayla and Prin's John Doe's and others I am sure that are associated with Kane and Ageis, what were his three friends names that died?" She turned her attention back to M'lar who sighed deeply.

"Batu, Geoffrey and Thomas." M'lar stood and moved past the other two occupants in the room to the bar and requested a cool glass of water, when the tender handed her the tankard she moved her fingers and cantriped the glass to cold water, downing it she asked for another, she really was feeling dry.

Droconis leaned over and whispered to Kait. "How is she doing? I heard what had happened to her and if I had been there when that monster had ill treated her, he would have had more than his head taken from his body."

Mahalia frowned, "What is this? What have I missed?" The large female dragon's eyes glinted with her irritation hearing the whispered words from her Lord Droconis. Mahlia's hand slammed onto the table cracking it with her strength from her anger. "He is dead?" She snarled under her breath watching M'lar stand at the bar totally unaware she was the topic of the conversation.

"Yes, he was hunted and then beheaded and his head was hung from the flag post in the town center with a note pinned in crude writing to his forehead calling him a rapist. The whole of the island was upset when they had heard what he had done and to whom he had raped. Most of the island was upset and if someone had not gotten to him when they had I am pretty sure that there were plenty of others lining up to de-man or behead him."

Kait actually too a small breath and proceeded to explain. "He had targeted five of us females that held positions of authority on the council or in the city or to the king. However what he had done for the others he had not shown the courtesy to M'lar, he targeted her for a brutal rape and it caused her so much distress that Doctor Manshak had ordered her to leave the island for a short vacation so he took us to Waterdeep on his Estate."

Everyone was used to Kait's ramblings but for those that listened this information was very informative. For Dorian it was very interesting in deed. However hearing the name of Manshak gave him a moment's pause. Morgan Manshak's reputation was renowned.

He would have to investigate this woman further before he took any direction action on her if he was going to have to go up against Morgan. Rising he threw a few coppers on the table as a tip and sauntered to the door, passing his comrade he made his thieves cant for him to join him in five minutes back at the camp. He disappeared out into the shadows of the evening.

M'lar moved back to their table with her tankard of water. "Well tomorrow, I will teleport Kait and myself back to Calimshan to the Pasha's palace, are you joining us Setzer or will you follow?" She sat next to Droc and laid her head on his comfortable solid shoulder feeling Paul move from Droc's hair onto her head and over to her shoulder to curl his tail around her neck and lay his head on her shoulder.

She was exhausted mostly from her emotional release when she was with Setzer earlier. Closing her eyes for a moment she listened to Setzer say he still needed to wrap up a few loose ends in the City of the Dead and would join them later on their ship to sail back to Tal Shandor. Nodding she felt Paul tighten his tail around her neck to keep from being unsettled. Hearing his small chitterling in her ear she soon found the soothing noise was enough to lull her into a light sleep against Droc.

He chuckled softly, "The woman is amazing, and she can find any place to fall asleep. I wish I could do that, it must be a talent for her kind to be able to grab sleep wherever or whenever." Droc slid his arm around her tiny form drawing her into his arms holding her like a child. "I swear Kaitlin it is a good thing I did not know about that monster hurting her like he had. I would have made him unrecognizable. My question was how was he able to get her in a position to do that?"

Kait sighed and looked down. "She was going to confront him about what he had done to me. So, she allowed him to lead her to a cave where he threatened her and then shot arrows at her dress and pinned her to the floor. Once he had her immobile with drow sleeping darts he trapped her and well he ill used her to the point it damaged her and she had to heal herself once she was able to escape from him." Kait sighed softly looked down and spoke softly.

"She did it to protect me from what he had done to me." All eyes turned to Kait. She glanced up and saw their looks and had to explain. "I asked him to show me how it was to walk in the shadows so I could related to them on their level. So he took me to the darkened area in the woods. He threw me down on the ground and used his knife to cut off my dress. Then he used the blade of his knife rubbing it over my breasts. Then he hiked up my dress and tried to use the blade over my girly no, no parts."

She was a bright shade of red while she spoke of what he had done to her. "It was horrible and I did not know what he was going to do so I struggled and he let me go. So he did not go all the way like he did to M'lar. He was dreadful to her calling her an orc-faced bitch that was a defamation and profanity to the elfin nation. He said he was going to teach her a lesson and well he raped her." Kait was almost near tears and did not see the looks on the faces of those that shared her table. He really did a lot of damage, he could have killed her but somehow she fought him hard enough to get away once they arrived at the Lady of Mysteries Inn, he noticed she was bleeding and told her to go down the hallway and clean up and then he would buy her a drink. Because M'lar had worked there she knew there was an exit near the common bath area. So she escaped out of the door and into the night, when she was far enough away form the inn she stopped and healed herself."

Droc had grown silent with his anger, Setzer looked guilty for not being there to help protect her and Mahalia was out raged she was so ill used. "Ever since this happened, she had been a lot quieter and to herself. She does not like to get close to anyone because she feels soiled by the situation. He really messed her up."

"What is this about Morgan? Has he actually proposed to her? And has she seriously considered his proposal?" Setzer played with his mug of ale looking up at Kait from under his hat. He saw her cringe and then form a soft pout.

"Morgan has been there for her through a lot of bad times Setzer, she had a change of heart over him. She does not trust him. She tries to keep her distance it is just when she is at her lowest point of her life, he is there offering her a way out and helping her up. I don't know how he does it, he has such an uncanny way of knowing when she needs help and then he is there. I warned her about getting close to him and she tells me she has the situat8on under control until the other night when she slipped into her scent and well they were together and then they were together."

Kait blushed at the thought of M'lar and Morgan compromised their relationship by sleeping together. She had worried about Morgan at first because she had witnessed her trying o get away from six strong men one night when she was looking for Tarin. That was whom she was tied to through her scent. That had scared her but mostly it had embarrassed M'lar to be so out of control. She had gone to the woods to herb hunt and that was when she had come across Olorian who had found the perfect beta-blocker to use when her time of scent was on her. For that she would be eternally grateful.

Mahalia slammed her fist down on the tabletop and this time she broke the table. "I am so upset over this, she did not deserve that kind of treatment and frankly I feel he did not get what he deserved. He should have been castrated first then beheaded. Better yet impaled on a pike. What did the bastard hope to gain by maiming her like that?"

Kait sighed deeply, "I feel he was threatened by M'lar and her opinions ad M'lar did not like him. He knew M'lar did not like him and they had a confrontation one night in the Hoch where she was out of control with her scent. He ordered that she be bound and tied to her bed, which is the absolute worse thing you can do to M'lar you know that Droc, she does not like to be confined and he confined her and then degraded her. Well compound that with what he had done to me." She tucked her chin and her shame was upon her as the tears slid down her cheek she sniffed delicately.

Those at the table had grown strangely quiet hearing Kait confess what the monster had done to her. "I made M'lar promise she would not tell because he told me if I did tell anyone he would know and he would kill them and I did not want those that I love to die because he was capable of killing them. So, I could not stand keeping it to myself any longer and then one night at the Hoch I told M'lar and she was mad, she took a blood oath to avenge me.

Kait sniffed again rubbed her nose then looked at her hands folded in her lap. Her using so much passion and emotion to take a blood oath; well it scared me so bad and I hated how it made me feel and then when she cut her hand and swore a blood oath, I knew it was serious and he was going to kill her. He could not break her or bend her. So he had to demoralize her. I suppose this was the only way he could think of hurting her like he did."

Kait stood and moved to the window of the common room of the pub, she absently played with the curtains finding them neatly kept and clean and made of sensible linens. "I did not know M'lar was going to confront him and I think she saw the outcome vastly different than it what really happened and trust me for a very long time no one could get close to her and this was eating her alive and frankly I think Morgan was the one that finally brought out what had happened to her. Once she finally told Shayla and myself what had happened, she was rushed from New Damara on Morgan's ship and well the next thing we heard was Darrin's head was hanging from the flag pole with a note pinned to his forehead saying rapist."

Mahalia leaned forward looked at Droc, "That is incredible how does she do it? How can she say so much without breathing?"

Droc spoke from the side of his mouth, "It is a talent and it is Kait. We have long suspected she is not human but a species that does not require breathing. "

"Has she always been this way?" Mahalia looked at the petite blond that stood looking out the front window oblivious that they were speaking of her.

"For as long as I can remember, yes she has. She is the sweetest and kindest lady you will ever meet but once she feels comfortable around you she begins to talk and you just have to wait for her to finish and then interject in your point of views.

M'lar lay across the bed making her notes on what she had found and was pleased she was closer to finding what she sought. It obviously was not here in this desert providence, it had been here but was no longer in the area. Closing her eyes she sighed deeply and felt her stomach wanting to roll. She sat up and rushed to the chamber pots emptying the contents on her stomach. Wiping the back of her hand over her mouth she moved to rinse her mouth. It must have been the heat that made her feel so bad.

Lying back down on her cot she closed her eyes and sighed deeply, she had not intended to act so emotional around Setzer when she saw him again. If anything she did not want to show any emotion over seeing him but she could not stop her feelings from rushing forward when he put his arm around her. It was as it had been when he was home in New Damara. Those had been the true days of wine and roses as far as she was concerned. He had been her wall that she turned to when she did not have any more reserve left. It had felt so right to have him drape his arm over her shoulder and then the last thing she needed was a tongue lashing from her best friend.

Rolling over on her stomach she felt dreadful again. Closing her eyes she sighed and rubbed her stomach, it was the heat she kept telling herself it was the heat. Pushing up and moving to her bag she fished out some peppermint and began to suck on it hoping it would settle her stomach. Feeling a little dizzy she once again chalked her malaise to the heat. Waiting for the room to quit spinning she closed her eyes and once again felt her stomach revolt. Rising she moved to the chamber pot and dry heaved into the pot, rinsed her mouth and then moved back to lean her head against the wash basin. Bathing her face in cool water she moved gingerly back to her bed and lay down.

Dorian moved through the streets meeting up with his clan. Moving into the quiet area of the common room, they leaned over the table and began to compare notes. "She was supposed to be his boss. She hired him as a body guard." Luke spoke softly to the group. "She is a Priestess of Oghma and has strong ties to Morgan Manshak and from what I was able to find out Manshak is courting her to be his wife."

Dorian sat back and thought about this. "If Manshak has his hands in this, we need to move cautiously, I believe he is living on that island with her and has grown fond of her."

"Whatever the outcome of this we will have Daemon back with our clan before the year is out. If this breed has taken his interest whether or not she as Manshak protecting her, she will be used as an example to Daemon and he will know who he belongs with and those that go against the clan will be punished."

Luke knew that tone of his voice, it usually meant he was about to bring nine hells down on someone and he was going to make them wish they had never been born. The shame was this was his baby brother and he had already murdered one of his girlfriends and she had been pregnant by Daemon. This had upset a lot of the clan but to go against Dorian was like going against a mounting and asking it to move. He thought about the breed and pitied her if Dorian had made her a target.