Homeland Security
Please remove your laptop and place it in the bin...
As I previously mentioned, the chapters are going to be very strangely sized till the end ;) This one is teeny. One supposes this *may* mean they come more frequently! I continue to warn that Aegis Part III will be rated M.
...
"This food... always disgusting," Lasala pouted, prodding at her plate with a knife. "How you ever live alone out here?"
Edwin smirked lazily over his wine as he leaned back in his chair and listened to the whispers and arguments of the party behind him. From what tidbits he could make out, they were discussing combat strategy, but the details were too soft to pick up. "You get used to it," he answered. "Try the sausage." Lasala scowled in frustration and he chuckled. It seemed that Xan's Nondetection was blocking her Clairaudience, but Edwin had predicted that.
"Details would be a perk, but that's not why we're here," he reminded her. "Be patient."
Lasala took a deep and steadying breath. Then she nodded obediently and quietly tried some Heartlands Kielbasa. By the curious furrow of her brow, it had not violated her taste buds in quite the way she'd expected. After a period of thoughtful chewing, she did indeed take a second bite. Edwin watched her, appreciating his own cleverness in ascertaining her value. "Still rubbish," she muttered.
Edwin had initially dismissed Lasala as the weakest and least useful Red Wizard in the group; not only because she was, but because she seemed to struggle with offensive magic. But as his plan had come together, he took a second review of his compatriots and it occurred to him that he had been looking at things in the wrong light. Lasala spent more time listening and thinking than she did boasting or talking, which Edwin was beginning to recognize as a rare talent amougn his fellow Thayvians.
After a migraine inducing hour of explaining their tactic to his fellows, in which the trio had constantly interjected their own opinions about 'barbarians,' it had become apparent to Edwin that bringing any of the Abjurationists into a place of human habitation would result in him breaking his promise never to get set upon by Flaming Fist warmages again.
But Lasala had held quiet through their indignant blustering and later asked questions about the plan, questions astute enough to indicate that she was not merely simpering for his favor but had actually heard the plan out and understood it. With Thaylantyr's worse about the conjurer's folly in relying only on hard magic and hard skills, Edwin had noticed Lasala to be his only compatriot even remotely suitable for espionage.
So he had taken great pains to school her on exactly how she was to behave when they entered the Inn: No Mulhorandi because it would stand out, no discussion of relevant topics with elves around, no loud outbursts or getting offended, no drawing any attention to themselves, no obvious usage of magic, and no getting overager and attacking; these were the things Edwin required from her. Simple, yes?
Simple... Diana would have already burned the Inn down.
Lasala could have outperformed Diana by sleeping through the mission, but she ended up performing spectacularly. Edwin had suggested she limit her disapproval of the coastlanders/heartlanders to silent glowering, and she was doing a remarkable job; As oderous and dirty as westerners were, it seldom proved anything other than humorous to tell them such.
"I have a question," Edwin admitted. "Do answer truthfully: Did you expect Brendan to charm you, when you tried your little seduction with the burn ointment?"
Lasala looked up from her plate. She affected to look innocent for a moment, but then a smirk tugged the corner of her mouth low, and she grinned viperously. "Some things easier when you make other people think it their idea," she told him.
"So you were just getting him to feel competant and lower his guard again," the older wizard smirked.
She grinned. "Bother you?"
"No, my heart is clapping with joy that I am among rational and capable people again. Perhaps one day you can even extort me to kill Brendan for you. And maybe two or three other people while I'm at it." She blinked, surprised. Edwin shrugged. "I have been at this longer than you, you know. You would not be sucking up to me unless you wanted something."
"Perhaps I know who win if Diana snap," the young Abjurationist suggested.
"Flattering, assisting; yes, this all leads to one diagnosis. Don't be cute, child; you are transparent."
To his surprise, she stuck out her tongue at him. "Every day is just de flavored noodles. Horrible. Recommend more food to try," she insisted, pushing her plate to him. "Sausage good; rest is shit."
He raised a brow. "Demanding, aren't we, little whore?"
"You live out here longer; you want me to have runs during battle? Maybe I just dispel Nondetection on you now for spite?"
Edwin broke out laughing, and then waved down a tavern wench. He took a moment to cast his eyes over the party. His little eidetic whelp was definitely missing. And by the look of it, Kivan might have been as well. My luck cannot be that good... he mused.
"By de way; How you not uncomfortable in this?" she asked, plucking uncomfortably at her own cotton tunic. "Is... itchy. And leggings chafe uncomfortable places... Could have used more illusion, like for faces and voices."
Edwin didn't stop grinning. When the bar wench arrived, he ordered a little buffet for his cocky compatriot. "You are lucky this plan requires you; or I would smack you upside the head so hard for your flippiant cheek..." he chuckled.
It was true that the Red Wizards were unable to pierce Xan's Nondetection spells, largely due to their own disinterest in Divination magic. However, Xan was old, smug, and incredibly confident in his enchantment skills, to the point where no doubt he imagined their attempts to hide from him in person would still be setting off red flags at the edges of his sight.
But there were two things that Xan did not know: First, he did not know that Diana, Denak, Brendan, and Lasala were all Abjurationists. Second, he was unaware of the augmenting power of Circle Magic. Nondetection was an Abjuration; Red Wizards were extremely devoted specialists; and Circle Magic allowed all four Abjurationists to combine their expertise together.
In short, Edwin could have walked up behind the elf and made lewd gestures directly behind his head, and Xan would have been none the wiser. Coming to the Inn had certainly been a phenomenal testbed for determining whether the enchanter would be able to detect a carefully planned ambush later on.
"What is dat?" Lasala demanded suspiciously after she had tried a number of pastas and soups. Edwin looked over to see that the bar wench had just delivered a lemon tart.
"That? That's dessert. Good luck, it may kill you," he told her. "Or cause you gain twenty pounds spontaneously, I'm not sure."
Lasala eyed him and then picked up the dessert daintily with two fingers, wiped her face, cleared her palette with water, and took a slow bite. She winced, withdrew in surprise, and chewed till she could swallow. "Ugh. So sweet." She was quiet a moment, contemplating it before trying another nibble. "Diana needs one of these. Or four. Or twenty... You think we can get box to go?"
He laughed. "I'm not going to sleep with you no matter how much you insult Diana," Edwin informed her with a grin. "Though it does please me to hear you do so."
"What have you been doing for sex?" she wondered.
"Recently? Half elves," he retorted. "Or I just blow the light out and pretend I can't tell the difference." She snickered. "What? You turn yourself into a man try going half a year with no other options; we'll see how far you get."
Lasala rolled her eyes. "Hardly need to be a man," she muttered.
Edwin perked up all of a sudden, unrelated to Lasala's quip. It seemed the party was no longer plotting away. Instead they were drinking, and their voices had raised somewhat. He caught the name 'Melicamp' and realized they were discussing the Netherese.
"The ritual," he breathed, realizing Kivan and Imoen were indeed isolated from the group. More isolated than he could have ever possibly hoped for! "Perfect."
