Chapter 127: Brynnlaw
The Galante reached port on Brynnlaw in pouring rain an hour after sundown. The port itself was a very small town, little more than a collection of ramshackle houses perched on the low cliffs on the south side of the island. To the north of loomed the towering bulk of Spellhold, a distinct presence even in the dark; wreathed in mist and rain, the asylum seemed almost like a dark giant that had crawled up on the northern cliffs and stood posed to devour the town. Somehow, Ember was convinced it'd look no friendlier a place in clear daylight. She shivered.
"We have arrived, and in good time, I might add," Havarian said while the sailors busied themselves with mooring the ship. "Congratulatory remarks for all the crew, and to our visitors for their delightful company."
"(Delightful company? Bah!)" Edwin grumbled, and muttered something about witless, imbecilic sailors and how much they all deserved a fireball for harassing him.
"We had to make the best of it," Yoshimo said, and grinned at the captain. "I, myself, managed to win a fair amount of coin from your crew... they seemed to think they were the only ones who knew how to play cards, oddly."
"A particular congratulations to you, captain, for distracting those other ships last night," Sime said. "It did seem that the pirates, if that is what they were, truly believed your signal meant they should stay away from us."
Havarian chuckled. "It merely proves how short of wit they can be. One must always be a step ahead of one's adversaries."
"And a step behind one's friends," Yoshimo said. "I trust no more will happen to hamper our success."
"I have done what I can, as captain, and as compatriot. I can do no more," Havarian said as the gangplank was lowered. "Now, I leave you to your mission, whatever it may be. It has been a pleasure sailing in your company."
The group made their farewells, and disembarked. "Where do we go now?" Mazzy asked Sime as they walked down the docks.
"To the Vulgar Monkey. It's the least seedy inn on this island; there are almost no bugs in its rooms, and if you don't mind the ruckus from the common room, it's actually possible to sleep there," Sime grinned. "Sanik, my contact, lives at the inn. He says it's both easier and safer than trying to keep a house on his own in this place."
"He is a merchant, if I remember correctly?"
"You do. He's supplied the asylum with wine and other fine goods for the past two years. If there is a simple way to get inside, he'll almost certainly know of it; at the very least, I expect he'll -"
Something shifted in the shadows between the two closest buildings; moments later, three women emerged. They were unarmed, and dressed far too scantily for the weather, but the way they moved suggested they were far more dangerous than the courtesans they resembled. One of them smiled ferally, revealing sharp, white fangs.
"Vampires," Mazzy murmured.
"Pretty, pretty cattle," one of the vampires hissed, licking her pale lips. "Come, let us play."
Moving with inhuman speed, the creatures fell upon the group.
The vampires were strong, far stronger than any of the vampires the group had encountered so far save Bodhi herself, and just like with her, Anomen's powers barely seemed to cause them any discomfort at all. They moved in erratic circles around the group, making it impossible to focus their efforts on any one of them, or even be fully aware of where each danger would come from. Quickly, Ember chanted a spell that'd increase her friends' awareness of themselves and their foes, and Edwin and Anomen cast similar quick protections and blessings, but it was far from enough. The vampires easily dodged most of the blows that were aimed their way, and struck with claws and fangs at any opening they saw - except when it came to Ember. While everyone else had their hands full with deflecting the vampires' attacks, the creatures outright avoided her, stepping around her to strike the others in her stead, and when she charged at them, they merely moved away from her, not even bothering to counter.
"Bastards!" she shouted in despair. Behind her, Mazzy gave a choked scream; one of the vampires had grabbed her by the throat and picked her up, holding her suspended above the ground as it drained her life away. Ember barrelled into the vampire, putting her full weight behind the impact, and pummeled the monster with her fists until it released Mazzy. The vampire threw Ember aside with a cold laugh and reached for Mazzy again, but by then, they had Minsc's attention. Roaring with anger, the giant ranger brought his sword down on the vampire's arm, biting deep into the flesh and snapping the bones. The vampire spat at Minsc, but did not attack him. Abruptly, as if acting on a cue, it and the two other vampires withdrew, disappearing back into the shadows they'd come from.
"Run, cowardly evil!" Minsc bellowed furiously. "Boo will have your eyes yet!"
Mazzy lay still on the ground, her face as white as a sheet and her breath coming in shallow gasps. As gently as possible, Minsc scooped her up in his arms. Anomen hurried to them, placed a hand on Mazzy's chest, and started to pray.
"(Have I not suffered enough indignities?)" Edwin complained weakly. The vampires had drained him and Yoshimo as well as Mazzy, but thankfully, neither of them were doing quite as bad as she was.
"Is anyone else hurt?" Ember cried anxiously.
"I am well," Sime said, sheathing her daggers. "Minsc is well too, I believe, and both you and Anomen were warded."
"They wouldn't even touch me!"
"I noticed. They wanted you unharmed. And they knew of our arrival." Sime sighed disgustedly. "Havarian proved treacherous after all."
"There," Anomen said wearily, and slowly stepped away from Mazzy. "She should be recovered by morning. I can do no more. Edwin and Yoshimo will need a temple."
"There is one, consecrated to Umberlee," Sime said. "It is not far."
Moving quickly through almost empty streets, Sime led the group to the Umberlant temple, where they paid the brash priestess an exorbitant fee to have Edwin and Yoshimo restored. Once that was done, she took them to the Vulgar Monkey, a large building which, unlike most of the other buildings in town, had no broken windows or visible holes in its roof, and its walls had a greyish hue that suggested they might have been whitewashed once, a very long time ago. As the group approached, the front doors opened, and a pair of bouncers threw three drunken men out on the street.
"Pay them no mind," Sime said, and guided them all inside to speak with the innkeeper. The common room was noisy and crowded, but as it turned out, few of the men there were staying at the inn, and with a few gold coins, the Shadow Thief managed to secure separate rooms for the night for the entire group.
"Is Sanik here?" Sime asked the innkeeper as she paid for their rooms.
The innkeeper's face clouded with anger. "You're two days late. One of Galvena's cronies cut him down, right here in my tavern!" He spat on the floor. "Who does that uppity wench think she is?"
Sime's face fell. "Sanik is dead?"
"As dead as they get."
-.-.-
It was only when Mazzy, Edwin, and Yoshimo were safely resting that Anomen consented to lie down himself; by then, he was so exhausted that Minsc had to help him remove his armour. Ember took the armour pieces and piled them neatly on a chair while Minsc, ignoring Anomen's weak protestations, tucked him into bed as if he were a small child.
"Sleep now," Minsc said. "There is a lot of heroing to be done in the morning."
"Indeed," Anomen murmured, half asleep already. "My... my lady?"
"Yes?" She sat down on the side of his bed.
"This is but... a minor setback," he told her. "And we expected complications... did we not?"
She nodded glumly. "I'd rather have done without them, all the same."
"As would we all. But... it matters not. We shall persevere."
"I hope you're right," she said quietly, and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Sleep well, dearest."
By the time she and Minsc had stepped out of the room and closed the door, Anomen was fast asleep.
"Little Ember should sleep, too," Minsc said.
She shook her head. "I couldn't. Not yet, at least," she said. "Come, let's go talk with Sime. Maybe she has some other ideas."
They found Sime in the common room, sitting at a small table in a corner along with a man in a dark blue coat. Two mugs of ale stood on the table. "Ah, Ember, Minsc," Sime said, "come meet captain Golin. He was a friend of Sanik, and his supplier."
Captain Golin stood up and bowed. He was middle-aged, but still strong, and his dark hair had only the faintest touch of silver. "Greetings, friends. Sime's been filling me in on your story. Such a bloody shame that you had to hire Havarian! I would gladly have taken you here myself if I'd known, but as it is, my path hasn't crossed Athkatla since winter," he said.
"He's told me that Havarian's been seen in bad company, even by Brynnlaw standards," Sime said. "And he knows more about what happened to Sanik."
"Aye, and a sad tale it is, if you wish to hear it." The captain looked questioningly at Ember.
"I'd be happy to," Ember said, and took a seat beside Sime. Minsc pulled up a chair, positioned it so that he could watch the rest of the room, and seated himself.
"Well, then! Let's start with 'Lady' Galvena," Golin said, sitting down. "She's the mistress of the local festhall. I'm sure you can see how, in a port full of sailors, such an undertaking would bring the woman power and wealth, and Galvena most certainly grasped all that she could! She is a harsh woman, and here on Brynnlaw, she stands second only to Desharik, the pirate lord." He paused, and drank from his mug of ale. " Now, Sanik, fool that he was, fell in love with one of Galvena's girls, Claire, and she with him. He took her from the festhall and proclaimed her his wife. What he didn't account for was Galvena, who considers the courtesans her property. She accused Sanik of theft, and he scorned her in public. The whole town heard of it."
Ember shook her head in disgust. "And so she had him killed."
"Aye, that was Galvena's final response. He was killed, and Claire was taken back to the festhall. I suspect that she suffers for her mistake even as we speak."
"That is most horrible news!" Minsc said, slamming his fist against the table. "Minsc and Boo will not stand for it!"
"I was hoping you'd say that," Sime said. Her dark eyes glittered mischievously. "Have you ever broken into a festhall?"
