I'd like to thank Xuki, Essence Silverdragon, Steve, Penname wa Silver B, and snackfiend101 for their reviews, as well as Guan, who reviewed every single chapter! I just about had a heart attack when I received all of the review notices! You guys make writing this instead of studying for midterms all worthwhile. ;)
Chapter 5- Seeing Red
The kobold tracks led away from the flat, snowy fields and into hilly, tree-covered lands. Xanos was not much for forests, particularly forests full of low-slung tree branches that dumped snow and pine needles on his head if he so much as brushed against them. Each time a new batch of snow slipped down the back of his collar, Xanos gave serious thought to setting the entire forest on fire. More vexing still was that it never seemed to happen to Aurora, even though she made no visible effort to avoid contact with the branches.
When the girl paused to take a drink from her canteen, Xanos could not help but notice that the branches directly above her head were heavily laden with snow. He leaned his back against the trunk of the tree, then peered with great interest at the ground in front of her boots.
"What's that in the snow?" he asked.
Aurora lowered the canteen from her lips and glanced at the snow at her feet. Then, just as Xanos had hoped, she leaned down to have a closer look.
Seizing the moment of her inattention, Xanos rammed his foot into the trunk behind him, landing a heavy blow that set the entire tree to trembling. The branches shifted and let fall their burden of snow, right above the unsuspecting rogue.
Aurora launched herself nimbly into the air, turning a full flip before landing on her feet as the snow fell harmlessly to the forest floor behind her.
"Show off," Xanos grumbled under his breath.
He watched his fellow student as she smoothed her pale hair behind her ears and returned her canteen to its place in her pack. She wasn't even out of breath . . . But of course she wasn't. She was Drogan's pet, wasn't she? His perfect, shining example, incapable of wrongdoing.
The object of his unkind thoughts finished fussing with her equipment and approached him.
"Nice try," she said. "Too bad I'm naturally suspicious of you."
It was a poor choice of words. Xanos felt a prickling from old scars that had very little to do with the girl standing before him. Always, his parentage would haunt him, would be the touchstone from which all of his actions were judged, allowing people to form their contemptuous opinions before he ever spoke a word.
"Ah, so now the truth comes out." Xanos pinned Aurora with a scornful glare. "Your hatred of Xanos stems from prejudice toward his mixed blood."
"That's ridiculous," she said, either unaware of just how angry he had become, or untroubled by it. "I don't dislike you because of your orcish heritage." Her wide mouth curved in a slow, deliberate smile. "I dislike you because you're a pretentious jackass."
"Nonsense!" Xanos roared, and her smile vanished. "You've felt nothing but spite since the moment you set eyes upon me!"
Aurora answered his heated accusation with puzzled silence. Off to his left, Xanos heard the soft, rhythmic crunching of snow, something that might have garnered his attention if he wasn't preoccupied.
"Surely you have not forgotten the way you behaved toward me the very first time we met," he said, and watched as realization slowly dawned upon her.
"Xanos, I was hardly more than a child." There was a rare earnestness to her voice. "Until you came, it had just been me and master Drogan. Our relationship was the only special thing I had." She lowered her gaze self-consciously, and Xanos had the feeling that she had spoken with more candor than she had intended.
"That does not excuse your actions," he said, his words reproachful but lacking the venom of moments before. "At the very least, you should have apologized."
Aurora raised her chin, a challenge in her gray eyes. "I tried."
Now that he thought about it, Xanos did remember her approaching him with something vaguely reminiscent of an apology . . .
"Bah," he said, feeling abruptly and unexpectedly sheepish. "Most likely you did so only to encourage master Drogan's belief in your perfection."
"My perfection?" Her laughter was sharp and mocking. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a jealous streak."
"What?! Xanos, jealous of you? How utterly amusing!" He gestured theatrically at the sky, where the sun was nearing its apex. "Is the glorious sun jealous of the pale moon trailing in its wake across the heavens? Is the mighty river jealous of the tiny boat paddling along its shores? Is the . . . "
He stopped short when a man blinked into existence less than a yard from his left shoulder. The man was bald, dark of complection, and clad in robes so red it almost stung to look at them. Noticing their stunned stares, he cleared his throat and flashed an apologetic smile.
"Terribly sorry to interrupt," he said in a cultured, thickly accented voice. "But honestly, if I had been forced to listen to one more flowery metaphor . . ." He shook his head. "I will not say exactly what I would have done, but rest assured it would have involved multiple fireball spells."
Aurora drew her sword and gave it a menacing flourish in the stranger's direction.
"What is a Thayvian doing in the Silver Marches?" she asked sharply. The man raised an eyebrow at her display but made no other movements.
"Being threatened, at the moment," he said blandly. "I suppose it was too much to hope that you would not have inherited your father's prejudices, Aurora Dawn."
Aurora's sword twitched in her grip. "Did someone sew a name tag into my armor? That's the second time in half an hour that someone I've never seen before has plucked my name out of thin air." Her tone was glacial, her posture rigid. "And you'll refrain from mentioning my father again if you don't want me sheathing this sword in your chest cavity."
"Quiet, girl!" Xanos hissed, appalled by the vehemence of her reaction. "This wizard of Thay has chosen to speak with us for a reason, and I intend to hear what it is!"
The bald man turned to him.
"I'm glad to see that one of you, at least, is acquainted with the basics of polite exchange." His smile was charming but somehow reptilian. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Szaren, and I am here on behalf of Lady Dmitra Flass, Tharchion of Eltabbar." He clasped his hands together and bowed politely, offering Xanos a glimpse of the intricate tattoos that decorated his pate. "And you are Xanos Messarmos, unless my sources are mistaken?"
"Your sources are correct." Xanos grinned. "Xanos is glad to hear that his fame precedes him."
"Indeed it does. Many people were willing to speak of you, though what they said was often less than flattering."
Xanos' grin disappeared.
"By saying that, I intend no disrespect," Szaren continued. "As a Thayvian, I am intimately acquainted with the inconveniences of a poor reputation. Speaking of which . . ." He made another, smaller bow to Aurora, paying no mind to the sword still pointed at his sternum. "I fear the two of us started out on the wrong foot, my lady."
"Don't call me that," she snapped.
"Very well . . . Aurora, then. I did not wish to frighten or insult you with my words. In Thay, it is a foolish man indeed who does not learn as much as he can about his friends, as well as his enemies. I sought out the two of you in hopes that we might discuss a bit of business, nothing more."
"Business?" Xanos' mind began to race. "Put your weapon away, Aurora! This could be a lucrative opportunity."
Aurora lowered her sword but did not sheathe it, keeping her eyes on Szaren the entire time. The Thayvian grinned and clapped his hands together.
"There we are!" he said. "I don't know about the two of you, but I'm already beginning to feel all warm and fuzzy. Of course, I could be having an allergic reaction to the putrid slop you people call 'food,' but I prefer to take it as a sign that the three of us will soon become the best of friends."
"About that business you mentioned . . ." Xanos prompted.
"Not much for small talk, are you?" Amusement flashed in Szaren's dark eyes. "As I said before, I am here on behalf of Lady Dmitra Flass. My good mistress has had some success in the creation of small mercantile enclaves throughout Faerun. These enclaves sell a wide variety of magic items to anyone with enough gold to purchase them. The cities that take advantage of this opportunity receive the wealth and protection that Thayvian interest provides, and in return, Lady Flass gains gold and prestige."
"A fine deal, but . . . why would you come to Hilltop, of all places?" Xanos would be surprised if anyone but Drogan himself could afford all but the most basic of magic items.
"Larger cities in the area have been . . . less than welcoming. It was our hope to demonstrate our goodwill in a small village like Hilltop in order to gain their trust."
"What does this have to do with us?" Aurora asked. The fingers of her maimed hand were drumming against her leg, a staccato manifestation of her unease. "It sounds like this is a matter between you and Mayor Shuttlescomb."
"It should have been, but your mayor and his assistant were even more suspicious of my motives than you are." At that, Szaren's grin dimmed. "By the end of our meeting he had left his guards with explicit instructions of what to do if they caught me lingering anywhere near Hilltop. Suffice it to say that most of them would be impossible to carry out while my limbs are in their current configuration."
"That certainly explains why you were invisible earlier," Xanos said, his words coming quickly in his growing excitement. His ascent to power could be so much easier with the right allies . . . "How can Xanos help you?"
Szaren laughed. "Your eager attitude is refreshing, my friend. It is no wonder that the people of this village speak of you both as if you were seasoned adventurers, and not merely untried apprentices." His amusement was seamlessly replaced by businesslike austerity. "Indeed, it was my hope that, being so well known and respected among your townspeople, you might plead my case before the mayor."
Xanos felt as if a rug had been pulled out from under his feet. Changing the mayor's mind would mean speaking with Haniah, and Xanos had a feeling that the mayor's assistant would be even less pleased to see Xanos than a Red Wizard of Thay.
"Er . . . Aurora?" he asked hopefully, turning to his fellow student with pleading eyes.
"No," she said at once, underlining her refusal with a forceful shake of her head. "We don't have time. Every moment we spend chatting here, the artifacts are getting farther and farther away."
"Artifacts?" Szaren's brows quirked. "What kind of artifacts are you speaking of, my la– Aurora?"
Once again, the girl looked as though she wished she hadn't been quite so forthcoming.
"The kind that needs to be retrieved as quickly as possible," she said vaguely, then rushed on. "Finishing this quest on behalf of master Drogan is more important to me than doing you or Xanos a favor."
Xanos put his head in his hands in dismay, but Szaren simply nodded thoughtfully.
"I see," he said.
"Good." Aurora seemed relieved. "Come on, Xanos." She started to back away, but Szaren was not yet ready to give up.
"There is no reason that we cannot still broker a deal."
Grimacing as though she had just stepped in something particularly nasty, Aurora checked her progress.
"How do you mean?" she asked warily.
Szaren's expression as he stared back at the rogue was devoid of mirth or pretense, and Xanos sensed that the man was grasping at straws.
"If I aid you in the recovery of these artifacts of yours," the Thayvian said slowly, "will you speak to the Mayor on my behalf?"
"But that could take days!" Xanos protested before he could stop himself. Szaren nodded thoughtfully.
"How does this strike you?" Echoing Xanos' earlier gesture, Szaren pointed up at the gray sky. "It is currently nearly midday. If I pledge my services to you for the remainder of this day and tonight, will you agree to speak to the Mayor in the morning?"
Aurora's eyes grew wide. "You're joking, aren't you? You can't possibly mean that you'd face unknown dangers in return for my promise to attempt to convince Shuttlescomb to let you stay."
"Indeed, it is not a deal I would make unless prompted by desperation. But I would rather face your unknown dangers than the certain one of returning to Lady Flass empty handed."
Aurora took her time in answering, and Xanos sensed that she was combing over Szaren's words in search of hidden snares. Finally, her shoulders fell, and she shook her head as if unable to believe the decision at which she herself had arrived.
"Fine," she said. "Do your best to help us, and I'll do my best to help you."
Szaren chuckled. "Perfect. I think that, in time, you will come to realize that it is you who have received the lion's share of benefit from our association. A Red Wizard rarely binds himself to the cause of another."
Aurora sighed, finally sliding her sword back into place. "Any stray bolts of lightning or the like, and the deal is off. Even if it only hits Xanos."
"Oh, Aurora, I'm touched," Xanos exclaimed, placing his hand across his heart.
"You needn't concern yourself," Szaren said. "I assure you that any harm I cause will be deliberate." The Thayvian's teeth flashed, white as the snow. "And carefully aimed."
"I fear I'm going to regret this in the morning," Aurora said softly, turning back to the trail they had been following. "Assuming I live through tonight."
Xanos and Szaren fell in behind her, keeping pace with one another and allowing the rogue to range a dozen meters or so ahead.
"You must pardon Aurora," Xanos said, taking no particular care to ensure that his fellow student could not overhear him. "She is lacking in subtlety, wit, and refinement, but she does have a certain amount of skill when it comes to cutting purse strings or skulking about in shadows."
Szaren favored Xanos with a sly grin. "It bodes well that you recognize others both by their faults and by their potential uses. You have a shrewd instinct toward the accumulation of power, but only through practice are such skills honed."
Xanos felt an unaccustomed rush of pride at the Red Wizard's words. Praise was rare, encouragement of his ambitions, rarer still.
"Any advice you wish to give Xanos would not fall upon deaf ears," he said, careful not to sound too eager.
"Is that so?" Szaren asked, giving his words just enough of an edge that Xanos could tell his surprise was feigned. "In that case, I encourage you to increase your competency in the art of manipulation."
"Eh? What do you mean by that? Xanos gets his way often enough."
"Getting your way is well and good, but fettering another to your will . . ." Szaren gazed off into the middle distance as if caught in a pleasant memory. "Ah, that is something truly worth the effort."
Xanos turned the words over in his mind, intrigued but uncomfortable about the implications.
"Need Xanos remind you that slavery is heavily frowned upon in this part of the world?" he asked, carefully keeping his tone neutral.
Szaren laughed, and Xanos joined in, not sure what was so amusing but unwilling to risk offending the Red Wizard.
"I was not referring to slavery, my friend. At least, not in so many words." Again the man's gaze wandered. "Anyone can be controlled. You need only to find the proper strings and pull them." His eyes narrowed, and Xanos realized with a start that Szaren was staring not at the wintry landscape but at Aurora. The glare lasted only a moment before it was replaced by a genial smile. "We shall continue this conversation at another time. For now, it seems that our young thief has come across a traveler."
The man Aurora was speaking with was dressed in light clothing and appeared to disregard the chill wind with the easy indifference of one long accustomed to such weather. As the two magic users approached, the man swivelled to face them, one hand going for his bow even as the other raised in greeting.
"Good day, travelers. Please, take a moment to share my fire." At close range, it was easy to see the elongated ears and delicate features that proclaimed the man's elven heritage, and the hard look that he was giving Xanos and Szaren. "But I warn you now, I shall tolerate no untoward acts in my presence."
"And I shall not tolerate a second aspersion upon my character," Szaren responded lightly.
The stranger curled his fingers around his bow, and the wizard pushed back the sleeves of his robe. Neither man nor elf seemed willing to back down, and the tension might have escalated to actual violence had Aurora not intervened.
"Thank you for your hospitality," she said, stepping between them on her way to the campfire. After a long moment, during which Xanos frantically calculated the number of magic missiles he could create by the time the elf had knocked an arrow to his bow, the others relented and followed.
"I regret that I have little else to share but conversation," the elf said, crouching near the flames. "But even that is welcome enough. I did not expect to encounter other souls braving the cold." He nodded cordially to others sharing his fire. "My name is Farren Valientheart."
"I am Xanos Messarmos, and this is my assistant, Aurora," he said before Aurora had the chance, paying no mind to the glower his words earned. "And you have already met Szaren."
The Red Wizard chuckled.
"We came here in search of a band of kobolds," Aurora said swiftly, before any harsh words could be exchanged.
Ferran put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "In that case, I'm afraid you may be too late."
Xanos and Aurora shared a dismayed glance across the fire.
"A short time ago, I saw the group of kobolds running by," Ferran went on. "I followed them, curious as to what they were doing away from the Nether mountains. Not far from where we sit, they were ambushed by a troop of gnolls. There was a lot of growling back and forth, and then the gnolls attacked. Most of the kobolds were slaughtered or captured, but a few of them escaped into the tomb that lies just north of here."
Aurora stood up at once. "Then we need to follow them."
"I would not suggest it," Ferran said gravely. "The tomb is ancient, and the dead within do not rest quietly."
"We don't have a choice," she answered grimly. "Do you know anything else about the tomb?"
Ferran looked at each one of them in turn, then shook his head. "It is not a tale to be shared with those who are not of elven blood." His eyes, though alert as ever, became shadowed. "Enter the tomb if you must, but do so with respect." His gaze lingered pointedly on Szaren. "If you disturb their rest or seek their riches, be prepared for swift retribution."
"Do you imply that a Red Wizard of Thay would stoop to petty thievery?" Szaren asked archly.
"I implied nothing," Farren said with building heat. "Allow me to say it outright."
"Enough!" Xanos shouted. "You are slinging insults like a pair of infants!"
Two smoldering gazes met his own.
"Er . . . Very powerful and capable infants to be sure . . ." Xanos amended. "Nonetheless, we have important business to attend to. After we are done in the tomb, you can kill each other all you like."
Szaren's hands, poised to begin an incantation, fell slowly to his sides. "So be it," he said, and turned his back upon the elven archer. "Who knows? Perhaps we'll run into one another again one day."
"I look forward to it," Ferran said darkly.
Xanos and Aurora quickly followed Szaren.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Aurora whispered, drawing near.
Xanos patted her thin shoulder and grinned. "Do not worry, scarecrow girl. Xanos will protect you from any ghouls or ghosts."
"I wasn't talking about the tomb!" she snapped. "I meant the Thayvian."
"What trouble can he cause amongst dust and moldy skeletons?" Xanos asked. "With Szaren's help, we will retrieve the artifacts more quickly."
Aurora's lips parted as though she would say more, but a moment later her jaw clicked shut.
It was just as well, for a just that moment Szaren called their attention to what lay before them.
There, amidst gravestones jutting from the earth like broken teeth, was the entrance to the tomb.
Author's Note: Er... Remember when I mentioned non-canon events? But I assure you, there's more reason for Szaren's role in this story than his Thayvian sex appeal. (Oops, did I just type that out loud?)