Love
Chapter 15
They had a plan and while Kate wasn't happy to be left alone to get the scrolls in a city she had never even heard of before let alone been inside of, she couldn't ask Castle, the demon, to set even one foot inside the city.
"Okay, I'm ready." Kate showed up dressed for the task armed with Castle's notes and his bag of gold that held an amount that she was sure it didn't hold. He'd reminded her yet again that magic was capable of a lot.
Rick shook his head. "Not dressed like that, you're not."
Her eyebrows arched toward her hairline. "And what's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" Kate placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.
He was unaffected. "You need to blend in, not stand out. Also there may be pickpockets in the city. Yes, I know the city is a Good city, but that doesn't mean everyone everywhere is good. You dressed like that says, "Steal from me." You also want to impress the people at The Temple." Rick hated the way she looked. Well, hated it for this task.
"Fine! How am I supposed to be dressed then?" If he was such a know-it-all he should be able to tell her what to wear.
"Go into the crew's quarters. There's a whole lot of left over Githyanki stuff. Pick and choose from that stuff and put something together. And choose a weapon from the pile to take with you."
"I have a weapon." Kate displayed her leg that had her weapon attached to her ankle.
"A weapon from your Plane, yes. You need to show a weapon from a different Plane, though. Pick a sword and strap it to your waist." He heard her grumble all the way to the stairs.
"Cobble together an outfit from this junk." She'd seen all that stuff during her tour. It had looked like junk then and looked like junk now. "You know how much this outfit cost me?" Kate told the ceiling since Castle was up there somewhere.
Still grumbling, she began picking through the pile, tossing things that might work on one of the beds and chucking useless junk into another pile.
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Kate looked it all over and started stripping. She left her black bra and her black panties on. She found a black shirt that mostly fit so she put it on and buttoned it closed. "Hmm." Soon she was standing there in her black shirt, black bra, black panties, black garter belt, and black stockings. If she wanted to impress Castle and make him want her she would be done already, but she was headed for a city.
She found some sturdy, flat-soled, thigh-high, black leather boots and put them on. Much to her surprise they fit like they'd been made for her. Then she found a pair of leather arm and elbow guards; she buckled them around her lower arms, up past her elbows, and onto her upper arm. Then strapped on what looked like bracers to her. This was followed by a pair of fingerless gloves. Every bit of it was black.
She'd come across some knee guards and strapped them into place. These were not black, more silver in color, though still a little dark. Then she tested them by bending her legs to see if she could still run.
She saw a black leather bustier. It at least had cups for her breasts. This thing took time to put on since she had to lace it and cinch it tight. "Shit, I can barely breathe." Kate was thinking maybe she had gotten it too tight.
Next came a skirt that was tattered and torn, but it was black and would at least cover her panties and garter belt. It was in such sad shape that it covered her ass better than the front. Then there was a shoulder piece made of metal. There'd been two but the other one was too damaged and she couldn't use it. Kate chose to put it on her right shoulder and strapped it into place. In addition she strapped on the black leather gorget to protect her throat and spine if need be.
There was a belt that she attached a rectangular leather sheath that held three small daggers. She couldn't use her gun so she needed something. Knives she could at least use.
She found a belt that went over one shoulder and across her chest between her breasts. To this she attached Castle's bag of gold.
"Weapon, huh?" She still didn't see what was so wrong with her gun, but this was a different place. A lot of the weapons had been either big or heavy. There was only one that wasn't too long and light enough that she could use. She attached it to her belt on her left side.
Kate had already braided her hair to hold it in place. Now she added a veil to cover her lower face. "I look like a bandit who's holding up a bank," she groused. All she could see was her eyes and her hair.
One upper leg was bare while the other was covered. Her right upper shoulder had armor while her other shoulder was bare. You could see her stockings and the belt of her garter. Actually she thought she looked a little sexy, in a bank robber sort of way.
Kate tested her getup by pulling her weapon out of the scabbard and running down the hallway and then back again. Satisfied, she went back up to the upper deck to get Castle's approval. She need this to work or she was dead.
"This better?" She stopped, spread her legs a little, while resting her hand on her weapon and the other on her hip.
His eyes dilated; his cock twitched and began to enlarge just a bit. She grinned. "I'll take that as a yes." Maybe she'd done better than she thought.
"Perfect." Rick willed his erection to go down since they didn't have time for that. "Have you got my notes?" She needed those if she was going to find the right Temple.
"SHIT!" Kate ran back down the stairs, recovered the notes she'd laid down, ran back up and showed them to him before hiding them.
He went over the plan. "I'm going to take both of us outside the city then leave you before I'm spotted. You'll have to walk into the city. Search for a Temple that has one of those three symbols on it. Tell them that you want four scrolls, one each of Miracle, Heal, Cure Disease, and Remove Curse. It's all on the notes.
"Use the gold in this little bag to buy them. You should have enough left over to spend the night somewhere safe and comfortable and buy a decent meal. Walk back out to exactly where you left me and summon me. Wait for me to show up and then we'll go home." This ship was home now.
"You'll need to read the scrolls, put on my ring, and wear it for at least a month." That was their plan.
"Magic." Kate was starting to believe but it was still difficult.
"You need to believe, Kate. Maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to cast your own spells. Perhaps there's a sorceress inside you aching to get out. You just needed a reason to believe." He wasn't giving up on her just yet. Magic was everywhere, she just needed to find hers.
Rick stepped in close enough to her to smell the beguiling scent of cherries. "Ready?"
"No, but do I have a choice? If this doesn't work I'm dead." She couldn't help it.
"Please don't talk like that. You mean far too much too me." Rick didn't have a word for how he felt.
Kate stroked his cheek with her hand. "You're sweet and a good man. I mean demon. When I get back you're going to need to show me what you really look like. I'm in love with and making love to a demon. It's time I saw what you look like under all that magic." She reached up to kiss him.
"We'll see. Here we go." Rick took hold of her and Jumped them.
Kate was one place one moment and it felt like she had moved but she didn't really see much. However, everything around her changed. The sun was out and she was standing on a rock. "ON A MOUNTAIN!"
"Go to the city, then be here when you summon me." Rick was gone instantly and hoped no one saw them or Kate was in big trouble.
She'd turned to look and felt Castle leave her. "That's a long walk." She sighed, placed her hand on her weapon, and began walking. She was at least on a road, even if it was a dirt road. It wasn't hard to see that the road continued down the mountain and out to the city that had a river running through the middle of it.
"Is that a wall all the way around it?" This was going to be different.
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Kate was mostly alone for quite a while as she walked down this dirt road toward the city. Eventually she started to notice farms. Acres and acres of crops, some of which were easily recognizable. "I must be getting closer." It meant there were people.
Then she heard it. It was behind her and she turned to look. What she saw had her opening her eyes wide. "A wagon!?" She moved to the side of the road and watched it rattle past her. It was being pulled by a pair of horses. The two boys, and she meant boys since they looked really young, didn't pay her any attention as they passed her by. She saw they had produce and a lot of hay in the back of their wagon.
After they went past Kate got back on the road and kept walking.
It was easily another hour later – she spent that time alone – when she heard more noise behind her. Once again she moved off the road, waiting and watching. This time it was four horses with men on them. As they got closer she could see they were wearing leather, had helmets on, and had large swords at their side. There was also a symbol that each of them wore.
Each group looked the other over. The men on horseback rode past her and Kate got back on the road. She tried to think about what she had seen. What popped up in her head were those old movies with Errol Flynn that she used to watch with her mom. "City guard?" It was the best she could come up with.
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Kate eventually found herself in what felt like a caravan to her. All of the others were wagons carrying mostly produce but a few were carrying what looked like jewelry or woodcarvings.
She was forced to admit, and it hurt to admit it, that Castle had been right. Based on what everyone else was wearing she would had stood out like a sore thumb if she had worn what she'd selected.
She also listened to a number of them talking to each other. It sounded like they all knew each other and they were talking about what they were bringing into the city.
A really thin, almost gaunt, man who was walking next to one of the wagons turned to Kate. "Why are you going into the city?" He knew what everyone else was doing. Maybe she was a potential client before they even got inside.
"I need to find a Temple," Kate replied.
He nodded. "You've come to the right place then. Is there a particular one you wish to find? Silverymoon has several."
Kate at least now had a name for the city. It also had her fishing out her piece of paper that had symbols on it. "One of these."
"That's Helm, or The Watcher, sometimes called The Vigilant One. His Temple is called The House Invincible. Have you been in the city before?" He still might have a customer.
She told the truth. "No, this is my first time."
"You'll love Silverymoon. It's a beautiful city. But you can get lost if you're not careful. It's filled with little parks all over. As a result the city streets wind around and up and down. Still it's clean and one of the better smelling cities. Trust me, you'll see.
"His Temple is on the northern end of the market square; our space is on the southern end. I can at least point you in the right direction once we reach our space," he offered, still hoping once he was set up she would buy something.
"Thank you, I accept. Tell me more about the city." If she kept him talking he might not ask too many questions. Questions she might not be able to answer.
"Silverymoon is the prime signatory state of the Confederation of the Silver Marches and therefore, viewed by many as the capital. It was ruled for centuries by High Lady Alustriel Silverhand, a powerful wizard and one of the Seven Sisters, some of the most powerful individuals on Faerûn and also Chosen of Mystra, the goddess of magic. In 1369 Alustriel stepped down, paving the way for her trusted adviser Taern "Thunderspell" Hornblade to ascend to the city's supreme office. She is now the leader of the entire Confederation.
"The Confederation is made up of a series of Wizard Houses. Combined they keep the city safe from any who would dare attack it. It's one of the safest cities in the region." He paused momentarily when they were all forced to stop.
"Looks like a lot of people are trying to enter today. The Market should be busy. If there's anything you want to buy, that's the place to find it. Unless it's magic. Then you have to go to one of the Temples of one of the Magic Guilds. Try to stay on the north bank of the river if you don't have the gold. It's less expensive there. All of the Magic Guilds are south of the river." He stopped talking and started looking at everyone in line.
Kate watched and saw guards in real armor; they were carrying swords with a few sitting on horseback. She watched as everyone seemed to give a guard something. "You have to pay to get inside the city?" She hadn't been expecting that.
"It's just a copper piece every time you want to enter. It helps pay of the city guards. The Silver Knights are some of the very best. Not a group you want to be cross with, though." He waited until it was his and his family's turn.
Kate fished out a single one of Castle's gold coins and handed it over. In return she got a handful of coins. "Next." He was done with her.
Kate followed the man and his wagon to their sale site. She realized they never actually unloaded their wagon. They sold right off of it. It looked like all produce to her and she didn't think she needed any. Though maybe she would stop on her way out. They could use some perishables on the ship.
"Where do I go?" She wanted to get started since it was beginning to get late.
He pointed to the north. "Stay just to the right of the Market all the way to the end. Your Temple will be on the right. All of us will be back tomorrow. We got a late start today." It also meant he had missed out on a number of potential sales.
"I'll stop by if I have the time." And if she had any gold left…
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Kate was traveling up the right side of the market that seemed to go on forever. And this city was filled with small parks. There were also either a plant or a tree or both everywhere. It truly was a green city.
She also noticed that the buildings looked to be a mix of wood and stone or both. Not just wood, but old school wood. Old wood that was now faded to gray.
The Market was mostly plots of dirt, but not all of it. It was the same for some of the roads, if that was what you could call some of them. Some were barely wide enough for two people and several of those were paved using stone or bricks. It reminded her a little of pictures of cities in southern states. Especially the older districts that came before cars.
Kate saw all kinds of goods being sold. She even slowed down to look at a few of the stands. A few of the sellers weren't bashful and tried to get her to stop and keep looking. She found it all interesting. It just wasn't what she was there for.
"Maybe if I have any money left." She kept walking since it looked like the sun was starting to get serious about setting.
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Kate saw it. It looked to be one of the larger buildings in the area. It also had its own wall. At least on this side. There was also a gate with someone standing at the entrance. "I hope I don't have to pay to get in here, too." Still she needed in. She was stopped, of course.
"May I help you?" It was his job to direct people to where they needed to be based on what they wanted.
"I'm looking to buy scrolls," Kate said.
"Take the entrance straight ahead, then. Someone there will help you." She never saw the magic that had just scanned her. It was that scan that allowed her entrance. What Kate didn't know was that this would have been about as far as Castle would have ever gotten. He wouldn't even have the ability to Gate out to try and save himself.
She went in the entrance and found she was in a foyer. Since she didn't see anyone she kept walking. It was there that she entered what looked like a church. It had a lot of seating and there was an extremely large statue of someone on the far end. There were symbols incised into the walls. Holy symbols, Kate thought. They were also on her piece of paper.
Kate saw a young woman enter from another room. She stopped not far away. "How can The Temple to Helm help you?"
Her clothes looked perfectly clean and they looked like they had been given to her. Like a uniform or something. "I need to purchase a number of scrolls, please."
She looked Kate over. "If you will follow me." She inclined her head and walked toward the opening she had just come from. Kate followed her and ended up in a small room. It had another of those symbols, a place to sit, and a tiny table, if you could call it that.
"How can I help you?" This was where they were going to make their transaction or imprison Kate, if necessary.
"I have a list. …And I have gold." Kate reached into Castle's bag and pulled out a handful and placed them on the tiny table. It was then that Kate noticed that she had grabbed one of her gold coins.
She took Kate's list, read it, and picked up Kate's gold coin. "Wait here, please." She then left. Kate began to worry. She hadn't meant to grab one of her coins. She had only brought a couple for an emergency.
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She bowed deeply as she approached a much older woman. "Mistress."
"What is it, Zurielle," K'hanowena inquired.
Zurielle handed her Kate's piece of paper. "There is a young woman who wishes to purchase a number of scrolls from us."
K'hanowena rubbed the paper between her fingers. "Interesting." It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Then she read the list. "Very interesting."
"She has gold, Mistress, however, she also had one of these." She dropped Kate's coin into K'hanowena's outstretched hand.
She was immediately intrigued. The coins everyone used were about the size of a penny, but this coin was several times that size. She ran her fingers over all of it. She looked at her acolyte. "This is very interesting. I have never seen anything like it. No coin has this much detail. It is lovely and very interesting. What else?" She needed information.
"Young, I would say mid-to-late twenties. Human female. Her armor chestplate reads as being magical, though light. Her bracers are the same as is the bag she took this coin from, as well as the weapon at her side which is also unusual," Zurielle related.
"Tell me." This woman had her interest.
"It is a foil, Mistress. It has markings I have never seen before. …She reads as Lawful as well as Good." She was not a threat to either of them nor their Temple.
K'hanowena played with Kate's coin again. She handed the paper back to Zurielle. "Bring her to me then retrieve the scrolls she has asked for."
"At once, Mistress." She bowed deeply and left the way she had come.
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Kate was still standing and looking everything over a little more closely. "If you will follow me, please. Mistress K'hanowena, who is the head of our Temple, would like to talk with you. I will get your scrolls while you talk."
That had Kate scooping up the gold coins and putting them back in her bag.
Zurielle said, "May I ask your name?"
"Kate, Kate Beckett." Kate was sure she would get tripped up if she used an alias so used her real name. Besides her chances of ever coming back here were slim.
Kate followed her to yet another room behind a door. This room was much more decorated and looked lived-in. There was a much older woman sitting next to a table. She also saw her coin laying on the table.
"Mistress, this is Kate Beckett. Kate, this is Mistress K'hanowena, the head of our order." She bowed deeply again. "I will retrieve the scrolls." Zurielle backed out of the room.
"Please sit, Kate Beckett. I wish to talk with you." She had several questions.