Chapter 32

Kait reached for her sister's hands and could not look at the dress she looked towards Shayla that now sat stone faced and filled with her own kind of outrage over what had happened to two of the people she had become the closest.

Kait began to talk, and this time it was not a run on of words as she spoke softly, "I love you and M'lar so much that I wanted to know what it was like to walk in the shadows."

Shayla snorted and muttered, "Of all the hair brained things to want to know."

Kait ignored her mutterings and continued on, "So, he blind folded me and took me somewhere dark and left me alone then he knocked me down and asked me what my greatest fear was and I told him rats."

She felt her emotions coming over her. Sniffing lightly, "He then took liberties with me and touched my breasts and pulled up my skirt and the whole time he was describing to me what it would be like to be eaten by rats and to have my body found by those I loved with my face eaten away that they would not know me but for my hair. I was terrified then he told me I could not say one word of this to anyone and that he wanted to be with you, that you were close to falling in love with him and he was in love with you and that you were going to be together."

Shayla bounded up from her seat and began to pace furiously back and forth, her anger so intense she was about to explode with her spell fire and she knew she had to get it under control.

"That man is delusional. There is no way I would be with him or want to be with him. He took me to his damn cave and it was filled with candlelight and roses and offered me a dinner for two. He was a perfect gentleman but I was not impressed with him nor did I want to be with him even though he pressed me for a night in his arms and his bed, I refused."

Shayla walked over and jerked the dress from M'lar's hands and frowned deeply, "How badly were you hurt M'lar?" M'lar looked at the dress in her hands. "I was hurt more mentally and emotionally than physically, as soon as I could get away from him, I healed myself. I don't think he permanently damaged my ability to bare children, but he did break some membranes in my vagina and it tore me. Had I not gotten away to heal myself I am pretty sure I would have hemorrhaged to death. Those injuries healed. The anger and the shame, hatred and rage were not so easy to heal."

Kait held onto her sister and whispered, "I am so sorry sister. I would never want any thing so horrific happen to you like that. Why did you not fight him? I know you can fight and you are good with her abilities."

M'lar hugged her sister back and then broke the hold and moved to peer out the window of her bedroom. "Because he had me at a disadvantage, he had me pinned to the ground and was ripping my dress and I could not move and did not know if I did move if I would plummet to my death and if I did die, would you or Shayla know or care what had happened to me."

Shayla moved to M'lar and put an arm around her, "M'lar I have to say when we first met, I wanted you dead and gone. But never would I ever have wished this on you at anytime during that period of my life. Since we have grown so close and now are related by blood and love, I want nothing more than to see this man's gentiles hung from the highest yard arms."

M'lar turned and hugged her sister and whispered, "I never wanted anything like this to happen to you or Kait but I felt I deserved what happened by allowing myself to go with him and then there was my past. What I had done when I was with Tarin. I felt I finally was paid back for all the bad things I had done."

It was Kait's turn to join them at the window and to gasp, "My dear sister never does a woman deserve this, this is just too sick and perverse. No matter what you had done, you did not deserve this kind of treatment."

Shayla nodded, " He needs to die, he needs to suffer as he dies and know that what he did will never be tolerated."

M'lar paled, "Shayla, Kait and I cannot be involved in anything illegal, I have been in trouble enough and trust me I do not need Eric's condemnation of me to be furthered because I was a part of something illegal, I feel he needs to be publically horse whipped."

Kait stiffened, "M'lar was Darrin the one that hurt you the other day when you were left naked in the park."

M'lar broke from the two and walked to her bed and sunk down on its edge. Shayla frowned, "What is this?" Kait turned to look from M'lar to Shayla, "The other day when M'lar went for a run in the park, She went to the hill and she was grabbed and forced into the woods and she was attacked brutally, her face was carved, her breasts had carvings on them and so did her legs."

Shayla moved to sit next to M'lar "Was it him?"

M'lar nodded, "He said I was not cooperating enough to bring you to him and he wanted me to know he was serious and that he was gong to mark me so I would not forget. This time though I fought him and I was winning until he got some incredible strength and tripped me, then once again he pinned me down. I felt him cut my clothing off and he was going to use his blade's hilt on me again."

She felt terror of that moment and took another deep breath. This time I got away but by then I was loosing so much blood and getting weaker that all I could do was stagger into the open common area of the park and then I awoke in Morgan's office."

Shayla was up like a shot, "Burn this dress, I will buy you another. You Kaitlin Kaleen, you stay here with her, I need to tell Zak that I am going to be busy for a while."

M'lar stood, "Shayla?"

She turned and then moved to her sister and whispered, "This is my mess and a way I know how to deal with him, I am going to put you and Kait on the spell jammer to Waterdeep and you will go for a week then you will return and we will be all happy and fine once more a family without any worries."

Shayla turned and disappeared out the door and was gone. M'lar sat on the edge of the bed and buried her face to her hands. "Oh Kait I am sorry I did not keep your secret, but she had to know."

Kait moved to her sister and put her arms around her and whispered, "It is ok, my sweet sister. He has been tormenting you far more than he has me."

M'lar sighed and looked at her sister through tear stained eyes. "He was with Gabby earlier and you, Gabby is getting closer to him and I am worried for her, I might be angry with her but I would not wish him to hurt her like he did you or me. Then I heard Rosemary saying he had been very helpful to her and well, Kait he is targeting all the vulnerable women on the island or women of power on the island.'

She had grown quiet and Kait looked at her bent head, watching her hands tremble. Her voice had grown soft. " I just felt dirty and ashamed of what happened."

Kait hugged her tighter; "I think I will spend the night here with you in Gillian's bed, Jodi and Kat left with her for the temple earlier. Soon we can move to the temple and not have to worry about where we will spend the night."

M'lar nodded she did not trust her voice. She was filled with emotion. "Shayla says we are going on a spell jammer to Waterdeep and that will be nice, do you suppose we could stay at the Jade Jug? I would dearly love to stay there but it is terribly expensive and I was just wondering what we might do while in Waterdeep and if we could take in the theater and then there is shopping although things there are very expensive and well maybe I am thinking too grand so maybe we could just scale it down and not stay at the most expensive place. Maybe we could just stay at the little bed and breakfast places and perhaps just do things that are not so expensive and just rest and enjoy the feel of a new place."

M'lar hugged her sister and spoke softly, "I love you Kait and we can stay wherever you wish as long as it is not too expensive I don't have a lot of extra money to spend. Remember I have a temple to pay for and to keep up now."

Kait flushed, "But sister, I have a little money put back and well I thought some of the stay could be my treat." Both sisters hugged each other rocking on the bed. Kait gently stroking M'lar's hair from her face and holding onto her to give her some comfort and M'lar clung to Kait her eyes closed. She knew she was to be the strong one but she did not feel so strong, she felt horrible. She wanted to be pampered and told the life would be ok.

Shayla moved through the streets her anger was boiling beneath the surface and her rage was barely contained as she moved towards the House. Bart caught up with her rapidly moving form and stepped in front of her. "Where are you off to?"

Shayla paused and narrowed her eyes. "Did you know M'lar was raped?"

Bart sighed and looked down and his shoulders slumped, "No, I only suspected she had been molested but not raped."

Shayla frowned deeper, "Did you know that Kait was molested?" Bart's hands clinched and unclenched and he blanched visibly. "NO, if I had the scoundrel involved would not be alive."

Shayla nodded, "Good then we were on the same page, walk with me and let me tell you what happened and then you can help me decide what to do about it."

As Shayla stepped along the park pathway, she began to speak in soft tones. "Apparently a man by the name of Darrin Summerset has been pretty damn busy targeting the women of power on this island and he has made moves on three if not five of them so far. With two of them he hurt them horribly."

Bart felt his stomach knotting with the information he was hearing. "I knew that M'lar had been hiding some thing from me and the others around her that she cared about. I had no idea it was this."

They had moved so rapidly along the pathway that they were soon arriving at the House and Shayla entered behind Bart and stopped to slam the door, not once but twice and then a third time.

The other residents at the house heard the slam of the door and moved into the common room to stand and watch Shayla in a fit of anger and waited patiently for her to come and explain what had made her so angry. With the final slam she stepped into the center of the room and ordered, "Sit, all of you."

There were a total of five members present and at her command found a place to drop and wait. "Tonight I heard a story that affected a well loved family member of mine, to be exact two family members of mine and I am very upset. It would appear that a low life guttersnipe decide to use the hilt of his knife to rape my sister. It has injured more than her body, he injured her spirit and her soul."

From the female members of the house present there was a gasp of outrage from the male contingent there were low growls and softly uttered curses.

"So, at this moment, there is a bounty on the head of Darrin Summerset. I will pay one hundred thousand gold for his head to be placed in the town square with a sign rapist hung over his head."

Bart stepped forward and spoke, "He also molested another member of Shayla's family a woman of untouched virtue and great admiration by many of you here, apparently he targeted the Lady Kaitlin as well and she was treated most foully."

This set off another round of outrage until someone asked, "Who was the one that was raped with the knife?" Shayla looked to the questioner a female elf that had shown she did not like M'lar but tolerated her.

"M'lar." Shayla said softly and this made the female elven thief blanch. "

The breed was attacked?" Shayla glowered at the female thief, "Yes, and so help me Salandra, if you say she deserved it, I shall gut you where you stand."

Salandra shook her head. "I may not like what she is but I like who she is and she has never harmed anyone in my presence. So, I would very much like to this Darrin dead and it would be my pleasure to send him to his god or the grey wastes."

Shayla smiled and nodded to each of them, "I will expect proof of his death and the one responsible will see me to be paid for the contract once it is fulfilled." The room slowly emptied Bart moved to Shayla's side, "I thought you would call first blade to come into this hunt."

Shayla sighed and nodded, "He is already on the hunt did you not see he was in the dining room when I held the meeting?"

Bart shook his head, "No that is why he is the ninja and I am but a lowly information gatherer."

Shayla moved to the door and paused, "Bart, stay close to her, I am sending her and Kait to Waterdeep until this mess is over, I will ask Morgan if they can stay at his estate and then make sure they are kept busy while we deal with this new problem of Mr. Darrin Summerset. He told them he had planned to make me his love interest and felt more opposition from M'lar. That is why he targeted her like he did. He really brutalized her and then shamed her into thinking she asked for it and deserved it."

Shayla moved to the sofa and collapsed. "So, I will be sending you to Waterdeep, you need to break out your disguises and follow her and Kait and keep them safe while they are there. They are not to mingle with anything dark."

Shayla shot him a glance to make her point. "Do you understand?"

Bart smiled and nodded. "Perfectly." He moved to kiss Shayla's cheek, "As always the normal fee?"

She nodded watching him open the door. "I mean it Bart I want their trip to Waterdeep to be nothing but exciting and happy nothing bad will befall them and I will send word to the network that you will be in their area on assignment for me and they are to give you leeway and shelter."

Bart smiled, he thought about Waterdeep and all he had done before coming here and he was actually excited about going back and seeing some of his old friends.

"They will have a marvelous time my dear, that I promise."

Shayla stood and spun around the lightly chastised him with a soft chuckle., "Do not forget that Waterdeep is not your play ground Bart. You are there for a specific reason and if need be, I shall ask that you get some help to protect them."

Bart thought about how M'lar was a shit magnet and nodded, "It might not be a bad idea to see if I can get some more help. You don't know your sister as well as I do and she does seem to attract more problems than one cold imagine."

Shayla nodded and thought a moment. "I will contact the D'Armonds and see if they can provide some protection and help for you. Darius D'Armond owes me big time for some help I provided for him. His mother I steer clear of she can be a royal pain in the arse and a bitch to boot."

Bart frowned, "You talking about Daniela D'Armond?"

Shayla nodded, "A brutal blood thirsty bitch that has hate for anything other than her daughter and her son."

Bart muttered, "One of the ladies of Waterdeep from what I had heard."

Shayla smiled, "No Bart, THE Lady of Waterdeep and no one wants to cross her, she can be rather heartless when it comes to loyalty or the lack thereof. She is far more ruthless than any woman I have ever met and she has incredible power and I don't mean as the head of the underground network in Waterdeep, I mean she is like Morgan."

Bart growled hearing this. "I will most definitely steer clear of her."

Shayla nodded and smiled, "Smart man, now go pack and get ready to leave, I am heading back to the Hoch to collect the girls and send them off. Oh, I almost forgot, we will need to take Gillian and move her to my cottage, go do that first and then get ready it will take Madigan at least three hours to prepare the spell jammer for flight."

Shayla knew John Doe, as her and the House's First Blade; he sat quietly in the tree near the cave. His camouflage ninja suit blended perfectly with the tree and the leaves. When his eyes were closed even the treants could not tell he was there.

So, like a cat waiting patiently for its prey, he sat in the tree and watched for he vermin that was using the women of this island for his power games. He thought a moment about M'lar and knew she was not wholly clean from her more nefarious days of living with that necromancer. The one and the same Tarin that worshiped the now dead Myrkul. But she had tried to clean up her act then got sucked into the game that had been dangerously played against Morgan by the necromancer Rahvin.

He had to admit that was not entirely her fault, the bastard had manipulated her and plagued her mind with is own mind tricks. He had to admit that at least Rahvin had admitted to his Princess that it was his idea to kill Morgan. He even went so far to say that M'lar did not want any part of Morgan's death. He admitted she only wanted him brought to justice.

Then again did he not see her with Morgan in the park the other evening? Well it did not matter; right now he had 0ne hundred thousand gold on the line to rid the island of a rapist. It was a good thing Prin did not know about this, she would have marched out there to confront him and put her self at risk. So he waited patiently, he knew this was his cave it reeked of his scent.

From what he understood, from what M'lar had told Shayla he had rigged the cave with traps so he would have to catch him leaving the cave and not allow Darrin to draw him into his traps. He needed all the advantage he could gain from this, and he would take his head and pin it on the town square on a pike, for all to see what happened to rapists on this island.

So, John waited, closing his eyes and listening with the intentness that was part of his training and ingrained into his soul. Controlling his adrenalin and his breathing John waited. His eyes opened when he heard the snap of a twig.

Drawing his small hand held crossbow, he waited keeping his eyes closed, he listened and then he heard the footfalls again. Another twig snapped and it was close. First Blade opened his eyes and watched as his target came into view he took aim and with a subtle twang, the small poison covered dart flew and hit his target with a thunk.

Darrin did not know what hit him but he knew he was hit and the taste that had filled his mouth was a sure sign it was not good. His body growing slowly cold he felt paralyzed and his eyes searched for the assailant.

John dropped down out of the tree landing with s subtle thump on the ground to walk slowly towards the now pathetic individual that looked wild eyed back at him. "Why?"

John smiled behind his hood and looked into his eyes, "Because we don't like rapists." Darrin knew his hours were numbered if not his seconds with the poison making its way through his system.

"She deserved it."

He said through clenched teeth. John reached out and snatched a hand full of hair and jerked his head back. "No woman deserved that you piece of shit." John withdrew his blade and while Darrin watched horrified, John with one fluid movement took Darrin's head from his neck, lifting it he smiled.

John reached for Darrin's left hand and pulled the gold scripted D ring he wore. Shoving the ring into his hidden pocket, John smiled and muttered softly, "Another easy pay check." Pulling out the bag from his backpack, he slipped the head into the black bag and moved away from the headless body.

He would have whistled but found to do so was actually in bad taste. So instead he made his way to the town square and waited for it to clear out. With the square now appearing empty, John moved to the flag post. Easily climbing up the post to the top, he lowered the flag and then reached for the head and shoved it onto the top of the flagpole.

the sign made he pinned it to the center of his forehead and then John slid down the post and stepped back to look at his handiwork and smiled. "Yep people will realize that we do not take kindly to rapists on this island."

'He got what he deserved'. John thought walking away and blending into his surroundings moving silently back to the House. He knew Shayla would not be in her office, she had said she would be making arrangements for Kaitlin and M'lar to go to Waterdeep.

So, he moved into her locked office and placed the ring in the spot he knew she would look and know who had left the message 'mission accomplished' and knew payment should be forth coming.

With time to spare and a need to clean up, he slipped up to one of the spare rooms and found some clean clothing then headed to the bathing chambers to take a long hot bath so he did not have to take the stench of that vermin home to his wife.

Humming softly he moved along the hallway with a little bounce to his step when a voice arrested his progress. "Twenty percent John, you did not bother to tell me you were going after him?"

John turned and smiled at Lanz, "Because I already knew where he would be. Fifteen percent Lanz and not one gold more."

Lanz frowned, "NO John the original deal was twenty percent if I did not go with you or you did not come with me."

John frowned and looked at his partner with a narrowed eyed look, "Twelve percent Lanz and if you argue it keeps going down."

Lanz smiled and nodded, "Ok, then you get the twelve percent from the job I just finished and you are not going to be happy when you find out it was twice the amount you will get from Shayla."

John frowned, "Really, what contract was that."

Lanz smiled, "Not your concern, you get twelve percent and if you keep arguing John it will go down to seven percent because you want to dicker."

John muttered about thieving back stabbing partners when Lanz held up his black leather clad hand. "Seven percent John, do you want to make it four?"

John clamped his mouth shut and turned heading to the bathing chambers then paused, "Well old buddy, next time it will be twenty percent either way for us."

He smiled and winked then disappeared into the bathing chambers. Lanz chuckled, he got his point across and he would deliver upon his payment for that contract the twelve percent he owed John, slipping into his room he was tired and he had to get some rest, it had been a long day for both of them.