Volume 2, Part XIX: Foreshadowing
Volume 2, Part XIX: Foreshadowing
Torio staggered forward as Yarreth fell, the weight of the mage's body taking her with it. She heard, ludicrously enough, Sand's weak, flitting thoughts… Did you flick your wrist like I told you to? And then nothing but a thick, dull blankness; she felt a strange, tingling pin-prickle spread around her body, and saw her hands materialize in front of her; Her hands were stained scarlet, gripping wetly around a bloodied hilt still buried in Yarreth's back. The invisibility spell was wearing off.
She looked up in time to see Sand crumple in a heap on the deck of the ship. Torio pushed herself to her feet, staggering away from the mage; the two semi-frozen guards were being set upon by the remaining sailors, while Abelor was fighting off the last one, one handed, his free hand gripping the rope that held Drakken high; the Harbor Master was bobbing up and down in a sickening dance as Abelor moved around the deck below him. She swung her small pack over in front of her as she skidded to a halt above Sand's body. Damn! The spies hadn't labeled anything; did blue mean healing? She fell to her knees, pulling the cork from the top of a blue potion and rolling Sand over.
"Oh gods..." she fought down a wave of panic as her eyes took in the deep, cleaving wound in his shoulder; the wooden deck beneath him was stained, soaking up the blood as quickly as it poured out of him. She tilted his head back, prayed she didn't accidentally drown him, and slowly began pouring the potion down his throat.
Sand's only realization that he had indeed passed out, was when he was yanked back from the blackness by somebody draining a healing vial into his mouth. And of course by the pain which radiated from his shoulder, to his chest and arms. He coughed and sputtered and feebly attempted to wave the person away. "Pain." At least when he was unconscious he didn't feel anything.
He opened his eyes and saw Torio above him, the corner of her eyes creased with worry. He opened his mouth to speak and only got more of the potion down his throat for his efforts, and then gagged again. But it was working: he felt the liquid course through his body, closing the wound and knitting the muscles back together. The numbness was still there in his arm but it wasn't as bad as before.
He closed his eyes again, reaching up and taking her hand, hoping that the battle was near done and that they would be free soon. And that, dear girl, is why I am a lover, not a fighter.
Torio watched as Sand coughed and gurgled against the rest of the potion, but at least it went down. She felt his fingers twitch, shift, and slip into her own and she released the breath she had been holding. She pulled the cork from another bottle when the first one emptied. And what an excellent lover you make. She glanced up, watching as the two guards nearest to them were tossed unceremoniously over the boat, their chainmailed, mortally wounded bodies splashing spectacularly into the sea. The sailors all surrounded the last remaining guard, Abelor's almost maniacal laughter mingling with the hoarse battle cries and the gurgling scream of the dying man.
The second potion was finally emptied into Sand's mouth. She watched, fascinated, as the wound closed in front of her eyes, flesh stretching out over the bloody gap and grasping together, knitting and weaving until the wound was merely a mottled, painful looking welt that ran across his shoulder and down his chest.
A third splash finally announced the "departure" of the last guard. There was a scramble of booted feet, and then they were suddenly and inescapably surrounded by sailors at varying levels of injury. The pointed tip of a rapier caught under chin, and pressed against her flesh; she stood, placing herself over Sand's body as Abelor's blade drew her upwards until he could look her in the eye.
"Well, Master 'Jacob'," said Abelor amiably. "I believe, since we've saved you and your wizard's life here, you might answer a few questions of mine." His eyebrows arched over his eyes jauntily. "Or you can join Master Drakken's friends in the Sea, if you prefer."
Torio watched him carefully; Abelor's eyes were shrewd and intelligent, belying his outward demeanor of the bellowing, amiable sea captain. "I'll answer whatever questions you have," she said evenly. "Provided you move my...my Master, here, somewhere more comfortable."
Abelor's mouth twitched in a half-smile; he withdrew his rapier, sheathing it, and suddenly the crew came alive; Sand was hauled up off of the deck, and the men dispersed, two of them carrying the wizard towards the Captain's cabin while the rest began cleaning up the deck, throwing scattered bodies over the edge of the boat and unfurling the sails fully, catching the wind. Torio held up a hand and moved to where Yarreth's body still lay face down in the deck. She pressed her booted foot against the mage's back and yanked out her dagger...almost absently, as an afterthought, she straddled the mage's body, gripped his bald-head, pulled it back, and sliced the wizard's throat; dead or almost dead, certain was certain.
She stood, sheathing the dagger in her waist, and nodded at Abelor wearily. "Shall we?"
The flurry of activity around his head was much too confusing for Sand to follow. All he knew was that he was being carried rather roughly by two sailors below deck and that him and Torio were both alive. That was a start. His shoulder was healed but any strong movements sent sharp needles of pain up his spine. Luskan had not been kind to either of his shoulders, it seemed.
He was half-hauled, half-tossed onto a small bed, before the two sailors retreated and he heard footsteps following him into the room. The door closed firmly and was locked. Sand risked opening his eyes.
He was lying in the Captain's quarters. He could tell by the way it was decorated: richly woven Amnish rugs, charts and maps scattered on tables, decorative cutlasses and rapiers on the wall. A shrunken head hanging from a candelabrum, for added atmosphere. A small cabinet held glasses and bottles of liquor and wines.
Torio was still in her disguise, her hands covered in blood. There was a large purple bruise starting to form on her cheek. Abelor looked none the worse for wear, considering the scale of the battle. In fact, he had a bit of a pleased flush to his face.
Abelor went immediately to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle with a dark, golden brown liquid and three small crystal glasses. "Spiced rum from Tethyr. Goes down nice as a victory drink." He slowly and carefully poured each of them a glass, giving Torio the first goblet with a small bow before helping Sand to a sitting position and handing him the alcohol. "To a most spectacular exit from Luskan! Here's hoping I can bribe enough people so I can return to the City of Sails. The Lusty Waterdhavian just doesn't have the same ring." He smacked his lips. "Very impressed with your efficiently, 'Jacob'. You've killed before, I take it."
Torio eyed the glass in her hand for a moment, before drinking it down; the alcohol burned the back of her throat, and she coughed briefly, her eyes beginning to water. "I doubt you'd find a soul living today that hasn't killed before, Captain Abelor." Her voice sounded tight from the traces of rum, and she cleared her throat, all pretense of playing the dullard apprentice gone; Torio had a feeling that Abelor hadn't bought into it regardless. She leaned against the wall of the cabin wearily; her face was beginning to throb with every beat of her pulse, the beginnings of a headache lancing through her skull.
Her eyes darted towards Sand; Are you all right, bodaes? She couldn't help noting the copious amount of blood staining the front of his robe with a downward pull of her mouth. Heaven forbid we actually travel anywhere without leaving half of ourselves staining the ground behind us.
Sand tossed the rum back and coughed, which only caused the ache in his torso to worsen. He inhaled, closing his eyes, letting the burn of the alcohol warm him from the inside. I'll be all right, Helkaer, hanging on by my fingernails here but it's not like I haven't done that before. How are you?
Torio looked back towards Abelor. "I suppose I should ask you, Captain...how much were you told when our...friends garnered us passage on your ship?"
Abelor was pouring himself more of the rum. "Only that papers were required to smuggle a wizard and his apprentice out of Luskan and into Neverwinter's waters. And that it would be a risky but well paying venture. Very well paying." He sat on the edge of the desk and gesture for Torio to sit at one of the cushioned high back chairs. "You know, in a strange way, the lady 'Nagendra' did come see me at my ship and without her husband in tow." He laughed jovially. "Abelor gets his wish after all. Will you keep a lonely ship's Captain company tonight?"
Abelor's frankly appraising stare caught her off guard as she sank into the cushioned chair, and for a moment she froze, utterly dismayed...am I going to have to bed every living creature between here and Crossroad Keep just to survive another day?
A small wave of alarm washed through Sand at the thought of Abelor making less than wholesome advances towards Torio now that they were at his mercy aboard his ship. He may not have been able to save her from Asrar, but he wasn't about to her flounder this time. He slid off the bed, grimacing, and hobbled pathetically over closer to them, leaning heavily on the chair. "Actually - good captain - have you not heard? We've become recently engaged to be married." Play along, dear girl.
Sand was dragging himself forward...Torio felt her face go completely smooth, expressionless and empty for only a brief moment, before she shot a sly smile towards Abelor. "A little too late, captain," she said amiably. "I'm afraid my company's needed elsewhere tonight." I hope this works, bodaes...you do realize that even posing as a married couple in Luskan, I still had to...
She cut the thought off at once; she suddenly and very acutely didn't want Sand to know the details of what had happened in Asrar's manse, and instead, asked evenly, "But there must be some other way we can repay you..." She arched a brow meaningfully, "...and perhaps ensure your discretion?"
The more time Sand spent with Torio, the more impressed he was at her ability to pick up and run with a lie without missing a beat. At the same time, it slightly worried him, as he would have no idea if she was ever lying to him.
He felt her cut off her thoughts suddenly from him. It was almost jarring but he didn't risk looking at her. Something had happened at Asrar's; Sand could feel it, sense it brewing lowly in her mind, something she was still refusing to acknowledge or talk about. He frowned slightly but Abelor was talking in that loud boisterous voice of his, his eyes glinting...
"My organization is always in need of capable people like yourselves. Perhaps a favor to be named in the future would be a good way to go about it."
Sand shook his head firmly. "That price is a little steep for us. What organization is this? We don't know anything about what you could ask us to do, and if you do forgive us, after all we've recently gone through, I think we're justified in our suspicions."
Abelor polished off his glass of rum. "Aye aye, fair enough. I'm a mercenary, this much is true. I sail for the highest bidder; just so happens the highest bidder is nearly always the Shadow thieves. We're always in need of people who can do infiltrations, work with information; and the both of you are very very capable of that." He shook his head, amazed. "Sneaking into Luskan and then sneaking back out with your lives. Never thought I'd see it done."
Sand glanced at Torio, her expression unreadable. "We'll consider it and let you know." Shadow thieves - what do you know of them, dear girl?
Tricky at best, Sand...based out of Athkatla, they tend to honor deals when it suits them best. It would...put us at odds with Nasher, of that I have no doubt. If he discovered the arrangement, of course.
Abelor nodded and then clapped his large hands together. "On to happier and more personal news then. Congratulations! When I saw you both - mind you as Tanith and Nagendra - I saw some real sparks. Should have figured." He gave Sand a hard smack on the back, nearly sending the wizard to the floor again. "You lucky old salt! I should make you walk the plank to free up the lady again." He threw his head back and laughed loudly. "I'm kidding of course. Mostly."
Abelor stood and went back to his liquor cabinet. "This calls for champagne!" The captain popped the cork expertly and poured them all a flute of the sparkling liquid. "You know, as a ship's captain, I can perform marriages. What do you say?"
Her mind was turning, trying to process what Abelor was offering them, when the Captain also offered her a fluted glass of champagne and the offered to marry them on the spot. Her fingers squeezed the glass momentarily; for a moment, she had a horrifying vision of herself in a frothy wedding gown, standing on the deck of the Lusty Luskan; she felt her blood rush from her face, but she merely smiled a little thinly up at the boisterous man. "It's a tempting offer; we shall have to think on it, won't we?" She glanced over at Sand, her eyes wide. "I hadn't considered a wedding at sea."
I hadn't considered a wedding at all, technically.
"Both of your offers are generous, Abelor" she said, after taking a long, soothing drink from the champagne glass. "We'll consider them carefully; do you have a place we could..." she winced as she used the crass terminology, "…hole up in on ship while we do so? We both have wounds that need tending to."
Abelor stood graciously. "Of course. I offer you both the Captain's suite; I can't be sending the lady down to the crew's quarters! Torio - as far as I know, my men still think you're Jacob, the apprentice. As for you, Sand - well - I'll come up with something but they shouldn't know you or anything about you so I believe you identity is safe." He began tidying up, folding charts and shoving papers into drawers, before locking them. "Try to stay out of the way of my sailors. It'll raise fewer questions."