Chapter 2: Response
"Milady, be reasonable," the impeccably groomed dwarf implored the striking, elegant woman before him.
The look in her eyes caused him to involuntarily take a step backwards.
"Do not stand in my way Fret," Alustriel, High Lady of the Silver Marches tersely shot back. "I will summon my flying chariot and be there and back in no time".
"But the council begins tomorrow and already delegations have arrived," Fret, the lady's advisor rebutted, standing his ground. "There's too much at stake for you not to be there."
"And this is something that I must do for my sisters and I," she responded doggedly.
"You know nothing of this situation, only the vague writings of a hurried message," the dwarf countered.
"I KNOW Fret what this is about."
"Then send Lady Dove. She's better suited for this type of activity," Fret answered firmly though he looked away, not able to meet Alustriel's blazing glare.
"He is right milady," chimed in Taern Hornblade, the leader of Silverymoon, "there is too much at stake right now for you to be flying off on some quest."
Alustriel looked at the man who had taken over from her after she'd assumed the leadership of the whole shire. She wondered anew if she'd made the right decision to step up to the role. Her life now seemed less and less her own, always her duty superseded. What once had been free and limited only by her energy was now confined more and more to negotiating tables and state dinners. The woman's heart yearned for the freedom of the past but her duty, loyalty and honour checked what once was.
The two advisors looked expectantly at her.
Alustriel, High Lady of the Silver Marches, paused for a moment weighing her options. Once again obligation overcame personal desire.
"Very well. Call for my sister and have her go and see what she can find out about this message."
Knowing he'd worn out his welcome the dwarf advisor gave an elegant bow and quickly left the woman in the receiving room to be alone with her thoughts.
The Quaal's Token, which acted almost like a carrier pigeon, had arrived less then an hour ago and still she couldn't shake the unsettled feeling the message it contained gave her.
I have in my possession an item of great importance to your family, one dating back to your mother Elue.
It could only be one thing.
The Orb of Bera Shinar had been a powerful magical item her mother had possessed but when the woman was consumed by the magic she studied centuries ago in a great cataclysm the item had been thought lost. Alustriel herself knew little of it, there were few writings in the family record about that time, but she did know it to be powerful and have something to do with her sister Qilue.
I have discovered an important secret about this treasure, one of great significance.
What did this mean? Had this merchant uncovered something she didn't know about the Orb? She'd have to wait for her sister to find out.
On the fifth day Dove returned, exhausted and dirty from her travels. The grim look on her attractive face gave the older sister pause for thought.
"So, did you find Forfar?" Alustriel asked, not expecting a favourable answer.
"I found him and his caravan slain just past the Calling Horns," Dove reported. "It appears they didn't make it far from the village of St. Vincent before they were attacked."
"So they were overtaken from behind?"
"No, it seems more likely they were ambushed out of the Evermoors," the expert tracker surmised.
"What about the Orb?"
"Nowhere to be found."
"And?" the High Lady asked, sensing her sister hadn't told her everything. Sighing, she again wished she had gone in the first place.
"There's more," Dove answered. "The brigands were slain a short distance away. Throats slit in their camp, guards in the same position."
The news genuinely surprised the woman who could anticipate most things. "Who did this?" Alustriel asked with a growing sense of dread.
"You don't want to know sister," Dove declared, not liking the answer herself. A stern look from her elder gave her the response she already knew.
"It appears to have been the Kraken Society," the skilled ranger declared.
"What? How can that be?" Alustriel shot back in disgusted. "They operate only in Luskan."
The Kraken Society was a dangerous criminal organization working out of the near lawless port city on the Sword Coast. Made up of thieves and assassins they were a formidable and deadly force. If they sought the Orb it would make its recovery a hard thing to accomplish.
Dove wearily shook her head. She travelled the woods and trails where she could seek answers to simple questions. Matters of intrigue and politics were left to those like her sister. "Well, I poked around a bit in the nearest village and it appears as if they have set up in Waterdeep as well and found out about the item."
"So the heirloom of our mother is lost?" a now forlorn Alustriel whispered.
"No its not," her sister answered mysteriously.
"What do you mean?"
"It seems that Forfar suspected he was being followed and hid the item on the path they'd travelled," Dove reported.
"Well then we must search for it!" Alustriel declared. "Captain Gavin," she called out to the next room for the head of her guard.
"Easier said then done," Dove countered. "The caravan Forfar travelled with could have taken at least two roads to get to that point and it could be stashed anywhere along it." She ran a hand through her matted hair. "Besides, it could already be in the hands of the Krakens."
"I don't think it is," Alustriel responded quietly. "If it were we would know by now."
Before her sister could counter the thought a tall, well-built soldier entered the room. A Knight in Silver, he was a captain in the elite army of Silverymoon. The best fighting force in the March, even the dwarves respected their ability.
"Captain, I want you to get the men in your troop ready to ride immediately," Alustriel ordered.
"We can't do that," Dove gently countered.
Even before her sister spoke the High Lady knew she couldn't. It would be an abuse of power to send the city's soldiers to go on a personal mission though none would have complained.
"Sorry captain for calling you," Alustriel admitted, averting his gaze in embarrassment. "Please return to your duties."
The soldier bowed then began to withdraw from the room while Dove kept speaking.
"We need help in this," the ranger admitted, "I can't find it on my own."
"Then we'll seek some worthy adventurers who will help in this matter."
Dove snorted. "And risk running into the Krakens? Good luck. No one in their right mind would take such a quest for mere gold."
A new voice joined the conversation.
"If the Lady Dove will find a band milady I will be happy to lead another who seems qualified."
Captain Gavin had not left the room but instead returned back to interject into the conversation.
"Your offer is well met Captain," Alustriel replied with true appreciation, "but as we mentioned, it would be inappropriate to send you on this business."
"I'm not asking to be sent milady, I'm volunteering. I have a lot of leave accumulated and I'd be honoured to take it to lead an expedition on this quest."
Alustriel, the High Lady of the Silver Marches and likely the most powerful being in all the north of Faerun, could not speak at the touching gesture. A single tear rolled down her porcelain clear cheek.
Maybe the heirloom could be returned to them after all.