Graduation Day
Chapter 3 – A Debt Repaid
Daelynn moved quietly and mostly unnoticed through the late-night market crowd. She had flipped her cloak over revealing a fine blue silk lining, and had pulled the cloak's hood down, revealing her elven features. Raven hair, now worn loose about her shoulders, framed her face. The striking looking elf maid appeared far different from one of two, drab, grey skulking figures who had infiltrated and defiled a Beshaban shrine hours earlier.
She circled the market searching for a specific vendor. She had almost completed her circuit when her eye was drawn to a tall merchant standing in a small stall, who, based on his wares, appeared to specialize in the selling of exotic spices. Ah! The rumors she had ferreted out over the past week looked to be true. Roland's caution notwithstanding, she approached the stall from the side and offered a greeting in a low voice.
"Good evening, Sard."
The merchant immediately stopped what he was doing. Without turning he responded to his visitor. "Roland is the only one who could ever sneak up on me like that. It's fitting that his apprentice has that same skill. And a 'good evening' to you, too, 'Kestrel'."
"Roland is dead."
Sard did not move. "Did the old fox die well?"
"No. Poisoned."
Sard slowly turned to face Daelynn. The elf examined the thief's visage. The first time they had met both were masked. His dark, alluring eyes now shone with unshed tears. The sardonic grin he offered to the world was gone. Instead, his mouth was a thin, tight line. Sard's own eyes widened slightly upon seeing her elven features. The violet eyes that had so captivated him when they had first met were bright. A beautiful and sad face.
"I know why you are here, Kestrel. The Guild has been approached by representatives of both Tymora and her sister. We cannot be involved in this. The Guild brethren – "
"Spare me the blather about Guild unity, charters and the balancing of Guild interests. I have heard it before, remember? I have no interest in hearing more," stated the elf.
Sard drew himself up and was about to offer a retort when Daelynn held up her hand, forestalling any defense.
"Upon your honor, Sard, do you owe anything to Sir Roland? Is there a debt? If so, as his apprentice, I claim what is owed."
Sard frowned. Then scowled. Ah, he had not been expecting that, crowed the elf to herself! The master thief looked down, shook his head, then locked eyes with Roland's apprentice.
"Kestrel, you place me in an awkward situation. As a member of the Guild..."
"You mean as one of The Five, who sit on the Guild Council that rules the Guild?"
In way of acknowledgement of that fact, Sard accorded the elf a small smile.
"As a member of the Guild Council I need to uphold the rulings, no matter what my personal opinion. But, the debt which you now hold was incurred long before I became a Guild thief. What do you need?"
"To reach Tymora's temple. And we both well know that all gateways that lead through the wall about the Temple Quarter are watched. I need another route."
Sard opened his mouth, only to close it as the elf continued to speak.
"Save any talk about swimming canals or crawling through sewers. We are in Old Town – no sewers. And the canal is far to the north. I have not the time to galivant about Capitol. As you may have already noticed, my pursuers have arrived."
Sard had seen the group of men and women enter the far end of the market. They were fanning out and approaching each and every person in the marketplace. No pretense was made about their mission. Cloaks, cowls and hats were stripped from any and every person encountered. Bags and sacks were searched. The gang toughs were unopposed as the City Guard house by the gateway was strangely empty.
"Follow me," said the master thief. Pulling a large bag out from beneath his vending stand, he slung it over a shoulder and left his stall. Unnoticed by the Guild Councillor, Daelynn quickly scooped up a bag of spice slightly larger than her fist, securing it within her vest. The two walked directly away from the Black Scar troops and entered a dark alleyway that ran parallel to the old wall that circled the Temple Quarter.
"This wall that surrounds the Temple complex is only some fifteen or so feet high," explained Sard. "It affords privacy to the Quarter. As Temple loot is quite enticing to unscrupulous thieves, the wall is guarded. Each temple that abuts the wall is responsible for guarding their portion of it. Common stretches are patrolled by the City Guard. At night, the wall is lit by torches or light spells along much of its length. Another disincentive to my brothers and sisters who practice the concealing arts."
"Can we get through or under the wall," asked Daelynn? "It is centuries old. There must be tunnels, hidden doors or passageways."
"Three ways, that I know. One leads to a temple which I think you rather might not want to enter as that God is allied with Beshaba. Another leads to the Temple of the Triune God and is heavily guarded and trapped. Many a brother and sister has lost their life trying that route."
"And the third," asked the elf?
"Thieves Highway," replied Sard, pointing up to a roof. "There is an old signal tower not far from here. It looms over a section of the wall that is not well lit. A talented thief could jump from the tower down onto the wall, avoid or kill the guards along that stretch of it, then slip over it in to deeper shadows. The Tymoran temple would then be some hundred yards across the plaza."
Sard and Daelynn threaded their way through alleys and lanes, arriving at the old tower without incident. Long derelict, it now housed only vermin. Fires, weather and rot had taken their toll.
"How is it that it still stands," asked the elf? "Half of it is near gone - the top floors are open to the elements, and I swear it leans far to the left! Is it swaying?"
Rank garbage and broken pieces of the tower itself filled most of the ground floor. Picking their way through the filth, Daelynn and Sard approached a massive beam that slanted upward. In the dim light Daelynn saw that the beam extended some fifty feet, ending at what appeared to be a landing. The fallen beam had demolished whatever stairs or ladder had existed in the past but offered itself as an alternative avenue to the higher levels.
Scrambling up the fallen timber, Daelynn alit onto the landing. Moonlight flooded into the roofless tower from a half-dozen apertures, only a few of which had at one time been windows. A slender plank, only inches wide, perhaps the remains of a floor, extended twenty feet from the landing to a broken and jagged gap in the tower's outer wall. Below was dimness and a fifty-foot fall. The elf looked at Sard who grinned and indicated she should proceed. Shaking her head, she tossed her cloak to the Guild member, secured the bag against her back, then easily walked the narrow path to the opening. There was enough light entering the structure at this level for Sard to notice the grace and ease of her movements.
By Tyr's left hand, the man observed, the women moved her hips in a most beguiling manner!
Daelynn found herself looking out over the Temple Quarter wall and into the Temple Plaza. She looked down at the top of the wall some thirty feet below her. Damn it, if the tower was not swaying! The top of the wall was about three feet wide, but at this height it looked more like three inches! She turned to the Guild thief as he settled in the aperture close beside her. She could smell spices on him; not strong, but pleasant. Cloves perhaps? One of her favorites.
"Really? So, just jump onto that wall? Only, what? Ten yards? And if I miss? It's over fifty feet to the ground. And in this light? No torches here but plenty of moonlight. It is insane to try, Sard."
"You asked for a way in. Here is a way in. But rather than jumping, which could result in death, why not use a rope and lower yourself to the wall?"
"Because, we used our ropes getting into a secret Beshaban shrine. Our exit was hasty and by another route. For the rest of the evening I was too busy being hunted through the city to replenish supplies, and…"
During her harangue Sard rooted in his bag, pulled out a coil of rope and handed it to her.
"Oh." The elf smiled at her peevishness. "Thank you."
"It's only five or six yards worth. You will still have to drop the rest of the way. As for too much moonlight, pray to Selune. Even a Thieves Guild Councillor cannot alter that for you. Though, may I say, as a Moon Elf, moonlight suits you."
Daelynn rolled her eyes. Sard chuckled.
Looking into the Temple Plaza they beheld a strange sight. Scattered throughout the plaza were tall light standards. Oil lamps usually burned in these, providing light to the plaza all night long. But tonight, many lamps were not lit and around several more, yards-wide black globes of darkness hung. This created a patchwork of shadow and light across the square. Some of the shadows were deep and dark enough in which to hide. Although the hour was late, worshippers and servants of diverse deities were usually always present. Except tonight.
"A shadowy, darkened, empty plaza," observed Sard. "Perfect cover for a thief. Or, as a trap to entice a thief. Which do you suppose it is?"
"Those globes of darkness could hide an enemy…"
"Or an ally," queried the master thief?
"No," replied Daelynn. "I expect to see no friends down there. Not until I reach the steps that lead to Tymora's temple."
The elf indicated the large grey stone structure across the plaza. Twenty or so steps led up to a set of large, open double doors. At this distance and angle, she could not see past them into the temple's vestibule.
Another shrill whistle sounded from below and back near the market place. Daelynn grimaced and tied off the rope Sard had offered to what she hoped was a secure board and not a rotten timber.
"They come." Daelynn whispered to herself.
She looked about her. No choice. She had to get into the plaza. She glared up at the night sky, cursing the bright waning moon. Moons and moonlight for her people were special things, but tonight all she wanted was for those clouds in the eastern sky to cover Selune's orb. Ùdun! Wait. Where had they come from? The clouds, a billowing mass of grey-white, appeared to be moving quickly from the east towards Capitol.
"Sard, …the clouds."
The man looked up from examining the plaza. He watched the movement of the clouds for a few breaths.
"That is wrong," he stated. "At this time of year wind and cloud come from the west, from the Great Dry. They bring cold and dust. These appear to moving from the east."
"Smell the air," the elf directed. Her voice was excited. "Sea air. Salt. This bank of clouds comes from the east, contrary to nature's path! It will cover the moon and hide my descent to the wall. Divine aid!"
"Look!" Sard grabbed her arm and pointed into the plaza at the gateway that led to Old Town's market place. Someone had entered the plaza. Bathed in moonlight, the figure of a man dressed in a dark colored robe could be seen. Hands on hips, he surveyed the square. Although his features could not be made out this distance Daelynn recognized his demeanour. Braxes, Beshaba's cleric.
Braxes too, had seen the clouds moving to cover the moon. He let out a cry of anger and raised a fist shaking it in the direction of the Tymoran Temple. His gaze settled on the derelict tower. He pointed at it and shouted something over his shoulder and through the gateway. She had been still too long! Looking up at the clouds, she readied her rope. Soon!
Hollering from below drew the thieves' attention to the tower interior. Several people were milling about the tower base. A few carried torches. One fellow, more astute or daring then his companions, started to clamber up the beam.
Sard opened his bag and drew out a short bow and quiver of arrows. Bracing himself against the tower wall, he quickly and expertly strung the bow. Without appearing to aim he loosed an arrow at the climber. The man stopped, gazed dumbly at the shaft sticking in his neck, then slowly fell over, tumbling to the base of the beam. His fellow Scars, letting out howls of indignation and fear, wisely retreated from the tower interior.
Sard turned to te elf. "Best you hurry. I will delay them as best I can."
The night sky above the city darkened as the mass of cloud covered the bright moon. Holding the rope, Daelynn swung out and over the wall. As she lowered herself to the end of the rope she could hear shouting and movement from the tower interior again. Beneath her was blackness. She timed the swaying of the tower, offered a prayer and let go of the rope, dropping into the void.
