Chapter 65: Torio
Nimbrethil stifled a sigh as she stood atop the battlements staring down onto the training grounds. She had been back at the keep for only six weeks, but it was already beginning to seem like a lifetime. If it wasn't for the fact that her quarters were such a relaxing hideaway, she would probably go stark raving mad. Bishop did his best to distract her, but she couldn't exactly stay in her quarters with him all the time. After all, the keep did not run itself, even though she had parcelled out as much responsibility for it as she could get away with. Not only that, he had to train those men who showed an aptitude for archery. That required him to be down on the grounds with the men.
Casavir had done a good job finding and recruiting miners and had even found another officer for the keep, one Katriona by name. Nim hadn't recognized the woman at first, but when she did finally make the connection to Old Owl Well she had barely kept from expressing her distaste. The woman obviously took the position here to be close to Casavir, even though it was patently obvious that the paladin was not interested in her. That still didn't stop the woman from mooning after him like some lovesick puppy. Foolish woman, getting that hung up on a man, Nim snorted to herself. However, as long as she performed her duties within acceptable boundaries, then Nim could just ignore her.
Orlen and Shandra had worked wonders with the lands around the keep and now the crops were well on their way and should be providing for the keep within a month or so. There was plenty of game around, and more merchant traffic was heading their way, bringing those items that could not be grown or hunted. That was a good thing too because Casavir and Katriona had been quite successful in finding men to recruit for the keep from the surrounding lands. The keep now housed more than one hundred men at arms, as well as cooks, maids, laundry personal, and groundskeepers. Of course, the number of men were still too few, but she refused to take just anybody. Several hopeful farmers had been sent back to the fields because they just weren't fit enough to be soldiers. She knew that most of them felt that being a soldier was a better and more prestigious occupation than being a farmer, a foolish notion that no amount of words would dispel. When Katriona had questioned her about it, she had flat out told the woman that she would not allow anyone to be recruited who didn't stand a good chance of surviving the first skirmish in a war. When the woman had mentioned that it was common practice to recruit as many as possible during war time, she had become angry. She had coldly told Katriona that she might as well just kill the men herself for they would surely die before the first skirmish in any battle was even finished. That had effectively silenced the woman even though Casavir had lectured her afterwards that she could have been a little more tactful about it. Hmph, if Casavir wanted tact let him hire a public speaker.
One bright spot though was the fact that she had finally convinced Kana of the pointlessness of all the paperwork she managed to come up with, although not in the way most would have done so. The woman wanted to keep a detailed accounting of every coin spent, every purchase requisitioned for the keep or the smithy, and every little problem or obstacle faced by Master Veedle. Not only that, she wanted to keep track of every hour the men at arms spent training, on guard duty, or resting. Casavir had come to her two days ago seeking assistance with some of the paperwork. When she had seen the piles that Kana had stacked on the desk in the throne room, she had simply stared in disbelief before shaking her head in disgust. Walking over to a wall bracket, she had lifted down a torch, walked to the desk, and set everything on fire. When Kana had attempted to put out the flames, she had drawn her bow and told the woman to leave it be. Kana had protested that Lord Nasher wanted such things and she had retorted that if Nasher wanted reports then he could just march his ass down to the keep and write them himself. She would not have Casavir or anyone else bothered with such time wasting crap. Needless to say, when her companions had heard about the incident they had laughed their heads off. She had even seen Casavir's lips twitch a little despite the frown on his face and the words of censure he spoke to her. After that, Kana had given up and contented herself with keeping her own notes and logs. Even Katriona had seemed relieved to not have to write so many unnecessary reports anymore. When Nevalle had questioned her about it, she had coolly responded that as long as the men did their jobs and the keep was kept in excellent condition then she didn't care how it was accomplished or what it cost. She had then suggested to him that if it bothered him that much then he could just stay at the keep and do the reports himself. That was the end of that discussion.
Her attention was suddenly caught by a commotion down on the archery range. Being an elf, she easily picked up the words being exchanged between Bishop and one of the newer recruits. Apparently, the new man held to the opinion that the longbow he was being trained to use was an inferior weapon to a crossbow. Of course, since the longbow was Bishop's favorite weapon next to his blades, that rubbed him the wrong way. Knocking an arrow to her bow, she sighted on the target right in front of them and fired. Her arrow sailed straight, fast and true to the target and spilt the shaft of the arrow already lodged within it. All heads turned towards her and she saw surprise on the new man's face. It was the type of shot most would consider impossible, but one she did with ease and it impressed the men to say the least. After that, there were no more complaints and she saw Bishop smirking as he looked at her. Nodding at him, she felt a smile curve her own lips. Somehow she didn't think there would be any more negative comments from the men in the near future. Hearing footsteps approaching, she turned to see one of the men who guarded the main gates coming towards her.
"Excuse me for disturbing you Captain," he said as he stopped in front of her. "You asked to be informed as soon as the prisoner had arrived and we just recieved word that the woman and her escort are on the main road to the keep."
"Very well, see that they are shown into the throne room as soon as they arrive," Nimbrethil told him and watched as he nodded and walked off. At least the men had finally stopped saluting her all the time, she thought. While some seemed to feel this showed respect, she had told the men that the best way to show their respect was to do their jobs and do them well. As she headed down to the main doors of the keep, she couldn't keep from thinking about how to handle the latest "guest" of the keep. She had almost reached the bottom of the stairs from the wall when the sound of horses pulling up made her pause. She silently watched as a group of heavily armed soldiers hurried into the keep with a smallish figure in the middle of them. More silent then a mouse, she followed behind them, for she wanted to observe the woman for a bit.
Torio Claven, the former Ambassador of Luskan, tried to keep her irritation in check at the treatment she was getting from her so-called 'escort', a term she applied loosely. She had had to endure all kinds of snide, suggestive, and downright rude comments from them on the trip here and she could only hope that she would not be bothered with their presence ever again. However, from what she remembered of the little elf who was now her captor, she wouldn't put it past the girl from tormenting her with them if she thought it would suit her purpose, whatever that may be. As she was led into the throne room of the keep, she couldn't help but think about the man who used to be her boss, the one who pulled her up from the slime of the streets of Luskan and gave her the chance to make something of herself. This keep should have been his, and by extension hers, but Garius had been too greedy for power and had foolishly pursued it, dismissing her warnings to use more care. It was ever so with men, she thought contemptuously, always seeking the fastest way to gratification, no matter what form of it they sought.
As she entered the main room, she saw that all of the girl's so called companions had gathered there, but it was the presence of the moon elf and the look of speculation in his eyes that gave her hope that all was not totally lost. He at least could appreciate what she had to offer, even if the rest of the brainless footpads didn't. She saw an uptight looking woman wearing the armor of a neverwinter soldier and the insignia rank of lieutenant step forward and began to speak but she ignored her, focusing all her attention on Sand. Favoring him with a slight smile she addressed him smoothly, "Come to gloat over my downfall my dear wizard?"
"Why Torio, how unkind of you to think that I would be motivated by anything so petty as that," Sand replied just as smoothly. "The captain requested my presence here, otherwise I would not have bothered. I have far more important matters that require my attention these days." He saw Torio bristle and bit back a smile at the woman's attempt to hide how much he had insulted her.
Nimbrethil had paused in the shadows just outside the room to watch the byplay between the two, and bit back a snort at the way Sand toyed with the woman. She saw Bishop looking in her direction, but so far he was the only one who seemed to be aware of her presence. His lips curled in a slight smile and a barely perceptable nod told her that he would not let the others know she was there. She focused her attention back on the two who were presently center stage.
"My Sand, how far you have fallen these days," Torio purred, her voice tinged with venom. "From a promising career in the Hosttower, to being a lackey for an ill-mannered, uneducated wild elf from a backwoods swamp village." At those words, everyone around her started speaking up for their dear captain, everyone except for Sand and the ranger standing in the shadows against the far wall. Torio met the man's eyes briefly and shivered at the cold menace in the man's gaze and just knew that he was the one known as Bishop, the captain's lover if the reports were accurate. The look he gave said clearly that he would cut her throat given the chance and she found herself oddly approving of it. He would understand her better than most of the others here. Perhaps she could find a way to use that to her advantage.
"My dear Torio, I never took you for a fool," Sand purred back, his voice holding a clear warning. "It would be a very big mistake to underestimate the captain, or to look down upon her, for there is more to her than meets the eye. Many have underestimated her and all of them are now dead and buried: Logram and his clan, Moira and her gang, the Githyanki, Lorne, Garius and who knows how many others along the way. Did you know she even threatened to kill Duncan, her own kin, if he crossed her? Do you think that you are worthy of more consideration than them?" He saw the woman pale and look down at her hands. "Yes, it is something worth considering is it not Torio?"
"Gee Sand, you make me sound like a most terrible person," Nimbrethil spoke up as she glided into the room, causing several people to jump in surprise, including Torio, who turned so fast she almost fell over. She slowly walked around Torio, her eyes narrowed in speculation, watching as the woman tried to appear unruffled by the scrutiny. "I imagine that you have run through all kinds of scenarios for why you were brought here and not simply executed in Neverwinter," she said as she came to a stop in front of Torio.
"I served Garius and the Hosttower in Luskan for several years," Torio said confidently. "Why kill me when I can provide valuable information about your enemies?"
A cold smile curved Nimbrethil's lips as she stared at the woman before her. Slowly pulling a dagger from a sheath at her side she held it up. "This is the weapon I used to kill Lorne," she told Torio, her voice as cold as her eyes. "Did the thought never cross your mind that I wanted the pleasure of killing you myself and watching as the life fled your eyes?" She saw Torio pale and step back as those around her gasped in shock.
"Excuse me captain," Sand spoke up. "While I agree that it would be a most fitting end for the former ambassador, Torio does have a point. Her close 'working' relationship with Garius may have provided her with valuable information that she might not even be aware she has. It would be a pity if she were to die before such could be determined." He held his breath while waiting for her response for he just couldn't tell if she was serious about wanting to kill Torio, or if she was just holding up her end of the plan.
"Hmmm...," Nimbrethil studied Sand for a moment, wondering how long she would be able to keep from laughing at how everyone was falling for their little game hook, line and sinker. They had discussed exactly how to handle Torio several days ago, and were now putting that plan in motion. Although, in all honesty, the idea of just killing the woman and being rid of her once and for all had its own appeal. "You have made a good point Sand, as you always seem to be able to do," she finally said aloud. Turning back to Torio, she favored her with another cold smile. "You will live for as long as you prove useful to me. If ever I feel that I don't have your full cooperation, or if you should attempt any deceitful actions, I will kill you without a second thought. Do I make myself perfectly clear Torio?"
As much as she would have loved to defy the elf, she could see just how deadly serious the girl was. Swallowing hard she nodded, "As you command Captain." It galled her to speak the words, but she would be damned if she had survived this long only to be killed by the young upstart.
Turning to Kana she gave a few final instructions. "Torio is to have her own room, but there will be at least two guards on her at all time. She is not allowed to go anywhere, neither within the keep nor on the grounds, without an escort. If she proves troublesome then throw her into the special cell I had prepared for her in the basement until she agrees to behave. She is not allowed any personal communication of any kind that is not looked at and approved by yourself or Casavir." Turning back to Torio she caught the flash of anger in the woman's eyes before she managed to make her expression unreadable. "You are my prisoner now Torio, and as long as you behave yourself you will be treated fairly. Just remember my warning and don't cross me."
Torio saw the others in the room heave a collective sigh of relief as the girl left the room. She had to wonder if perhaps death would have been preferable to the situation she now found herself in. From the reactions of those around her, she knew that the elf was not making idle threats. As the men escorted her away they passed right by Bishop and once again Torio met his cold gaze as he halted their progress.
"Just remember bitch, Nimbrethil is far more lenient than I am," Bishop growled, his voice low and menacing. "If you screw up, she won't get the chance to kill you, for I will do it myself. Clear?"
Torio shivered and nodded at him before being led away. She suddenly felt tired and of all things old, and couldn't help but wonder how her life could have come to this point. Not so long ago, it had seemed like she had the world in her hand. Now, all she had left were the shattered remains of an elusive dream. She fought against the tears that threatened and managed to hold her head high as she entered her small room, if you could call the tiny space with the simple bed and lone table and chair a room. As the door closed and locked behind her, she finally let go of her iron control and lying down on the small bed, cried herself to sleep.