Author's Note: So long again between chapters! 0_0 I hate when it's like that, but again I'd rather do them little by little when I have time to concentrate on them and make sure they're good instead of just cranking a bunch out. This time a bedbug infestation is the main thing that held me up. We had to stay in a hotel for a few weeks and the whole thing's just been a disgusting, expensive nightmare. Thanks, neighbors who have since moved out but left us with something to remember them buy! Anyway...please review and let me know what you think!
Leandor could barely move but inside he was far from calm. As soon as he felt his body start to slow, he reached for his belt pouch. By the time his hand was inside it was a struggle to continue, but he had to drink the petrifaction antidote before he was sent back to the Rift. He and the other pawns were the only ones who knew Ceileigh was gone. If they all disappeared, no one would go after her for some time, and by then it might be too late.
He slowly wrapped his fingers around the vial of secret softener he needed, hoping he could get it to his mouth in time. His skin was becoming a layer of stone that restricted movement considerably, and he could feel it creeping inward. His breathing was labored as he forced his arm back up toward his mouth. His heartbeat slowed and he felt his other organs grinding to a halt as well. With great effort born of desperation, he managed to thumb off the top of the vial and pour most of it into his mouth. A little dribbled out since he couldn't fully close his mouth or tilt his head back. As his eyes filmed over and he lost all feeling and awareness of the outside world, he hoped it would be enough.
Several seconds went by with Leandor stuck motionless, his body almost completely shut down except for his mind. His stomach and chest felt like they were being squeezed in a vise. Sadness, worry, anger and shame rioted within him. They took her from me so easily. What if I reach her too late? He didn't know what would become of his form in this world if she died. I do not wish for a life in the Rift, or a new master! I want to stay with her! He slowly, painfully drew what he was sure would be his last breath. Shall I die having failed in my purpose?! Then, a glimmer of hope shone into his dark thoughts. Not only did he exhale, but it felt ever so slightly easier than inhaling had.
Over a few minutes that felt like an eternity, Leandor's body returned to normal from the inside out. His organs and muscles softened and he felt warmer as his blood began to flow more quickly. His skin reverted from the thick casing it had become and he could once again flex his arms and legs. As his eyes cleared, he saw Darby blink back into the Rift on his left. He didn't even bother to glance at Toli before running in the direction the men had taken Ceileigh. He couldn't care less about the warrior pawn's state, he just wanted to find his master.
When Ceileigh regained awareness she was still being carried horizontally by two men. She craned her head around to see trees in front of her and the side of a mountain behind her. Since she was alive, she couldn't have been unconscious very long, so she figured they were still in the same general area. She then realized her wrists were tied together with rope and her weapons were gone. More men that looked like bandits were walking with them, their lanterns bobbing in the darkness, but she couldn't tell how many from her position. When she became pliable enough to walk, the men lowered her feet to the ground and held her on each side by her armpits so she couldn't try to run away.
"Where are you taking me?!" she asked angrily. She quickly counted twelve men in the group, all striding with purpose across the forest floor. Most carried daggers and swords, but there were two men with bows, one sorcerer and one mage. "What did you do with my weapons?" she tried again. Nobody answered either question.
She glared at the sorcerer. "You must be the one who petrified us?!" she demanded to know.
"That's right," the blonde man growled.
"Just shut it," came a deep voice from the front of the group, and a tall man with short black hair scowled back at both of them for a second. Ceileigh assumed he must be the leader.
She still had questions but she did as she was told for the moment. She wondered why they had petrified her, then bothered to revive her. If they didn't want her dead, what did they want? And where were they headed in such a hurry? As she looked around more she could definitely tell that they were still in the Northface Forest. She just wasn't sure where, or which direction to go if she escaped.
Leandor tried to focus through his fear for Ceileigh's safety. He didn't know where to start looking because her kidnappers had walked behind him after picking her up, and he couldn't turn his head to see which direction they left in. All he had to go on was that they'd come from the right, so he hoped they'd gone back that way, into the hills. His heart raced as he sprinted erratically through the trees, looking for any sign that would show him where his master might be. He was sure he was missing clues because his worried mind wasn't thinking clearly. He had no idea who those men were, how many there were or what their intentions were for Ceileigh. For all he knew, she could have died from the petrifaction spell or they might have killed her in some other way already.
He stopped, closed his eyes and took a few slow breaths to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help anything. When he opened them, he looked ahead and saw many pairs of footprints pressed into a bare patch of ground that was still partially wet from the earlier rain. Most were large, clearly men's footprints, but there was one small pair in the midst of them all. Relief washed over Leandor, though he was still anxious about what might be happening to Ceileigh. At least now he knew where to go.
The footprint trail was broken or blurred in some places so it was slow going, but it gradually led Leandor west, farther into the tree-covered hills. Eventually he came up against the side of a great mountain. The footsteps turned off to his left, southward, and as he followed he heard the howls of several wolves start up behind him.
"Where are we going?" Ceileigh finally asked again after some time of walking.
"Back to camp," replied one of her holders in an irritated tone.
"What's up your ass, Ben?" the leader growled at him without turning around.
"We were supposed to kill her, Ezz, not take her home," Ben muttered.
"I aim to get a better reward out of this job," Ezz replied.
"I'd just as soon settle for the amount she promised. Why complicate things?" asked Ben. Ceileigh saw a few of the others glance around in agreement.
"That's why you're not in charge," Ezz smirked. "We'll ransom her back for a higher sum, and ensure any payment at all. I've a feeling if we killed this one outright-", he jerked his thumb back toward Ceileigh, "we'd see the end of a blade before we saw our money. You can thank me later when you're not dead."
Ben let out an aggravated huff but said no more. They walked in silence for another long stretch after that while Ceileigh's mind worked. Part of the group obviously disagreed with keeping her alive. What was to stop one of them from suddenly stabbing her here and now against their leader's orders? As far as who they were working for, of course her first thought was Mercedes but in truth it could be anyone.
As they crested the next hill, a campfire became visible. Two men were tending it while keeping watch on their surroundings. Several travel bags and bedrolls were spread around three white tents. The group's leader gave a low whistle as they approached and it was returned by one of the men below. There was a cliff past the far edge of camp, and Ceileigh could see a wide road covered in white gravel below just before her holders pushed her roughly to her knees between the fire and one of the tents. The road curved off around a bend, then molded to the side of the mountain with another cliff on the opposite side.
The men who had been at the fire reported to Ezz while the rest of the party went to their spots around camp. Ceileigh folded her legs beneath her and studied her surroundings. The immediate area was clear but the forest was very close, and she wondered how quickly she could lose them if she made it past the tree line.
Leandor trotted along the side of the mountain, being careful to keep track of Ceileigh's trail while trying to stay ahead of the wolves. He now heard low growls and breaking twigs which sounded much closer than the howls had. He felt only impatient anger knowing he'd soon be forced to stop and fight the animals off. All his fear was for Ceileigh until he made sure she was safe. He saw a flash of white in the trees to his left and knew it was direwolves he'd be dealing with, not their smaller gray-brown cousins. He also realized that if he saw one alongside his position, they were already fanning out to surround him.
He skidded to a stop, drew his sword and turned to face his pursuers as they tightened their half-circle around him. The mountain at his back prevented him from escaping, so he would have to somehow face them all at once and hope he wasn't overwhelmed. On the other hand, it also prevented any of the wolves from getting behind him, so there would be no sneak attacks.
The pack edged toward Leandor slowly at first, watching him warily with keen yellow eyes, then one shot across the grass with a snarl. Leandor met its snapping jaws with his sword and the wolf backed away whining, its mouth dripping blood after biting the blade. Two more came at him from either side, lunging forward to snap and then flinging themselves away. As in Moonsbit Pass, he timed his strikes for when they reached him and they were both dead shortly. Ten wolves still remained. Leandor braced himself for the rest of the fight. He was outnumbered and had no healer, but with his master in danger, defeat was not an option.
Ezz sat on a log by the fire, eating some kind of meat Ceileigh didn't recognize. Most of the other men had gone to sleep, but three stood watch around the edges and two sat with their leader. For the dozenth time she mapped out a potential escape plan in her mind. She knew they were still in the Northern Hills, probably south of Windbluff Tower based on how long they'd walked. She hadn't been to this particular location before though and couldn't see any familiar landmarks in the dark, so she wasn't sure if she was closer to the tower or to Gran Soren.
She needed to head south in the long run, but the cliff was in that direction and she certainly couldn't climb down with her hands tied. Any scenario she thought up ended with her lost, recaptured, or dead. Still, she had to try. She surreptitiously twisted her wrists against her restraints, wishing she wasn't bound so she would have better balance while running.
A loud crackle from the fire drew her attention back to Ezz and his companion on the log, and she wondered if she could get them talking. "Why did you send so many men for me?" she asked. "Twelve against four seems like overkill. And you nabbed me quickly enough anyway with that spell."
One man gave her a withering look and the other rolled his eyes with a huff, but Ezz looked over with an amused expression. "Yeah, what a mighty hero you are, eh? You had been with several of the Duke's men, if you'll recall. The odds were originally in your party's favor."
Ceileigh didn't react to his barb. "How long were you following us then?"
"Since you got on the cart. We'd been looking for a while before that," he replied, barely glancing at her again before continuing with his meal.
"Who are you working for?"
"Someone who can kill you herself when she gets you back," he replied. "I think she'll enjoy it too, she really doesn't like you."
"What makes you think your plan will work? If she didn't mind killing me herself, she wouldn't have hired you lot. What if she refuses to deal with you now?"
"If she doesn't pay, we'll threaten to reveal her to the authorities," Ezz said in a satisfied tone.
"She must be someone with a lot to lose," Ceileigh commented, but got no reply. If their employer was part of high society or the military, she doubted Ezz's plan would work. No one would believe criminals over a noble or a high ranking soldier. Still, his belief was keeping her alive so she dropped the subject.
"And who are you?" she continued. "I've never heard of bandits taking on jobs. Just robbing and murdering the innocent."
"That's because we're not bandits, we're mercenaries. Now shut it," he replied, biting the last piece of meat off of his dagger and pointing the blade at her.
"Why should I listen to you if I know you won't kill me?" she couldn't help retorting.
"Hey!" one of the other men finally barked, standing up with a short curved sword in his hand. "That's enough outta you!" His bald head shone in the moonlight. He was slightly shorter than Ezz but wider and more muscular.
"Prick," Ceileigh muttered under her breath as she turned away with a scowl, looking out past the cliff as far as she could in the darkness.
"What did you say?!" he demanded, taking a few quick steps toward her.
"I said you're a prick," she repeated, loud enough for half the camp to hear this time. Several men turned to watch them.
The man reached her in another few steps and hauled her upright by one arm. His grip hurt and she scrambled to get her feet beneath her. "One more word and I'll slap the shit out of you," he growled in her face.
"Try it, you pathetic waste of air," she challenged calmly, looking him steadily in the eye. He made an angry sound and lifted his fist, but Ceileigh rammed her knee into his crotch as hard as she could. He gave a strangled yelp and dropped instantly, half on top of her. She heard uproarious laughter from around the camp as she wriggled out from under him as fast as she could and sprung to her feet. She only made it a few steps before a pair of strong arms grabbed her around the waist and shoulders. She was lifted off the ground and thrown to the side. Unable to break her fall very well with her arms tied, she hit the ground hard and rolled a few times toward the cliff edge. She looked back and saw two men walking toward her.
"We can't kill you but we don't have to leave you in perfect condition either," said one of them. He crouched and grabbed her feet before she could try to lash out again. He had reddish blonde hair and wore an archer's outfit. The one who'd grabbed and thrown her, a man with long brown hair and an animal-tooth necklace, walked up with a piece of rope and together they tied her ankles.
"Beat the sass out of her!" called the bald man from the ground, bringing more laughter from many of his fellow mercenaries. They were clearly enjoying the whole show. Ezz nodded his consent and the pair brought her upright again, removing the top of her armor. The brown-haired man held her arms against her chest from behind while the redhead punched her in the gut as hard as he could. Her lungs seemed to lock up and she couldn't breathe but he didn't give her time to recover before driving his fist into her face. The blows continued until she lost consciousness.
After killing off the direwolf pack and eating some greenwarish, Leandor had continued south and now he was sure he could detect the very faint smell of burning wood. He hoped that meant a camp was nearby – a camp where he would find his master. He thought of how much easier fighting the wolves would have been if she'd been there to use her sunburst or shadowpin spells. He remembered how disappointed she'd been not to find them earlier. He thought of all the fights and everything else they'd been through together, and he missed her. If, Maker forbid, she was already dead, he would kill those responsible, no matter how many there were.
He cleared a few more hills and there it was below him, just a little past the tree line, with a cliff on the far side. He didn't see his master but there was a fire in the middle, with piles of bags, weapons and almost a dozen men spread out around it. Most were sleeping, but two were talking by the fire and he knew there had to be lookouts somewhere. He drew his sword quietly, stayed in the cover of the trees and crept to the left, trying to find them.
The first lookout he found facing away from him, looking east. He snuck up behind the man and ran him through from behind. Thankfully he dropped without a sound and Leandor continued on. The second found him, sending an arrow at his throat from high up in a tree. The man moved carefully but Leandor heard a branch creak slightly as he aimed, and was able to bring up his shield just in time. The arrow hit it with a deep thunk, followed by two more in rapid succession that he also blocked. The lookout jumped to the ground and whirled to meet him with two daggers, but Leandor stepped aside and used a slight bump of his shield to knock the man down. He stumbled to his hands and knees and Leandor delivered the killing blow.
Leandor went back the other direction, figuring he was getting too far away for any more lookouts to be around. As he neared the mountainside again, someone passed right in front of him in the darkness. He quickly ducked behind a tree but the lookout heard him and came to investigate.
"Who's there!" the lookout demanded quietly, drawing his sword. Leandor circled around the tree, came up behind the man with his sword at shoulder height and shoved it through the back of his neck. He made one last walk along the tree line but didn't find anyone else there. He scanned the camp again from a different vantage point, and this time he saw a slender figure in a familiar outfit lying bound behind a larger pile of sacks and bedrolls. Master! he thought, adrenaline coursing through him at the sight of her. Her legs were pointed toward him and her head was tilted back slightly. Her positioning didn't let him see her face, but she looked limp and helpless. He was relieved that she was alive, but still livid that she'd been taken and harmed. On high alert now, he started planning his attacks.
Groggy as she came to, Ceileigh blinked her swollen eyes with effort. She could taste blood in her mouth and feel it running down her face. She felt like she'd been trampled by an ox and her limbs ached from the way she was now tied. Her wrists were together behind her, her ankles were still tied and a rope along her back connected to the two points so her knees were bent and her back was forced into a slight arch. Immobilized, she lay on her right side, gazing out over the cliff and letting her dazed mind wander.
She figured she would almost certainly be handed over to the mercenaries' employer now, and wondered if that person was in fact Mercedes. If the mystery woman refused Ezz's new deal, he would have no further use for her and she would still die. She knew no help was coming since Leandor had surely returned to the Rift shortly after she was taken. Her heart was heavy knowing that he was stuck there with no way of coming back to her. He must be at his wit's end knowing he couldn't help. Her heart warmed at the thought of it though, how much he cared for her as master and friend if nothing more. She realized then how much her hope of a relationship with him had been a bright spot in her otherwise dark and uncertain path as Arisen.
Her thoughts drifted to their recent fight against the mob of undead outside Gran Soren. She wondered how the creatures still spurted blood when they were injured despite the fact that their hearts were no longer pumping. Then again, she still bled and she didn't even have a heart. She gave a tired, wry chuckle. Was she really that different from them? What even classified her as alive? And people thought her pawns were the odd ones.
Ceileigh's hands throbbed mercilessly. She tried to flex her fingers but that only made it worse. She tried to at least roll over to give her right side a break but couldn't get enough momentum to even make it onto her stomach. Just then she thought she heard a very low voice from a distance, but it was so faint she couldn't be sure. She tilted her head up a little and strained her ears, but all she heard were the murmurs of Ezz and the other mercenary with him by the fire. They were talking about sending a messenger to see their employer in a few hours. Ceileigh put her head back down with a sigh and watched the horizon, where the sky was just starting to lighten up.
Leandor slipped quickly but quietly forward until he was as close to the camp as possible without breaking cover. He peered out from around a tree, looking for a way to get closer. There were no boulder piles that were so common in the countryside, and the whole area the camp sat on was flat. There was nowhere at all to hide and it was only getting lighter the longer he stood there. The closest thing to him was a bedroll with a sack full of weapons beside it. He could see some throwblast and a few daggers spilling out. If only he already had some throwblast in his possession. Or if his master was here, she could strike from a distance with her – of course, he thought, moving back into the trees.
He went back the way he'd come yet again until he reached the second lookout's body. He collected the man's bow and arrows and nocked one, getting used to the feel of it for a moment. He wasn't as proficient with a bow as his master, but he knew he could hit marks from this distance. He picked out the man closest to his position and let the arrow fly. Several men shouted or jumped up in alarm as the short, tanned man fell forward with an arrow in his back. As Leandor aimed again, two men were already running toward his position. They didn't actually see him yet though, so he took his shot and ran back to the far end of camp undetected.
While the men were both split in number and focused on his last location, he ran into the open and knelt by the bag he'd seen before, stuffing as many throwblast bombs into his belt pouch and pockets as he could. The fist-sized brown casings were filled with an alchemical powder that ignited when exposed to air. The powder was held in by a stopper with tufts of cloth attached to it so it could be pulled out right before throwing the bomb. He lobbed one at a group of men several yards away just as they turned to look at him. The explosion took off one man's leg and knocked all three to the ground. Leandor rushed forward and killed them before they could get back up.
"You men, follow those two! Find whoever fired those arrows!" Ezz shouted, sending two more men into the forest. "Find out how many of 'em are out there! And somebody kill that man!" he ordered angrily, sending the rest of his men after Leandor except one, who followed him in the opposite direction. Leandor saw Ceileigh lift her head, trying to see what was going on, then the leader blocked his view by bending down at her feet. Seeing the tall man reach for her made him angry and scared, but before he could do anything about it he had to confront three more armed men that were running toward him.
Ceileigh could barely see what was going on but out of the corner of her eye she saw movement, a flash of red, and heard the explosion. She craned her head up a little more, the muscles in her arms and back protesting, and got a slightly better view before the mercenary leader was standing over her. Leandor! Hope, happiness and excitement bloomed in her chest. She didn't know how he was still alive but there he was.
"Come on, we're outta here," said Ezz as he crouched and cut the rope connecting her limbs and then the ones binding her ankles.
"Where are we going?" she asked as he lifted her to her feet and propelled her toward the forest by her upper arm. She wouldn't have been able to stay upright without his support. Her legs buckled for a moment but she forced herself to stomp as she walked, working out the numbness and ache. Another small explosion sounded behind them and Ceileigh twisted her head around to see two mercenaries on fire and Leandor squaring off with the other one. Trust that he can handle them and focus on getting free, she told herself. She couldn't do much to help him while she was bound, and his efforts would be for nothing if she was taken away again.
At the edge of the forest, Ezz handed her off to the man beside him, a pale blonde with several black loop earrings in his right ear. "Take her to the other campsite. I'll meet you there after this is taken care of. I bet it's those Iron Hammer bastards. Ever since Smythe left us for them he's been trying to ruin us," he said. With that, he ran back to the fight.
The blonde man pushed her forward roughly, walking behind her with his large serrated dagger drawn in case she tried anything. She glanced back at him. "How far is the other camp?" she asked, but he just made a derisive noise.
"I hope Iron Hammer didn't send too many men," she continued sarcastically, glancing back again. "They're a huge group, I've dealt with them before. And there aren't very many of you left." Again he stayed silent and she did the same for a short while.
"You know, I've been to their – ohp!" she cut off as she tripped over a root and landed hard on her left shoulder. "Ow, shit!" she said, rolling onto her back. She couldn't see the camp anymore when she lifted her head. Perfect! When the exasperated man bent toward her she twisted her hips and kicked him in the head. He spun full circle and fell face down in the leaves and grass, unconscious. Now she needed to find and use the man's dagger to free herself before he woke up.
Ceileigh lifted both legs straight up and brought them back down quickly, using the pull to sit up with her legs stretched out in front of her. Just as she spotted the blade a short distance away, the blonde man moaned and rolled to face her. She reacted quickly, scooting closer lock a heel behind his neck and press on his throat with her other toes. Struggling to breathe, the man clutched feebly at her feet but he was already groggy and grew weaker the longer he couldn't get a good breath. Ceileigh pressed a little harder, wincing at the feel and sound of cartilage crunching under her boot. The man made a horrible, strangled wheezing sound and went limp again.
Ceileigh rocked side to side until her wrists were under her knees, then laid back with her legs pointed straight up again. Exhaling, she brought her right knee toward her chest, looped her right elbow under it and slid it out from under her arm sideways, helping with a little push from her left knee against the flat of her right foot. She took a few breaths then looped her left knee under her left elbow, pushed that foot back with her lower right leg, and slid it all the way free. It was all far more difficult than it should have been due to her various injuries. She slid over to the dagger and placed the handle between her knees, holding it as still as she could while dragging the rope tying her wrists along the serrated edge. It took a few minutes but finally they came apart and she was completely free. She flexed her arms, wrists and fingers in relief, then tucked the blade into her belt and ran to help Leandor.
He didn't realize until he threw it, but the second bomb Leandor used was dragon's spit, not throwblast. Instead of just causing an explosion, the powder continued burning whatever was around it, including two of the men coming at him. He quickly disarmed the last one, a mage, and knocked him out with his pommel. Unfortunately the four men who'd gone into the forest ran back into camp at that moment, not having found any other enemies. One reported to the leader while the other three attacked him. One carried a sword and shield, one had just a short sword, and the other had two daggers. All the while he could see the leader hanging back, waiting to take him down if his men failed.
This time they were on him too quickly for him to ready a bomb. The first man gashed Leandor's sword arm immediately, leaving him weakened but still able to fight. He managed to block the rest of their blows but wasn't able to land any of his own. Motion to the right behind them caught his eye; it was Ceileigh running out of the trees at top speed. He could tell now that she was covered in blood and bruises. It looked like Leandor was about to be overrun so Ceileigh bettered his odds by throwing her new dagger into the back of the man with the sword and shield. As she reached the group, the man with the short sword swung at her but she dropped to her knees, leaned back to dodge the blow, then rolled to the dead man's body. She yanked the big dagger free, spun on her knees and drove it up into the other man's abdomen all in one motion. When she stood, she and Leandor were back to back.
As they fought they inadvertently moved closer to the cliff until they were right at the edge, where Leandor bashed his opponent's face with his shield, knocking him onto the white road below. Ceileigh slipped past the other man, then used a low air platform to boost herself high onto his back and slit his throat from behind.
They both turned to face Ezz, who stood with his sword at the ready. These two had just taken out his entire company by themselves, so he wasn't keen to take them on alone but he covered his concern with a cocky smile. "Listen!" he called to them, holding up his free hand in a 'stop' signal. "We can come to some sort of agreement here, right?"
Ceileigh stopped short with a scornful sound and a look of disbelief, but Leandor pointed his sword at Ezz and stalked forward slowly. "Agreement?!" he snarled, outraged. "Did my master agree to come here? Did she agree to being beaten and tied? No. There will be no bargaining, only vengeance."
Ezz blocked his first blow but he was no match for the pawn's focused anger. Leandor now fought as if the wound on his arm didn't exist. In a handful of moves, he disarmed Ezz and knocked the taller man off his feet. Without hesitation he raised his sword in both hands and drove it through the mercenary's leather armor, into his heart.
Ceileigh walked up to Leandor, who glanced at her as he retrieved his weapon and cleaned it. "What did he do to you?" he asked, pausing to brush loose strands of hair away from her face and turn her head to the side.
She stared at him for a minute, thinking how the way he'd fought for her did nothing to diminish her attraction to him. When he let her chin go she took a deep breath and gestured at Ezz's body. "He didn't do anything to me, actually. He was hired to kill me but fortunately wanted to blackmail his employer for more money instead. He even talked to me a little. Two of his men did all this," she told him, pointing at her face. "I said some things I probably shouldn't have, injured one of them and tried to escape."
"That does not surprise me at all," Leandor said, smiling a little despite the situation.
She laughed and next thing she knew Leandor had dropped his sword and was hugging her. She put her arms around his waist and was surprised to feel him rest his chin on top of her head. She remained silent, just enjoying it.
"I was afraid," he said quietly after a moment. She rubbed his back comfortingly even though he couldn't feel it through his armor and cape, not sure what to say. "I should have protected you from the beginning. I should have prevented-"
"Leandor, it's okay," Ceileigh stopped him. She wanted to grab his face and kiss him for at least the next several minutes, but she settled for stepping back and putting a hand on his arm.
"It is not 'okay'," he countered grimly, finding himself reluctant to let her go after everything that had happened. "You could have died."
"As I've said before, it is impossible for you to shield me in every instance. 'Tis true that as a pawn you're stronger than most humans, but you're not perfect," she told him with a smile, then laughed again. "Besides, I think you more than made up for it by killing the majority of these men by yourself."
"I was highly motivated," he responded with another small smile, but it quickly vanished. "Did they say who hired them?"
"Only that she's a woman," she said, sharing a meaningful look with Leandor.
"I suppose with no evidence to support our suspicion, we can only be on our guard and see what happens next," he said.
The sky was much lighter now, but still had the gray overtones of very early morning. They searched the camp and found her belongings. While she put her equipment back on, Leandor started gathering useful items.
"Master, look at this," he said, bringing over a sack from beside the dying fire.
"A ferrystone?" she said in surprise when he pulled out the item to show her. "Thank the Maker! Healed or not, I would much rather transport back home than walk right now." They stuffed as much loot and money as they could into several sacks and piled them close around their feet, then Ceileigh used the stone. A few moments later their surroundings melted away and they rematerialized next to the Pawn Guild.
Mercedes was walking along an upper hallway in the Duke's castle, deep in thought, when she almost ran into someone coming the other direction.
"Oh! Hail, Ser Mercedes," said the other person politely, quickly stepping aside.
"Ser Maximillian," she replied distractedly, intending to walk on by. She did a double take and stopped short. "What brings you back to the castle? You have been away in the north, yes?"
"You are correct, Ser. My tour there just ended and the Duke asked me to liaise with the Arisen regarding some assignments. And so you see me here. I've just arrived," he replied with an easy smile.
"What assignments?" Mercedes asked, trying not to sound overly interested.
"Something about the dragon problem. I've not heard all the details yet, but I plan to meet with the Arisen tomorrow. If she's not off somewhere battling other monsters, that is," he chuckled. "I hear she's making quite the impression 'round the capitol."
"Yes," Mercedes replied shortly. "We shall see if she shows, yes?"
"What do you mean?" asked Maximillian.
"I- only mean that she is a very busy woman," Mercedes said with a slight frown. "Well. I should be going."
Maximillian watched her walk away, wondering at her odd behavior, then continued on to quarters the Duke was lending him. He needed to get at least a little sleep before writing the Arisen's summons.