XI: Confidence Man

Now

Dace awoke with a splitting pain in the back of his skull. Blinking hard in the dim light, he found that he was lying on the ground of a cavern tunnel, probably the one connecting the old well to the Family's compound. He tried to reach up to his head, only to find that his hands and feet were bound together by a set of thin, steel chains that rattled as he moved.

The only light in the room was emanating from the blade of a sword, leaning against a rock nearby. And atop the same rock sat the stranger who knocked Dace into the well earlier. Despite being near the ground and to the side, the sword's magical light seemed to catch and glint perfectly on the metallic holy symbol hanging from the man's neck, marking him as a knight of Helm.

The paladin was seated atop a rock, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together just below his chin, in a contemplative pose. The man's eyes were fixed on a pair of equally weathered parchments that were laid on the cave floor at his feet.

Dace's hand touched his breast pocket and confirmed it was empty. One of the parchments was the wanted poster he had received from the mysterious Shard, back at the start of all this. Even from across the room, Dace could tell what the second parchment was.

Seemingly aware of Dace's stirring, the man continued to stare at the parchments as he began to speak. "It's a consuming thing, you know. The follies of our past. The tragedies we experience in youth can send our lives in unthinkable directions." He finally looked up, meeting Dace's gaze. "My parents were mages... murdered before their child's eyes, at the hands of a man hired by the Zhents. You know this."

Dace's face remained impassive as he recalled. His former partner. Their last bounty as a team. And the boy who escaped.

The stranger went on, "In the Order of Helm, they teach us to stay objective, that emotions and desires for vengeance should never subsume our duty to the cause. So I did my part. Said the right words, followed orders. Brought about whatever good I could in this world. And yet I lied to them." His eyes seemed to grow larger with rage. "Because not a year has gone by without me dreaming of the day that I would face my parents' killer... and stare into his eyes as I ended him. Cold blood or not."

As he slowly sat up, Dace eyed the stranger up and down. His eyes were slightly pink, and his face was unshaven. Clearly he was operating despite a lack of sleep. Nonetheless, the man's glowing sword, still leaning next to him against the rock, was well-maintained and appeared to have no flaws in its blade. Despite the lack of armour, Dace surmised that this knight was a capable combatant, versed in bladework.

The paladin stood up, standing at full height to continue looking down at his captive. "So for years, decades even, I had built up this image in my head of the vile monster that I was going to find and murder. Dace. A sadistic grin, hateful burning eyes. A towering brute of a man, standing over me like he did so long ago on that day of tragedy." He took a single pace closer, stepping over the two parchments. "And now, after all this time pursuing said monster, what do I end up facing? A small, thin old man. And not at all the one I dreamt of confronting."

Dace locked eyes with the man. The two parchments on the ground made it clear. The paladin knew the truth of the situation.

"It seems disappointment is a punishment that strikes everyone on this accursed island," said Dace. "And what comes next?"

"I've been following rumours and whispers left in the wake of your bloody career all these years. I might have even caught up with you when you were briefly imprisoned at Lancam's Isle a few summers back, had I not been fighting in a crusade against Zhentil Keep at the time." He reached down and took up his sword in one hand.

Making a few swings into the open air, the paladin never took his eyes off Dace. He continued, "I was prepared to lose it all before this moment. No arrest, no due process. Just your broken corpse, stuffed into a chest and unceremoniously dropped into the ocean depths. A murder to my name. I had every intention of forsaking my holy oaths and falling forever from my Order's path." Planting the tip of his blade into the earth, the man crouched on one knee, his eyes piercing Dace's. "What am I to do with all this unvented rage now?"

Dace returned the man's gaze. The mercenary's voice came out lacking the hard edge it normally had. "I have sought such an answer for decades. Whatever you came here seeking, I cannot provide. Whatever you leave here with, I cannot assuage."

The corner of the knight's frowning lip twitched. Standing up again, the stranger finally turned his gaze from the captive, and he instead focused on the sword in his grasp. Silence pervaded the cavern for a moment. Dace knew that all it would take was a single cleave of the weapon. A pivotal choice by the knight, not unlike the one he himself made so long ago.

The tip of the blade wavered slightly, and the stranger slowly drew in another breath to speak. Before any further words left his lips, another figure surged out of the shadows behind him, from the other side of the room.

Kythra charged in, clutching in both hands an empty crossbow. The paladin's head began to turn just as she swung the weapon upward, striking him in the jaw hard enough to send him reeling backward toward Dace.

Instinct kicked in, and the blackheart immediately rose to his feet. With the chain still connecting his wrists together, he had to jump in order to get it around the paladin's neck. Kythra closed in again, kicking Dace's captor in the gut and forcing the wind from his lungs.

The mercenary then pulled in with the chain, not so tight as to crush the man's windpipe, but enough to gradually cause him to pass out.

Even before the unconscious knight struck the ground, Kythra glared at Dace and said, "What in the hells happened to you? I had to fight off the rest of them on my own!" She prodded the collapsed man with her boot. "I don't recognize this one. He doesn't have the look of an islander."

"A knight. He came to Riftmere in pursuit of me, seeking vengeance for something that happened to him long ago."

"Well, he picked the wrong group to side with." Kythra lifted the paladin's sword from the ground, but Dace moved in and caught her by the wrist.

"No. His pursuit is at an end. This one is not worth the effort."

She gave him an incredulous stare. "Now you're suddenly merciful? Were you struck in the head with a rock or something? What in the hells happened between you two down here?

"Not mercy," Dace said, frowning. There was a far-off look in his eyes, one that she hadn't seen before. "Consistency."

That didn't seem to satisfy her questions, judging by the quizzical expression on her face. But she said nothing and stepped away, pointing the glowing blade to one side of the cavern.

"That passage leads to my old quarters. We'd best hurry; I know I connected at least one shot with Harken, but he escaped before I could finish him."

Searching the unconscious knight, Dace found the key to his bindings and quickly threw them off, letting the chains clatter against the ground.

"Lead on."

They ventured further into Riftmere's ancient tunnel system, with Kythra leading at the fore. It wasn't long before they reached a section with a significant breach, a large gap exposing the area where the wall met the ceiling. The base of the floor above had apparently collapsed, causing the brickwork to crumble.

"That's odd." Kythra murmured. "They cleared out the rubble, after all these years?" She tightened her grip on the hilt of the sword and warily leaned in, looking up through the gap.

Glancing toward Dace, she tilted her head, motioning for him to follow her. Sensing no one else in the dark room beyond, she quietly reached up, putting the paladin's glowing sword on the floor above through the ceiling gap.

It was once a bedroom, left unused for many years due to the collapsed section. They wordlessly passed through the chamber and then stood on either side of the door. A crack of light came through near the floor, but Kythra could neither see nor hear any movement coming from the hallway beyond.

She opened the door a sliver and peeked through. Seeing no one, she pulled the door open the rest of the way and stepped out, sword in hand.

Dace followed, silently closing the door behind him. Kythra then began to lead him through the corridor, toward her father's main office. But before they were even halfway down the hall, a pair of crossbowmen emerged from around the corner. After a brief moment of recognition, they immediately trained their weapons on her.

"Looks like Rentris was right after all," one of them remarked. "Did you actually think he forgot about your old escape passage?"

"I was expecting it," Dace suddenly said from behind Kythra. "I wish to parlay with the head of the Family."

The armed men briefly glanced at each other, crossbows unwavering. One of them snorted. "About what?"

A burst of pain suddenly came from the back of Kythra's knee as a boot struck her from behind. Her leg gave in, and she collapsed forward. Dace seized her sword-arm by the wrist and chopped at the inner part of her elbow with his other hand.

A numb feeling of pins and needles suddenly ran along her forearm and fingers, and her hand briefly seized up, causing the blade to fall from her grasp. Dace kicked the weapon away from her, sending it clattering across the wood floor toward the guards.

He then produced a knife, which he pressed up against the woman's throat.

"About collecting the open bounty for delivering Kythra into his custody."

Rentris adjusted the lantern on his desk, trying to find a position where it would adequately light the room. Even though it was still daytime, the thick smoke descending upon the district, combined with the grey clouds forming overhead, cast a hazy gloom on the room. No matter where he moved the lamp, he just couldn't push back the darkness.

A sudden rapid pounding on the double-doors to his office brought him to attention. "Enter."

Rentris stood and leaned forward against his desk as four of the Family's guards entered the room, flanking a pair of captives. He let out a relieved breath. They finally found Kythra. And the older man with the stern expression standing next to her was no doubt the 'Dace' that he had heard so much about.

He gestured toward one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk, and two of the guards forced Kythra down into the seat. Her hands were tied behind her back, and there was a gag around Kythra's mouth, but it only slightly muffled the profanities that she was directing at everyone in the room. Dace's hands, however, were unbound as he remained standing.

One of the other guards stepped forth and pointed a thumb at Dace. "Sir, the mercenary here says that he-"

"I have fulfilled the terms of your open bounty," Dace said, moving closer. Another guard seized the man by the shoulder, and the outsider stopped, though appeared unperturbed. "I hereby claim the five-thousand gold reward owed."

While the mercenary was speaking, Harken suddenly rushed in through the open doors. He was clutching a bleeding wound on his arm, just below the shoulder. A splotch of blood still stained his tunic and was slowly running down his arm.

He slowed his pace and moved to stand next to Rentris' desk. As he passed by, Harken cast a sly smirk at Kythra and then Dace in turn.

"You can't possibly be serious," Harken said to Dace. There was a wild look in his eyes. "All the men you killed and destruction you wrought upon Riftmere, you have the gall to just stroll in and expect-"

"That's enough, Harken," Rentris suddenly said, circling around to the front of the desk. "Have someone pay the man."

One of his guards gave a wary glance between his boss and the mercenary, but nodded and exited the room. Harken, meanwhile, could only stare agog at Rentris, his mouth hanging open. His ever-present smile had vanished.

"You can't be serious," Harken repeated, this time to the head of the Family. "After everything he's done?! Why would you-"

"Look out the damned window." Rentris took a few steps to the side and pointed with his whole arm. The smoky haze obscured the office's normally clear view of the island. The only things that could be made out in the distance were the orange flames that still burned in disparate pockets of the city. The leader went on, "The isle burns, the Watch are all but in ruins, and Raine himself is dead. All because this man decided to curse us with his presence."

Harken sputtered, "We have him surrounded, dead to rights! And you're going to let him off? Just say the word, and I'll end him right now! He's just one man."

"The others likely thought the exact same thing when this blackheart entered their domains." Rentris stepped forward, staring Dace in the eyes. "That's your way, isn't it? You're a killer, and when you step into a room, you already have both the plan and the willingness to murder everyone else there. A true blackheart. Much like my father was." He glanced to the side at his sister. "Much like she tries to be."

Rentris stepped back and leaned against the edge of his desk. He started to toy with the oil lantern again, lifting it by the hook and absently turning it back and forth, causing the shadows in the room to extend and retract.

"I don't care whatever motivations brought you to Riftmere. At this point, I just want your poisonous influence away from here. You'll get your payment, and then I expect that you will leave my island promptly, in peace."

Dace gave an almost imperceptible nod. "I accept those terms. My interests in this island are at an end."

"Unbelievable," Harken muttered in disgust. Looking between Rentris and the other guards, he saw that no one was even making eye contact with him. Pursing his lips, Harken stormed out of the room, letting the double-doors fall closed behind him.

Kythra snarled and tried to get some angry, muted words through the gag.

Rolling his eyes, her brother motioned to a guard. "Something else to share? Now that we have an accord with your friend here, this should be entertaining. Fine, let's hear it."

As the guard lowered the gag from her mouth, she bared her teeth and glared at Rentris. "You've made an enemy of me, killed our father, and for what? You were going to just give it all away to Raine?"

He sat atop the desk, crossing his legs in front. "Above all else... I just wanted peace. But with Raine gaining influence in the western district, father being too proud to temper the use of the Family's violence, and you being... well, you...I knew that the Family would never even deign to find a peaceful solution."

Rentris glanced at the guard standing behind Kythra. In the guard's hand was a sword that gave off a soft, magical glow from its blade. It looked nothing like the standard armaments of the Family's men. Perhaps it was the paladin's. Rentris put his hand out and motioned to the guard, who then came forward and passed the weapon to him.

He went on, eyes following the sword's faint light as he swished it back and forth in the air. "For all his faults, Raine was still a businessman, and open to a deal. I knew the only way this could work, without a war of blood in the streets, would be to remove you and father."

"You coward," Kythra shouted. "Maybe Harken was right to go behind your back and try to have me killed. Because now I don't even care about the Family; now I just want you to die at my hands." She turned to her left, glaring hatefully at Dace. "And you, blackheart, had best hope someone does kill me here, because if I ever have the chance, I am going to find you and cut your damn arm off for your betrayal!"

With both hands, Dace suddenly seized her by the leather jerkin at the collar, and roughly yanked her halfway to her feet. A few guards reached for the hilts of their weapons, but Rentris raised a hand for them to wait, and he just watched the pair with a look of faint interest.

Staring coldly into her eyes, Dace sneered and said, "Are these the type of men you wanted working for you? Is this island the type of heap you wished to lord over? You have not even being paying attention."

He gave her a rough shove, and she fell back into the chair.

"I shall take my payment now."

Coincidentally, at that point the guard returned, carrying a large leather sack whose contents jangled with every step. Rentris gestured between Dace and the bag of coins.

"The reward bounty is yours, blackheart. Whatever passage gets you away from here the fastest, I suggest you take it. There has been more than enough bloodshed from this ordeal."

Wordless, Dace grabbed his reward from the guard and walked out of the room.

"Make sure he takes the first ship away from here." Two of the guards nodded to their boss and followed the mercenary away. Turning his attention back to Kythra, Rentris shrugged. "I truly wish there was another way, but we both know you are too much like father to ever let this go. Exile isn't an option, you'll just regroup come back with murder in mind. So I will do what I originally planned, before Harken decided to muck things up."

He stood up and gestured for the guards to take her away. "You will be imprisoned in a cell downstairs for the foreseeable future. It was bad enough having to deal with father, but I don't see you having the same influence that he did. The men here never actually respected you beyond what father demanded of them."

Kythra began spitting more profanities at her brother as the guards dragged her away.

"Goodbye, sister. Though I never asked for this, try to take some comfort knowing that my rulership will be one of mercy."

It wasn't long before Kythra found herself locked in a cell, downstairs from Rentris' office. She leaned on the cell door, arms hanging out between the bars. Sitting on the opposite site of the jail was a lone guard, one who'd apparently drawn the short straw in the patrol schedule. He sat sullenly beneath a wall-mounted torch, reading an old book. It all felt annoyingly familiar to Kythra.

The key to the cell dangled from the side of his belt. The glowing sword she had taken from the paladin was lying against the wall next to him.

After everything that happened, she had accomplished little more than acquiring a few more names on her revenge list. Harken. Her brother. Dace. Somehow, she would find a way to strike back at all of them.

Absently rubbing at her neck, near the collar of her jerkin, she stopped as she felt something hard in the material. Turning away from the jailer, she reached up and felt around the underside of the leather collar of her outfit. Something had been hidden there without her knowledge, folded inside against one of the seams. She pulled the object away and stared down at what was in her hand.

It was a long, rusted metal screw, the same one she'd removed from the last cell she'd occupied, on the other side of the island. The same one Dace had taken from her, back when they first met. She paused and thought. When Dace grabbed her in Rentris' office upstairs, did he...?

Kythra frowned and shook her head. It didn't matter, Dace made his choice by betraying her. She would find him some day and settle their score.

As for today... it would have to do. Concealing the makeshift weapon in her hand, she turned back to the cell door and called to the guard.

"Hey, you there. I have an offer for you." She banged on the bars with a fist. "I can get you more than what my brother is paying you. Just hear me out."

Rolling his eyes, the jailer nonetheless closed his book and walked closer to the cell. Kythra tightened her grip on the rusty screw, and braced herself for what would come next.

Some time after the earlier confrontation, Rentris sat in his office, now surrounded by stacks of papers on his desk. Despite the work that had to be done, he couldn't keep from reflecting on the events of the past few days. With all the destruction wrought by the blackheart across the city, he knew that the Family's resources would be in critical need. The flames had robbed many of their homes and possessions. With Raine's Company and the Watch in disarray, it all fell on his shoulders. He leaned back in his chair and sighed into his hands.

The whole plan was to reduce the Family's power and redistribute it through the other major groups in the city. Now it seemed that the Family was the only one left standing. He could scarcely believe that one man's actions could throw the island in such disarray... but perhaps it would also take one man's actions to rebuild it.

Looking to the pair of guards standing by the doors of his office, he asked, "Where is Harken? He surely would have had his wounds tended to by now."

One of his men shrugged and shook his head. "He hasn't been seen since he stormed out of here earlier."

"Ugh, he'd better not have gone after the blackheart again. That will just bring his wrathful presence back to the city." Rentris frowned. Why was peace always to difficult to hold on to? "Send some more men to find him."

"Most are busy keeping the districts in order, due to the Watch being disbanded."

"Fine, then you go look for him. With the immediate threat passed, we need every set of hands on deck."

His guards gave tired nods and trudged out of the office. Just as the door swinged shut behind them, Rentris heard sudden exclamations coming from the hallway outside, followed by the clashing of metal.

Grabbing the lantern from the corner of his desk, Rentris rose and stepped toward the centre of the room. He briefly glanced toward the window. Before he could even consider his options, the double doors were flung open and he was stunned by the bloody figure standing before him.

Kythra's form filled the doorway, blood spattering her clothes. She had a wild look in her eyes and was breathing heavily. Gripped tightly in her hand was the paladin's glowing sword, its blade now heavily stained with red.

The younger man fell back a step as she advanced on him. He swallowed nervously and said, "Everything I did was for the betterment of the city and its people. Father's way, your way, was too violent to carry us through the next conflict." Rentris continued to back away, still holding the lantern aloft. "Even your mercenary friend was little different."

"And yet father is dead, while the blackheart and I remain breathing. Why?"

"The men wouldn't follow me so long as father remained. They feared him, but they also respected him. That is why he had to be removed." Rentris managed to regain some of his composure and stood straight. "The mercenary was willing to accept a deal; payment in exchange for him leaving without difficulty. But you..." The lantern in his hand wavered slightly, causing the shadows in the room to flicker, as if agitated. "I knew you would never see the truth; the men already resented you. Getting to where you were by clutching so tightly to father's name and his bloody coattails. But without all that, you're just not a threat, and certainly not a leader."

Kythra slashed up with the sword, slicing him across the wrist. He screamed and dropped the lantern, which hit the wooden floor and started to roll away. He clutched his bleeding arm and fell back against his desk, knocking over a few of the stacks and sending papers flying across the floor.

His sister stared into him, her voice dripping with anger. "I think it's because you lost your nerve. I could have kept the Family in line through force and fear." She brandished the blade, casting an eerie red glow across her face. "But now, after everything I've seen these past few nights, I now see a new truth; you are beneath me, all of you."

With a final thrust, she drove the sword into Rentris. He gasped and spent his last breath while staring upon the bloody visage of his vengeful sister.

Letting the body collapse to the ground, Kythra stepped back and just watched as he fell still. Exhausted from fighting her way up here, she grabbed the top of the chair in front of the desk. For a moment, all she could feel was an empty, cold pit coming from within her chest.

The sound of a door creaking open from behind put her on guard. She whirled, sword raised.

One of Rentris' men was leaning against the doorframe, arms clutching a bleeding gash at his side. Kythra had briefly fought him just moments earlier, though in her haste to confront her brother, she had apparently left the deed unfinished.

As she quickly closed in on the man, he threw an open palm up in surrender.

"Wait, hold," he pleaded, glancing past her toward Rentris' fallen form. "It's all over, you win. You're in charge of the Family now." He slowly reached down and unclasped his scabbard from his belt, allowing the sheathed weapon to clatter on the floor. "I'll obey your orders now. We all will."

She watched him for a moment. Was he actually serious? "Just like that? You were with my brother moments ago, but now you are dedicated to me?"

"Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say." He slowly went down on one knee. Whether it was because he was fatigued or pledging allegiance, she couldn't tell.

Kythra was tired of all this. Maybe he really believed what he said, maybe he didn't. But to her ears, every word from his lips sounded like a mockery, ringing of cowardly desperation and nothing else.

Dace's final words to her began to echo in her mind. Are these the type of men you wanted working for you?

With that, she made her decision. Closing in, she swiped the blade across the man's throat, ending his snivelling. What use did she have for a so-called Family full of turncoats and cowards?

Glancing back to the inside of the office, she saw Rentris' corpse, still lying before the desk. His arm had fallen to the side, and his death pose looked as though he was reaching toward the lantern he dropped on the ground earlier. A light in the shadows, just out of reach. It's glow cast an orange light over the papers strewn across the wooden floor.

Lifting the lantern by the handle, she gazed into the small flame for a moment, then swung it down in an arcing motion. The glass shattered across the desk, sending oil and fire across the parchments and the office's wooden floor. Kythra dropped the broken remains of the lantern on the ground and then stepped back toward the door, watching as the flames started to catch and spread across the room.

She was alone now, and maybe that would be all she needed.

Not long after leaving them behind, Dace swiftly made his way to the harbourfront, where he booked passage on the first available ship away from the island. It was crowded with other passengers, most fleeing Riftmere as the city burned, but all it took was a little extra gold in a few palms to secure a cabin for him.

A few minutes out from shore, Dace managed to find a quiet part of the deck away from the other passengers, near the bow. He leaned forward against the railing, watching the city as they moved across the waters. Pockets of the districts were still in flames, and the pallid smoke would likely linger for days, if not weeks. The mercenary focused his attention on the Family's headquarters in the docks district. Streams of fresh black smoke escaped from many of the windows, and Dace knew that Kythra must have acted as he expected.

"Nowhere to run now, blackheart," said a voice behind him.

Dace straightened up, inhaled slowly, and then turned around to face his foe.

Harken stood there, clutching a knife in his hand. His arm had been haphazardly bandaged, but the wound was still bleeding, judging by the dark red stain slowly expanding on the gauze. The man was grinning once again, only this time his expression lacked the same amusement or mocking mirth from before. This time, it was a predatory smile.

"You know, when Ren told me what he was planning, I thought it would backfire. But I decided that in the long run, working for Raine might present more interesting opportunities." He gave the knife a twirl in his hand. "I never thought Kythra of all people would summon outside aid, yet here you stand... my new rival."

Dace had heard enough. "You must be delusional, deciding to face me head on like this. Does your master know you are here? It looks like he might need your help." He tilted his head to the side and back, directing Harken's gaze toward the smoking building across the water behind him.

Harken seemed to notice the Family base for the first time. Squinting in the distance, he muttered, "Hmph, well perhaps Ren should have-"

With surprising speed, the mercenary launched himself forward, putting all his weight into a kick to Harken's midsection. Doubling over, Harken wheezed and attempted to swing his knife. Dace caught him by the forearm, then pivoted and forcibly bent the man's arm, driving the blade into Harken's own side.

As the man screamed, Dace shoved him against the ship's guardrail. Harken fell against the wooden beam and yanked out the knife. Sending a wild-eyed look at Dace, Harken continued to grin. "You know, one thing I've learned from all this-"

Dace charged in, knocking his opponent overboard. The mercenary leaned over the edge and watched as Harken splashed into the sea. The ship continued to sail away from the island, swiftly putting distance between the two men as Harken sputtered in the water and cursed at Dace.

Glancing back and forth between Riftmere and the rapidly departing vessel, Harken seemed momentarily torn. He shouted at Dace. "Don't think this is the end. I'm going to find you, and next time, you won't get to just run away."

With a final glare up at his opponent, Harken began to slowly swim back to the island.

Dace ignored the pathetic man and instead returned his gaze toward Riftmere, leaning on the railing and watching impassively as the burning city gradually grew smaller and smaller in the distance.