Sooka watched carefully from behind all her friends. The half-orc stood in a blinded terror with Bash behind him and Aribis in front, each with a weapon trained on the barkeep.
"Lie to me again, I dare ye," warned Aribis.
That he will do, thought Sooka, and she waved her hand, reaching out with her mind to meet the half-orc's. As her thoughts reached his, she almost staggered at the overwhelming fear that rattled the man's brain.
They found out! How? cried the man's thoughts. He'll kill me! He'll kill me!
Not good enough, she thought to herself, and she pressed deeper into his mind. A large wall blocked her way, but she swatted it aside as he screamed at her in retaliation. A force ran at her and pushed her away. But she pushed back, and for a moment, a vision appeared in her mind.
She stood in a room with three other creatures, gray-skinned and sunken with unnerving eyes – other doppelgangers. Before them stood a dark figure in a black cloak. His eyes glowed red.
"Together, we will destroy this city," the Ghost growled. "None can stand against us. My plan is flawless, and it all starts with you." He pointed a clawed finger to one of the others. "Delthorn – he will be the first to fall."
The image grew hazy as Sooka felt resistance once again. This creature was skilled in the art of mental sparring, but Sooka was determined to be the victor in this battle. As a wall was cast before her, she pressed hard against it until it yielded to her efforts.
This time, a giant cauldron sat on a platform before her, the Ghost standing behind it. His finger dipped into the liquid, and he began to stir.
"Bring him, please," he said.
A human man entered her field of vision from the side, being urged forward by a doppelganger. The man seemed barely able to walk properly as he was shoved into the hands of the Ghost. Holding the man's head over the cauldron, the Ghost slit his throat with a claw, and the blood poured out, splashing about, the man coughing and sputtering until the body went limp. As the Ghost tossed the man's body aside, Sooka felt the doppelganger's body shudder in its memory. Such fear was running through its mind that Sooka nearly shuddered herself.
This devotion to the Ghost was not devotion of love. All loyalty to this dark creature came from instilled terror.
Taking a claw to his own arm, the Ghost, pierced himself and let one drop of dark, thick blood fall into the cauldron. The liquid began to boil and churn, as he commanded someone to bring "the resin." A slave brought forth a small box decorated with the symbol of Delthorn Holdings, and the Ghost retrieved from it a small bottle with clear liquid. He emptied its contents into his vat and cast aside the bottle, which shattered on the floor.
The Ghost turned its eyes to the invaded doppelganger – to Sooka – and said, "Now, your turn."
Again, the vision blurred away, but this time, it was followed by a force that battered her, forcing her to retreat somewhat. The fear that the doppelganger felt leaked into Sooka's mind, and her physical body began to shiver in terror of the Ghost.
She began to scream as the panic seized her heart, and she withdrew completely from the doppelganger's mind.
"What's wrong?" came William's strong, sturdy voice. A steady hand touched her shoulder, and Sooka opened her eyes to see William kneeling next to her.
But the panic still reigned in her mind. She had to explain what happened.
THE GHOST! she wanted to scream, but the words could not come. Desperately, she cast images of the Ghost and the doppelgangers, the poor man who was murdered, and mimicked the Ghost's voice in a paltry attempt to communicate what had happened. Patient as ever, William and Enna watched and listened, but they didn't seem to understand.
She screamed within her own mind, the words forming but simply unable to leave her mouth. Disjointed words and sounds escaped her, none of them remotely what she wanted to say, and she felt desperation taking over her body.
Why can't I speak? she pleaded to herself. WHY CAN'T I SPEAK!
Her mind still screaming and panicking, she stopped, realizing that her efforts were futile. The doppelganger's voice came from behind the bar, and the others immediately turned to answer and ask questions. Her breathing did not slow, and her heart did not calm. Images of fire flitted across her mind, and for a moment, she had trouble separating them from her reality.
No, no, not again, she cried to herself. Why can nobody understand when it matters most? Why can't I just explain it?
The others talked for some time, and Sooka carefully inched her way to the door. She'd never been the focus of this group, except for William from time to time, and now they were all focused on the doppelganger. All of them talking. Always talking. Effortlessly, like they had nothing to think about. It was as simple as breathing to them. Nothing to formulate and dissect, nothing to struggle with.
She couldn't talk.
What would it be like to talk? To be able to speak… easily… Was that even possible for a kenku?
Maybe not perfectly, but she knew of one that approached such a luxury. Maybe he could help her get there, too.
Finally, she'd made it to the door. As silently as she could, she darted out and down the street. Just as she turned a corner, she glanced back and saw Aribis sticking his head out the door and glancing around. She wasn't sure if she'd been seen, but she pressed forward, as quickly and quietly as possible.
The swooshing of Aribis's wings could be heard in the distance, and Sooka instinctively moved closer to the walls. She cast glances behind and above her multiple times, and she never saw his tiny figure. At last, she found what she sought, darted into an alleyway, lifted a sewer grate silently before dropping down into it. Following the tunnels, she charged forward, following a mental map of the sewers until she was where she needed to be. Climbing a ladder, she slowly opened another sewer grate and surfaced.
No one was nearby, but before her stood a dilapidated building, the siding in shambles, many shingles missing from the roof. A large porch protected the front door, which promptly opened. A kenku head popped out and peered at her.
"Here to see the master, missy?" he asked.
"Rustler," she stated, copying the kenku from before.
"Rustler," repeated the kenku before letting out a nasally laugh. "We gave you offers." "Please, don't kill me!" "Remember?"
Remembering, Sooka shuddered.
"Here to see" "Rustler," she said.
"I'll go see if he's in," replied the other kenku in a nonchalant voice. "Perhaps he won't be."
He disappeared in the door, and Sooka waited several moments, bouncing in her boots and plucking loose feathers along her side. Finally, the kenku came back out.
"The master will be seeing you accordingly," he said in a pompous voice before standing to the side. Then in a rough, guttural voice, "Better get a move on, missy!"
Not wasting any time, Sooka walked forward, up the steps, and into the building. The kenku stayed outside and closed the door behind her, and she took several timid steps down the hall. The scent of old books and leather wafted to her from every direction, and as she passed by open doorways, she peered inside to see multiple kenku binding old books. They worked hard to keep up Rustler's front of being a paper miller.
As she passed another doorway, some of the kenku made remarks about her, but she fought to brush them aside and press forward.
At the end of the long hallway, another kenku stood waiting for her.
"Come this way, girlie," he said in an old woman's crafty voice.
He ushered her into an ornate room and closed the door, and she took in her surroundings. Every surface was covered with something shiny – gems, artwork, sculptures, and weapons. Shirking from the extravagant wealth, Sooka focused her attention on a large, ornate desk sitting behind a giant, throne-like chair, in which sat a kenku whose graying feathers betrayed his age.
Rustler spoke with a surprisingly smooth voice, not disjointed like Sooka was accustomed to. Jealousy ran through her; clearly Rustler had spent enough time with someone that his mimicry was nearly flawless. This was as close as a kenku could get to having their own voice.
"The little girl comes to nest…" he drawled menacingly. "Welcome, Sooka. What can an old man like me do for you?"
Could he teach her this speech in time? Would he?
"Ha!" said Sooka, recalling a painful memory. "She probably just doesn't want to feel useless anymore."
"I told you, girlie," continued Rustler in that same intimidating voice. "I told you, girlie. This is your family, where you belong. We have need of you. So skilled… So powerful! You could be quite an asset to our operation. Is this where you want to be, girlie?"
"Yes," she said in William's voice.
"Well, alright then. Before we can just let you in, though… we must have a show of faith. If you will, sweetie, I know who you've been traveling with. I know the dealings you've had with people far more powerful than you. One of your former… friends… carries a shiny thing."
"Shiny," mimicked the guard behind her with excitement.
"I believe," continued Rustler, "that it was a very pretty ingot. Very shiny… I would like it. I have a perfect spot for it right here."
He pointed to a golden pedestal on his desk, studded with all sorts of gemstones. They twinkled in the dim light, flashing warning lights in Sooka's mind.
"Right here. It would make me… happy. Do we have a deal, girlie? I can offer you a family, home, food for your hungry belly. Whatever you wish, dear, but you shall know that it was Rustler who got it for you."
What was this? All she'd wanted was to be useful. Her limited speech had made her a liability, and now here was a chance to put it to good use. And yet… such animosity and greed dripped from this bird who sat before her that she had a startling realization.
Family, she recalled him saying. I can offer you a family.
Shaking her head, Sooka took a step back. That ingot was something that Aribis cherished, in his own odd little way. To take it from him would be wrong.
"Aribis," she said through Enna. "We're family," she added through William.
His eyes glared at her piercingly, his expression less inviting.
"Why did you come here, girlie?" he asked simply.
"She probably just doesn't want to feel useless anymore. She has no voice. She can't fly. She's good for nothing! All she does is eat our food and take up space."
"That's all from the same voice," entreated Rustler. "You were so mistreated. My heart goes out to you."
Maybe her worries were unwarranted after all. Surely Rustler knew the frustration she felt, the inability to speak and fly, being tied to mimicry and the ground. Perhaps what she really needed was a level of empathy she could never get, especially from one so casually free as Aribis.
"See, Sooka…" said Rustler. "Our kind has always been misunderstood. Stripped of flight, of speech, that which we long for most. Never able to create, never able to be our own… But I have made us our own. And you will be a part of it. One of my crowning jewels. All I need is a show of faith. You'll have a home where you won't be useless, where you'll be creating your own life, your own family. Things that, from the sound of it, you've never known."
She hesitated. She had known these things… long ago.
"It's but a trifle," he urged. "A small thing for me to put on my desk."
"We're a family," said Sooka in a girl's voice, protesting his claims. "We're sisters now."
"My dear, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but… Throughout life, you will have to make many decisions. Some will be hard, others easy. But there are those who help you make these decisions. Is that so hard? Let it go. Stop wanting so much. Let us help you, dear."
Frustrated, images of William, Enna, and Aribis flitting through her mind, she held up her hand and wrote with her magic: What exactly can you give me?
An odd sensation suddenly came over her, one that she'd felt before. As magic touched her mind, she had a desire – nay, a need – to speak in truth. Glancing around, she sought for the source of magic, but froze in place as Rustler straightened and looked at her.
"Did you do that?" he asked menacingly. "Trying to manipulate me, are you?"
Furiously, Sooka shook her head, suddenly terrified.
"Go check outside!" rattled Rustler to the kenku at the door.
He nodded and opened it, revealing a grinning kenku with a scar across his throat. Bewildered, Sooka took several steps back as the stranger drew two shortswords. Cocking her head to one side, Sooka peered at the weapons and thought that she recognized them.
"Sooka, it's time to go, girl!" came Aribis's voice.
Realization dawned on her as a disguised Aribis began swinging at the guard.
A fluff of black feathers escaped out the door of the Sour Apple, and Aribis turned just in time to see it.
Now where is the lass going? he questioned to himself, and quietly flitted off to peer out the door. Though he saw nothing, he wasn't about to let Sooka run off on her own without someone close by. He glanced back at the others and saw them all in deep discussion with the doppelganger, and then he flew out the door.
Glancing around, he noticed no Skywatch in the area and cautiously rose to about twenty feet up, scanning the area around him. Sooka seemed out of sight, but just on the edge of his vision, he caught a flitter of movement. Turning deftly toward it, Aribis shot forward through the waning daylight, intent on at least discovering Sooka's intended destination.
He dove toward a roof and alighted silently, glancing down to the streets below. At last catching sight of the little one, he kept low and kept her sighted. Flitting from rooftop to rooftop, he kept a respectable distance from Sooka but always had eyes on her. She cast her eyes about her more than once, and he always managed to duck at the appropriate times.
She paused for a moment before ducking into an alleyway, and he waited for a moment to see her emerge from the other side, but the time passed, and she was nowhere to be seen. His powerful wings propelled him forward, and he looked into the alley to see nothing but some trash and a sewer grate. Quickly and quietly, he dropped next to it, opened it, and dropped down the ladder inside.
Though Sooka made no sounds for Aribis to follow, his keen eyes noticed an occasional footprint in the mud on the floor. Carefully, he rushed forward until he came to a split in the tunnel. Studying the prints, he finally was able to spot a distinct Sooka-shaped impression and followed it left. As best as he could tell, they were headed in the direction of the Circle.
Suddenly remembering what might be searching for him, he muttered and waved his hand, and his footprints disappeared as he melded into the shadows.
Sooka's steps eventually slowed and then vanished altogether when a ladder appeared on his right. He heard vague conversation above him and was pretty sure one of the participants was Sooka, though he heard none of his companions' voices in the exchange. He cast another spell on himself, forming his visage into the form of a kenku before slowly climbing up the ladder.
Lifting the grate slightly, he saw Sooka standing before an old, dilapidated building, and another kenku stood by the door and ushered her inside. Once Sooka was inside, the kenku turned back and scanned the alleyway, closing the door behind him, and then his eyes locked directly onto Aribis's.
"Oy! You!" he called out in an unmistakable guard's voice.
Shrugging, Aribis pushed out of the sewer grate and stood before the kenku, trying to appear casual. It was an odd perception, as the kenku's eyes no longer looked into Aribis's, but about a foot above them. His disguise was working.
"Who're you?" the other demanded.
"Here to see," began Aribis. Then adjusting his voice to match what he'd heard Sooka say before, he ended his sentence with a raspy, "Rustler."
To an untrained eye, he was sure that his façade would be convincing, but imitating a kenku was an incredibly difficult feat, especially when speaking with one. Within a moment of his words, it became clear that this kenku had not been fooled. Slowly and full of suspicion, the kenku pulled out a crossbow, loaded and aimed at Aribis.
"I reckon you better get outta here, mate."
"Alright, alright…" said Aribis in a calming tone. "I understand what you mean. I'm just here for the little one that you just let in, that's all. I want to know what she's up to."
"That little missy" "has business with" "Rustler."
"I'm quite aware." Adjusting his focus, he let his disguising spell drop, and the kenku looked taken aback for a moment.
"Ah, so we can see each other face to face!"
"Maybe we can cut a deal," said Aribis hopefully.
The kenku's head cocked slightly, his shoulders loosening slightly as he peered at Aribis.
"Maybe we can cut a deal," repeated the kenku.
"How much to let me in?"
"I say," said the kenku in a horribly annoying voice, "two thousand gold."
Aribis chuckled. "Aren't you a cute one? I'll give you twenty."
"I say, two thousand gold."
"Accept my offer," insisted Aribis.
"Accept my offer," mimicked the kenku.
"Alright…" Aribis stepped up and placed twenty gold into the kenku's hand. His hand didn't retract, and the crossbow didn't budge.
"I reckon you better get outta here" "before I call the master."
Aribis hesitated.
"Cough up, cough up," said the kenku.
Handing him ten more gold pieces, Aribis said, "That's about as good as you're going to get."
The kenku pocketed the gold and said, "Thank you for your contribution." "Now get out! Before I call the master!"
For a short moment, Aribis wrestled with what he should do. He could leave. But who knew what Sooka was getting herself into? He couldn't just leave, and so he did the first thing that came to mind. He lunged forward.
The kenku panicked and let fly his bolt, which lodged itself firmly in Aribis's shoulder, but that didn't stop him. As he made impact, Aribis wrapped his arms tightly around the kenku and put a hand over his mouth. He flailed about, and Aribis pulled out a blade and smacked the kenku in the head with the hilt. Two more hits, and the kenku finally slumped into unconsciousness.
After a sigh of relief, Aribis tucked the sleeping kenku into a shadowy corner of the alley before retrieving his thirty gold, removing the bolt, and casting a spell once more to return to his kenku form, but this time with a scar across his throat. No more talking for me, he thought to himself.
Then he pushed the door open and followed Sooka. The door at the end of the hall closed, and he thought he saw dark tail feathers in the gap before they were blocked from sight. As quietly as he could, he sneaked down the hallway, magic still aiding him as he virtually melded into the shadows themselves. As he approached the door, he saw a small sliver of an opening and leaned close to listen.
The exchange between Rustler and Sooka was unwelcome, though intriguing. His heart went out to Sooka, who clearly had left because she felt she couldn't help them anymore. Rustler, however, emanated an intense level of crookedness and evil that made Aribis's feathers ruffle in a silent defense of Sooka. Rustler's emotional manipulation of Sooka was unforgiveable. As she displayed even a fraction of her magic to write out her words, his eyes flashed with a hunger that took Aribis aback.
All he wanted was for Sooka to see Rustler for who he was. Whispering, the sound of his voice veiled by magic, he cast one more spell. As the magic flowed from him, he sensed the minds it touched and Sooka's sudden compulsion to speak truthfully.
Rustler, however, was a stronger mind and, sensing the spell, soon barked an order to check outside. Before Aribis could react, the door flew open before him, and he stood smiling awkwardly at the kenku, Sooka, and Rustler.
There was no talking out of this situation.
Drawing his shortswords, he called, "Sooka, it's time to go, girl!"
Then he attacked.
A flurry of feathers decorated the doorway as Aribis knocked out the guard. Sooka's mind was reeling at the turn of events, realizing Aribis's and her sudden danger, and she fought to regain composure and decide what to do.
"Get him!" shouted Rustler, and a slew of working kenku flashed into action, their caws and pounding feet echoing in the hallway behind Aribis.
A volley of crossbow bolts whistled through the air at the same moment that Aribis leapt into the office and shut the door. Steel bolts pierced the door, poking through in wrath of Aribis's attempts to survive the onslaught.
Standing and drawing his own greatsword, Rustler drew himself to his full height.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Wait! I'll answer that… You're dead!"
Leaping over his desk, he brought his weapon down on Aribis, which ran across the length of his arm. A second, slower attack came from the side, and Aribis threw his arm up, forming a magical barrier around himself just as the blow glanced off.
Standing back, Rustler glanced between Aribis and Sooka before shouting, "Sooka! Help me or not! What do you choose?"
She watched Rustler and then looked to Aribis, the one fighting for her. Within a second, she made a decision. Running up to Aribis, she grabbed his hand and turned to Rustler.
"We're family," she said from William.
Then she spoke a few words and thrust her hand down. She closed her eyes, and a popping noise rang loud in her ears. When she opened her eyes, she and Aribis stood alone in the sewers.
Letting go of his hand, she looked down. Knowing the request she needed to make of him, she hesitated. She resented herself for having to make it. As much as she wished she could fly to safety with him, she knew that it couldn't be done. He would have to do the flying for the both of them.
She mimicked his voice from a story he'd told long ago.
"Fly," she said.
Then after making motions with her hands, she touched her chest and transformed herself into a mouse.
Gingerly, Bash lay Urgok'nir on the flimsy cot in the corner of the tiny underground safehouse and handed him a stored bottle of water.
"It's not much, but it's water," explained Bash. "You'll be safe here. Rest up, and I'll come back to check on you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Bash," said Urgok'nir solemnly.
"I'll attend to some of those infections," said William as he approached the half-orc. "We can go after Sooka and Aribis when I'm done."
Kneeling by his side, William produced a surprising abundance of herbs, poultices, and bandages and began tending to Urgok'nir. As he worked with a skilled hand, Bash slumped against the dirt wall and fell to the ground, burying his head in his hands. Try as he might, he couldn't stop the flow of tears as they came. It was an odd feeling for him, this swirling mixture of grief and wrath. He was only vaguely aware of the doppelganger guarded by Enna near the door, and he absorbed himself into this horrible feeling of helplessness.
"He's just a lowly barkeep," said William suddenly. "Why torture him like this? This is… inhuman."
"He was my mark," replied Aunn simply.
"To be accepted by people, you cannot behave like this," came Enna's low voice.
There was a pause. "I'm dead anyway."
"Why not just take the form of the person? Why all the torture?"
"Impersonating someone is not something you can do on a mere whim," said Aunn indignantly. "It's a delicate art. We cannot create original faces. We must replace someone."
"There are so many ways that your abilities could be helpful to society, though!" exclaimed Enna earnestly. "Diplomats who need to be in two places at once, you could help them do what they need to do."
"And be wealthy without hurting anyone," added William.
"I know it's been difficult for your people," pressed Enna. "But there are ways to incorporate yourselves into our society where you can help and be helped. This isn't it."
Her footsteps approached Bash, and he felt Enna sit next to him. Such an urge came over him to wrap his arms around her and weep into her neck, but he resisted.
"Thank you for your honesty, at least," said William.
Another pause, and then, "Perhaps you're too trusting, my friend."
At that, Bash stood abruptly and marched toward the doppelganger, drawing his dagger as he went. Anger coursed through him as he put the blade on the creature's neck.
"'Friend,' you say?" growled Bash in a quiet voice. "He's no friend of yours. Don't pretend that anyone in this entire city is your friend."
The sickening beast just watched him with those beady, flat eyes, expression impassive and almost uncaring. It was all Bash could do to keep him alive. His mind flitted to William and Enna behind him, and the sheer goodness of those two people. Neither of them would have such an outburst as this, and neither would have been willing to outright murder the… the thing. But then he remembered Urgok'nir. He remembered the severed fingers, the missing eye, the rampant infections. And this creature is what did that. This creature was worthy of little more than death.
"Give me one reason," whispered Bash, "why I shouldn't just kill you right now."
Fear ran across the gray face, and the doppelganger's voice wavered as he said, "You need me."
"Oh, is that right?"
"Yes! I can help! I've told you all I know, but I can still help! I can take you to our meeting place. I can help you find the Ghost. Please, don't kill me!"
"You see, the difference between us and the Ghost," inserted William, standing and watching carefully, "is that he does need you. That's the only reason he keeps you around. He would use you and then cast you aside once his plans are complete. We don't need you, but we want your help. That's why you're here with us."
Bash fancied that this was a warning directed at his wrath.
"You do need me!" it pleaded, terror lighting up its eyes once more as it saw the lack of empathy in Bash's eyes.
Many of Bash's targets in the past had made such petitions. Stories of family and loved ones who would be left behind. None of them had ever worked before. That wasn't about to change.
"I am the Ghost," snarled Bash, then slid the sharp blade across the doppelgangers neck.
Blood sprayed, and Bash stepped back as the body crumpled to the ground.
"Bash!" chastised William, but Bash ignored him. A firm hand grabbed his shoulder, and William slung him around and pushed him up against the wall, a meaty forearm pressed against his chest. "Why did you do that?" the monk demanded.
"He deserved to die," replied Bash flatly.
"That doesn't matter! You don't get to make that choice!"
Enna placed a hand on William's shoulder and said softly, "Let Bash go. Keep helping our friend here."
Reluctantly, William released Bash, though his eyes continued to shoot daggers at him. "Keep your boy in line," he growled at Enna before turning and walking pointedly away.
"Forget this," muttered Bash before bursting out onto the street.