Missteps V.2

Chapter 39 – Strictly Business

"Are we going to indulge that kind of behavior every time?" The halfling sounded annoyed as he looked over his shoulder at the receding form of their cleric.

Iados stretched his arms out above his head. "Hey, if she wants to sit in a cold, damp cave with some charred bodies, I say let her."

"What if next time we're in the middle of nowhere?" Ander reached up and wiped some moisture off his forehead. Unknowingly he just ended up with a dark streak as the dirt from his hands came off.

"She didn't do that in the dwarven settlement." Jun pointed out. "All she did then was have us bury the bodies."

Ander opened his mouth to say something, but Lia beat him to it. "If it becomes an issue in the future, then we'll deal with it. Right now we just need to focus on getting Elaine and Carric some relief so that we can come back down tomorrow."

"If they let us." Kerri paused and pointed ahead of them. Near the entrance to the tunnel was a group of ten or so figures, illuminated by torches.

"I'm glad to see you survived." A familiar, nasal voice called down to the group once they were about thirty or so feet away. The eyes, the only part of his face that was visible under a large scarf and wide-brimmed hat, darted over the group. "You seem to be down a couple of members."

"Is that Loiwin?" Ander whispered to Lia.

"I think so." Lia whispered back as she scanned the men that stood spread out in front of them under the softly falling snow. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and everything was in twilight. She looked over at Jun, whose face was hard as he took note that every one of the men (with the exception of Loiwin) was armed.

"Quite the 'Welcoming Committee'." Kerri crossed her arms and stared directly at Loiwin. "We'd already planned on giving you a visit, so thank you for saving us a trip."

"You're very welcome my dear." Was the muffled reply. "However, there is still some business we need to conduct. I'm here to escort you." The eyes twinkled. Loiwin turned to the man next to him and whispered softly to him. The dark-haired man nodded. The man quickly singled out four other individuals and then moved around and past Mellow Andromeda down into the caverns.

Loiwin reached up and pulled his jacket closer around him. "Now then, follow me. The faster we move the faster we can get out of this blasted cold."

Kerri looked over her shoulder at the group. Jun had his hand on his warhammer, eyes locked on the remains of Loiwin's men. Iados had moved slightly away from the group, no doubt ready to do some sort of flying kick on the closest thug. Ander's hand was tensed as he stood slightly hidden behind Jun's thick leg.

Lia walked up to Jun and laid a hand on his arm. "Loiwin's right, we should get out of the cold. We've had a long day, let's just finish this up so we can get back to the inn."

Jun looked down at Lia.

Lia smiled up at him. "We don't want to keep Flyta waiting any more than we already have. If we take much longer, then she's liable to come after us herself." Lia gave a little laugh. She stepped away from Jun and towards Loiwin. Loiwin offered her his arm, which she accepted, and he escorted her to a nearby horse-drawn carriage. The rest of the group reluctantly followed.

Loiwin helped Lia and Kerri into the carriage before he climbed in after them. Of the five men left, one of them jumped into the driver's seat of the carriage, while the other one took up a position on the back. Iados, Jun, and Ander were instructed to sit in a second wagon with the remaining three men.

The small caravan headed off into the night.

The wagon occupants didn't talk. Ander tried to start a conversation, but the tension from all the parties was too thick to allow it. All three of them kept one eye on the carriage in front of them.

In the carriage, the girls sat opposite Loiwin in the plush seats, bundled under a very warm sleek-furred blanket.

"I do hope the caverns weren't too much of an ordeal for you." Loiwin had removed his hat and scarf, placing them in a wooden box on the floor of the carriage. "I told Flyta that rat removal wasn't fit for women, but she insisted."

Lia smiled warmly at Loiwin. "We appreciate the concern. To be honest we didn't do much, it was mostly the others."

Loiwin cast a concerned look at Kerri's blood-specked clothing that peeked out around the blanket. "How about you my dear?"

Kerri seemed to snap to attention. From the time they'd entered the carriage, her gaze had been focused on the floor, as if she was lost in thought.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" She tilted her head to the side as she leaned closer to Loiwin.

"Are you alright?" Loiwin's voice was full of concern as his brows knitted together.

Kerri let out a shuddering breath. "No," She sighed heavily and hung her head. "Our party got separated after these gargoyles began to attack us." Kerri gulped. "I got hurt pretty bad due to them." She pulled the blanket aside and let Loiwin see the blood-soaked leg of her pants. "I blacked out."

Lia put an arm around Kerri. "After she fell the group splintered. We tried to run away. Jun scooped Kerri up in his arms, and the three of us ran. Somehow Jun managed to defeat the gargoyle that chased us, and I healed Kerri." Kerri began to cry softly into her lap. "We managed to meet up with Iados and Ander, but we couldn't find Elaine and Carric. We didn't know what had happened to the other gargoyle either, so we decided to leave."

"Ander said, that the gargoyles weren't natural," Kerri's voice was soft as she looked up at Loiwin with tears streaming down her face. "He said someone had placed them there, and we thought it might have been you." She sniffed back the tears and wiped her face. "Do you have a way to control them? We were too afraid to search the rest of the cavern with that second gargoyle still out there. We just left, hoping you could help us."

Loiwin reached out and grabbed Kerri's hands. "Oh my dear, I am so sorry. I should have warned you about the gargoyles. I truly did not think they would attack you and your friends. When we get to the mansion, I shall speak to my sister about them. She is the one who made the gargoyles you see. Alas, don't worry. The men I sent into the caverns are well-trained in recovery, so whatever remains of your friends shall be returned to you, I swear."

Lia's eyes went wide as new tears welled up in Kerri's eyes. "Then, you don't believe our friends are alive?"

Loiwin shook his head. "I'm afraid the gargoyles are given orders to fight until their foes are dead. They are a defensive mechanism, you see."

Lia tilted her head. "It seems to be a little excessive for some artwork?"

Loiwin leaned back in his seat. "Oh, there is more than just artwork down there." Lia leaned forward. Even Kerri lifted her head in curiosity. Loiwin flicked his eyes back and forth between the two of them. He grinned and let out a small chuckle. "During the Great Calamity, a temple to a goddess named Glendaia sank into the ground. My ancestor was the only survivor, and he dedicated his and his children's lives to finding it."

"Did they find it?" Kerri asked softly. Loiwin nodded.

"However, it wasn't the same." Loiwin's voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned forward again to meet Lia and Kerri. "When the temple had fallen, it'd come into contact with a small group of Tefili, elves who reside in the Dark Realms, who'd been exiled out of their homeland. The Tefili took the temple over, and twisted its purpose to suit theirs."

"Wow, so the gargoyles protect the entrance to the temple, to keep the Tefili at bay?" Lia questioned.

Loiwin shrugged. "Among other things." Loiwin reached over and looked outside the small covered window. "I'm afraid we've run out of time to talk." As he finished speaking, the sound of the horse's hooves became much more distinct as the ground became smoother. A couple of minutes later the carriage came to a halt.

The door was opened and Loiwin was the first one out. He helped first Kerri and then Lia descend out of the carriage. Behind the carriage, the boys climbed out of the wagon. Iados simply jumped over the side, then grabbed the back of Ander's clothes and hauled him out after. The five of them joined up again.

Loiwin motioned for everyone to follow him, and they headed towards the double doors of the three-story mansion. The double-doors actually seemed to be on the second level. Two stone staircases curved around to the front, with a large fountain nestled in the small alcove below. Water flowed out and down from a precariously stacked mess of pots into the large pool below.

A servant stood by the open door as they arrived. "Welcome back, sir." The servant was dressed in a neat blue and gold tunic, with a crest stitched into the upper corner of his livery. His nose wrinkled as he took in the soiled sight of M.A. "Shall I escort your guests in through the servant's entrance?"

Loiwin waved off the offer. "No, that won't be necessary. They won't be staying long." Loiwin bustled into the mansion and everyone followed in after. "Take them into the parlor, won't you? I'll be there shortly. Oh, and won't you fetch my sister as well? It seems that her gargoyles have caused a bit of a ruckus."

The servant bowed slightly as Loiwin headed off down another hall.

As soon as Loiwin had disappeared from view, the servant sneered at the group. "Follow me." Mellow Andromeda was led to a room just off the entry hall. It wasn't an overly large room, but it was most definitely larger than their rooms at Flyta's. There were two large couches that sat and faced each other, with an elaborately decorated table in between. Paintings covered nearly every inch of the walls, each one of them a portrait of someone that shared the same elongated features as Loiwin.

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"Stay here, and I feel the need to inform you that the family has taken great pains to ensure that their personal property cannot be stolen." The servant's back was straight as he raked an eye over Iados in particular.

Iados grinned as he sauntered over to one of the couches. "We're just here to get paid, one way or another." He sat down heavily and rested his crossed feet on the table.

The servant's eyes narrowed.

"We'll behave." Kerri sat perched on the arm of the other couch. She smiled sweetly at the older man.

"I'm filled with such relief." The sarcasm of that reply was palpable. With that the servant left the room, presumably to fetch Loiwin's sister.

After the servant had left, the group was silent. Jun moved across to stand next to one of the two tall windows. Ander sat on the couch next to Iados. Lia moved from one painting to the other. As she did, she cast a few message spells so that she could discreetly fill the boys in on the story they'd given Loiwin in the carriage.

Ten or so minutes went by before they were joined by someone else. A slightly older woman strutted into the room. Her dark brown hair was cut short as it framed her face. Small half-moon spectacles sat perched on her nose and only slightly obscured the crow's feet in the corners of her eyes.

"What's this I hear about my gargoyles?" She demanded as she stood in the doorway. Her eyes flitted over everyone's face. "Are you the ones responsible for their destruction?"

"I can assure you, it was in self-defense." Ander hopped off the couch and moved closer. "They attacked us first."

The woman laughed. "You must have done something to set them off. I enchanted them myself."

Kerri tilted her head to the side. "What was the enchantment?"

The woman moved her gaze over to the bard who still sat perched on the couch arm. Kerri didn't miss the way the woman's eyes moved down her lithe frame. "It's a simple protection enchantment, designed to be set off by a particular set of circumstances." The woman's eyes lingered on Kerri's pants. "What happened to you?"

Kerri shrugged. "Lucky shot by one of the rats. I almost died."

The woman moved closer towards Kerri. No one else in the room held her interest. "Where in the cavern were you when the rat got lucky?"

Kerri titled her head up to look the woman in the eye. "Same room as the gargoyles."

The woman grinned. "Ah, now that fits the circumstances." The woman reached out and lightly traced a finger down Kerri's blood-soaked thigh. "Part of the enchantment is to protect human life. Your near-death would have driven them to protect you."

"If that's the case, then why did they try to kill my friends and not the rats?" Kerri's voice had lowered as she addressed the woman.

"Simple, I told them to ignore the rats." The woman reached out and slowly brushed a strand of hair out of Kerri's face. "The gargoyles latched onto your friends as the threat to your life, and followed their commands. They simply did as they were told."

The bard pouted. "Now I feel bad for destroying them."

The woman smiled and shrugged. "They weren't the first, and they won't be the last, don't worry about it. I do apologize that you suffered such an injury on our property."

Kerri adopted a wry smile and gently caressed the woman's upper arm. "Just part of the job your brother hired us for."

"At the very least allow me to get you a change of clothes." The woman moved back over to the doorway, and gestured for someone to come over. This time a female servant, dressed similarly to the first appeared. The woman motioned towards Kerri. "Please take," she paused and looked over.

"Kerri," Kerri supplied as she stood up and walked over.

The woman offered out her hand. "Nice to meet you Kerri, I'm Kalia."

"Pleasure." Kerri's eyes twinkled as she accepted the hand. She made sure to linger just a few beats more before she let go.

Kalia turned back to the servant. "Please take Kerri upstairs." The servant bowed and led Kerri away.

As she left, Kerri looked over her shoulder and Iados gave her a discreet thumbs-up. Not that it mattered as Kalia didn't take her eyes off Kerri, especially as the young bard walked away.

Loiwin finally appeared from across the hall and quickly made his way over. "Where is she going?"

Kalia turned towards her brother, the playful smile from her earlier conversation gone from her face. "Doesn't matter. Is that their fee?" Kalia nodded down at the pouch held in Loiwin's hand.

Loiwin nodded. "Did you talk to them about the gargoyles?"

"Yes, and they acted exactly as they were supposed to." Kalia huffed and walked past her brother down the hall. Everyone in the room had a good idea of where she was headed.

"Your friend's not in trouble, is she?" Loiwin walked into the room more, concern etched onto his face.

"If she is, it's the best kind." Iados grinned broadly.

"Has there been any word on our friends?" Lia asked.

Loiwin shook his head. "Not yet, but as I said before my dear, I highly doubt that they are still alive."

"If your men do find anything, please let us know." Jun crossed over from the window to stand a few feet from Loiwin.

Loiwin nodded.

Jun held out his hand to Ander, who passed him the sack of tails. "Back to business. We'd agreed upon fifty gold, plus an additional twenty silver per tail." Jun opened the sack so that Loiwin could see inside.

Loiwin's face paled at the gruesome sight. He coughed as the stench of the burned pieces of cartilage and muscle hit his nostrils. He took a large step back.

"Do you know how many are in there?"

"About twenty or so." Ander informed him. "Maybe a little more."

"Well, you certainly seemed to be motivated." Loiwin pulled out a cloth and dabbed at the corner of his eyes. "In light of your group's troubles, what do you say to a final payment of a hundred gold?"

Jun nodded. "We can do that."

"Good, I'll go and adjust the amount then, and have Deine bring it to you." Loiwin stepped back to the doorway. "I'll also arrange for the wagon to take you back to Flyta's, it's getting quite dark out there."

"Thank you, Loiwin." Lia flashed him a bright smile. "Do you know how long Kerri will be? Your sister seemed quite interested in her when she left."

Loiwin's eyes widen at the news before he sighed deeply. "She might be quite a while if that's the case."

"Any objections to me sitting down here and waiting for her then?" Iados said from the couch, one arm looped over the back. "There's really no need for all of us to wait here."

"As long as you stay in this room only, then I don't see the harm." Loiwin walked over to Lia and grasped her hands. "It was lovely to meet you again Lia. Hopefully we'll get the chance to speak again, under better circumstances."

Lia reached up and lightly kissed Loiwin on the cheek. "I look forward to it."

Loiwin grinned brightly, and then bustled out of the room.

Jun raised an eyebrow and looked down at Lia. "Laying it on a little thick aren't you?"

"I'm not the one who left the group for a booty call." Lia shook her head and looked over at Iados. "We can all stay and wait for Kerri."

Iados waved her off. "Nah, you guys should head back to the inn and rest. You all look like shit. I'll make sure she gets back in one piece."

"Don't take too long, you two need rest as well." Ander warned as the stern-faced servant Deine appeared again.

He lightly tossed a leather pouch at Jun who caught it easily. "A wagon is waiting out front for you." He turned his attention towards Iados. "I was told you are waiting for your friend?"

Iados nodded. "Any chance I can get some food?"

Deine rolled his eyes. "I shall see if I can get some scraps brought up."

"Thank you." Iados stood up and crossed over to Lia. He kissed her quickly on the forehead. "Go get some sleep." Lia nodded, and her, Jun, and Ander left the parlor and headed out the door. The same wagon that had brought the boy's was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. It was indeed much darker now, and Ander brought out the circumlucifor light. They all climbed in and headed back towards town.

Iados only had to wait a couple of hours for Kerri to reappear.

She practically skipped around the doorway, her hair still slightly damp and unkempt. Her clothes had been swapped for new ones, save for the cloak that was tucked under her arm. "You ready to go?"

Iados rolled his eyes as he got to his feet. "Took you long enough."

Kerri grabbed his arm as they made for the front door. "Kalia decided that I needed a bath, and who was I to say no?"

Deine stood by the door, and nearly hit the two of them as they crossed over the threshold. At the end of the staircase stood the carriage.

"So, did you find out anything useful?" Iados asked as they descended.

"I found out that Kalia can enchant much more than just gargoyles."

Iados smirked. "Oh really?"

Kerri laughed. "I promise to tell you everything, but not tonight. I am exhausted and I need to sleep." The two of them climbed into the carriage. "Did you guys hear anything about Carric and Elaine?"

Iados shook his head. "Loiwin promised to keep us in the loop, but I'm not holding my breath."

"I tried to get Kalia to tell me more, but she was pretty single-minded. All I got was that and her brother are only the latest to carry on the family business. She was pretty sure that we're never going to see Carric or Elaine again." The glow on Kerri's face dimmed.

"Hey, look on the bright side, they don't have their bodies. Maybe the two of them managed to hide from Loiwin's men?" Iados snapped their fingers. "I bet they jumped in the lake and hid under the dock."

Kerri smiled wryly at the thought. "I suppose we'll find out tomorrow when we head back down." The rest of the carriage ride was filled with Iados's voice as he pulled out several knick-knacks he'd acquired from the mansion.

Finally the carriage reached Flyta's inn. Kerri had barely stepped out before the carriage barreled off down the street. Behind it, the wagon that had carried their friends trailed after from its parked spot in the shadows.

The two of them walked in. Their noses were immediately hit with the delicious scent of some sort of meat casserole. A small crowd of their compatriots sat at a table. They all turned to look at the newcomers.

Kerri's eyes went wide. "Elaine!" The younger woman launched herself at the cleric who sat at the table.

Iados went over and clapped Carric, who was seated next to Elaine, on the shoulder. "Glad to see you're not dead."

"So are we," Carric gestured to a woman who sat at the table with them. She sat nestled in between Lia and Ander. Shomma was curled up in her arms, and the woman pet the creature almost mechanically as her eyes darted quickly over the newcomers. "This is Sol, she got Elaine and me out of the caverns, and she's got a job for us."

"Hi," Kerri came over to Sol and extended a hand out. Sol's skin was very pale and had a grayish pallor to it. Her long hair was smooth and straight as it hung limply around her shoulders like a white veil. She noticed that Sol's ears were pointed, but not to the same extent as Lia's, they were more like her ears. Well, ear.

Sol stared at the hand.

"Are you giving me something?" Sol's voice was soft as she examined the hand.

"Just a greeting," Kerri retracted the hand, and then moved to sit next to Ander. Jun passed over a bowl of food to her. "Thank you for getting our friends out."

"You're welcome, they seem to be nicer than the men who chased them." Sol looked down at Shomma who'd made a noise when Sol had paused in her ministrations.

"We figured it wasn't a good idea to wait around for the group of armed men." Carric explained to the newcomers. "We thought we'd try the secret door, only to find it was already opened, with Sol inside."

"How did you get out of the cavern?" Iados shoved a forkful of food into his mouth.

"Sol showed us a second path that branched off from the staircase. It opened up to the backside of the Navash statue, with another secret door." Elaine said.

"My sister and I worked on that tunnel together." Sol smiled softly. "She wanted to get out, and I wanted to help her."

Kerri swallowed her latest bite. "Where is your sister now?"

"Still below, in the temple." Sol looked over at Carric and Elaine. "They said that you'd be able to help us."

Lia laid one of her hands on Sol's. "We can try, what's the job?"

Sol gulped, and when she spoke, her voice wavered. "My sister and I have lived our whole lives in the temple. Since the day we were both born, everything we've done in our lives has been for the Tree. I didn't know there was anything else, but my sister did. As we grew our paths divulged. I learned how to care for the Tree under my father, while my sister learned to fight and defend from Mother. Part of my sister's duties included her being allowed to climb the stairs, and leave."

Tears began to brim in the corner of Sol's eyes. "I don't know what she saw up here, but something up here changed her. All of a sudden, her desires changed. No more did she want to protect and defend the temple, all she wanted was to leave, forever. She wanted me to go with her. I told her I couldn't, I told her my duty was to the Tree. So she attacked the Tree. She said she was going to free me, no matter what it cost her.

"The Tree retaliated, protected itself." Sol began to shake. "I'd never seen the tree like that. I knew that it was alive, but I never thought it was capable of hurting someone."

"Did it kill your sister?" Lia asked softly.

Sol shook her head. "It put her to sleep. She's been asleep for a really, really long time. Father says it's a punishment, and won't say whether or not she'll ever wake up. My sister wanted to be free, and I want to give her that. Can you help us?"