“No.” Dumoli’s looking at me like I’m a lunatic. “That is a horrible idea, Thel. After what’s been going on lately … it’s too much of a risk. We should just talk to the others, and –”
“Du, I’m going whether you’re with me or not. Although I’d feel a lot safer if you were with me.” I turn to Brung, who’s just sat by watching the pair of us with his usual cool, bright-eyed indifference. Following everything we say and not offering up a single whisper of his own opinion. “He’s already with me, so –”
“But what if they’re just waiting for some of us to head out? Remember what happened the first time we were here?”
“We were drunk, remember? Well, buzzed, anyway. Not entirely straight in our heads, at least. I’m sober now, and I’m annoyed. I wanna do something about it.”
“Then let’s just wait for Darwyn to get back and we can ask her. There’s no need to go out on some bloody stupid fool’s errand just because –”
“That’s an even dafter idea, Du. We try an’ confront her about this, she’ll just clam up. She’s Thieves Guild, they’re world class masters at keeping secrets. If she’s been honest about this and the trail leads straight to the Arrowhead, perfect, means she’s on the up-and-up after all. But if Brung follows her scent somewhere else, I wanna know about it. ‘Specially if it’s to them.”
“You seriously think that girl’s been playing us double all this time?”
“Not before, I didn’t.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Not until she just took off on us like that. It was a damn hinky thing to do, y’ask me. And she was just … off.”
“She was scared. Shay said she got one hell of a shock in there, you said as much yourself. She was just rattled, and she was dealing with whatever it was she was going through. You’ve been there before too, remember?”
Narrowing my eyes, I give him a long, cold stare. Why the fuck’d he have to bring that up? “That is not the same thing, and you know it. That ain’t got nothing to do with this.”
“Thel, please, I’m not saying it is. I just …” He sighs, flickering a look at Brung, then down at the upholstery beneath him when he finds no help forthcoming from there. “Can’t you at least wait until Yeslee gets back? Find out what she has to say on it?”
Cocking my head, I watch him for a moment, cautious now. “You been getting awful chummy with her lately, Du. Sure you’re thinking straight there?”
“Thel, for the love of –”
“I’m doing this, Du. You’re either along for the ride or not.” I fix him with a particularly hard, unshaking look now, one I trust won’t broach any arguments.
“Oh for … Thel, just …” He falters at last, unable to keep arguing, and just looks at me with such a desperate look I feel a little bad about the way I’m badgering him now. But I need him. I can’t risk Brung alone out there, if anything did happen I’m not sure I could actually protect him on my own.
“Fuck …” he finally mutters, looking fit to spit now. “All right, I’ll do it. But let’s at least bring someone else along with us, just in case.”
“No. It’s just us, just the three of us. I’m … look, I’m not saying I don’t trust the others now, I’m getting there, but … no, just the three of us, we’re all I can be absolutely sure about in this.” I let another sigh go. “Besides, if anything did go wrong, would you really want to risk any of our new friends in this?”
Dumoli frowns deeper than ever for a long stretch, and I take the opportunity to look round at the others. Art’s dozing low in his seat now, the drinks he apparently slugged back during his visit with the legendary Hellcat of Kumehn Valley having clearly knocked him right out, so he shouldn’t a problem here. Tulen and Sessa, on the other hand, are chatting loudly and with significant, boisterous animation as they catch up on what they’ve missed since they been apart, but they’re close as two lovers I ever seen before. The half-orc’s wrapped the dragonhalf up in her big arms, stroking her gleaming metallic hair awhile her friend idly plays with some of her own dangling curls, and the whole time Tulen’s looking up into those big, pretty amber eyes, thoroughly enraptured. It’s quite sweet, and a perfect distraction.
The sorcerer, on the other hand … she’s a little more aware, I reckon. Lady Naru’s stood at the back of the room now, conversing with Driver 8, and you’d think that the golem has her complete attention, but I ain’t fooled none. Every once in a while I’ve caught her casting the odd glance over here, and I know for a fact that that great intimidating behemoth is perfectly aware of every word we’re saying, despite his attention being divided right now. If we do make a move, I dunno how they’ll react …
‘Least the rest o’ the group are elsewhere, but I doubt that’ll last much longer, Gael did say that, from what she’d heard from Yeslee, they’ll be back very soon now, and I’d like to be gone before then. As much to avoid an uncomfortable encounter as anything else, ‘least in light o’ what we’re gonna do.
“Oh for …” Du holds his tongue for a moment, taking a deep breath and likely counting to ten. When he looks up again he seems genuinely resentful, but I reckon I got him. “Damn it, Thel. You know I made a promise you really don’t make it easy for me to keep.”
“I know, I know.” I humour him far as I dare, trying hard not to seem like I just want this to be done so we can move. “Hate me later. We need to go.”
“What about …” Brung doesn’t finish his question, but he doesn’t need to. He doesn’t even jerk his head or cock a thumb towards the two in the back, he literally just flicks his eyes that way for a split before focusing on me again.
“Leave that to me.”
“Thel, I don’t –” Du’s brows shoot up, but at least he has enough presence of mind to keep his voice down and his head from swivelling. Even so, I cut him short quick.
“Chill, I ain’t gonna hurt anybody. Like you said, these are our friends now. I’m doing this as much for their good as my own piece o’ mind.” Thankfully the couch ain’t too high or cushy and immersive, so I don’t have to boost myself much to slip off onto my feet. I pick up my battleaxe as I stand, and scrunch my coat up as surreptitiously as I can along with it.
Du just watches me for a long, loaded moment, but at least Brung’s making his own move, picking up his sword again so he can strap it back onto his back once he’s jumped down. Even so, Lady Naru still breaks off, looking our way now with particularly cool curiosity.
“Leaving so soon?”
“Just hungry.” I give her a cool smile, trying to seem as companionable as I can. In the meantime, reckon the subtle fatigue I’m starting to feel might do me some favours now too, ‘least in appearance. “That scrap seems to have given me a fierce appetite.”
“Not alone.” Brung growls just as he hops off the cushion onto the floor, starting to slip into the harness once more as soon as he’s down.
“All right, then.” Lady Naru doesn’t take her eyes off me, and I can see she ain’t remotely convinced, so I gotta wonder what she’s even playing at. “I might join you in a little bit. It’s been a while since I prevailed upon Minerva’s legendary hospitality.”
Not knowing what to say to that, I simply nod along, keeping my smile on, simply muttering: “Sure.” Before turning back to Dumoli, trying to seem as casual about it as I can.
He don’t hem and haw anymore, simply giving me a somewhat flat stare before slipping off the couch too and picking up his hammer. He casts one brief look at the two wizards, who don’t even seem to have even noticed, and finally the quietly snoozing bakaneko, before starting to follow me towards the doorway.
The whole way I can feel the golem’s eyes on my back, I’m sure of it, but there’s nothing I can do about it, and I don’t wanna give away any more’n I already have. So I focus on the archway turning out into the corridor and trust the others to follow me. Once I’m through I take a few more steps and then finally I’m able to let a little breath go, so as the others finally join me I let out a heavy sigh and start trying to untangle my coat from my cloak.
For a moment Du looks like he wants to say something but I give him a warning look from under my brows and he simply frowns back, more frustrated than cowed. Even so, he hoists his hammer and swings it up to rest as well as he can across his shoulder, but it still unbalances him for a sketchy moment before he can right himself again. By then Brung’s already sweeping his own cloak back on too.
“Shall we?” the goblin asks us without even bothering to check if we’re actually complying him as he takes the turn up the corridor instead of down towards the canteen and dorms.
Growling a little under my breath as I continue to struggle with my outdoor gear, I just start walking again after him, and Du follows, albeit with a decidedly grudging air. I try not to cast him a harsh sidelong glare as I go, instead concentrating on what I’m doing.
By the time we reach the chapel I’ve finally separated my coat and cloak, so I toss my battleaxe to Du without even bothering to check if he’s ready for it so I can shrug into the first. Thankfully he’s on the ball enough to react in time, not having to juggle it much as I pull the coat on, and this time his look has real venom but I largely ignore it as I give my cloak a good shake out before swinging it round my shoulders. Then Brung hisses, low, and starts to crouch, and my attention’s caught again.
Darwyn comes through from the main entrance vestibule a beat later and I’m already ducking after him as he dives off into the shelter of the nearest line of pews. Du’s a moment longer following, but when I chance a look over the top I realise the halfling’s really not paying any real attention, still looking distracted as she just hurries straight to the passage leading to the lounge. Once again I wonder what that’s even about, and despite what we’re about now I hope I’m wrong.
We wait for a moment or two after she’s gone before we start breathing again, then Du starts to rise with a low grumble but Brung shoots his arm out fast as a striking viper and yanks him back down into cover with surprising force. I dip a little lower myself, so much I can barely peer out over the top of the seat in front of us, and I see what brought him up short. Yeslee, slipping in a little after Darwyn, and moving with a good deal more purpose as she goes.
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There’s a tight moment when she stops in the middle of the floor, just before turning to the passage too, going stiff for a beat before ever so slowly starting to just turn her head to look around the place. Dropping really low this time, I take the quietest breath I can and hold it, not bothering to listen cuz she ain’t making the tiniest sound the whole way anyway. Instead I just watch Brung, who’s holding a warning hand out as he looks up.
A long beat passes. Two. Just as I’m starting to grow anxious, thinking maybe she’s onto us after all – and given her uncanny sense of smell I wouldn’t be surprised – Brung finally lowers the hand, and I let the breath I been holding uncomfortably long out at last, starting to rise a moment later, going slow and careful as before. No, he’s right, she’s gone. Okay then …
Straightening up, I step out and start for the entrance without a backwards glance, trusting the others to catch me up. Brung’s as silent as Yeslee, of course, but I can hear Dumoli coming well enough, instantly recognising the clanking sound of him as he catches up with me as I keep going straight through the vestibule and out.
As I pass through the huge, wide open doors the Round comes into view beyond, my dwarven nightvision picking everything up well enough even though the light’s fading fast now, the sky turning darkest indigo as the last of the fading light leaks outta the west. Besides, lamps and braziers are being lit throughout the Round, so while the skeletal remains of the day’s market look less than inviting stretching out ahead of me I can see well enough there don’t seem to be any threats out there. ‘Least none I can pick up on just yet.
“Last chance, then, I suppose.” Du sighs as he settles next to me, looking out too. Sounding more resigned than hopeful, I notice. As if he already know my answer before asking. “Don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind for the better after all?”
I give him a quick look, seeing how much he wants me to just nod and head back inside, but I’m set now. So instead I just turn away, finding Brung already dropping to his haunches on the top step, and watch him for a moment as he concentrates. “You got it?”
“Fir Bolg or halfling?”
“Darwyn’s trail, please. I imagine hers should take us straight where we wanna go. Besides, reckon most o’ Yeslee’s path goes over a bunch o’ rooftops. I got no time for that shit.”
“Sounds right.” Brung don’t even get up as he just scrambles forward, half crouching but still moving with impressive speed. “Follow then.”
Again not bothering to check Du, I just start after him, taking the broad, shallow steps down to the square as quick but careful as I can as I follow the goblin at an oblique angle into the jumble of temples. Clearly Darwyn didn’t want to just make a beeline straight to the front of the place the same way we wound up coming earlier, although if she wanted to try and evade pursuit she clearly came up short. So Brung leads me in a somewhat winding path between various houses of worship clustering in haphazard manner in the Round, taking a long detour around the imposing dark monolith of the Temple to Corvina and the more modest shrine to Kora. Past the Harvest Mother’s Shelter we suddenly take another sharp turn and cut out to the perimeter wall before heading for the South Gate and out into the city proper again.
By the third street it becomes clear that Darwyn kept this backtracking and meandering route up all the way, as Brung leads us in a zigzag taking us ever deeper into the twisting maze of tight, increasingly dark streets. It’s also interesting that, despite the fact that we are making a decidedly roundabout path towards the Arrowhead, we’re steering more directly towards the Drumhalt now, a neighbourhood I admit I ain’t visited in a little while. I can feel Dumoli getting more wary now as we get closer to that particular neighbourhood, and I know full well what that’s about. Ain’t a place strangers visit after dark if they got any sense …
“Thel …” he starts after a while, then stops himself, instead just directing a cautious frown my way when I turn to him.
“I know.” I growl back, gripping my axe a little tighter at my side now. I have less inclination to just strap it away than ever now, this route is making me nervous too.
Brung keeps going, though, and Du keeps following me too. There’s a moment when we reach the canal just short of Jandellor that the goblin stops cold and drops into a crouch, and I stop dead in my tracks seeing it, and Du’s clearly more focused on me than the road right now because he just freezes right with me.
“What is it?” I whisper after a moment.
For a beat Brung don’t reply, in truth seems like he never heard me, he’s crouching so low now he’s practically doubled over, his nose is so close to the ground. Then he finally straightens up a little, and there’s clear tension in his shoulders as he looks back. “Not sure. Might be nothing.”
“Might be … Brung, I don’t –”
“Itch.” He doesn’t change his expression one lick the whole time he looks at me. “Maybe.”
That makes me more nervous still, and I can’t help it, I have to crane now, taking in the rooftops pressing in above us, the relative open space ahead where the canal cuts through the line of buildings. It’s really little more than a narrow accessway cut for barges to transport wares direct from the river to factories and warehouses further in through the neighbourhoods, twisting and turning as much as any of the streets, but a clear landmark all the same. Just across the narrow, decidedly rickety old wooden bridge directly ahead of us is the Drumhalt. If he thinks we’re being watched now, then …
He starts walking before I can come to any meaningful conclusion there, and I’m so caught up with looking round I don’t realise it until he’s starting the climb up the creaky stairs leading up to the crossing itself. Even someone so light and sneaky as him still makes a far bit of noise working his way up onto this structure.
“Shit.” I mutter under my breath as I rush to catch up, giving up any further pretence of keeping myself quiet even if didn’t have the stupidest footwear possible for stealth, just like Dumoli. Dwarves ain’t made to sneak, it just ain’t in our nature.
Brung’s already most of the way across when I start making my way up onto the rickety, distractingly unstable mess that serves as a bridge here. Damn it … this is too high, even if it’s only a fifteen foot drop from here into the canal below, it’s narrow enough to make me more nervous than ever. The water’s got no real flow to it, not like the river, and it’s proper murky, although I s’pose the growing darkness don’t help none. Mostly it’s just down to the foam and garbage and, of course, a whole lot of effluence – people round here don’t tend to have real plumbing, so most o’ the time they just pitch their chamber pots direct out their doors and windows. The canal’s a tempting target for this stretch’s residents. Gods know it don’t smell great round here.
When I make it onto the uncomfortably narrow stretch of nailed-together planks I realise Brung’s stopped close to the far side, and he’s just … standing there. Oh … that can’t be good. I take another look round, holding onto the piling stretching up on my left cuz I don’t really trust my balance up here, and give the rooftops another look, getting a better view now. Still nothing I can make out, ‘least against what there even is to see now the light’s essentially left the sky.
Don’t make me feel any better, mind. The way Brung’s acting right now don’t fill me with any confidence. So I set my jaw and make my way across the span best I can, now keeping my attention very much focused on the planks under my feet as the whole thing makes more noise than ever.
“Brung … hey, you all right there?” I try to keep my voice as casual and neutral as I can as I reach out for him, but he turns before I get close enough, and the look on his face … gods, that’s enough to stop me dead right here.
“Being followed.” he barely hisses at me now, and while he stays perfectly still he flickers his gaze up to the left, then round to the right. Clear enough for me to catch the drift.
I don’t turn round, instead holding my ground as I tighten my grip on my axe, still low at my side. Taking a deep breath, I take another couple of steps and reach out for him now with my free hand, letting it rest as gently as I can on his shoulder. “Let’s just get down, shall we?” Again I say it almost jovial like.
For a moment he don’t respond, and for all our relative size difference I couldn’t move him if I tried, he’s rooted to the spot. This is … I never seen him like this before, this is something worryingly new to me. We been up against some hairy shit in our time and Brung never rattles.
“C’mon, wee man … can we just –”
His eyes snap to mine again, and for a moment it’s almost like he ain’t even seeing me. Then he blinks, and they narrow as he seems to recognise me, and then he nods. “Right.” With that he just scampers on, moving about as fast as he can on all fours now as he just scurries right off the bridge and swings himself down the other side.
Which leaves me to just ponder as I watch him go. Taking a particularly deep inhalation I grit my teeth tight as I cover the last of the ground to the further set of pilings, and I can’t breathe again until I got one of ‘em under my hands so I can trust my balance. Now I look back, realising now that the whole mess is shaking and swaying again with a whole lot more noise as Du makes his own crossing.
Gods, he look uncomfortable. He’s holding his hammer out in front of him, upside down now with the heavy head planted a little above and in front of his feet as he takes careful and very deliberate steps across the planks, and the whole way he’s got his eyes glued on me, his face like grim death. I don’t blame ‘im, Du’s never been a strong swimmer.
Turning back now, I take the next steps with utmost caution myself, the whole thing’s just rocking about worse’n a ship at sea now. I take the stairs down at a more oblique angle, essentially turning myself sideways and taking each individual step one at a time while I hold my breath once more, not even thinking about speeding up until I’m on the lowest step. Finally I hop off and just double over, leaning my free hand on my knee as I gasp in air. Then I realise Brung’s just stood right there in front of me now and I remember what’s up again.
“All right … what is it?” I finally manage to snarl, going slow as I straighten up again, and I can’t help raising my axe so I can grip the shaft with both hands now. I don’t care how it looks any more. “Who’s watching us?”
“Can’t tell.” The goblin turns my way, eyes still narrowed. “Keeping distance, but … strange.”
Frowning, I start to turn, looking round again. “Strange? How?”
“Not like others. All sorts. But … intent.”
“Intent …” I mostly just breathe the word, just to myself really, watching the rooftops again. Then I look down, start scanning out more immediate surrounds. The narrow side street continues directly ahead, twisting and turning the same as ever, dimly lit as the rest, while the towpaths on either side are narrow, barely enough to accommodate a draft horse here. None of the windows around us show any immediate signs of life, even though it’s still not really that late in the evening, ‘least not yet.
The noise from the bridge picks up even more as Du starts clambering down to join us, and he’s grunting and grumbling now, clearly just fed up by this point. When he reaches the bottom and his boots start to clank and clatter on the broken, uneven paving underfoot, I hear him hock up and spit, and after a pregnant pause there’s a distinct plop from somewhere below. “For fuck’s sake … Thel, are you still sure –”
“Better get your game face on again, Du.”
His long pause before replying tells me he’s looking round too as my meaning hits home. “We’ve been followed?” I hear the creak of leather behind me and I know he’s gripping the shaft of his hammer good and tight, much like me with my battleaxe.
Now I finally turn back to Brung, watching him for a moment before clearing my throat. I don’t have to say anything, he catches my intent clear enough.
“Not Vandryss. Not the orc, or the wizard.” Brung flexes his claws, and while it might seem idle to most, I know him well enough to know how deliberate it is. “Someone new.”
“You smell ‘em?”
“Some … canal’s not helping. Might be intentional.” He looks back across the open now, and his eyes travel up to the opposite rooftops, but they seem to be scanning back and forth, searching again. “They smell … dangerous.”
“Lovely …” I mutter, mostly to myself, taking a few steps back now, making for the relative cover of the street again because suddenly I feel awful exposed.
“Maybe we should head back, then.” Dumoli follows, and he at least is trying to seem casual and cool as he comes after me, hoisting his hammer as gently as he can so he doesn’t unbalance himself this time when he shoulders it. It still makes him sway for a step or two, and his show of calm just don’t quite convince me. “Give this up for now, perhaps? It might be best to regroup with the others if … you know …”
Stopping again, I look at him for a moment, pondering, then turn back to Brung. “You’re sure they’re a threat?”
The goblin watches me for a long beat, then just shrugs. “Not sure. Just potential.”
Thinking on it, I take one last look round, checking the buildings we’ve already passed, then the rooftops again. I still don’t see anything myself, and despite the growing darkness my nightvision’s strong enough I’m sure I should catch something if we’re being actively shadowed. Maybe Brung’s just imagining it. “Keep a watch out, but right now it don’t change anything. Let’s crack on.”
“Thel –” Du starts, frowning deep again.
“We’re entering the Drumhalt, Du. Might not have anything to do with that shit at all.” I give him a look. “Reckon we can handle a gang o’ simple muggers, if that’s all it is.”
Du don’t seem convinced, and I don’t blame him. Don’t reckon I really buy it myself, not the way our luck’s been going lately …