Chapter Twelve
Grimwalde
Grimwalde smiled to
himself.
All the precautions
were in place. All that remained was the arrival of the Viper.
Patiently he waited.
He never saw the man
appear, but suddenly he was there.
"Who do you want me
to kill?"
Grimwalde laughed.
"To the point, aren't you?"
The Viper glanced
back and forth. "I don't like it here. Perhaps we should reschedule
our appointment."
Grimwalde saw his
quarry backing out of the trap, removing its head from the noose.
"No! Wait!"
The Viper paused.
"All right, then. Who do you want me to kill?"
"You are aware of
who I am?"
"Yes," snapped the
Viper, not liking the turn in the conversation.
"And you are aware
of what I do?"
"I research all my
clients thoroughly, before meeting with them. I will not agree to
a contract until exactly who you want me to kill. So, dispense with
the pleasantries. I am an assassin, and such gestures are lost on
me. Who do you want me to kill?"
Again Grimwalde smiled,
this time in victory.
"I want you to kill
me!" he cackled gleefully, awaiting a reaction.
He hadn't long to
wait. The Viper flung a dagger at Grimwalde instantly, as he turned
to back out of the alley.
The dagger passed
harmlessly through Grimwalde's form - he had earlier cast a spell which
projected an noncorporeal identical image of himself through which he could
both speak and see..
The Viper backed into
a magical wall of force - another of Grimwalde's spells - which blocked
the exit to the steep walled alley.
Now Grimwalde began
casting - through the projected image - his third spell.
Knowing the limits
of the projected image spell, the Viper began looking around for the true
body of the wizard. It would be nearby.
He spotted it off
to the right, disguised as part of the wall by another spell - this one
a very effective illusion that the Viper would not ordinarily have been
able to see through without the magical charm he wore around his neck and
beneath his clothes.
As he started for
it, pulling out a crossbow and aiming, a pair of earth elementals sprung
up from the ground, lumbering forward as another pair pulled free of the
dirt behind them. They were unwieldy creatures, composed entirely
of bits of earth and rock, and shambled about on two leg-like appendages,
flailing with two arm-like appendages. The Viper knew they were magical
beings, summoned here by the wizard from another plane of existance.
Grimwalde finished
his mind control spell, and smiled confidently, waiting for the glazed
look of one controlled to come into the Viper's eyes. "Stop what
you are doing and give up your weapons!"
The Viper didn't even
look at him as he sprang forward, firing the crossbow at the wizard's true
body and attacking the first two earth elementals with twin longswords
that had appeared in his hands as if by magic.
A dull pain erupted
in Grimwalde's shoulder, and he looked over at his body to see what was
wrong. The crossbow bolt was embedded within it.
Impossible! thought
Grimwalde. A lucky shot - the Viper could not have known where his
true form lay!
One of the earth elementals
had stepped in the way of the Viper's shot, and the bolt had brushed by
it, saving Grimwalde's life as the shot went wide of its true mark.
Already the Viper
was driving back the elementals. The swords the assassin wielded
must surely be magical, thought Grimwalde distractedly, for the elementals
were being slowly destroyed, thick chunks of earth and mud flying off their
shambling bodies with every stroke of the Viper's blades.
The assassin was very
quickly whittling the unearthly creatures down to nothing.
For a lesser mage
the speed of the assassin's recovery and the ease with which he seemed
to be handling the earth elementals might have been unsettling.
Not so for Grimwalde.
He knew exactly who he faced, and had prepared for the encounter accordingly.
He began casting another
spell. This one was a bit more powerful than the first. With
this spell he would blast the Viper's mind with a magical mental barrage.
The utter fury of the spell would turn the assassin into a mindless automaton
for a few days before his santiy returned.
Griwalde hadn't wanted
to use this spell; he'd wanted the assassin's mind as unaffected and as
close to its natural state as possible.
Oh well.
He finished the spell
as the Viper destroyed the first of the elementals, reducing it to a pile
of dirt. He was still ducking nimbly under and leaping over the attacks
of the remaining three.
The spell was so powerful
that Grimwalde was physically draned when he finished it. He felt
it flow from him, reaching across the distance between him and the assassin.
The force was almost
overwhelming, and for a moment Grimwalde shut his eyes.
When he opened them
again, he fully expected to see the assassin stretched out on the ground,
mewling like a baby.
Instead, the Viper
had cut down another of the earth elementals. He appeared to be unaffected
by the spell. Nothing had happened.
The Viper felt the
magical charm around his neck tingle with power, and he realized it was
protecting him from a powerful mental attack. He began to understand
what this mage was after.
Grimwalde was becoming
dismayed. He ran though a variety of spells - even resorting to the
weak charm and sleep spells - as the Viper finished off the remaining elementals
and raced towards his body.
Grimwalde saw that
he would die in mere moments. He had to take some action!
Just as the Viper
was upon the body, Grimwalde cast the only spell he could think of that
would save his life - a spell Grimwalde had been so confidant he wouldn't
need that he almost hadn't memorized it this morning.
The Viper's swords
whistled down, arcing through nothing but air as Grimwalde teleported.
The assassin glanced
around the alley, looking for other possible attackers.
There were none, and
a few moments later he left the alley, opting to scale the wall and use
the rooftops for locomotion rather than test the magical wall of force
again.
He was almost angry.
The wizard had been
trying to capture him!
And he knew enough
about Grimwalde to realize that the wizard would try again.
His lips curled into
a feral smile, grim and foreboding.
Grimwalde was a mouse
playing at trapping a cat. The Viper would not allow the man to live
for much longer.
* * *
The ship arrived in
Calimport early the next morning, and Arkail and eight other men left it
moored to one of the docks in the lower section of town.
They began their work.
Their eyes were hard
and cold, and they moved with a purpose.
By the end of the
day, they were settled into an old cottage near the docks, and were already
investigating quietly into the present state of the underworld of Calimport,
learning and absorbing any information that might steer them in the direction
of the Viper.
* * *
The rusted iron door
protested squeakily as Athos was flung forcefully from behind to land facedown
on the floor of the cell.
"What is the purpose
of this?" he asked quietly of the Viper, turning to look back at the assassin.
The Viper closed and
locked the cell door. "Even the best of assassins may be arrested,"
he said, only his face visible through the bars in the small rectanglar
window set into the top of the door, "perhaps by mistake or through bad
luck. It is important to be prepared for such an eventuality."
He turned away from
the window and Athos hoisted himself to his feet to get a better view of
what was going on outside the small cell.
The Viper seized a
dummy and placed it behind a desk sitting across the room from the cell.
The dummy's back was to the cell door.
The Viper crossed
his arms and leaned back. "How are you getting out?"
Athos considered.
"If I had a pair of lockpicks, I could pick the lock."
The Viper's lips curled
into a slight smile. He shook his head. "It is ordinary for
those arrested to be strip searched. In such a case it is hardly
likely that the authorities would leave you with a set of lockpicks.
Even if you had them, you must have observed how the cell door squealed.
Its noise would surely give your efforts away."
Athos conceded the
point. "Alright, then, how do I get out?"
The Viper smiled.
"By being prepared."
He extended his arm,
pulling back his sleeve to expose a small scar on his arm. He then
opened his shirt, exposing a larger scar across his stomach.
He peeled off the
smaller scar first, revealing a small needle with a tiny cap at its tip
which rested beneath the false scar.
"Take off the safety
cap, and you have a needle dipped in Athkitlis."
Athkitlis was a powerful
poison which induced immediate sleep. "Why not a more powerful poison?"
asked Athos.
"Remember where you're
keeping it. If its container is broken while you're still carrying
it, you certainly want the effects to be nonlethal, don't you?"
Athos nodded.
"First, take care
of the guard with the needle."
"How?" asked Athos.
"Make a blowgun.
Usually they'll leave you the materials to do so - a rolled up napkin would
do the trick. Use your mouth if you have to."
The Viper reached
down and pulled off the second scar, revealing a pair of long wire lockpicks,
both very thin but effective.
He looked up, locking
gazes with Athos. "In most cases, being prepared will save you when
you're in a tight situation."
"And if it doesn't?"
asked Athos.
"Then you have to
save yourself," responded the Viper. "Or you will die."
* * *
"Hello, Zip," said
Athos quietly.
Zip whirled.
"Athos! When did you come in?"
"A moment ago."
The halfling turned
away from Athos, calling over to where Jitinder sat. "Hey, Jitinder!
Athos is back in town!"
"Athos!" boomed Jitinder
energetically, standing and gesturing. "Come, have a seat!"
Athos patted Zip on
the shoulder and crossed the room. He smiled as he sat down.
"It's been a whole
week. What have you been doing with yourself?" queried Jitinder.
"What have you been
doing with your own self?" Athos shot back.
Jitinder shook his
head, still smiling. "Always one to dodge a question."
Athos shrugged.
"I don't know much about you either, except that people sometimes cringe
when they hear your name."
"Only the criminals,"
said Jitinder, his smile fading slightly. "But I don't mind telling
you why - it's common enough knowledge. The Viper slew my parents
when I was a child, and I've been hunting him ever since. He's not
an easy man to find, but I'll find him. And when I do..." He
shook his head. "Anyway, I try to keep the streets clear of crime.
Criminals are no better than animals, and deserve no mercy. I've
got quite a reputation among the underworld, as I understand it.
The price of fame, I suppose."
Inwardly Athos sighed
with relief. He was very glad he hadn't given away the truth of his
past to Jitinder - the man was a vigilante, and one with a death wish against
the Viper!
"Now, then," Jitinder
said, his smile returning, "that's my story. What's yours?"
Athos shook his head.
"Your story was already public knowledge. Mine is not, and I prefer
to keep it that way."
Jitinder's eyes narrowed,
but he let the subject pass. "Very well, then, if you really don't
trust me to keep your secret."
Athos shook his head
again. "It isn't that I don't trust you, Jitlin."
Jitinder waited several
moments for Athos to finish, but Athos remained silent. He leaned
back, shrugging. "Anyway, that isn't what I've been wondering most
about you. I've been wondering why you've been acting so strangely
around Artemis - so hostile, I mean."
Athos jerked back
as if struck, his eyes growing wide with concern and surprise. "Hostile?
I hadn't meant to be rude! What did I do?"
Jitinder chuckled,
shaking his head. "It isn't rudenss, I think. You just act
so uncomfortable when you're around her - like you were on pins and needles.
Why don't you relax? I already told you that she likes you."
Athos shifted uncomfortably.
"That's exactly what
I'm talking about!" exclaimed Jitinder with a laugh, pointing. "You're
uncomfortable even at the mention of her name! What is it?
What's so terrible about Artemis?"
"I'm afraid," admitted
Athos after a moment.
"Araid of what?"
"Afraid that I'm going
to make some huge blunder, or insult her in some way, or just say something
wrong. I don't know how to act around her."
Jitinder smiled.
"You act as though you've never been with a girl, Athos."
"I haven't," replied
Athos seriously.
Jitinder tsked.
"I don't understand some people's need for denial. But I wasn't talking
about that - I just meant you act as though you've never before been around
a girl, talking with them and acting witty and all that sort of thing."
"I haven't," replied
Athos seriously.
Jitinder rocked back.
"You haven't!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief. He smiled.
"Come on, now, really!"
When Athos' expression
didn't change, Jitinder leaned forward, astonished. "You're serious,
aren't you?"
Athos nodded, perplexed
at the other man's amazement.
Jitinder shook his
head. "Well, then... we've got a lot of ground to cover, haven't
we?"
Athos stood.
"I can't now. I have to go. I've got to get back to... I've
got to go."
Jitinder leaned back
in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Very well, then.
Some other time. When will you next be in town?"
"I really don't know.
Soon. I'll look you up."
Jitinder's eyes narrowed
as he watched Athos leave. "Indeed. Farewell."
Athos turned at the
door. "Farewell," he said, and then he was gone.
Jitinder reached down,
lifting his weapon from where it lay near his feet. He stood, and
made his way to the door. A moment later he was gone, following the
elusive Athos, determined to uncover his secret.
* * *
"One of our patrols
has spotted the one we seek," Nekiset reported, panting. "We've sent
reinforcements, but the patrol is in the market area of town, far distant,
and our help will probably arrive long after the fight has been joined."
Hodkamset peered his
nose at her. "If the patrol fails, I will personally see that any
survivors are flayed alive to serve as an example to the rest."
* * *
Athos was aware he
was being followed the instant he left The Merry Halfling. He walked
forward as if nothing were amiss, stopping at the next turn and, acting
as though he'd forgotten something, turned left.
He did this again
for three more turns, until he had made a complete circle. He scanned
the streets behind him from time to time, but saw nothing. Whoever
was trailing him was good.
Certain now that he
was being followed, even if he had failed to root out his pursuers, he
turned and jogged down a side alley, vaulting up the steep wall that lay
at its dead end and catching hold of the rough edge of the rooftop with
his fingertips. In almost the same motion he pulled himself up and
over.
Not pausing to look
back, he ran up the steep tile roof, leaping its apex and running down
its far side. The next house was ten feet distant, but with the built
up momentum he made the jump easily.
This roof, however,
was constructed of weathered and very old shingles, and they ripped loose
under his feet, skidding down the slope towards the street.
He skidded backwards
and teetered at the bring for a moment, the darkened street below, before
finding his balance and holding himself from the thirty foot fall.
He ran up this second
roof as possible, again vaulting the apex.
This time the roof
didn't continue sloping downwards on the other side. Instead, it
stopped altogether, giving way to a ten foot drop onto a raised open-air
patio.
Athos tumbled through
the air, barely managing to avoid landing on the fine wood and glass table
which sat at the center of the patio. He rolled as he landed, springing
lithely to his feet.
He could hear sounds
of pursuit now, both on the rooftops behind him and the street below.
The next jump was
too far and high to make, especially from the patio, so he turned back
towards the house, darting through the open doorway which let out on the
patio.
He found himself within
a large bedroom, furnished with a bed large enough for two, a pair of chests,
and a large mirror. the door to the room stood open, and vague smells
of cooking wafted up from the lower floors of the place.
He darted out of the
bedroom, across a foyer, and into a second bedroom across the hall, on
the far side of the house from where he had entered.
This bedroom had a
window facing the way he had come.
It opened after a
good tug, and he was through it in a moment, leaping through open space
towards the window of the house across the street - the very same house
whose roof he had used first.
His fingers caught
hold of the sill, and for a moment he clung there, grasping for purchase,
his legs swinging wildly. The wood of the sill was old and rotten,
though, and with a creak it gave way beneath his weight.
He plummeted to the
street below, rolling to reduce the shock.
A moment later he
was on his feet. To his right, six men approached, cutting off that
avenue of escape. They were wearing the same black clothing with
red sashes and turbans as the men who had attacked him in his room at the
inn earlier, and had wicked-looking scimitars out. Some sort of huge
crocodile, which stood four feet tall and nearly eighteen feet long, waddled
along behind them. The men seemed perfectly at ease with it, as if
it were some exotic pet.
Athos whirled to his
left, but a similar group of four men, identical in dress, blocked
that direction. This group was accompanied by a huge scorpion of
only slightly smaller dimensions than the crocodile.
Who are these people?
thought Athos, then drew his weapons. He looked about for some avenue
of escape, found none, and sprang towards the smaller group in hopes of
taking them down quickly enough to get past them.
* * *
"That's him!" breathed
Childric to no-one in particular from where he lay in the shadows.
"That's him! I've got to tell Pook!"
He started to get
up, then stopped himself, thinking.
Pook wanted the Viper
dead. Maybe that was what was about to happen. He had better
wait and see.
* * *
"Is that our man?"
asked Melvic. "Should we be helping those black-robed ones?"
"Not quite," replied
Arkail softly. "We have no idea who they are, or what their purposes
are. The enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend.
Besides, that one isn't the Viper."
"How do you know?"
"I've seen the Viper
before, although that means virtually nothing, as the man is a master of
disguise. However, I recognize this one as the Viper's apprentice
- I have a good sketch of him made up from the boy, Vermos's description."
"So what do we do?"
asked Melvic.
"Nothing. This
one may lead us to the Viper in time, but for now, we just sit back and
watch. This should be very interesting."
* * *
Jitinder panted as
he dropped down onto the patio, turning towards the open door into the
house.
Gods, but you are
a difficult one to keep pace with, Athos! he thought silently.
He leaned over the
balcony, looking into an empty street. The drop was not inconsiderable,
and it was probable that Athos had not taken this route. But where
then?
He turned back to
the gouse, gripping his weapon more tightly. The house?
He stepped through
the open door, and came face to face with a lanky middle-aged man with
a red expression, who reeled back in surprise.
"Who are you?
What do you want? What are you doing in my house?"
"I am Nighthunter,"
he replied, as if that were all the explanation he needed.
The man fell back,
open-mouthed, and Jitinder brushed past him.
Jitinder examined
the first room carefully, making certain Athos was not hiding in the shadows,
before he caught the sounds of battle.
He rushed across the
hallway, and peered out the window in the house's far side, looking down
into the street below.
His jaw dropped in
astonishment as he caught sight of what was happening there.