Any seasoned adventurer knows that half of a quest is waiting, and the other half is luck. Fortunately, Corinna, Ace, and Gerrod met with more luck than waiting. It was difficult to know what it was they were looking for, working with what little they had to go on. Basically, they ended up spending much of their time waiting in the inn while their contacts were out looking for anything out of the ordinary. It was still a few days before their scheduled Reunion, and all the ranks of Wefpub had not yet gathered. They waited around, expecting Amanda and Allison to come in anytime, but they never showed.
Ace had his contacts checking out the castle looking for any recent political developments. Corinna had some friends of hers researching the Orb of the Righteous and any references to a Council Four they could find. Gerrod had spoken to a local druid he knew to see what she could find out, if this necklace was in some way a holy symbol of theirs. Together they managed to write down the poem Cy'nan had prophesied about so they could examine it for reference if need be. Not a whole lot of it made sense, but each of them put in what they remembered until they all agreed on its completeness. These activities occupied their anxious time spent waiting. Fortunately, it was only a day or two after meeting Cy'nan that they got their first bit of news.
One busy night, two of the King's Guard came stumbling into the inn. They were obviously drunk already, even though it was early in the evening. With their superior attitudes and callous respect for the people of Oswegonia, the Guard were always trouble. A king originally set up the Guard to protect him and the future kings of Oswegonia, but now they were little more than street bullies. When they got drunk they often became violent, killing with little or no provocation. They were usually most unwelcome guests, but this evening they were getting drunk for a reason. Ace set about, in his smooth diplomatic way, to find out what the occasion was.
Both men were huge, though the taller of the two was clearly much older. He wore a thick brown mustache and rugged features. A light dust of coloring in his hair hinted that graying was not far away. Ace recognized this distinguished looking man as LaBairne, the Captain of the King's Guard. His partner was slightly younger and sported a very large nose. He seemed to eagerly hang onto his commander's every word, taking in any morsel of lesson the elder man may offer him. Ambition flared in his youthful eyes. Ace suspected this to be Dougherty, LaBairne's First Officer.
"Good 'eve, gentlemen," Ace cordially greeted them as they bellied up to the bar, roughly tossing two other patrons from their stools and onto the floor. In their shining bronze armor, they made a formidable impression. Their polished swords hung casually on their sides, but Ace knew they were well trained in the use of them.
"We want ale!" the younger man shouted in slurred, barely understandable tones.
"Make it your best stuff, barkeep," LaBairne demanded as he removed his heavy gold-crested helmet and tossed it onto the wooden bar. "And don't try to pass off any of that dwarf piss on us either. We just killed a man for that, and the night is still young."
"Indeed it is," Ace observed as he accommodated the men, pouring their ales from the usual, cheap tap. "Be startin' a little bit early tonight, aren't we? What's the occasion?"
"Now that's good ale, dwarf!" the First Officer spat, foam from his mug flying into Ace's face. The barkeep simply wiped it off with his bar rag and waited for an answer.
"Butt out, dwarf. We've business to discuss, and it ain't none of yours," LaBairne barked rudely. It was the only answer Ace could expect.
Picking up on this cue, Gerrod innocently moved in on the seat next to them, where he could over hear their conversation without drawing anything more than a snide glare. He pressed in as close as he dared to.
"So why are we drinking tonight?" Dougherty asked, confused by the alcohol.
"Don't you remember?" LaBairne slapped at Dougherty. "We're being shipped out into the wilderness tomorrow night."
"The wilderness?" Dougherty protested too loudly, drawing a serious look from his commander. He quickly changed his tone. "But I hate the wilderness."
"Yeah, as do I. It's supposed to be for a real long tour of duty too," LaBairne agreed, frowning.
"Isn't it rather odd for the King's Guard to be hauled out to the wilderness?" Dougherty asked, though he knew it was.
LaBairne shuddered at the memory of his last trip to the wild. "It must be something really big, the number of guardsmen they're sending."
"That many?"
"Two hundred or more!" the unhelmeted man argued. "A whole damned brigade worth. You tell me it isn't something big."
"It's hard to believe King Lonnequist would let most of his troops leave the city like that."
"Between you and me," LaBairne whispered quite loudly, hunching close to the bar so Ace couldn't hear, "it ain't the good king who's doing it. It's that damned witch, Rai'dley, calling the shots on this one. Supposed to be hauling some chests of hers somewhere, I thinks. Powerful magics, I understand. Important, all right," he harrumphed, "We've got better things to do than to be moving her luggage all over Carrona!"
"Well, we'd better drink up, then. Sounds like we won't be in with the spirits again for quite some time." Dougherty paused and studied Ace. The dwarf occupied himself absently drying glasses at the other end of the bar. "What time did ya' say we was leaving?"
"We're to assemble at the East Gate at twelve bells high, can you believe that? Middle of the bloomin' night! That's why we're getting our fun in tonight, you see?" the captain of the guard responded with a wink, thinking himself quite clever.
Ace let the men drink their fill, on the house of course, as was the King's Guard's prerogative. Besides, this kept their tongues loose in case they could get anything else out of them. Satisfied with what he had gotten, Gerrod returned to Corinna and Ace at the other end of the bar.
"Rai'dley? Who's Rai'dley?" Corinna asked after Gerrod finished relaying the conversation to them.
"You mean you don't know?" Ace asked her, his wizened, bushy eyebrows raising to the height of his forehead. "It was almost a year ago. This sorceress by the name of Rai'dley came into town, went right up to the castle, and challenged old Zehrbot to a wizard's duel," he told her. "It was during the Winterfest, I remember, and the first challenge Zehrbot had received in a long time. Of course old Zehrbot was getting on in years, and Rai'dley did have some powerful magic. Between the two, the old man didn't have a chance. Didn't take her long to kill the poor old guy. Rai'dley's been the King's mage ever since."
"It's unusual that I haven't heard of such a powerful wizard. I really don't care much for that," Corinna admitted with a puzzled look on her face.
"Seems that Rai'dley's been getting in tighter and tighter with King Lonnequist ever since," Ace continued. "I'd heard that he's all but given over control of the entire Guard to Rai'dley. She can do what ever she wants with them. Maybe sending them out in the woods with her luggage is just a whim of hers."
"Two hundred of the guard, huh? That's a pretty big whim. It won't leave very many to guard the city. I can't see Lonnequist allowing her to jeopardize security like that for any whim. Gentlemen, I think it sounds odd enough to be just what we've been waiting for," Corinna concluded.
"It's too much of a coincidence," Gerrod agreed.
"There's only one way we're going to find out," Ace voted.
"Looks like we ride tomorrow night, fellas," Corinna decided.
"Let's spend tomorrow checking out our contacts to see if they've come up with anything, and meet back here for dinner. We'll be ready to leave with the Guard at twelve bells," Ace suggested.
"I'd like to meet this Rai'dley," Corinna smiled. "Maybe we could have a girl-to-girl talk." Somehow, Gerrod didn't think it'd be that friendly. Zehrbot had been a good friend of Corinna's.
"Sounds like a plan," they agreed before heading off to bed. They would have a long day ahead of them.
"What do you mean, 'She won't grant me audience?'"
Corinna fumed at the guard standing at the front gate of Castle Lonnequist. Neither the formidable towering walls of the castle, nor the low-ranking guard at the front gate intimidated Corinna. She had been a welcomed guest inside the castle hundreds of times before. "Didn't you tell her who I am?"
"Please, Lady Corinna," the guard pleaded, "You must understand. Mage Rai'dley simply isn't accepting any visitors today, ma'am." The young guard shrank back into his red-crescent helmet, afraid of the wrath of the well-reputed powerful mage. "Please, don't take it personally."
"Won't see me," Corinna muttered mostly to herself in disgust as she turned and stomped off. The guard was never so relieved as to see the angry wizardess leave, and find himself still in one piece. Corinna stopped her tirade long enough to bury her hand inside her robe and fish something out of one of the many pockets concealed there. "We'll see about that," she vowed as her form shimmered in the morning light, and then faded from sight.
Corinna felt her body reform, like pieces of sand falling into place. She gave her whole body a shake. "By the gods I hate teleporting," she swore. It took her only a moment to realize that the magical charm had indeed worked, even though she didn't recognize the crowded corner of the mage's chambers. Large wooden crates, some over six-foot tall, stood in and around the spot she had materialized. She considered herself lucky that no one had placed any of the crates on the pad she used. "Otherwise," Corinna mused, "I might have gotten a good look at what was inside the containers."
The familiar old chamber room was darker than she remembered. Thick tapestries hung in front of the large windows, high up the tall walls. The vaulted ceilings were filled with thick layers of cobwebs, and Corinna considered that perhaps they used this room for nothing more than storage now. The very thought sickened her. This had been Zehrbot's private workshop, where he conducted his most secret and dangerous of magical experiments. Few people even knew of this room's existence, and fewer still held privilege to the special charms that allowed magical transportation directly into this sanctuary. Perhaps Rai'dley didn't know about the charms. Or, if the room wasn't important, didn't care about them. Either way, Corinna was glad the new occupant of the workshop hadn't created any protective barriers that had kept her out.
Corinna listened carefully as she made her way around the large storage crates. She determined that the majority of the room was still clear. As she made her way to the edge of the crates, she heard voices. Pulling her black hood tightly around her head, she dared to peek out to see where the voices came from. She prayed for the shadows to grant her cover.
"I'm still not sure we can afford to send so many of the Guard out of the city at once," King Lonnequist was warning a young, elven woman. Corinna could only guess that this would be Rai'dley. Somehow she seemed much younger and slender, and more beautiful than Corinna had pictured her. Corinna was more aware than anyone that magical power had very little to do with physical size. But this diminutive-sized elf was deceivingly delicate looking to wield such powers as people reported her to have. Certainly she must have been either quite powerful or very wily to have defeated an established mage such as Zehrbot."
"And I'm telling you, Lonnequist," she replied. An impatient, angry tone edged her voice as if she was a mother tired of arguing a point with a child. "I've located riches for you beyond your wildest dreams. The treasures I've found will not only satisfy your greed, but will prove enough to support this kingdom, tax-free, for your lifetime and more. Imagine that for your people, dear king."
"But to leave the city so vulnerable," he insisted.
From a pocket in her seductively airy dress, Rai'dley fetched a large red gem, and dangled it from a length of gold chain. The beautiful gem swung back and forth, back and forth, in front of the greedy king. With saliva drooling down his chin, the king was immediately captivated by the gem's sparkle, and willingly followed it with his stare.
"Now, dear king," Rai'dley's voice dropped to a smooth, melodic tone. "Imagine a thousand, no a hundred thousand such gems. All for you. You will have riches beyond your wildest dreams. I need the army of guards to go and retrieve it for you. You will be rich. The city will be protected. It is okay. Everything will be okay."
"Everything will be okay," King Lonnequist repeated with the same, calm tone Rai'dley spoke the words.
"It's for the best of the kingdom," Rai'dley suggested.
"It's for the best of the kingdom," Lonnequist absently repeated as if convinced by the words. The whole time, his stare never left the pretty, swinging gemstone.
"Now return to your throne," Rai'dley commanded. "You are needed there."
"I'm needed on the throne," the king repeated. "Excuse me, I'm needed on the throne."
"Very well, if you must leave already," Rai'dley chided, pocketing the gem and leading her guest to the door.
"Yes, I'm needed on the throne. Don't worry," King Lonnequist consoled, "Everything will be okay."
"That's right, you old bag," Rai'dley said, her voice dripping cruelly with sarcasm once the king left. "Everything will be okay, now."
"I thought he'd never leave," came another voice from the other side of the room. Corinna strained in the darkness to see where the voice came from. Suddenly, as if from the very wall itself, a short dwarven figure stepped from the shadows into the room. Corinna easily recognized Raygan, the crude leader of the Thieves' Guild of Oswegonia, and Ace's nemesis. A nervous chill ran down her spine, just knowing he was there. That could not be a good sign.
"Didn't you hear?" Rai'dley teased in a lilting voice, "Everything will be okay."
"Well, it'd better be, my dear," Raygan threatened. "I make a much nicer lover than I do enemy."
As if to appease the ill-tempered dwarf, Rai'dley moved behind him, and seductively wrapped her arms around him. She bent over to affectionately lay her head on his shoulder. Suddenly, her arms turned into green-scaled snakes that began to constrict around him, and a reptilian tongue hissed in his ear. "And just you remember, my friend. I'm a much more powerful mage than you can even begin to guess. You do as I say." She ended the illusion, and planted a large kiss on the gruff old dwarf's cheek. Corinna could see him flinch with repulsion at the terrifying transformation.
"So don't worry about Lonnequist," Rai'dley continued as if nothing had happened. "The army of King's Guard will be ready to march at twelve bells, and the next phase of the plan will be under way."
The conversation so engrossed Corinna that she didn't notice the huge spider that lowered itself behind her from the mass of webs on the ceiling. She had no chance of fending it off before it sunk its awful fangs into her shoulder. She screamed an alarmed cry as she knocked the nasty beast against another crate, but that sound had been enough.
Raygan's hand darted up to stop Rai'dley from talking. She started to take offense to this gesture, until Raygan pointed toward the crates and held his short, fat finger to his lips. As silently and quickly as the spider, Raygan darted across the room and grabbed Corinna by the wrist as she finished off the offensive spider with her dagger. "What have we here?" Raygan asked, roughly pulling her from her hiding spot. "A rather large black rat?" He shook her hand violently, until she released the dagger. The weapon flew safely away.
"Who are you?" Rai'dley demanded, but Corinna was trying to think.
"I'll tell you who she is," Raygan volunteered. "Mage Rai'dley, meet Lady Corinna."
From this distance, Corinna could see Raygan more clearly. With his thick black beard, he could have been Ace's twin, but she knew better. Raygan was nothing like Ace. To accentuate these differences, a large, ugly scar ran from Raygan's left eye, down to the corner of his mouth, where Ace had sliced him open a very long time ago. Raygan hated Ace as much as Ace despised him. Raygan smiled, revealing two uneven rows of yellow, rotting teeth.
"So this is the Lady Corinna that has done nothing but bother me all morning. Didn't you get my message?" R
ai'dley asked wryly. "I'm not taking any visitors today."
"I'm sorry," Corinna apologized in her most courtly manner. "It's just that I must be leaving the city soon, and was afraid that I wouldn't get to meet the new Royal Mage of Oswegonia. I would be remiss in my courtly duties, if I didn't welcome you to Oswegonia. I'm sorry. I've been very busy as of late, and this has been the first chance I've had to get back," she continued. "It's been too long already."
"I'm sure, it's okay. I understand how busy you are. Your personal welcome is not needed," Rai'dley assured. "And unfortunately, today I'm too busy myself for such courtly manners. Your uninvited company is not appreciated."
"I'm sorry if I startled you, making such a clumsy entrance." Corinna looked around for effect, "The place has changed a bit since Zehrbot was here."
"Yes, well, before you leave," Rai'dley rudely dismissed her, "would you mind telling me how you got in here? I am, after all, responsible for the King's Guard and the king's safety. I would be 'remiss in my courtly duties' if I allowed such free, uninvited access to the castle interior. You understand."
"Oh, well," Corinna smiled in embarrassment. "You see Zehrbot was a friend of mine, and he gave me this magical charm that allowed me teleportation without error to this pad over there. It's the only one of its kind that I know of, so it is no threat to the king, I assure you."
"Well, I can never be too careful when it comes to the protection of our beloved king, now can I? Raygan, relieve her of that charm."
Corinna started to struggle, but Raygan twisted her arm behind her cruelly. The pain in her spider-bitten shoulder throbbed, and it was no use resisting the strong dwarf who ripped the charm from her grasp. Without leaving her side, or even releasing her wrist, he tossed the metal talisman over to Rai'dley.
The young mage studied the device shortly, before it disappeared from her hands in a dizzying, dramatic display. Corinna half-expected Rai'dley to produce it from her ear in a minute. Her fast eyes saw that Rai'dley had actually slipped it into a pocket. "You do know, of course, Lady Corinna," she spat out the title like an insult, "that magic use is explicitly prohibited within the walls of Oswegonia."
"Oh, yes, ma'am --" Corinna began, but was cut short by Rai'dley's rude interruption.
"And that use of magic, even from a device like your little trinket, is a crime punishable by death," she threatened, coming within inches of Corinna's face.
Corinna refused to allow anything to intimidate her. She didn't cower or even flinch. "I have been granted sovereignty by the court, to use magic in the course of my courtly duties," she calmly corrected. "I have the appropriate papers."
Rai'dley's eyes grew large, irritated by this inconvenience. She motioned to Raygan, who bullied Corinna with a sharp twist of her wrist, threatening to break it. With her free hand, Corinna reached into another of her countless pockets inside her robe, and produced a sheaf of official documents. Raygan again roughly snatched them from her, and handed them to Rai'dley.
After a quick perusal, and glancing disgustedly at the sigil of her predecessor, Zehrbot, a devious grin spread across the dangerous mage's face. She held the papers up for Corinna to witness, and simply announced them "Null and void." The entire packet of papers erupted into flames, and within seconds fell to the floor as a pile of ashes. "So sorry," Rai'dley satirically apologized.
"Guards!" Rai'dley shrieked. Within seconds, two large, muscle-gnarled soldiers bolted into the room. "Lady Corinna is an uninvited guest within the castle walls. Please escort her outside," she ordered.
With the same delicate finesse Raygan had shown her, the two guards grabbed her by her arms, and hoisted her out of the room.
"No! You can't do this to me!" Corinna yelled, flailing her small body around, despite the pain in her shoulder from the spider bite. But as she heard Rai'dley's cackling joined by Raygan's evil laughter, and the guards dragged her out the door, she realized -- she could. The embers of her official credentials going up in flames, burned deeply within her heart. There would be revenge.
Chapter 6
Charlena the Druid