Bad Blood Runs Black - chapter 5 rev 1

Bad Blood Runs Black - chapter 5 - by John "Basileus Ioannis"

Pana's mouth opened in amazement. They were in a natural cavern barely six feet high, with tiny stalactites and stalagmites, and patches of glowing moss on the walls and ceiling providing faint illumination. The cavern slanted downwards at a gentle slope, and water trickled down the walls. A groove had been cut along both sides of the floor, and the water flowed into it and down into the blackness. The slightly raised center of the floor was dry, providing good traction.

"I call it my home away from home," echoed Chawinda's voice from the darkness ahead.

Pana could barely make out Haergrim's hunched form walking in front of her. After about fifty feet, the luminescent moss ended, and only pitch blackness remained. She could hear the rushing of water somewhere ahead, but it echoed and it was impossible to tell which way the body of water was. She squinted, but realized Haergrim was no longer ahead of her. Suddenly her toes were at the lip of a dropoff, the gravel she kicked up skittering down the shaft. The distant roar of water was coming from the chasm below. A slight breeze rising from the chimney disoriented Pana, making her feel like she was falling into the darkness.

Haergrim's firm hand caught her shoulder before she could tumble down into the void. "I wouldn't go that way," mocked Chawinda, "up here." The voice came from above and to her right. She had missed the side cavern, as it was above floor level by about three feet. More faint light came from that direction. The ranger helped Pana up into Chawinda's abode.

The cavern opened up into a grotto about twenty feet in diameter, roughly kidney bean shaped. The ceiling was domed, and a dark hole appeared at its apex. Patches of moss, some purple, some green, gave off an eerie light. Pana could make out an area where clear water trickled into a natural basin, with two pots laying on their sides next to it. The water appeared to drain out towards the entrance.

She passed a nook carved into the wall, the only flat surface she could see, into which several tomes were stuffed, Chawinda's library. She could not tell what the subjects of the books were. Two were large enough to have writing on their spines, but it was a language she did not recognize.

"Hey missy, come over here." Chawinda’s voice seemed close yet coming from several directions due to the domed ceiling. Pana vaguely made out the shadows of Chawinda and Haergrim in the back of the room. The Drow held a spherical metal object with a handle, but she could not tell what it was.

As Pana approached, Chawinda flicked open a tiny door on the sphere. It was a bulls-eye lantern, giving off a dim beam of white light. The Drow grabbed the hem of Pana's grey cotton cloak and held it open, shining the light over her clothes. "Lolth's offspring, are you wearing a DRESS?" she exclaimed. Pana blushed. She had forgotten to change into something more appropriate for the mission, and her fine silk shoes were soiled. "You're not going anywhere like that, missy," chuckled a bemused Chawinda. "Here, I should have something around your size."

She flicked off the lantern, setting it on a natural stone table that looked like a giant mushroom, then squatted down and began rummaging through a metal chest on the floor. The metal was dark with a greenish hue, so Pana guessed it was made of bronze. With all the moisture in the caverns, an iron chest would have rusted out in no time.

The Drow produced a set of black clothing, and handed them to Pana. "Here, try these on, they're the biggest ones I have, they should fit. I'll find you some boots." The clothes were made of very soft leather, smooth like eel skin but not shiny. Pana turned to ask Haergrim to look away, but the elf had gone to the pool of water and was filling a pot with it, his back turned towards the two women. Pana hastily took off her mother's cloak, her holy symbol, and her blue dress, and set them on the table. Standing in her linen undershirt, she shivered. The caverns were colder than the surface.

She took off her silk shoes, and stepped into the pants. The inside of the hose was lined with fur, and was very comfortable. As she pulled them up and laced up, the leather pants felt like they were hugging her form, they were not baggy like Chawinda's clothes. She put on the jacket, and laced it up. This, too, was lined with fur, and felt warm. The laces were also made of leather, and there were no metal buttons. The sable outfit appeared to blend into the shadows, as if it was made of shadow itself. While quite flexible, Pana could feel a trace of magic in the material. This was no ordinary leather clothing.

Chawinda suddenly grabbed Pana's ankle, and she had to put a hand on the wall to avoid losing her balance. The Drow put a boot sole against the bottom of her foot, made a grunt of approval, and said, "Try these on, they should fit." Pana slid her feet into the matching black leather boots, and they fit like a glove. Speaking of gloves...

The Drow appeared to read her mind, and produced a pair of black gloves that matched her attire. "Here you go, that should do it. Just keep that cloak over your head, missy, and you should be fine." Pana pulled on the soft gloves, and reached for her grey cloak on the table.

Suddenly Chawinda stood up right in front of Pana, and looked her up and down to confirm her attire. She grabbed the top of her pants, and gave a tug. "Good," she said, and pulled the lower hem of her jacket down hard over the pants. Chawinda put her hands on Pana's hips, and gently slid them upwards, her thumbs gliding over her bosom. Pana blushed again, as the Drow murmured, "Hmm, you're rounder than I am, missy," and laughed softly. "It'll do."

Chawinda hung the bulls-eye lantern on a hook on the wall, and opened its door. The shaft of white light illuminated the top of the table, with Pana's blue dress and grey cloak on one side. Pana had donned her holy symbol, and took the cloak off the table. The Drow nimbly stepped to a nook near the library, and produced several large scrolls about two feet long. She walked back and laid them on the table, opening up one, letting it roll up again, and opening up another. "Ah, here we go." She laid daggers on the edges to keep the map open.

Haergrim came up on Chawinda's left, while Pana finished putting on her cloak. The Drow's gloved hands glided over the map, as Pana leaned over the table to get a better view, casting a huge shadow on the map. "Sorry," she whispered as she quickly ducked out of the shaft of light.

"This is Castle Rosenstein's ground level plan," began Chawinda. "The main entrance gate, here, the outer walls wrap around the moat to the castle walls, here. To the left is the main army headquarters. The right hand wall continues back here, to the canal. The canal side is sheer right down to the water. On the back left here is the postern, back door access to the parade ground where the airships land. Alright? Now the interior..."

The Drow showed the major walls, staircases, other well-known areas of the castle. The audience chamber and entry hall Pana had seen many times, but the side chambers and stairs were all new to her. Thoughts of her father and the coming-of-age ball came flooding back, and a tear welled up in her eye. She quickly wiped it away, and focused on the hallway leading to the postern facing the parade ground.

"Two guard rooms, here by the main entrance, and here by the hallway leading to the postern...the Weasel may be using the Grand Duke's library as his office, here. Start looking for him here, it's easy access. The upstairs are harder to get to. There are few windows, and only two staircase accesses, here and here."

Pana looked at an area behind the audience chamber, accessible by a long narrow corridor running from a door right next to the postern. She pointed at a third staircase at its end, at the right rear corner of the castle, near the canal. "Where's this lead to?" she asked, pointing.

"Down, I guess," said Chawinda. "I don't know anything about the basement. I figure there's a dungeon down there. Now, we’ll be going in through the sewers. Sewer accesses here, here and here are heavy grates that are locked and warded. I can handle the first grate to get in, but we might need another Dispel Magic spell if we need to get out through another grate. Missy, what kind of spells you got?"

"Mostly offensive, Sound Burst, Silence, Fireball, with some buffs, Bless, Prayer, Protections. I also have Dispel Magic, Knock, and Clairaudience." The latter spell was unfamiliar to Pana, so she would have to be very careful when she cast it.

Chawinda raised her eyebrows and whistled. "That's quite an arsenal. Fireball, eh? You a Fire domain?" Pana nodded. "Well, that's always useful to have around, as well as Knock in case there's a wizard lock in our way. I assume the Clairaudience is how you intend to eavesdrop on the Weasel?" Pana nodded again. "And that Silence may certainly come in handy. I can turn their lights out, and I got something to mask our scents, but noises I can't control."

Haergrim studied the map wordlessly. Chawinda continued, "Okay, everyone memorize the layout? Good." She pulled the map free of the daggers and rolled it up. She slid it under her cloak, and found somewhere to stash it. She deftly snapped up her daggers, and they disappeared into her sleeves. "Alright, the night's not gonna last forever. Here," she produced a vial with a shaker top on it. "Scent mask, my special blend. It'll make you smell like mold, it's for the dogs." She gave another one to Haergrim. "Let's do it."

The trio left the secret caverns, and made their way to the city canal unseen. Climbing down to the water with a heavy rope, they hugged the wall and treaded water until they were underneath the sewer opening from Castle Rosenstein. Chawinda used her daggers in the gaps in the stonework to climb up to the opening halfway up the canal wall, and pried open a rusty grate. Dropping a rope down for Pana and Haergrim, the Drow helped them up and into the foul smelling sewers.

They sloshed through the reeking tunnel for what seemed an eternity, Chawinda in the lead, Pana blindly following her leader, with Haergrim bringing up the rear. The Drow stopped, and whispered, "Alright, wait here," and disappeared up the walls of the sewer.

Pana waited anxiously, peering upwards in the darkness where Chawinda had gone. She was tempted to cast Light, so she could see, but controlled herself. Haergrim stood right behind her, one hand on his sword hilt, the other on Pana's shoulder to comfort her.

Suddenly she heard a hiss, and a heavy rope smacked her in the face. "Okay, come up," whispered the Drow. Haergrim gave Pana pointers to use her legs as well as hands, and Pana obediently climbed up the rope. Soon she could make out Chawinda’s red eyes staring down at her. Dim torchlight from the castle interior spilled down from the grate above. Everything smelled awful.

She felt something on her cloak, and looked down in the dim flickering light. A fat spider, almost as big as her hand, peered up at her with many beady eyes, mandibles twitching. Pana stifled a scream, and nearly lost her grip on the rope. Chawinda chuckled, "Ah, a cutie," and deftly plucked the spider from her cloak and dropped it down the shaft. A second later, a groan came up from below.

Haergrim came up the rope with the spider splayed squarely on his face. He flicked it off, his eyes glaring at Chawinda. "Thanks for the gift."

"That's what you get for looking up our skirts," laughed the Drow. "Okay, I already dispelled the wards on the grate, give me a moment and I'll get it unlocked." She produced lock picks out of her hair behind her ear, and after a few seconds, a clack sound confirmed the open lock. She pushed up on the heavy grate, and it barely moved. All three braced their feet on opposite sides of the shaft, and carefully heaved. The smelly, solid iron grate slid aside, inch by inch, making a faint scraping sound. Soon the shaft was clear.

Chawinda poked her head out of the shaft, looking all around. "Okay, come on," she hissed, and climbed out. Haergrim helped Pana up, the lanky elf climbing out last. There were ornate robes and cloaks hanging from pegs overhead. It was a garderobe, a combination closet and latrine, on the ground floor level. There would be another on the upper floor, extending out over the castle wall.

They were near the audience chamber. Torches burned in sconces along the walls. Faint voices echoed from somewhere in the distance. Banners hung in intervals from the upstairs gallery, just as Pana remembered. Before the trio left the garderobe, Chawinda paused. "Okay, use that stuff I gave you. Missy, get that Silence spell ready, just in case." All three produced the concoction Chawinda made, and the contents were sprinkled on their clothes, hair, and faces. As the Drow had previously explained, it really smelled rank, like moldy wood. They helped each other put it on, and were ready to move out.

They crept from banner to banner, ready to duck behind one at any moment. Haergrim and Pana drew their swords. Chawinda appeared to melt into each shadow. They came to the main entrance hall. The Drow peered around the corner, and snapped back. "Dung," she hissed, "guards...get back!" The ranger and the cleric flattened themselves behind a banner, while the "sneak" melted into the shadow of a column nearby. They heard footsteps, the distinctive clinking of chain mail, and the panting of a dog.

From behind the banner, Pana saw two guards holding halberds walking into the audience chamber, one holding the leash of a huge black mastiff. The dog stopped, sniffed the air, and made a low "whuff". The guards halted. Looking around and seeing nothing, the guard holding the leash growled, "Come on, Stefan," giving a tug on the leash, and walked off to the guard room towards the postern. The other guard coughed loudly, complaining about the "blasted mold" as they disappeared into their office.

Pana breathed a sigh of relief. Chawinda’s concoction had worked. The trio crept back to the entrance hall, and hugging the wall, snuck toward the open door to the library. Voices could be heard from within, but even from the doorway, they could not make out what was being said. Pana peered around Chawinda into the room. By the blazing fireplace was a wooden desk with many documents on it. In an ornate padded chair behind the desk sat the viceroy, Stengal the Weasel. He was speaking with a hooded figure seated in another chair opposite, back towards Pana. It was almost thirty feet to the desk from the doorway. No one else was in the library.

The Drow whispered, "Alright missy, do your thing." Pana took a deep breath, and her memory produced the incantation. She gripped her holy symbol in one hand, and the words came out. She focused on the desk...the desk...the desk...and soon she could hear Stengal and the hooded figure.

"...another over at Geisdorf, which completes the encirclement. We shouldn't expect trouble from their militia, our man has taken care of that as well," Stengal said confidently. "By this time tomorrow, our troubles will be over." Geisdorf was a town about seven miles west of the capital, on the highway to Grusshafen.

"Yes, viceroy, you have done well," a female voice, somewhat familiar, said to the Weasel quietly. A mature voice...who is she? "After the body arrives, we will hold the funeral services. Then we will no longer need our prisoner."  Prisoner? Who could it be?

"I will see to it personally, madam. With him gone, and the body burned beyond recognition, not even a Resurrection spell would bring him back." He laughed a squeaky, evil laugh. How Pana hated him. "Now, how long do you want me to wait before I announce my coronation?" Coronation! But Lord Heizmall...

"Patience, viceroy, the people must have a proper period of mourning, and we must wait for the right circumstances. Our man may have effective control of the remaining army units, but all we need is some loyalist unit causing trouble."

"But that's where the encirclement forces can forestall the remaining loyalists," interrupted the Weasel. "They are strength aplenty to block the roads with their monsters. The Charrs would then be free to deploy in the city." Ah ha, thought Pana, so he does have something to do with the Charrs, and the orcs and the troll she ran into on the Silver Highway.

"You underestimate..." and the spell had run its course. So, Stengal the Weasel is a puppet, and the woman was the puppet master. He DOES have something to do with the Blackstonian roadblock, and it sounds like he has an inside man controlling the army. He definitely has ambitions for the throne, but Lord Heizmall is at the front, he might be able to make it back by airship to lead a counterattack against the invaders. The woman, she is allowing the Weasel's coup d'etat! They also have a prisoner, whose life apparently will be ended after her father's body arrives in the morning. Pana finished digesting the intelligence, and moved on to the second phase, to find a place to hide until sunrise when her father's remains will arrive.

"You done?" whispered Chawinda. Pana nodded. "Alright, we gotta find somewhere to lay low for a few hours, come on." She led Pana and Haergrim back to the audience chamber, and checking to make sure the way was clear, they made their way toward the postern.

They arrived at the doorway to the barracks room, and peered in. The two guards they saw earlier were sitting around a table playing a dice game, the mastiff lay on the floor between their legs, facing away from the door. Several occupied bunks were further back in the dark end of the room, with snoring occupants.

The trio snuck past the guard room, and made their way to the door near the postern that opened on the long narrow corridor that Pana had seen on Chawinda’s map. The Drow kneeled, listened at the door, checked it for traps, and cautiously opened it. The corridor beyond was unlit and quiet. Several pieces of furniture had been stacked along one wall of the darkened corridor, covered in dusty cloths.

"This looks good, get under the tables," whispered Chawinda. They crawled under the cloths, being careful not to upset the dust on top. "I'll take first watch, you two have had a long day," said the Drow. Without a word of argument, Haergrim sat on the stone floor and went into his elfin trance.

Pana suddenly realized how tired she was. She looked into Chawinda's red eyes. The Drow winked at her. "Thanks, Chawinda, for everything," Pana said, and went out like a candle.

--- to be continued! ---