The Sapphire Crescent

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Help him!" Vambran shouted, even though he didn't think he could be heard over Adyan's screaming. The bulky thing that had gotten a hold of the soldier was backtracking steadily, obviously strong enough to keep Adyan in a bear hug and drag him at the same time.

Horial leaped forward, yanking his short sword free, and tried to get in close enough to stab at the creature, but the path between the crates where it was retreating was too narrow, and Adyan's body served as a shield. The sergeant advanced, keeping his blade ready for any opening.

Cursing his stupidity, Vambran looked for some way to get over or behind the monster that had a hold of his friend. The stacks of crates were high there, but not too far down, he could see where they were staggered. He might be able to work his way to the top, but if he ran off with the light, Horial wouldn't stand a chance of getting in close and pulling Adyan free.

Deciding quickly, Vambran tossed the glowing coin into the press so that Horial could fight on, and he sprinted in the direction of the lower crates, pointing a finger up near the top of the stacks and speaking the phrase that would summon the flaring light. Instantly, the warehouse was a little bit brighter, and Vambran had no trouble finding his way. Reaching the nearest low crate, he launched himself on top of it and sprang to the next stack, jumping hard and grabbing at the edges to pull himself higher.

Adyan was still screaming, though his voice was both weaker and more muffled than it had been initially. The lieutenant was running out of time. He worked his way up and up, then finally reached the top of the crates and leaped from stack to stack, causing some of them to wobble dangerously. As quickly as he could, Vambran advanced toward a gap in the stacks he could see against the wall. The sounds of the struggle emanated from that point.

When he finally reached the edge of the closest stack and peered down, Vambran realized that he was a good fifteen feet above the floor. The thing was there, humanoid in shape, but the lieutenant could not spot any sort of skin. Instead, the beast was covered in a writhing mass of black, slimy worms. It was thick and bloated, with a rotund stomach bulging out in front.

No, not worms. Leeches, Vambran realized, and saw to his horror that dozens of them were attached to Adyan as he slumped in the monster's arms. That was what had attacked the thugs, sucking their blood and leaving them as drained husks. Horial was there, bobbing and weaving, looking for a good opening with which to lunge in and stab at the creature with his sword.

"Let go of him, you stinking thing!" the sergeant shouted and darted in, thrusting once, quickly, and backing away again.

The creature retreated a step, and Horial, emboldened thinking that he had hurt the thing, tried his attack again. The next time, though, the beast was expecting it and swung one of its huge, writhing arms out and bludgeoned the mercenary in the face. Horial staggered backward from the blow, and the monster advanced another step, dragging a now-limp Adyan with only one arm.

Vambran saw his chance. He crouched low, his sword out and held point downward with both hands, and dropped over the edge of his stack of crates. He plummeted toward the monster, aiming the tip of his blade at the base of the thing's thick neck. He had aimed perfectly, and it looked like a solid strike, but somehow, the creature sensed that he was there and sidestepped out of the way, swinging Adyan's form around to protect itself.

Vambran was forced to jerk his blade out of the way at the last second, ruining both his aim and his fall. He hit the floor hard, bouncing sharply to one side and tumbling onto his back. He grunted from the impact, losing his breath. Gasping, the lieutenant scrambled backward, dragging his sword with him to get clear of the threat.

The leech-covered monstrosity flung Adyan's body aside and turned to face Vambran, advancing toward him. The thing had no face. There was definitely a head-shaped bulge at the top of its shoulders, but that was the extent of its humanoid appearance. There were only the writhing, wriggling leeches where eyes, a nose, and a mouth ought to be. And the fetid stink of the thing was gagging.

Vambran lurched to his feet as the monster advanced, drawing his sword up and gripping it with both hands. He kept the point level with the thing's chest, but it didn't seem to care. It simply ambled forward, and Vambran stepped into a smooth, strong swing that slashed the beast across the chest and one forearm. Blood and ichor sprayed from the gash, but the creature didn't slow down one whit. Eyes wide, Vambran rebalanced and tried for another hard hit, but he wasn't fast enough.

The creature lunged at Vambran, trying to get its huge, slimy arms around his neck. He ducked, causing the beast to miss with its bear hug, but it still managed to kick at him as he rolled out of the way. He grunted in pain from a sudden burning sensation across his forearm and managed to come up to his feet again in another corner. Vambran glanced down at his arm and saw that his shirt sleeve had been shredded, and there were numerous tiny scratches across the surface of his skin, all of which were bleeding steadily. Shaking the burning sensation off, Vambran readied for another lunge from the thing.

Out of the corner of his eye, the lieutenant saw movement and glanced that way. Horial was struggling to his feet, his face bloody from where the creature had decked him earlier, and the sanguine flow seemed to be dripping into his eyes. Vambran recognized an opportunity for his companion to get behind and maybe surprise the beast, so he stepped a little closer and began to stab and slash at the thing, feinting rapidly, hoping to keep its attention fixed on him.

The beast, apparently heedless of the danger it was in, sidled forward again, taking a gash from Vambran's blade in the process, and tried to wrap its huge arms around the lieutenant once more. Horial took advantage of that moment to come in quickly and silently from behind, his blade drawn back for a severe strike.

Again, though, the creature seemed to sense a foe near it, even coming from the rear. It spun at the last moment and lashed out. Horial, caught off guard by his enemy's sudden defensive move, was unable to dodge the blow and took another solid hit, that time in the shoulder. Worse yet, the creature simply let its own momentum carry it around, bringing its other appendage to bear on the sergeant. In a single, smooth motion, it had Horial wrapped in a death-grip. As the scores of leeches all over the beast's body began to sink their tiny fangs into the mercenary, he threw his head back and howled in agony, thrashing to get free all the while.

Vambran dived straight at the thing, yanking quick cuts across its back, shoulders, and rump with his blade. He seemed to be scoring some serious injuries, but the creature didn't seem the least bit fazed. It merely retreated from the attacks, spinning around so that Horial was between it and Vambran.

"Damn you!" Vambran cried out, feinting and lunging, trying to get clean hits on the beast without harming his companion. Horial was already unconscious, slumped limply in the creature's grip. Vambran faked to the right, then spun his way back to the left, cutting across the beast's flank with his sword. He scored another hit, but he also nicked his sergeant. It didn't seem to matter, though. Horial didn't flinch, and the creature ignored the blow.

Breathing hard, Vambran was beginning to despair. Even though it was clear that his strikes were injuring the creature in some way, it seemed impervious to the wounds' effects. And both Horial and Adyan were quite possibly dead, or very near to it. He was running out of ideas. As the creature lumbered toward him, keeping Horial up as a makeshift shield, Vambran had a sudden inspiration.

Desperately, he reached for his holy coin hanging from the chain and held it forth while he began to recite the words of another special prayer. Calling on the favor of Waukeen, he jerked and darted his hands in front of himself, moving the coin in a complex motion. He finished the prayer in a shout, thrusting the coin forward once more.

A thunderclap resonated outward from the coin, aimed directly at the monster right in front of the lieutenant. The noise was horrid, more so because of the confines of the space where they had been battling. The cacophony seemed to shake it, though, for it jerked stiffly at the sound and dropped Horial, then spasmed and retreated from the perceived threat, cowering in the corner, up against the crates.

His own ears ringing, Vambran took advantage of the few moments he knew the creature would be stunned to grab Horial and drag him away, part of the way down the narrow path leading into the secret hollow among the crates. He dropped to one knee beside his sergeant, not even bothering to see if the man was still alive, and placed his hand upon Horial's chest. He murmured a quick prayer of healing, just a simple orison that he hoped would stop the blood loss and stabilize his companion. Then he rose again, stepped back over his friend's fallen form, and readied himself to face the monstrosity once more.

"Let's see how you do without my sergeant to protect you," he spat at the creature.

As if understanding it was time to engage its foe again, the beast lumbered forward, ready to battle. Vambran sidestepped warily a few times, watching to see if the creature had any new tricks, but it seemed intent solely on closing in and trying to grab at the lieutenant. When Vambran was certain he understood its tactics well enough, he began to press the attack, slashing and carving his way inside the creature's reach, laying some particularly harsh wounds across its writhing, unnatural body. After five such blows, the mercenary was forced to step back, out of breath.

The leech-thing came on just as strong as ever, and Vambran groaned. When the beast reached for him again, he tried to parry the blow away, but his strength was failing him, and he didn't quite get the blade completely between himself and his opponent. A meaty fist sneaked through and pounded Vambran across the side of the head. The strike snapped his head sideways and he could feel the dozen or so tiny bites on his skin. He knew that the wounds themselves weren't too bad, but the bleeding would slowly drain him of his energy and could quite possibly blind him.

The lieutenant staggered backward, keeping his sword up as protection, but the creature lunged in again, and Vambran was too tired to fight it off. The blows knocked him to the floor, his sword skittering off to the side, out of reach. He shuddered and watched as the creature loomed over him, reaching down with both huge arms. The leeches wriggled and writhed, straining to latch on to Vambran, to suck at his blood. He was going to die there, feeding the horror. He groaned and tried once more to move clear.

"Move it!" a feminine voice called suddenly from above. "Get out of the way!"

Blinking in confusion and unable to see much of anything past the creature, Vambran didn't react immediately, but the beast did. It stood up, ignoring its potential meal, and staggered back half a step, all of its attention on whoever was overhead. Vambran took advantage of the chance to drag himself clear.

The beast jerked and tried to move farther away, but the wounds Vambran and the others had dealt to it hindered it sufficiently that it was not fast enough. As it staggered across the floor, a cascade of white spilled down over it, like fine white sand spilling free of a broken hourglass. Vambran looked up and saw a flash of red cloth, along with a barrel being tipped over onto its side, more of the white stuff tumbling out in an ever more rapid flow.

Salt, Vambran realized. And it was burning the creature. The beast shivered and flailed madly about, trying to shake free of the powdery substance, but its slimy exterior simply let the salt cling to it, and everywhere the stuff touched the monster, there was a sizzling sound. The creature jerked and spun, trying to bat away the salt as it continued to cascade down, and it was on the floor, jerking, spasming, burning. As the last of the salt poured out of the barrel, Vambran's red-clad savior let the container slip over the side and tumble down to land atop the monster, shattering.

The beast lay still. Vambran heaved a great sigh of relief and sagged to the floor, gasping in exhaustion. He tried to wipe the sweat and blood from his face, but his arms felt like lead.

"Please," he called out, "I need help. My sergeants might be dying."

There was no response from above.

Vambran couldn't walk, so he forced himself to crawl across the floor toward Adyan. It was a monumental struggle. Finally the lieutenant reached his companion and, with the last vestiges of his strength, he slipped his hand atop the other man's chest. Vambran sank his head down on his arms and closed his eyes. Then, in barely a whisper, he murmured a healing prayer, not even knowing if it was already too late. As the last words passed his lips, he felt the magic flow from him and to the sergeant, then he let blackness wash over him and settled into unconsciousness.

"Uncle Kovrim!" Emriana called from the shadows. She could see the priest walking furtively toward the warehouse her brother and his two companions had entered nearly an hour before. The priest was accompanied by five other figures, one of whom was a stout dwarf, and by the light of the lanterns they carried as they approached, the girl quickly recognized the emblem of the Sapphire Crescent on their tabards.

"I'm over here," she said, making herself visible.

Kovrim and his retinue quickened their steps and closed the distance with her. When he was near enough, Emriana ran to her uncle and hugged him tightly.

"They haven't come out, yet," she told the priest, pointing to the window the three mercenaries had used to get inside. "I heard fighting, and now nothing. Something terrible has happened, I just know it!"

Kovrim gave his niece a calming pat on her head.

"It's all right. We're here, now. You did the right thing, summoning me." He looked to the five mercenaries and jerked his head. "Get in there and see what's what. And be careful."

The dwarf, a sergeant in the company named Grolo Firefist, gave a quick nod.

"Yes, sir," he said in a deep, resonating voice. He turned to the other four and began to give orders. "All right, you heard the man. Let's get in there. No, not the window; I'm not climbing through that. Find the front entrance and let's get the doors open. Move it!"

As the soldiers leaped to obey, Kovrim stepped back and eyed Emriana up and down, his lips pursed in a frown. She blushed slightly in the semidarkness, feeling very foolish at the moment. She was dressed in her dark clothing, a snug black shirt and a pair of breeches. She also had a very fine crossbow that was diminutive in size but could be slung easily onto her back by a long leather strap. Kovrim had actually given her that when she was a few years younger, a delicate weapon that she could cock and fire as a youth.

"I knew he would do something like this," the girl told her uncle, trying to divert his attention away from her.

"And so you did exactly the same thing?" he asked, but she could hear no real recrimination in his voice.

Emriana simply shrugged and turned back to the soldiers making their way around the building. She watched the soldiers looking for an easier way inside, and she and Kovrim followed them, the priest with his arm around her shoulders. It didn't take long for the mercenaries to break inside the warehouse and begin to check for threats. Kovrim and Emriana waited outside.

Finally, Grolo returned to the entrance and called, "It's all clear."

The girl darted forward the moment she heard the dwarf's first words.

"Is he all right?" she asked, not stopping to wait for an answer as she scampered inside.

She never saw the sergeant's nod.

Emriana found Vambran lying face down, being carefully examined by one of the other members of the company. She dropped down next to her brother, looking for some reassuring sign from the man tending to him.

"He'll live," the soldier said, "though he needs treatment from the priest. Same for the other two," he added. "Though how they lived, I don't know. They're each hanging by a thread."

Emriana began to shake her brother, calling to him. Vambran regained consciousness as she rolled him over onto his back.

"Hello, Em," he said, blinking in confusion in the light. "What are you doing here?"

"Shut up," Emriana scolded as she hugged her brother. "If it weren't for me, you'd probably be dead by now."

Kovrim knelt down beside Vambran.

"Let me look at you," he said, gently moving Emriana a little to one side so he could see how severe the lieutenant's wounds were.

Vambran didn't complain as his uncle checked him out. Gently, Kovrim settled his palm on Vambran's forehead and reverently spoke a prayer of healing. Some color returned to Vambran's face, and he began to breathe easier. Emriana found a bit of cloth the other soldier had left beside her brother, picked it up, and began to dab at his face with it. She wiped the blood from his eyes and sat back.

"You'll live. That's twice today, Vambran," the priest said, shaking his head. He rose to his feet. "And now my attentions are needed elsewhere."

"Adyan? Horial?" Vambran asked weakly, looking at his sister.

"The dwarf said they made it," Emriana said. "Though he doesn't understand how."

"Good," Vambran said, and he closed his eyes in relief as the girl continued to wipe the blood from his face. "I didn't know if I got to them in time. I led them here, into a trap, and they nearly paid for my foolishness with their lives."

He shook his head in anger as he struggled to sit up.

Emriana glanced over to where the dwarf was standing, staring down at the remains of something, holding his nose as he inspected it. He nudged it once with the toe of his boot.

Kovrim moved over to what the sergeant was looking at and made a face.

"Leechwalker," he said distastefully. "Don't see that in the city every day. Someone brought it here."

"So that was some quick thinking, calling Uncle Kovrim," Vambran said, "even though you're supposed to be at home."

"This pendant isn't such a bad birthday present," Emriana said, grinning and ignoring her brother's scolding.

Vambran looked up at his uncle and said, "The red stranger was here tonight, too."

"The one from today, who assisted you at lunch?" Kovrim asked.

Emriana looked around.

"Maybe he's still here," she added, worried.

"I doubt it," her brother said. "And it's a woman, not a man. She spoke this time. Whoever she is, she doesn't want to be found. But that's strange. Really strange. She's apparently following me."

Shaking his head, Vambran looked at his sister again.

"And what are you supposed to be?" he asked, nodding at Emriana's outfit. "A spy? Where's your mask?"

"What? You don't like it? I thought I looked rather sinister. Came in handy enough to keep you from noticing me following you."

Vambran rolled his eyes and asked, "And why were you following me?"

"Because I know you. Even though you say there's no chance to go investigating, I figure that's exactly what you've got planned. Only you're going to go with your buddies instead of me. So I decided to tag along."

"You followed me all night?" The lieutenant asked wearily, finally climbing to his feet. "Dressed like that?"

"Hey, it worked. And yes, to the Crying Claw and over here."

"If Uncle Dregaul finds out, he's going to-"

"Don't start lecturing me," the girl retorted. "You're just as guilty of sneaking off as I am. I thought you were only going to take care of company business tonight."

Vambran groaned and said, "Well, I did. This just happened to be part of the evening, also."

"Well, I was right not to trust you to be honest with me, so you've got no right to yell at me."

"Fair enough," her brother replied, and Emriana was surprised that he didn't put up more of a fight than that. "But you still should have worn a mask." She looked at him sharply, and he gave her a sidelong glance accented by a smug grin. "The question is, can you sneak back inside without Uncle Dregaul noticing?"

"The only way Uncle Dregaul finds out is if you tell him, in which case you have to tell him what you were doing here, too. And I don't think that's something you're quite ready to confess, is it?"

Vambran sighed and waved his hands in surrender.

"All right, you win. But you're on your own if you do get caught."

Emriana didn't say anything, just gave her brother a smug look.

"Well," Vambran continued, changing the subject, "someone sure didn't want me to talk to these thugs. I should have realized whoever is behind this would kill again to protect their dirty little secret."

"Vam," Emriana said, giving her brother the most serious look she could conjure. "You scared the hells out of me tonight."

Vambran nodded and said, "I know. I'm sorry. It was a blunder of me to underestimate these people. Twice." He eyed her right back, his expression severe. "You realize that, if I had let you come with me instead of them, it would be you and me lying here bloodless, right?"

Emriana gave a little shudder as she considered the possibility. She shook her head.

"And there would have been no one watching your back to come to the rescue," she said. "But that's not how it ended up. We're all alive, and the thing's dead."

"Right, thanks to some mysterious red-clad benefactor. Em, this is getting out of hand."

"You don't know the half of it," Kovrim said, coming to stand beside the two siblings again. "This whole thing does indeed have temple connections."

"What?" Vambran blurted out, drawing a sharp look from the mercenaries, who were in the process of carrying out the still unconscious sergeants. "How do you know?"

"Because," Kovrim replied grimly, "I had a conversation with Grand Trabbar Lavant tonight. He didn't deny it. I was surprised, to say the least."

"How can he justify murder?" Vambran said, his voice a bit softer, but no less vehement.

"He didn't. At least he claimed not to condone it. But let's not talk in here. Eavesdroppers might be about. It's already happened at least once, I think."

Emriana spun around, staring wide-eyed into the darkness. "I thought your men said it was all clear!" she said, trepidation making her shake. "Who's still here? Vambran's mysterious rescuer?"

"Calm down, Em," Kovrim admonished. "I meant magical eavesdroppers. Scrying and the like. I'll explain why when we're a safe distance away."

The trio took a walk, leaving the rest of the cleanup business to the mercenaries. Vambran stopped quickly before they departed the warehouse, fetching Emriana's dagger and returning it to her. Then they began to walk through the misty evening, making their way in the general direction of the temple.

Kovrim continued his revelation as they strolled.

"What Grand Trabbar Lavant told me was, the temple is on the verge of negotiating a very lucrative business opportunity, and the murders were an ill-advised cover-up on someone else's part to eliminate something standing in its way. He assured me that the guilty parties were being suitably punished, and he just felt that there was no good reason to bring the authorities into it, drag the whole thing before the public eye, and ruin the chance to complete the deal."

"That's absurd," Vambran said, shaking his head. "The Lady herself would never approve of such underhanded business tactics."

"I agree," Kovrim said, "but the fact remains that you're inadvertently butting heads with the temple, now. Regardless of the morality of your actions, you're taking your career's future in your hands. You need to be very careful how you proceed."

"Are you suggesting that I stop? Give it up and trust the Grand Trabbar to see to it that justice is served?"

"Not necessarily," Kovrim began.

"Good, because there's no way I'm leaving this alone now," Vambran replied angrily. "The man and woman who were murdered were servants of House Pharaboldi. Her name was Jithelle, a kitchen maid, and his was Hoytir, a stable hand. Apparently, Denrick Pharaboldi was seeing her on the sly. Em found that out today."

Kovrim whistled and said, "That sheds some unusual light on the whole affair."

"Exactly," Vambran replied. "And seeing as how our two Houses are so friendly right now-Em was, in fact, there for a social tea-I think it behooves me to make sure we as a family are not getting involved with someone untrustworthy or willing to commit murder to further their business causes."

Kovrim nodded and said, "I agree. But you still need to be particularly cautious. You don't want to draw any more of the temple's attention to yourself in this way."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Emriana said, nodding back the way they had come. "You brought a squad of mercenaries who answer to the temple with you tonight. Word is bound to get around."

Kovrim looked at the girl with surprised admiration.

"Very good point, Em." He smiled and continued, "But in this case, not a worry. Those are some of my most trusted soldiers. We already discussed the need for silence on this matter. They are working tonight strictly freelance."

"Excellent. And Adyan and Horial know to do the same," Vambran said. "At least, once I get a chance to talk to them. Perhaps we can make sure Grolo takes care of that."

"I'm sure we can arrange that," Kovrim answered. "I'll speak to him later. But for now, here's what I think you should do next. If this is the same Jithelle I think you're talking about, I know her mother, Nimra Skolotti. A sweet old woman, and likely wondering what really happened to her poor daughter. She might know something useful, so I think you two should go visit her tomorrow and see what you can find out."

Vambran nodded and Emriana said, "Oh, the poor woman. Maybe it would make her feel a little better if she knew someone was trying to clear Jithelle's name."

"Precisely," their uncle said. "In the meantime, I'll do a little more digging-very subtle digging, mind you-to see what I can find out about potential business opportunities with House Pharaboldi. If I turn anything useful up, I'll let you know."

Vambran turned to face his uncle. "Thank you, sir, for everything you've done so far."

Emriana stepped in and gave the priest a hug.

"Yes," she said, "thank you so much for coming tonight. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been able to reach you."

"You two just be careful," replied Kovrim. "This isn't a game we're playing, here."

"Damn it!" Grozier snarled as he watched Kovrim, Vambran, and the girl exit the warehouse. "Follow them!"

The wizard Bartimus shook his head.

"I can't," he said, shrinking away from his employer's angry gaze. "I focused the spell on Dressus; it goes where he goes."

Grozier threw up his hands in frustration and began to pace.

"Well, that clinches it, then," he said. "They're uncovering far too much, and furthermore, they know that we're watching them. You heard the priest say as much."

Bartimus nodded, though he didn't think that Grozier saw the gesture, and furthermore, didn't care. The less attention paid to him, the better, as far as the wizard was concerned.

"I've got to talk to the others. That damned mercenary is proving more resourceful than I expected, especially when he has so many friends and family to aid him. He's got too many resources."

"Pardon, sir," Bartimus said, wondering why he would dare to question his employer's logic. "But why don't we take those resources away from him?"

"What?" Grozier asked harshly, scowling and looking at the wizard as though he had just noticed him for the first time. "What are you talking about?"

Bartimus took a deep breath, then said, "The high priest outranks all of them. I'm sure he could arrange it so that the mercenary can't draw on fellow soldiers or his uncle for help. In fact, that may have been what Lavant intended from the beginning, and we didn't give him a chance to put it into motion."

Grozier cocked his head, regarding the wizard with approval.

"Why don't you offer up these kinds of insights more often?" he asked.

Bartimus cringed, but said, "Because you usually just yell at me when I do."

"Yes," Grozier replied with a sigh. "I suppose I do. All right, I'll try to control that. You just keep doing more thinking. I like it."

"All right," Bartimus said, stunned.

"In the meantime, I think we need to move up our meeting. Let everyone know."

"Yes, sir," Bartimus replied, already moving through his study to fulfill his employer's request.