Cards Reshuffled

Killing people can certainly deal with a great many problems, but it does tend to cause problems if you don’t know when not to do so. For example, if you are searching for the secret code to get you past the enchanted doors that lead to the King’s Treasury, it can be extremely embarrassing to find that you’ve accidentally slit the throat of the only man who knows it. At least if you don’t happen to be carrying a Rod of Resurrection in your pocket, but not everybody can be that fortunate. All in all, the fact that ‘Dead Men Don’t Talk’ isn’t an entirely beneficial one, and you would do well to remember it.

Excerpt from ‘Interview With An Assassin’

Alatos ‘Ravenscar’, the leader of the Baldur’s Gate Thieves’ Guild, was not an easily startled man. He had once burgled Entar Silvershield’s own estate, and not even batted an eyelid when the vicious attack dogs charged towards him, instead taking them out with a few well-aimed sword thrusts. He had withstood treason and treachery within the Guild after he had taken over. Once there had been three subordinates all at once eagerly trying to fill the void left behind when he died, and equally eager to create that void. The triple funeral had been very touching. And there had been that eager Flaming Fist officer who had made it his life’s mission to take him out, chasing him all over the place. That one had found out all about the folly of ‘heroic confrontations’ once he had been tossed into the harbor with an old anvil tied to his feet. Presumably he was chasing fish these days, or maybe they were chasing what remained of him.

The Guildmaster was in his private study, examining the account books. Triple bookkeeping was tricky, but very useful if you didn’t wish for your subordinates to know exactly how much money was made, or whom you made business with. And he most definitely did not wish for that, that could make things extremely messy. Still, it was late, and he was getting a bit tired. Sighing, he lay the quill down, rubbing at his eyes. Then he suddenly froze as a sound intruded on his thoughts. It wasn’t a horrifying sound in itself, but the fact that it absolutely shouldn’t be heard in this particular time and place made it very dreadful indeed. It was the sound of somebody politely clearing their throat, and it came from directly behind his back, close enough that the owner of said throat could probably reach out a hand and touch him without effort. Or drive a blade into his back, and he didn’t doubt for a second that it was precisely that information the person behind him was intending to convey.

The Guildmaster felt something cold stroking the bare skin of his neck, and then staying put there. Something cold with a very sharp edge. He took care to breathe very, very carefully, and not to make any sudden movements. If only he could reach the alarm button under his desk…but he didn’t dare so much as twitch.

Then there was a voice, a low and polite male voice, a perfect mix of courteousness and mockery. “Busy night?” it said. “You really should take better care of yourself, or your health might fail you. Rather suddenly too, I expect.”

“Who are you?” Alatos asked, his calm voice not betraying his apprehension.

The unseen assailant’s amusement was almost palpable. “I suppose I could supply you with some theatrical line at this point, like ‘I’m your worst nightmare’ or ‘I am Death come for thee’. But it’s not really relevant. What you should be asking is what I want. More specifically, what I want in return for going away. You do want me to go away, don’t you?”

Alatos started nodding, and then thought better of it. “Yes,” he said. “I do. So what do you want?” He could swear he had heard that voice before, and not in pleasant circumstances either.

The blade pressed a little harder into his skin. “I want to find some people,” the voice said, and now it sounded as cold as the heart of winter. “And I have reason to believe you may be able to help me do so. If you tell me what I want to know I will go away, no harm done to you. If you try to do something stupid, like attacking me…well, I’m sure you can guess the likely consequences of that.”

“Which people?” Alatos asked, trying to go through his long list of more or less shady acquaintances. The answer managed to take him by complete surprise though.

“The people called the…’Heroes of Baldur’s Gate’” the voice said, and now there was a faint hint of distaste in it, as if the person had just accidentally stepped in something nasty. “And please don’t offend me by pretending you don’t know whom I’m talking about. Such a tacky title would stick in anybody’s mind, I should think.”

Alatos paused. Of course he knew the people in question. Anybody in Baldur’s Gate naturally had heard of the powerful heroes who had saved the entire city by rescuing the Grand Dukes and slaying the evil Sarevok. However, the Guildmaster knew them a little bit better than that, had even met one of them in person. That annoying pink-haired little girl who had been accompanied by… “It’s you!” he blurted out. “You were with that girl…what was her name…”

“Imoen,” the voice said. “Yes, I was with her. And since you have such an excellent memory, you probably also remember that I implied my displeasure with the way you tried to set her up?”

The Guildmaster felt a cold shiver running down his back. He remembered, all right. He knew he was a skilled rogue, and a dangerous man. But this one was more dangerous by far, and would kill him in an instant if he decided it was for the best. “I remember,” he said. “I haven’t moved against her, or any of her companions. I swear it!”

“So I hear. And now you will tell me anything and everything you know about where to find them. Let’s put that powerful memory to test, shall we?”

“Why should I? What are you going to do if I refuse, kill me? That will gain you nothing.”

“True. As I said, I have no intention of killing you, unless you absolutely insist on forcing me to do so. No, I was thinking of something else entirely.”

“Not…not torture?”

There was a disdainful snort. “For somebody in a precarious position, you really seem strangely eager to insult me. No, nothing that distasteful. There are other ways of assuring cooperation, you know, if you know where to look for them. Allow me to demonstrate.” Out of the corner of his eye, Alatos caught a glimpse of an arm speedily snatching the ledger book from the table, while the blade never so much as trembled against his neck.

“An interesting read,” the unseen speaker said, his voice sounding damnably amused. “I had much time to study it across your shoulder as I was waiting for you to get tired. I’m sure some of your more intelligent and ambitious subordinates would love to read it. Wouldn’t they be amazed to know just how great the percentage you take off their earnings is? Not just the fencing fees, but the assassination assignments you pass along as well…I really have to admire your…daring. I’m sure your employees will feel much the same. The people in our profession are well known for how forgiving and understanding we are, after all.” When the voice next spoke it reminded Alatos of poisoned black honey. “Is your memory improving yet?”

Alatos swallowed heavily, the words tumbling out of his mouth like frightened rabbits. “After they killed Sarevok…the Heroes I mean…they didn’t stay in town for long. A week or so, I think. Their leader…the redhead…didn’t seem very happy. Not like you’d think, after a victory like that. Especially not once the wizard left.”

There were a few moments of silence, and when the voice spoke again it was void of all emotion. “Left?” it said. “And when did this happen? Think carefully.”

The Guildmaster tried to pick his words with great caution, so they would be unable to offend. He really didn’t want to do that, not when the other one had the upper hand. “Just after Sarevok’s death,” he said. “My spies told me…he was simply gone, all of a sudden, no trace of him. The redhead seemed quite frantic about it.”

“Did she now? So you don’t think she was in any way responsible for this…disappearance?”

“What, that she would have killed him? Not a chance. She was upset, kept trying to turn the city upside-down in order to find him.”

“Interesting…but I assume she did not?”

“No. She left the city herself a little later, actually. I don’t know where she went.” Alatos decided to try to divert his assailant’s attention towards other prey. “But…there’s somebody else in town, looking for her. Or there was, recently. You might want to have a word with her, in case she’s learnt something. She’s staying at the Helm and Cloak right now. Serenstina, her name is. Serenstina Tershar.”

Once again there was a slight pause, and Alatos could almost feel the other one digesting this information. “Are you quite certain that was the name?” the voice asked, and there was just a little bit of tension evident in it.

“Yes. Serenstina Tershar. You know her, then?”

“Not as such. But I know of her. Yes, I believe it would be a good idea to…have a word with her. But not just yet. There is still the matter of you telling me what you know of where the wizard went.”

“What? I already said…”

“No.” Steel was clearly audible beneath the dark silk of the voice by now. “You said that the girl never found him. You never said that you did not. You are the leader of this Guild. You like to keep track of people. Do you know what I think? I think that you did a little investigating on your own, in case the information might be useful some day. You probably had your subordinates check both the harbor and the gates. They would know whom to talk to in order to learn things, as the girl would not. And now you are going to tell me exactly what they learnt. Aren’t you?”

The moment he removes the knife I’ll jump him, Alatos thought. I’ll jump him, and use the button under my desk to summon the guards. That should take care of him. Except of course he hasn’t removed the knife yet. And if I don’t talk…that really doesn’t bear thinking about. My enemies in the Guild would leap at that ledger book like hungry wolves on a haunch of meat, they could incite the entire Guild against me. “How do I know you won’t kill me once I’ve told?”

“You don’t. You only have my word for that, and the only thing I can tell you is that I don’t like breaking it. On the other hand, you do know that I’ll make things very uncomfortable for you if you don’t start talking very soon. I don’t like people to waste my time. I might just get so frustrated that I’ll feel a need to unburden my heart with some of your subordinates, and share what I know with them – as well as the contents of a certain book. And I hope you’re not thinking of trying to lie. I know you from before, Ravenscar. I know you cannot be trusted, and surely you don’t think I would neglect to predict that might happen? I’m already in a bad mood, and that would really annoy me. If you did, I would find out eventually. And then I would come back.”

The Guildmaster’s shoulders slumped slightly. The other one had a point. There seemed to be nothing to gain from keeping silent. And if I can stall him, I may yet get the opportunity to get the guards in here. “All right,” he said. “The wizard was spotted in Beregost, shortly after he left here. I honestly don’t know any more than that.”

There was no reply. Only the cold blade pressing against his neck. It moved slightly, and then it was still again. No sound, not even the sound of breathing. Alatos was beginning to wonder whether the man behind him really was a man, and not a ghost of some sort. Seconds passed, dragging on and becoming minutes. He was painfully aware of the cold sensation against his skin, and of his throbbing pulse. The moment he relaxes…the moment he lets go…that’s when I’ll strike. Just let me get the others in here and we’ll see how cocky you are. More time passed. Damn him, why doesn’t he say something? Why doesn’t he do something? What’s he waiting for? Breathe calmly. Calmly. What’s he doing?

Finally, the tension became too much. He had to move, to act, even if it should kill him. Swiftly he twisted around, his arm coming up to ward off a blow, to sweep the blade away from him before it could find his artery. His hand met with nothing, and only the deep shadows of the room answered his loud curses. The other one was gone, gone as if he had never been here, dissolved into mist like a wraith.

The thief looked behind him, afraid of what he would find. A blade, a single plain dagger. It was…stuck to his chair, from where it had pressed into his skin, creating the sensation he had felt. Stuck as if…as if it had been glued there. He left long ago, Alatos realized. He must have known about the alarm button and he thought this up to fool me. But why not simply kill me? Unless…my death would create a stir, and if I had lied to him he would want to be able to…come back to me. With a small shiver, he decided that that was something he definitely didn’t want, particularly when he recalled the ominous coldness in the other one’s voice. I really pity that wizard when that one catches him. I wouldn’t be in his shoes for the entire world.

Shaking his head, he gave the shadows one final nervous glance. It was late, and he should probably try to get some sleep. He was a thief, the Guildmaster of a large Guild. Only this morning he would have laughed in the face of anyone who dared suggest that shadows might frighten him. That, or he would have killed him for the insult. But tonight…tonight he thought he might just want to sleep with his candle lit. Just in case.