Cards Reshuffled

The road is mostly steady and reliable, and takes you where you are supposed to be going in time. Yet sometimes it pays off to leave the road for a moment. You never know what you may find, or what may find you.

Excerpt from ‘Interview With An Assassin’

There were three of them. Reasonably tough-looking, certainly ruthless and ready to kill. Whether they were bright enough to back away from a fight remained to be seen though. Probably not, Dekaras thought. But let’s give them the chance anyway. The assassin wished, not for the first time, that he had been able to teleport himself straight to Athkatla. There was only one road through the Cloudpeak Mountains, and that road was crawling with bandits like a carcass crawling with maggots. Certainly he could avoid the road, but that meant wasting time, not to mention risking all manner of nasty cliffs and crevices, and probably monsters as well. He didn’t particularly fancy taking on a dragon by himself, at least not unprepared. The bandits were preferable to that. Some of them he could spot far enough ahead to go around them, and the others at least provided ample exercise. Wouldn’t do to let myself get rusty, not if the Cowled Wizards are as dangerous as they’re made out to be. Not to mention that vampire…Bodhi.

These particular three bandits he hadn’t been able to avoid, since they had been lying in ambush right behind a bend in the road. Right now they were coming out from their hiding places, three rough-looking men, two older, one younger. The younger one had a cleft lip, probably from a sword, and looked big and muscular. One of the older ones had something of a military bearing about him, possibly he was a deserted soldier. There was something about his close cropped gray hair and stiff bearing that still hinted at his past. The third one had a very nondescript face, and the cold eyes of a snake. Mistake on their part, Dekaras thought as he stopped in the middle of the road for a few seconds, sizing his opponents up. They should have ambushed me when they had the chance. Now they’ll come up with some ‘threatening’ line instead, I shouldn’t wonder.

“Uh!” one of the bandits said, in what was most probably meant to be a threatening growl. “You there! Your money or your…” He never got to finish the sentence, as a throwing dagger suddenly lodged in his throat, effectively cutting him off. As he crumpled to the ground a red flower of blood spread around the weapon, and he tore vainly at it. Drawing his final breath he still had a very surprised look on his face.

Your money or your life, Dekaras thought as he dropped to the ground and rolled, avoiding a pair of crossbow bolts. How unoriginal. You’d think they’d manage to come up with something new if they must insist on chatting with their marks. Another bolt thudded into the ground next to his ear and he jumped to his feet again in a single fluid motion, then drove his knee into the groin of the militaristic fellow. A pained squeal followed as the man clutched his most treasured possessions, rolled into a tight ball of agony.

Young Cleft Lip was still standing, and for a few moments he hesitated. Then he made yet another mistake and went for his sword. He realized the full extent of his mistake when he was unable to grip the sword properly. “Uhhh…” he moaned as he raised his hand to his face, staring at the bleeding stump where his thumb had previously been. And yet another blunder, Dekaras thought, calmly driving the razor-sharp dagger that had removed the thumb into the now disarmed bandit’s chest, right beneath the breastbone and aiming upwards. The fellow was wearing leather armor, but it wasn’t good enough protection in this case, not at all. He coughed once, rolled his eyes upward into his head, and was dead before he hit the ground.

The probably deserted man was still writing on the ground, moaning, if not for very long. A swift cutting of the throat silenced him, and that was the end of the fight. Hm, Dekaras thought as he searched the three bodies, that was the fourth group since Nashkel. I suppose all the business with the Iron Throne caused banditry to move south instead. The bandits didn’t have many valuables on them, so probably they hadn’t been too successful. That would be your money and your life if they had any sense whatsoever. Well, their loss, my gain. After a moment’s deliberation he decided to leave the corpses where they were, rather than drag them aside. If they had any friends in the neighborhood, the sight of the bodies might be enough to deter them.

Satisfied with that, the assassin rose and dusted himself off after wiping off his dagger and retrieving the throwing one. Doing so he couldn’t help but notice that his hands and lower right arm had been left more than a little wet and sticky. It felt as if something had splattered onto his face as well. That needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. He didn’t much fancy the idea of walking about covered with blood, that would attract all manner of insects and possibly carnivores and monsters as well. Not to mention that it itches. Oh, and I suppose it might frighten innocent travelers too. If there are any in these parts.

The water in his water flask obviously couldn’t be wasted on washing, so Dekaras felt quite relieved when he came across a small stream about half an hour later. Just as he had predicted, the blood itched in a very annoying fashion, so it was with great pleasure that he washed it off, despite the coldness of the water. This was also a nice spot to rest, shaded by a small grove of trees, with some actual grass on the ground as opposed to dusty rocks. Sitting down with his back to one of the trees, and in a position where he was unlikely to be seen from the road, he searched through his backpack. Now let me see. Crusty old bread. Something unmentionable called only ‘Adventurer’s Rations’. I’m not even sure why I bought that, it smells like old boots and I don’t even know for certain what it is. Some dried meat…well, at least it will keep me alive. I think. At least it’s not porridge.

It was at this moment, as he was musing over his meager lunch, that Dekaras became aware of the fact that somebody was watching him. There was a minute increase of tension to his body, though he pretended to still be quite preoccupied by his task. He couldn’t have explained how he knew, whether he had seen, or heard, or even smelled something, but all his instincts were screaming warnings. Somebody was definitely there, and close. Coming even closer. Even closer. He made himself whistle quietly between his teeth, to make the intruder utterly convinced of how oblivious he was to its presence. And then he sprang to his feet like an uncoiling snake strikes, crouching slightly and prepared for attack. It never came. Instead he stared in complete surprise at the person standing behind him, his hand falling to his side once again. “You!” he said. “No…”

The person simply smiled thinly, as if quite prepared for such a greeting, and then spoke.

Meanwhile…

Edwin most likely wouldn’t have decided to take a nap if he had known he was going to have one of those dreams. As it was, he had been quite tired after the whole business with Xzar and the Harpers, on top of the romp through the catacombs under the Graveyard and the fight with Korgan’s former cronies. A Great Wizard he might be, he told himself, but he still needed rest now and then. He would simply take a brief nap, and that would enable him to stay up later for as long as necessary, memorizing the spells he would need for tomorrow. If only that Nalia woman had seen fit to tell us exactly what we would be fighting it would be far easier. I suppose I shall have to settle for a little of this and a little of that. And Magic Missiles. You can’t have too many Magic Missiles. I wonder why Nalia would be so secretive though? I don’t like it. Well, whatever foes they might be, if that silly little girl could escape them unscathed they should be no match for Edwin Odesseiron, the Master of Magic, and the Possessor of the Nether Scroll! And my Hellkitten, of course. Always and forever her…

The wizard pulled his robe and shoes off and lay down on the bed, wearing only his pants and loose shirt. Much better. Fascinating as the Nether Scroll was, it did give him a headache if he studied it for too long. Maybe I should read a little in the Book of Kaza instead? But then I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. I never would have dreamt you could do that sort of thing with a stuffed hedgehog…but there were some other interesting variations that seemed quite pleasurable. I should make certain to try them out as soon as possible, to see if they are really humanly possible. As a…as a scientific inquiry! And I know just the person to assist me, once the time comes…

Smiling to himself, the wizard folded his arms beneath his head and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long before his breathing took on the slow and steady quality of sleep, and his face relaxed into an expression that was almost, but not quite, innocent.

Edwin knew that he was dreaming, and that it was one of those dreams, but for a few moments he almost managed to fool himself into believing otherwise. There was a red cat lying on his chest, her bushy tail curled around her body, and she was purring loudly, the vibrations reverberating through his entire body. Gently, he stroked the soft fur along the back, and then rubbed behind one pointed ear. The cat’s noises of pleasure increased in volume as he went on to pay attention to her chest and belly, where the fur was even softer, almost downy. Her eyes were narrowed to thin slits, just a hint of gold glinting at him from behind the eyelids. So perfect…I would give her pleasure such as this in her other form, and more. Whatever would make her happy.

“You don’t really care for that pompous priest, do you?” he asked the cat. “He doesn’t deserve you, you must know that. He doesn’t know you as I do, not really. His puny mind could never encompass you, you would burn him alive.”

The cat opened one eye to give him an amused look.

“Well, I’m different! You know that. And if you do not, I suppose I must tell you so. Soon. I would have done it already, it’s just…” It’s just that originally you were supposed to recruit her for the benefit of Thay. And failing that, you were supposed to kill her. Suppose…suppose she will hate me for it? But if I don’t tell her and she finds out later…what will she think then? “I will tell you,” Edwin finally stated, nodding to the cat. “I promise I will. I just need to prepare properly first. Something…something that will balance the other things. A gift, a gift to show you how…how I would have things! Once I fully comprehend the Nether Scroll, then I will show you…then you will see it all, that I would do anything to keep you forever. Yes. Then you will see.”

The cat opened her eyes fully, and now she looked worried. She gave a soft meow, and for a moment Edwin almost thought he comprehended its meaning. Then the scene changed however, taking him elsewhere.

He was standing on a road, an empty and dusty road, with the sun blazing down from above and a faint wind in the air. No, wait. The road wasn’t entirely empty. There was a small dark dot in the distance, growing larger as it headed purposefully towards him with great speed. Edwin stood motionless, feeling frozen in place, unable to even breathe. He knew what that was, he knew it long before he could see it.

A great black wolf was running along the road, almost flowing along the ground with great speed. Now and then it stopped briefly to sniff out the trail, then went on, head slightly lowered in order not to miss the scent if it took off in a different direction. When the animal was a short distance away from the wizard it stopped, watching him closely with its head cocked slightly to one side.

Edwin couldn’t take his eyes off the wolf, eagerly drinking in the sight of the magnificent animal. As he did so, a painful knot inside him loosened a little bit. The wolf was looking healthier than when he had seen it last. The ribs no longer stuck out as they had, the deep black fur was shiny and thick, no longer clotted with blood. Well, there was some blood on the muzzle, but that was different. The wolf briefly licked its chops to clean itself, then returned to watching him, ears alertly turned towards him, eyes fixing him with a level stare that made him feel extremely guilty and about five years old at that. At least the terrible pain that had been present before had diminished.

“Er…” he said, “I can explain…” He took a few steps towards the wolf, and felt a hot stinging sensation in his eyes as it warily backed away. Not growling at least, not this time, that was for the better. Still not prepared to trust him though. Not as readily as before. And that’s exactly what I deserve, I suppose. At least…at least I guess he’s alive, and mostly well. That’s the most important thing. “Are you coming for me?” he asked the wolf. “I hope you are, you know. You were always able to find me before, I guess I’m still hoping that you will be able to find me again.”

The wolf yawned briefly, white fangs the size of a man’s fingers briefly becoming visible before the jaws slammed shut again with a force that could easily crush a human bone. Then the wolf looked at him again, a somewhat exasperated look that spoke volumes.

“Oh,” Edwin said, smiling a little. “I’m sorry. Of course you will. I hope you’ll let me explain too, before killing me. I wish I could have explained things before…then we wouldn’t be in this predicament, now would we?”

The wolf snorted quietly and then turned its head to the side, staring into the shadows along the road. There was something there…Edwin could almost but not quite make it out. A shape…a human shape, and one he felt he should be able to recognize. But there was something wrong with it…something terribly wrong that he couldn’t quite grasp. The shape beckoned, waving, and the wolf watched it, ears pricked with fascination.

“You’re not going anywhere near that…that person!” Edwin protested, reaching for the wolf unthinkingly. He could just about feel thick fur sliding beneath his fingers as the animal nimbly stepped aside. “You’re not, do you hear me? I’m sure it’s not safe!”

The black wolf simply opened its mouth briefly, letting its tongue loll out in the canine approximation of laughter at such a ridiculous statement. Briefly, the large head pressed against the palm of his hand, offering comfort. Then, the animal turned and headed into the shadows where something was waiting.