Chapter 29: Cloak and Dagger
The bandits that accosted Ember and her friends at the ruined druid circle were soon dealt with, but many more followed; the farther they got into the woods, the more often they came across small groups of brigands. Most of them wore the red and black of the Black Talon, and Kivan's scalp collection had grown visibly larger by nightfall.
On their second day in the forest, they came across a larger group. A dozen or so bandits were squatting around a small fire, eating bread and roast meat. A cloaked person was sitting under a tree.
"Ready?" Imoen whispered to Edwin.
"Of course I am ready! (Foolish girl...)" Edwin replied. He pulled a wand from his belt and activated it with practiced ease, summoning five large wolves. The creatures were glassy-eyed and stood passively around the group, staring at Edwin.
"Kill," Edwin told them. The wolves obediently loped towards the group of bandits, snarling ferociously. Ember and her companions waited a few moments before they added to the attack with arrows, swords, and spells. A bolt of lightning that Edwin shot across the camp proved a very efficient means of scattering the brigands.
The person under the tree had not moved when the wolves charged, but stood up when the attack was escalated. A feminine body was now discernible through the cloak, but her hood was still up, masking her face. Ember walked slowly towards the woman, her sword held ready.
"Free me!" the woman said, holding out her hands. They were covered with smooth, dark skin, and bound with a severely knotted rope. Ember hesitated and glanced uncertainly at her companions. She knew Kivan and Ajantis would not be pleased... Does it matter what they think? She is our enemy's prisoner, Ember decided, and cut the woman's bonds with her sword, noting with idle curiosity how frost crystals blossomed on the frayed edges of the rope as she cut it. The drow immediately extended a hand towards one of the bandits and shouted a word. The bandit, who had been chasing Imoen around the fire, fell unconscious to the ground.
"Hey, thanks!" Imoen yelled, and ran her blade through the incapacitated bandit.
Three more brigands were rendered defenseless by the drow's words. When there was only one bandit left standing, she cast an intricate spell on him, freezing him in place with his sword raised to strike Ajantis. Ajantis's unblocked counterattack skewered the bandit, and he died before the spell loosened its hold on him.
"Good work, all," Ajantis said, panting.
"But are we done?" Kivan asked, holding an arrow trained on the woman. Her hood had fallen during the battle, revealing long white hair and a beautiful dark face.
The woman smiled coolly at Kivan. "Yes, you are done," she said before turning to Ember. "I am Viconia. You released me. I thank you."
"What is a drow priestess doing in these woods?" Ajantis asked, an accusing tone in his voice.
Viconia looked haughtily at the paladin. "I was traveling south when these iblith captured me." When Ajantis continued to glare at her, she laughed. "If it is of any consolation, I am no servant of the Spider Queen; the Goddess Shar grants me wisdom, and she is a surface divinity," she said. "Your darthiir could learn much from her, I believe."
Kivan scowled at Viconia. She ignored him, and addressed Ember again. "I know your sword. Treasure it, for it will serve you well. I take my leave of you now; perhaps our paths will cross again." Her tone was defiant, as if she expected them to hold her captive.
Ember sheathed her sword. "Fare well," she said pleasantly.
"Good bye, pretty lady," Minsc said.
Viconia nodded at Minsc. "I advise you to keep that one around. He knows when, and how, to speak," she told Ember. Without further ceremony, the drow woman headed back to the tree she'd been sitting under. Two large sacks were behind them. She opened both sacks and pulled out a hammer, several pieces of chainmail armor and a small pack.
"There is little of worth, even to you surfacers. Take it if you wish," Viconia said as she strapped on the chainmail, which fit her like a glove. She slung the pack on her back, raised the hood of her cloak, and strode majestically down the path away from the bandit's campsite.
"We should have questioned her more thoroughly," Ajantis said after the drow had vanished from sight. "I do not trust her."
I knew you'd say something like that, Ember thought irritably. "There are more important tasks at hand than interrogating the bandits' prisoners about their own motives," she said, her tone a bit sharper than intended.
"Would it have mattered as much if she were less attractive?" Edwin asked. "(Yes, quite attractive... one wonders at the reception she would have had in Thay...)"
"Silence, wizard," Ajantis growled.
Kivan walked up to the closest body and hacked its scalp off.
---
A few miles further on, they stopped for a meal. Minsc and Kivan had caught a brace of rabbits, and Ember waited impatiently for the meat to finish roasting; even the smell of their blood was enough to make her hungry, but Minsc was adamant that nobody should eat the meat before it was completely cooked.
It was the largest, densest forest Ember had ever been in. Finding the bandit camp would be tedious. Especially the way we're going about it, Ember mused. Not that the bandits they'd killed didn't deserve it, of course, but if they were to let some of them live for questioning, it might make their task easier. If the bandits would answer, and if they would answer truthfully...
Across the camp, Imoen whooped with delight. Progress? Ember looked up and saw her friend excitedly hug the red wizard. Edwin did his best to brush the girl off, but Ember could see a hint of a proud smile on his face.
Imoen ran towards Ember and plopped down next to her. "Guess what!" she said. "I've managed to scribe a spell!" She proudly opened her spellbook and showed it to Ember. Almost all the pages were as blank as when she got the book, but the first page now held a gleaming white curlicue.
"That's great, Immy!" Ember exclaimed. "Which spell is it?"
"Identify," she said.
Ember laughed. "What did Edwin say about that?"
"Oh, he says it's barely more than a cantrip, of course."
"Of course," Ember grinned. "Immy, what do you think about questioning our bandit friends about their camp?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. It could help, but..."
"They might send us on a wild goose chase."
"Exactly." Imoen said. "Unless they have no reason to! Em, let's pretend to join them!"
"Join them?" Ember burst out laughing. "You have to be joking! Nobody would think Ajantis were a bandit, and Kivan would never do it!"
"Ajantis could smudge his armor a bit and stop saying 'by Helm!' for a while, and Kivan might do it if it'd help him get at Tazok sooner," Imoen said. "If they'd let us join, they might show us the camp, and if they don't let us join, we can try to interrogate them, and if that doesn't work, we can just kill them like usual."
Ember smiled. "That actually does sound like a plan."
The two girls presented the plan over dinner, and their comrades reacted as expected; Edwin was indifferent, Minsc had no objections to sneaking the sword of justice into the belly of Evil before using it, and Ajantis found masquerading as brigands dishonorable but agreed that it might make their task easier.
Kivan was quiet for a long time before speaking. "Ember, you and Imoen must take the lead in this. I will not speak to those fiends."
"We can do that," Ember said.
"This will be fun!" Imoen chirped. "Ajantis, do you know how to make your armor look less shiny?"
---
Raiken was not pleased. He, a commander of the Black Talon, should not have had to take a patrol out no matter how many men were missing. He glared at the group of people that had just entered the clearing; hopefully, killing them would improve his mood.
"It's your choice which hits the ground first," Raiken bellowed, "your swords or your heads! Be smart now and you'll all live to grow wise!"
One of the two women in the group, a tall girl wearing dark grey, stepped forward. "We'll not fight you. In fact, we want to join your group," she said.
Raiken looked at the woman. She looked right back at him with a steady, unwavering gaze. Strong, she appeared, and that sword of hers was vicious. The others had potential, as well; an elf with a longbow, the largest human Raiken had ever seen, a dour looking man in stained plate armor, a brightly-dressed girl who smiled confidently and winked at him, and a... a Red Wizard of Thay? A promising group, indeed, but Raiken knew better than to let them know that. "Why, pray tell, should we take you rattle-pates?" he asked.
The woman smiled. "You're too good at your job! We can see which way the wind is blowing, and whatever you're doing, we want in. I assure you, we are worth it."
At that answer, Raiken couldn't help but chuckle. "I like you, you make me laugh! We'll take you back to the boss and see if he likes you too. Then maybe you're in. If not, you die," he said. "Follow me and try to keep up."
---
They would have spent days finding the bandit camp, Ember realized as they were led into the camp after nightfall. It was on the far northern edge of the forest, hidden between several hillocks. Dozens of men and hobgoblins were milling around, many of them in various stages of drunkenness, and the camp itself was the size of a small village.
"There are too many," Kivan whispered in Ember's ear while their guide argued with one of the camp guards. "We cannot move tonight; let us wait till dawn."
"Dawn it is," Ember whispered back. If we get a choice about the matter, anyway, she thought. The camp guard left and returned a short while later, followed by a hobgoblin wearing a helm with giant horns and a man dressed in an elaborate suit of platemail. The man talked briefly with their guide, shooting glances at Ember and her companions.
Finally, the man approached. "I am Taugosz "Tenhammer," leader of the Black Talon," he told Ember.
"I have heard of you," Ember said.
"Good. Then you know you are small and weak compared," Taugosz said. "Remember this. You cross Talons and I kill you. Not with hammer, with little finger. Slowly."
Ember looked straight at him. "You have my respect, but I'll not fear you. It's better placed with our quarry," she said.
Taugosz grinned at her, seemingly pleased with her response. "Good attitude. Be sure to keep it when Tazok arrive. He hires Black Talons for Iron Throne, but you take orders only from me. Understand? Stay away from Chill as well, they only our friends 'till the job is finished."
Ember nodded in agreement. Taugosz instructed their guide to show them to a tent, and left. Their guide took them to a large, empty tent on the east side of the camp.
"How cozy," Edwin remarked as he disdainfully studied the trampled dirt floor and the filthy bedrolls.
"It could be worse," Ember said. Kivan sighed heavily behind her, and she turned to look at him. Her heart fell at the sight; he was trembling and his fists were clenched so hard that the knuckles were white. "Kivan, are you all right?" she asked quietly.
"He was there," Kivan said in an hoarse whisper. "Tenhammer was with Tazok, even then."
Ember reached out and squeezed his hand. She'd known all along that this would be difficult for him, but witnessing this reaction was a different matter entirely than merely knowing that one was likely to come. "We'll make him pay in the morning," she said.