In The Cards

Every day we make decisions. Small ones, like what to have for breakfast. Large ones, like which profession to chose. Some of those decisions affect other people as well, perhaps in a very serious way. And the decisions that greatly affect others are often the ones that make us choose our direction in life. Therefore, when the Judgement card is before you, remember not to be hasty in your judgement. For how you judge others will determine how you yourself are judged.

Excerpt from 'The Chaltar Deck Of Cards - An Introduction'

Zaerini wasn't sure exactly what she had expected the 'most skilled musician and actor along the Sword Coast' to look like, but it wasn't anything like this. Silke Rosena was a woman in her late thirties, attractive with her dark blonde hair and sultry blue eyes, but there was a hard look in them, and that hardness was beginning to leave its marks. She leaned on a beautiful white quarterstaff that almost glowed in the sun, and she studied Zaerini and her companions carefully from behind long and fluttering eyelashes that Rini privately suspected were as fake as her smile.

"So you are the only mercenaries my little Garrick could find", Silke said in a flute-like trill that she no doubt thought sounded sophisticated. "I guess you'll have to do.

You look to be worth about 300 gold, that's what my little Garrick offered you isn't it?"

"I offered them 300 gold, just like you told me", Garrick hastily assured the older bard, sounding for all the world like a boy begging his mother for a sweet. Zaerini had to suppress a grimace of disgust. She couldn't stand fawning.

"Well then", Silke continued, "I assume that Garrick has explained what your duties are. You must simply dispose of the ruffians when they come to threaten me. They shouldn't be too hard to deal with, but I would advise you to strike fast. Whatever you do don't speak with them. One of them is a mage whose mystic words can sway even the most wise of men."

"Mage?" Rini asked. "You didn't say anything about a…"

Before she had time to continue she saw three men approaching. They were dressed in servants' livery, and as far as she could see they weren't armed. Not that that had to mean anything of course.

"Greetings, Silke…" one of them began.

"Don't let them speak!" Silke screamed. "Kill them! Kill them now!"

Zaerini couldn't be certain, but she thought the man looked genuinely surprised.

"What?" he asked. "We are simply here about the jewels that…"

"Lies!" the bard interrupted, turning to Zaerini. "What are you waiting for! Kill them!"

Zaerini knew that she didn't have more than a split second in which to make her decision. Silke looked upset enough to do something rash. On the other hand this entire situation was smelling extremely suspicious.

"Not so fast", she said, raising her bow and pointing it at the other bard. "First I want you to tell me all about these jewels." Behind her she could sense her companions readying their own weapons, but she dared not look away, not even for a second. Silke was snarling contemptuously at her now, and her eyes were as cold as winter.

"You little fool!" she said. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." Hands raised, she began chanting a spell. Rini had no idea what it was, and she didn't want to find out. The arrow flew, but rather than hitting the other bard in the chest as she had intended it struck one of the raised hands. It pierced the palm completely, nailing Silke to the wall of the house she was standing in front of. With a scream of agony the woman broke her spell off as blood slowly trickled down her arm. Her staff fell to the ground, no longer a pure white, but stained with red. The three servants looked rather pale at the sight.

"Hold!" Zaerini shouted to her friends, flicking her red hair out of her eyes to better be able to stare her opponent down. "She can do no harm like that." Much to her relief they did as she said, even Jaheira, even if she thought she could hear the druid muttering something about 'reckless child'. She carefully approached the other bard, and once again she felt that magical fire coursing through her blood, a boiling rage that threatened to overcome her as it had done with the assassins back in Candlekeep. She grabbed Silke by the collar and stared directly into her eyes, feeling a certain satisfaction at seeing those of the other woman widen with fear.

"I could kill you right now, you know", Zaerini said, her golden eyes glinting maliciously. Her voice was soft, like a low purr, but inside her head another voice was roaring. That other voice was the growl of a rabid beast, the rush of spilt blood and it spoke of the joy of murder. Kill! Kill her! Kill her NOW! And it was tempting to obey it, so very tempting. It was the voice of Death, as the Card had spoken to her during her foretelling, and with a sudden flash of insight she remembered how that card had been paired with Judgement. It would seem that she would have to decide on more than one life today, and she had better choose carefully.

NO! I kill when I say so! Not by her bidding, nor by yours, Death or whoever you may be! The decision is mine to make!

With a dwindling scream of rage the insistent voice subsided back into the darker recesses of her mind, and Zaerini felt her head cool a little. She was still very angry though. "I could kill you and nobody would stop me", she said. "Not after what you just did." Silke was trembling by now. "I don't like people trying to use me", Zaerini continued. "It makes me really angry. Do you know what I do to people who make me really angry?" Silke mutely shook her head. Rini smiled. She then proceeded to whisper into the other woman's ear, describing the remains of the two assassins in Candlekeep, down to the last grisly detail. At the end she was actually forced to support Silke to keep the other woman from fainting. "But you're lucky", she said. "I'm in a good mood today. Tell me the truth, and I may let you live."

Silke stared at her for a moment, with tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth, and then she began to babble. "P-p-please don't hurt me!" she pleaded. "I'll talk, I promise. Feldepost had nothing to do with this. I just said that to keep you from asking questions. It was Travenhurst. Gerard Travenhurst."

"Who's he?" Zaerini said, frowning.

"He is a local council member here in Beregost", Jaheira interjected. "He lives in that manor house up the street."

Silke nodded desperately. "I was in his employ for a while", she said. "And I was his l-lover as well. I t-thought it would help my career, you see. He gave me some jewels, a gold necklace of some value, and a ring. But he didn't do what he had promised, he never used his influence with the town council to help me. I-in the end I broke it up."

"I think I see where this is going", Rini said. "He demanded the stuff back, didn't he?"

"Oh!" Imoen said. "That is so cheap!"

"Yes", Silke agreed. "Naturally I refused. But he gave me an ultimatum. Said I h-had until today to hand them over, or he'd call in the Flaming Fist and accuse me of theft. They'd believe him too, you know. A council member's word against a street performer's? No contest."

"Really", Zaerini said. She turned to the three servants, and now it was their turn to look more than a little nervous. "Is this true?"

"I…I don't know anything about gifts", their leader said, "but Mr Travenhurst did say that Miss Rosena had some jewels that belonged to him. If she didn't give them over we were to let him know."

"Hm", Zaerini said. "What do the rest of you think? Is Silke telling the truth this time?"

"She seems awfully scared", Imoen said. "I'd say so."

"I agree", Jaheira said and gave Silke a hard look. "But she is still not to be trusted." Khalid just nodded.

"Oh, I wasn't planning on trusting her", Zaerini said. "I still don't like being used", she told the other bard. "I'm taking this as payment for keeping the Flaming Fist out of your hair." She tossed the elegant quarterstaff to Jaheira who caught it in the air and gave it a very pleased look. "And this", Zaerini said, "is the bonus I deserve for taking on more than we agreed on, and for you trying to trick me." She rifled through the other woman's pockets and pulled out a heavy money pouch, as well as a pretty gold necklace with a matching ring. "Don't be too upset. Your purse may be lighter, but at least I'll let you live to steal another day. Now be off with you!" With that she yanked the arrow out of other woman's hand and gave her a hard kick in the backside that sent Silke stumbling off down the street. Silke started running before she had even turned the street corner, and Garrick dove out of his hiding-place inside an empty barrel to follow her.

"Silke! Wait!" he whined. "What about the finder's fee you promised me?"

"Ha!" Imoen said. "Don't expect we'll ever see them again, right Rini?"

Zaerini didn't answer. She waved the bloody arrow in the general direction of the three servants who took a few steps back. "Tell me where Travenhurst lives", she said. "And then take the day off. You've never seen me, and you don't know anything about me."

Two of the men just gaped, but their leader was a bit quicker on the uptake.

"Of course not, Miss", he said after he had finished giving her directions. "Er…seen whom, by the way?"

Zaerini smiled. "Good man", she said. Then she strode purposefully off in the direction of Gerard Travenhurst's house.

"I must warn you, Zaerini", Jaheira said. "I will not condone murder in cold blood, not even from my friend Gorion's ward."

"N-no", Khalid agreed. "E-e-especially not from you."

Zaerini snorted. "Murder?" she said. "Who said anything about murder? Not me. Did I, Immy?"

Imoen shook her head. "Nope", she said. "Not that I heard. But what are ya gonna do?"

Yes, Softpaws asked. What are you doing? The black cat had disappeared out of sight during the fight and now came nonchalantly strolling out from under an empty wagon as if she had never been missing in the first place.

Playing with my prey, Rini answered. You should understand about that. The cat didn't answer, but there was a sense of amusement from the other side of the link.

"I'm just going to talk to him", Zaerini told her companions. "But you Immy, you can help me out with something once we get inside that house." She whispered her plan into Imoen's ear, and was pleased to see a wide smile spread across her friend's face.

"I like that!" Imoen said, almost skipping down the street.

Then Zaerini told Jaheira and Khalid their parts, much the same as she had told Imoen, but leaving out just a couple of minor details that they really didn't need to know about at the moment.

"I suppose it will be acceptable", Jaheira agreed. "It has a certain sense of balance to it. We will not interfere."

"H-he did treat the woman badly", Khalid nodded.

"Good. It is decided. When we get inside I will do the talking. Khalid, Jaheira, just look threatening, alright? And promise not to interfere, no matter what. Don't worry. I won't kill him. Immy, you know what to do."

Gerard Travenhurst turned out to be a fairly old and skinny man, with bushy eyebrows and a red nose. The house was elegantly furnished, and the two burly guards at the door looked rather less than friendly. However, they were more than willing to let Rini in once she had shown them the gold necklace, and Travenhurst was equally eager to see her.

"Ah, yes", he said. "Poor Silke. You have done well, very well, and you deserve a reward. Where is she now?"

"Oh, her body's lying on the other side of town", Zaerini said with a pleasant smile on her face. "Right behind Feldepost's Inn. You might want to send your two friends to take it away. She did talk a bit before she died, and in a loud voice too. Surely it would be better if she disappeared quietly and without a fuss? As it is I don't think anybody saw the fight, but somebody could stumble over her at any moment. Who knows? She could be carrying your love letters or something. People can be such gossips." She gave the old man a mournful look as she said the last and saw him blanch.

"Absolutely", he said. "You two! You heard her! See to it at once!" The two guards nodded and walked out the door. Rini estimated that it would be a while before they returned. Plenty of time. She had seen Imoen slip quietly upstairs a few minutes ago, even if Travenhurst hadn't.

"And now", she said, "I think it's way past time we finished this. You see, I don't like people who try to set the Flaming Fist on their ex-lovers and think they can get away with it because they're 'pillars of society'." She drew her sword and pointed it at the man's chest. "I'll be taking that necklace now, thanks. And the ring."

"But…but you can't! That's robbery!"

"No it isn't. Those jewels belonged to Silke. You gave them to her, and she has given them to me. Wasn't that nice of her? Now hand them over."

"It is as she says", Jaheira said. "You have no right to them any longer."

The council member sputtered with indignation, but he did give Zaerini the items in question. "I'll see you hang for this!" he fumed. "The Fist will hear about it!"

"Actually", Zaerini said, "I don't think so." She raised her voice. "Are you done yet?" she yelled.

"Yup", Imoen said as she came sliding down the railing like a pink lightning bolt to land on the carpet with a soft thump. "All done."

"W-what have you done?" Travenhurst stammered.

Zaerini smiled again, and this time the smile wasn't quite so pleasant. "Right now there is a large quantity of Black Lotus hidden in your house", she said. Behind her she could hear Jaheira gasp. She just hoped the woman would have the sense to keep her mouth shut. "Highly illegal stuff, in case you didn't know. Look for it if you want to, but you won't ever find it. My friend here is as good at hiding things as at finding them. If you breath a word of me to the Flaming Fussies I'm turning you in, and then you will fall lots harder than I do. Your choice. Nice meeting you." She waved and walked out the door without turning around, but she thought she could hear the council member begin to sob faintly.

"Look. Rini!" Imoen said once outside and well out of hearing. "This guy was really loaded, see! A couple of gems, a potion of invisibility, and take a look at this! A magic wand!"

"That's great, Immy!" Zaerini agreed, slapping her friend on the shoulder. "Now why don't we…"

"How could you do that!" Jaheira said in a highly indignant voice. "Black Lotus! Do you children have any idea how dangerous that is? Where did you get hold of something like that?"

Imoen and Zaerini looked at each other and then they both started laughing hard enough that they were forced to bend over double. Jaheira looked so very stern and reproachful.

"This is not funny!" the druid said.

"But it is!" Rini wheezed once she finally found your voice again. "Of course we didn't have any Black Lotus. Never even seen any in my life."

"But…"

"But Travenhurst doesn't know that, now does he? See what I meant when I told him he'd never find it? Doesn't mean he'll ever be able to relax though."

The look on Jaheira's face was quite priceless as indignation fought with appreciation.

Khalid started chuckling quietly. "I-I think e-even some of our more e-e-experienced friends could l-learn a thing or two from these two", he said, putting his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Don't you agree, m-my love?"

Jaheira tried very hard to maintain her dignity. In the end she lost the battle. "Oh, I give up", she said, smiling. "You might have told me though."

"Sorry. But then it wouldn't have been as much fun."

The druid sighed. "How Gorion ever kept himself sane throughout your childhood I will never know", she said. She didn't sound as exasperated as her words hinted at though. "Now I think we should see about finding an inn to stay the night. The Red Sheaf is right around this corner."

They pulled the door open, still in high spirits. The first thing they faced was a dwarf walking towards them. He had a nasty smile on his face and the large axe he carried told Zaerini that he was unlikely to be the local welcoming committee.