Deethan, his eyes almost glowing slightly in the reflected light of a lit window, shifted slightly in the shadows of the low wall. His semi-drow eyesight easily picked out the warm shape of Keld, standing in the deep shadows of the street corner, keeping a look out. Deethan had been creeping around the building twice now, casing it from all sides, and was just about ready to make his move.
Having made some subtle enquires earlier, Keld had discovered that the merchant's name was Harry Fathesque, originally from the Heartlands. Spending much of his time in other cities, notably Waterdeep, Fathesque travelled extensively, and retained several homes in different cities and towns. Apparently, he was the head of a major trading company, the Fathesque Trading Company, who dealt in a wide variety of goods, usually via land rather than sea though, as they owned no ships nor dockside warehouses. As rich selfish heartless bastards went, Fathesque ranked reasonably high. Keld had also remembered that when Fathesque and his retinue had rudely pushed through the crowd, Fathesque himself had been too busy examining the ornate gemstone set in the head of some form of scepter to notice the havoc his passage was causing.
Keld had thought that the scepter was obviously something dear to him, and that therefore it would be a good item to steal from him. Maybe they could give it back later, minus the gem, just to teach him a lesson in humility!
Flicking his eyes back to the building, Deethan thought about the best way to gain entry.
The building was roughly 60' square, 2 stories high, with a slate roof rising to a ridge running front to back. It was separated from the building on the left by 10 feet, and from the one on the right, by only 3 feet. A narrow walkway ran below. On each corner, 4 small gargoyles acted to spout rain water from the gutters clear of the walls, whilst a number of chimney pots raised their heads at the rear end of the roof ridge.
Looking from the front, the house was set back from the street by 20' and bordered by a low stone wall, The front yard was paved but for a single tree that grew to a height of about 30'. The tree did not look strong enough to support a person's weight beyond the 1st 10 feet, maybe a child could get higher. The front door was central, at the top of 3 steps. On either side of the front door, were pits, allowing a little light into the barred basement windows. There were 4 ground floor windows at the front, with their sills a good 6 foot off the ground. On the first floor, there were a further 4 windows and light could be seen from around curtains from the left hand pair. On the left hand side of the house, the gap between the two houses was closed by a 7' high wall. On the ground floor there were no windows on this side bar a small window close to the back corner, from which a bit of light glowed. On the 1st floor there were 2 smallish windows, one near the back corner and one near the front, the latter obviously looking into the same lit room as the front two left windows.
On the right hand side of the building, there was only one small window in the narrow passageway itself, high up on the 1st floor. At the end of the passageway, just before the corner, were two windows, one above the other. Around the very back of the building (Deethan had checked this out from the back alley running parallel to the main street), the chimney breast ran up the outside of the building. A small back door exited at ground level (the ground at the back was about 4 foot higher than that at the front of the building), and only 2 windows on each story. Light shone out from the window next to the door, where the curtain was only partially drawn. It had looked a bit like this was a kitchen/servants area.
Having studied the house for a while, Deethan nodded to Keld, and then headed towards the back of the house via the narrow passageway on the right hand side. As he reached the window, he paused, and cast the spell "Inaudibility" on himself, effectively masking all sound he would otherwise have made. Knowing he had a time limit before the spell wore off, Deethan quickly peered through the ground floor window, prior to starting to climb up to the first floor window.
A crack in the curtain on the ground floor showed a squarish room with an unlit fireplace in the far corner against the back of the house. The room had a number of comfy chairs, and a few paintings on the wall, although without light, Deethan's infravision could not make out much more. The window did however have a wide sill, making an easy step up to the climb to the first floor. Bracing against the edges of the window with his feet, Deethan stretched up, and caught his fingers in a crack in the wall above the window, allowing him to pull himself up and get his feet on to the top of the window.
A couple of minutes later, Deethan was glad that he had cast his spell, as when he finally scrambled up to the 1st floor window sill, his foot had banged quite hard against the ground floor window frame when searching for a toehold. Once at the window, Deethan paused a second to examine the window. Made as a sach window, the lower half would lift if not latched, peering through the rather grimy glass, he could see that the window was latched, but loose. By shaking the frame fairly violently, protected from making noise by the power of his spell, Deethan managed to shake the latch off, so the window could be lifted.
Peering into the room through the now open window, Deethan looked around. This room was obviously a bedroom, but not one that was in use, or even one planned for use in the near future. All the furniture was covered by dust sheeting; the bed, the sideboard, an easy chair, a couple of normal chairs and a small table. Only a large wardrobe near the door was uncovered. A small fireplace in the corner would warm the room if lit, although from background warmth that Deethan could detect, it obviously shared a chimney with another fireplace in the house that was.
Deethan checked the window carefully, before slipping into the mothballed bedroom. Treading lightly, he made his way quickly to the door, where he listened for any sounds of life on the far side. The distant muffled sound of laughter could be heard for a moment, probably from somewhere downstairs, otherwise, the house seemed silent.
Examining the door, Deethan spent an extra moment to oil the hinges, not yet fully trusting the scope of the inaudibility spell to protect him, before opening the door a crack.
Looking out onto the landing, Deethan could see several other doors. There was one on the left wall, slightly ajar, one on the wall opposite, closed, and then further down the landing, another door on the same wall from which Deethan was peering, and a final one opposite it. Faint voices, and occasional laughter could be heard wafting up the stairs, at least two male voices Deethan thought. Faint light could be seen emanating from the cracks around the door nearest to the head of the stairs. A slight breeze of warm air pushed past Deethan into the cold sheet draped bedroom behind him as he peered down the corridor.
Deethan slipped out onto the landing, his heart thumping in his chest at a louder burst of laughter from downstairs. Bits of the conversation occasional floated up, two male voices appear to be discussing the various merits of some buxom wench from a local drinking establishment.
Ignoring them for now, Deethan made his way to the door to his right. Already ajar, Deethan inched it open further, to reveal the latest wonders of modern plumbing; a privy. A small vase on the window sill held a single red rose (slightly wilted).
Turning away from the water closet, Deethan tried the next door, still looking for portable valuables. Upon trying the door, he found it was locked.
Flexing his fingers, he inserted his home made lock picks into the lock, and started to try to open it. Five minutes later and his best efforts had failed him. This was obviously a type of lock he had not encountered before, and although he believed that given time, he could figure out how to crack it, time was one thing he didn't have.
Deethan peered over the banister before quickly making his way to the next door. The sounds of laughter from below had quietened a little, but the voices could still be just heard, and they sounded unconcerned with their unknown visitor. Complete silence emanated from the front lit room.
The door to the back room opened easily, revealing another darkened bed-chamber, although this was one in use. Deethan's infravision revealed the warmth of a figure lying in the bed, it's back facing the door as well as the bright glow of a lantern with the wick turned down on the bedside table.
The rest of the room revealed pretty much what he expected, a wardrobe, a dressing table, scattered with small objects, a number of chairs and a small table in the corner, an unlit fireplace in the far corner, and drawn curtains hiding the windows. The figure in the bed sighed softly, and Deethan had a feeling that it was probably a woman. The faint rhythmic dripping of a water clock could be heard from the mantelpiece.
Deethan crept across the room to the dressing table, keeping as quiet as possible, cautious for the expiry of his spell. Several items were scattered across the surface, including a small crystal decanter with a glass stopper (5" x 3"), a small wooden (presumably jewelry) box (6" x 4" x 3") closed with a clasp, an ornate silver handled hair brush, and most unusually, a long curved dagger (blade 10" long), with a very fine inlaid metal handle. In the dubious light, it was difficult for him to make out what it was supposed to represent.
Hearing a sigh, Deethan glanced towards the bed, seeing the woman stir slightly. Her arm was hanging loose over the edge of the bed, and his eyes widened as he saw a manacle shackling her to the metal frame of the bed!
Deethan turned back to the task at hand, quickly shrugging off his knapsack, and opening it's top. The small crystal decanter was delicately wrapped in a piece of spare cloth, and placed inside, quickly followed by the wooden box and the silver hair brush. As he lifted the ornate dagger, he suddenly became aware of the sound of his own heart beating, the rustle of his clothing and a shiver went through him, as he came to the realisation that his spell must have finally expired. Glancing back to the bed, he was relieved to see the occupant still appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Putting the dagger into the open knapsack, he carefully tied it closed, and put it back on, before crouching by the side of the bed to examine the woman's shackles.
Looking closely at the shackles, Deethan noticed that they were of a fairly "standard" design, one he felt he would be capable of opening if he tried. The woman's skin was slightly calloused from wearing them - he guessed that she had probably been wearing them for some time. It also looked like there was a small tattoo, half hidden by the shackles, and half hidden by the angle her arm was at. Looking up at her face, framed on the pillow by her long dark hair, he could see that she was obviously not from round these parts; her skin the fairest pale, and her beautiful large oval eyes staring at him from above a slightly flared nose, making her a very attractive young woman. STARING AT HIM! With a start, Deethan suddenly realised that the woman was wide awake and looking directly at him.
Deethan quickly raised his finger to his lips in the universal symbol of silence, before smiling and pointing to her shackles and his lock picks.
The woman's eyes widened further, and she shook her head. She shifted herself so she was up on her elbow, and moved her other hand to cover the lock on the shackles, the sheet slipping down to expose her torso as she sat up. Deethan took an involuntary intake of breath, as he saw her body. A large angry scar ran down from the top of her chest to her navel in a straight line. Her mouth opened and closed silently, and Deethan could see that she had no tongue. The woman glanced towards the closed door with obvious concern, then at the water clock, and then back at Deethan. She then pointed at the door, and gestured as if at something beyond the door, then pointed at the water clock. The water clock showed that the time was nearing midnight. She then pointed at Deethan again, and made a shooing motion.
It was at this point that Deethan heard the noise of a door opening from out on the landing, and a footstep just outside this room! The woman's face showed horror for a moment, before she pointed under the bed, before quickly lying down again.
Deethan scrambled quickly under the bed, trying to breath quietly and drawing his dagger for comfort.
Looking across the room from his position on the floor, he saw the door open, and a pair of male feet in slippers and a gown of some sort walk across the room to the bed, stopping mere inches away from Deethan. The edge of the gown was sown with small intricate symbols, none of which Deethan recognised. The man spoke quietly, but with a voice that implied hidden power. "Are you awake Bellina? - It is time."
A slight creaking of the bed indicated the woman shifting, and the manacle clanked against the frame momentarily. Deethan held his breath for a moment, as he saw a pair of hands come down and unlock the manacles from the bed with a silver key. A few moments later, Bellina's naked feet were standing beside the bed, and the man led her out of the room without any further words. The door was pulled closed behind, and clicked shut.
Deethan noiselessly slid out from under the bed, and crept towards the door. Listening, he could hear what sounded like the door opposite being pulled closed.
Deethan scanned around the room, checking to see if there was anything else worth grabbing. Seeing nothing obvious, he quietly started to open the door to the landing, cracking it open to check beyond. On the landing, he immediately noticed that the door opposite was not completely shut, merely pushed to. The flicker of candle light spilt from the gap.
He moved across the landing, glancing down the stairs. He could still hear muted voices from down below, but they didn't sound like they were just about to come up. As he leant towards the gap, listening and trying to see what he could see, he caught the strong pungent smell of some form of burning incense drifting through the door.
The scene that greeted his eyes through the narrow gap was bizarre. Although the door opened towards a wall, there was a huge mirror on the wall that reflected the rest of the room. The thought that a mirror that big must be worth a small fortune in itself went through the back of his mind for a moment, but his main attention ass drawn to the central area of the room.
In the very centre was a wooden altar, somewhat plain, but obviously functional, as the woman was lying on it. Her feet were hanging over the far end, her head over the near end and her arms handcuffed together through a hole in the middle. It didn't look particularly comfortable, but she did not appear to be in huge discomfort. The altar itself was standing in the centre of a large pentagram of some sort, laid out with fine trails of what looked like sand with smoking candles at each of the corners. Deethan could hear some strange other-worldly muttering coming from a figure just out of view. On the far side of the room was some form of screen, hiding the corner of the room from sight. The window into the room had heavy velvet drapes across it.
Deethan slipped out a couple of throwing daggers, fingering them as he listened to the monotonous muttering of what he assumes must be a magic user. The hairs on the back of his neck started to rise, and he felt a strange tension or pressure build up in the atmosphere. Staring almost in fascination through the crack in the door, he watched the reflected scene. The woman's body, previously lying limp, suddenly tensed, and her head lifted, looking towards the unseen figure. The candles flicker, the curtains move slightly and the door shifts slightly as Deethan felt a slight breeze into the room.
The mute woman suddenly spoke, her voice totally out of keeping with her looks, and in theory impossible with her lack of tongue.
Deethan considered interrupting, but curiosity over came him, and he waited and continued to watch and listen.
"Master Fathesque", she drawled, her voice deep, powerful and male sounding, the words dripping with sarcasm. "What service do you want from me this time mage?" The last word was said with almost contempt. The woman's head twisted a little to take in the pentagram, the candles and the alter her body is tied to. "Don't you like my normal form mortal?" she, or whatever had possessed her asked.
The incantations that the unseen mage had been speaking abruptly stopped, and he raised his voice to speak to this unholy summoning. "Information is what I seek, Haalsiquine. Information. You see this?" He paused for a second, as if showing something to the possessed woman. "I want to know more about it. And I want you to tell me."
The possessed woman seemed to flinch when the mage uses the name "Haalsiquine", and when she/it spoke again, the voice tried hard to regain it's initial composure.
"Come closer mage, and show me the item you require me to tell you about," it said in a soothing tone.
"I'm happy right where I am Haalsiquine. Tell me about it's history" replied the hidden Fathesque.
"Pah! The Netherese invented it over 2000 years ago. What else do you need to know?!" the voice responded insolently.
"I know that already!" said the mage with a touch of anger. "Tell me it's recent history before I owned it."
The voice laughed, and a chill went through Deethan's very soul at the horrible sound. "You don't own it mage. You won't live long enough to ever truly own it!" The voice laughed again. "To answer your question though, the previous owner of the sceptre was Xred, an ogre mage of some might, who lost it when agents of the Black Network stole it from him. These agents have fed it into your hands, thinking that you were the right person to open up it's powers. They were wrong. Did you know I can see your death mage?" the voice suddenly asked.
"You are bound to do my bidding Haalsiquine, and you always say that when I summon you. When I eventually die, you will have no hand in it, I know this for fact!"
"You are right, I will have no hand in it, but I will see it." The voice laughed briefly, then lapses into silence.
In the distance, Deethan suddenly became aware of a weird bird call - the signal he had arranged for Keld to give if there were any problems.
The candles flickered again, as a draft blew into the room. A moment later, the curtain moved violently aside, and a human sized figure dressed all in black cloth appeared wielding a loaded crossbow. In a smooth movement, he raised and fired straight at the unseen mage. The noise of the bolt hitting flesh was followed by a piercing scream and the thud of a body crashing into the wall.
The voice said "I told you so." and the girls body went suddenly limp. The thunderstorm feeling in the room disappeared instantly, and Deethan was convinced that the presence is gone.
There was sudden shouting from downstairs and the noise of 2 doors opening could be heard - one downstairs and the other up-stairs at the other end of the landing.
Deethan slipped into the room, surprising the assassin. In a fluid movement, he threw a dagger at the figure, which struck and embedded itself into the assassin's left shoulder. With his right arm, the injured man hurled the crossbow at Deethan, putting his aim off for the second dagger which hit the heavy curtains instead, and bounced off, clattering to the floor at the same time as the crossbow.
With the sound of shouting and heavy footsteps on the stairs, the masked figure and Deethan stared at each other for a fraction of a second, before the masked figure spun, it's injured arm held protectively in front of it, and disappeared back behind the curtain. Deethan glanced at the door. Seeing a key in the lock, he quickly turned it, just as the handle turned and the door rattled.
Hearing a scraping noise from the window, he guessed that the assassin was making his escape.
Looking at the remainder of the room, he spotted the body of the mage. He moved closer and confirmed to himself that the dead man was the merchant he had seen in the town - Fathesque. The crossbow bolt stuck out from his forehead, and the body lay slumped against the back wall - definitely dead. The girl had come back to herself, and lay in her awkward position, her eyes wide as she stared first at Fathesque and then at the still moving curtains, taking in the noises of the departing assassin and the discarded crossbow on the floor.. Lastly, she looked at Deethan as a hammering on the door starts up.
"What the fuck is going on. Fathesque you ok?" yelled a voice from outside.
As Deethan looked again at the body of Fathesque, he spotted the sceptre that Fathesque had been toying with when he and his retinue had pushed the crowd aside earlier in the day. It was lying carelessly near the dead man's outstretched hand, the ornately cut red gemstone almost glowing with a life of it's own, as it reflected the flickering light from one of the candles.
Deethan stepped towards the woman, crossing the lines of sand and candles as the first crash of a shoulder against the locked door shook it in it's frame. As he bends to check her bonds, Deethan hesitated, trying to decide if it would be quicker to search for the key which he guessed the dead wizard would have, or to try to pick the lock of her hand cuffs. The woman's wide eyes followed him, but then glanced to the door as a second blow shudders the door. Deethan suddenly doubted that he might be able to achieve either before the door gave way.
Suddenly, he rose and turned his back on the woman, stepping quickly to the body of the wizard. As he grabbed the scepter, a slight tingle ran up his arm, almost causing him to drop it again, but the feeling disappeared almost immediately A third crash against the door sounded, along with some more shouting. He quickly frisked the dead magic user, searching for the key. Spotting a key around his neck, Deethan grabbed it and turned back to the woman, who looked at him in almost desperation. Placing the scepter at his feet, he crouched next to the makeshift alter, and started to unlock her handcuffs.
Meanwhile there was a pause in the crashing against the door, and the voices outside dropped to a murmur for a moment. The sound of footsteps running down the stairs was heard, followed a few moments later by the heavy sound of them running back up. "Stand clear!" a clear voice is heard from outside. As the handcuffs finally spring open, a sudden crashing noise was heard and the door burst open, it's lock shattered by the blow of a heavy mace. A large muscle bound man wielding said weapon lurched into the room, followed by 2 other heavies holding billy clubs and daggers.
Deethan grabs the scepter and leapt to his feet, pointing it at the men as if it was a wand.
"Hold it right there! or I'll make your insides boil!" Deethan hissed in a menacing tone. The woman rolled off the pedestal and collapsed on the other side, struggling to get the blood back into her legs to allow her to stand. The men jerk to a halt so suddenly that Deethan surprised himself. After a couple of seconds of silence, whilst the woman started to climb shakily to her feet, Deethan suddenly realised that these men weren't cowed by his commanding voice, but were magically held. He glanced at the scepter in his hand, amazed at how he must have invoked it's power by desire alone. He would have to be careful with this he realised!
His white teeth smiling broadly in his dark face, Deethan grinned at the three heavies blocking the doorway. Only their eyes followed him, beads of sweat appearing on their brows as every muscle in their bodies strained against the magical force holding them immobile. Shoving the scepter into his waistband, he moved to the window, pushing aside the curtains to reveal an already open window. Beyond the window was a leafy tree, no doubt the way the assassin had climbed to the window. Not the easiest of climbs he mused, certainly not with a wounded arm. The assassin was nowhere to be seen, but another urgent bird call from Keld made him realise that more trouble was on the way. The distant sound of running hobnail boots on cobbles sounded the local watch being summoned. He needed to get out of there and fast.
Glancing at the ground, he estimated it was too far to simply drop, and instead he leant out, grasping onto the nearest branch of the tree. For a moment, he hung, his feet still on the window sill, his hands on the branch, and then he swung across, easily slinging his body onto the tree. The leaves shook on the tree as the branch he is on starts to sway slightly with his weight and it struck him that the tree was still when he first looked out of the window. He glanced up to see a black smear on the top of the window frame. The assassin must have escaped via the roof he thought. The woman appeared at the window, staggering slightly. She looked wild eyed at Deethan, obviously scared at the events that had transpired. As Deethan stretches, offering her his hand to help her climb onto the tree, she suddenly glanced back into the room and a muffled shout was heard. Cursing the heavy curtain blocking his view, Deethan hissed "Come on!!" to the woman, who stared, almost transfixed, back around the curtain into the room. After what seemed like an age, but in fact was only seconds, she suddenly turned, her face desperate and started to clamber over the window sill.
Deethan, his hand still outstretched was suddenly bathed in light as the curtain was ripped away. The woman tried to scream, her tongue less mouth opening in an almost silent moan as she glanced back at the huge man standing there. Behind him, Deethan can still see the three heavies standing like statues. The new arrival grabbed the woman by her hair, and looked straight at Deethan. "YOU MURDERER!" he roars.
As the man lunged at Deethan, the young half-elf tried to whip a dagger out and throw it, but it went wildly past the man's shoulder, and the man grasped at only air. Deethan dropped of the branch and caught the branch below. A couple of moments later, Deethan had his feet back on the ground.
"CALL THE GUARD! MURDER!" the man continued to yell from above. Glancing up, Deethan could see the woman, her hands holding her head as the brute continued to hold his vice like grip in her hair. The man leant out the window a little further and looked down in the gloom at Deethan. "Yer won't get away with it yer bastard! I'll see yer hang for this!" The woman stared at the man, trying to shake her head and crying a silent "No!"
Hearing the sound of the watch getting closer, Deethan spun on his heel, spotting Keld in the shadows of the street opposite. Keld looked very worried, and gestured frantically.
With a quick flash of white teeth in his black face, Deethan looked up and grinned at the man, before giving a soulful and reluctant glance at the woman. Clutching the sceptre tightly he turned and raced back towards Keld. Glancing down the street as he ran across it, he could see the watch patrol running towards him. A shout went up as he ducked into the alley, Keld breaking into a run beside him. "What the hell went on in there!" hissed Keld as they tear up the alleyway towards the river. A whistle sounded behind them, blowing in a series of short and long blasts.
Deethan and Keld ran back towards the river, wanting to loose themselves in the poorer districts where the streets are narrower and darker. With their hearts pounding in their chests, and their lungs burning from the cool night air, they burst out onto the sidewalk next to the river, the guard patrol a hundred yards behind them.
A short way to the west, the East Bridge arced across Neverwinter River, steam rising from it's slow moving warm waters. A pair of running figures could be seen crossing it, another couple of town guards! One of them points at the pair, and blew a whistle as an answering blast came from behind, and another fainter one from Castle Neverwinter further on. It seemed that the guard were calling to each other with coded whistles!
"Shiiiit!" exclaims Keld, as he skidded to a halt. "What we gonna do Deeth?!"
Deethan hesitated only a second, before charging straight towards the East Bridge. "I hope Tymora's on our side!" gasped Keld as he runs at the young half-drow's side. As the two guards reached the end of the bridge, they slowed to a halt, spreading out slightly on the pavement and drawing their weapons. One of them gave his whistle a last blow, three short and sharp notes, before putting his hand up in the signal to halt. "Stop!" he commanded to the two as they ran up. Keld started to slow down, wondering if he should draw his weapon or obey the command, when Deethan grabbed the scepter from his belt. "Hold still yourselves!" he yelled, pointing the scepter towards them, praying that the magic works again.
"Whaa..." one of them started to say, before suddenly freezing like a statue. The other one was likewise frozen, his expression almost comical in it's surprise, only his eyes free to move. Deethan pounded between the two stationary guards, very aware of their gaze following him. Keld almost stopped, his mouth open in amazement at what Deethan had just done, but he accelerated again, staring at the guard with his hand still held rigidly out in front of him as he passed.
The two of them continued to run, this time over the bridge. Behind them, the original group of town guards erupted from the alley way, and a whistle blew another signal. Ahead, somewhere on the southern side of the river, an answering whistle called, but it was faint, and Deethan and Keld easily reached the other side of the river before any guards appeared. Diving into the darker, narrower alleyways on the southern side of the river, the two slowed down somewhat, weaving their way further away from the scene, the distant sound of whistles sounding fainter and fainter. Finally, they staggered, still breathing heavily, into an old derelict property squashed between a smelly fish shop and a leather workers.
The property was old and run down, and used to be the home and workshop of a man who dyed fabrics, but when he passed on a year ago with no descendants, the property had become the playground of kids and delinquents. Because of the neighbouring smells, no-one else had wanted to live their permanently, and the building had fallen somewhat into disrepair.
"I recognised one of those guards - the one who blew the whistle," gasped Keld. "I'm pretty sure it was Saltor Hock. Do you think he recognised us?" Keld sits down on an old crate, trying to get his breath back. "By the Gods Deethan, what happened in there?! I heard that guy screaming 'Murderer' out the window at you! What the hells did you do?"
Deethan sighed, catching his own breath, and started to explain to Keld what had happened in the house. The half-orc's eyes widened as he mentioned the merchant had turned out to be a mage, and again as he told of the assassin
"I didn't spot anyone in the tree," he blurted. "Of course, I was looking down the road, looking for guards!"
As Deethan continued has story, Keld nodded. "Shit Deethan! Even though I wasn't in the house with you, I get the feeling I'm as deep in this as you are! All the guards saw us both running! No-one will believe I didn't have anything to do with it! By the gods!" he cried. "We're going to have to leave town!"
On to Chapter Two - where Deethan figures out what to do...
