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Stolen Rock (6)

Continued from here: Stolen Rock (5)

“Cal… wake up…”

Caldain stirred in his bed and gave out a soft groan. A hand landed on his shoulder and shook it.

“Wake up, husband,”

Caldain groaned again. “What time is it?” he mumbled.

“A little before first sun.”

Caldain grunted. “It’s too early…” The hand on his shoulder shook him again.

“Cal, come on!” Darew insisted, to more groans of protest. “We gotta get to the Alchemists’ Guild!”

“What for…?” Caldain gave a final moan of protest, then swung his legs out of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at his husband. Darew stood by the bed, dressed in his Watch uniform, and held a large round rock in his hands. Caldain frowned. “Is that…”

“The troll’s rock? Yeah,” Darew nodded excitedly.

“Where’d you find it?” Caldain asked.

“Now don’t get mad at me but…” Darew hesitated, then said “…we got a visit last night… from the Shadow of Dorn!”

“Don’t tease me, Darew,” Caldain shook his head.

“I’m serious!” Darew protested. “Remember when I got up for a drink in the night?” Caldain nodded. “Well, I was standing by the well, and someone grabbed me from behind. He was big, Cal… bigger than Dax, I reckon… and strong! He held on so tight I could barely move.”

“Damn, Darew!” Caldain’s eyes had widened as Darew started his story. “You should have called for help!”

“I couldn’t!” Darew said excitedly. “He had a hand over my mouth. Shit! Who knows what might’ve happened if I’d called out! He might have killed me… might have gone on to kill you too! And then his voice… it was so deep… unnatural… but the thing is, we weren’t his target! He brought us the rock and told me who actually stole it in the first place.”

“Who?”

“Basil… you know… the trader who runs the Apothecary… the one the goblin and troll were working for!”

Caldain narrowed his eyes. It pained him to quell Darew’s obvious excitement, but he had his doubts. “And you believed him?”

“Not until I watched this,” Darew held up a blue crystal shard.

“That looks like a Leystone,” Caldain noted as he examined the object between Darew’s fingers.

“Sure is,” Darew’s tone of excitement couldn’t be held back, “and not the kind you need to break either. Come on… I’ll show you!”

Caldain’s reluctance passed, pushed aside by his curiosity. “You know,” he said as he rose from the bed and grabbed a hold of his Watch uniform, “if every man of the Watch had one of those, we’d be able to respond to serious incidents a lot faster.” He carried his uniform with him as he followed Darew into their kitchen.

“The City would never go to that expense,” Darew answered as he set the crystal down on a wooden table, gave his husband a sympathetic glance and, as Caldain began to dress himself, he flicked the tip of the Leystone…

--------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re sure about this?” Caldain quietly asked Darew as they followed their escort along a narrow corridor inside the Guild of Alchemists. The air around them smelled acrid and smoky, and the hard stone floor they walked upon was thick with some residue or other. Darew nodded his head briefly in answer to the question, and lifted a finger to his lips. Caldain still bristled at the thought that he had missed a visit from the Shadow of Dorn. He had been following the infamous thief’s case for some time and, in a way, he felt a sense of admiration for the way he operated. To be told that the Shadow wasn’t just one thief, but three, had thrown his preconceptions up into the air, but it did explain how the thief could appear to rob two or three places across Dorn on a single night. He had almost felt disappointed that his idea of some fantastical rogue had been shattered, but new thoughts of a trio of master thieves operating in his city gave his imagination even more fuel.

Their escort… a gangly man with yellowed fingers and a thick grey robe came to a standstill outside a pair of thick wooden doors. He knocked twice, and then waited. A muffled voice came from behind the doors, bidding them to enter, and the escort turned to the two Watchmen.

“I hope this is important,” he muttered, “The Masters don’t like being roused at this ungodly hour without good reason.” He didn’t wait for a response. He pushed at the double doors, which swung open to reveal a round chamber that was lit by an enormous candle chandelier above them, several candelabra around the pillars that supported the ceiling, and from the light of First Sun as it came through the tall arched windows. Three lecterns stood at one end of the room in front of a large table that was situated at the centre. Behind each lectern stood a robed figure.

The first was a woman with greying hair and aged features dressed in elegant red. The second was a shorter man with a pointed nose and squinting eyes that glared in the Watchmen’s direction. Glyphs on his face and around his eyes seemed to glow with a fire-like light. His robes were of a deep purple and dark blue, almost black colour, with silver filigree around the sleeves and hems. The third was taller, and wore pale and dark blue robes with long sleeves and similar silver embellishments. His bald head was covered by a skullcap that reflected the light of the room, and his face bore dark blue streaks tattooed from his forehead and down his eyes to his cheeks. He glanced in the direction of the woman rather than at the Watchmen as they entered.

As decorum dictated, the two Watchmen approached the central table and waited to be addressed. The grey-haired woman straightened herself and laid both hands on the lectern in front of her before breaking into a friendly smile and speaking.

“The Guild of Alchemist welcomes the City Watch, and asks…”

“Enough of this solemnity,” the short man interrupted. “I want to know why I’ve been woken so bloody early!” He glared down at Caldain and Darew. “This had better be important.” The woman closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Master Maldis,” Darew spoke as he looked up at the central lectern, “We’ve received information that implicates a certain individual with practicing alchemy without license…”

“Well, I’ve heard enough,” Maldis turned from his lectern and took a step away. “Leave your evidence and we’ll deal with the matter in our own good time.”

“Wait!” The woman raised a hand and spoke. Her eyes glared at the short man. “You don’t rule this council, Maldis. I, for one, want to hear more.” She looked across the open space to the third Master who had remained silent. “What say you, Master Saldinus?”

The third figure turned his head to look first at the woman and then at Maldis. He seemed to contemplate something before looking back at the two Watchmen. “I agree with Master Scarlet,” he finally spoke. “We will hear the evidence of the Watchmen now.”

Maldis threw up his arms and huffed, then returned to his lectern. “It seems you have an advocate in Master Scarlet,” he said to the Watchmen as he gestured in the woman’s direction, “although it is unsurprising… she has always favoured young and handsome men.”

“Watch your mouth, Maldis,” Scarlet cautioned, “lest your spiteful tongue ends up as an ingredient in one of my experiments.”

Master Saldinus mouth broke into a wry smile as she spoke. “That, at least, would put it to some use,” he added. “You’re outvoted, Maldis. Accept it and move on.”

“Very well,” Maldis grumbled. He ignored the jibes as one who was frequently on the receiving end of such sarcasm would. He waved a hand towards the Watchmen. “Get on with it.”

Darew stepped up to the table in front of them and held up the Leystone he was carrying. “Visual evidence,” he said simply. “With your permission?” Both Scarlet and Saldinus nodded. Maldis frowned skeptically, but gestured for Darew to proceed. The Watchman set the Leystone down on the table and flicked the tip. The crystal shone brightly and the light it projected filled the chamber with images of a large room, and two workbenches filled with alchemical equipment. Master Saldinus narrowed his eyes as recognition of the scene began to grow in his mind. Master Scarlet was already staring wide-eyed at the vision. Master Maldis’ expression was difficult to read, since he seemed to permanently bear a frown or a scowl.

A black-clad figure in the vision stood by an open window, almost completely hidden in shadows as it stood just at the edge of the projection. It spread open its arms and gestured at the tables, and at shelves and bookcases around the room. Then, in a deep and resonant voice, it spoke…

“Behold! Here is proof of the injustice that has unfolded beneath your very noses… this is what you will find in the private chambers of Basil the so-called Trader’s Apothecary. Trader he claims to be, but he is far more than that. Do you see the tomes of alchemical formulae that line his bookcase? Do you see the equipment he uses to brew his potions? Do you see the potions on his shelves, waiting to be sold discreetly? Do I sense questions? Do you need more? Then I suggest that you search the bookcases for a set of blue-bound tomes – ledgers that detail every potion, balm and preparation he has made and sold. Masters of the Guild of Alchemists, you have the authority to examine the evidence, but do you have the courage to use it? The Shadow of Dorn has shown you the truth. Do with it what you will.”

The projected images dispersed and the light in the chamber dimmed as the vision faded. All three Masters of the Guild remained silent as they stared at the Leystone. Master Scarlet stepped away from her lectern and approached the table. Once she was away from her plinth she seemed much less intimidating, and stood a little shorter than Darew. As she approached she dislodged a small black satin pouch from a loop on the sash that secured her dress. She opened the pouch and extracted a pinch of powder which she sprinkled over the top of the Leystone. There was no apparent reaction, and that seemed to be what she expected. She looked up towards Saldinus.

“Genuine,” she said simply. Saldinus nodded in return and both regarded Maldis closely.

“So,” Maldis said with a growl in his voice, but his annoyance was no longer directed at the Watchmen, “that bloated toad has not only been leeching from our brethren all this time, but has the gall to operate outside of Guild Law?” He, too, stepped away from his lectern and approached the Watchmen. “My apologies, gentlemen. You did the right thing in bringing this to our urgent attention.” Darew shifted his feet and stood proudly next to his husband as he awaited further instructions. Maldis looked to each other the other Masters in turn. “I propose we authorise these gentlemen to arrest Basil immediately, and bring him before us post-haste. Further, I say we authorise and immediate search of the premises and if we find the evidence that this… Shadow… claims is there, we seize the establishment – lock, stock and barrel. Do we all agree?”

Master Scarlet nodded to Maldis. “Agreed.” She turned to the Watchmen. “Arrest Basil the Trader and bring him before the Guild.”

“Alive, if possible,” Master Saldinus added from his lectern, “but should he resist…” he left the sentence unfinished, but shrugged to emphasise his point. The tone of his voice implied that he didn’t particularly care if the alternate option presented itself to the Watch.

Darew and Caldain both gave a salute, turned, and marched out of the Guild chamber. Behind them they heard the Masters talk amongst themselves.

“I always had a feeling about Basil,” Maldis said.

“Of course you did,” Scarlet replied sarcastically.

“Most likely indigestion,” Saldinus added.

Once the two Watchmen were outside the Guild chamber, Caldain turned to Darew. “Is it just me, or did they sound like an old married trio?” he asked.

Darew shrugged. “I don’t know,” he offered, “but if I ever get like that, shoot me with a crossbow!”

Continued here: Intermission - Leystones

Description
Stolen Rock (6)

Continued from here: Stolen Rock (5)

“Cal… wake up…”

Caldain stirred in his bed and gave out a soft groan. A hand landed on his shoulder and shook it.

“Wake up, husband,”

Caldain groaned again. “What time is it?” he mumbled.

“A little before first sun.”

Caldain grunted. “It’s too early…” The hand on his shoulder shook him again.

“Cal, come on!” Darew insisted, to more groans of protest. “We gotta get to the Alchemists’ Guild!”

“What for…?” Caldain gave a final moan of protest, then swung his legs out of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at his husband. Darew stood by the bed, dressed in his Watch uniform, and held a large round rock in his hands. Caldain frowned. “Is that…”

“The troll’s rock? Yeah,” Darew nodded excitedly.

“Where’d you find it?” Caldain asked.

“Now don’t get mad at me but…” Darew hesitated, then said “…we got a visit last night… from the Shadow of Dorn!”

“Don’t tease me, Darew,” Caldain shook his head.

“I’m serious!” Darew protested. “Remember when I got up for a drink in the night?” Caldain nodded. “Well, I was standing by the well, and someone grabbed me from behind. He was big, Cal… bigger than Dax, I reckon… and strong! He held on so tight I could barely move.”

“Damn, Darew!” Caldain’s eyes had widened as Darew started his story. “You should have called for help!”

“I couldn’t!” Darew said excitedly. “He had a hand over my mouth. Shit! Who knows what might’ve happened if I’d called out! He might have killed me… might have gone on to kill you too! And then his voice… it was so deep… unnatural… but the thing is, we weren’t his target! He brought us the rock and told me who actually stole it in the first place.”

“Who?”

“Basil… you know… the trader who runs the Apothecary… the one the goblin and troll were working for!”

Caldain narrowed his eyes. It pained him to quell Darew’s obvious excitement, but he had his doubts. “And you believed him?”

“Not until I watched this,” Darew held up a blue crystal shard.

“That looks like a Leystone,” Caldain noted as he examined the object between Darew’s fingers.

“Sure is,” Darew’s tone of excitement couldn’t be held back, “and not the kind you need to break either. Come on… I’ll show you!”

Caldain’s reluctance passed, pushed aside by his curiosity. “You know,” he said as he rose from the bed and grabbed a hold of his Watch uniform, “if every man of the Watch had one of those, we’d be able to respond to serious incidents a lot faster.” He carried his uniform with him as he followed Darew into their kitchen.

“The City would never go to that expense,” Darew answered as he set the crystal down on a wooden table, gave his husband a sympathetic glance and, as Caldain began to dress himself, he flicked the tip of the Leystone…

--------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re sure about this?” Caldain quietly asked Darew as they followed their escort along a narrow corridor inside the Guild of Alchemists. The air around them smelled acrid and smoky, and the hard stone floor they walked upon was thick with some residue or other. Darew nodded his head briefly in answer to the question, and lifted a finger to his lips. Caldain still bristled at the thought that he had missed a visit from the Shadow of Dorn. He had been following the infamous thief’s case for some time and, in a way, he felt a sense of admiration for the way he operated. To be told that the Shadow wasn’t just one thief, but three, had thrown his preconceptions up into the air, but it did explain how the thief could appear to rob two or three places across Dorn on a single night. He had almost felt disappointed that his idea of some fantastical rogue had been shattered, but new thoughts of a trio of master thieves operating in his city gave his imagination even more fuel.

Their escort… a gangly man with yellowed fingers and a thick grey robe came to a standstill outside a pair of thick wooden doors. He knocked twice, and then waited. A muffled voice came from behind the doors, bidding them to enter, and the escort turned to the two Watchmen.

“I hope this is important,” he muttered, “The Masters don’t like being roused at this ungodly hour without good reason.” He didn’t wait for a response. He pushed at the double doors, which swung open to reveal a round chamber that was lit by an enormous candle chandelier above them, several candelabra around the pillars that supported the ceiling, and from the light of First Sun as it came through the tall arched windows. Three lecterns stood at one end of the room in front of a large table that was situated at the centre. Behind each lectern stood a robed figure.

The first was a woman with greying hair and aged features dressed in elegant red. The second was a shorter man with a pointed nose and squinting eyes that glared in the Watchmen’s direction. Glyphs on his face and around his eyes seemed to glow with a fire-like light. His robes were of a deep purple and dark blue, almost black colour, with silver filigree around the sleeves and hems. The third was taller, and wore pale and dark blue robes with long sleeves and similar silver embellishments. His bald head was covered by a skullcap that reflected the light of the room, and his face bore dark blue streaks tattooed from his forehead and down his eyes to his cheeks. He glanced in the direction of the woman rather than at the Watchmen as they entered.

As decorum dictated, the two Watchmen approached the central table and waited to be addressed. The grey-haired woman straightened herself and laid both hands on the lectern in front of her before breaking into a friendly smile and speaking.

“The Guild of Alchemist welcomes the City Watch, and asks…”

“Enough of this solemnity,” the short man interrupted. “I want to know why I’ve been woken so bloody early!” He glared down at Caldain and Darew. “This had better be important.” The woman closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Master Maldis,” Darew spoke as he looked up at the central lectern, “We’ve received information that implicates a certain individual with practicing alchemy without license…”

“Well, I’ve heard enough,” Maldis turned from his lectern and took a step away. “Leave your evidence and we’ll deal with the matter in our own good time.”

“Wait!” The woman raised a hand and spoke. Her eyes glared at the short man. “You don’t rule this council, Maldis. I, for one, want to hear more.” She looked across the open space to the third Master who had remained silent. “What say you, Master Saldinus?”

The third figure turned his head to look first at the woman and then at Maldis. He seemed to contemplate something before looking back at the two Watchmen. “I agree with Master Scarlet,” he finally spoke. “We will hear the evidence of the Watchmen now.”

Maldis threw up his arms and huffed, then returned to his lectern. “It seems you have an advocate in Master Scarlet,” he said to the Watchmen as he gestured in the woman’s direction, “although it is unsurprising… she has always favoured young and handsome men.”

“Watch your mouth, Maldis,” Scarlet cautioned, “lest your spiteful tongue ends up as an ingredient in one of my experiments.”

Master Saldinus mouth broke into a wry smile as she spoke. “That, at least, would put it to some use,” he added. “You’re outvoted, Maldis. Accept it and move on.”

“Very well,” Maldis grumbled. He ignored the jibes as one who was frequently on the receiving end of such sarcasm would. He waved a hand towards the Watchmen. “Get on with it.”

Darew stepped up to the table in front of them and held up the Leystone he was carrying. “Visual evidence,” he said simply. “With your permission?” Both Scarlet and Saldinus nodded. Maldis frowned skeptically, but gestured for Darew to proceed. The Watchman set the Leystone down on the table and flicked the tip. The crystal shone brightly and the light it projected filled the chamber with images of a large room, and two workbenches filled with alchemical equipment. Master Saldinus narrowed his eyes as recognition of the scene began to grow in his mind. Master Scarlet was already staring wide-eyed at the vision. Master Maldis’ expression was difficult to read, since he seemed to permanently bear a frown or a scowl.

A black-clad figure in the vision stood by an open window, almost completely hidden in shadows as it stood just at the edge of the projection. It spread open its arms and gestured at the tables, and at shelves and bookcases around the room. Then, in a deep and resonant voice, it spoke…

“Behold! Here is proof of the injustice that has unfolded beneath your very noses… this is what you will find in the private chambers of Basil the so-called Trader’s Apothecary. Trader he claims to be, but he is far more than that. Do you see the tomes of alchemical formulae that line his bookcase? Do you see the equipment he uses to brew his potions? Do you see the potions on his shelves, waiting to be sold discreetly? Do I sense questions? Do you need more? Then I suggest that you search the bookcases for a set of blue-bound tomes – ledgers that detail every potion, balm and preparation he has made and sold. Masters of the Guild of Alchemists, you have the authority to examine the evidence, but do you have the courage to use it? The Shadow of Dorn has shown you the truth. Do with it what you will.”

The projected images dispersed and the light in the chamber dimmed as the vision faded. All three Masters of the Guild remained silent as they stared at the Leystone. Master Scarlet stepped away from her lectern and approached the table. Once she was away from her plinth she seemed much less intimidating, and stood a little shorter than Darew. As she approached she dislodged a small black satin pouch from a loop on the sash that secured her dress. She opened the pouch and extracted a pinch of powder which she sprinkled over the top of the Leystone. There was no apparent reaction, and that seemed to be what she expected. She looked up towards Saldinus.

“Genuine,” she said simply. Saldinus nodded in return and both regarded Maldis closely.

“So,” Maldis said with a growl in his voice, but his annoyance was no longer directed at the Watchmen, “that bloated toad has not only been leeching from our brethren all this time, but has the gall to operate outside of Guild Law?” He, too, stepped away from his lectern and approached the Watchmen. “My apologies, gentlemen. You did the right thing in bringing this to our urgent attention.” Darew shifted his feet and stood proudly next to his husband as he awaited further instructions. Maldis looked to each other the other Masters in turn. “I propose we authorise these gentlemen to arrest Basil immediately, and bring him before us post-haste. Further, I say we authorise and immediate search of the premises and if we find the evidence that this… Shadow… claims is there, we seize the establishment – lock, stock and barrel. Do we all agree?”

Master Scarlet nodded to Maldis. “Agreed.” She turned to the Watchmen. “Arrest Basil the Trader and bring him before the Guild.”

“Alive, if possible,” Master Saldinus added from his lectern, “but should he resist…” he left the sentence unfinished, but shrugged to emphasise his point. The tone of his voice implied that he didn’t particularly care if the alternate option presented itself to the Watch.

Darew and Caldain both gave a salute, turned, and marched out of the Guild chamber. Behind them they heard the Masters talk amongst themselves.

“I always had a feeling about Basil,” Maldis said.

“Of course you did,” Scarlet replied sarcastically.

“Most likely indigestion,” Saldinus added.

Once the two Watchmen were outside the Guild chamber, Caldain turned to Darew. “Is it just me, or did they sound like an old married trio?” he asked.

Darew shrugged. “I don’t know,” he offered, “but if I ever get like that, shoot me with a crossbow!”

Continued here: Intermission - Leystones