City of the Dead

TWENTY-EIGHT

Gustin sat on a block of marble in the courtyard. It was a clear, cold day, the sun sparkling on the icicles dripping off the edge of the roof. Two Carver cats basked in the warmth on the top of a newly polished coffin.

After three days of freezing cold, Sophraea's half wish was melting away. Waterdeep was sliding back to its usual warmer wet winter weather. The stone man was permanently stuck in front of the tomb. Gustin's repeated attempts to reanimate it had failed, Algozata's old curse being far stronger than any ritual that he knew. Sophraea's father joined Gustin in the yard. "I'm sorry," said Gustin. "I just don't have enough coin to pay the remainder of what was owed on the statue. And I haven't quite come up with a scheme to make any more. Give me a day or two, though, and I'll think of something. I usually do."

Astute shrugged. "I'm not worried," he said. "You can pay me back with magic." "Magic?"

"Rituals. Whatever you want to call it. That trick that you do with stone, making the statue walk. That would save us a lot of hauling."

"That one works best for me," agreed Gustin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides working off a debt, any chance for a little more?" Gustin just had to ask.

Astute crossed his arms and appeared to ponder the question for a long moment. "You keep your room, you continue to eat free meals, and I don't ask you about sneaking off with my only daughter into the tunnels beneath the graveyard and who knows where else."

"Ah," he mumbled. After once again assessing the truly amazing breadth of shoulders possessed by Sophraea's father, Gustin indicated that this was a fair deal indeed.

The bell on the public gate jangled and Lord Adarbrent appeared in the entry.

"My friends." He bowed slightly in the direction of Astute and Gustin.

"It is good to see you as always, my lord," Astute answered. "What news?"

"The rumors appear to be quite true," Lord Adarbrent said. "Lady Ruellyn will take over her husband's business while he recuperates."

"How is he?" asked Sophraea, running down the house steps to greet Lord Adarbrent.

"No great change," Lord Adarbrent replied. "She has called in healers to make him comfortable. I hear Rampage Stunk now spends most of his days dozing in front ofthe fire."

"The lady may find a docile husband much to her liking," Gustin observed.

"Quite," said Lord Ardabrent with a quelling look. "Such speculation would be rude, however."

"And the others? Those guards that we found in the City of the Dead?" Sophraea asked.

"Well enough, as far as. I know. And a certain hairy individual has been persuaded by the City Watch that Waterdeep is not the best city for his residence," the old nobleman told her.

"Oh," said Sophraea.

"Your father mentioned that the doorjack had caused you some distress. I thought you would not mind a very small intervention on my part," said Lord Adarbrent.

"Leaplow said something about looking for him and walking him through the City of the Dead," Sophraea revealed.

"Your brother's most recent black eye is still quite evident. This seemed a simpler solution."

Sophraea exchanged a quick glance with Gustin. The wizard realized that she'd acquired yet another protector or, given the family's long history with Lord Adarbrent, the old man had always been one of Sophraea Carver's champions. It truly was incredible that he'd survived that first kiss, he decided. Still, life was dull without challenges, Gustin thought to himself, and one of these days he would talk her into a second kiss. Then he could worry about how to avoid being crushed by Leaplow or her other enormous male relatives. That would be an exciting challenge and, looking at his own personal dark dearling of Waterdeep, one quite worth it.

"But what about the old ladies?" Sophraea asked Lord Adarbrent. "The ones that Stunk cheated out of their homes?"

"For those still living. Lady Ruellyn is making reparations," said Lord Adarbrent. "After all, she is a lady and'not a merchant."

"I'm still surprised that we didn't have the City Watch or the Blackstaff here, asking questions," Sophraea said.

"My influence is not inconsiderable," returned Lord Adarbrent. "And I was able to persuade certain people that the fewer questions asked the better. After all, the Carvers are known to be a reputable family who provide an invaluable service to Waterdeep."

In short, thought Gustin, the Carvers actually do know where the bodies are buried and, more importantly, will make sure in the future that the finest of Waterdeep will continue to be buried exacdy as they wish.

Lord Adarbrent pulled a stiff piece of parchment out of his pocket.

"I believe that you wanted this," he said, presenting it to Sophraea.

With wide eyes, she unfolded the letter of recommendation.

"Oh," she said. "How did you know? I never remembered to ask you for this."

"Captain Volponia mentioned your ambitions to join the sartorial trade. I must say," he continued, "I agree with her that it seems a rather tame outlet for your talents."

"Volponia told you!" Sophraea exclaimed. "When?"

"I called on her last night," said Lord Adarbrent. "In a more conventional manner than my previous visit."

"Really?"

A look of amusement softened the old man's face. "Although she claims a few more years than myself," he said, "we remember the same Waterdeep. I enjoyed our conversation very much and will call again."

With a bow to Astute and a promise to return in a few days, Lord Adarbrent took his leave.

Sophraea turned the letter oyer in her hand.

"So you'll leave here for that fine dressmaker's in the Castle Ward?" said Gustin. "All billowing lace, pretty silks, and nothing but the chatter of ladies from morn until night."

"It sounds a little dull, doesn't it?" said Sophraea. "Sewing seams all day, I mean. And I would miss my family."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Gustin with some trepidation and a little anticipation in his voice.

"Do you have your guidebook with you?" she countered.

He patted his pocket. "Always," he said. "I might go for a walk later. There's still so much I haven't seen in Waterdeep: the Blackstaff s Tower, CymbriFs Walk, and, really, most of the famous monuments inside the City of the Dead. We never did go look at those!"

Sophraea held up her wicker basket. She had packed it with a lunch for two. "Let's take a look at the monuments today," she suggested. He hadn't asked her for a second kiss, not for a whole day, but with more than a litde anticipation and no trepidation at all, Sophraea thought he might that afternoon.

Deciding one's whole life in a moment was not necessary, she realized as she crumpled up Lord Adarbrent's letter of recommendation and stuffed it in the bottom of her basket. There was time enough for dozens of adventures, just as Volponia always said, and a girl didn't have to live in a dress shop or go outside the walls of Waterdeep to find them.

But, because she was always ruthlessly honest with herself or tried to be, Sophraea did admit to herself that adventures in the company of a certain brown-haired, green-eyed, lanky wizard might be more exciting than anything Volponia ever encountered on her old pirate ship. She'd simply have to let the future happen to find out.

Just then, she continued out loud, "Fish is worried that something odd happened in the portal that they' use on the south end. He thinks somebody has been sneaking into that tomb. Maybe a graverobber. I said we could go and take a look."

Gustin was still protesting that he wanted to see the sights, not more corpses and ghosts, as he followed her to the Dead End gate. But he did follow her and Sophraea noticed that the emerald gleam of his eyes was noticeably brighter under those lashes that were ridiculously long for a man.

"Stop complaining," said Sophraea, unlatching the wrought iron gate. It swung open with a friendly creak, her uncles having decided to forge the squeak back into the gate hinges. She started down the moss-covered steps into the City of the Dead. "You know that as long as you are with me, you won't get lost. Besides, Volponia gave me another ring from her jewel box. She's almost certain that the spell in this one will work."