The Sapphire Crescent

CHAPTER EIGHT

Vambran strolled along inconspicuously, following the woman as she made her way carefully through the market and holding on to the younger woman's arm who was escorting her. The mercenary had been following the pair for a while, watching as they shopped for fresh vegetables in the lines of stalls that filled the open square. The day was bright and crisp, somewhat cooler than it had been the day before, but still the sun was warming to the lieutenant's skin as he kept pace with his quarry.

Vambran had tracked down Jithelle's mother easily enough from the instructions Kovrim provided him the night before, getting up early and making his way to the east side of the city, where the less affluent neighborhoods were. He had no trouble finding the small house, really an apartment on the second story of a rug merchant's shop, where Nimra Skolotti and her youngest daughter Mirolyn lived. Initially, he intended to just visit the woman directly, but then caution got the better of him, and he decided to wait. If he was being followed, or watched in some other way, perhaps it would be better not to draw undue attention to the grieving mother.

The mercenary did not have to wait long before Nimra and her daughter appeared on the street. The pair of them headed first to the bakery where they purchased a single small honeyed bun to split between the two of them, then they made their way to the market, nibbling at their breakfast and chatting softly as they strolled. Nimra maintained a steady grip on Mirolyn's arm. It took Vambran a few minutes to realize that Nimra was blind.

The mercenary watched as the two women examined some melons, Nimra picking up one then another, squeezing them with her hands and smelling them. They selected one and paid the merchant, then moved on, toward a stall that sold peppers. Vambran smiled to himself, wondering if those might have been the very same peppers he'd helped make their way across the Sea of Fallen Stars aboard Lady's Favor. Nimra and Mirolyn chose a small handful of the peppers and completed their purchase.

When they reached a corner next to a small kiosk selling hot tea, Vambran approached them. He stepped up next to the younger woman and spoke softly.

"Excuse me, but I would like to speak with you and your mother for a moment."

Mirolyn turned to face the mercenary in surprise, but Nimra only cocked her head to one side and said, "I wondered how much longer you were going to follow us before you showed your intentions."

Vambran did a double take.

"You… you knew I was following you?" he asked.

"Certainly. Not too many big, strapping fellows in some sort of armor make a habit of strolling behind me at the same distance all morning long."

Mirolyn looked from her mother to the man in front of her and shrugged.

"Nothing wrong with her hearing," the girl said, a wan smile emerging briefly.

"I guess not," Vambran said. "I assure you, I have no malicious intentions, here. But I need to speak with you for a few moments, someplace where we won't be bothered. It concerns your other daughter, Jithelle."

At the mention of their slain family member, both women's faces turned ashen, and Mirolyn closed her eyes, swallowing a sob.

Nimra turned her sightless eyes toward Vambran and said, "Who are you, bringing pain to an old woman by speaking that name?"

Vambran swallowed and frowned. He knew it would be a difficult subject to bring up, but it was unavoidable.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said, "and for reopening the wounds of her passing, but if you will give me a moment of your time you will see that-"

"I'm sorry, but we have nothing more to tell you, soldier," Nimra interrupted. She took hold of Mirolyn's arm and began to tug her away. "It was watchmen who killed her, and I will not help you besmirch her name further."

Vambran shook his head, then remembered that Nimra couldn't see his gesture.

"I'm no watchman, milady, as your daughter will certainly testify. I am a soldier, true, but one who is trying to find the truth, not bury it."

Nimra hesitated and turned back.

"What purpose do you have in tracking me down?" she asked.

Beside her, Mirolyn looked at Vambran with eyes already brimming with tears.

"I was witness to your daughter's death" Vambran said quietly, eliciting a gasp from both women. "I don't believe the charges leveled against her, and I want to discover who would see her dead."

"Why do you care what happened to a commoner?" Nimra questioned quietly, reaching a hand out to take one of Vambran's. "Yes, I suspected as much. You may have the calluses of a swordsman, but you still have the voice and bearing of a wealthy man."

"The gold in my family's vaults does not affect my desire to see justice," Vambran replied. "I cannot stand to see murder done, any more than you, though Jithelle was no one I know." As he spoke the word "murder," the lieutenant saw both women flinch again. "But we must not talk here," he continued. "It is not safe. Where can we go for a bit of quiet conversation?"

"The cheesemaker's on Slake Street," Nimra said quickly. "Mirolyn works there, and the proprietor will let us visit in his room upstairs. Do not follow us," the woman added. "Meet us there at the next bells."

And with that, the two women turned away and crossed the square, continuing their shopping, though their pace was a bit quicker and more urgent to anyone who might have been watching. Vambran observed them both go, then turned and took a different route, weaving in and out of the crowds of people at the market. He headed surreptitiously toward Slake Street, approaching it finally from the opposite direction from the market, and when he ducked his head inside, found only a single customer being served.

The proprietor, Neely, if the name on the sign outside was accurate, gave Vambran an appraising look, then shrugged and finished filling his customer's order.

When the woman left with her block of cheese, the man turned to Vambran and asked, "What can I serve you today, good sir?"

Vambran smiled and cast a quick glance around, then said, "Nimra Skolotti sent me here. I am supposed to meet with her in a few moments, and we needed a private place to gather. She suggested that you might make your family room available for a few minutes."

At the mention of the woman's name, Neely smiled, but the grin vanished again just as quickly.

"Is there a problem?" he asked. "Mirolyn is a fine girl and a hard worker for me, and I would hate to see anything happen to either of them, especially after-"

"Nor would I," Vambran interrupted, "which is why I would ask you not mention what you were about to bring up, or me, to anyone else."

The man gave Vambran a long, hard look before he finally nodded.

"You can wait upstairs in the parlor. Straight back there"-he jerked his head behind the counter and into the back room-"up the stairs, first doorway in the right-hand corner."

Vambran thanked the man and slipped past the end of the counter and strode into the back part of the house. There, he found that the whole building was a large square, with a very small open courtyard in the middle. The courtyard was surrounded on all four sides by two stories of open balcony, literally covered with climbing plants and hanging baskets. In the middle of the courtyard was a single large rain barrel. One set of stairs rose up along the back wall, and Vambran made his way there, climbing them quickly. At the top, he went to the right, as the man had instructed, and found a small patio that opened back out onto the front, where the street was. He cast a quick glance down the lane in both directions, then retreated into the shade and settled into a wooden chair to wait.

The mercenary did not have to wait long. Shortly after nine bells, he heard voices emanating from below, in the courtyard, and slow, methodical footsteps on the stairs. Soon, Nimra's graying head appeared, accompanied by Mirolyn's, and the pair of women made their way into the little tiled parlor. Mirolyn helped her mother to a seat and settled her there before moving to a chair of her own.

Vambran simply sat and watched the blind woman for a moment, waiting to see her demeanor before he began to speak. He had no doubt that she knew he was there, for whether Neely the proprietor had informed her that he had preceded them or if she could merely hear him breathing, he was confident she was waiting for him to speak first.

"I know it must be hard for you, speaking of your daughter, but I'm trying to find out anything I can about her, anything that might clue me in as to who would want her dead."

Nimra nodded and asked, "Can you give me some idea of where to start?"

"Well, how about first telling me if she ever thought of pretending to wield arcane power, ever intended to thrice mark herself in public."

"Never," Nimra said. "My daughter was a good, law-abiding girl who wouldn't dream of such a foolish and dangerous thing."

"Was she secretly delving into magic somehow? Is it possible she really did know some arcane tricks?"

"Jithelle didn't even know her runes, sir. She didn't know how to read or write, much less how to cast a spell. If she was found with marks on her head, as they say, then someone else put them there."

"I see. Mrs. Skolotti, did you daughter ever mention seeing someone? Perhaps where she was working?"

"She was not having relationships with the stable boy," Mirolyn said. "No matter what everyone says about finding them together, she wasn't seeing him."

"Hush, girl," Nimra said. "Jithelle's personal affairs are just that-personal."

Vambran shook his head, again forgetting that his counterpart couldn't see him.

"No, Mrs. Skolotti. I need to know these things. It's very important, if you want me to be able to prove that your daughter didn't commit those crimes and didn't deserve to die."

Tears began to flow down the woman's cheeks then, and she reached up with a gnarled hand to brush them away.

She sniffed once, softly, and said, "How will such a discovery make anything better? I already know the charges against her are untrue. Letting the rest of the world know will only make it hurt more, for then I will hear an endless string of apologies and sympathies from everyone, none of which will bring her back to me."

Nimra sobbed quietly then, as did her daughter.

Vambran found it difficult to swallow, his throat thick with emotion.

But he forced the sadness down and said, "I understand, Mrs. Skolotti. But if the criminals who wronged your daughter are never caught, they will feel emboldened enough to perhaps do it again. Don't you want to see them punished for their crimes?"

"Punishment is far too convenient an excuse for the things men do to one another," Nimra replied, her voice steady again. "But I would see that the people who took my poor Jithelle from me never have the opportunity to make anyone else hurt the way I do right now."

"Then please," Vambran pleaded, "you must tell me anything you can think of that might help me. I have already heard that she was sharing a bed with one of the Pharaboldis. I just want you to tell me anything else that might give a hint about whether or not her employers would wish to see her dead."

Nimra sat very still for a moment, her sightless eyes gazing straight at the wall before her.

Finally, she sighed and said, "So you know about her relationship with her noble lord. Do you also know that she carried his child?"

Vambran's eyes widened.

"No, I didn't," he said. "You know this for certain?"

"That's what she told me," Nimra replied. "And she was overjoyed. When she came to visit and revealed it to us, she went on and on about how she and her baby would have a better life, how her nobleman was going to take good care of us all."

"Of course he was," Vambran muttered.

"What?" the woman asked, cocking her head to listen more intently.

"I'm sorry," Vambran replied. "I just don't believe that Denrick Pharaboldi was ever planning to provide that kind of life for a bastard."

Nimra sniffed in disdain, obviously nonplussed at Vambran's reference to her lost grandchild's birth status, but the woman said nothing. Mirolyn, however, glared openly at the mercenary.

Vambran ignored it.

"Mrs. Skolotti, Miss Skolotti, I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened to your daughter. I think she got in the way of some very powerful people who had big plans for themselves. The fact that she was with child not only makes the crime that much more tragic, but it also may very well be the reason it was committed in the first place."

"You think they killed her so that she couldn't have the child?" Nimra asked softly.

"I do."

"Then that baby made the mistake of having the wrong father. What will you do, now?"

"I will confront the man who sired that child and find out whether he cared so little for his own offspring that he would be a party to such an act. And if he didn't do it and doesn't know who did, I will keep searching until I do find the criminals."

"Why would you do this?" Nimra asked again. "Why does it matter to you whether or not two commoners died in the streets of this city? How does it ruin your life that the men who committed the crimes roam free?"

Vambran thought for a long time before he answered, "I could tell you, Mrs. Skolotti, that it is because I believe in seeing justice done. I could tell you that my piety and my morals dictate it. And that would be true. But it also just happens that I have a sister, a young woman who will turn sixteen tomorrow, in fact. But for the grace of Waukeen, it could have been her in that alley the other night. That, and the man who led your daughter astray with his lies is also courting that sister of mine."

Nimra sat very still.

"A man of candor. I like that," she said. "I pray then, sir, that you make sure they never hurt anyone again."

"It's time, sir," Bartimus said, nodding toward Efusio's in the center of the plaza. "The others are ready and waiting."

Grozier nodded and said, "Good."

He stepped down out of the carriage and crossed the cobblestone lane and headed toward the cafe, which faced the plaza and had a large open patio in the front. A series of small tables were arranged on the patio, which butted right up to the street, and people could gather to enjoy a strong cup of Taahalaran coffee-or perhaps a good ale imported from afar, such as Mulhorandi dark-and a smoke, for Efusio offered a wonderful variety of balaumo to be put into a pipe, including numerous fruit-infused blends, such as cherry, apricot, and apple. Grozier felt in his pocket for his long-stemmed pipe and smiled.

The head of House Talricci picked a table to one side of the patio, but he put his back to the street and settled into the chair and relaxed. It wasn't long before a plump serving girl with olive skin and lustrous black hair approached.

"Sir?" was all she said, and Grozier had to stop for a moment to admire her very black eyes.

The man finally shook himself back to the matter at hand and said, "Just a cup of Tethyrian tea and some balaumo. Uh, peach and grapewood, if you have it."

"Yes, sir," the serving girl replied and scurried away.

Grozier stretched his legs out under the table and waited, letting the mid-morning breeze ruffle his hair. The warm dampness of the day before was gone, replaced by a cooler, dryer bit of weather. The last vestiges of spring still clung to the Reach, appearing on occasion.

The girl brought Grozier his tea and a small silver bowl filled with the pipeweed for which he'd asked. He pressed a gold dinar into her hand and waved her away, then he began stuffing his pipe enthusiastically. It had been a couple of days since he'd enjoyed a good smoke.

Are we all linked? came a voice in Grozier's head.

It was Bartimus.

Yes, Grozier responded. Am I the last?

You are, came a second voice, belonging to one of the two Houses in the alliance. We are all linked now. So, why the urgency? Why couldn't this wait? The voice held a hint of irritation, but Grozier ignored it.

The mercenary won't go away, he thought, sending his own irritation through the mental connection to the others. He is persistent, and the little trap Bartimus and I laid for him last night didn't work. I need other ideas.

I think you're devoting much too much time to him, a third voice chimed in, that of the individual of the third House. He will go away soon enough, when his company is called to duty again. The Grand Trabbar will see to that.

I don't think you understand, Grozier insisted. He is getting very close to finding out who was behind the incident in the alley, and I think he means to come after us, regardless of the revelations. He has his uncle involved, now.

There was a lengthy pause then the second voice suggested, We need to threaten him more openly. We need to send him a message he'll understand once and for all.

I agree, Grozier replied, but what will faze him? What can we hold over his head?

His family, the third voice said firmly. We make it clear that others around him may not survive his meddling.

That kind of tactic never works, Grozier responded, letting disappointment bleed into his thoughts. His kind always take that as a personal challenge to push back harder.

But he doesn't make the decisions for the family, the third voice said confidently. We know who does. This is simply a perfect excuse to finally rein him in, forcefully if necessary.

Grozier considered the possibility.

Yes, he conceded after a moment. I think you're right.

Of course I'm right, the third voice said. You plan the threat, and I'll make sure we get the proper response from Hetta.

Done, Grozier said. And the uncle? All of Matrell's friends? What do we do about all of the aid he's receiving?

Let Lavant take care of that. Get a message to him, today if possible.

All right, Grozier replied. We're close, now. Remain patient.

Who's not patient? the second voice answered. Just take care of this. Do it tonight. Then everything will be in place.

Agreed. See you tonight, Grozier thought, then he told Bartimus to break the link.

When he was certain the mental connection with his business partners and his wizard had been eliminated, he smiled and lit his pipe.

Tonight, he thought, is going to stun them all.

Emriana didn't know whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand, she was incensed that Uncle Dregaul had insisted that she remain in her rooms, with Jaleene to keep a watch on her, so that she wouldn't spoil any of the surprises for her party later that night. The girl was beside herself, wondering what Vambran had learned from Jithelle's mother. On the other hand, it was her sixteenth birthday, and the extravaganza being planned was making her almost wriggle in delight. She paced endlessly back and forth in her rooms, going from the patio to the foot of the bed and back again.

"Will you stop that?" Jaleene finally chided Emriana. "You're making me dizzy."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Em replied, full of exasperation. "I just can't stand all this waiting. And I hate being cooped up."

"It's no picnic being here with you, that's for sure," Jaleene muttered.

Emriana scowled at her maid, then she giggled.

"Come on," she said, "Give me some hints about what's going to happen tonight."

Jaleene shook her head vehemently.

"Please," Emriana begged, moving to sit down on the bed beside her companion. "Pretty please?"

"Mistress Emriana, even if I did know something-which I don't so quit asking-I wouldn't tell you. You get to be sixteen once in your life, and I'm not going to be the one who spoils anything for you. Trust me, you'll thank me later on."

"Highly doubtful," Emriana said, folding her arms beneath her breasts and pretending to pout.

She looked out of the corner of her eye to see if Jaleene was reacting, but the handmaiden was studiously ignoring her charge's attempts to guilt her into revealing tidbits.

"All I'm saying is you're going to be amazed," Jaleene said. "Don't you remember the big to-do for your brother when he turned sixteen?"

"Jaleene, I was nine. They made me go to bed halfway through the evening. You were the one who had to drag me back here, remember?"

Jaleene giggled in spite of herself.

"I tried to forget," she teased. "You were worse when you were that age than Quindy and Obiron are."

"Oh, be quiet," Emriana said playfully, then jumped up from the bed and began to pace again. "By Waukeen, I wish Vambran would get back here. I can hardly stand this."

"And what would you do if I never came back?" Vambran said, suddenly standing in the doorway off her patio.

"Vam!" Emriana shouted and jumped up to pull her brother inside.

Jaleene scowled and said, "Master Vambran, you shouldn't approach Milady's chambers unannounced. It's not proper."

Vambran gave the handmaiden a low bow. "Of course not," he said, "but I hope you will forgive me in this one instance. I had a feeling she would pop if I didn't come here immediately upon returning."

Jaleene rolled her eyes.

"You don't know the half of it," she muttered, but she dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand. "So long as you don't make a habit of it," she insisted, to which Vambran bowed again, more deeply.

"Oh, stop with the formalities and tell me what you found out!" Emriana demanded, guiding her brother to a single chair in the corner before moving to sit on the bed opposite him.

Vambran glanced sidelong at Jaleene, but Emriana shook her head.

"It's all right. She knows most of what you were doing already," the girl explained. "And besides, good luck getting her to leave. She's terrified I'm going to sneak out again."

"And shouldn't I be?" Jaleene retorted. Then the handmaiden grew serious. "Mistress Emriana, Master Vambran, I must tell you both that it makes me terribly nervous, what you're doing. If Master Dregaul finds out, there's going to be a firestorm in this house."

Vambran returned the woman's look with a grave one of his own.

"I understand," he said, "but do you know what it is we're trying to do? A woman was killed the night before last because some very powerful people wanted her out of the way. Just like that"-and he snapped his fingers-"because she was a commoner. I mean to see to it that they don't get away with it."

"I know, sir, and I admire that about you. You and Mistress Emriana, the whole Matrell family, have always been very good to me, and I respect my good fortune. I would just hate to see something awful happen to either one of you."

"There's always that risk," Vambran conceded. He set his jaw and continued, "But I am going to see this through to the end, and I think Em feels the same way."

Emriana nodded solemnly and said, "I have no intention of giving Denrick Pharaboldi any reason at all to think there's a future between us, but I want to know for sure just what he's guilty of before I tell him to his face."

"And you will. I promise," Vambran replied. "Tonight, I think."

"So, what did you find out?" Emriana asked, leaning forward. "Did you meet with Jithelle's mother?"

Vambran sighed.

"I did," he said. "It broke my heart, too. Did you know that Jithelle also had a sister?"

"No. Did you meet her, too?"

"I did. Her name is Mirolyn. I sat and talked with both of them for a good long time."

"And?" Emriana asked. "What did they say? Anything useful?"

"I don't know if I would call it useful, exactly, but I did learn one very important thing."

"Spit it out!" the girl insisted. Her brother's stalling was making her crazy.

"Jithelle was pregnant with Denrick's child," Vambran said.

Emriana sucked in her breath in shock when she heard her brother's words. It took her another moment to fully register them in her head, to make sure she understood what he was telling her. She finally let out a long, slow breath and clenched her hands together to keep them from shaking from her anger. She glanced over at Jaleene and saw that her handmaiden was crying, a single tear trickling down the woman's face from glassy eyes.

"We must make him pay," Emriana said finally. "It's more than just breaking off my relationship with him. He must understand how base he is, how utterly cowardly a person he really is."

"Assuming he was in on it," Vambran cautioned. "We don't know that for certain."

"Then we find out, once and for all, tonight," Emriana said. "At the party. It will be our best chance to confront him, when he's not hiding behind the guards on his estate."

"All right," Vambran said, nodding. "You will maneuver him into a private corner, and I will drop in on the pair of you and have a nice long, pointed conversation with the young man."

"I can do that," the girl said with conviction. "I can do that very easily."

Vambran walked with a purpose as he entered the barracks of the Sapphire Crescent, which were bustling with activity. It surprised him. It was obvious that troops were preparing to depart, packing gear and standing in groups, talking in that excited way when they know they're about to go on an assignment. Vambran frowned, wondering what might be up.

The lieutenant's steps were quick, his demeanor businesslike, but he still offered a wave or arm clasp for those men who knew him and greeted him as he went by. Those men were professional soldiers, but many of them, like Adyan and Horial, had become friends. He wondered if, put into a position of having to make a choice between doing their duty to the temple or following him out of personal loyalty, they would aid him. He hoped he wouldn't have to find out, but he feared that such a moment might be drawing near. If things came to a head with the conspirators behind the murders, Vambran might need men he could trust to fight for him. He prayed it wouldn't come to that, but he was smart enough to anticipate and plan for the worst.

In the meantime, he had an appointment to keep, one for which he was very late. Captain Vertucio, Vambran's commanding officer, had sent a summons to him while he'd been visiting with Nimra Skolotti and her daughter. The lieutenant had not received the message immediately, even after returning to the Matrell estate, because of two things. The first, of course, was the fact that the entire household was in something of an uproar, preparing for Emriana's birthday party. The second reason was because Vambran had been careful to avoid being seen by too many people, particularly the rest of the family, when he'd returned from his excursion to the east side of the city. The less Uncle Dregaul knew of his whereabouts, the better.

Vambran made haste to the captain's office, hoping the meeting would not last long. It was already growing late in the day, and Emriana would be devastated if Vambran wasn't in attendance for the beginning of the party. He'd promised to be her escort during her presentation to the guests, and he had no intention of letting her down. If he could be in and out of the captain's offices in only a few moments, he should still have plenty of time to get back, clean up, and be ready to go.

Vambran rounded a corner and nearly stumbled into Grand Trabbar Lavant, who was coming from the opposite direction.

The lieutenant stopped himself from scowling and stammered, "I-oh! Grand Trabbar!'' He bowed and continued, "You don't make your way down here into our part of the temple very often. What brings you here today?"

The Grand Trabbar looked Vambran over with a critical eye, and the mercenary began to grow uncomfortable under the high priest's gaze. It was apparent that the older man was studying him, and Vambran knew that Lavant was aware of his involvement in the aftermath of Jithelle's and Hoytir's murders. He wondered if the Grand Trabbar was on to him, if the high priest knew that Vambran had continued to seek out answers even after Kovrim's warning to be subtle.

Finally, Grand Trabbar Lavant smiled and said, "Vambran Matrell, I was just beginning to wonder if you were going to appear at all today. Your captain sent that message out quite some time ago."

Vambran sucked in his breath and replied, "My apologies, sir. I was indisposed for most of the morning, and tonight, my House is celebrating my younger sister's sixteenth birthday. You can imagine what sort of chaos is taking place today as everyone in the household prepares."

"Yes," the Grand Trabbar said coolly. "I had, in fact, heard that. Well, we must be quick. There's no time to waste."

"Of course, sir," Vambran replied, trying not to appear wary, though he was feeling very suspicious.

There was no reason why someone as high in the temple's hierarchy as Lavant would bother to sit in on a meeting between officers of the mercenary company. That told the lieutenant that the Grand Trabbar was up to something, and he was pretty sure it had to do with getting him out of the way of the cover-up of the murders. He smoothed his expression as the pair of them entered Captain Vertucio's office.

The captain was seated behind a desk, looking over some roster lists, when the high priest and the lieutenant arrived. His eyes brightened at the sight of Vambran.

"Ah, good, he found you!" the officer said. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to send out a search party."

Vambran smiled slightly and said, "I'm very sorry, sir. As I explained to the Grand Trabbar, things are just a little bit manic at our estate right now. My sister's birthday party is tonight."

"Ah, right!" Captain Vertucio said. "I remember you mentioning that. Well, then, I'm sorry to pull you away from your family affairs, but I've got important news. We're going to be shipping the entire company out at first light tomorrow. I'm putting you in charge of logistics. You need to get started immediately."