10 Masquerades by Forgotten Realms

Author:Forgotten Realms [Realms, Forgotten]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-04-10T14:43:46.999000+00:00

Melman's Place

It took the swordswoman only a few minutes to change from her finery back into her armor, but in that time the weather had turned. Clouds roiled in from the east, veiling the moon, and mist rolled up from the bay and the river, shrouding the streets. Despite the cover this provided the three adventurers, Olive insisted they take one extra precaution to elude any possible Night Masks who might be spying on them-leave the city via the Thalavars' secret underground tunnel. Once outside the city, Olive crept southward, keeping in the shadow of the city wall, with Alias and Dragonbait following behind. Since only the halfling had been both conscious and free of the sorceress Cassana's magical controls when they'd last used the tunnel that led to Cassana's former home, they had to rely on Olive to lead them to the outside entrance. They sneaked over the fence into the Ssemm family stockyards and made their way to the eastern end of the yards. As the halfling rustled through an overgrown dry wash searching for the entrance, Alias and Dragonbait kept watch at the wash's rim. The moon broke through the clouds for a few moments, and then Alias could make out seven mounds to the southeast. There was a good deal of activity in the stockyards to the west of the dry wash. Caravans were being readied for departure in the morning. Alias shifted nervously, worried that she would be discovered trespassing, and Orgule Ssemm would add his complaints to those of Ssentar Urdo, further annoying the croamarkh. "Olive," she whispered. "What's taking you so long?" "I'll bet the passage hasn't been used since Finder and I came through it. The gully is really overgrown," the halfling whispered back. An eternity of heartbeats seemed to pass before Olive called out to report her success. Dragonbait, able to detect the heat of the halfling's body in the dark, took Alias's arm and led her to Olive's location. The halfling crawled out from beneath a thicket of wild raspberry. "I don't think either of you could get through like I could," Olive reported. "You'll have to hack at the brush some." The two warriors drew their swords and cut into the briars until they'd cleared a path into a tributary of the gully. "There!" Olive whispered excitedly, pointing into the hillside. The doorway was partially blocked by mud and rock carried by heavy rains, but the door was still visible. Fortunately it opened inward, so they weren't required to do any digging. Alias pushed up the latch with the tip of her weapon and nudged the door open with her foot. The door's hinges made an alarming squeal, and a decade's worth of dust assailed the swordswoman's nostrils. Dragonbait whispered "Toast," in Saurial, causing his enchanted blade to blaze. Igniting a straw from the paladin's sword, Alias used it to light a conventional lantern. Dragonbait took the point; Alias followed behind him. Olive, after one last look down the dry wash to be sure no one had observed them, slipped through the door behind the warriors.

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