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July 27 - Visits. Late in day, got a good scry out of the windows of
Gaius's hiding place, and Robyn thinks he can find it now.
July 28- I rose today with the fixed purpose of looking for Gaius
personally if I had to, but the streets were crawling with vigiles.
Alfredus went out and inquired of one what was up, and learned that,
acting on "information received," they were moving to suppress a potential
gangwar and plotted sedition. Both Milo and Big Titus were prominent on
the long list of persons sought, but he could not determine whether Gaius
was. Under the circumstances, I deemed it prudent to stay home making
potions for the upcoming journey, but Robyn and Tamara went in search of
the boy, and Decimus went to the library.
Late in the day, when no one had returned, I borrowed Uncle's crystal and
scryed for Robyn and Tamara. They appeared to have found the correct
attic, and were waiting patiently in the dark, but Gaius was nowhere to be
seen. Scrying for him, I saw that he had been unsuccessful in avoiding
the vigiles, so I determined to go fetch him, taking Alfredus and Thor, as
well as the new poems Mama sent me from home.
I was thankful for the poems, for it required several hours to work our
way through the bureaucracy, but in the end I succeeded in getting Gaius
remanded to my custody. Alfredus openly disapproved of the entire
proceeding. It is a strange sensation to have a barbarian disapproving of
me! I'm afraid no one else understands why I want to rescue the boy from
his accustomed life, Gaius least of all, but since everyone has cooperated
in my desire I have no complaint to make of them. We collected Robyn and
Tamara, as well as Gaius's few pitiful possessions, and went home to a
late supper, which Uncle had kindly waited for us.
Over dinner, Robyn recounted for us a small adventure he had undertaken
while waiting for Gaius to turn up. The hiding place was just outside the
cordon surrounding Milo's headquarters, and several people had been
through the lower floors on an improvisational basis, their normal
business meeting places having been disrupted by the siege. One woman
with an attendant imp exchanged money for a map and several pages of
notes, which the seller claimed would reveal the location of the legendary
Tombs of the Archmages. Uncle got That Look on his face, closely mirrored
by a similar look on Decimus's. Robyn had never heard of the Archmages,
but he recognized the name as the sort of thing Uncle would be interested
in, and the imp as an evil creature, so he drank his invisibility potion.
made a close examination of the map and documents over the woman's
shoulder, and followed her back to her inn. It was not difficult to find
out some information about her, since she conspicuously went around with
ten bodyguards - hardly a trusting soul!
Uncle began to talk about how much he wanted a look at the map and notes,
and, fearing that temptation was rearing its ugly head yet again, I
mentioned that scrying was a more efficient and less dangerous way to
obtain such information than, say, burglary, and then excused myself to go
to the baths. A clean cantrip is no substitute for a proper bath after a
visit to a prison. When I emerged, word was waiting for me to come to
Uncle's study, where both he and Decimus had failed to scry the papers, so
though I was by now quite weary I obliged by trying, too, and much to my
surprise I succeeded. They were in a dark place, but I kept the scry up
for a time, and eventually she took them out and began to make notes. She
was long enough over this that I was able to copy everything substantial,
I hope with tolerable accuracy, and Uncle to read the pages in their
entirety. I then tried to go straight to bed, but I have been unable to
shut off my brain. I have just heard the watch cry two hours after
midnight, so I will try again to sleep. The light is still on in Uncle's
study. It would seem that our destination has been decided.
July 29 - Long talk with Gaius, put him through his paces. Guilia had not
had time to advance his religious education much, alas. He assisted me
making a potion of CLW. It is much, much too hot. Uncle in library all
day tracking down footnotes from the scryed papers. Alfredus wanted
advice on present for Greta; settled on commissioning invisibility potions
from Decimus.
July 30 - Extraordinary conversation with Alfredus re: The sort of man I
want !?! This must have something to do with Greta. He seems to have
decided that I'm too isolated and it's unhealthy - as if he had any idea
who I see socially outside of the house! On the one hand, it's rather
sweet that he's concerned for my health; on the other hand, Orus spare me
from the matchmaking attempts of barbarians. I had Gaius assist him about
his duties today, preparing for our upcoming voyage, in part to see how he
gets along with Ludo, who follows Alfredus about in the most touching
manner. I believe they also did some sparring, trying out several weapons
to see which kind suited Gaius best. Made a scroll of Remove Paralysis.
Visited Calid. Sometimes I think I'm making progress and sometimes - oh,
well. Tried to find out whether the wizard with the "baby beholder" was
arrested and held, but it's hard to ask about people when you're not
supposed to know of their existence.
July 31 - I took a visitor for Uncle this afternoon. A messenger from
"King" Lew of Gwynned. The news from Gwynned is no better than usual.
Slightly worse in one regard. Ludo's existence is known and Lew's
messenger is going around warning senators that the boy should be returned
to his protection and that interference from Tarantium will not be
tolerated. As if they could prevent it if the Emperor decided to
interfere, which would be most unwise at this juncture. Their description
of Greta was tolerably good and of Ludo tolerably bad, but they have his
right name. I feigned ignorance. He was going from our door to V's, so I
warned him to be careful because V is rumored to have connections to
organized crime. I informed Greta at once, and she said that Prince Lew
was probably sincere enough in offering to protect the boy and raise him
as a prince outside the line of succession; but sincerity and ability are
two different things and she feels safer with us. The house guards are
under orders to report directly to me if they see the messenger hanging
about again. Gaius assisted Decimus in making one of Alfredus's
commissioned potions.
(A couple of days about potion making and Gaius's continuing education
snipped)
August 3 - (Unlike previous entries, which are meticulously neat and
indecipherable, this entry is written in an uncertain, blotted hand and
carelessly coded.) When, when, when can we leave this cursed town? Uncle
is gone already and a good thing to, but if things are this bad here, how
can they be any better in Tarantium?
Uncle had a call to make on the Governor this morning, so we made up a
full retinue, best clothes and all, my brand-new sandals with the bead
work, all the guards, Alfredus , and Robyn perspiring dreadfully in full
armor, under worgskins, etc., and Tamara and Decimus between them enough
to knock anyone's eyes out; a proper turn-out in fact that it took most of
the morning to set up properly. Tamara insisted that her cat claws were
jewelry, and as it turned out she had them hidden on her person after the
second time I made her take them off. I will not argue with her on this
topic in the future.
I was giving myself a stiff neck trying to keep my flower garland from
slipping sideways on the new hairstyle Greta did for me, when Decimus
stepped up beside Uncle on the other side and asked him quietly if he knew
what had just drawn blood from his neck. Uncle said that it was nothing,
only an insect bite, but I detected poison - praise Orus that I've been
taking that spell this past week! Robyn, meanwhile, had found a small
dart lying on the ground, and Alfredus had spied someone fleeing the
scene.
The procession halted in confusion. I cast "delay poison" and the others
apprehended the villain in short order, drawing a crowd and, thank Orus,
the vigiles. When they heard the word "poison" they made a square around
us with their staves and bulled us straight through the worst of the day's
traffic to the Temple, where the priests were able to neutralize the
poison but not to recognize it. The assassin claimed that "none of the
other" people he had shot in this way had died, and that he understood his
employer's intention to be to make his victims amenable to suggestions.
The employer's name was Mehmout or Mahmout or something of that sort. It
was hard to hear through the throbbing in my head. The highly public
nature of our apprehension of the prisoner made it likely that the
unspeakable scoundrel was in the process of escaping even as we learned
his name. Leaving Uncle in the hands of the priests we accompanied the
vigiles to the address which the prisoner gave. Decimus spotted a plume
of smoke coming from the courtyard, so he flew over the rear wall carrying
Tamara while I broke in with the vigiles in the front, a certain number of
vigiles guarded the rear exits, and Robyn and Alfredus scaled the wall.
The vigiles have a standard search pattern, but I thought the master of
the house, if not already absconded, was likely to be in his study seizing
more papers for destruction, so I made my way there as quickly as I could.
There I encountered Robyn, possessed of the same thought, and a fine mess,
but no villain. We were sure of this, because I had "invisibility purge"
on as well as "sanctuary." My attention attracted by sounds in the
courtyard, I looked out to see Alfredus engaged in fighting a large man
with an ax and a small man hurling spells about. Tamara lay as if
paralyzed and Decimus in a pool of blood. I very nearly jumped off the
balcony to reach them, and I did lose my sandals - beads everywhere.
I barely got to Decimus in time, and dispelled the magic holding Tamara
(actually Sofia's dispel magic failed, but Tamara was due to come out of
the "hold person" anyway), but Alfredus was in a rage, trying to smash the
sorcerer while the barbarian tried to smash Alfredus. I screamed at the
ax-weilding lug to die, and he obligingly fell to ground, so Tamara tore
strips from her dress to secure him. The sorcerer used dimension door to
get away, but Decimus recognized the spell and flew straight up to see him
staggering down the street. Robyn and Tamara and half the vigiles in
Brigantium followed him while I healed Alfredus. The sorcerer was indeed
Mamutt, though he looked so insignificant we could scarcely believe it.
Robyn had actually thought he was a mere servant under orders to destroy
the papers! Alfredus had saved many of them, stamping out the fire, and
our original prisoner proved a very talkative man under promise of
immunity from all the punishments he should be suffering for blowing
poison darts into the representatives of his country - the list of victims
in unbelievable! The Captain of the Garrison, high priests, Governor's
aides, on and on and on I don't remember them all. Mamat would question
them and release them and they don't remember a thing about it.
My head hurts. The information the Leagues must have on our defenses
doesn't bear thinking about. Uncle has teleported to Tarantium to tell
the Emperor in person. The ship is hired and we are to proceed to the
Tomb of the Archmages without him in two days. Tamara clawed up the
barbarian after she tied him and I stopped her but I don't care as much as
I should. Marmot will get what he deserves but that slimy traitor that
fired the blowpipe is going to walk. Just walk away! Not if I get in his
way. I can't think like this. After all, if Milo had a niece and she knew
what I did she'd feel the same way and it's all business as usual. No
it's not. How can I even think of comparing that gangster to my dear good
uncle who spent his life in public service? (More in this vein snipped.)
In contrast to the above, this note carried by Uncle Lucius to his sister
and nieces in Tarantium is perfumed, on good notepaper, and in Sofia's
best scribe's hand:
Dear Mater et alia:
What Uncle has to say to you may sound alarming, but
you are not to worry and to do just as he says. All will be well. We are
about to embark on a refreshing sea voyage to the west, directly away from
all the world's worst troubles. Be sure and tell that snooty Emilia
Fortuna that I have a *half-elven* page boy, and let me know what shade of
green she turns. Love and kisses, Sofia.
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August 4 - Discovered that Uncle had left us a combat bonus of 250 solidii each!! Decimus fairly
shouted for joy and ran to the apothecary. Alfredus was insistent on the
subject of my wearing armor, and eventually I agreed that, if we found a
highly decorated breastplate that was within my budget, fit comfortably,
and was not entirely ugly I would buy it. We bought a great many things,
but found no breastplate to fit my exacting standards. I never thought we
would. I fear Gaius is of carrying baskets, but he looks very handsome in
his new livery and with the haircut Greta gave him. We agreed, between
ourselves, that the effect would be twice as fetching if we curled his
hair slightly around the ear points, but we have not mentioned the idea to
him for fear he would drop everything and run.
Tomorrow we leave at last, Orus willing. I feel as if someone is
watching me every step I take. It was a great strain pretending to be calm paying
my farewell calls - especially to Giulia, Calid, Brax, and others who must
be regarded as in the line of fire. My patrician friends will be
inconvenienced, but I scarcely think endangered, unless an invasion fleet
lands.
Which, under the circumstances, it might.
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