Lytern rounded up a few strong armed village men to act as guards in addition to the party. Will provided horses and a wagon for the prisoners, including Azrun, to ride on.
Kuiper returned to Tauster's and informed the others that he was going to escort Johnt back to the farm so his arm could heal and that Gala was going to go with him while she decided what she wanted to do next.
Jyothki declined the offer of guard duty, "I believe I have seen what I need to see here. Time is short. There are many other things I want to do. Perhaps our paths shall cross again in the wood someday."
Tauster declined the offer of guard duty as well, but for different reasons. "The town should not be completely without protection if any of the Zhents should return. Your father will send another man here soon," the old wizard told Lytern, "but until then, I'll do what I can to watch out for the place."
Azrun looked to the old mage, "Thank you sir for your hospitality."
Aloysius had seemed surprised by Jyothki's departure. After failing to find a new shirt, he trudged along the road in his old one which was still burned and heavily blood-stained. He walked along side the prisoner cart, occasionally looking up at Azrun sadly, no doubt pained by the sight of his comrade grouped with those who had attacked them earlier.
"Will, I believe you are entitled to a share of the coins and items recovered from the battle yesterday." Blacky showed him the remaining items if he wished and pulled a dagger from the pile which he tucked in his belt. He gathered Azrun's, Kailier's, and Lasier's things and arranged them on Puddlejumper for the journey. Before they left, he tracked down Jana and offered her the two-handed sword. "It looks not much larger than your own and Tauster said it was enchanted. It may be of use to you in the days ahead."
"I think," Jana replied to Blacky, "that weapon might be more suited to you than to me. Besides," she grinned, "I've never even picked up a sword like that. I wouldn't have the first idea how to use it. Thank you, though, for thinking of me."
Parlfray's Keep-Midday, 18 Eleasias 1374 DR
The trip to the keep was uneventful. Lytern rode in silently at the back of the group. Parlfray's Keep came into sight not long after highsun. A few guards let the group in, not questioning them this time before allowing them to enter. Most of them were obviously relieved to see the lord's heir home and in one piece.
Arachne was glad of that. Perched on the back of her longtime companion, Puddlejumper, she'd felt extremely inappropriately cast in the role of guard for a wagon of prisoners. Although silent and withdrawn during the journey, she didn't _look_ as though the accumulation of troubles had affected her much. She wore repaired/reconstructed/replaced garb much like the attire she'd been wearing before the barn burned, but a combination of her sewing kit and replacement fabric found in Thurmaster pretty much undid the effects of the scorching she'd taken then. When Jyothki had taken her leave from the diminishing group, Arachne had made an attempt to bid her farewell using words the elf could understand. It was ... comprehensible.
One of the lord's guards broke out with, "Hail, Sir Lytern, brave knight o' the 'Shire, returning home victorious to his...." If the dejected expression on Lytern's face had not silenced him, the appearance of the lord would have
Lord Parlfray made it to the front of the keep where everyone was entering almost immediately. The old man was angry enough to look as though his health was in danger. His face was nearly purple and every word he tried to speak came out as a sputter. He beckoned his son with a single movement of his index finger. Lytern gave his horse to a stablehand and walked toward his father, leaving a few words of instruction with one of the keep's guards as he went by.
Jana watched Lytern leave, a strange expression on her face.
The guards started to remove the prisoners from the wagon and prepared to have them taken to the taken to the dungeons.
"Excuse me," Jana said to one of the guards. "The priest who was with us before, Gala? She left some things here when she left to go heal someone in town. I think she'd appreciate having them back. Can we get take it back, or make arrangements with someone here to do it?"
Jana looked at the others and added, "I really would like to see if Kaileer and Lasiar can be found, or at least what happened to them. I feel kinda bad about leaving them to come here, but Lytern... Well, he's safe now," she added, her former strange expression returning.
"Agreed," Arachne said simply. "We should next see if we can get Lasiar and Kaileer away from that caravan they seem to have _joined_. Aloysius, you don't know any useful locating spells? Certes, in the case of those two, we'd know exactly what -- who -- we were looking for."
Aloysius frowned and shook his head slowly. "Alas," he said, lowering his eyes in apparent shame, "that is......beyond my abilities."
Upon reaching the keep, the mage watched silently as Lord Parlfray made his appearance and summoned Lytern to him.
Azrun reached into his pack and produced his journal. He looked at it and smiled. He then turned to look down at Aloysius, "Aloysius, I want you to have this. I very seriuosly doubt I'll get to write much more in it while I travel to Cormyr. It has my life in it. My mother once told me that as long as one person remembers you that you never actually die. My memories of my parents are in this book and I don't want them forgotten. In there is also why I'm riding upon this wagon. I want you to take care of the rest of the group too. The gods only know how much help you guys are going to need." With that he smiled down at the purple haired mage, "Good journeys, my friend. Take care."
Aloysius hesitantly took the journal, carefully cradling it in both hands. The young mage was a piteous sight indeed. His hair was tousled and poorly dyed, his clothes were burned and bloodied, and now a pair of tears streamed slowly down his cheeks. He swallowed hard, but said nothing.
Azrun stood and walked along with the rest of the prisoners. He looked back at his friends, smiled and waved good bye.
"Good luck Azrun. Watch your back." Blacky said
As the men turned to head away, Aloysius suddenly called out. "Darkwalker!" His voice cracked slightly. "Azrun...." The name hung in the air. "May the Fortune Spirits guide thy steps....... my friend." Still carrying the journal, he held it close to his chest as Azrun turned once again to go.
Arachne attended to this speech, saying nothing during it. When he finished, though, she said, "Azrun, I think you're making a mistake going back to Cormyr now. It's true this is your life to live and certes, Lytern and all his people are wholeheartedly supporting you in this decision..." She smiled faintly at this gloss on the facts. "And I'll allow that part of my upset at your going is because we're scarcely finished with our business here. What of Jeleneth? What of all the others who've disappeared? Well, I'm sure you remembered all about them. And my own disquiet also stems from my distrust for Cormyr. Certes, there are many other, worse places in the Realms, but I nonetheless consider that kingdom a slippery, dangerous one. In Cormyr, for all their protestations of contentment and light, you are guilty of whatever you might be suspected of unless you can prove yourself innocent. It is not a place that I would ever want to go to for trial. I hope well for you, but fear the worst, Azrun. Godspeed --"
She turned away. "Aloysius, do come on. Excepting that I'd like to know all the possible hide-outs of this Renchifus, I'd rather be away from this keep as soon as we may."
Aloysius nodded in agreement as Jana explained her wish to find Kaileer and Lasiar.
"One of the prisoner's told me that brave Kaileer and Brightmantle were taken downriver by a caravan." He absent-mindedly stroked the whiskers on his chin. "I suppose he could have been lying, but we have no better course so far as I can see."
He then turned towards Jana. "Janathell, our numbers have greatly dwindled. If Azrun is to be taken as well, we would number only 5. My powers are at an ebb, and I would likely be of little use if we were attacked. Agree with thee do I that we are obligated to try and locate Kaileer and the Silverstar. Howe'er, mayhap it would be best if we waited until the 'morrow? That way, we would have a little more time to gain our strength. Methinks we shall have need of it."
"I disagree Arachne. Aloysius looks like death warmed and I'm sure we're all feeling the effects of yesterdays trials still. With our numbers much depleted we'd better be at full strength if we run into trouble, that calls for a good night's rest. Lord Parlfray's hospitality willing. I would also see if we can appeal for Azrun's release as well as find out the location of this priest, though I'm not hopeful for either." Blacky said looking at the tired and still wounded group.
"I'm feeling a bit poorly still myself," Jana confessed. "And I'm also still worried about Kaileer and Lasiar. After we see what if anything we can do for Azrun, perhaps we ought to arrange for the priest's belongings to be returned to her and then see if we can find this caravan they're supposedly on?"
"Very well, then. We dally a while," Arachne said to Blacky. "What I'm concerned about is that a caravan of slavers won't dally anywhere until they reach a place where their despicable trade has the support of law. I don't think that's nearby, so I expect them to keep moving -- at as fast a pace as they can force their charges to move. Yes, Jana, I agree that Kaileer and Lasiar are our priority. I was just feeling that it was an urgent one."
Echo didn't push her cowl back as the guards led the prisoners away. "I didn't think he'd just go along that easily," she muttered in a quietly strained voice. "I hope he knows what he's doing. Hide that journal or they might take it for evidence," she whispered in Aloysius' direction.
"If we are going to stay here for the rest of the day, I'm going to start trying to go through one of these spellbooks. There might be something in there that can help us," Echo continued, her face still hidden. "And does anyone want this potion? I can't imagine that I'd ever use it. I just picked it up so it didn't get left behind."
"I'll carry it, if you wish," Arachne said. "And I _can_ imagine using it. While it'd violate a prisoner just as much as torture might be deemed to in order to find out what he or she knows, I wonder if Gala would've objected as much to it?"
The remaining five members of the group stood at the front of the keep with the other village men who had acted as guards for quite a while. One of the keep guards brought Gala's belongings to them. Eventually, Lord Parlfray's scribe appeared with a coin pouch and paid them for their work.
Will and the other men from the village prepared to leave the keep to return to Thurmaster. The scribe shuffled his feet slightly and told the group, "I am Alexander, Lord Parlfray's scribe. The lord wishes me to extend his welcome to you for the night, should you desire to remain here until morning. He asks you to give me a statement regarding the events in Thurmaster related to the death of Marlen and the attempted abduction of his son." He led them to the room where they had met with Parlfray two days earlier. One of the serving women brought in a tray of cold meats, cheese, and bread.
Arachne glanced at the others, then suggested, "I'll start. And then others can fill in all the holes in what I can remember.
"When we arrived at Thurmaster, some mercenary guards of a caravan that was in town had set themselves up as gatekeepers. Jana, you told me what company the guards were in, but I don't remember it now. You did say they had an unsavory reputation. Anyway, the guards required us to peacebond our weaponry because there had been trouble in the town. They _said_ that a serving girl had slain Marlen and then disappeared. My understanding was that this was completely out of the girl's character.
"Silver Tongues," Jana supplied. "So named for the silver studs they have pierced through their tongues." Jana wrinkled her nose in distaste.
Arachne continued, "Not much else happened that night (that I know of) relevent to Marlen's murder. Some of us interrupted a rape that was being forced by some more members of that caravan (including a wizard) and the wizard, who plays too readily and unsteadily with fire, set a barn burning. But that serves simply to show further that the folks in that caravan are an extremely dubious lot.
"The next morning, we were at Mage Tauster's with Lytern. Another mob of thugs came to the wizard's house demanding that Lytern come with them. Eventually, they forced their way in and there was much fighting. I do not know why Lytern went with a half-elf to Marlen's house, but he did. So we went after him. Actually, the others went after him. I'm no use in a fight, so I went poking around in the cellar of Marlen's house. I found there a scrap of clothing that would indicate that the serving girl had recently spent some time there. There were bloodstains there also, some on the clothing. She'd been a prisoner there and had suffered.
"Actually, the cellar stank of many prisoners' sweat. My interpretation is that someone had been routinely keeping prisoners in that cellar. There were also some food and water supplies down there. Unless you have Marlen making a gaol of his cellar, I have to conclude that someone might have been using that room to collect slaves for sale...to a passing caravan, say.
"We think that some friends of ours have also been taken by that caravan. We intend to go after it, once we leave here. I think that's about as much as I can tell you." She looked around at the others. "What else do we know?"
"De cawawan es heded down wiver," Aloysius said, forgetting to swallow the huge sandwich he had stuffed in his mouth while Arachne spoke. He chewed for a moment more, swallowed, and continued. "One of the prisoners told me that. One of them also said that his group, the 'Zints' I believe they called themselves, are at odds with Ranchefus and his lot. Since we encountered Ranchefus in the Thornwood, I suspect that the caravan is headed towards the Mire. Maybe they have something to do with the stories of the lizardman queen rising down there?"
"Zhents, the caravan was run by the Zhentarim. A priest of something Xvim, who apparently is at odds with this Ranchefus, a priest of Cyric, was with them." Blacky added. "I would like the record to show that Azrun was a great help in rescuing Lord Parlfrey's son."
The mage looked once again at his blood soaked shirt. "Excuse me sir," he addressed the page, "would it be possible for me to procure a new tunic here? I'll gladly pay."
