Hells wardens, p.39
Hell's Wardens, page 39
part #14 of The Wandering Inn Series
“Jasi, do you think I could get that Skill? I’d love to have it.”
Rima looked sideways at the Drake. Jasi shrugged, peering at other shops, her tail wagging with excitement as she took the perfume and slipped it into her bag of holding.
“I don’t know how rare it is, Rima. But just wait until Level 20! Myself, I hope this Skill upgrades, like some of them do. Can you imagine that? If it gets to something like fifty gold, I’ll hire an [Alchemist] to make me a potion I can use for each play! Or even a scroll! I haven’t tried that, only makeup and dresses.”
“Leave the tailoring to our [Tailor] or the poor woman will be out of work, Jasi. There are better things to be had. Like your scale balm! Or the paints!”
——
The two [Actresses] lingered for over an hour in Invrisil, just wandering the streets. It was a far cry from Celum; practically anything you might want was available in the shops, and there was an entire industry designed to cater to visitors. Unlike Liscor or Celum, there were restaurants, guided tours of parts of the city—and yes, entertainment in every form! The two might have wandered forever, but Grev found them.
“Jasi, there you are! Emme’s pitching a fit! She says you need to check in!”
“Oh! We forgot!”
Jasi turned, embarrassed, and Rima started. They’d wandered far from their entry point, and now they were completely lost. But Grev had found them with uncanny accuracy. The young boy grinned at them.
“Lucky you have me then. Don’t worry! I marked you with my [Waypoint] Skill, Jasi. And the inn! We go…this way!”
Grev winked at Rima and impishly darted across the street. He was low-level, since he was a child, but he was a [Street Rat] and put his few Skills to good use. Jasi and Rima followed.
“It’s huge out there, Jasi! Streets and streets—I went for an hour one way and I still couldn’t tell if I was nearing the edge of the city!”
“You shouldn’t have gone alone, Grev! Remember what I said?”
Her younger brother rolled his eyes at his sister’s concern. Grev was as taken with Invrisil as they were, but his experience was far different.
“I’m safer than I would be with someone minding me, Jasi! And I’ve got a good idea of the city. There’s gangs, alright. But they’re keeping low. The City Watch isn’t as poor as Celum’s was, but there’s at least one big group. Probably more. You want me to find out more?”
“No! If you get into trouble, I’ll thump you, you little brat!”
“You’re too slow. And you won’t thump anyone for fear of ruining your fancy claws for the stage!”
Grev darted out of Jasi’s reach. Rima laughed, and the group returned to the inn in high spirits. The Players had set up in the inn they’d come to while they took stock. Emme was grumbling about finding a good spot to perform in, preferably the same place where they’d sleep, but she’d already paid the [Innkeeper] to let them put their things in a room for a few hours.
“We should have sent someone to scout ahead and find the best spot! I’m not setting up everything twice, Jasi, and location is key! Where have you been? Wesle found someone!”
Emme pointed at Wesle and a man dressed in colorful clothing, a lute slung over his back to Jasi. The Drake walked over, and Wesle stood up.
“Jasi! Meet Mister Desirel. I was checking out the city, and we crossed paths.”
The Human man blinked at Jasi, but she was used to the reaction. She smiled, held out a claw to shake. He clasped her hand gingerly, but she didn’t scratch him with her nails.
“Delighted. I’m Jasi, a fellow [Actor] in the Players of Celum. How do you do?”
She added just a bit of refinement to her voice and met the man’s gaze directly for a second. Charming—Desirel blinked, then smiled more genuinely.
“A pleasure, Miss Jasi? My name is Desirel, I am a humble [Bard]. Allow me to welcome you to Invrisil!”
Behind him, Grev rolled his eyes and made a rude and lewd gesture. Jasi stared at him for a second, and Grev disappeared. Wesle motioned, and all three sat down. He’d ordered an ale for Desirel—milk and a juice for himself and Jasi.
“We’re competing with a lot of other entertainment, apparently, Jasi.”
“I saw as much on my walk. But the city is massive. Surely we’ll find enough people for all of us?”
The [Bard] chuckled as he reached for his cup.
“That’s what I thought, Miss Jasi, Mister Wesle. But it can be difficult! So you’re the Players of Celum? Not a bad name, and you’ve come at a good time. Still, you’ll need a bit more flash than this to make a proper living.”
He gestured towards Emme and the others. Wesle raised his eyebrows.
“You mean…?”
“Music! Magic! Costumes! You have some, don’t you?”
“Oh, we have costumes. But we’re not doing…entertainment. We’re [Actors], Mister Desirel. We perform stories.”
The [Bard] wrinkled his nose as Wesle tried to explain.
“Oh? Close to [Performers], then. Well, I daresay you can find good work with the nobility. They always want some saga about them written, and there’s steady work if you’ve a decent group.”
“We’re [Actors], not [Performers], Mister Desirel. There is a difference.”
Jasi’s voice was polite, but insistent. The [Bard] hesitated.
“Even so, I’d say you need to temper your expectations. Your Dwarf friend was asking about getting into the biggest inns? Good luck! Even Gold-rank adventurers have to compete for our best spots. We’ve several Level 30 plus [Innkeepers] in the city. A few almost as good as that one near First Landing. And their inns—oh, fabulous. But as I said, even adventurers can’t just pay their way in. Named Adventurers and the biggest [Merchants] can—in fact, Ellia Arcsinger herself is staying in the city! But again performing in her inn would mean you’ve reached the top.”
“And there is a top?”
The [Bard] grimaced.
“We have a Level 40 [Troubadour] in the city, among others. You think you can compete? It’s hard to play your best music and watch her steal your entire audience. They don’t come back, or if they do, they don’t pay as much after seeing her perform.”
He glowered, all too ready to grumble about the problem with competing with people nearly twice your level to the two [Actors]. Jasi met Wesle’s eyes; she didn’t feel too worried, and he clearly felt the same. The Players had something no [Bard] could match. She excused herself after a few minutes to speak with Emme.
“There’s a lot of competition, Emme.”
“Well, I’ll see if I can watch this [Troubadour] and see what we’re up against. But listen, Jasi! Remember how I sent a [Message] a few days back to Erin? She replied!”
“Really? What did she say?”
Jasi bent over the table as Emme pulled out a piece of parchment she’d gotten from the Mage’s Guild. The [Director] relayed Erin’s words.
“She says…she doesn’t have any. None that she can think of. She says she watched parts of something called The Children’s Hour, but she can’t use her Skill to recall the parts she didn’t watch.”
“What? Can she at least transcribe all that she remembers? Maybe we can get Andel to use it. Although he’s got his head shoved so far up his behind that he’ll soon be nothing but ass.”
Dismayed, Jasi looked at the tight handwriting. Emme shook her head. She was still excited, though.
“Temile is going to get her to try. But see here? This is what she told him when he asked her your question. She says—why not just change one of the current plays? Like Juliet and Romeo. Put Juliet in Romeo’s place and alter the lines.”
Jasi looked up.
“But that’s not the same. Romeo is different from Juliet. Erin doesn’t get how the roles work.”
“Right. So that’s why I thought—let’s rewrite the scripts. Dead gods, we do it already! Let’s create a female role out of the male ones, so they’re believable and true to the performance!”
The Drake looked up, meeting Emme’s eyes. She hesitated, then smiled. That was more like it.
“Of course! But—Andel will never go for it.”
Emme looked innocent.
“Who said anything about Andel? He’s too busy over his masterpiece, anyways. Let’s just think about which play you’d like to adapt. If you had a preference?”
Jasi didn’t have to think.
“Macbeth.”
Emme raised her brows.
“Really? You want the traitor’s role?”
“I’ve seen Wesle do it. That’s the role I want to play, only as Lady Macbeth, serving my [King]—or [Queen]! And I want different lines, Emme. I’m not strangling anyone on stage. But I could knife someone.”
The Dwarf woman paused. But then she smiled. She turned and called across the inn to the Players still present.
“Orica!”
A woman looked up. She had been helping write [Messages] back to the Mage’s Guild, but now she stood up and hurried over. She had ink-stained fingers, spectacles, and so many piece of parchment that she needed a clipboard to hold it all. She rushed over. The second [Writer] for the Players of Celum who did the ‘silver-coin’ plays, which were simpler, involved modern events, and drew in crowds, nodded to Jasi, then Emme.
“Something you want, Emme? Miss Jasi?”
“Yes. Put aside all your projects for now, Orica. We want you to rewrite Macbeth.”
The [Writer] looked wary.
“Isn’t that Andel’s territory, Emme?”
She was a former [Scribe], unlike Andel, who had been a [Potter] until the written word had called him to produce his first play. Jasi liked Orica more, for all she lacked Andel’s pure creativity at times. Orica worked fast and accommodated a lot more than the touchy Andel.
Emme shook her head.
“Not this time. You see, Andel’s busy with his new work, but Jasi and I think you’d be better than he is. Because we want to rewrite parts of Macbeth. Not to change the language, but the characters. Jasi wants to play Lady Macbeth, and we want you to alter her dialogue. Tweak her performance to match…well, a female character. Change others too! Can you do that?”
Orica’s eyes lit up. She sat down, putting her magical quill and clipboard on the table. She thumbed through it, finding an empty piece of parchment.
“I can do that. You know, I’ve always thought how odd it was that none of Shakespeare’s works had female warriors in them. None at all! It must have been a cultural thing. But—I can certainly try to adapt the play!”
“Not too much. Just make it believable. Add in a few details that change the play!”
Jasi bent over the table, speaking eagerly. Orica was already jotting notes down.
“Of course, Miss Jasi. It’s just nuance. A lot of the lines work fine as they are, but I could completely see a scene where the [Witches] first greet Lady Macbeth as their own. Sister! Yes—”
“Pralcem will flip his lid when he hears about this.”
Grev appeared from the side, chewing on some dried jerky. He grinned as the three women turned. Jasi scowled at him.
“Stop bothering us, Grev! And don’t you dare tell Pralcem or anyone else until we’re ready—”
A figure burst into the inn before Grev could reply. Pralcem himself, breathless, desperate, turned as the Players looked up. He scrambled for words, then shouted.
“Wesle! Jasi! All of you with weapons, come quick! They got Andel and Kilkran when they were out shopping!”
There was dead silence, then Rima gasped.
“Who? What?”
The Players shot to their feet. Wesle jumped out of his seat where he and the [Bard] were sitting. He rushed towards the door. Emme grabbed for Jasi.
“No, wait! Let Wesle and the men—”
“Damn the men! Let go, Emme! Let me see!”
In her seat, Orica sat up and began scribbling fast as Jasi tore away from Emme. She charged out the door, after Wesle. She only had a belt dagger, but she’d lived in the poorer parts of Celum. And the Players were her family.
——
She found Kilkran and Andel surrounded by a crowd—and the City Watch. They were already on the scene and a [Healer] was tending to the two men. Andel had a bloody nose, and Kilkran had taken a blow along the head. Kilkran was babbling to Wesle when Jasi arrived, panting.
“They jumped us! Just attacked us on the street as we were shopping! Four of them! I thought this was a safe city! But they attacked us—ran off before the [Guards] could even get them!”
“[Thugs]. They must have sensed the gold your friends were carrying, sir. There’s a new group in the city. They must have been behind it.”
The [Guardsman] addressed Wesle. The [Actor] drew him aside, and Jasi followed. She heard the two speaking.
“—former Watch myself. How normal is this?”
The other [Guardsman] hesitated, but Wesle had a hand on his shoulder, and he was copying the former [Watch Captain] of Celum. The [Guardsman] straightened, looking abashed.
“Honestly? Rare, sir—Mister Salkis. Attacks in the open don’t happen in Invrisil, not like this! But as I said, there’s this new gang, and your friends must have been carrying enough gold to warrant it.”
“Those idiots probably had forty gold between them. Kilkran and Andel spend big.”
Jasi groaned. The [Guardsman] nodded. And his expression read ‘idiots’ as he glanced at the two sitting and being tended to. He turned to Wesle.
“We’ll investigate it and try to get that money back, Mister Salkis. But frankly, with the amount of gold your two friends were carrying and how they looked—they were easy targets. And the [Thugs] are no doubt in hiding.”
Wesle ground his teeth together.
“Can’t anything be done?”
The [Guardsman] shrugged helplessly.
“The City Watch keeps crime under control. But there are always high-level experts. You know how it is.”
Wesle relented.
“I do indeed. Thank you, officer. And if you find the gold, we’d all be much relieved.”
He turned back to Jasi and shook his head. She walked with him as they returned to Kilkran and Andel. The [Healer] pronounced them both fine, even Kilkran, although she warned him to lie down. The two [Actors] let Pralcem and some others escort them to the inn. Jasi glared around.
“Some welcome to Invrisil! Kilkran’s an idiot, but still! A mugging in the open? Isn’t this Magnolia Reinhart’s land? I thought she was the most powerful [Lady] in Invrisil! She has estates in Celum!”
“She’s one of them. But speaking as a [Guardsman], I know how the Watch feels. We’re not exactly the highest-level, most of us. And our opponents can be very high-level. Stopping rogue adventurers is a nightmare. Come on, we’ll ask Desirel about it.”
Wesle shook his head. The [Bard] was sympathetic, but he explained to Jasi and Wesle what they already knew.
“It’s not safe in all parts of Invrisil. I don’t know what your friends were thinking. Well, they were on the main streets, but even so! You don’t flash lots of gold in some parts of the city. But it is safe. Generally.”
“What about Lady Reinhart? Doesn’t she handle crime like this?”
Desirel shook his head.
“Nominally. Invrisil does pay some of its taxes to her, but Lady Reinhart prefers to let the Watch do its job. She’s hands-off, which means we get bad crime now and then, but it’s quite safe in Invrisil comparatively! Trust me, I’ve been to other large cities in Izril like Gaunt, and gangs have so much power the Watch won’t clash with them for fear of getting wiped out.”
He shook his head as Wesle traded a glance with Jasi. Gangs weren’t big the further south you got. But organized crime was something they’d heard was worse in the north. This was a surprise.
“Here, it’s just incidents. The [Thief]’s probably part of a new gang that moved in. They’re kicking up a fuss; putting out [Thieves] and even robbing folk on the street! The Watch is trying to get them, but the gang’ll probably abandon anyone who gets caught and leave in a few days.”
——
“Damn, damn, damn. What were you boneheads thinking? We’re doubling the watch on the vault! No—I’ll move it to the Merchant’s Guild and deposit some more with them tomorrow! For now, no one goes out with lots of money, or if they do, they get an escort!”
Emme cursed out both Kilkran, Andel, and the [Thugs] in general. Jasi nodded, watching the two battered men slump over in their seats. Kilkran put a hand to his head where he’d applied some ice.
“Demons take those [Thugs]! How am I supposed to perform tonight? My head still smarts, even with the potion! Anyone know who they were? Will they be found?”
“No clue. And the Watch wasn’t optimistic. You’re not performing tonight either, Kilkran. We can’t have you passing out on stage.”
“What?”
The man looked up, aghast. Jasi saw him try to stand up and half a dozen hands pull him back down and felt someone tug at her arm.
“Jasi! I know who got them.”
“What?”
Grev was looking up at her seriously. He motioned her over, and Jasi dragged Wesle over as Emme laid down her directorial law. Grev turned to the two.
“Greenblade’s Boys. That’s the group that got Kilkran and Andel.”
“Grev! How do you know that?”
The boy looked scornfully at the two adults.
“How can’t I? Everyone’s buzzing about the attack, so I stepped out and asked some of the kids I met. I’m a [Street Rat], aren’t I? I’ve got my ear to the ground and a Skill that lets me find out that much. The other kids, they say the Greenblades’re new. Just like that [Bard] said. They’ll be gone soon, but they’re flash, not builders. Better tell Emme to leave them alone; they’d be bad news to cross.”
“Flash?”
Wesle looked confused. Jasi had heard Grev enough times. She just sighed as Grev turned and nodded knowingly.
“Sure. Flash is gangs or people on the bad side of the law who run in, get what they can, and run out. [Bandits] are all flash; they don’t stick around. Builders and other groups though, they’re different. Like rats.”
