The priest nearly jumped out of his skin, but when he realized it was Xaphira, he let out a long, loud sigh and looked up.
The woman was just dropping down from a second-story railing that ran around the entire perimeter of that particular building, front to back. As her feet hit the hard-packed dirt of the alley, she tucked her knees to soften the blow, then came smoothly up again. Kovrim moved closer to her so they could converse quietly.
"Yes, I was beginning to worry about you," the priest admonished. "Allow an old man to fret a bit."
Xaphira chuckled softly.
"It's nice to know someone still cares," she said. "All right, I've reconnoitered the entire perimeter of the place, as well as a couple of potential points farther inside the walls where I think we can get through unhindered. I have an idea of how we can go about getting this brouhaha started, but it requires that we split the troops into two squads."
"I'm listening," Kovrim said, "but let's get the two sergeants involved in this. Their men are the ones on the line here, after all."
The two of them receded into the alley and gathered the officers to them, and Kovrim motioned for Xaphira to begin explaining her plan. When she finished, and they had discussed and adjusted a few minor points, she peered at each one there.
"All right, then," Xaphira said. "Are we in agreement?" Everyone gathered at the discussion nodded in turn. "Then let's get started."
The mercenaries jumped up as soon as the word was given that things were about to start happening. The sergeants quickly had them divided into two equal groups, with each officer commanding one unit. Both sets of soldiers were led to their respective spots, and Xaphira went with first one, then the other, slipping over the wall again to double-check that the locales were all clear, or to take a guard out who might have been too close. That left Kovrim by himself to get through the gates and provide a distraction.
The priest waited for a while, a set time that they had all agreed to beforehand, gauging the passage of time by the moon. He hoped that all of it would work, not just because failure would mean chaos for the soldiers who were trusting their lives to a couple of people they hardly knew, but also for the sake of the Matrells inside. Kovrim tried to imagine how he would feel if he were in Vambran's shoes, or Xaphira's, for that matter. He doubted he would be holding up nearly so well. He had to admire that about them.
Finally, it was time to go. Taking one slow, calming breath, Kovrim prepared a couple of spells that he would use to both capture his foes' attention and protect himself. He walked toward the gates, his talisman of Waukeen in his grasp, and called on the favor of his goddess to ward him from attack. He felt the protective magic settle into place around him just before he reached the gates, which were closed.
A pair of guards stood on the other side, and as they noticed the priest's approach, they leaped to action, coming close to the wide gates and demanding to know who it was.
Kovrim simply smiled and began to weave the second bit of magic he had in store for the men, speaking as he did so.
"On this night, of all nights, we are blessed by the serenity of the moon, and the breeze off the harbor," he said, just rambling, knowing it really didn't matter what he spoke of, so long as he kept up the speech for the duration. He watched the two guards closely to see if they were drawn into the mesmerizing words. They both seemed to be, for they relaxed and settled their gazes on him quietly.
Still speaking, Kovrim reached through and unlatched the gate, opening it just enough to step through. The guards didn't react to that, for they were attentively listening to his speech, which had become a diatribe concerning the evils of hoarding coin and how that held Waukeen's golden age of plenty at bay. Farther up the path, though, someone shouted, and three more guards rushed down toward the gates to see what was going on. As they neared and began to hear the priest's speech, they too stood still to listen. Kovrim smiled as he continued, pleased to see even more of the guards running in his direction.
Emriana made a strangled cry and shook her head vehemently as she heard Denrick's words suggesting that the wizard, Bartimus, might ensorcell her into desiring the man. The thought horrified her, was more terrible to contemplate than the notion of being taken by force. The idea that her free will could be taken from her so that she would give Denrick what he wanted sent her spiraling down into a dark pit of despair.
Denrick noticed the girl's reaction, and he smiled.
"What, don't you think it would be better like that?" he asked Emriana. "At least you'd be fooled into looking forward to it," he added, that wolfish grin growing more feral by the moment. He turned back to the diffident wizard. "Well? Can you do it?"
Bartimus nodded and replied, "I can, but these things are never guaranteed to work, and there are always unintended side-effects. I'm giving you these warnings so that you will be fully aware of them and not blame me later if it doesn't all turn out as wonderfully and romantic as you're envisioning right now. Furthermore, I have to say that-"
"Are you quite done?" Denrick asked, cutting off the babbling man. "I don't want a full lecture on the details. I just want to know if you can do it or not." The wizard simply nodded. "Good, then get on with it."
Emriana sobbed and began to thrash in her bonds again, shaking her head violently back and forth, mmphing through the wad of cloth shoved back in her mouth, pleading with Denrick not to go through with his foul game. The young man simply gestured expectantly toward her while staring down the wizard.
Bartimus walked cautiously over to stand near Emriana, shoved his glasses farther up his nose, and said, "All right; we've got a couple of choices here. I think perhaps… yes, that should do nicely."
Emriana whined plaintively at the man, trying to make him see her side of things, but Bartimus was effectively cowed by Denrick and he totally ignored her, other than to begin the casting.
That's when Emriana began to rock her chair back and forth again. She had been moved farther away from Jaleene so that they couldn't help one another escape again, and the handmaiden had been gagged, too. But Emriana wasn't trying to reach her companion in the hopes of getting her knots untied. She simply wanted to tumble over, fall flat on her back, knock herself unconscious, perhaps. Anything was better than being magically charmed into crawling into bed with Denrick right at that moment.
The girl heaved her weight around, trying to increase the motion. As she got into a rhythm, Denrick came around and grabbed the chair, halting it. Emriana whimpered in absolute disconsolation. Then Denrick slapped her, once, hard enough to cause her to grunt again. He leered at her.
"All right," Bartimus said, "I think I'm ready to begin. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Denrick stepped back from Emriana's chair and replied, "Yes, use your magic to make her drawn irresistibly to me. I want her to desire me and take me willingly to her bed."
Bartimus opened his mouth to begin, but he never got even the first words out, for both his and Denrick's attention were suddenly drawn to something behind Emriana. They were looking in the direction of the doorway leading out to her patio.
The girl turned her head, straining to see behind her, but the chair's angle and high back made it impossible.
"If you don't shut your mouth right now"-it was Vambran-"I'll plant this crossbow bolt right into the middle of it."
Em closed her eyes in relief.
"Damn you!" Denrick cried as Bartimus stammered, mumbled, and backed away. "How the hells did you get past the guards?"