Chapter One- "The Letter"- Part Four

[Lili the Elfcat]

The whole project was desperate. Altario was being blackmailed into smuggling some vilerat’s loot into Santharia’s most paranoid city. And instead of crushing said vilerat between his fingers, our Remusian soldier not only intended to do its bidding, but to take with him four women: a foreigner whom he didn’t know, an elf whom he didn’t trust, a Kuglimz highwaywoman whom he shouldn’t  trust, and an orc whom he hated. And all he had for his efforts was a promise of news that the blackmailer-vilerat might or might not actually possess.

And anyway, as far as Lili was concerned, there was only one thing you needed to know about blackmail: if you pay once, you’ll pay twice. Smuggle your piece of finely crafted rotten wood into Thalambath, proudly return to your blackmailer, smile at him as you make your curtsy, and get – not your information, but your next assignment. That’s how it would go. The only good thing about this adventure was that it was so utterly hopeless that it didn’t matter if it was a trap or not.

On Lili’s shoulder, Kassandra was beginning to chatter in a low, conspiratorial voice. Lili patted her bird on the head, signalling her to be quiet. For once it worked. Lili turned and looked straight at Altario.

”Sounds as appealing as a trip up a boardrak’s bowels,” she said.

”When do we go?”

[Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin]

Altario smiled at Lili.  Seemed she was a character.  She owed him nothing, but yet here she was, eager to risk herself for him and his daughter.  Of course, the Remusian didn't believe this would be the first time she ever did something less than legal.

"As soon as we can.  We need to figure out a way to get a load of wood into what has been described as an impenetrable city."  Altario reached up and scratched at his chin.  "To be honest, I'm not sure how we do that.  I just sold my last gem, so my finances aren't as good as they once were.  If they were, I'd suggest trying to bribe the guards at the gate.  It would be the most direct route."

He looked over to the brooding elf.  "I have never been there, so I'm not sure about what we are up against.  You are the expert here, unless someone else has been there recently?"  His gaze scanned the group.

[Ílarolén'yliás (Drustai)]

"I have never been there, so I'm not sure about what we are up against.  You are the expert here, unless someone else has been there recently?"

Drustai nodded at Altario. "It has been some time since I was last there, but yes, I know something of it." Her last memento of the place had been a Thalambathian scroll tome she bought years ago--a scroll tome that had just been ruined thanks to her dive. She would be have to buy a new one once they arrived.

"There are several ways in. We can take the legal land route, which will require us to funnel ourselves through their border keep and then follow a specifically planned route to the city. Alternatively, we can attempt to go through the dunes. They have patrols, but in the desert it is hard to cover every piece of ground.

"If we do that, we can try and look for one of the criminal groups that operate in the city. Supposedly, some of them have hideouts where they coordinate their front organizations. I don't know how to find these."

Drustai leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs as she rested her hands on her lap. She pursed her lips and looked tiredly off to the side a moment, before back at the group.

"Last is by boat. Quicker and easier, but they monitor cargo much more thoroughly, since that's how they get most of their foreign goods."

She paused to take a sip of her brandy, then continued. "I suggest the land route. If we can get through official channels, we shouldn't have any problem with the patrols inside the city, and the land route is easier to get things through than by ship. If we try and look for one of the other groups, we could be searching for weeks. And frankly I am tired of dealing with these belly-dragging scum."

[Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin]

Altario listened with interest to the dark elf.  What she had to say made sense.

"Very well, then land it is."  He took a sip from his water glass.  "Which leaves the question; How?  How do we smuggle wood into Thalambath?"

Altario searched the faces of those gathered round.  Now, with the decision of who was going and how they were getting there, he was getting anxious to get a move on.  How did one sneak a load of lumber into a city that, he assumed, was surrounded by nothing but sand?

"How does a city work with no wood?  Even in Remusia, where I'm from, we had no trees, but we had some wood.  We sent expeditions into Antislar lands to take what we needed.  Damn orc lovers!"  He glanced over at Grallen, and felt his cheeks burn somewhat.  That had slipped out before he remembered who she was; or rather what she was.  His passionate disdain for the Antislar went nearly as deep as it did for orcs.  Both had been at war with the Remusians for hundreds, if not thousands of years.  They had taken much Remusian land over the years, reducing it to a paltry shadow of its former glory.

Trying to cover his gaffe, he continued on as though nothing had happened.  "Surely, they must get lumber from somewhere.  Can we not infiltrate that and sneak in with our cargo?"  He was grasping at straws and he knew it.  He hated being at the mercy of others.

[Ílarolén'yliás (Drustai)]

"They have wood," Drustai replied to Altario, having not cared about his vocal blunder. She agreed with him. "Small bit, comes in from the north. Most people don't see it. It gets funneled into whatever the rulership wants it for. Ships mainly."

She took another sip of her brandy, and then cleared her throat. "They use a lot of stone. Plaster. They have some method of turning sand into bricks. A small amount of wood gets used in furniture, but it's very low quality--the stuff that wouldn't be useful for anything else. What we're transporting is high-quality stuff, so the nobles can get furniture a cut above the commoners.

"Wood isn't the problem for them. They have just enough for essential projects. Not enough for fancy furniture to fill out every noble's estate."

[grallen gast]

Things were starting to sound interesting now, and Grallen found herself forgetting some of her fatigue and pain as she listened to Drustai’s appraisal of the situation, even sitting up slightly, a faint smile playing on her face. It flickered and died as Altario blurted
“Damn orc lovers!"

But then she was gratified to note- what was that, embarrassment, flickering on proud mister Altario’s face? I’m sorry milord, do I make you uncomfortable? The smile returned, floating on the faint haze of alcohol and anticipation. This will be a tricky venture. Good, could do with a challenge. She threw him a brief, barbed smile as he flailed for hope, asking “Can we not infiltrate that and sneak in with our cargo?"

Then she was listening to Drustai again. Well, that sounds fair enough. And I think we can even see how we might make this work. Just maybe. On impulse, she looked to her pocket for Earnest, and a momentary flicker of doubt made her wonder if she’d lost him in the confusion of the night- but no, there in the cloth bag tied to her belt. She slipped a hand inside, and took him out, blinking and gulping in the light. She regarded him fondly for a while, before speaking, without looking up.

“If I might make a suggestion? There may well be a way to walk right in the front door with our precious cargo unmolested, if things are as you say, ma’am. I believe Lili an’ Altario-“ she sounded his name carefully, making it clear she hadn’t forgotten his skipping over her own earlier- “saw something similar just today, as a matter of fact. Everyone comes into big cities like that by cart, they’re used to searching them quickly. But if you know a few tricks with false bottoms an’ the like, ‘s easy to hide a thing or two... a person, for instance... or a load of wood?”

She grinned, though it hurt to do so, and she had to press her now nearly empty glass to her jaw again. But she felt it was worth a grin if she could achieve even the tiniest victory over the lord and lady, as she was coming to think of them. Ernest croaked shrilly.

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