* * * * *
The young wizard pulled his horse back on the street and rode up to a group of Pillars. There was a quick conversation and one of the guards pointed west and said something. The wizard nodded his thanks and motioned his mount forward.
Ninth Pillar Willowsmin watched the young wizard make his way down the street, carefully navigating his horse through the crowd. His behavior seemed to have calmed since he left the halfling and her human companion. He must have used the short delay off to the side of the road to calm himself. Smart, the guard said to himself. Being angry would only get him lost and confused. He wondered if the other two were doing the same thing. Fortunately, the other mercenaries were not his concern. They were being followed by another group of Pillars. His job was to stay on the wizard and make sure he stayed out of trouble. First, he had to find out where he was going.
After making sure Druzeel was well on his way to his new destination, Willowsmin walked toward the group of his fellow Pillars and quickly inquired as to where the wizard was going.
“He has gone to see Piyus, sir,” Fourth Pillar Hillsbard said.
“Good,” Willowsmin replied. “You and your men stay on him. I will meet you there shortly.”
“Yes sir,” the man said. He and four others took off after the wizard, intent to follow their new orders. Willowsmin watched to make sure they were indeed following his instructions then turned and made his way back to his captain.
He and a dozen other Pillars had been ordered to follow the group after leaving the dungeons. Xavdak wanted eyes on them at all times until their investigation into the caravan massacre was completed. Though the Knights of the Chipped Blade had been cleared up to this point, Xavdak did not trust them to stay out of trouble, especially if they were searching for a dangerous assassin. He wanted hourly reports, to know what they were up to at all times. Each Pillar had been assigned to a member of the mercenary band, in case they split up, which Xavdak predicted they would. Willowsmin was the only one assigned to the young wizard for he was seen as the least likely to cause trouble. After the confrontation with the halfling and fighter, he had left them in a huff, so Willowsmin had followed. Now, he was on his way to see Piyus, the odd archmage that had lived in the city for almost a decade. Willowsmin definitely saw this as something worthy to report.
After a short trek to a nearby barracks, Willowsmin made his report to Captain Scarost Tilgramin. He told him everything that had happened up to this point.
“Thank you for your report,” Captain Tilgramin said. “Continue as you were and report back if anything changes.”
The captain waited until Willowsmin had left then he turned and walked through the barracks, headed for a specific room located deep within the building. He came to a long hallway lined with statues of armor and various paintings of long lost battles. At the end of the hall was a large, ornate wooden door. He walked up to the door, knocked, and waited.
“Enter,” came the rough response from the other side. Scarost opened the door, entered, and shut it behind him.
The room was large but plainly decorated. A few paintings hung on the walls, as well as a handful of weapons. A suit of armor sat against the back corner and a large desk stood near the back wall. Piles of parchment, a handful of quills, and other various materials lay scattered across the desk. Though some of it was organized, the rest looked to have recently been thrown on the surface in no particular order. The room was lit by a handful of torches, making it gloomy and dim, but the current occupant liked it that way. Though he had long ago been absorbed into human culture, Xavdak’s dwarven nature still enjoyed the comfort that came with a dark room and walls of cold stone.
“Captain Tilgramin,” the placid dwarf said, his eyes shifting from the parchment to the man standing in front of him. “Report.”
“High Captain,” Scarost said, saluting his commanding officer. “The Knights split up, as you predicted. Jannda, Dex, and Druzeel headed one way while the others went another. Later, there was an argument between the halfling and the wizard. The wizard left, leaving the other two on their own. Ninth Pillar Willowsmin reported that Druzeel is going to see Piyus. I ordered him to continue to track the young man and report back if anything changes.”
“Good,” Xavdak said after the man finished, barely letting the silence build between the two. “As you were.”
“High Captain,” Scarost said, offering another salute. He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Xavdak put down the quill his was holding and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his beard with his gauntleted hand. The metal and stiff joints of the glove managed to snag some of the hairs of his face but he ignored the sting as they were torn from his skin. They would be back soon enough.
“Piyus,” the dwarf said silently. He knew of the archmage but had very little contact with him. When problems that called for magical assistance arose, the Pillars had their own mages to turn to. To Xavdak, Piyus was just another citizen.
It was obvious that the young wizard was going to see the unusual archmage to ask for help in locating the assassin, but that was not what interested Xavdak. What was interesting was that Druzeel actually knew the man. Well, Xavdak quickly thought, Graeak Loyalar probably knew the man, not Druzeel. Either way, the young wizard had powerful associates, associates that, though powerful, were not a threat to the city or its citizens.
It soon became clear to Xavdak that the wizard was not the one to worry about. He had a good heart, honor, and cared for people, but he was a little too trusting and naive. That was made abundantly clear when he was being questioned. Still, Druzeel was not a threat and cared only for helping his mentor and bringing justice to the assassin. The others were the ones that would most likely cause problems. They were typical mercenaries, caring only for coin and the job. That was what really concerned Xavdak for they would not care who got hurt in their pursuit of the thief. If it had only been Druzeel in the city, the High Captain could have cared less, but the young wizard had brought a jumble of trouble with him, and that trouble had quickly turned into Xavdak’s problem. The dwarven captain just hoped that Druzeel could keep from being caught up in the turmoil that was sure to come.