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[howandwhy99]

“Whoaha!” shouted Diedre. The horse team came to a stop outside of The Wyvern. The pedestrians who had been jumping out of the way grumbled loudly. Rose was learning several new gestures. Grog came outside and started hollering in amazement. His whooping alerted the rest of the team who came outside as well.
”Who’d you steal this from?” asked Dram. Kayla pointed to Rose and proudly explained how the Earl of Kera had given her the wagon free and clear. “Plus huge crates in back with weapons to go to the Front.”
Dalin shook his head in amazement.“Unbelievable! He just gave it too you? This is great! Rose you have to come dicing with me tonight. You’re the luckiest person I know!” Rose had a big grin on her face displaying all her fangs. Then she spotted Dram walking around the back of the wagon.
“Dram! Get away. Shoo. These aren’t for you. The weapons are all for the war effort.”

Darius came outside after everyone else. Kayla and Rose repeated the story at length to him. Rose stepped forward and put the spiralstone in his hand, but it stuck to her palm as she drew it back. “That’s strange,” said Darius. He went over and gave it a tug. It was stuck hard. Rose set the stone down in the street. Darius bent down to pick it up, but before he could Rose dove out over the stone preventing him. “Pax. Come over here and hold Rose for a second.” They tried again. Pax picked up Rose and moved her a few feet away. Darius bent down and picked up the spiralstone. As he did so, Rose screamed out in pain. Her little body rattled and convulsed until she passed out. Ben ran over to her. Even unconscious her body kept writhing in Pax’s Herculean arms.
“She’s gravely injured,” said Ben. Darius placed the stone back on her palm where it stuck. Then he called upon Thor’s might. Healing energy passed from his body into Rose’s. She stopped convulsing, but the damage would need time to heal. Ben and Pax brought her upstairs and put her on the floor in the bedroom.

“Well… that was a bad idea,” said Dalin. Darius stood stoically looking over the wagon Rose had won them. Kayla and Diedre climbed aboard again.
“We’ll store it in the stables until we leave” said Kayla. “I think the crates are too large for anyone to steal without a lot of help, but we should assign Ormond some company on watch tonight regardless.” Darius agreed. The rest of the team clambered into the back and Diedre drove the massive wagon into the stables. Ormond was napping up in the hayloft, but woke and ran down when he heard the massive wagon enter. It had been slow all day. Other than the stableboys, each of whom he knew by name now, no one had even come close to the team’s horses.

Darius paid the stablehands to care and feed the four horses and to store the wagon. Ben arrived a minute later. “Rose will be okay. Pax is staying with her as he watches the rooms. Grog’s with the mercenaries.”
“What do we do now?” asked Dram. Kayla and Diedre left saying they were going back to check on Rose and to study. The other six moved over to an empty horse stall to discuss plans in private with Ormand.
“Well, the slavepits were a dead end,” Darius whispered. No one laughed at the joke. “Hold on! I’ve got an idea. Don’t go anywhere.” The dwarf ran out of the stables and back to the inn. He came back with Rose’s cloak in hand.
“Ohhhh no! I’m not going into any sewer,” said Dram.

Darius told them his plan. They would recreate the scene from last night. With any luck, they might be able to learn what happened to the blue man. Leaving Ormond in the stables again, the team retraced their steps from the chase the night before. Eventually they found the sewer hole. “When I looked in the hole last night all I could see was sewage,” explained Darius. “But Kayla said the cloak was used for magic, even if it was not magic itself. So let’s test it.” Shaking the cloak out he placed it over the hole. It promptly changed into a circular shape and disappeared. The hole’s width had increased commensurably. “What’ya see?” asked Dram. Darius shook his head.
“It’s not normal. I can’t see anything.” To their surprise, Darius stood up and jumped in.