HOMECOMING
Katarina dreamed. She was standing in the middle of Vencarlo Orisini’s academy, back in Korvosa. The fencing master paced before her, a look of concern on his face. He paused and looked her directly in the eye.
“Greetings, Kat,” he said. “I’ve secured the aid of one of Janderhoff’s sellspells to contact you in this manner, for things grow dire in Korvosa. Ileosa’s control over the city has grown, and now she holds all of Korvosa in a vice of martial law. Cressida’s left the Guard…she’s gone underground to serve as leader for a group of rebels based in the catacombs under Gray District. While she’s gathered a sizeable force, it alone is not enough to dethrone Ileosa. We must return at once; with Neolandus at our side, and your strength and skill and, hopefully, that magic sword you went looking for, Cressida and I believe we’ll be able to ignite another attempt at rebellion. This should give you just the opportunity you need to storm Castle Korvosa and confront the usurper queen, don’t you think? In any event, Neolandus and I are returning to Korvosa at once. We have secured potions of invisibility and flying…we’re planning on slipping over the southern wall into Gray District at night and meeting Cressida at the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma. Bishop d’Bear is an ally. I strongly urge you to do the same…once we are all in place back inside the city walls, we can only prevail! Contact me or Cressida if you can, but if you cannot, I hope to see you in Korvosa soon…”
__________________________________________________________
By sundown of the following evening, the Korvosa Intelligence Agency stood outside the temple of Pharasma, in the city’s enormous cemetery, the so-called Gray District. Katarina had transported them through the Shadow Plane, a dimension of gloom adjacent to reality. Distances there were subjective, and the journey from Belkzen to Korvosa had taken only a matter of hours rather than days. As they approached the doors to the temple, Kat used an illusory veil to make them appear as Pharasman priests. An acolyte greeted them warily.
“I was not aware we expecting pilgrims,” he said, “but I will tell the Bishop that you are here.”
A few minutes later, Bishop Keppira d’Bear herself appeared. The high priestess of the Pharasman faith in Korvosa was a non-descript, middle-aged woman, but an air of authority surrounded her. A small smile quirked her lips as she looked over the ‘pilgrims.’
“Follow me,” she said. “I’ve been awaiting your arrival.”
Bishop d’Bear led them down into the vast ossuary below the cathedral, then through an iron door and into a subterranean complex. Eventually they reached a rough chamber where the Bishop excused herself. Smiling broadly, Cressida Kroft stepped out to meet her agents. Behind her stood Vencarlo Orisini, Neolandus, and Grau Soldado, the soldier they had helped when the riots first broke out in what seemed like an eternity ago. Cressida was a bit more ragged and rough-looking in her scavenged armor, but no less the warrior that the companions remembered. The reunion was brief, but joyful, the old friends anxious for updates and tales of what had transpired among then since their last meeting. Eventually, however, Cressida’s face grew serious, and her tone grim.
“I know you’ve not been out in the city,” she began, “but the situation is far worse than you can imagine. Though the streets are quiet and silent, it is the calm of utter oppression. Ileosa and her Gray Maidens have been at work on Korvosa night and day, and the result is a city of broken-spirited citizens desperate for deliverance but too cowed by the atrocities and cruelties witnessed in the streets to rise up. The people of Korvosa need heroes. The rebels that I have gathered are ready to make their move and reveal ourselves to the Gray Maidens. We also plan to make public the fact that Neolandus lives, and as a result, Korvosa has a legal option beyond open rebellion to depose Ileosa. With luck, this will rally the noble houses, arbiters and magistrates, but I fear that doing so will spur Ileosa to step up the violence to even greater levels than before.”
“Before my people can take to the streets, we need someone to take the initiative against the monarchy. We need intelligence from the castle. I have heard rumors about what has been going on inside it…that the Gray Maidens are mind-controlled, that devils and a dragon dwell within its walls, that the Red Mantis are now secretly in control of it, and that Ileosa herself has transformed into a monster. If you are in agreement, I have prepared a list of priorities that I feel need to be accomplished if we are to have any hope of success. First: a new ‘hero of the people’ has been fighting rebels in the streets. These so-called rebels are false. They’re not my people, and I suspect that this ‘hero,’ a man named Trifaccia, is false as well. We need to find out who, or what he is. Second: I have it on good authority that the rumors of a black dragon taking nest in Castle Korvosa are legitimate. If the rumors prove true, the dragon must be defeated. Third: The role of castle seneschal is currently held by a bloated wizard named Togomor. If you can capture or defeat him, we’ll avoid a long legal complication over the revelation that Neolandus still lives. Fourth: Ishani Dhatri, the Abadarian priest that you befriended, has become a vocal opponent of his church’s public endorsement of Ileosa. He has vanished. My initial investigations indicate that he was last seen approaching the castle. Perhaps some clues to his fate lie hidden within? Fifth: I suspect that there are Red Mantis agents sheltered in the castle. Proof of the alliance between Ileosa and the Red Mantis would be very helpful. Forcing the assassins to abandon Korvosa, perhaps by finding and defeating their local leader would be even better. Sixth: The Gray Maidens are certainly a menace. They need to be stopped. Sabina Merrin is their commander. Find and defeat her, and you’ll throw the entire organization into chaos long enough for us to reclaim the streets from them. Vencarlo and Grau believe that she can be reasoned with, and that she may not be as loyal a minion of the queen as she seems. Seventh: Rumors of devils involved with the monarchy disturb me as well. If you can find proof that Ileosa is trafficking with devils, or that devils dwell within Castle Korvosa, that should significantly help our case against her in the eyes of the city’s government. Finally: Ileosa must answer for her crimes. She hasn’t been seen publicly recently but for her brief appearances on the castle walls. If we can capture her, a lot of our work will be easier.”
“If I may interject,” Vencarlo said. “Cressida’s comment about Sabina is true. The woman I knew loved Korvosa, and was honorable to a fault. It was her rigidity of thought and personality, in fact, that held back her progress in the more fluid fighting style I attempted to teach her when she was my student. I have a hard time believing she could condone what Ileosa has done to Korvosa. I suspect the queen is using some sort of magic to control her, and I would urge you to try and use nonlethal methods in dealing with her. At the very least, if she could be made cooperative, she would be an excellent source of information about Ileosa’s plans and what has been going on inside Castle Korvosa for the past few months.”
“Sounds like we have our work cut out for us,” Kat said as she turned to her companions. “Where do you think we should begin?”
“I’m worried about Ishani,” Michael replied. “If he went into the castle by himself, then he’s in a lot of danger.”
“He must have known what he was getting into,” O’Reginald shrugged. “I’m more interested in taking down the bloat mage. Once he’s out of the way, we can go public with Neolandus.”
“Yet if there are fiends within the castle wall,” Raelak said grimly, “their elimination should be our top priority. They are an abomination and blight on this land of my ancestors.”
“If Sabina can be turned to our cause,” Herc interjected, “then perhaps some of the Gray Maidens can be as well. We can always use more swords at our backs.”
Serithtial glowed with approval.
“I believe our first duty is to the people of Korvosa,” Ratbone growled. “It there is a fraud walking the streets claiming to be something he is not, then he is giving them false hope, and they will be less likely to trust us when we make our plans public.”
Kat pursed her lips in thought for several moments, and then nodded.
“I tend to agree with Ratbone,” she said. “Most of these other goals lie within the castle. The more we have the people’s support when we move on Ileosa, the easier our task will be. We’ll stay here tonight and then start digging around for information on this Trifaccia tomorrow.”
__________________________________________________________
That task proved easier said than done, however. The following morning, Katarina veiled the group as nondescript dockworkers, all except Ratbone. His bestial form presented a small dilemma, but Kat solved it by disguising the druid to appear as a large draft horse. They had no difficulty bypassing the Gray Maiden patrols as they entered the city proper, but when they surreptitiously began asking questions about Trifaccia, the answers they received were surprising. It seemed that most of the common folk saw the “rebels” that Trifaccia brought to justice as no more than common thugs who used extortion and terror to further victimize the populace. Since Black Jack was nowhere to be found, Trifaccia was seen as a true hero when such things were in scarce supply. Ultimately, the six companions decided that they would not be able to discover the truth by simply gathering information off the street. They would have to find someone who knew what was really going on in the city, and they thought they had just the person. They decided to pay a visit to House Arkona…
_________________________________________________________
“We’re here to see Lord Arkona,” Kat told the dubious-looking guards at the main gate of the noble house. “Tell him that the people who helped him with his little ‘family’ problem need to speak with him. It’s urgent.”
One of the guards departed, only to return a few minutes later.
“You may follow me,” he said, “but your horse must stay outside.”
Since Pilts Swastel’s death, House Arkona had expanded to fill the void, brining all of Old Korvosa under their dominion. Their status upgrade was obvious in the new, luxurious trappings of the manor. Lord Arkona greeted them in the same parlor in which he’d originally met them. He looked exactly the same, the look of subtle arrogance on his handsome face so very natural.
“It is always good fortune to meet old friends again,” Arkona said, smiling. “Although I must admit, I really hadn’t expected to see you in this city again. Your names, your faces, they are well known. You are famous, or perhaps infamous would be more accurate.”
“We’re not here for pleasure,” Kat said grimly. “We’ve come back to reclaim Korvosa for its people.”
“I see,” Arkona said, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. “Granted, I would not be unhappy to see the current regime dethroned, but if you’re here to ask for my assistance in this coup, I must politely decline. My family has managed to prosper through the years by remaining beneath the notice of those in power.”
Kat shook her head. “That’s not why we’re here,” she said. “We’re looking for a man named Trifaccia. Do you know him?”
Arkona’s eyes narrowed briefly.
“All I can tell you,” he said at length, “is that the rebels seem to single out the more outspoken merchants and citizens for their attacks. Inevitably, Trifaccia shows up in the nick of time to thwart them, yet oddly, he never kills them. He simply turns them over to the Gray Maidens.”
“I don’t suppose you would know the names of any of these more ‘outspoken’ citizens?”
“As a matter of fact,” Arkona smiled again, “I do…”
_______________________________________________________
The taproom of the inn that Lord Arkona directed them to was fairly crowded as people gathered to have one last drink before heading home in time for the nightly curfew imposed by the Gray Maidens. The five companions strode to the bar and ordered tankards of their own. Ratbone, again is his horse guise, waited outside at the hitching post, his eyes watchful in anticipation of what was to come. Herc downed his ale in one swallow and slammed it noisily back down on the bar.
“So, barkeep!” he said loudly. “What news, eh? We’ve not been in city long, but this place seems as somber as a funeral.”
The tavern owner frowned.
“You’d best mind your tongue, stranger,” he said in a low voice. “The Maidens don’t take kindly to such talk.”
“Maidens?” Herc barked with laughter. “You mean those armored harlots on every street corner? Don’t they serve that spoiled queen of yours as some sort of feminist honor guard?”
“Please!” the barkeep hissed through clenched teeth. Several patrons were paying close attention to the conversation. “I don’t want any trouble!”
“Hah!” Herc laughed again. “Seems like all you’ve got around here is trouble! Averting your eyes and bowing and scraping whenever one of those whores so much as looks at you! What’s wrong with you people?” He turned towards the other patrons. “This is not the Korvosa I’d heard so much about! You’ve become a nation of cowards! Is there no man among you who will speak out against the false queen Ileosa? Has Korvosa lost its heart as well as its soul?”
Several of the patrons began standing up and moving towards the door.
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, now!” the barkeep said.
“I don’t think so,” Herc said, turning back. “I think we’re all going to have another round.”
Ratbone watched the customers file out one after another. It wasn’t long before he noticed something else…a squad of Gray Maidens gathering across the street.
As the last of the townsfolk left, the doors burst open, and six heavily armed and armored Gray Maidens stormed in, their faces completely covered by their helms.
“You are all under arrest!” one of them shouted. “You will come along quietly, or face the consequences!”
Raelak whirled from the bar, flinging back his cloak and drawing his bow in one motion. He loosed two arrows simultaneously, and both impaled the necks of a pair of the Maidens. They collapsed gurgling to the floor. The leader of the squad didn’t seem shocked or taken aback. She darted forward and slashed with her sword, opening a large gash across Raelak’s forearm. At that moment, Katarina stepped behind her and put one finger against the back of her helm. The beguiler spoke one word, and unleashed a barrage of mystic bolts at point-blank range. The commander crumpled. The remaining three Maiden’s hesitated, unsure of what to do. In that moment, the door to the bar smashed inward as a large draft horse barreled in and clamped its teeth on the back of the neck of the nearest warrior, and then ripped it out. A second one fell with another of Raelak’s arrows sprouting from her chest. The final Maiden turned to flee, but stopped in her tracks as a spell from Michael paralyzed her mid-stride.
“I’m going to say this once,” Kat whispered in the ear of the helpless Maiden. “You are being allowed to live for one reason. We want you to deliver a message for us. We work for the true rebellion in Korvosa, and we want Trifaccia. Until he shows his face, we will kill every Gray Maiden we see from this point on.”
She then turned and left the bar. Her companions followed, with Herc leaving last. He turned before he walked out the door and tossed a bag of coins to the barkeep.
“Sorry for the mess.”
______________________________________________________
The following day, as the companions visited another tavern Arkona said was sympathetic to the rebel cause, a group of rough-looking Varisian men entered the tap room. As they did so, the customers quickly rose to leave. Kat made the young men out to be Sczarni, Varisian organized criminals.
“You!” one of them shouted, pointing at the agents. “We know who you are! So-called heroes! Hah! If you truly wanted to help Korvosa, you never would have left in the first place! Only we, the rebel alliance, have the true guts to stand up to the false queen! Look at the vermin you travel with!”
He pointed at Raelak, and his companions howled in derisive laughter.
“A Shoanti pig! I only wish that you looked more like the ungrateful pig you are!”
As the taunt left the young man’s lips, Raelak felt a wave of power wash over him, and he felt momentarily nauseated and weak in the knees.
“And you!” This time he singled out Herc. “You were the one mouthing off yesterday. It was you who brought the wrath of the Gray Maidens down upon innocent folk! I wish you would just up and die!”
Herc to felt power flow past him, and for an instant, his breath caught in his chest. Kat was becoming suspicious, but as she prepared to begin a spell, the youth stabbed his finger in her direction.
“Traitorous whore!” he screamed. “How could you turn on your own people? I wish you would be condemned to Hell!”
Kat was overcome by sudden disorientation as the room faded away, replaced by a nightmare image of burning plains and tortured souls. Just as quickly, the moment passed.
At that moment, another figure burst into the room. He was slender and dressed in black clothes with a long, flowing, hooded cloak. His features were obscured by a brass mask in the shape of three faces in a row, the central one frontal and the side ones in profile. He carried a golden scimitar in one hand, and it flickered with fire. His mocking laughter was strong and clear. He nodded towards the companions and raised his blade in salute.
“It’s Trifaccia!” the Sczarni cried out in panic. “Let’s get out of here!”
As the men fled, Trifaccia laughed again and addressed the companions.
“Greetings, heroes of yesterday! My name, as you’ve probably guessed, is Trifaccia. I am the true hero of the people of Korvosa, for I defend the loyal citizens of our beloved queen instead of fomenting chaos in the streets. As you can see, with the exception of a few clots of filthy rebels, Korvosa is at peace now, and soon prosperity and happiness will smile over it again. I daresay that peace first began to return not long after you vanished from our streets. We do not want further trouble in our town, sirs and lady, but since I know you mean to continue disrupting the peace in my fair city, it looks like I’ll have to stop you. But instead of a fight that would end in your humiliation, perhaps you’ll agree to a duel? Myself against one of you, with the winner agreeing to take himself and his allies away from Korvosa for good.”
“I think not, Outsider,” Kat chuckled. She had recovered from the magical assault, and managed to complete her spell. Her eyes ablaze, she looked upon Trifaccia’s true form. Hidden beneath the illusory human façade was a creature of fire…an elemental…an efreeti. The fire genie’s true form was a towering, red-skinned brute with sharp horns protruding from his brow, and yellow tusks jutting from his undershot jaw. Efreeti had the power to fulfill the wishes of those who asked, but always in a twisted manner. That was how the Sczarni had been invoking such powerful magic. She waved her hand, and the illusion vanished, revealing the efreeti for all to see.
“Well played,” Trifaccia, whose real name was Yzahnum, grinned evilly. “I see that we shall have to resolve this with more ‘aggressive’ diplomacy.”
At that moment, the front window shattered as Ratbone leaped through it, shedding his equine disguise as he landed in a crouch. Yzahnum whirled towards him, and hurled a blast of fire at the feral druid. In the same instant, the efreeti reached into a pouch at his belt and flung a handful of dust over his head. As it settled over him, he disappeared from view, and even Kat’s True Sight couldn’t discern his location. Ratbone turned this way and that, trying to use his heightened senses to find his foe. Another fiery blast struck him from behind, and then a large gash opened across his flank as an unseen scimitar slashed at him.
Raelak closed his eyes and focused on the totem of his clan, the Moon. Calling upon Her power, he opened his eyes again, and found that he could sense the genie’s presence, though he could not actually see Yzahnum. His hands a blur, he loosed three arrows and was rewarded by a cry of pain from the efreeti. Ratbone’s head whipped around and he leaped for the spot where the arrows had struck. His teeth and claws sank solidly into flesh, and he shook his head like a wolf with a rabbit. Yzahnum screamed in agony and wrenched himself free of the druid’s deadly grasp.
“He’s coming towards you!” Raelak cried to Kat, O’Reginald and Michael.
Kat reacted instantly, and flung out her hand, releasing a shower of glittering, golden dust. It settled over Yzahnum, limning him in a sparkling sheen. Ratbone leaped again before the efreeti could recover, and this time, Yzahnum could not get free. Ratbone ripped and tore like a frenzied shark, until there could be no doubt that the genie was beyond dead. He then lifted Yzahnum’s body into the air and impaled it on a cloak hook that protruded from a wooden column. Finally, Ratbone shifted to his true form and turned to the barman and the handful of patrons that still remained, cowering beneath their tables.
“Tell everyone what you have seen here today!” he snarled. “You have all been duped and cowed into helplessness. Now you have seen the truth behind Ileosa’s lies! The K.I.A. has returned to Korvosa, but we cannot free you if you will not shed your own chains! Watch in the coming days for the signs of revolution! Stand up and fight for your freedom, or hide like rats in the sewers as you’ve been doing. The choice is now yours.”
_____________________________________________________
Within minutes, the streets around the inn were swarming with Gray Maidens. The K.I.A. watched from a distant rooftop, grim satisfaction on their faces. Things were now in motion that could not be stopped. There would soon be a reckoning.
“Do you hear that?” Ratbone asked, his head cocked to one side.
The others turned their heads and Raelak nodded.
“Screaming,” he said. “It sounds like people screaming.”
A moment later the air was rent by the booming roar of some huge animal. All heads in the streets below turned towards the sky. There, winging its way above the cityscape, was the unmistakable shape of a very large, very black dragon! On the street, people began to flee in panic, Gray Maidens and civilians alike.
“It’s looking for us,” Michael said.
“Of course it is!” O’Reginald snapped. “And if we don’t do something, it’s going to tear the city apart trying to find us.”
As if it heard the wizard’s premonition, the dragon abruptly swooped low and opened its mouth, breathing out a steaming stream of liquid that quickly began to dissolve everything it touched. As it grew closer, the companions could see that it bore a rider…a Gray Maiden.
“That’s it!” Reginald cursed. “If it’s looking for a fight, it just found one!”
The wizard held his hand to the sky and released a small, pea-sized ball of flame into the air. As it arced up a hundred feet or more, it exploded into a huge conflagration. The dragon banked on one wing and began flapping directly towards their rooftop.
“Here it comes,” Ratbone growled.
The dragon hovered above them for a moment, its jaws gaping wide as if to unleash its deadly breath again. The rider sawed on the reins and the dragon turned its head and snapped viciously. The Maiden jerked both reins sharply, and the dragon’s head snapped back. With a roar of fury it landed heavily on the rooftop. As it lumbered clumsily towards them, Raelak loosed a deadly volley of arrows, scoring four direct hits. The beast squealed and reared on its back feet, beating its wings downward as it struggled to get airborne again. Once more the rider pulled sharply on the reins, and the beast’s forepaws slammed back to the roof. It turned its head to snap again, but as it did so, Herc rushed in. With one wide swipe of Serithtial, he cut cleanly through the dragon’s neck, sending its head tumbling over the side of roof. Its body collapsed, thrashing, and throwing the rider sprawling. In an instant, Ratbone was upon her, pinning her arms to her side and pressing his fangs against her neck.
“I surrender!” she shouted. “Unconditionally!”
Ratbone spun her around and wrenched the helmet from her head, revealing the scarred but still beautiful face of Sabina Merrin.
__________________________________________________________
Scarwall again. The companions thought they had seen the last of the ancient keep, but when Sabina asked them to find a private place where they might talk, it had seemed the obvious choice. O’Reginald had teleported them all directly to the former throne room of Kazavon.
“I was foolish,” the Gray Maiden said, bowing her head. “I loved Ileosa…truly loved her, but I was not blind. When the King was assassinated, I began to see that something was dreadfully wrong with her. My fears were confirmed when she began moving forward with the establishment of the Gray Maidens. It was not the foundation of a new military wing that I objected to, but rather the use of magic and torture to force their loyalty. Yet despite this, I had seen enough to know that openly opposing Ileosa was not a solution, so instead of taking direct action against her, I accepted the charge of leading the Maidens. Where I could, I lessened the impact of the queen’s cruel methods. Still, many women who were drafted into service proved too headstrong. Ileosa executed some of them until I convinced her that it would be better to imprison them under Longacre Building, arguing that some of them, given time, might well realize that serving as Gray Maidens was the better choice. I made regular trips to the Longacre dungeons to ensure that they were as comfortable as conditions would allow, and that they were not being abused by the guards.”
“Still…with each passing week, I learned of new atrocities perpetrated by Ileosa…bargaining with devils to gain more power…the appointment of that bloated pig Togomor as so-called seneschal…the murder of Marcus Thalassinus, and finally, the enslavement of that hateful and destructive dragon, Zarmangarof. I had long since realized that Ileosa never loved me…had never loved anyone, with the possible exception of herself. Yet I was in too deep, and I felt powerless to change the unceasing cruelty on my own. I could only temper it where possible. When I heard of your return…you, the same heroes I met what seems like a lifetime ago on the eve of Eodred’s death, I realized that you might be my only chance for redemption.”
“When Ileosa first brought Zarmangarof to Castle Korvosa, from where I do not know, she intended to use him against Korvosa’s citizens, to quell uprisings. I requested to use him as a mount, explaining to her that with such a creature held in reserve, she would be able to put down a large and organized rebellion with ease. She agreed and magically compelled Zarmangarof to serve as my steed. Until today, I had been careful to take him out only during the darkness of night, waiting for the right moment when revealing him would work to my advantage. You provided such an opportunity. I am at your service.”
Silence stretched out for a time as the companions absorbed all that the Gray Maiden had told them. It was Herc who finally broke it.
“She’s telling the truth,” he said.
“How can you be sure?” O’Reginald snapped.
“Serithtial,” Herc replied. “She can tell when a lie is told in her presence. She says that the woman speaks true.”
“Well then,” the wizard said, rising and pacing around Sabina, “why don’t you tell us everything you know about Ileosa’s plans, her current whereabouts, and with whom she’s allied?”
Sabina smiled thinly. “You give me far too much credit,” she said. “Did I not say that I was more Ileosa’s pawn than confidant? She did not share her goals with me. As for her allies and minions, I know that she has been recruiting devils and fiends to aid her, though I’m not certain how she’s been able to do this. I suspect some link to the Acadamae, but my investigations along those lines has failed to turn up any evidence so far. I know that she keeps a pack of large hell hounds by her side at all times, and that a massive, horned fiend named Mavrokeras guards the castle towers. There are also three fiendish brothers, who call themselves Yallops, that have been increasingly annoying and disruptive. Furthermore, agents of the Red Mantis have moved into the third floor of the keep, but I have avoided contact with them and their leader. As for Ileosa’s whereabouts…she has grown ever more cold and grim of late, and for the past several weeks she has rarely left her bed chambers.”
“Well then,” O’Reginald said, clapping his hands, “all the guests are gathered in the same place for the party. Looks like we’ve got a castle to crash.”
