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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilex" data-source="post: 5362019" data-attributes="member: 82687">15x05Arden's role in all these conversations was to stand by the door, pretending that she wasn't listening, that she was only there in case her mistress developed a sudden need for a glass of water.  Mena knew she was pretending.  Twiggy surely guessed.  Kormick probably assumed.  Of course, she was listening, enjoying the chance to sift through words and inflections for the clues that mattered. She did wish that she could ask a question or two, but, as usual, the gentlefolk were decent, competent people, and they asked every question she could think of.  It was infuriating, in a way.  If she could despise them, things would be simpler.As Lady Ponoko greeted them in her small chamber, hung with green and blue, Arden took up her station by the door, fixed a neutral, cool stare on the woman, and began to observe.  Lord Nishi's Alirrian priestess-in-residence was, appropriately, a motherly woman, middle-aged and pleasant-looking.  She seemed alert and solemn—aware of the seriousness of her position, being the advisor of an accused heretic—but not nervous.  "You have questions for me?" she said."Yes, Honored Mother," said Savina. "We need to know—well—let's begin with this.  When did you become the priestess here?""I became the priestess shortly after Lord Nishi's wedding, after Father Disuku had difficulties with the transition to Alirrian worship.  Before that, I trained at the <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-october-14-2010-a-4.html#post4782481" target="_blank">Temple in Lord's Edge</a>, may it be rebuilt."Arden felt a chill.  "May it be rebuilt."  Please Gods… tell me<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-october-14-2010-a-5.html#post4814510" target="_blank"> Kormick's jokes</a> weren't prophetic…"…Rebuilt?" whispered Savina.  Except Nyoko, they had all frozen.  "What… what happened?""It was attacked and burned earlier this spring.  None my sisters survived."Arden closed her eyes against the shock.  The room was silent.  Inside herself, Arden fought a losing battle with a new obligation settling onto her shoulders:  This wasn't our fault.  It's not our crime.  It is, instead, almost certainly the Tide's crime… but if we'd been there, we could have helped to stop it.  She opened her eyes.  The others looked as miserable and furious as she felt.  Savina was pressing her hand to her mouth, and a tear streaked down her cheek.  Kormick put his hand on the girl's shoulder.  "We will see it rebuilt," he said gruffly.  "I will see it rebuilt.  I promise this, no matter how many years it may be before I can get back there."  Savina reached up to squeeze Kormick's hand."I see," said Ponoko, "that my news affects you.  Did you know of the Temple in Lord's Edge?"  Savina told Ponoko about <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-october-14-2010-a-5.html#post4805630" target="_blank">meeting the Honored Mother</a> there.  It occurred to Arden that the Honored Mother, alone of the Alirrians of Lord's Edge, had arguably met a just fate—the once-intolerant killer had now become a victim of intolerant killers.  Arden suppressed a shiver:  Justice is cold.  She looked down at the floor and prayed that the sorrowful and repentant Honored Mother would find happiness at last in the afterlife, his debt now truly, fully paid.  And she prayed that Kettenek's justice would fall as coldly upon the murderers of all the Honored Mother's innocent sisters as it had upon the Honored Mother himself.And presuming the Tide are behind it, she decided, then that entire organization must be punished.  Somehow.  She locked eyes with Mena, silently communicating:  It's no longer enough to arrest only the criminal who caused this heresy in this district.  The deaths of the Alirrians of Lord's Edge must be answered, too.  She thought that she and Mena knew each other well enough now that they could guess how each other felt.  In fact, she suspected that they had all, silently, just signed the Tide's death warrant in that room.  Her companions were, after all, decent, competent people.  They would do what needed to be done.  …although I have no idea how….The others were also silent until Nyoko gently reminded them that there was a criminal investigation to be concluded:  she bowed her head and said, "With greatest respect for the dead, Ponoko-san, the Inquisition here must continue.""Of course," said Ponoko."Right," sighed Kormick.  "How did you learn about this infamous rite?""Well, of course, it came to light when we acquired Lady Nishi's father's library.""Yes, yes, we know that much.  But how did it come to light?  You were browsing among the books one afternoon, stumbled across it, and thought to yourself 'Yes, this seems perfectly reasonable and Alirrian to me?'""More or less, yes.  After the Seneschal called my attention to The Lady's Ways, I read it very closely and—""Wait," said Kormick.That's it, Arden agreed silently, her instincts in agreement with Kormick.  Everyone seemed alert.  "Yes, Inquisitor-san?""Seneschal Kawazu showed this book to you.""Of course.  Among other duties he is the keeper of the library…""We noticed.  How very easy it would have been for him to add a book to the collection and call your attention to it," said Kormick.  "We need to search his chambers immediately and without warning." Kormick stood up and made for the door.  The others followed with equal conviction.  Arden barely had time to pull it open.  Only two of them said farewell to the priestess:  Nyoko offered a quick formal bow, and Savina tossed a heartfelt, if hurried, "Thank you, Honored Mother!" over her shoulder.In the hallway, they waylaid a soldier, who called his boss, and minutes later Yutaka, the captain of the guard, hurried up with a ring of keys.  Kormick told him that they needed to search Kawazu's chambers at once, and Yutaka's eyes widened.  "Are you sure, Inquisitor-san?" he asked."Was there an iota of doubt in my voice when I said that?" replied Kormick.  Yutaka led the way to the Seneschal's small suite of rooms, unlocked the door, and stood aside.  "Thank you, Yutaka-san," said Tavi.  "While we handle this, locate Kawazu and have your men detain him."  Yutaka bowed and strode away down the hall.Kormick stood in the doorway of Kawazu's chambers and cracked his knuckles with disconcerting relish, a grin on his face.   "Hoo-kay," he said.  "Let's toss the joint."They fanned out into the room, dragging out drawers and pulling aside wall hangings.  Savina, of all people, found the lockbox under a loose floorboard.  She tugged it out and set it on the mattress.  "There isn't a key with this," she said.  "Has anyone found a key?""Oh my gods you're still adorable," said Kormick.Arden suppressed a smile and didn't offer to pick the lock.  She really didn't want to demonstrate that particular skill in front of her mistress and the Justicar, let alone everyone else.  Plus, she didn't think it would prove necessary… since Kormick was already unslinging a warhammer…He bashed the box open with a single stroke.  Out fell gold, gems, and a black robe with a strange insignia on its breast.  "Please tell me that this symbol means 'Hello, I am a proud member of the Tide, an extremely evil organization,'" said Kormick, holding it up for Nyoko to see.  She frowned at it briefly.  "At the center is a very old-fashioned symbol for Kettenek in his role as the Sea-Master," she said.  "Circling it is a wayfarer's sign for a clear path.  If we recall that the Tide's full name is The Restless Tide of the One True Path, then—""—then it says, "Hello, I am a proud member of the Tide," finished Tavi."I cannot Witness to exactly that," hedged Nyoko.  Then she flashed a satisfied smile.  "But speaking as a private citizen, I think you should arrest Kawazu at once."Footsteps pounded in the corridor and Yutaka skidded into the doorway, breathing hard.  "Honored Inquisitors," he said, "come with me, quickly.  We've found him, but we have a problem."They raced after him down the corridor, and then down two flights of stairs, into a dank cellar.  Yutaka led them to a storeroom and stepped aside so they could see what lay within:  a pair of feet stuck out from behind a crate.  "Is he all right?" asked Savina, hurrying into the room.  They followed her, anxious to see if someone had already killed Kawazu and thus done their work for them.But body wasn't Kawazu's.  It was a soldier they'd never seen before, and he didn't even look injured.  Before they could do anything else, four other soldiers sprang from the shadows, weapons gleaming.  Arden and Mena, at the back of the group, wheeled to find Yutaka standing grim-faced in the doorway, his battle-scarred katana at the ready.  It was an ambush.</blockquote>

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