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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bob Aberton" data-source="post: 407524" data-attributes="member: 1518">They were over the garden wall barely a step ahead of the Bodyguard, and as they fled down the dark street, they heard a shout of fury, soon taken up by the other Bodyguards: "Dead!  Lord Meiron is Dead!!"They hurried down the streets to the Leaky Keg, entering through the back door, and hurrying swiftly to their room.  They knocked on the door, and, finding no answer, walked in.It was completely dark, and the first thing Nystyra felt was the edge of a scimitar brushing her neck."Who are you?" asked a familiar voice."It is us," Nystyra said calmly.  "Eliad and Nystyra."There was a muttering in the corner of the room, and a light was struck.  Diesa, Math, and Mathonwy sat around a table.  Diesa's hand, the hand not holding the lantern, was on the haft of her pick.  Silvercoat and Quickfeather glared at the newcomers with barely concealed threat.  Damara Khaza'ar stood behind Nystyra and Eliad, scimitar drawn.  When the light illuminated the two familiar figure, everyone relaxed."Do you have...whatever it is you were after?" Diesa inquired."Nothing," said Eliad.  He whipped Cnorrec off his head, upended the hat, and dumped out veritable blizzard of papers.  "Just a lot o' letters."Nystyra just sighed in annoyance and collected the papers, putting them on her desk.  Most of them were simple bills of accounts, troop lists, and the like.  However, some were more interesting.  One was titled "The Treaty of 124*ARD, Being an Account of Friendship and Alliances with the clan of Dwarves calling themselves Longbeards."  Diesa snatched it up, her eyes narrowing angrily as she scanned the paper."Scum!" she burst out suddenly, flinging the paper down to the table.  "That coalgrubbing son of a..."  she grabbed up her pick, and brought it down of the paper, pinning the treaty to the table.The others looked at her, astonished at her outburst."He is making an alliance with the...their name tastes foul on my tongue...the Longbeards, may their mines collapse on them.  They provide him with gold to pay his army, and he pledges to help them against my own clan, the Swifthammers," she explained bitingly."And here is a letter to a rival of the mayor of Urglath - Lord Meiron is trying to get his own man as mayor," Mathonwy commented."Here is a letter to the Red Band, whoever they are...he needs them to burn and despoil Urglath's outlying fields," Eliad commented.Nystyra said nothing.  In her hands, she held a set of instructions to somebody named Orm, who Lord Meiron called his "emissary to the giants."  "You should know, I suppose, that Lord Meiron sent out a message rider this very night," Damara said conversationally.  "I know this because I enlisted myself in the Watch, and I was guarding the gate when orders came to let the rider through.  He was headed for Pillars of the Sky."  Everyone looked at Damara with a mixture of amazment and concern.  Concern, because they knew they needed to catch the message rider, and amazement because they ahd never known Damara to say more than a dozen words at a time.  The next instant, their was a bustle at the table as they all rose to fetch their gear.  They knew they could never return here again, not without different names and good disguises.They were moving toward the door when a loud knock was heard."Open up, in the name of His Grace!" said a commanding voice from the other side of the door.The Wanderers looked at each other.  Silvercoat growled softly and Quickfeather glared at the door with his razor edged glance.  Eliad flung himself out of the window.  The Wanderers, however, had no time to be shocked at this sudden action before Eliad's voice was heard."Coom on down," he said cheerily. "It's not too far down...I think I'm on the stable roof.  In fact, I'll get us som horses..." his voice trailed off."Go," said Damara, drawing her scimitar.  "I will face them myself."Nystyra realized she had a lump in her throat.  It was all her fault, she was no leader.  I she hadn't come here, they wouldn't be in this situation.  Now Damara's blood was on her hands, and...Damara had pushed her out the window.  She landed on the stable roof, as Eliad had said, and Math, Mathonwy, Diesa, and Silvercoat fell on top of her.  Quickfeather, soaring out of the window, perched himself on the inn's weathervane and let out a piercing shriek.The Wanderers sorted themselves out just in time to hear the sound of splintering wood, then there was the distinct noise of clashing steel.  They heard a wordless warcry that sounded exactly like Quickfeather's shriek, and then the shout of a wounded man."Psst!  Miss Nystyra!" it was Eliad, leading five horses and Damara's pony by the bridles.  The Wanderers mounted up and rode away into the night, leaving the noise of clashing steel and wounded men back at the inn.  As the sounds of fighting died away into the distance, Nystyra realized her eyes were moist with tears. ****************************************************Short and sweet.  There'll be another update soon, I promise.  The "Lord Meiron" adventure is almost done with.</blockquote>

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