"Oh, and by the way," Nadya says casually, "I grew up with Katrina Goltaieva. I know her perhaps better than Emil does. She will be pacing back and forth, holed up in her bedroom and shaking with anger and fear. She had a good heart once, but constant paranoia has ruled her life for too long. So, unless you actually want the Pale Tower to send a force out to crush this rebellion before it can begin, I suggest that you break in to the Stoat and smash the small hand mirror I know she keeps on her dresser. Do it before fear wins her over, as it always does, and she calls for either the baroness or the baroness's apprentice."
Nadya pales as she sees some of the companions actually consider whether or not to actually go. "Pharasma keep us from your embrace," she prays under her breath.
The child looks up to Nadya with fear burning behind her eyes, then turns quickly to the others. "Shouldn't we grab that mirror and hold on to it, until we know what to do?" Aoife's voice is high, riding the excitement and rush of panic bubbling up within her. "Once we have the mirror... can't we decide what the witch knows... and when?"
Without waiting for the others to respond, the youth turns and sprints along her way to the Stoat, her quick and agile legs churning up the hard packed snow with each step. While running, the massive gloves covering her hands raise up and begin to crack each of her knuckles. Moments later her arms are swinging with purpose once again, propelling her faster and faster to find Katrina Goltaieva.
Ishbaad grimaces slightly at the thought of yet another mirror, and another opportunity for their plan to be foiled before it starts. He begins to run after Aoife, though his long, lumbering legs simply can't keep up as well as he would like.
Coramus hurries with Ishbaad after the two impetuous members of the group. The old man huffs along, not doing much better than the stony man next to him as they hurry toward the Stoat to destroy the scrying device.
"Aoife, wait! We have a choice here." Ishbaad says, gathering his companions around him.
"We can let her use the mirror, and let the soldiers come. We defeat them with the help of the townsfolk who are willing to fight. Or we can destroy the mirror, and sneak into the tower in the crates, while the townsfolk who want to fight occupy the soldiers at the tower's gate. We need to chose now which way we want to do this. Once we either allow her to use the mirror, or destroy it, there is no going back. And indecision will be our decision, should we take too much time. So speak your minds, what would you have us do?"
Ishbaad takes a moment to explain the finer points of each plan, the secret infiltration, or the baiting of the soldiers, and then waits patiently for each member to make their thoughts known.
A chill wind blows from the west, as one by one and separated by some distance, strangers to town file out of the town hall. An oread appears at the doorway and yells at the farthest of the group, a small girl - or more probably, given her armaments, a halfling - turns around and seems to cool down. How she found such heat in the frigid reaches of Irrisen is anybody's guess.
Slowly, the six strangers and the red-headed woman who brought them to town go back inside the town hall. Having been unoccupied for so long, the internal temperature is identical to that outside - just above zero - but its stone walls do a magnificent job of keeping the wind away.
Called back by her precious Ishy, and seconded by the cuddly Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, the youth slides to a stop and turns back to face the towering oread. Close by she sees the little blue goblin pouncing after her, on the verge of drinking a potion, taking great strides through the snow. For a moment, she hangs her head in embarrassment, one foot exaggeratedly kicking at a patch of frost.
"Ok, ok. I stopped," she mutters aloud. You never listen to me..." the last bit, unintentionally voiced outloud, she hopes was not spoken loud enough for Ishbaad to hear. "Thanks for coming with me, Icy. We can go back to others now. I think I got a little carried away."
"I just don't want to do something that will get the people of Waldsby hurt..." Aoife says to Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight as the two companions head back toward the town hall together.
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As Aoife and Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight walk back, hand in hand, the little goblin listens to his friend, replying, "I know. They all cannot be the great heroes that we are. But, they have the right to be more than they are. They've been held down for so long that they don't even know that they can fly. Some of my people are like that... they cannot see anything beyond what they are allowed to see. Maybe there are more like Nadya, maybe they can all be heroes. But, maybe they all just run through the portal."
When he notices that all are surprised by his sudden eloquence, he just smiles, and says, "Me good goblin, and me no want good people to die, and end up in the cook pot!
"Me stay by me good friend, and fight for her, too!"
Coramus thinks on the way back, his head bowed in thought. As they arrive back, he begins to speak, "Yes, the people of this town need to make a choice on whether to fight or flee. But the choice of where to fight is ours, my friends. Shall we make haste for the Pale Tower, in the hopes of catching them unawares? Or ambush the inevitable party sent from the Pale Tower here? Both have their drawbacks."
The wizard gestures to his left, "If we make haste, we do not allow the baroness any time to prepare or truly realize the doom that has befallen her. However, her full strength likely remains at the Pale Tower, and will have to be overcome."
He then points to his right, "Ambushing here allows us to choose a more familiar ground as well as split the Pale Tower's defenders, since the Baroness will likely leave a garrison behind, but gives the Baroness more time to prepare, as well."
The wizard sighs, nearly shrugging, "If there was a way to goad her into marching on the town, that is the way I feel we should go. Splitting the Tower's defenders appeals to me more than surprise at a place unfamiliar to us."
"Excellent summary, Coramus," Nadya nods along with the wizard, "If I may offer some help - for either option - it has just occurred to me that my domovi, Hatch, worked at the Pale Tower. I'm sure he'd have a very good idea of its layout. He's fey, so we'd have to cajole the information out of him somewhat, and take certain things with a scraping of cold iron, but he could certainly prove useful."
"Aye child, I do listen. I think you are right in destroying the mirror, so that we can launch our assault with the element of surprise. But we must make sure that all of our number agree." Ishbaad says, careful not to chide Aoife for misinterpreting his reasons to stop her.
"That is, if we can get Hatch to reveal himself..." Ishbaad grimaces, remembering his ill-fated attempt to trick the fey into visibility for Aoife's sake. "Either way we decide to go, we must still assault the tower, and that information could be useful. For now, we must decide which path we will take."
Kuragin steps next to Ishbaad.
"I have to say I'm with Ishbaad here. If we press on to the Pale Tower, we certainly have a difficult fight ahead of us. But then we are at least in control. We choose the time of the battle, and we hopefully have the benefit of surprise."
"If we stay here, we cannot be sure what happens. We might succeed to fool the Baroness, and lure her here. But she is a White Witch, and she is not stupid. She might see past our ruse, and what happens then?"
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Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight looks back and forth between Coramus and Ishbaad... looking extremely stressed.
It appears that he is stressing out on the decision. His "boss" has taken one side, and Ishbaad another.
It seems likely that he hasn't ever been called upon to make such an important decision, and it looks like the stress is tearing him up.
"Me not know. Me scared good people die either way. Me not want to make anyone dead... except bad people like witch in Tower. Me just want to be good goblin... and good hero." He is almost in tears at this point, his oversized ears drooping pathetically.
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Jorvik listens to all the different war plans beings brought up. In the short time that he knew his companions, he developed a great respect for them. Coming from the harsh lands of the north, where friendship was as scarce as a summer day, he knew not to place too much into them. At least not yet.
Coramus has proven his worth in battle, but what does a traveling salesman know of war?
Ice is like a child, no more capable of focusing on long term strategy than he is of resisting a piece of shiny glass.
By Desna, Aoife is a child. I still cannot believe we have let her seen what she has seen.
In Kuragin I have placed my trust. Full Jadwiga he may be, and I know he looks down at my snowcasterness, but without him I would be lost.
Ishbaad the Chosen is everything I am not. Strong, courageous, outspoken. He carries the heart of the south in all he does. Is this what I want to be? Is this what I'm missing? Or do I see a what I could have been, what my life would have been, had I been a son of the south, rather than a son of the north.
No matter, the die have been cast, the fates have been determined. Now I must do what I was born to do, what I prayed to do. To fight, to love, to die. Which will I see on the morrow? No matter, with eyes wide open shall I walk, with head held high shall I be, and with step lighter than a feather, for those who have nothing, shall lose nothing.
"Friends, the time for talk is at an end. Time for action is upon us. Say your prayers, make your peace, for this is the ultimate test of what we can do. Though the plans that were discussed were well thought and and come from a pure heart, once we decide upon a choice it will change as swiftly as the desires of a child." He glances uneasily at Aoife and Ice.
"In the boxes we will go, and the villagers that wish should follow. Their mission is one of support and they should flee the instant our plan begins to fail and leave us to the evil machinations of the winter queen. If some wish to stay here and use the mirror to try and draw forces away, all the better."
Standing up, Jorvik moves towards the door, ready to meet his fate.
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The child looks up to the half-elf as he speaks with such force and resolve, that the child cannot help but be swayed by his words. Halfway through his speech, Jorvik turns to face her and Icy, and Aoife's heart flutters, beating quickly for a spell. As the half-elf continues, speaking of hiding in the boxes and bringing an end to the evil witch, she pulls off her bulky backpack and drops it clumsily to the floor. Before Jorvik has reached the door, Aoife is still rummaging through the leather bag, but eventually manages to pull forth a pair of fake ears.
After a moment spent applying the ears so each fits snuggly over her own, she brushes the tangles of hair aside, so her new, pointy ears can show splendidly to the others. Once the bag is secured safely to her back, Aoife runs to Jorvik's side and stands with her massive gauntlet-clad fists pressed against her hips. At that moment, Aoife fancies herself a mightily imposing figure.
"Yeah!" she shouts, her posture and pointy ear clearly showing she is trying to imitate her half-elf companion. "Jorvik is right! We've waited long enough. It's time for us to get into the boxes, put a stop to this portal, and an end to baroness Nazhena."
"I'm ready for this to be over," she continues, glancing up to Jorvik and pausing briefly to show him a beaming smile. "There is still so much further to go before I find my dad... or find what happened to him..."
Her resolve and confidence almost falters but she manages, barely, to keep her composure.
"But this... here and now... feels like an end."
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Instantly a flood of emotion and memory crash into Jorvik. Seeing the small human child mocking him is almost too much for him to bear.
Shouts of , 'Pointy ears" and "bastard" flood his conscious. "What do you get when you cross a Jadwiga and a dog? Jorvik! Hahaha." "Mommy, why does that boy have deformed ears? Shouldn't he have been left in the fey woods to die? Who let him live?"
Fighting the emotions, resisting the blood boiling in him, he looks again upon Aoife. No, not her. She cannot be mocking you. You have it wrong.
Then he sees the look on her face, the childlike wonder, the continually seeking of approval that all children have. She is looking for praise because she thinks that she has done something good.
Did she do something good?
Exhaling the breath that he was unaware that he was holding, Jorvik gently plucks the ears from Aoife's head, and kneels down to be at eye level. He extends a hand and rests it lightly on her shoulder. "Aoife, you sweet, sweet child. So you want to be a snowcaster, like me? You are brave enough, and you are strong enough, but you are too good. Your heart" he momentarily swallows the sadness creeping in him, fighting back tears, "You have honored me today, with this." he extends his hand and gently places the ears in hers. Glancing at Ishbaad, not wanting to overstep his bounds, "But Aoife, promise me this. Promise me that you will always be you. You, Desna willing, will live a long and happy life, but always be you. Take these ears back, keep them safe, always remember that Jorvik the Bloodspeaker was your true friend, and always will be." He stands, bows his head to her, and heads back to the front of the line headed to the Pale Tower.
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The child looks into her palm and sees the pair of fake ears laying pathetically. They had seemed so precious and powerful to her only moments before, now laying on their sides awkwardly, like lumps of deformed flesh, each seeming utterly out of place. Her large green eyes begin to well as the light in the room causes a faint sparkling against her growing tears, all the while Aoife's blazing green eyes look pleadingly at the half-elf.
She stands motionless for a few moments, suppresses a sniffle, then lunges forward and hugs Jorvik. Her clutch is powerful as she squeezes him, the unplanned reaction of a child thinking they have done wrong, while attempting to hold the source of her admiration, so close, in order to find shelter from the growing feelings of embarrassment and displeasure with herself.
You hurt him badly... she thinks. Why did I do that?
"I'll remember, Jorvik," she can barely speak, pressing her face forcefully against his shoulder. "I'll remember forever..."
See pulls back then, taking one last look at the fake ears in her palm, before stepping out of the door into the bitting cold. Outside, the child's tears sting her face as they stream down and freeze, crystallizing in seconds. She stuffs the now precious trinkets into her bag, and pulls the drawstring tight, but remains in the blustering gusts, her clothes and hair sent whipping wildly as she again wipes her face with one hand.
Now, to the child, this truly did feel like an ending.
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Seeing all the planning going on, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight formulates a plan. They have to get the mirror, and do it quietly. He thinks about their assets, and decides that he and Aoife would probably be the best choices... because they are small. The tall-folks would probably be too loud.
Then he starts thinking, why does he need Aoife? He can handle his own... and she's busy right now.
So, he looks around, and disappears out the back door. He then makes haste to the Silver Stoat, planning on sneaking in the back, to find that mirror in a dresser.
Just to be safe, he gulps down his potions of invisibility and pass without trace. When he gets to the back door, he checks for traps on the doors, even though he doesn't expect any.
If the door is locked, he'll unlock it.
And then move in. He quietly makes his way to the bedroom, and starts searching for the mirror. He looks in any dresser he can find.
Ice Melts quietly in Sunlight moves with great care through the Silver Stoat. The meagre fire under the mantle barely takes the chill out of the air. The large pile of wood next to the fireplace shows exactly how tight the Goltiaevas are with their resources. The taproom is eerily quiet.
The floorboards barely even creak as the light goblin makes his way up to where he supposes Katrina's bedroom will be. At first, he can't tell which door to use, but then he sees that a single door at the far end of the corridor is actually adorned and has some nice carvings around its frame. That must be their bedroom.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight tries the door and finds it locked. He works reasonably quickly with the barrel of the lock and eventually has it open.
"Emil?" comes a hoarse female voice from inside as the goblin quietly opens the door and invisibly slips inside. He sees that the owner of the voice is Katrina, and her eyes are filled with tears. She warily inspects the door and the corridor beyond, while the goblin quickly gets out of her way. "I could swear I locked that..." she mutters to herself as she shuts and locks the door once more and lies down on the bed sobbing.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight looks around furtively for the mirror. He almost cries out in frustration at not being able to find it, and then he looks at what Katrina is holding. In her hand is a carved ivory handle with some kind of flat, oval piece above it. The flat oval is covered with a black silk cloth.
As if sensing the goblin there, Katrina sits upright and looks long and hard at the covered object. She reaches for the silk covering with a shaking hand before flinging the whole thing, still covered, at the foot of the bed. She throws herself down once more on top of the bed spread, crying into the pillow. Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, unsure of what to make of this display, waits uncertainly for something else to happen. He notices that the silk has moved off the oval somewhat and confirms that it is indeed a mirror. This one is made from a highly polished speculum surface and won't shatter like the mercury and glass mirror downstairs.
As time moves on, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight notices that Katrina hasn't moved and her breathing has become regular and heavy. The occasional sporadic exhalation of breath is the only sign that she had been crying and the goblin judges that she is most definitely asleep.
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Not wanting the kill the poor woman, because in his eyes, 'she probably had a bad mommy, and never learned the difference between right and wrong like Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight'
He drinks his mutagen, , to help his already nimble fingers. He will then, very cautiously, try to slide the mirror out of her hands without her waking up. 'Why didn't I get a sap? I don't want to kill her, but what do I do if she wakes up?'
When he gets it out, he immediately wraps it in a piece of cloth that he is still holding onto from the dresser, and then sneaks back out. He will take a moment to lock the door from the outside when he leaves, hoping she doesn't notice.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight manages to procure the mirror and sneak out without being noticed. Oddly, he neither sees nor hears Emil, Kartrina's husband, throughout any of this. He thinks nothing more of it as he heads through the kitchen and out the back once more.
"Yes, well done Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight." Ishbaad takes the covered mirror from the goblin carefully.
"Well, it seems we have a majority. We will get in the crates, and sneak into the tower." he says to his companions.
Turning to the gathered townsfolk, "As Jorvik has said, should you wish to follow us, the time is upon us. There are ten sets of the soldier's armor here which some of you may use. Allow us a bit of time to sneak into the tower, and then the rest of you can follow. Launch your assault on the gates of the tower, and we will begin our assault from within. I will not claim that this will be easy, and will not ignore the dangers you walk into. I will vow that we will do what we can from the inside to support you, as you support us with your assault."
"I do not believe the tower knows what to do in the case of a two-pronged assault, and that gives us a strong advantage. The soldiers and the witch already have no mercy on you, that much is clear. Now is not the time for your mercy on them. They will be confused, and you must press that to your advantage. Are there any questions?"
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"If you come with us... do not just throw your lives away beating on locked doors. Think like goblin... wait for opening, when big booms come from inside. Find cover when you can, make it seem like there are more of you than there are! Lure guards out from their safe place, and then swarm them... beat them down, when you can outnumber them! Then swarm through the doors, and start wreaking havoc!"
"Well spoken, Jorvik." Kuragin nods approvingly to his old acquaintance. "I have little to add, Ishbaad's plan is as good as we can muster. We go there, and once we are out of the boxes, we improvise."
"And good job, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight" he says privately to the goblin. Kuragin is still a bit wary of the blue-skinned creature, but he seems quite capable. Trustworthy even, for a goblin.
Nadya nods along with the heroes' plan, and looks quite impressed at Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight's sneaky prowess.
"Well, friends," she begins, "Sounds like you know what to do. I wholeheartedly approve. Go back to my place and see if you can get Hatch to talk to you. I've got some rounding up to do. I'll have a fighting force ready for you in a couple of hours. I think Iziamir will likely coordinate the home defense, should it be required."
With that, Nadya moves off to speak to her traveling companions, the ones the heroes met on the trail.
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Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight is practically beaming after the praise he has received. Finally, he's found a place where it isn't 'get that damned goblin' and shoes (or worse) being thrown. 'Maybe, when this is all over, Boss and I can settled down here. It might not be the nicest place, but it is better than being chased out of town.'
With that thought, he walks over and gives Coramus a hug. For once, even, he isn't checking Coramus's pockets for loose change!
"You are amazing, Icy," Aoife says, still wiping her eyes, their redness still evident. "Truly amazing..." The child tries her best to maintain a warm smile to her precious friend, meaning every bit of her compliment for the goblin, but her emotions are still raw and confused by her interactions with Jorvik a few moments before.
"Let's go talk to Hatch," she says next, turn to begin her walk in the direction of Nadya's house. "I cannot wait to see him at last."
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"Good idea Aoife." Ishbaad says, noting her tears.
I never know what to say...
The stony man ruffles the girls hair before striding forward, even though he knows it is hopeless to attempt to keep up.
"Lets see if one of us knows a better way to get the sneaky little guy to appear. We can all take comfort in knowing that spilling our tea will not work."
The wizard only shrugged when his plan was rejected. Such was the wont of youth, to press forward and never remain still. Perhaps it was for the best. He returns Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight's hug enthusiastically, patting the goblin's head.
The wizard goes over his spells he has prepared, wondering if there were any tweaks he should make before they proceeded to assault the Pale Tower. The Baroness likely had arcane might of her own, so between Coramus and Kuragin the wizard hoped they could offset enough of her might for their friends to bring about her demise.
"Picky house spirit, eh? Vodka no good to him? Fine, let's see if Katrina's place as anything more suitable for wine connoisseur fey"
The companions tarry a while longer in town, picking up a nice bottle of sweet ice wine, before heading to Nadya's cabin to treat with the domovi. Kuragin places a small glass of the newly acquired wine on a table and waits with both skepticism and irritation at the picky sprite's choice of beverage.
After what seems like an interminable amount of time, but what must have only been ten minutes or so, the glass begins to wobble and eventually levitates off the table. It eventually comes to rest barely a foot from the ground and then tips over. The liquid disappears rather than spills, however, and it isn't long before a tiny humanoid creature appears. He is clad in peasant's garb, has wrinkly mottled skin and a long flowing beard. His demeanor is at once sad, shy and skittish. Nevertheless, he telekinetically moves the glass back to the appropriate cabinet, waving it magically clean - sparkling clean - on the way. That done, he bows to the assembled group.
"Thank you for the wine," he says in a voice that is both old and almost comically high pitched, "My name is Hatch. I assume you wish to speak with me. I'm not sure what help I can be, but I will hear what you have to say."
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"Hello Hatch! Me is Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight. Me think we have a lot in common. We both are misunderstood by most people around here, and we both are much more capable than most people think!
"Also, we both no like what is going on in the Pale Tower, and want to help these poor people of Waldsby do better than what Witchy-Poo would have them be. We is going to go have a little talk with her, but me was thinking, I'll bet Hatch, being such a clever domovi that he is, would know a lot about the Pale Tower... how to get around, what secret passages might be there.
"Me know you care for these people, especially Nadya and her family." He makes sure that the children aren't around. "You know that the witch took Nadya's daughter, making her into a soul-bound doll? Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, and me friends, we freed her, but we could not save her. Me no want any more children being turned into nasty evil dolls like that. Will you help us... please???"
Arriving back at the house from the quick detour to the tavern, Ishbaad shakes off the cold as he gets inside. While the 10 minute wait for the domovi is near torturous for the less patient of the group, particularly the small ones, It does not phase Ishbaad in the least. When at last the cup is raised, he smiles to Aoife, taking in the look on her face. A child's wonder is a treasure that all people should have the pleasure of experiencing.
"Master Hatch. It is a pleasure to meet you. I must say, you do a positively exquisite job keeping this house clean. The results are a testament to your tireless work." Ishbaad bows slightly to the apprehensive fey.
"We are about to embark on a mission most urgent, of which I am sure you are already aware, being a constant presence in this home. You most assuredly have overheard us speaking of the fate of Thora, not to mention our intention to shut off the source of power that feeds the portal not far from town here. We will be assaulting the pale tower before this day is yet over, and we humbly request information on its inhabitants, and perhaps some idea of the layout of the tower before we go in. What do you know of the tower and the denizens within that you could share with us?" Ishbaad asks, sitting down to listen intently to the fey's answer.
"'Master' Hatch? No. Never that. Just 'Hatch' will be fine," the domovoi says after Ishbaad adds his request to Ice Melt Quietly in Sunlight's, "And I guess helping you with the layout of the Pale Tower is the least I can do after you avenged Thora for me." A few tears escape his eyes as Hatch takes some time to remember his dead friend.
"I'm not much of an artist," he says at last, "But I can try to draw what the tower looks like as best I can from my memory. I haven't been to all rooms - I was banned from some - but not much is closed to a house spirit. We are expected to keep everything clean, 'or else'. I keep it neat like she asked, but she still threw me out for a few little funny jokes I played. Silly Witchipoo!"
Hatch retrieves some drawing paper and makes his best effort at drawing the layout of the Pale Tower. That finished, he scribbles notes all over it without so much as a word to the companions. When he is done, he hands it over.
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"Hatch, you say that not much is closed to a house spirit. Just between you and Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, where were the really fun places that you weren't supposed go? Or places that Witchipoo hid things that she had stolen from people?"
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight smiles at the the domovoi, with a mischievous, conspiratory smile. "Me know you a good spirit... otherwise you would not be such a good friend to the family. But, as me know, even a good goblin, or a good spirit, sometimes gets into things that the Big Boss people say they no supposed to go! It was only for their own good that you go into room, and look into locked chest. You not know if you need to clean it, right?"
He pours another glass of icewine for the sprite. "You can tell Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight... we best of friends now! Me never tell." He waves at the others, indicating they should leave the room.
Hatch looks more than a little uncomfortable as Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight addresses him. "I've told you about all the spots I know of. I know the passphrase to get up to the top floor, but I've never been. The Baroness would have killed me if I'd ever been up there - and my invisibility wouldn't help me with her. Everything I know is written on the map. Though, I guess... well... Hestrig keeps lots and lots of treasure in a chest at the foot of her bed."
He steps back, clearly wanting to get out of there, but not wanting to just abandon these folk in case they don't understand what he wrote down.
"You are a most wonderful Domovi, mast.... Hatch." Ishbaad catches himself, and finishes with a wink.
"Can you tell me about some of these people you have listed here? I have not heard their names before. Jairess the raven mistress, Hestrig the captain of the guards, and Radosek. What do you know of them? I see other names on here and I would like to know who they are also, but those three intrigue me the most." Ishbaad pours another cup of the ice wine, just to be sure.
The child stands beside her guardian and watches as Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight and Ishbaad relay their questions to the Domovoi, and as they converse her eyes begin to well once more when Thora is mentioned. Aoife does her best to hide her pain at hearing the name of a friend she never had the opportunity to get to know, and tries to keep her attention focused on Hatch. Though on the verge of tears, the child nods her head frantically, acknowledging each piece of advice given to them.
"Thank you so much Hatch," she says politely, wiping the corning of one eye with her sleeve. "Thora is set free, in a way... at least, she isn't in pain anymore... I keep trying to tell myself that we did everything we could have to save her." Aoife pauses for a moment, either thinking about her own words or stunned by them.
"But I can't make myself believe it," she tries to refocus the crushing pain in her heart, wrenched apart by the thought of Thora, and project it outward to the one who was responsible for taking Nadya's daughter's life. "We haven't avenged her properly but that will come soon enough."
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Hatch scratches his head at Ishbaad's questions, not sure what to think of someone who doesn't know these people. He shrugs points at each in turn as he describes them.
"Jairess is the one I fear least of the three. She is air-touched and beautiful. I think Radosek might be in love with her. I don't think she's as mean as the others, but she serves Lady Vasilliovna willingly as her Mistress of Ravens. I have seen her venerate nature and the wind itself and I do not believe she worships the same gods the others do. I have seen her cast a spell on herself in the morning - every morning. I think it is to ward off the cold.
"Hestrig the captain of the guards is greedy and cruel. She wields spells and swords equally well. She kills swiftly and with little provocation - even her own men once or twice while I was there. I would stay well away from her! Once, though, I saw her counting out all of her money - as though time might somehow change the amount. Greedy that one. Very greedy.
"Radosek is Lady Vasilliovna's apprentice. He is a witch, too, I think. Not too many male witches out there, the Jadwiga tend to make soldiers out of their men. He looks and reminds me a lot of you, actually," Hatch looks at Kuragin here, "But his eyes are much crueler. He is also easy to anger, and thinks he's superior to everyone, probably the Baroness included. I think he resents the fact that he wasn't born a woman."
A look of overwhelming sorrow overtakes Hatch when Aoife mentions Thora and he instinctively vanishes from sight. It is about a minute before he appears again, some distance to the left of his previous location and sobbing uncontrollably, "It's all my fault... all my fault..."