Eohzayped... came close, looked Cairee up and down, and stepped back with a little pity on his face, "That's Oblivion that is. What happened missy? You needed to forget something, something you couldn't live with, and someone promised cytillesh what gave you oblivion instead? Whatever she needed to forget, that's gone now. But she'll want more and more until she's taking it to forget she's taking it. Then, one day, her mind will be clean as nordern ice."
Cairee kept her head on Zahra's shoulder, hoping her face stayed blank as the dwarf guessed at her condition. At the mention of Oblivion a wave of fear rippled through her. They'd learned about the drug in the Order. It was an unrefined version of cytillesh, sometimes called brain mold - a fungus found deep underground. It was extremely addictive and destroyed parts of the memory centre piece by piece. The order couldn't do much for those desperate enough to take it. She had never seen the effects first hand. Was someone selling it here?
Another thought struck Cairee - was that how all of the guests would forget the party? Would their host give them all this dangerous drug? It was something to look into. But not now.
"Want to help them lose more money tomorrow? Take care to appear quiet and distant come morning, as if still under the influence of the drug, and they might buy their own theory long enough to bet even more heavily against us.”"
The idea gave Cairee a surprising little thrill. She smiled conspiratorially. "I don't know if I could fool a whole arena. But it might be fun to try." Dounia's been a bad influence on me!
Cairee huddled at Cyn's door with her friends. Ousel's little feelings tugged in her mind. "She's excited...something scared her!...oh wait, she's...amused?"
She strained to hear anything from the bath.
For the barest of moments, Dounia stood there, stunned at Candor's utter betrayal. Then her brain kicked into gear and she assessed the situation. Three of them between her and the door. She might be able to make it, if she dove there, and flipped there...but no, she wasn't about to abandon Prem here to die.
So she drew her knives, whispered, "Call for Cairee," and asked, "Well, I feel like an idiot. How does this get Tarith back, exactly?"
Cyn had woken but she still seemed deeply effected by the mirror maze. She sat up groggy and unable to engage with the group.
"Thanks for the assist, E'gama. Sorry to intrude but we shouldn't be here long."
E'gama, "A late night company is welcome. Cyn, you see, isn't very talkative and I don't feel like leaving her side is a good idea right now. What has you all up at the same time and playing pantomime with strangers? I don't think it's mass insomnia."
So she drew her knives, whispered, "Call for Cairee," and asked, "Well, I feel like an idiot. How does this get Tarith back, exactly?"
Candor looked serious and uninterested in digging into the 'reasons' for the late-night assassination
Simone, "Oh, yes, let's stop for a moment and explain the little deal we've made."
Aliss spoke in agreement with Simone, "What's the point of explaining anything to a dead girl."
Ousel shot out of Dounia's shayla and darted towards the door as she sang a warning loudly. She turned abruptly away from the closed door and began to fly wildly around the room.
The others chatted, but Cairee tuned them out. Her attention was focused on her strange connection to Ousel. The small thrush's amusement turned into concern.
Then anxiety.
And then, moments later, panic.
"Something's wrong!" She placed her hand on the doorknob, ready to rush to Dounia's aid. Then paused. Would they be putting their friend in more danger? She turned to Tymythy and Zahra. "What should we do?"
"Something's wrong!" She placed her hand on the doorknob, ready to rush to Dounia's aid. Then paused. Would they be putting their friend in more danger? She turned to Tymythy and Zahra. "What should we do?"
”Wrong? What is?” Tymythy asked, confused.
He shifted his grip on his Usriev, eyes narrowed. ”Let’s go out there. Loudly. Perhaps that will spook whoever is threatening Dounia. Or she will hear us and knows to try and escape. But attacking others when guest rights have been invoked and backed by our host? Whoever they are must be mad.”
Tymythy, seeing the faraway look in Cairee's eyes, sensed she was being touched by some foreboding. He burst out of the Peacock room and moved to the Baths. Cairee and Zahra followed close behind. E'gama came out into the hallway and looked to the Black Birds, then back at Cyn, then to the Black Birds. He did not look like someone who was comfortable staying behind.
E'gama, "Foul! Guards look to the Bath House! Foul!" He didn't feel like someone used to calling for the guard either.
Prem was suddenly sober and his rapier was out like the thought of a fight. He slipped to his right, getting in between Dounia and Kingsworthy. His thrust at the braggard was sloppy, however, and although Kingsworthy was expecting a drunken attack, the blade only scraped his fine leathers.
Pattallia Crux watched Ousel flying in panicked circles and studyied her, "I think the bird is a familiar! What it feels the owner feels!" She moved towards the centre of the room.
”Wrong? What is?” Tymythy asked, confused.
"I don't know, but Ousel went from feeling amused to panicked really fast." Cairee followed Tymythy into the hall. Make noise, make noise...what noise? Should I still play 'drunk'? She put her hand on her friend's back as if using him for balance, and in a panic blurted out "I need a bath!"
Zahra was in the process of asking Cairee if she could send a question back to Ousel like 'help?' when Tymythy started to move. Figuring it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission where Dounia's life was concerned, the sorceress quickly followed.
Putting on a more girlie voice than usual and starting to skip down the hallway she said, "That party was lame! Let's find another one, pleeeeeease? Maybe the baths? I heard some wild things go on in there after hours."
Tymythy opened the door with a bang, looked out and, not seeing any threatening presences within arm's reach, strode towards the door to the baths, quickly overtaken by Cairee and Zahra both. He frowned. If someone was actually attacking Dounia there was need to hurry, of course, but he didn't like it at he was not at the front of the line.
Perhaps there appearance of reinforcements would make the attackers hesitate? He hoped so - it was not... proper... to fight under such circumstances, guests of their very powerful host as they all were.
plus sneak attack
Dounia hoped that her friends were on the way. She didn't want to get cornered by the Sisters, so she tried to get around Kingsworthy and behind him, so she could flank with Prem. However the floor was slippery, and her cool move turned into a stumble and slide. She was still able to stab up a the man with her knife, however. She wasn't messing around with this murderous ass any longer.
She screamed at the top of her lungs,
Dounia looked for a window around Prem's great wings and flung unhesitatingly when one appeared between his lobe and his right side. The knife soared end-over-end and buried itself deep in Kingsworthy's shoulder. The blade disappeared and reappeared in its' sheath.
Pattallia Crux watched Ousel flying in panicked circles and studyied her, "I think the bird is a familiar! What it feels the owner feels!"
Something draws Aliss away from rushing to attack the young Black Bird. She called out from near the door, "Perfect! There's a large group of drunks coming and they all want to use the Baths!"
Simone, "THEN GET RID OF THE BIRD! AND ALISS, JAM THE DOOR ALREADY! WE HAVE TO DO THIS QUICK."
Candor produced a hand-held crossbow and the bolt in it lit aflame without match or flint. She pulled the trigger. The string lost the bolt notch and slipped under it - misfire! The bolt extinguished itself as it clattered to the floor. Candor rushed to Kingsworthy's side drawing her own rapier. The room now appeared to be half-full of duelists.
Kingsworthy yelled, "HELP! THE DESERT RAT'S KILLED ME!" However, he was still vital enough to trade blades with Prem. There was a flurry of jabs and parries but the boaster managed a deep slash across the panotti's chest. He kicked the swinging door beside him and stepped back into the private bath he had come out of. The two continued to fight in the doorway of the little room.
Aliss turned to the door and jammed a dagger underneath. She put her shoulder to it while holding the thumb-latch.
Simone rushed over the lower floor, leapt the stone bench that Candor had been resting on, and hopped onto the steps. She produced a cruel looking short sword, a broken-back seax Dounia was able to turn as the thrust came in but it still left a line of blood on her left ribcage.
Zahra hurried to the door and went to open it. However, before she did she weaved magic around herself to protect from harm.
Zahra summoned her inner strength and formed it into a protective sheath about herself.
Zahra pushed at the door but it seemed jammed. The handle's thumb latch wouldn't move either.
"Ugh! It seems stuck." Zahra put a little more oomph behind her shoulder and pushed harder.
Zahra's eyes went wide. "Dounia needs help! Everyone find a piece of door and push!"
[spoiler=Dounia could see Aliss was clearly fighting against someone pushing hard from the other side of the door[/spoiler]
”On it,” Tymythy said as he hurried to Zahra’s side and added his own mass in their efforts to force the door open.
Zahra and Tymythy threw themselves against the door but something or someone was holding the latch tight.
Prem swung out with a flurry of parries both with rapier and dueling dagger. He was a wall of defence as he stepped down the steps. "Dounia, try and make it to the corner." He seemed so plain, so common at this moment. He seemed small aand each foe felt somehow made huge.
Kingsworthy's blade lunged out from the room only to be foiled by Prem's dagger. Prem's voice had real concern for the young thief. "I overheard someone saying Kingsworthy was up to something. I thought it was another go at me. I never imagined I'd see you here …"
Candor swiped with her rapier several times and Prem continued to talk and defend, parrying each attempt. He glanced at her and smiled. "I've been playing drunk all day trying to learn more."
Then Simone came from the left and cut through his ear creating a foot long severance. Prem yelled in shock.
Patallia, who had been following Ousel with her eyes, yelled, "TIER L'ARCH DE PEINE!" Two deep violet bolts shot out from her fingers. Dounia could only watch as the bolts followed Ousel around the Baths. The bird flew as fast a crooked line as it could but the bolts grew closer and closer as they followed every change. Ousel made a wild turn. The magic darts cut the corner.
And then Ousel was ash.
Cairee could feel Ousel's terror, a wild panic she'd never felt on her own.
Then it stopped. Suddenly, there was no feeling at all.
Cairee heard Dounia's cry for the guards, and she could feel Ousel's terror like a shock of freezing water. Then suddenly, nothing. Was the little thrush dead? Cairee clasped her winged pendent and tried to follow the feeling of Ousel with her mind. "Ezili Bats! she hissed, the only thing she could think to offer her new friend. Hopefully it was enough.
Then she turned turned towards the foyer and repeated Dounia's words.
Pattallia gasped, "Simone look!"
Several of the people around the room chanced a moment's glance as ash consolidated on the floor to form the silhouette of a bird. The image rose into a small pile and feathers sprouted from it. Finally, it humphed into the shape of a wee bird. The bird lay still without time to ascertain more.
Simone, "It's too late! The owner knows. She must be nearby! Fight!"
Dounia was too close! The dagger had barely left her hand and was knocked away by Simone's shield.
Candor stepped over blocking Dounia's passage further into the room. She looked over at Simone who caught her stare with some recognition.
Kingsworthy slipped out of the room and behind Candor too quickly for Dounia to react. He rushed down the steps and blocked Prem's path to the door.
Candor and Simone move simultaneously. Candor swung her rapier in a dazzling figure eight then smacked Dounia in the face with her off-hand. Dounia took the palm in the teeth. Her gums ran bloody but Dounia shook off the strike, and with enough time to see Simone go in for a sweep of her legs.
Prem, "Dounia! Look out!" He made a swift swipe that sliced a long shallow cut over Simone's thigh.
Aliss shouted into the room, "I can't come help until somebody gets me off this bloody door!"
The door at the top of the steps burst open. One porter held the door while looking down the hallway, "THEY'RE AT THE BATHS!" A second porter rushed past, down the steps and was close to Cairee's side. He looked to see Tymythy and Zahra trying to force the door.
Everyone could hear just on the door's other side, "I can't come help until somebody gets me off this bloody door!" It was a woman's voice.
Second porter, "Explain this yell of treason!"
Zahra stepped aside to let the porter get to the door. Speaking really quickly she blurted, ”Our friend is in trouble and someone has barricaded the door and we can’t get to her and I heard her scream treason and she screamed for help and for guards.” The sorceress looked at the porter in desperation, ”Please help her! We need to get this door open!”
Dounia found herself partially surrounded -then her mouth was bleeding and she was on the floor. Spitting blood on Candor's legs, she did a kip-up to get back onto her feet, then sliced at the treasonous thief. She wanted to say something clever and cutting, but she was too busy trying to stay upright, too worried about Prem, too furious about Ousel. She had nothing clever in her mind, only the desperate will to fight and to live.
Zahra stepped aside to let the porter get to the door. Speaking really quickly she blurted, ”Our friend is in trouble and someone has barricaded the door and we can’t get to her and I heard her scream treason and she screamed for help and for guards.” The sorceress looked at the porter in desperation, ”Please help her! We need to get this door open!”
Tymythy stood back as the porters arrived, recognizing them as representatives of their host. Good. If someone was truly threatening Dounia, raising their hand against one of their powerful host's guests, it should be witnessed by his proxies.