The Eye of Anubis: Book Eleven

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles, lying flat on his back on a pile of coins and staring at the ceiling, says quietly, "Aupres de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon dormir.* Let him alone."

He winces as the pistol shot cracks the near-silence.

"Well," he says, sitting up. "That's got me up again anyway. My hat, what a mess. What were you saying about the torch, m'selle? I doubt it would do much good, really...a light source creates shadows, after all. If that even means anything inside one of those extradimensional spaces."

Something is missing from Charles' voice...the note of very, very slightly strained cheerfulness he usually speaks with is gone.

*"Next to my girl, how good it is to sleep."

[Isabella]

The Tomb of Menetnashte
August 30th, 761, 1:32 PM; Day 165 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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The priest uttered a prayer and Vishnu appeared again, laying all four hands upon Guy. The warm, sea-blue glow surrounded the ranger, then seeped into his body.

"Wake up," he whispered harshly, "Wake up."

Guy's revival was considerably less peaceful than that of Edmund's.

The second Kuzan touched him his burning eyes went even wider - Guy snarled and exploded back to his feet, shoving Kuzan aside... or at least, tried to. The momentum was too much for him, and he ended up back on his knees, his lips pulled back into a feral snarl. Pink froth boiled from between his teeth, and Guy collapsed onto his side, coughing up blood from his lungs. Micheal stepped forward to aid his friend, but one look at Guy's eyes seemed to paralyze him in his tracks. The ranger snatched his axe from the ground, pushing himself back to his feet and hopping backward.

Benoit, fortunately, seemed to still have his wits about him, and when he found no more shadows to kill he lowered the axe. He looked at Kuzan and then curtly nodded, letting the medic finish the work he had started. He carefully patted Loup on the head as the dog whimpered up at him, looking anything but friendly. He seemed to be forcing his expression back to one of calm, but on occasion a toothy snarl would break its way through. Something in his eyes sent a chill crawling up the priest's spine, a cold twinge that had nothing and everything to do with fear.

Without further ado, Lia draws her pistol, slowly, carefully and very demonstratively aims it at the grate letting in the daylight -- and pulls the trigger. "'Die, you piece of dog muck'!" Lia roars.

Despite the obvious warning, some of the others still tensed at the sound of the gunshot. Karsh made a kree of protest, fluttering its wings, and Khalil reached out to soothe the bird.

Edmund, however, did not stir. Perhaps Lia's act had not been convincing enough, or perhaps he simply had not heard. The place he was now was a place beyond such violence and cruelty.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Alright," Lia sighs, holstering the pistol and rubbing her forehead through the felt mask. "Should we make a stretcher to carry captain Harris? Or is he not safe to move?"

The wizard carefully refrains from commenting on Guy's general attitude, but draws a step closer to Tomas.

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan started despite himself when Lia's gunshot went off. And when Harris didn't wake up, didn't even stir, the priest made a choked sound.

I could've helped you. I could've kept you going until you found what you needed. I could have saved you, I know I could have. Gods, I am so sorry.

Minutes later, the priest finally found his voice. "He's...we...help me move him," Kuzan hiccuped and swallowed, "He's..." The priest couldn't seem to bring himself to say "he's fine."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Don't give up yet," Lia says, drawing closer to Kuzan and offering him a hand up first. "There are always options, other sources of information that we can plumb. This is a bad, sad thing that has happened, and you have a right to feel bad about it, but the game is not over just yet."

[yalenusveler]

"There's got to be something we can do, Kuzan. Maybe not here and now..but I refuse to believe that the cause is lost." Andre said, trying to sound desperately like he believed that. "Which..brings us to, quite simply..what now?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Perhaps the Conspiracy should like to wait here until we have gone outside with the Eye," Lia suggests. "If we are questioned as to their fates, our better speakers can lie."

She turns an emotionless, red-eyed gaze onto Lily and her beau. Jervis. Guy. Michel. Fassahd and Kahlil. "We can truthfully say we did battle here, and that the Conspiracy fell. As long as we accept that a shadow is a real thing -- especially when it is real enough to wound and kill.

Provided Vedarrak does not send anyone in to check, and does not decide to collapse the entrance, you should be fine. Just wait until the Falkovnians have left, then continue your original plan. Meanwhile ... we of the Expedition should probably be getting outside. The majority rules we should present the Eye to Vedarrak and de Casteele ... So be it, then. And it will not do captain Harris any harm to be put into a wagon for our further travels."

[Isabella]

The Tomb of Menetnashte
August 30th, 761, 1:34 PM; Day 165 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"You should have stayed behind," Sam said suddenly, his voice wavering dangerously. He shuddered slightly as he turned away from Tomas, perhaps having caught too good a look at what the young Lamordian had been doing, and took a step toward Edmund. "You were supposed to have stayed behind. It was safe there. You were safe."

"Sam." Lily took him gently by the shoulders, holding him back. "Andre's right, it's not over yet. He's still alive. Something will work out, and it will all turn out alright."

The look Samael gave Andre could have left the other man smoking against the wall.

Then he put on a charming, glassy smile, turning to Lia. "It's not a bad plan for a backup, but it means we wouldn't be able to set foot in Dementlieu ever again. I think I'd prefer to avoid that. I don't really feel like spending my life in hiding, and Guy's had his good name sullied quite enough. And poor Micheal would be in disgrace. He'd never be able to see his family again."

Micheal froze like a frog caught in bright lamplight, somewhat horrified he'd been pulled into the conversation. Sam continued, turning back to Andre, with a pleasantness so forced it was painful to listen to. "I have a feeling the brotherhood will be very forgiving if we happen to turn up with their prize. But, before I make any plans... I have some good guesses, of course, but maybe it would be best if you told me why Marcos Vedarrak is in Har Akir, outside of the tomb, with a squadron of Falkovnian soldiers?"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"They must have sent him at the same time they sent us, or at least not too long afterward," Lia answers the question. "I am sure Jervis told you there were Falkovnian dead in the Jackal's Ruse. Vedarrak must have used that passage to get to Har'Akir quickly. They made the transition before we all came to the Monastery and ... well. In any case, I would theorize that the brotherhood believes in backup plans."

[Kaitou Kage]

"He..never really explained it," Kuzan said softly, accepting Lia's hand to stand up. "Lia is probably right." He shook his head. "Edmund's condition is not because we left. This has been with him since before he joined the Expedition. It has gotten progressively worse..." He looked away and whispered with fierce resolve. "It'll work. We'll get him back. I haven't lost anyone. I'm not about to now."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"The Abbot," Lia says. "He has the power to read thoughts, and he has been fighting against reality-warping nightmares for a long time. He might be able to do for captain Harris what we can not. We just need to somehow get Harris to the monastery -- preferably without leading Vedarrak there. The monks have suffered enough from Ronov's presence, they do not need a visit from a mob of Falkovnians."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Why, oh why would the Brotherhood worry about the loyalty and probity of its hirelings? Or take steps to assure that its prize would return to it?" Charles asks flatly. "I leave the question as an exercise for the imagination. As for not being able to return to Dementlieu again...well. Setting aside the question of why any sane man would want to do such a thing, I might still be..."

Charles stops talking for so long it seems he has lost his train of thought; finally, by a visible effort of will, he continues, "Able to help. Assuming I have not lost all credibility through..." He stops talking again, but the look he gives Sam would probably incinerate the Borcan on the spot if Charles' magical abilities lay in his gaze and not his voice.

Turning away, Charles gets to his feet and walks to where Guy sits. "Good dog, Loup," he says again. "Well done." Crouching, he stares at Guy, as if in some kind of non-verbal communion.

[yalenusveler]

"There's...another reason why Vedarrak is here." Andre said, his face taking on the characteristics of that of a person who expected sweetened tea, and instead just took a large sip of lime juice cut with vinegar.

"This entire expedition..was supposed to be a ruse. A sad joke at all our expenses to draw out cranks and lunatics like Cavendish. When it started to go well...drastically wrong. Or too right, depending on how one wishes to see it...they decided to send along help. He was honestly amazed we were still alive." Andre shook his head, looking more than a touch disgusted, both with Vedarrak, and with himself for keeping this particular bit of information hidden.

[Isabella]

The Tomb of Menetnashte
August 30th, 761, 1:36 PM; Day 165 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Why, oh why would the Brotherhood worry about the loyalty and probity of its hirelings? Or take steps to assure that its prize would return to it?" Charles asks flatly. "I leave the question as an exercise for the imagination.

"A very good point," Sam said, still smiling glassily. "After all, it certainly seemed that some of the expedition never had any intention of handing the Eye over... regardless of the consequences. How fortunate we are that isn't actually the case, aren't we?"

As for not being able to return to Dementlieu again...well. Setting aside the question of why any sane man would want to do such a thing, I might still be..."

Charles stops talking for so long it seems he has lost his train of thought; finally, by a visible effort of will, he continues, "Able to help. Assuming I have not lost all credibility through..."

Guy stared back. Normally, Charles was used to inspiring others with his eloquent words and exhilarating speech. Now he felt his own blood stir with the look in Benoit's eyes, quite separate from his own emotions. They spoke powerful words that only those two could hear - they spoke of fire, they spoke of vengeance. Guy pulled his lips back into a grin, baring his teeth. "We'll buy it back, if we have to," he said harshly. He strode over to a carton to gems, plucking out a ruby the size of his fist. It glowed bright red in his fingers. "And they'll take it. They'll take you back with open arms."

His grin somehow got even wider. "They'll never know what hit them."

"Yeah..." Sam agreed, staring obsessively at the gold. "We'll take some stuff out to Vedarrak. Tell him it'd take weeks to carry it all out. He won't want to wait. He'll have his wretched Eye. He'll never need to know what else was in here. We can use it to fix everything. It'll all be alright. We can fix it all. We'll smooth it over with the University. Talk it out. Just a big misunderstanding. We delivered everything we were supposed to. They can't be mad about that. Explain everything away. Charles will keep his job. It will all turn out alright..."

"This entire expedition..was supposed to be a ruse. A sad joke at all our expenses to draw out cranks and lunatics like Cavendish. When it started to go well...drastically wrong. Or too right, depending on how one wishes to see it...they decided to send along help. He was honestly amazed we were still alive."

There was a moment of somber silence at that. Only two of the conspiracy didn't react to the news; Jervis seemed unconcerned with whatever hidden agendas were going on behind the scenes, and Fassahd's bestial features were unreadable.

"Rotten..." Guy growled, tightening his hand around the gem. He didn't seem surprised by the news. Cruelty from Dementlieu's upper crust had long since ceased to faze him.

"So, this is what we truly are," Khalil whispered blackly, with mirthless humor. "Meat to be thrown to the jackals, while they seek out their treasure. What sin weighs down the soul more than avarice?"

"Well," Sam said, with his frozen smile, "then we've already done better than they expected of us. If they're so willing to use people as bait, what's to say we couldn't have done the same? We split the Expedition very secretly, to try and throw Cavendish off our trail. Couldn't explain it all. The situation was far too dangerous. Never know when he could have been spying. He can take any shape he wants, after all. Why, it could even have been him that killed Pelletier. It's not a crime to split up. No one did anything wrong. I must have been a little... unclear, when I left, and you were a little... over-zealous..." His lips twitched even as he said it.

"It doesn't much matter what we tell Vedarrak," Samael continued, now glaring at the treasure as if he were angry with it. "If he's keeping hostages then he doesn't want a fight. And he'll have what he wants. We just need to get back to a city. Make a huge deal of our triumphant return. Then even they'll have trouble disappearing us, even if they want to..."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"But the closest city is Diamabel's hell-hole," Lia notes quietly. "And we are all wanted criminals there. No, I am not saying we have to change the plan," she adds with a sigh, hopefully forestalling angry words. "Only that we need to be very careful.

And if we could devise a ritual to kill off the fiend while the Eye is in Vedarrak's triumphant possession, well ... all the better for us, no?"