Path: newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newsswing.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.net!newsfeed.cwix.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsread.com!newsstand.newsread.com!POSTED.monger.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: From: "Richard Schultz" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: New FFF: "Tangles" 1/1(Uber VOY: Uber Janeway/7/B'Elanna)R Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 4205 Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 05:55:57 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: monger.newsread.com 1104213357 209.198.142.218 (Tue, 28 Dec 2004 00:55:57 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 00:55:57 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:86411 X-Received-Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2004 21:56:06 PST (newsspool1.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: Tangles Author: R Schultz ( cousindream@msn.com ) Fandom: Not Star Trek Series: Not VOYAGER Rating: R for some sexual situations and violence Pairing: F/F love Disclaimer: Paramount owns Trek. How bizarre. This story has jack=20 squid to do with Trek, so ViaBorgCom can go swim in their pool=20 filled with stolen money and ignore me. I write for fun. Summary: Red Mouser and Sevein are traveling female Free Swords and=20 female lover. Belanna Torres is the High Priestess of the Temple of=20 the benign Rain God, one Gogorol by name. A very green frog.=20 Beautiful petite Belanna dances feverishly, skillfully, and naked,=20 twice a day, in honor of her God. This striking and virgin woman is=20 also a part-time lover of both Red Mouser and Sevein, themselves=20 bonded. A skillful theft by the three have humbled and very nearly=20 impoverished the High Priest of the Sun God, one Chakay by name. In=20 part this theft was revenge, for Chakay had nearly destroyed the=20 Inn 'VOYAGER' with a Fire Salamander commanded by the foreign Wizard=20 named Trelayne, the Squire of Gothos. Chakay had courted the owner=20 of the 'Voyager' Inn, possibly with an eye to disposing of her at=20 some opportune later date. Samantha had rejected Chakay, enraged=20 him, and narrowly escaped bankruptcy, loss of business and fire; all=20 due to the efforts of Chakay to destroy her. Of late Red Mouser and=20 Sevein had also broken out of prison a Nomurean priest named Phlox.=20 Phlox had hired Red Mouser and Sevein to retrieve for his city the=20 gold-covered Relic bones of a small child a thousand years dead.=20 Phlox had been imprisoned for this theft. Then a banker named=20 Datalore had been responsible for Phlox almost going to the Throne=20 of Sublime Delight and having his skin removed a tiny bit at a time;=20 a standard punishment for thieves in Tar-trigon. Phlox's escape from=20 the tower prison had deprived him of that pleasure. Now the ghost=20 child Emilia lives with Red Mouser and Sevein. Her bones were the=20 ones stolen in one of Red Mouser's daring burglaries. Now Red Mouser=20 and Sevein are living once more in a rebuilt 'VOYAGER', and all=20 looks promising. Sorta. Tangled enough? Read on. Warning: If the thought of love and sex between adult consenting=20 females spins your compass, go away. Others of improper age or=20 residing in a locale or country which dislikes TrekSmut are also=20 told to Shmoo. Disappear. Vamoose, critters! 20,700 words, January,=20 2004. Written for the FFF, before being posted to the ASCEML. May be=20 archived elsewhere if permission is requested first.=20 Visit http://www.geocities.com/femme_fuhq_fest/ for more Femme Fuh-Q=20 Fest stories. Comments to: R Schultz at ( cousindream@msn.com ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- TANGLES By R Schultz The new cook ruled the kitchen and much of the insides of 'VOYAGER'=20 with an iron fist - or ladle, to be proper. The Publican (a=20 cadaverous fellow named Bashir) was a follower of the Temple of=20 Gogorol, who owned his present position to the good word of Belanna,=20 the High priestess. The cook was one Lwaxana, a woman of some years=20 and girth and amorous illusions. Personally I thought the ample Lwaxana wanted the body of said=20 Publican Bashir for her own immoral purposes. I enjoyed watching=20 carefully the minute stages of her possible dual rape and seduction=20 of the unwilling male. The Brewery (now referred to as The Golden Red for some reason), was=20 churning out many hogsheads of beer, porter, ale and fermented malts=20 for the trade. Especially for the trade of the good Inn 'VOYAGER',=20 which Inn owned a bare majority of the new Brewery. The Master=20 Brewer, Sisko, pressed his courtship of Samantha Wildman when not=20 making liquid joy. I sat in the stable courtyard, enjoying the increasingly rare rays=20 of the late autumnal sun. Above us and behind us the rebuilding of=20 the Inn proceeded apace. Nearly triple it's previous size; it would=20 now have four stories, rather than three as previously. A few more=20 days and it would be finally complete, even to a new coat of paint. I perched upon a bench against the wall of the Inn, and observed=20 Sevein's games with one of 'our' horses. We'd taken a cart and its two horses as booty when we defeated a=20 gang of thieves at the warehouse where we worked as night guards.=20 Sam at this very moment was out on that cart with one of the=20 captured horses. She and daughter Naomi were buying edibles for the=20 Inn. In the stable courtyard, Sevein was pretending not to have an apple=20 cut in half secreted in her lowermost two tunic pockets. The horse=20 knew better, but was playful and had played this game often since=20 its change of owners. When it made to nip, Sevein slapped its nose, reminding it there=20 were limits. She loved both horses. Not in the manner of fabled=20 Queen Katherineza, mind you. Legend had it she died when her nephew=20 sabotaged her framework for equine delight, and one of her favorite=20 chariot horses had fallen upon her. I'd long since noticed all the best legends always occurred very=20 long ago and very far away. That alone always made me doubt some of=20 the juicier details in such tales. A few mice were contentedly rummaging in my pocket. Enjoying a=20 little grain, and being swept along into the control of my mind. My=20 mice were my little spies. This afternoon late we would venture past the residence of the=20 Banker and Silk Merchant Datalore. Known far and wide as the Man in=20 the Iron Collar. We would pause for a second and several mice would=20 scurry towards the entrances to the Banker's stronghold. Tomorrow on=20 the way to work we would detour to his place of business and leave a=20 few similar mice. Master Datalore had meant to skin alive the Nomurean Priest Phlox.=20 We had rescued Phlox from such a fate, just in time. We thought the=20 act a piece of undeserved malice, especially since the Sathridin=20 City Council had already "repaid" the victim of our burglary with=20 all that Phlox possessed. Including the fee Phlox would have paid us=20 for the recovery of his city's Sacred Relics. That struck us as=20 personal. We had also discovered in the fullness of time that Datalore had=20 supposed himself a spy in the councils of the Thieves Guild. We were=20 members of the Guild, though we were officially but mere apprentice=20 thieves to our Master. That was Emil, the Healer and Coppersmith,=20 also a skilled thief. He was personally upset with Master Datalore,=20 and expressed hopes we might burglarize said Banker at some point in=20 the future. My mind was forced abruptly back into the present when a City=20 Factor, ahorse, and with four mounted City Watch behind him, came=20 into the courtyard. Spying me, he cantered over, and spoke a preemptory; "You! Where is=20 the woman named Samantha Wildman, who owns this establishment?" Even=20 as he spoke three more City Watch briefly looked out the Commons=20 door, and then quickly withdrew inside again. "Not here at the moment," I willingly answered. Wondering what the=20 hell was happening, and how quickly could Sevein complete her=20 sideways movements and be out of the courtyard. She would find and=20 warn Mistress Sam, and we could discover things at a safer leisure.=20 City Watchmen in force did not speak well of conditions or intent. At that moment Sam brought the cart into the courtyard. Leisurely,=20 and without foreknowledge, from the west gateway. The Factor must have been given a description, for he made the=20 immediate assumption that the woman he wanted was the one who had=20 just driven in. "Seize her!" he demanded. When mounted the City Watch had a certain=20 clumsiness which prevented them from immediately turning and laying=20 hand on her. But as Sam dropped off her seat, she paused to call=20 Naomi to her, and then had to wait for the child to gather her wits=20 and move as commanded. A second too late. The Watchman seized Naomi in one hand, and Sam would not relinquish=20 her hold on her child. In a second, two more Watchmen had hold of=20 Sam herself. She looked bewildered and frightened, as well she=20 should be. Being waylaid by the Watch did not speak of happy times=20 ahead. I kept my seat, not even touching the hilt of either sword draped=20 across my back or of knife at my belt. I felt my ghost child's hands=20 firmly on my sword hand and took her advice. Emilia saw no way to=20 win a fight here and now. Sevein had her Labrys already unhooked=20 from her belt, but her eyes met mine, and she read caution in my=20 look. She carefully re-hooked her two-edged fighting axe, pretending=20 total innocence. My caution proved well-founded when the three=20 Watchmen afoot debouched from inside the Inn's Commons room. Cudgels=20 they had in hand, but short swords stood at many a belt. The odds=20 were quite against us forcibly rescuing Sam. "Samantha Wildman, Mistress of 'Voyager' Inn?" the Factor asked. Sam=20 seeing little point in denying it, said yes. "Then by order of the Sathridin of Tar-Trigon, you are placed under=20 arrest for the crime of theft." "I am innocent! I would never steal! And what am I accused of=20 stealing?" Suddenly she clutched Naomi hard in one hand.=20 "My child," she began. "What of her?" The Factor said she might=20 bring Naomi with her. To Jail. Sam looked wildly about for a second,=20 and then focused on Sevein. "Take care of my girl," Sam asked Sevein. She held out her arms, and=20 Sevein moved to the cart with some unease. Naomi willingly fled into=20 Sevein's rough-hewn embrace, confusion and panic strong in her=20 trembling and wild eyes. "As if she were my own," Sevein said. And thus we acquired another=20 member of our family, if only a hopefully temporary one. Me, my=20 lover Sevein, Emilia my persistent ghost, and now small Naomi of the=20 red-gold hair. In time Lwaxana shook herself out of her kitchen, and pushing a=20 scullery maid ahead of her, and dragging Bashir by one arm, bustled=20 up to the abandoned cart. Arrests or no, the cart was full of food, and there was an Inn to=20 run and a Commons to feed and fill with good beer. Lwaxana spared a moment to hug Naomi and pointedly tell her that=20 Sevein will take care of her now. Sevein had just become a mother, I=20 think. Naomi may have just become an orphan. My mice scampered away unseen, their role as spies put aside for the=20 moment. I was afraid for Samantha when I might not have been for=20 myself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sevein was more than a little confused, but was gamely attempting to=20 learn how to be both a mother and how to run an Inn in the few hours=20 since disaster struck. Well disguised by a cowl, Tom Pare (disguised with a small limp) had=20 bought a small ale, made a friendly motion or two to the female by=20 the door (who was myself), and went to sit by himself. In a few=20 minutes I wandered back down the corridor to the ground floor room=20 that was the present home of myself and Sevein. In this spare simple=20 room Sevein and I lived and occasionally loved. Half-hidden in the=20 shadows within, Emil was already there, wearing the attire proper=20 for a solid member of the community of well-off but not wealthy=20 means. Today he had a feather stuck in his square-brim Coppersmith's=20 hat. "I should leave shortly," he pointed out in the darkness. "Emil the=20 Coppersmith should be wending through his own home's gate soon." "The charges against Sam?" I asked. He sighed. I had learned to regard such sighs with dismay. "The Man In The Iron Collar received a commission from an unknown=20 person in the Thieves Guild. This occurred a few weeks ago, and=20 involved him in a bit of deception disguised as a merciful act on=20 his part. Master Datalore then pretended to be concerned with the=20 fact that a fellow Nomurean had been jailed in one of the Fangs, the=20 Jail towers on Old Island. "Along with the bag of gold he was paid for this feigned charity, he=20 was given a list of five names of likely concerns which were not so=20 far from the Jail, and could tend to all of Master Phlox's needs=20 while entombed. That was a mistake, I think. "Mistress Wildman was chosen, and, until master Phlox was broken out=20 of jail, fulfilled her new duty well. "However, Phlox has escaped from the North Tower. I am sure you have=20 heard of that event. "Searching for reasons for the loss, Master Datalore fastened upon=20 Samantha. A woman who has survived great catastrophes and the wrath=20 of the city's mightiest Temple, yet still prospers." I could see the way this was all knitting together now,=20 unfortunately. "In the Councils of the Sathridin Datalore has accused her of being=20 a thief, as no other method should have enriched her so. "Mistress Wildman is far too successful for her to be honest, seems=20 to be the bent of his logic." "Is there an Uninterested Solicitor to bespeak her?" I=20 asked. "Someone to vouchsafe her case before the City Council?" "They usually do not allow such for thieves," Emil noted. "Most=20 commonly they are caught red-handed, are condemned in the next usual=20 daily meeting, and go to the peeler promptly. And if by chance they=20 accept a Voice in this instance, how to explain Mistress Wildman's=20 obvious wealth?" I knew he shot a glance at me at that sally. He=20 knew full well much of her prosperity despite brigands, blockade,=20 harassment and Fire Salamanders could be laid at my doorstep. He stood in the darkness and touched my arm in sympathy. "A Voice,=20 we call them here, yes, we shall acquire one for her if such might=20 be obtained without bloodying the waters further. However, if=20 possible I shall have to also find one who is willing to be disliked=20 by the Sathridin. It's really too bad that they only need suspicion=20 to send someone to the peeler. "Even the acquisition of a Voice might tell against her, as Master=20 Datalore might reasonably ask how such as Mistress Wildman might=20 acquire one. They are not cheaply had, and usually argue patrimonies=20 and such. Property is important. Thieves are not." For a moment I thought he had left the room already, but then he=20 stirred from beside the door and opened it a crack. At such moment I=20 knew why Emil was considered a truly Master Thief. "Word will be brought you, concerning a Voice and whatever other=20 information I acquire." Then he was gone. I was feeling my years and the oncoming winter weather when I went=20 to leave my room. There was incipient chaos out in the Inn, Sevein=20 was - thus far - successfully keeping a child from panic, and I=20 suddenly realized I had a position to return to. Sevein and I were=20 night guards at a warehouse. Sevein met me at the entrance to the Commons, Naomi holding tight to=20 both my blond and my small female ghost. "The warehouse=85"she began=20 to say. I waved at her, quieting her. Then a large shadow blocked the light falling into the corridor. The light was bad and I had a knife in each hand before I recognized=20 the one-armed bulk of Kapitan Riker, the Chief Jailer at the North=20 Fang tower. For a second I was tempted to gut him out of sheer=20 aggrieved spite, but held my hand. Riker merely lifted his palm to=20 the side, showing me it was empty. "Mistress Samantha is not here," Sevein said with some dislike. "I know," he said. "I came to judge for myself whether my help was=20 necessary, and to offer it if it was." "Why?" I asked. "Do you come here spying, with a brief for mischief=20 from your masters in the Sathridin?" "Not my masters anymore," he laughed. "The City Council has let me=20 go. I no longer command at the North City Jail, nor anyplace else in=20 the city where they have writ and command." I stared. "They've discharged me from my position because I knew=20 Mistress Samantha far too well, in one Master's words." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We sat at the familiar round table near the taps where Sam often=20 eyed the Commons and the custom within it. Sevein held a Naomi who I=20 feared would achieve little sleep this night, though aught showed=20 excepting a continual fidgeting. Bashir had served us three stroups=20 of frothy Golden Red Brewery product, and Riker broke bread with us,=20 dipping the too hard day's baked product with a little oil to dip it=20 in. Riker drank porter, a dark liquid, and we sipped our beer. Naomi=20 was allowed a few tastes from Sevein's leathern cup. I disliked the=20 sudden dark bags under her child's eyes. Emilia nudged Riker and the=20 ex-Jailor let her have far too much of his porter. "Manners," I scolded my ghost child. Meaning she had had quite=20 enough. Riker scowled and looked down at my ghost. Suddenly his eyes=20 widened and I knew he saw Emilia as a ghost. So far as I know=20 Belanna was the last one to clearly see Emilia and appreciate her=20 incorporeal state. "She's a ghost," I explained when he stared at me. "Her name is Emilia, and High Priestess Belanna of the Frog God's=20 Temple said she has been unbodied for quite a long time. "I do not know why she is now my spectre, but she seems little=20 trouble and she does comfort me sometimes. Belanna said she will=20 some day do what she needs to do, and then disappear. She does not=20 feel any enmity in her, and does not think Sevein or I are in any=20 danger. "Emilia is her name, and she nibbles constantly though, and I fear=20 she might become fat if she does not learn moderation." "Nonsense," he said in a scratchy voice. "She is but a child, and=20 she will run off what fat she might otherwise gain." His eyes bulged for a second before he regained his=20 composure. "Ghosts don't eat," he declared. "This one does," I said with an air of absolute conviction. Riker shied away for a second as Emilia snuggled against him, but=20 then she climbed onto his lap and settled in, obviously intent on=20 napping off her tiny pilfered tastes of porter and beer. For long=20 minutes he glared down at what was mostly invisible. Then with an=20 eye to us females, he made some type of twisting head motion and=20 straightened his back again to its usual military straightness. He=20 never even noticed it when his hand eventually stole over to caress=20 her long brown hair. He used the hand he no longer had. In the shadows about us I could clearly see the outline and almost- glimmer of his arm, ending in an ungloved hand similar to the one he=20 drank with and ate bread with. Sevein noticed, and Naomi as well, but none of us said a word. Strange things happened about Emilia, and I had to accept this as=20 yet another manifestation of her presence. Of what use a ghost arm=20 and hand might be, I had no idea. Bashir diligently turned the Commons four-hour interval hour-glass=20 over, and I knew it was time to speed to my warehouse and guard=20 it. "I must leave now," I reminded Sevein. "Watch over Naomi." Rising I was surprised to find a strong on my arm. Riker had risen=20 as well, and his ghost hand felt warm and normal on my tunic sleeve. "You're a guard at a warehouse, aren't you? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Of course Riker might be a stealthy and cunning spy sent by the=20 Sathridin, but it seemed unlikely, for illogical reasons. Emilia had=20 accepted him, and rode his shoulders part of the way to my river=20 warehouse. Of more import was the fact that if Sevein and I were suspected of=20 thievery or anything else, they could hastily bustle us off to one=20 of their dungeons and question us to destruction. Those two towers=20 were not dungeons; merely jails. The City also owned dungeons,=20 places of Question. The Sathridin did not strike me as much given to subtlety when force=20 might be used. Subtlety was reserved for dealing with nobles, Kings,=20 princes, Wizards, Empresses, margraves and fellow Sathridin members=20 and city notables, as well as other persons looming large on their=20 horizon. Not suspected thieves. Tuvok was working late over his ledgers when I reported in for my=20 job as warehouse guard. The tall black-skinned man noted Riker's=20 sword, knife, military air and missing arm before exchanging his=20 customary hand sign with the ex-Jailer. In half an hour Riker had seen everything necessary on the main=20 floor, and was climbing the ladder to the roof. He was dismayed at=20 the brass paid for the job, but having survived much in the past,=20 was willing to accommodate himself to a lean present. We did a complete circuit of the roof ledges and he immediately=20 noted the logic of our being on the roof. In the warehouse below=20 were imps and iron bars, an iron door and strong walls. The best=20 point of entry was above, on the roof. He noted the possibility of=20 underground or underwater entry, but also noted the time and effort=20 likely involved. This was a warehouse. Not a vault. Much of great=20 value might be here for a night only, and then it was on its way to=20 final destination. He carefully pushed forward the notion of a few hours together, then=20 sentry-on with sentry-off, spelling each other in the night. He=20 thought our little lean-to a cozy place. At some point we were leaning on a parapet and he asked if I had=20 known Sam long. He had noticed I was female, but he seemed focused=20 on Mistress Wildman rather than a night with me. He remained amazed, but accepted that she might indeed not know who=20 her wealthy benefactor was. I told of the blockade which Chakay once=20 ran against the Inn and its owner, and its lifting, since the=20 ruinous visitation by the Fire Salamander. What suspicions she might have of the identity of her unknown friend=20 I could not tell. Nor whether we shared them. Kapitan Riker was far too much a gentleman to ask whether Sevein or=20 I had any designs or otherwise on Mistress Sam. His only reference=20 to Sevein and myself were a guarded question as to whether we had=20 been together long. From there it progressed to more neutral ground. He asked who I had=20 seen action with. It developed he had been with the Empress's forces=20 for a few campaigns, and some work with both King Mausfield and the=20 Barons of the Demmen marches. Both sides of the border. He remembered the White Company from Aschelion, and again at the=20 Lissome River Crossing. He'd help break the Black Force at=20 Aschelion, when Sevein was in it. He'd been Heavy Armored Horse at=20 the time. He'd also been in Warre's Lancers, back during the Second Mountain=20 Cleansing. In his opinion Lancers were great for shock value, but=20 they weren't spit if the infantry didn't break. Also, light horse=20 like the steppe nomads could bleed them terribly. In his mind Aschelion had been a classic, a gigantic wide-ranging=20 encounter. He thought every major unit on either side seemed to have=20 been desperately engaged in the struggle in the course of those two=20 days, out there in the Queen's Leas. Everyone got to play a=20 decisive, he stated with memories eye. Excepting perhaps all those=20 howling disorganized steppe horsemen. Their reputation was terror=20 incarnate, he avowed, but against forces which didn't turn tail,=20 they were well and truly butchered. Having wielded steel in some of that butchery, I felt it necessary=20 to point out how close the White Company came to breaking the second=20 time those nasty bastards had hit us square on. If it weren't for=20 the hundreds, maybe thousands, of mixed humans and horses in piles=20 that blocked their continuing assaults, things might have been quite=20 different on the left flank. He never volunteered any information as to how he'd lost his left=20 arm or his right eye, and I never asked. When I outright asked he stated he had no place to lay his head now=20 that he was driven out of the North Fang Jail. And few silver coins=20 to rub the one against another. It was an entertaining few hours until we flipped my coin and he=20 took first watch while I re-discovered the blanket in my lean-to.=20 Sleep eluded me for some time, but eventually came. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sathridin Square was not full of people, but there was a fair crowd=20 and more were drifting in. Word had spread, as it does, that a new=20 candidate existed for the Throne of Sublime Delight. That the=20 candidate was a woman just made some of the idlers smile and smack=20 their lips. Custom said they always led the condemned on a few=20 circles of the Throne Platform first, all properly naked, abused and=20 probably humble and contrite for their sins. Refuse was thrown on=20 the unlucky victim, and then the connoisseurs of such things=20 unfolded their canvas stools to allow them to sit down and enjoy=20 themselves. 'Voyager' needs must be run, so Sevein stayed there during this=20 tense period. I had insisted on it. She must ward Naomi and give her=20 what comfort she might need. I had racked my brains, but had thought of nothing. Emil had=20 arranged for me to confer at differing times with two men in masks,=20 but no plan had yet presented itself. One heavy-set masked male had=20 explained how the dungeon was an old heavy black stone remnant of=20 the days when each Grand Duke maintained his own fortifications on=20 either side of the Old Island. The other of the masked men displayed an uncanny knowledge of the=20 labyrinth within, including details of the jailors, questioners and=20 armed guards within the building. The blank walls abutting the=20 Sathridin Council Hall, he swore, were corridors down which City=20 Watch and Soldiers could pour, if necessary. He said conditional=20 good fortune might smile upon some small group of skilled killers=20 who were willing to accept ruinously high casualty rates, but even=20 then the odds were against their penetrating all the way to where=20 Samantha Wildman would be lodged. The other was more sanguine about an assault upon the City Watch in=20 the Peeling Square before Sam was Freed from her skin. The force would be large, of necessity, but capable of dealing with=20 a few dozen Watch and Soldiers. He pointed out, though, that the Sathridin would view any such=20 rescue as a revolt by the lower classes, and would reprise with an=20 iron hand and heavy foot. Hundreds might die. Thousands. So I sat on a horse trough by one of the four fountains, and=20 pretended not to notice when an elderly Cloth Trimmer sat down next=20 to me. He wiped his brow, and then returned his two-pointed cap to his=20 curly-haired head. "There are nearly twenty good swordsmen in this crowd," Emil smiled=20 at me. He made to touch my shoulder, and I played the stealthy game=20 by swatting the unwelcome hand back. An unwelcome motion, nothing to=20 notice. "All to no avail," the good Coppersmith added. "Smile at me as if=20 I'd said something pleasing." I smiled a little bit and he leaned a=20 little closer. "For reasons all their own, it has been decided =85 Ah, there they are=20 now." Two different troops of horsemen entered from both the north and=20 east exits from the Sathridin Square. "They've reinforced the guards=20 today. In addition nearly thirty Foot from the Garrison will be=20 escorting their victim to the Throne today." "They know a plot to rescue was in play," I gritted my teeth. "Possibly. The more know of a plot, the more likely news of it will=20 leak. Or the distrust and unease of members of the Sathridin has=20 provoked an added measure of security. In either case, rescues are=20 no longer possible."=20 He paused to look out on the crowd. "Perhaps," he said, "it might be=20 for the best that the attempt will not be made. I personally know no=20 few of the men who loiter here today. I should dislike having=20 nothing left of them but memories." As recompense, the hired bravos in the crowd today would be paid a=20 little promised coin just for being here, and that was that. One=20 tiny bag of silver for taking the task, another with a little gold=20 in it for a failure marked with their honor. For by appearing here=20 today with sword in belt, they had committed to risking and maybe=20 laying down their lives. I knew not their names, but felt gratitude=20 to these unnecessary fighters ready to fight for Sam and me. They=20 had brokered their lives and deserved pay. I looked about me, seeing the distance of the galleries from the=20 throne. "Three bowmen with poisoned arrows are well placed," Emil=20 added. "One should succeed if needful." For most of my life I'd thought myself clever and cunning. Able to=20 outfox any foe, defeat any stratagem, survive any treachery,=20 surmount any challenge. I was feeling very old today, and very useless. A cloaked figure sat down next to me. I'd known she would come.=20 The two apprentice boys next to me were roughly shoved to one side,=20 and Sevein sat down alongside. Under her good quality butter-brown=20 woolen cape she wore front-and-back armor, her sword over her back,=20 and three axes hooked at her belt. The biggest apprentice, a=20 muscular lout with blacksmith written large on his leather shirt and=20 shoulders, suddenly declined to argue with my lady. We held hands while Emil explained again for Sevein's benefit about=20 the reinforcing of the Watch with Cavalry and Foot Soldiers. Naomi came over to me and cried in my bosom and lap, and I shot a=20 nasty look at Sevein. Naomi should not have to watch this. "She insisted on one last look," Sevein calmly said. Lwaxana leaned=20 forward and wriggled her hand at me. There was a sad smile on her=20 face and no joy in her eyes. "The cook has said she would see to it=20 Naomi returned home," Sevein added. Meaning that Sevein might be=20 otherwise occupied this morning, and far too busy fighting armed men=20 this morning to see to her small charge properly. "A Voice?" I asked Emil. "Were you able to procure a Voice for=20 Mistress Wildman?" "I was unable to procure one," he flatly said. "Price was not an=20 issue, and the only Voice that might have been self-arrogant and was=20 certainly wealthy enough to argue down the Lords of the Sathridin=20 was previously employed." Emil took instant pity on me as soon as he saw my face turn a deeper=20 shade of ash. "Mistress Samantha had already acquired said Voice last night," he=20 said. "The Voice was awoken early to be hired, and the loss of sleep=20 has probably driven his already laurelled price up considerably." "There is yet one small hope," I tried to say with cheer. "Hopefully more than a small hope," Emil returned. The morning was full of surprises. "At your service, ma'am." A gloriously attired dandy with a=20 beautiful ensemble bowed low before Sevein, and delicately lifted=20 her brutally scarred left hand to his lips. "May I inquire what bold=20 deeds need doing, or what lilting phrases might be spoken in that=20 shell-like ear to bring a smile to that radiant beautiful face?" It was Kapitan Riker. He was impeccably dressed and appointed. All black-blue satin,=20 shimmering with darkness, light and gold. He wore a wide Gentleman's=20 high-waisted jacket with cream and yellow slashes, and a waist coat=20 of the same expensive cloth, also slashed with silken veining=20 exposed between the puffs. He wore a gold-threaded dark blue chamois=20 cape with a large gilt dragon at the throat. Black leather Dragoon=20 boots with the tops rolled down to the knees, and a wide black belt=20 with both an officer's epee and a small short straight sword. On his=20 head perched a wide-brimmed circular black-blue hat with five or six=20 large frivolous green feathers sewn in its brim. He looked=20 fiendishly dangerous with his black patch over the seat of his=20 missing eye. He nodded to me and bowed as well. He lightly edged the two steps=20 over, in order to lightly kiss my work-rough hand. Then he stepped=20 back, throwing wide his arm. Letting me see his entire costume. I=20 fingered one of the gold-thread frogs on the jacket edge, looking a=20 question up at him. "I made a small borrowing from a friend, to re-acquire some mislaid=20 finery of mine. How I shall ever repay him, I do not know." With=20 that his gaze became more piercing. "There is always fate, chance, luck," he observed. "Why it is even=20 possible that in an hour or so I might be beyond worrying about my=20 small debts." The bastard was offering to join my little band of forlorn hopes. He=20 didn't know that any planned rescue attempt had just become history,=20 but he was willing, and with one arm, was able. It appeared the entire City must know a rescue attempt had been=20 planned. Emilia wrapped her arms about one leg of Riker's, and almost made=20 him stumble. He recovered and allowed one hand to caress the back of=20 her head. The hand he no longer had. Then Belanna, resplendent in gold-edged claret wrappings down to the=20 filthy pave, stood regally alongside him, nodding at myself and=20 Sevein. We three women embraced, myself threatening to break down and=20 blubber uncontrollably into her rich and delicate garment. "Will you join us in our watch?" I asked the sensual High Priestess. "I must needs go before the Sathridin," Belanna said. She chuckled=20 at the way my eyebrows arched, adding; "I go to testify before the=20 City Council. Samantha's Voice has requested my presence before that=20 august gathering. There is a stratagem afoot, and I am to be part of=20 it. I should hurry, and not keep the Mighty waiting." Behind her I saw eight acolytes, priests and priestess' of the=20 Temple of Gogorol, and an unknown High Priestess. They bore no=20 weapons, but wore their customary air of patience and surety, as=20 well as their carmine cowled ceremonial robes. To be a priest in the=20 service of Gogorol meant low expectations and little wealth, with a=20 startling lack of the usual surety and arrogance I saw in other High=20 Priests and their retinues. I introduced Belanna to Kapitan Riker, and she smiled at his hat- removing elaborate bow. Left foot forward, sweep of the wide-brimmed=20 hat, deep bow and a bare touching of her lovely fine-boned hand with=20 his mustachioed lips. I felt a little jealous. "I should be escorted as befits my station as a High Priestess in=20 the Free City of Tar-Trigon," Belanna said. "But I seem to be=20 lacking the appropriate fierce and dangerous bravo to be both an=20 appropriate background to frame my majesty, and a skilled guard."=20 She looked Riker up and down, fingering the fine clothes he sported. "Would you care to escort me inside?" Belanna asked. Then she looked=20 pointedly straight into my face. "You might find it amusing to recount to your friends the incidents=20 which might occur inside those halls." In a few moments Belanna was lost in the crowd, but I could observe=20 tall striking Riker's progress most of the way into the City Council=20 Chamber building. Emilia had journeyed forth between the two of them. Emilia had waved=20 to me, but firmly took hold of Belanna's hand and walked with her.=20 Riker took the other small transparent hand. Again with the hand he=20 didn't have. I stood there feeling more than a little jealous, definitely=20 surprised, and positively abandoned by my little faithful ghost. I=20 wish she were back with me. I wondered if I should ever see her=20 again. Perhaps the day had come during which she would leave me;=20 leave me bereft and without her. When I turned, Emil was gone, but a scruffy Ferrier's apprentice boy=20 sat in his place. I recognized Harry Kim in disguising garb, and=20 noted the small war hammer mostly concealed in his long tunic. My forlorn hope. My band of thieving honorable friends. In a siege hard contested, at some point the walls have been=20 breached. The walls are not down, and the defenders desperately=20 stand ready to repel invaders. The first team of fighters to rise to=20 the breach is known as the forlorn hope; for it is known that many=20 of them will certainly never see the rising of another day. We all sat back down, wondering, hoping, and fearing. We, the=20 forlorn hope. It was a long wait. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - When taking a walled fastness, mines are occasionally used. Shafts=20 are driven under the lines of traverse to the line of walls. They=20 are termed Saps, and they are but tunnels. Small dark cramped filthy=20 airless places wherein snarling men in desperate straits die=20 horribly. For counter-saps are also dug by the defenders, and men=20 fight for their lives in spaces where you cannot even turn around. In the end, if successful, timbers soaked in pitch and naptha are=20 piled in spaces dug underneath the walls. Then they are ignited, and=20 if all goes as planned, the massive stone wall above collapses. I was present at the Fall of Polyorbius, and that shuddering=20 grinding noise of disaster is now what I heard. The Sathridin Square=20 was now packed with people, and the cracking breath rose from them. I looked to Harry Kim, rising, one hand on my sword. "What is=20 happening? What is that noise?" He grinned at me, his face instantly giving me hope. "They are learning there is to be no sport today. That is their cry=20 of rage at being deprived of the spectacle of a Peeling this day." In time the word was passed to us, disappointment clouding most=20 faces. They had come to see a woman Peeled, and now found there was=20 to be no such viewing. We all embraced, and I know many strangers vocally berated us for=20 our unseemly joy. They had been deprived of their spectacle, and=20 resented our obvious pleasure. Naomi was no Dark Witch, but I do believe she virtually levitated in=20 the air once matters were explained to her. Suddenly she began to=20 hope to see her mother again, all fair and well. I think Harry Kim stole a few untoward caresses of me and Sevein,=20 but I allowed such liberties. He had come to the Sathridin Square=20 with his war hammer, and much might be forgiven my heroes. Tom Pare was suddenly giving me a kiss and I realized he and a pair=20 of strangers wore the uniform of members of the Night Watch. Stealth=20 and deception had been their cloak this day. They had been a team=20 meant to infiltrate the ranks of the Watch itself. More of my=20 forlorn hopes. All three were given a hearty series of kisses by=20 Sevein and me. Not knowing what else to do, we remained where we were as the square=20 began to somehow lose its crush of people. Emil reappeared and=20 directed us towards the Council Building. The way became easier as=20 the press began to finally thin. Emilia was suddenly there, and grabbing Naomi's hand to drag her in=20 a veer. Then we were a circle of friends surrounding Mistress=20 Samantha as she bent to embrace her child. Sam Wildman had seen hard usage since yesterday. One arm hung=20 useless, and bruises and cuts laced her face and throat. Yet she=20 clearly noticed Sevein and myself around a puffy eye, and stumbled=20 to us. Riker supported her on one side, a man clothed in a thousand=20 black laces of silk and satin on the other. This had to be the=20 Voice, come to lend a hand. Maybe not arrogant at all. A Priest of=20 Gogorol stood close on the side. After a few careful caresses and kisses, Sam managed to smile at us=20 all. She lifted the usable arm and placed it about the waist of a=20 shaken Belanna. "People, friends, friends, dear friends, thank you - I'd like you to=20 meet my OTHER daughter. Belanna." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sisko and Bashir were acting the part of hosts tonight. The Voice=20 had given his regrets at the Sathridin Square, and gave Sam a=20 brotherly kiss upon her scabbed and scarred cheek. He was not here,=20 but Bashir had placed an empty tankard before all us celebrants. It=20 stood upside down in the middle of our table. Such was a common=20 token of the dead or missing heroes, not only within the ranks of=20 the White Company, but throughout the Empire. In this case it was in=20 honor of the Voice. The Commons at the 'Voyager' Inn was not closed, but it was a sea of=20 well-wishers and a few unknown parasites using the celebration as a=20 cover to steal a stroup of beer and a little of the food Lwaxana=20 kept bringing from the kitchens. Her two girl helpers looked=20 harassed and overworked, but that is the common fate of scullery=20 maids. All of the pewter tankards were being used and scoured out again and=20 again in the horse trough by Jhaake and the Cook's apprentice boy,=20 Weslee Krusher. Kapitan Riker was writing with many well-spoken words the Heroic=20 Saga of the Trial of Samantha Wildman. Perhaps sometimes with much=20 too many too elaborate words, but it is the right of Skalds and Saga=20 Writers to sometimes be too full of themselves and additionally=20 filled with hyperbole and noise.=20 With the banging of tankards and fists on bar and tables, he again=20 was describing the later scenes in the Council Chambers. "Datalore was up and striding about, mind you. Full of rightness and=20 making unassailable points in his prosecution. Waving his hand about=20 in a fine rhetoric style, keeping his voice mostly neutral and free=20 of sneers. "The entire Council was sitting back, their faces long with a search=20 for justice and fairness; with weighty thoughts shining out of their=20 eyes, and not a word in the lot of them. Chakay was sitting to the=20 side and back, trying to appear as neutral and just, balanced and=20 unbiased as any other member of the Sathridin. He had chin in one=20 hand, and his eyes glinted like an eagle spotting crippled prey. ""With a bow to Belanna backed by her priests and priestesses, and=20 my ornate self," he said; "The High Priestess is undoubtedly a fine=20 judge of character, and will state in honest words her high opinion=20 of the person standing accused before us today. But though our High=20 Priestess might swear to the fine character she knows, I tell you=20 all there are TWO Samantha Wildman's in this Chamber today. ""The no-doubt affable proprietor of a worthy Inn placed in our Free=20 City. A woman kind to her child, patient, a respecter of person and=20 property. ""But there is another before us. A sneak and a thief, plundering=20 the hard-earned labors of others. A Master Thief, with years of=20 experience in stealing coin and worth from her neighbors. Her smile=20 is a mask for her evil inner self. "For she has recovered from disaster after disaster, with no=20 credible explanation for the wealth she has flaunted, or history of=20 it, or anything besides a vague rumor which she has herself put=20 forth that some unknown wealthy benefactor has saved her from the=20 consequences of fate and her own bad business judgment. Again and=20 again gold has flowed forth from her hand, and I, for my part, wish=20 a less absurd accounting. "Barring such rational proving, I must ask this obvious thief and=20 plunderer to go to the punishment she so richly deserves. And be=20 sent forth promptly, today, this morning!"" "With one fine finger idly playing with his Iron Collar, the banker=20 then looks about his fellow Sathridin, expecting from them immediate=20 condemnation and destruction of Sam, the thief." Someone brought more ale and beer to our table, and I accepted a=20 little more to refresh my tankard. Sevein gave me a poke, and left=20 her hand over the top of hers. I sighed and knew I'd drink little=20 from what was obviously my last draft of ale tonight. Riker,=20 however, took a deep draught, enjoying this moment of glory and the=20 chance to speak before an eager crowd. "It is that moment that the Voice rises, looking at the Council=20 rather than Datalore. ""Bear with me, please, esteemed Council members, and I shall with=20 some wandering and explaining, present a number of facts before you,=20 hoping you shall continue your reputation for Justice and Mercy, not=20 to mention forgiveness if I take too much of your time with my many=20 words. ""As background, many of you are aware that the good High Priestess=20 here today has foresworn most of her life to the service of=20 beneficent Gogorol, the Green Frog God Who Brings Gentle Rains. ""What many of you may not know is that she was accepted as an=20 orphan babe by a young Perinder, the previous High Priestess, into=20 the service of the Green One. ""In the fullness of years this fine and noble lady passed forward=20 into the Great Mystery, and Belanna duly became High Priestess in=20 her stead. However correct and anointed this duty was, and however=20 gladly she fulfilled it, she oft wondered of her own Mother, the=20 woman who gave her birth. ""Perinder left behind=85 She left clues, many clues, and Belanna=20 followed these clues diligently. Much work was given to the search,=20 much searching of Pereinder's journals was made, and eventually=20 Belanna discovered the identity of her long-lost Mother. This=20 literally poor creature had borne an unexpected child at an age when=20 more customary younglings still spent years under their parents and=20 teachers wings. Knowing little else, and unwilling to murder the=20 babe, this poor woman approached the Temple of Gogorol. The child=20 has now become High Priestess Belanna and the bereft mother is=20 Samantha Wildman."" Riker waved his hand widely in dramatic gesture. "At this moment=20 Master Datalore suddenly took on the aspect of a dog suddenly=20 discovering his mouth was full of a vicious cat. "When Belanna testified and grandly indicated she had Perinder's own=20 journals stating who the mother was The Man in the Iron collar was=20 already marshalling his mental forces for a counter-sally. "The Chamber was all a-buzz with the revelation, and Mistress Sam=20 Wildman beamed as well as she could. I do not think she was too=20 surprised by the news, and waved to Belanna from her Accused's Box.=20 The guards in the chamber indicated the two women must stay where=20 they were. "Datalore swung around, looking grave and sure of himself. The Voice=20 in his turn looked ready to hold hot wax in his mouth without=20 feeling any pain. ""I congratulate the two of you on the re-uniting of your family,=20 however melancholy the present circumstances under which this event=20 now takes place," Master Datalore said." ""For wondrous as this revelation is, the fact remains that it=20 occurs at a moment when Mistress Wildman has been exposed as a=20 thief, and goes today to the Throne of Sublime Delight." "The Banker had his nose well in the air for his next sally," Riker=20 explained. ""Unless you care to tell this Council that one of the poorest=20 Temples in this corner of the Empire has so much wealth that it's=20 High Priestess could be so generous to a woman bereft of other means=20 of succor? No offense to yourself, High Priestess, you are known far=20 and wide as devout and caring. As free of aloofness as you are a=20 friend to all of your faithful. Who unfortunately for you, your=20 followers are well and widely known to be among the very poorest in=20 the City." "No sooner had he said the words of disdain than he realized his=20 error, I think," Riker beamed. "The Voice looked as though he had=20 just been given the ability to raise the dead and fly, both=20 together. For Belanna waved back at her Acolytes and fellow Priests,=20 and they rose as one person. ""I do so claim,"" she purred. "And use this occasion to both prove=20 the wealth of my Temple and to do needful work which is properly the=20 business of this Council." "With that her robed fellows came forward and proceeded to pile on=20 the long dark table of the Council bag after bag of gold and silver.=20 She had chosen men, and men of strength, to journey with her this=20 day. For they must needs carry some weight of wealth and deposit it=20 in front of the Sathridin." "Enough wealth to excite the interest of any thief in the Empire, I=20 think," the ex-Jailor smirked. "Had they known these poor and=20 unarmed men carried such." ""Using, perhaps not very wisely, the wealth of my Temple, I saved=20 my Mother from loss of her Inn when hard pressed by debt." Making a=20 nod in the direction of Chakay, but mentioning no names nor casting=20 any blame. ""And you saved her then?" the Voice asked. She nodded, adding a=20 vocal "Yes." ""Her Inn was then hit by the deliberate arson of a Fire Salamander,=20 was she not?" the Voice continued. No one in the Council Chamber=20 even glanced towards Chakay. ""Yes," the obviously rehearsed Belanna ringingly said. And in a=20 louder voice; "Before the sun rose on that fateful day, I had=20 already paid out good coin for the rebuilding of the 'Voyager' Inn,=20 and hold proof of payment in my hand." She laid three small pieces=20 of foolscap into the hand of the Voice, who then placed it on the=20 Council table, alongside the bags of money. "The Voice then asked Belanna how her Temple had acquired its=20 wealth, and Belanna looked directly at Chakay. "The Temple was given=20 that wealth, and though much of it is an inheritance from previous=20 High Priestesses, it was given us by our faithful. We do not ask the=20 identities of our many benefactors, not require proof of ownership.=20 Nor does any other Temple in the Empire. If some possessors of such=20 coin were thieves, one can hope they searched for resolution and=20 forgiveness within. Every temple, by its very nature, holds sinners=20 in its followers. Some Temples hold much greater gold than appears=20 here today before you, and I do not question them as to the purposes=20 they use the donations of others for, nor who are the troubled who=20 give. ""Yet I am the Guide of many others, and today I wish to take this=20 opportunity to use the Temple's wealth to aid its followers, its=20 many faithful, and those most in dire need." "Have you ever seen a cat's face when it's unexpectedly given a bowl of heavy cream?" Riker asked the crowd. "That was the look on=20 the Voice's face." ""Present business being finished, I wish to use the opportunity of=20 having the Council's full attention to conduct further business=20 concerning this coin before us."" Riker slapped the table hard, his smile wide. "Without a by-your- leave he treated the case against Sam Wildman to be terminated, and=20 began to push forward thick sheaves of documents suddenly brought=20 forth from the other Priestess's robes. ""First matter of business," the Voice said, "are the mortgages=20 leaning against 206 farms, one blacksmithery, one bakery and eight=20 fishermen's boats, two pair of barges, and three pair of oxen. The=20 payments in full for these properties are presented today, and I ask=20 the payments be properly listed in the Sathridin City Diaries as=20 clear. ""In addition, seventy-eight dowries are placed in proper trust for=20 seventy-eight young women. They are now able to be lawfully=20 contracted to their lawful future spouses. Eight dowries in arrears=20 are now also paid. ""Thirty-seven apprenticeships are paid, taking thirty-seven youths=20 into contract with a Master to learn their trades. This is the short=20 contract, and binds them to only six years indenture each, and not=20 nine, ten, eleven or twelve. ""Two new journeymen are given termination of apprentice arrears,=20 releasing them from lawful debt. And a master Tanner is precisely=20 paid off for his two Apprentices, and he is advised to mend his ways. ""Eighteen teams of Oxen are furthermore given free and clear to=20 nine village cooperative associations, 512 goats and rams given=20 outright to seventy-one households, nine milk cows, two bulls and=20 fourteen horses for plow, and not for riding. Two hundred and eighty- five sows and nineteen boars to villages indicated. ""In addition over five thousand kilos of rice, cooking oil, and=20 other grain food is given to families who would otherwise face a=20 lean and bitter skeleton-winter. Furthermore four hundred kilos of=20 seed for the spring is also distributed. ""The amount necessary, to the farthing, lies before you," the Voice=20 droned. "The wealth of the Temple of Gogorol is given back to its=20 believers." "Then the Voice lifts his head after delivering sheaf after sheaf of=20 legal papers to the Council." Riker gleefully said. "Ah, Honored=20 Members of the Council - the matter of Mistress Sam Wildman IS=20 finished, is it not? Is there aught reason to continue to hold her?"" The Commons again broke out in loud laughter at hearing that sally=20 by the Voice. I spared a worried glance at the guest of honor. Sam=20 looked exhausted and long since fit for bed. She had broken bones, had been raped, and given to the Question.=20 Knowing nothing of thievery she revealed nothing, of course.=20 Innocence did not protect her from the Boot, the Band, the Close or=20 the Screw. Naomi had fallen into exhausted sleep, and been tucked into her own=20 blanket, followed by my Emilia. Sevein held my hand constantly, and=20 I hers. I felt very much surrounded by love and swallowed my dismay.=20 All had turned out well, as such things rarely go. Sam rose up, still shaking, and turned towards the door. She waved=20 back assistance, but Lwaxana pointedly stated she should have some=20 company in case she needed help entering or leaving the City's=20 Sanitary Box. So Lwaxana grandly told off Jadzia, taller of the=20 scullery maids, to aid Sam. Shortly after this a somewhat grandly attired little runt of a=20 servant breezed in through the front entrance, bringing early flakes=20 of snow with him. He was a minion of a Healing Wizard, come now from=20 duties with the City Garrison. Said Wizard was also a Healer of such=20 things as marked Samantha Wildman, and the lure of enough coin had=20 prompted him to leave his snug quarters on this cold night. Finding this the correct Inn, the lackey called to his master and=20 guards outside. Bashir hurried to direct the guards to the stable=20 yard and shelter for the horses. The Wizard was grizzled with rag=20 with bags under his eyes, but surprisingly little arrogance shone in=20 his features. Perhaps the constant exposure to small men's ills=20 leavened his pride. A few minutes later Lwaxana betook herself and followed Sam and=20 Jadzia, to advise of the presence of the asked-for Healer Wizard,=20 and to advise no further delay. There was a scream, followed by loud and continuing profanity. Sam and Jadzia both lay in large obscene puddles of spreading=20 darkness. Both women had their throats cut. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I thought of black moths. I was in front-and-back armor, shiny and polished. Adorning me were=20 shin Greaves and a flaring-neck bascinet, with the visor raised. A=20 large kite-shield leaned against the rest hook on the side of my=20 armor, and I stood with my sword unsheathed, point down, and before=20 me. In a City as large as Tar-Trigon it had proved possible to find=20 the rental of armor to suit me in my small stature. Across the distance of the leaping flames Sevein stood in similar=20 armor at the head of Sam's pyre. A wide flaring helmet shadowed her=20 features, and she held her Labrys before herself, the blade facing=20 Sam. The flames distorted her features. Or perhaps it was my tears.=20 We guarded Sam and Jadzia's body, we saluted them, we were the Men- At-Arms of her night. A line of farmers and menials, servants and craftsmen, still wound=20 past me. Their families and their children still found their way to=20 this dire spectacle. They left their bits of harvest straw for the=20 fire and Sam. Rice straw, barley straw, wheat chaff, corn stalks,=20 sugar beet leaves, potato leaves, a few ties of small onions or=20 garlic, all went into the blaze. Each soul wending through my sight bore a sheaf, a handful of such=20 remains or straw to throw on the fire consuming both Samantha and=20 the pretty young servant girl Jadzia. It was all they could give,=20 for wealth was not their lot. They still came, though night had=20 fallen. They came with their meager gift to throw on the burning=20 byre of Belanna's mother. Jadzia lay across the feet of Samantha, but she was dressed in the=20 finest dress Belanna could find of a size for the girl's height.=20 Pure glittering black silk it was, and her dark brown hair was bound=20 with dozens of black ribbons. On her feet were elegant black up- pointed women's Court shoes and a bronze-deep-blue cape to keep her=20 warm. Make-up transformed the scullery maid into a fine lady, fit to=20 turn heads even in Hades. Samantha was dressed in light billowing blue, with white, and a=20 hundred ribbons were binding her hair and trailing in it. She had=20 been beautiful, and both women wore ribbons with jewels to hide=20 their sundered throats. Samantha's pudgy softness had finally been=20 transformed into genial majesty. Simple rope necklaces and gleaming=20 rings of gold she never had in life would now be carried by her=20 spirit into other realms. Of a courtesy, long lanky Jadzia became=20 elegant Jadzia for the bier. She too wore a rope of gold, and a=20 golden ring on each hand. There was little else I could give this=20 woman my thieveries had unwittingly entrapped. There was a Temple of Gogorol in this impoverished village, and the=20 infirm Priestess was a bent-over elder. Belanna had chosen this=20 village as the cremation site for its lack of wealth or status.=20 Tomorrow the peasants would comb the ashes for the melted gold, as=20 was customary throughout the Empire, and the village would see=20 through the winter to another spring. Nothing was without its consequences. It was my entire fault, mine and Sevein. And yet I knew it was not. There was Chakay handy to fault, but there was much and many behind=20 him as well. There were others who had a more direct hand in this=20 mischief, and I burned with a zeal to discover who had ordered slain=20 the two women. I suspected Datalore, who had been shamed before his=20 peers. The pitch-soaked wood had all caught well by now, and I watched the=20 black flakes fall upward into the dark sky. Black moths, I thought=20 again. And wondered whether any of them were bits of Sam's skin=20 reaching up to the heavens. I looked into the heat-rippled sky and thought I saw a long stark=20 hallway hung with portraits with their faces against the wall. I=20 viewed the shadowed Portals of the Nether-world. The ceiling of the=20 hall was beyond sight, and the floor was well carpeted with dust and=20 tiny bones. In the vision Sam twirled, waving a small good-bye to us all. Jadzia=20 held one hand, and finally managed to turn her fearful face to us=20 and give a tiny wave of her own. She was gorgeous in her black silk,=20 Sam resplendent in her billowing blue and white. I knew it for a=20 true seeing. They trod the passageway to the River and the Ferryman waiting to=20 take his passengers across to that other side. The great mystery. I looked back down and felt the heat of the blaze. Black moths. Taking Samantha away. I thought the pyre cleansing. No more strife, or pain, or worries,=20 or treachery. But also no more love. An unknown and obviously Noble figure rode up to our melancholy=20 farewell, and he was accompanied by two housekarls. I wondered who=20 had ridden the distance, who had come to Sam's death byre. He was=20 Kinkarian, I could tell because the lower half of his face was=20 hidden behind a finely embroidered Death mask.=20 Kinkarians wear such masks for birthings and at deaths. Their faces=20 disguised so that the Others might not recognize and feel envious at=20 someone surviving, or someone already born and being alive. He knelt=20 on both knees, arms wide in ritual supplication. All quite mindless=20 of damage to his fine green pantaloons. When he removed his flat- topped hat, I finally knew him. It was The Voice, come to pay=20 respect to his most recent client. He was the only one of the=20 wealthier of those in Tar-Trigon to come to Sam's and Jadzia's=20 immolation. He turned his head, saying something to his bodyguards. They nodded=20 in agreement, unhorsed, and strode up to stand alongside their=20 kneeling lord. They took swords from back scabbards, and pounded the=20 pommels against their hearts. They lacked armor to pound against,=20 which would have been far more dramatic, but this would do, in their=20 eyes. The lights of nearby Tar-Trigon burned somewhere over my right=20 shoulder. Before me I could see the beginning of a storm in the=20 great mountain chains far upriver. A few small flickerings of=20 lightning, before the great snows came bringing winter. Black moths. Riker and Belanna swam back into view, her sensual beauty marred by=20 her new-gained inner blackness. I looked up again, trying to count=20 the hidden portraits in the Great Hall. Sam was a tiny figure now,=20 and I knew she and Jadzia had almost gone over completely. Sometimes=20 it is hard for the Others to accept their passing. As witness my=20 Emilia. My heart then broke to see a child hurrying down that hallway. I=20 immediately knew it was Emilia, my Emilia, and thought to myself=20 that it was Time. It was time for her to go on to - wherever she=20 must go. I tried not to feel loss. The tiny figure sped down the dirty hallway floor, dust billowing=20 high in the wake of her footsteps. I looked down and knew Emilia was=20 not where she had stood for so long, holding tight to my tunic. I shall never learn if she might become fat, I cried to myself. But it is good that she completes her journeying. It is fitting and proper that she moves on. Why then could I not see for my tears? Then a small hand tugged at my tunic fringe. I looked skyward,=20 seeing the dark hallway grow further and further away, carrying Sam=20 and her new friend on to the Ferryman and beyond. Emilia stood beside me and she clutched something hard in her other=20 hand. I opened my hand and she dropped a single white rose petal in=20 it. Black moths and white rose petals. I knew for a fact that this petal=20 would never fade or age so long as I owned it. Emilia scurried around the bier to Sevein, and my woman took in her=20 hand a small white something from Emilia. She held it out to me and=20 I knew it was an enduring white rose petal, like my own. Then Emilia=20 went around to Belanna. Belanna took the petal as if finally receiving the answer to a=20 mystery. Perhaps it was. Maybe High Priestesses saw more than me or=20 most others. Carefully Belanna lay down in front of the crackling flames. She lay=20 face down in the dirt Gogorol so often blessed with rain, and spread=20 her small arms to the side. Riker took a stance at her feet, and=20 then made a complete and precise about face, looking outward into=20 the night with his single eye. Perhaps he was prepared to fight the=20 very night itself, in her name. His sword whipped out and he saluted=20 the sky and the air about him with as fine a flourish I had ever=20 seen in my mercenary days. He grounded his sword point in the black=20 earth and stood ready to defend. Belanna lay in the dirt with her grief and Riker stood before her,=20 naked steel lowered. He stood guard over the prone Belanna behind=20 him, his sword bare in her service. I looked into the dark Hallway with the High Ceiling, and could no=20 longer see the small figures of faraway Samantha and Jadzia. Snow began to come down. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I sat wearily, legs crossed, gazing at the confusion of the Commons=20 Room of the 'Voyager' Inn. My apron was badly stained, and my brow=20 was sweaty. Lwaxana was in her kitchen, and a black-skinned man=20 rolled a small hog of cheap wine to behind the bar and then helped=20 Bashir ensconce it on a shelf against the wall. Our skinny Publican=20 quickly hammered a tap into a join of the top, and drew off the=20 first bowl of wine. He and the vintner shared a taste each, and then=20 offered it to Sevein. It was adjudged adequate, and Sevein nodded=20 for Bashir to pay the wine-seller. Naomi was riding her hip again,=20 and wanted a taste of the wine, but Sevein gave a firm No! Behind me, facing my back, an unknown man talked to my ears. "The discovery of the three foot-pads was not particularly=20 difficult, but what we found was discouraging," he softly and=20 clearly said. "We found two of them in an alley, their own throats cut and=20 themselves on their way to Hades with no coins on their eyes for the=20 ferryman." I could hear his sigh, and knew he had no good news to go=20 with the bad. "The third was sprawled across the body of his usual doxie, both of=20 them stabbed repeatedly. None of them had so much as a farthing to=20 their names, although they had been enjoying sudden wealth mere=20 hours before." By seeming accident he touched my arm, and I mentally=20 thanked him for his small courtesy, murmuring a noise of=20 acknowledgement. "We now seek to find the next link in this chain, but hold no=20 prospect before you of their discovery. My own surmise is that these=20 newest assassins are themselves already carrion-bait. "Nonetheless we continue our search. We might become lucky, of=20 course. There is always that, and it is not to be despised. Do you=20 not yourself hold the memory of when some unexpected good fortune=20 that spared your life or that of a loved one?" "And the matter of the true professional?" I asked the air. "He will be one of those seeking solace and beauty tomorrow at the=20 Temple of Gogorol, during the morning. Dress warmly, I fear there=20 will be more snow." Emilia appeared from nowhere, and Naomi allowed my little ghost to=20 pull her off down one of the side corridors of the Inn. I looked=20 behind me, but the stranger was already gone, and Ezri was=20 diligently retrieving his leather stroup and food bowl for the usual=20 cleaning. Ezri herself had grief's, but this dowry-less girl was now=20 quickly becoming one of the Inn's family. Sevein went to a pair of arguing customers, and brandished her lead=20 cosh. Advising them to take their ill-tempered language out the door=20 and away from this Commons. Lwaxana came out of the kitchen, giving=20 out an onion and a strip of red meat for Sevein to inspect. My lover=20 was becoming an Innkeeper.=20 Belanna, as oldest heir, had given it to Naomi and accepted Sevein=20 as both guardian and surrogate mother. She had been pointed in her words as to how it was only a temporary=20 duty she asked of us, and could not ask Sevein and myself to take on=20 this task forever. We must needs move on, some day, the High=20 Priestess stated. I was no longer so enraptured of the long winding road and the=20 adventurous life as once I had been. Sevein and I must think deeply=20 on this. Riker had acquired my previous employ of Guard for the warehouse on=20 the riverfront. Sevein and I ran "Voyager' now. I saw movement in the corridor, and acting on instinct, soon had my=20 hand on the shoulder of an elderly tenant of one of the upper=20 floors. He shared a small room with four others of similar striated=20 circumstances. As he had not the farthing for another night's let,=20 he begged my indulgence for one more night. It was indeed very cold=20 out there. I granted him the night, but advised him not to come back=20 tomorrow. I told him to go to Gogorol's Temple and ask for a=20 pittance, or better, some casual labor. If he shows up late tomorrow=20 night with brass in hand, Sevein and I will find a small corner to=20 stuff him. Furthermore I would send him off tomorrow with a half loaf of=20 today's bread, and that odious Stable coat (which was mayhap one=20 size too large for him, the one with the torn sleeves). But it was=20 not my place to obviously shelter the city's poor. That had become=20 Belanna's task, and my stolen wealth aided in that endeavor. I did, however, have a duty to fulfill elsewhere. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It was vastly warmer inside the Main Chamber of Gogorol's Temple,=20 but I could plainly see the goose-bumps unacknowledged on Belanna's=20 faintly olive skin when she whipped herself into the final=20 tarantellas of her dance of worship. An acolyte spent a few moments=20 admiring Naomi's new rag doll. We were all coming to know each other=20 in the Temple of the Rain God. Emilia had quickly acquired a ghostly version of one for herself. I=20 could not imagine from where she had gotten it. Belanna recognized the group of us, and blew us a kiss on a wave=20 during one nude whirl. Sevein had come with me, and Naomi and Emilia=20 as well. Emilia was unbothered by cold, but Naomi was heavily=20 burdened with garments, and wished them off. She wished to play in=20 the corridors of the Temple of Gogorol. Naomi was bothered by sudden=20 unexpected onrushes of grief and confusion, but she was trying hard=20 to live with both her loss and her sense of continuing future.=20 Children do that well, better than some of the adults around them. We lingered, and soon enough a Priest smiled and beckoned us to go=20 to the private quarters of the High Priestess. Multiple drapes=20 helped keep warmth within these smaller spaces, and certainly no one=20 ventured out to her snow-draped Atrium nowadays. Naomi watched=20 Sevein and I kiss and enjoy the small warmness that was Belanna, but=20 became bored by our intent, and wandered off with Emilia to explore=20 and discover. "I have missed you two," she whispered after nibbling on Sevein's=20 chin and my ear for a few minutes. "Are you able to stay with me for=20 an hour or so? "We have an appointment," I said. "Perhaps later?" "Kater Lyean?" Sevein begged, pleading in her eyes. She used my real=20 name. My darling was beseeching me. It hurt for me to realize that=20 Sevein needed these touches so from Belanna. It had been five days=20 since the cremation, and we had tried diligently, but we had been=20 unable to do much more than hold each other closely in the night's=20 darkness. Then I saw the deeper darkness in Belanna's eyes and knew she was of=20 us all the most in need. I kissed my darling, then Belanna, and called Naomi and Emilia to=20 me. By the time I looked back from the doorway, neither Belanna nor=20 my tall blond Sevein were in sight. Naomi complained the corridors of the Temple were drafty, and they=20 were. Her real complaint was that she wished to ride Sevein's hips=20 again and nuzzle in her beautiful overflowing breasts. I could=20 understand her feelings, for I wished most desperately at that=20 moment to do the same. There was a shadow in a join of walls, just inside the corridor=20 leading in from the Main Chamber and a thought I saw the shadow=20 move. But the voice seemed to come from elsewhere. "My regrets," he said. I spied a nearby Priestess, and told Naomi=20 and Emilia to go to her. Naomi would have complained, but she saw=20 with eyes clearer than mine that a cowled figure stood near. She=20 knew business of some fashion was to hand and she must go thither=20 for some space of time. "I wish you to know that I had nothing to do with the distasteful=20 passing on of your friend or acquaintance. I should have taken=20 Mistress Wildman, should I have taken on the menial task, and left=20 the other woman alive and well. I am, after, a professional." "This I know," my words explained. "But I have a new task for you=20 and wish to know of the straits which might surround the assumption=20 of this task." I waited, and he moved faintly, a sirrush of darkness. "He is well-guarded now," was all he said. No questions, no doubt or=20 qualifications. He had already surmised my intentions and my target.=20 Actually targets. I knew not whether Chakay or Datalore ultimately=20 responsible for the persistent stains under the snows in the stable=20 courtyard of 'Voyager'. "Eight good men surround the Banker in every public appearance since=20 the murders at the 'Voyager' Inn. He leaves his compound only during=20 the day, and then only for needful reasons. He must of necessity go=20 forth each morning to his place of business, which is also his bank;=20 thence back in the end of day." I tilted my head and he went on. "The Priest has done much the same, and stays hidden in his fortress=20 a much these days. To send either man on, or the both of them, would=20 be difficult. But not impossible. Certainly I should need a firm=20 target. Unless you wish them both Sent On?" I thought I heard reluctance there. "I do not willingly send on men=20 innocent of the crime accused," I explained. "There would be but the=20 one. Will you not then take the task on?" "You do not haggle over the price," he replied. "Very well. I can=20 take either task in hand. I always have a few concepts in mind. But=20 it is indeed possible." Another pause. "Not long ago there was a daring rescue of a Priest=20 held in the North Fang." I imagined he held a smile. "This particular act should be both public," he said, "and it should=20 speak loudly of how little safety there lies in the swords of men,"=20 he said, perhaps half to himself. I wondered what his plans were, but would never ask. "A second of patience, Mistress," he asked. "At times I have thought=20 of myself as an artist. For the Banker I have an elaborate - work of=20 art -- in mind. And a different one for the High Priest. But either=20 would require the outlay of large bags of gold." I think he smiled. "So. Again, no haggling. And if you decide=20 against my services, I state there will be no charge without=20 positive action being taken. As a courtesy for not arguing the=20 price, if not only because of my ties to the Guild of Thieves. And I=20 have never yet failed." "I shall think on it." "Just so," he whispered. "Until that unknown day -" With that he was gone. Naomi was supine upon a couch, and the aging Priestess had disrobed=20 to the point where my charge might suckle the large breasts=20 presented her in her troubled sleep. The Priestess smiled at me as I=20 covered the pair of them with a deep soft brown robe with silver=20 tassels. The lovely breasts of the Priestess reminded me of my dear Sevein,=20 and awakened my lust as well. It was time for the two of us to avow=20 anew our love. I mentally and verbally cursed as I realized Emilia had become my=20 second shadow. We entered Belanna's bedchamber together, with me=20 wishing there was some way to bar a ghost from a room. Impossible to=20 do when they can walk through walls. A few heavily perfumed candles comprised the light within, and I was=20 initially confused at the sight before me. Sevein crouched behind a=20 bent-over Belanna and was vigorously using one of the wooden prongs=20 of pleasure on the moaning High Priestess. But Belanna must remain a=20 virgin, I wondered. Then I realized where the polished length of=20 dark wood was being seated. I was seeing a new facet of Belanna's=20 sensual nature. In a few minutes I was naked, and pointedly ignoring Emilia. As=20 hoped, in a few minutes my thousand-year-old ghost became bored and=20 wandered elsewhere. Even before that event I bent behind Belanna to put my mouth to use=20 in pleasing this small woman. In love and caring the pair of us=20 willingly used Belanna time and again over the next few hours.=20 Sevein and I in the doing became a couple again. Later that night Sevein held me down while Belanna bathed me with=20 oil and inserted her fist. It was heavenly. Sevein and I kissed=20 continually while olive toned Belanna sucked my breasts and pleased=20 me with her small hand. Afterwards Sevein used me, sometimes brutally, in much the same way.=20 I enjoyed Belanna tying my hands and feet to the couch's feet. I was=20 defenseless before my lover, and Belanna. If there was pain this night, it was because Belanna needed the=20 sight of a scourge as well as a benediction. We kissed aching=20 muscles and caressed sore parts, forgiving each other as we usually=20 did. Later, Naomi slept with Sevein and me, her lips firmly glued to my=20 nipples instead of Sevein's for this first time. Emilia slept with=20 Belanna, and I realized anew the High Priestess needed much=20 comforting herself. One presumed Lwaxana and Bashir would safely steer the 'Voyager' Inn=20 through the night without our presence. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Coffee seller's cart did not receive much custom on this exposed=20 corner of Old Quarter. But the cart was there, and I gratefully=20 received my glazed clay cup, and relished the scent of hot sweet=20 wine from Emil's purchase. Perhaps the poor freezing cart man was an=20 agent of the Thieves Guild, and keeping close watch on The Silken=20 Bank. Emil did not see the two surviving mice scurry up my leg to my hand=20 and grain-enriched pocket. Eight mice I had sent inside yesterday in=20 my continuing study of The Silken Bank. Or if he did see he made no=20 sign of being aware. "Sources continue to search for the bravo with golden-toned skin and=20 a few jewels on rings. But we have been unable to discover him in=20 the City." He gave me a wry smile over his wooly throat-scarf. "If=20 he ever returns to the streets, we would be interested in talking to=20 him of his involvement in the deaths of the River Bargemen." I knew where he was, but did not mention the location to Emil. This=20 was to be between him, and myself and Sevein. Emil knew some of the=20 secrets of Datalore's inner vault, and I knew an additional one.=20 Though hidden by my clothes, I felt by reflex the necklace locket=20 wherein lay Sam's folded white rose petal. Nothing seemed to harm=20 it. Not time, nor handling, or folding to fit the locket. Every time=20 I opened the little round container, the petal was always there.=20 Fresh, soft, with a very faint hint of scent if you held it to your=20 nose. The Guild had discerned two River sailors were probably the=20 murderers of the Assassins who killed Sam and Jadzia. As predicted,=20 the two slayers of the three assassins had themselves not far=20 outlived their own previous bloody deeds. A cold shivering slattern=20 hidden in a corner had yet clearly seen a cowled figure with golden=20 tones to his skin; as if he had been bathed in gold dust. This=20 person had exited a death bower, and was likely our assassin-in- chief. Perhaps a thin and fragile string to follow. In conjunction I=20 pursued the task of lightening Banker Datalore of some of his gold.=20 Fortune had favored me with an unexpected reward. I stared now at the solid stone structure. Mind you, Datalore's Bank=20 was no ratty office, or series of rooms in a Guild Hall. The Silken=20 Bank proclaimed its power and wealth by the possession of its own=20 massive fortress in the rugged granite verge of the Tar River, in=20 the once-favored Old Quarter. It was literally built on a rock, and=20 of rock. Many great houses within high walls still graced the Old Quarter;=20 centuries after the true elite had migrated to the New Island.=20 Wealthy families still existed in them, if not holders of the class=20 of wealth that earmarked the possessors as likely to hold a future=20 seat on the Sathridin. Datalore had acquired a blocky fastness here=20 where it was still prestigious to do business and trade, and turned=20 the fastness into a true fortress. Stone walls raised vertically nearly two stories in height, and dark=20 stone seamlessly covered the roof of this block of impregnability.=20 Any businessman seeing the Citadel of The Silken Bank must give a=20 sigh to know he had finally found a place where his coin was safely=20 held. And interest paid, to boot. There existed but one doorway, with no other exit or entrance. A=20 cloud of servants kept the fires stoked, the sanitary Box inside=20 emptied, and the customer's every whim addressed. For the two ornate=20 fireplaces within, a multitude of twisting small channels had been=20 cunningly allowed during construction. These channels, not too much=20 larger than my mice, kept the interior smoke free. The Bank's warm=20 hearths emitted smoke outwards and projected heat within. Though it=20 was cold where I was, it was warm inside the Silken Bank. Well to=20 each side of Datalore's grand desk, massive fireplaces framed in=20 veined and striated green marble faced the well-appointed interior. My mice had given me details of the interior, and the many comforts=20 within. Arrearas of worth hung upon the walls, the colorful cloth=20 tapestries proclaiming wealth and permanence. Uniformed servants=20 brewed coffee and tea, served sweetmeats and chocolate biscuits, and=20 stayed discreetly far distant when Datalore conferred with his=20 influential customers. In the back of the bank, behind a forest of round steel bars, lay=20 the wealth of a Free City. This wealth was openly on display, if=20 quite out of reach behind steel. Shelves were filled with open boxes=20 of gold in the form of pigs. Most were the size of a man's thumb,=20 but many larger. Multitudes, thousands of pigs of pure gold lay in=20 sight, ranging in size up to equaling two fists worth. Each pig=20 bearing the seal of some issuing authority deeply stamped upon it.=20 Most bore the signet of the Empire. Although Nomurea, Caith,=20 Kinkaria, Kleinboggen and Windfire were also well represented; even=20 distant Maw. Not bags, but small precise boxes, their sliding tops proclaiming in=20 ink their contents, and even the issuing mint. Many bags of coin=20 also were displayed, lying in wire frames which prevented accidental=20 bursting. Sprinkled to one side, a few small cream leather bags held=20 jewels. In view (but safe behind steel bars) lay the wealth of a=20 city and an Empire. All this gleaming metal proclaiming the wealth=20 and might not only of the empire and the free City, but the Banker=20 and Notable Master Datalore as well. Wagon-loads of gold pigs and=20 coins were on display there. A single doorway led into this actual gathering of coin and goods,=20 and lead boxes proclaimed the habitations of Demons let loose at=20 night to guard this coin and treasure. One immense lead box in the=20 vault itself seemed to proclaim the presence of a truly awe- inspiring Demon assigned the inner vault, to the actual protection=20 of the gold and such. Two more lead boxes in the bank area proper=20 told of more demons, also let loose at night. The steel bars=20 effectively prevented any Demon within the vault itself from=20 divining with its fellows. Overhead massive cedar beams formed the roof and supported the slabs=20 of stone carefully fitted together and warded with their own=20 vigilant Imps. Fragrant cedar was to every hand, perfuming the inner=20 air with a pleasant smell, able to mask the usual sting of smoke. As=20 a final touch the Silken Bank burned black rocks instead of wood,=20 making those who did not know of such 'coal' think they watched High=20 Wizardry in unimportant daily use. A few helmeted guards stood impressive at the door, resplendent in=20 their silver and golden etched front-and-back armor. Two doors shut tight this treasure house, and each night great locks=20 crafted by Master Wizards padlocked it. Already I had explained to Emil my needs. For this fastness sly=20 trickery would not be enough, nor daring entrances followed by=20 desperate chases. For this one, as for the removal of master Phlox=20 from Jail, the work of others would be necessary. For this fortress had a flaw, three of them actually, and two were=20 the fault of human pride and greed. My poor spying mice had lived a precarious existence within, for=20 garden variety snakes were kept as mousers within these premises.=20 Warmed within, their scaly lives were immune to the chills facing=20 their frigid brethren. Great wooden panels lent color to the walls between the hanging=20 tapestries, and narrow spaces lay behind the stone walls, allowing=20 heat from the fireplaces to circulate and warm. The builders had left cut small corners in many of the bottom blocks=20 of stone, and both mice and snakes journeyed through these tiny=20 spaces. This allowed the Guardian demons to safely devour anything=20 larger than a snake which entered the bank when it was closed. There were two spaces between the walls, close by the fireplaces,=20 which was large enough to allow the climbing movement of a small=20 man. Or a woman. Or two. The second fault was due to engineering. The massive beams overhead=20 did not directly support the giant plates of stone which comprised=20 the roof of the Silken Bank. It supported a frame, massive in and of=20 itself, which in turn supported the roof. The space created allowed=20 heat and air to circulate at the ceiling level. Again small mouse- sized slots left access to air flowing underneath the roof, but only=20 a mouse might move through these deliberate spaces. The accessible=20 four larger slanted vents were of more interest. For the cedar beams were a false roof, and passageways lie under the=20 roof stones and frame. It was possible for a crawling person to=20 reach those larger vents. Water golems were of limited use in a freezing cold such as=20 presently enthralled the Free City. Nevertheless twice Sevein had=20 been able to insert a Golem within, and to retrieve it by the=20 entrance door before it froze. However, my mice were unchecked, and=20 both mice and Golems had discovered an inadvertent error. For two=20 nights now others had been working on that weak spot.=20 The stone walls made a fortress of The Silken Bank. But it also left=20 the mind of its owner complacent and assured. The Night Watch=20 visited the Bank often, but Datalore did not have his own guards on=20 the premises, or circling it in an eternal dance of security. No=20 walls girdling it, no patrols, no dog or enchantments beyond the=20 usual Demonscreams which would wake half the city if the walls were=20 to fall. The Man In The iron Collar thought his gold safe. With=20 eight housekarls forever journeying with him and endeavoring to keep=20 his person safe, he might himself feel unsafe. But not his gold.=20 That was inside his Bank. I hugged my cup of coffee while Emil reported on the progress of his=20 miners and engineers. I realized I felt nostalgia for simpler and younger days when a=20 little scurrying over a roof and down a wall would net me a gleaming=20 bounty and a heart-pounding chase afterwards. A little hiding in a=20 corner, breath-taking escapes, the prying out with a knife point of=20 some precious jewel. That was the stuff of life, in my youth. Now I was - What? I was married. If no feast or celebration with=20 pretentious vows had taken place, I knew I had me a younger wife. As=20 well as a business to run, and two small children dependant on me,=20 albeit one was a ghost. Great secret wealth was mine now, but it=20 brought me little joy. Even for Belanna wealth was but a means to=20 carefully aid her flock of poverty-stricken believers. My joy was a=20 large blond woman with soft breasts and a forgiving nature, and=20 children who would nestle between us. Then I thought of black moths and felt the iron freeze solid within=20 my resolve. In my youth I had been an adventurer. But always a warrior. This was=20 war, and it was a war proclaimed by such as Chakay and Datalore, not=20 me. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The ground floor of a Guild Hall had been supposedly rented by a=20 Syndicate of Couriers and Carters, but the rooms had been but=20 sparsely filled with the counters, cabinets, and desks. From its darkness Sevein and I filed out, following the footsteps of=20 cowled and masked strangers hiding the tools of their stone-workers=20 trade. We met them at a Bank sidewall, made of stone dark as sin,=20 where they peeled away the hair-thin clayey mixture which pretended=20 a thin mortise helping hold the stone to its fellows. I had been amazed to discover that a skilled joiner could work the=20 surface of an immense stone set whilst it still sat within a wall=20 such as this; altering it minutely, working faces so that it moved=20 easily in an outward arc. This stone was one of the flaws discovered. As was its fellows, it=20 was forty centimeters thick, but this one had a flaw. This stone,=20 and no other, had been inserted by the builders using a stone=20 originally made for another customer. They had cheated Datalore of a=20 few Quadra, and given us a point of entry. Instead of six=20 perpendicular sides, one side was angled back. From the front this=20 stone appeared as did all the others. But there was an unseen small=20 space here; a wedge of empty air, angling in towards the vertical=20 flue of space between the walls. The space allowed this stone to=20 pivot outwards. Tonight the miners and joiners quickly eased the stone out and=20 partially over, letting it rest upon a sturdy framework of wood=20 wedges instead of unsupporting air. I wore a one piece costume, much like the one which I had worn when=20 entering Chakay's residence through his indoor jakes. Light cotton=20 masks hid my face, and that of Sevein as well. The miners and=20 joiners would be unable to describe us if put to the Question by the=20 torturers of the Sathridin. As we ourselves could never describe the=20 workers who eased the stone enough out of the way so that we could=20 slither within. It was almost without sound, that movement of the stone upon its=20 temporary wooded supports. Stationed in dark corners outside our immediate area of work,=20 vigilant watchers stood ready to whistle warning of the approach of=20 the Night Watch or others. A side-effect of the frigidity of this=20 night was that we expected few to be about besides the official=20 guardians of the Free City. The Guild had carefully noted that from whatever direction the Watch=20 came, they never took a detour to the wall on this side, nor=20 directly circled the Bank. To what purpose? All could see the solid=20 impregnability of The Silken Bank. To mask from view our work, a solid false wall had been constructed=20 made of wood frames and covered with a painted canvas. To someone=20 not making a close inspection, the wall of the bank appeared=20 unbroken and secure. To those coming close, they realized the wall=20 they saw was in actuality a stage background. A fraud, a simulacrum=20 of such things. No Magic involved, and thus no nervous edging of reality to warn the=20 sensitive or Wizard-gifted that a Magic was taking place. Merely=20 wood and canvas and men who braced the work as well as they could=20 against the mild winds of this night. A Foreteller, a Weather Seer had told of this night's non-windy=20 nature, and we had decided to strike during this very night. The=20 painted walls stood solid in appearance, and would do so the night=20 long, we hoped. I was the first inside, and pressed myself over into the flue=20 leading upward. The space was limited, and half-way up I waited=20 until I could make out Sevein wriggling her larger body upwards=20 behind me. I kept playing out the guide and pulley ropes attached to=20 me, keeping them from snagging on Sevein. The walls to one side were hot, but my suit and gloves protected me=20 enough that my climb upwards continued without let. It was=20 uncomfortable climbing by continually bracing and frogging myself=20 side to side, but I moved with all possible speed. At the top of the flue I wriggled easily between the angles of=20 scented Cedar beams, and faced the panorama of shadows and light=20 seeping forth from below through the four air vents in the ceiling.=20 From my mice I retraced my mental path through the uneven maze of=20 wooden beams of the roof, and soon came to one of the two disguised=20 vents downward into the vault. Great steel bars separated vault from bank, but nothing at this=20 level separated the one area from the other. The vents were at a sheer angle, allowing movement of air current,=20 but denying easy access. I wriggled through, my feet firmly held by=20 my wife. Below me lay shelves burdened with boxes of wealth, bags, and more=20 shelving. Behind the high ranks of shelving lay a comfortable=20 mattress upon the floor, with luxuries in the form of food and no- doubt fine wines about it. My gaze carefully noted the figure supine=20 upon it. His slightly open mouth, his langruous hand, and the oil=20 lamps giving soft light to the scene. The fact that the shelving of=20 wealth hid this nest from those in the front of the bank explained=20 much. Why Datalore was so confident, and how the golden-skinned=20 master assassin had been able to disappear so completely. The door=20 of the lead box lay ajar, and an empty-holed seat on a dolly box was=20 obviously a necessary sanitary box. To all appearances the figure was Datalore. Datalore had a twin. The skin was of a light golden tone, and a single glance as seen=20 through a mouse's eyes had convinced me that I had discovered the=20 master-puppeteer of assassins; Sam's nemesis. The brother was probably stored inside the lead box during the day.=20 Enchanted, and resting without breath or heartbeat, until that=20 moment came when the one brother awakened the other for a night's=20 living in real time. I had heard people placed in such enchantments eventually withered=20 and dried up like an apple, if not periodically brought back to some=20 form of nearly active life. Such a person might live for a very long time if a large part of his=20 life is immune from the cruelties of time itself.=20 Sevein restrained any comment, and played out the knotted rope I=20 would use to reach the floor. In a second I was down it, sword out,=20 ready to slay the assassin in his sleep. He was gone. Instinct honed on dozens of battlefields made me fall and roll to=20 one side, not even thinking of what I was doing. I heard a swoosh of=20 air above me, and righted in time to see the golden brother=20 recovering from his too-wide sweep of sword to face me and come to=20 guard status. This was truly the brother of the man I had seen before. The same=20 thin lips capable of overpowering greed and petty vengeance. The=20 same eyes, though these were light gold instead of dark. But this=20 one moved with a grace I had not thought to see in the banker=20 Datalore. He heard Sevein wriggling somehow at the vent I had come through. He=20 glanced quickly up, then bothered to laugh, and quickly met my sword=20 and knife with a half dozen overhead and side-to-side slashes,=20 driving me back small step by small step into the trap of angles of=20 back wall to back wall. Sevein could not fit through the vent. She twisted and fretted, but=20 seemed firmly stuck in the vent I had wriggled through with such=20 comparative ease. He continually swept his blade forward and down again and again,=20 seemingly able to keep up such a flurry of blows forever. I could=20 never match his attacks with defenses eternally keen. At some point=20 I must stumble or misstrike and he would have me. I could already=20 feel the fire in my right shoulder and arm, of overtaxed muscles and=20 shaking grip. Suddenly behind me Sevein flew from the vent, and fell to the floor=20 behind us. I quickly twisted my sword in smash after smash, daring=20 him to pause to look, or attempt to move to protect his rear. Yet still he leaped back, my sword suddenly passing through the=20 twilight air inside the lamp-lit bank vault. He spun away from me,=20 and I paced to follow. He was facing Sevein when her throwing axe=20 took him in his hip. A better blow might have been landed, but I now=20 bored in for the kill. The assassin pulled the axe out of his hip and sent a quartet of=20 slashes towards me instead. Sevein had her beloved double-edged Labrys axe in hand when she=20 reached us, and was not expecting this golden-skinned man to twirl=20 suddenly on a leg that should have collapsed long ago. Nor to swing=20 under her upraised arm and draw a crippling blow to the underside of=20 her throwing arm. Her Labrys fell upon the stone floor, and her cry=20 of pain jolted me. Blood sprayed, and Sevein retreated, somehow pulling her sword out=20 of its resting place on her back with the wrong hand. I gave him a double-handed cut into his unarmored side, blinking to=20 shake off the film of blood suddenly covering me. He fell to one knee, but fended off my overhead killing blow. Then=20 he was back on his feet, parrying my rain of desperate overhead=20 slashes. Sevein, not accustomed to sword-fighting with her left arm, managed=20 to snake forward and stab the assassin in his other side before=20 retreating from his powerful blows. I swung and pivoted, my left hand driving my knife into his side,=20 seeing the blood squirt as it went home to the hilt. His own turnabout slammed my upper chest with the pommel of his=20 sword, and I fell to one knee, my head full of noises and stars. All=20 I could manage to accomplish was to keep my sword up as he slashed=20 downward at me, again seeking to make a killing strike. A glance over his shoulder told him Sevein was once more boring in,=20 and he left me to beat her back with a sneering ease. Only my rising=20 and renewing my attack kept him from killing my dearest love. He turned on me again, yelling his anger, wanting an end to this=20 circle of what had to be painful attacks. He might be unable to die, for which my mind tied his odd skin=20 pigmentation to his sorcerous invincibility, but the successive=20 looks of agony on his face had clearly told me he felt the pain of=20 each stab or sword wound. He raised his sword after he had beaten me down, trying once more to=20 finish one of his attackers, intending to drive his sword deep=20 within me. Reduced to a short sword and pantaloons in heavy boots, a nearly=20 naked Harry Kim fell to the floor behind Sevein. I knew now why=20 Sevein had popped so violently out unto the floor of the vault.=20 Harry had probably pushed or shoved my blond through the vent, and=20 now had squeezed through somehow himself. He was dazed by his fall, but after a moment staggered to his feet.=20 The golden assassin cursed loudly, but brushed aside Sevein's clumsy=20 swordplay to attack Harry while he still might be unable to fight=20 forcibly. Suddenly Harry fell to the floor, and Golden Eye raised his sword=20 high overhead in a sweeping slash downward. Harry rose up on his=20 knees and drove his short sword into the assassin's middle. Invincible he might be, but Golden Eye paled to a dusty white as the=20 blade's point came out his back. I heard him groan and voice a=20 pitiful cry, before he straightened and again raised his sword to=20 kill Harry. Harry rolled and scuttled away, his loud cries=20 distracting our enemy, making him hesitate. Sevein closed, and I staggered nearer to him, wondering if I cut off=20 his head he might then die. He turned and struck Sevein in her chest, ripping cloth and drawing=20 blood with the wire-wrapped handle of his sword. He met my swing of=20 blade with an off-hand parry, the point of Harry's sword still=20 projecting from alongside his spine. He whirled and backhanded me=20 when he was close, pushing me violently away with his sword, the=20 hilt gouging me in my chest again and making me cry out. He paused. A stark white light was bathing his face, and the source seemed to=20 come from my battered, breathless, and numbed chest. My clothes lay=20 slashed in places, and I knew I was bleeding there. The sudden=20 unexpected bright white light was obvious in the soft light cast by=20 the oil lamps. It came from the locket, exposed and open upon my=20 chest. My locket had sprung open, and my petal lay exposed. It was emitting=20 a bright light directed at the golden skinned brother. Not as if=20 from a fire, but as if it were a keyhole behind which fearsome=20 energies burned. Golden Eye flinched, and held up a hand to prevent the light from=20 directly reaching his eyes. Suddenly he was unmindful of swords or=20 enemies, the sword in his gut, or his previous injuries. He was=20 transfixed by the spectacle of my white rose petal projecting an=20 obviously sorcerous light at him. "Your petal!" I shouted at Sevein. I grasped my own fragment of a=20 rose and held it towards our foe. "No, No, No, NOOOOO!" he cried, writing in obvious pain from the=20 stark light bathing him. Sevein had trouble opening her own locket, but continued to attempt=20 the maneuver made difficult by the lack of use of one hand. I=20 advanced towards Golden Eye with my rose petal, and he continued to=20 retreat backwards before the light. "Help her with her locket!" I ordered Harry. He swept his hands into=20 Sevein's bosom, pulling out a blood-smeared tidbit of cheap jewelry.=20 I moved closer and closer, trying not to think how open I was to a=20 blow by the screaming enemy's sword. Another flare of light blossomed behind him. Golden eye was wide-eyed and uncoordinated, and stumbled and slipped=20 on Sevein's blooded Labrys axe. I touched the petal to his chest. The black and yellow cloth parted=20 before the fire of the petal, burning threads racing away from the=20 point of contact. He began to burn. The edges of the petal flared with acid flames, and terribly foul=20 smoke rose from the pit where the petal burned its way into the=20 insides of the killer. Sevein placed her petal upon his shoulder, and if possible, his=20 cries of desperation and pain increased. Abandoned, both petals clung to Golden Eye and began to eat their=20 way into the writhing chest, sparks and odor falling into the soft=20 light inside the bank vault. Great beams of light came from within=20 him as the petals continued to burn deeper and deeper. He cried=20 piteous pleas and promises. His words became incoherent and then=20 garbled as his lungs were consumed by the furnace I realized his=20 chest had become. Weak cries came from him as he collapsed onto the floor. Then his=20 body began to shrivel. I'd seen old worn clothes burn and shrivel like that, as well=20 heretics at the stake, and soldiers stuck by giant flows of burning=20 naptha, oil, and pitch poured from castle walls. He shriveled. Eventually he began to blacken in the center, and he=20 ceased movement. I hoped that he was beyond pain at that moment. He=20 deserved killing, but not even a ruthless killer deserved to=20 experience the pain he felt. Harry, Sevein and I stood around in a circle and watched bug-eyed as=20 the pile of blackening material grew less and less and less, until=20 it was a handful of white-edged ash and the sparks went out inside=20 it. Harry touched it with the edge of his boot, stirring the five=20 jeweled rings that were all that remained of Golden Eye. Harry said=20 nothing as even the ash became nothing but an oily smudge upon the=20 cold stone floor. "Harry," I said, breaking the spell we were under, "Sevein is hurt!" "I'm - I'm not okay," she managed. Harry boggled as he touched=20 gently my bloodied arms and bare cut breast lying open for the=20 entire world to see. I looked down and saw maybe half dozen deep=20 lines patterning my own body, one directly across a nipple. "We've got to cut that damned air vent bigger," I ordered, "and get=20 Sevein out of here to a Healer." "You as well," Emil was saying. He was hanging upside down, and=20 busily surveying the entire scene. He fell through with a grace none=20 of us had managed, reminding me again he WAS a sneak thief after all=20 and well accustomed to scampering about rooftops and such, more than=20 myself. "We'll cut the hole bigger," he said. "Tom is bringing cutting wires=20 and saws, and we'll soon have the vent opened up to where we can get=20 you two ladies out of here. "And just the Hell WHAT happened here?" "Datalore had a brother," I explained. "He was made nigh invincible=20 through some previously unknown sorcery, and he could not be killed." Emil looked pointedly around, even as the sound of sawing issued=20 from the vent. Harry went over, and took the other end of a cutting=20 wire. The handling ring was nowhere near the floor, but it had=20 acquired an extending cord which allowed it to work between rafters=20 and floor. I had secreted underneath the horse trough at 'Voyager' a=20 tin with just such a cutting ring inside it. A toy saved from the=20 adventure at the North Fang Jail Tower. If such a thread could cut=20 through thick steel, it should have the thick wood here cut away=20 shortly. The saw was for just-in-case. "Well," Emile smiled. "All's well that ends well. Let me look after=20 those wounds on you ladies first. I am a healer as well as a=20 Coppersmith, you will recall." He placed Sevein's thumb to a point=20 at the cut's edge of her deep wound on her arm. "Press here and I'll have my satchel of herbs and bandages conveyed=20 inside." He eyes gleamed at the sight of the boxes and boxes of gold. "After which we'll get the cables, winches and pulleys instilled as=20 planned, and begin transporting some of this lovely gold out of here=20 and into more deserving hands." I gave the rings of Golden Eye to Harry, to be part of the wealth=20 removed from here. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sevein sat in the back of the cart with Naomi, and Emilia sat up=20 front with me. The back already held a few good sized fish and two=20 quarters of pig purchased earlier. In this frigid weather the fish=20 and meat could last outside until spring. We were on our way to another market, but took a detour to see the=20 outrage and confusion outside The Silken Bank. We carefully moved,=20 so as not to test our healings. The hired Sorcerer Healer had been=20 masked, of course, and the room dim, to fog our appearance. It was a=20 hopeless task. He needee good light to work, and as he was due for=20 the Throne of Sublime Delight for his previous work for the Thieves=20 Guild, we had to trust him. He knew not where we had acquired our=20 wounds. In addition he was only a middling Sorcerous healer, and had=20 to try numerous incantations and potions before he was able to=20 repair our faces and other showing flesh.=20 Sevein and I now appeared much as we had yesterday morn. We had just=20 left said Wizard not an hour ago, leaving the room where he was=20 posing as a better sort of wayfarer and renter of space at=20 the 'Voyager' Inn. "Master Emil!" I shouted, waving my hand at him, pointedly not=20 wincing, and pretending a jollity and health I did not feel. He was=20 accompanied by Journeyman Pare and Apprentice Kim, and Sevein took=20 the time to lean out of the cart and kiss each of the other men.=20 Emil beat his woolen gloves together and shook his head at the Bank. "They've robbed the Silken Bank!" he exclaimed. "They discovered the=20 loss this morning early, when the Watch noticed an elaborate painted=20 fa=E7ade being wind-torn away from the sides of the Bank by the rising=20 morning airs." "My, my," I returned. "No one or their money is safe anymore, it=20 seems. Have they caught the culprits yet?" "I asked, but the Watch was incredibly touchy about being asked=20 questions. Methinks the burglars got scratch-free away. Maybe the=20 villains will be caught later, but then=85" He trailed off. "But then maybe not," I finished for him. I clucked a few times and=20 shook my head. "I may be newcomer to the city of Tar-Trigon, but I=20 think it has become even more lawless than before. The Sathridin=20 must do something, and do it quickly, I think. Don't you agree?" "An hour ago would not be too soon for this lawlessness to be firmly=20 grasped and diligently squelched." To all appearances we were naught=20 but two old acquaintances exchanging gossip in the frigid morning=20 air. "Do you have any idea how much gold did the thieves get away with?"=20 I asked. "Did they empty the vault? What will become of the Silken=20 Bank? I had no money in it myself, of course, but still, it would=20 not be seemly for such an institution to crumble. The entire City=20 might suffer." "I don't know of such things, Mistress," Emil groused, "but I'm glad=20 none of MY money was within those walls!" He turned with a smile to=20 my wife and children. "And how are Mistress Sevein and Mistress=20 Naomi these days? Cold enough for you?" he teased Naomi. We chatted onward for some minutes, observing the chaotic response=20 of the City Watch and livered servants of the banker Datalore. At=20 one point the bereft Banker himself exited the doors of his=20 establishment, and rushed to the City Watchmen and his own servants.=20 He began to hit one and all about the head. He was literally jumping=20 up and down in rage. "Well," I finally said, "we have things yet to do and foodstuffs to=20 buy for our Inn, and we must be off. If you can manage it, we are=20 prettying the Commons room up with a few booths, for the better=20 custom that would appreciate a private corner where some drunken=20 lout is not liable to fall into his wine.=20 "Speaking of which, Belanna has agreed to the purchase of three of=20 the MUCH better vintages of wine. If you come by some afternoon=20 after work, we'll give you a taste of each of them." I clucked at the horses, and we left the scene behind. Tom Pare and=20 Harry Kim waved a fond goodbye once they hopped off the back of the=20 cart. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A few days later, Kapitan Riker reappeared. Not unexpected, of course, and not the first time since the ritual=20 cremation of Sam and Jadzia. As a matter of fact, he was almost a=20 daily visitor. At the warehouse on the river he had worked his way=20 through two fellow guards whom he epitomized as lazy thieves, and=20 was hoping for better this night or next. I had directly asked him=20 how much Tuvok was paying him, and discovered he was acquiring three=20 more farthings a night than I or Sevein had been paid. It was still=20 a slim pittance, but he felt flush enough to inquire about rooms to=20 let at the 'Voyager'. I immediately quoted a price to him of our smallest room, and let=20 him know he would have it alone. No loud snorers or drunks to cope=20 with, nor tiny migrating pests. The price was half our usual quote,=20 but I told myself it was on the top floor, and as he was accustomed=20 to climbing stairs during his tenure as Commandant of the North Fang=20 Jail Tower, it should suit him well. He gave me a fierce look, knowing he was being offered a bargain,=20 but bit his lip for a second before managing a wan smile.=20 "You're a friend," I explained without a trace of hesitation. "And a=20 friend of Belanna, who you will recall owns this Inn as Samantha=20 Wildman's heiress." He still had not repaid the exorbitant amount owed when he recovered=20 his finery for that morning when he presented himself as a willing=20 sword for any rescue attempt we and ours might attempt. He was one=20 of my heroes thanks to that commitment. Sam and Jadzia's funeral=20 also had seen his finery, and I had asked Emil to suggest to the=20 debt holder that VERY low interest might be pleasant. Belanna,=20 Sevein and I still wondered how we could pay his debt without the=20 appearance of charity coming to the fore. He was in his own mind=20 still an officer of the army of the Empress, and honor and pride=20 were closely intermixed in his mind. Nonetheless he looked well, and dressed warmly. He sat in the newly=20 built booth next to me, rather than in opposite chair, but as we=20 both occupied side positions, we were still alongside each other. His single remaining eye was winking, and he had a secret to tell,=20 he said, a happy one I might think. I signaled Bashir and waited for Riker's Porter to arrive. With a=20 squeal Naomi flew onto his lap, shamelessly abusing her status as an=20 orphaned child in order to gain as much loving and kindness as she=20 could. Immediately ghostly Emilia stood behind him, blowing in his=20 ear to irritate him. Sevein stood before me, cocking her head, smiling, and then showing=20 an incredible amount of teeth as I nodded my tired head. With that=20 my wife firmly set her rear end on Riker's other knee and laid an=20 arm about his broad shoulder, herself being shameless. She apologized to me by leaning over and giving me a lusty kiss. But=20 it was HIS lap she occupied, and continued to do so. Naomi and=20 Sevein teased and played with Riker, loosening his collar and his=20 coat, and letting his wide-brimmed hat fall on the booth seat behind=20 him. I think my hard-bitten axe-hurler was giving Naomi lessons in=20 teasing men. Riker smiled broadly, and used his one good arm to hug both women=20 closer to himself. The shock came when I realized he had his hand under my breast and=20 was hugging me as well. Not that he was being too forward, mind you. And besides family or=20 friends were allowed liberties strangers might never gain. The shock that made my face turn white was that he fondled me too=20 well with the arm that he no longer had and the hand gone years ago. And he reached through a solid booth wall and back rests to do so. My eyes were open wide as a wine saucer, and I stared at the ex- Kapitan. His eyepatch bunched as he grinned. "I said I had a surprise for you." - - - - - - - - - - - - - He who was mostly known simply as The Professional stood at his=20 spyglass. Judging distance, angles, windage, lag, drop, and just how=20 effective a good set of armor was. Behind him four muscular men stood ready to unhook the cartilage=20 powering the device in this cold little room, and let its tension=20 dissipate. If The Professional adjudged the many variables unfavorable, the=20 weapon's torsion would be relaxed, and they would all meet again=20 tomorrow in this same dank cold bare room. They had done so dozens of times already, but knew their employer=20 was a meticulous man. Nothing less than complete success would=20 satisfy him. The targeted individual must not simply die, after all;=20 he must die most dramatically. If need be they would reassemble at this post until High Summer, and=20 mayhap beyond. A few grouses were made long ago concerning=20 perfectionism, but as they were being paid in silver, they shrugged=20 their shoulders and lent their muscles to his enterprise. Good pay=20 for an hour's work, and no playing games with inquisitive City=20 Watchmen. The Professional nodded when the first mounted housekarl came around=20 the far corner. The hired sword's eyes were narrow, his movements=20 constant, his sword unsheathed. Behind him came the second guard,=20 this one with a cocked crossbow in hand, ready for use. The Professional nodded his masked head, and made a finger motion to=20 the men behind him. The men did not become more tense or excited. They had stood here=20 dozens of times, waiting to see if The Professional adjudged all=20 things to be just exactly so, to be perfect. They felt today was=20 just another boring repeat of the previous day. They felt in a few=20 minutes The Professional would sigh deeply, and the signal given for=20 the torsion of the machine to be relaxed. Then they would all leave,=20 and reassemble here tomorrow. The third horseman came into view, a small Steppe Nomad on his=20 shaggy little pony, with his curved scimitar resting lightly on the=20 pommel of his saddle. The fourth and the fifth then hove into view. By then the first=20 horseman was almost to the secret room where patient men waited for=20 their signal. The short street curved to the left again here, and=20 the guard reined up, awaiting his companions before proceeding=20 further. The banker and merchant Datalore finally appeared. He was flanked on=20 either side by tall muscular men in steel helm, upper neck and chest=20 armor, chain mail tunics and a long triangular shield held on the=20 side nearest the banker, protecting him to an additional degree. The banker himself wore front-and-back armor with a high steel=20 collar, and a steel cap underneath his fur cap. Thigh guards of=20 steel appeared whenever his cloak shifted. He wore a rich brilliant=20 yellow cloth with blue trim throughout. Cloak, pants, jacket,=20 gloves. He might be in fear of his life, but he still strove to=20 dress richly. Datalore rode horse easily, a man long accustomed to saddle and=20 horse's gait. Behind him appeared two more of his guards, one with a=20 long black leather whip curled in his gloved hand, the other with a=20 pair of short swords, one in each hand. Inside the room no one spoke. The laborers so as not to miss a=20 signal from their employer. The Professional because he was=20 calculating carefully where the banker Datalore would be with each=20 step of his horse. None really expected the single word from the Professional. "Leave." With no argument whatsoever they filed out of the room, intent on=20 putting distance between themselves and this soon-to-be ransacked=20 space. The Professional hovered for seconds over his spyglass. Then=20 he turned and pushed a lever to one side. The walls of the room fell to the side, and it lay suddenly bare and=20 open to the winter air. As the wall pivoted away, a hook disengaged=20 from the Ballista, and the weapon was fired. It drove a giant arrow over two meters long through the air, with=20 the firmly screwed down machine of death, the giant crossbow,=20 emitting a twangy deep resonant musical note as it's bow arm beat=20 hard into the halting bar. The giant arrow leaped through the air, power in its forward throw.=20 At the start of throw it neared a speed of eight hundred kilometers=20 an hour, though the speed tapered off rapidly after that initial=20 thrust. Datalore looked up when the wall of the room fell away, as did his=20 guards. He perhaps realized that he saw death before it struck him,=20 but that is not very likely. He was too close and the arrow was=20 moving much too swiftly. Even with all the calculations and plans of the professional,=20 Datalore almost escaped his assassination. He had already paused,=20 curbing his horse, and the horse made a misstep, pulling him to one=20 side just as the banker began to say something. Nonetheless over two meters of straight wooden poplar shaft, topped=20 with three kilos of good sharp steel, caught him high and to the=20 right side of his chest, below his collar bone. The arrow took him and pitched him to the end of the street,=20 impaling him during the short flight. It drove into a whitewashed=20 and mortised brick wall, the steel head driving fifty centimeters=20 into the unyielding obstacle. Datalore's body burst apart under the impact, his arms jumping to=20 either side, and his head describing a gruesome parabola to land at=20 the feet of a curious apprentice lad just passing by. The apprentice was quite surprised to find a head rolling to his=20 feet, but not so surprised that he didn't recognize gold when=20 Datalore's golden dentures fell at his feet. He grabbed the teeth=20 up, the surprise bounty representing to him a small fortune. None of=20 this macabre theft was tied to the assassination; it all happened by=20 chance. But the loss of his teeth was forever after part of the=20 legend of the killing of banker Datalore.=20 A few unkind whispering souls speculated that the sudden death of=20 Datalore was due to the unhappiness of some disgruntled depositor of=20 lost wealth in the savaged Silken Bank. Then again someone said a Prince ordered his death in order to=20 acquire the love of his beautiful mistress. Others said he had no=20 mistress. Such tales circulate for decades, enriched further by each=20 succeeding generation. They're enjoyable to listen to. Certainly no one bothered to note the scrawny little man in the=20 heavy scarf and gloves, with his little side bag of tools at his=20 hip. He was just another poor soul in the Free City carefully=20 trudging through last night's snow drifts. He gladly entered the heat of the baths, and shook himself quickly=20 free of the clothing grown suddenly too warm in these steamy=20 confines. "Jean-Luc," Neelix hurried over, smiling, glad his favorite barber=20 had arrived just in the nick of time. "We have guests today requiring your definitive skill with a razor,'=20 he beamed. "You know the pair, the tall blond with the generous=20 breasts, and the little redhead with almost equally wondrous a pair.=20 They've brought with them Belanna, the High Priestess of the Gogorol=20 Temple, and requested someone to shave their exquisite little quims. "You." He patted Jean-Luc on the arm, twinkles in his eyes and=20 voice. "Make yourself comfy, I have some of that abominable tea you=20 prefer, and strap your razor sharp. They will be calling for you in=20 a few moments, perhaps, but we can let them wait until you finish=20 getting something warm under your ribs. You need something warm on a=20 day like this." Neelix leaned closer to the barber, in confidence. "But tell me, Jean-Luc. Why do these ladies prefer your fine hand=20 when losing their body hairs?" The scrawny man shrugged, a smile on his lips. "Maybe they appreciate dealing with a true professional." ----------------END ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: