Crypt of the shadowking - Mark Anthony [44]
"A minor miscalculation," Ferret replied, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I had decided to relieve one of those spineless lords of a portion of his rather considerable store of gold. Unfortunately, I had the bad luck to pick one who had managed to get himself on Ravendas's bad side. Just as I was about to leave his tower, the Zhentarim broke down the door and threw the lord in chains, hauling him off to the dungeons. They captured me as well, even though I was merely an innocent bystander."
"'Innocent bystander?'"
Ferret shot Caledan a sour look. "Anyway," he said in his raspy voice, "Ravendas has quite an operation going on down beneath the tower's dungeons. The tunnels go on for miles. She must have close to a thousand cityfolk slaving for her against their wills. I don't know what it is she's digging for down there, but it must be something pretty important."
Caledan nodded intently. "I'd pay handsomely for that information."
"Really?" Ferret asked, a gleam in his beady eyes. "I might be able to… ask around."
Caledan grimaced, reaching for his purse. "All right, Ferret," he grumbled. "How much is it going to cost?"
* * * * *
It was midnight. Caledan and Mari stood in the shadows of a deserted intersection in the Old City, waiting. "Where is he?" Mari said in a whisper. "You don't suppose he ran off with the gold we gave him, do you? He is a thief, after all."
He'll be here," Caledan whispered back. Unless the rogue ends up with a knife in his back, Caledan added silently to himself. "Ferret may not be strictly honorable, out there is a certain consistency to his actions, and we've been friends a long time. Besides, he wants the Zhentarim gone from the city just as much as we do, and I'm sure the thieves' guild does as well. They must be losing a fortune to Ravendas."
"I'm still not certain petitioning a thieves' guild for help is a good idea," Man said.
Caledan disagreed. "Thieves are as much a part of city life as temples, schools, and markets are. They keep the merchants from getting fat and lazy, and give the city guards something to do besides troubling honest folk. Now what could be wrong with that?"
It was scant minutes later when the shadows stirred, and Ferret abruptly appeared. "So did you have any luck?" Caledan asked.
Ferret nodded. "A little, I think. I tried all day to find out if there were any thieves in the city who had done work for Ravendas since she's been here, someone who might have heard what it is she wants, or know something concrete about her underground operations."
"And?"
"Most thieves have been avoiding her," Ferret explained. "No one wants to do work for someone who's likely to dispose of you when the job's finished. But I did hear of one old fellow, named Tembris, who did a job for her when she first came to Iriaebor. He may know something."
"So where is this Tembris?" Mari asked.
Ferret cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. "Uh, I'll tell you on the way. I don't think it's such a good idea to stand around here for long." He started off at a brisk pace down the street, and Caledan and Mari hurried to keep up.
"All right, Ferret. Who did you kill?" Caledan asked the rogue sternly.
"No one," the thief answered in his raspy voice. "Er, no one you know, that is." He gave Mari a sheepish look. " pie can be so uncooperative sometimes."
The Harper glared at the weaselly thief. Caledan, ever, didn't care how Ferret had gotten his information as long as it got them some answers.
"This Tembris is a member of the Purple Masks Guild," Ferret explained as they made their way through the darkened streets.
"Well, that's going to complicate things," Caledan muttered.
"How so?" Mari asked.
"Ferret and his family are independent thieves, Harper," Caledan replied.
"He means we're not aligned with the guild," Ferret added. "Guilds don't usually tolerate independents like us. They generally give independents two choices-either join or be killed."
"Why hasn't your family joined?" Mari asked with a puzzled