Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [76]
"You're right, of course," she said, and cast a rueful smile up at him "I suppose I'm being foolish."
"Your concern is easy to understand," the young man said, and he bent and kissed her forehead. "Now, let's leave Hhune to the city's Lords. You can be sure they know of his activities."
They do now, Lucia thought with dark satisfaction.
*****
As soon as Caladorn had seen his lady safely to her villa, he hurried to the palace of Piergeiron, Waterdeep's only acknowledged ruler. The young man was not particularly surprised to find Khelben Arunsun in council with Piergeiron. The Lords of Waterdeep met often these days, in full council and in small groups, to deal with the city's seemingly unending problems.
"Did you enjoy the performance at the Three Pearls?" the archmage asked with a touch of wry amusement.
"I didn't stay," the young Lord responded. He had long ago ceased to be surprised at the extent of Khelben's knowledge; among the Lords of Waterdeep, it was often said that no one could sneeze in his bedchamber but that the archmage inquired after his health the following morning.
"I have some information about a merchant from Tethyr," Caladorn continued.
"That would be Lord Hhune," Piergeiron said, glancing at Khelben.
"You two know of him?"
"Oh, yes," the archmage said dryly. He handed Caladorn a piece of paper. "This is an example of Hhune's brand of diplomacy. He has papered the city with these."
Caladorn glanced at a satirical sketch of Khelben Arunsun painting stick figures, while the disguised Lords of Waterdeep looked on. He shook his head in deep puzzlement and handed it back. "What does this Hhune want?"
"That is not entirely clear. He is a guildmaster in his native Tethyr, the head of the merchant shipping guild. To all appearances, he came to Waterdeep with goods for the Midsummer Faire. His crew, however, seem to have unusual talents. Some of them have been busy in the Dock Ward, recruiting thieves and assassins in an attempt to organize secret guilds in Waterdeep," Piergeiron said, rubbing one red-rimmed eye as he spoke. The strain of the last few weeks showed plainly on the First Lord's face.
"We believe that Hhune may be a member of the Knights of the Shield," Khelben continued, and he handed the young Lord a large, gold coin. "These are tokens given to Knights who have performed notable services. Several of these have been recovered from Hhune's men, including some who entered the city before Hhune showed up. That suggests a larger problem," the archmage said. "While Hhune is not exactly subtle, the influx of agents prior to his arrival suggests that he has another, more canny partner in Waterdeep."
"None of our sources has been able to discern the identity of this agent," Piergeiron added. "But it seems clear that the Knights of the Shield have become extremely active in Waterdeep. You know that three merchant ships were recently lost."
"Yes," Caladorn said quietly. "I knew the captain on one of them, and a better sailor I never met It struck me as odd that she would fall to a pirate ambush."
"The ships sailed from Baldur's Gate. Harper agents there are investigating the situation. It appears that the harbormaster is an agent of the Knights of the Shield, and he has been passing information on shipping routes and schedules to an unknown source in Waterdeep. This is not the Knights' first attempt at disrupting shipping," Piergeiron concluded with a sigh. "It just comes at a particularly inopportune time."
"What are you doing about Hhune?" Caladorn pressed.
"Frankly, Hhune is small fish. He is being watched in the hope that he will lead us to the Waterdeep agent."
Caladorn seemed less than happy with that conclusion, but he bowed and hurried away to his duties at the arena.
When they were alone, Piergeiron nodded at the paper in Khelben's hand.
"Subtle or not, Hhune's tactics are taking a toll, my friend. I am beginning to understand your concern about the changed ballads, for they are also proving to be highly effective. Many of them seem to be aimed at you