Masquerades - Kate Novak [79]
"Which merchant noble?" Alias asked. "It doesn't matter which one. All the merchants knew about it."
"So the vampire escaped?" Alias felt sick with horror.
Jamal shook her head. "I hired an adventuring group to do what the watch couldn't. They tracked the vampire down to its lair and killed it, then brought the body back to Durgar. When Durgar realized that the nobles had kept him from investigating the area of the lair, he was
ready to quit. Luer Dhostar had an awful time convincing him to stay."
"So you and Nameless spent some time together?"
Jamal grinned. "Only two weeks, but they were a good two weeks. Then he disappeared without a word."
"Cassana had him locked in her dungeon," Alias explained. "Then the Harpers ordered him to Shadowdale."
"He'd told me he was a Harper," Jamal said. "Later I'd heard he had some falling out with them, but after he died, they cleared it up."
Alias nodded. "So how close were you and Nameless?" she asked.
"Well, actually, that's none of your business," Jamal said with a sly smile. "But he was a fine figure of a man, no doubt about it." She handed Alias a pair of white silk slippers embroidered with silver thread. "Try these on."'
Alias pulled the slippers on. They fit snugly, but well enough for a few hours leisure. "My tunic is sleeveless. Do you think I need to cover my tattoo?"
"Not unless you're attending incognito. They all know you have one. There's no point in hiding it. They've seen plenty of foreign merchants with markings. What jewelry are you wearing to this party?" the actress asked.
"A pair of silver earrings-three interlocking stars."
"Over a wagon wheel?" Jamal teased. "A gift?"
"Just stars, no wheel, and I bought them myself."
"At least you don't have to wear Dhostar livery. That tawny color looks awful on us redheads."
"Very sweet," a high-pitched voice said from the doorway. "I'm out tracking down evildoers, and you decide to play dress up."
Alias and Jamal turned to Olive Ruskettle. The halfling looked as if she had run halfway across Westgate and still had a full head of steam up.
"Our warrior is mixing with high society tonight," Jamal explained.
"From the back alleys to the castles in a matter of hours, eh?" Olive said. "What a whirlwind life you lead."
"What did you find out?" Alias demanded.
"Well," the halfling began, "I followed One-Eye and her bodyguard south to a big manor house right on the edge of the city. She went in, spent about ten minutes, just enough to count that sack of money. Then she and her friend left and parted company." Olive paused for dramatic effect.
Alias glared. She hated these pauses. "And?" she prompted.
"I didn't see the occupant," Olive replied, "but I asked around. "The house belongs to a wealthy vintner named Melman. Melman bought the place ten years ago, after the former occupant died. Guess how."
"Night Masks?"
"Nope. Guess again."
Alias let out a sigh of exasperation. "Olive! Spit it out! How did the former occupant die?"
"She took a blast from a staff of power. Her name was Cassana."
"Melman's living in Cassana's house?" Alias asked, a smile of glee creeping across her face.
"Yep. The same place we all knew and loathed."
"The one with the secret tunnel into the secret basement," Alias said with a twinkle in her eye.
"The very same," Olive said, rubbing her hands together.
Twelve
Maiden Voyage
Olive accompanied Alias and Dragonbait back to their inn, making plans for a little breaking and entering. Although the halfling agreed it would be safer to wait until long after dark, she was disappointed that they could not leave immediately. Alias suspected that were she and Dragonbait not on the scene, the normally cautious halfling might have plunged recklessly ahead even before sunset. There was an eagerness in Olive that went beyond a desire to check out the Night Mask Melman's hoard of ill-gotten gain. Olive really wanted to bring the Night Masks down. It was a side of the halfling that Alias would never have expected to see when the two first met, eleven