The Dream Spheres - Elaine Cunningham [126]
"One name comes to mind," Arilyn said. "Someone who saw elves die in the ambush and who might want Gundwynd to suffer for it."
Danilo shook his head. "Not Elaith," he insisted. "It simply does not make sense."
"It might not need to," she pointed out. "Remember, he may have the Mhaorkiira. In the past, those who fell under the dark gem's power acted in twisted ways that made sense to no one but themselves."
"It's possible," he allowed. "Certainly some people will believe it to be true, but Lord Gundwynd will not. He will look elsewhere for blame."
"Oh?" she said cautiously.
"Thann, Ilzimmer, Gundwynd, Amcathra," Danilo said, ticking off names on his fingers. "Four families sponsored the ill-fated caravan. All suspect each other of betrayal and ambush. Perhaps the tren are not the only creatures who take vendetta against attacks on their clan."
Arilyn nodded slowly, following his reasoning. "If so, none of these recent wounds are self-inflicted."
"If so," he added, "then the time of the Guild Wars could soon be upon us once again."
* * * * *
Arilyn considered Danilo's words for a long time as they left the Gundwynd villa behind. "If you are right, I suspect that this will be a very different type of war," she said at last. "No armies, no open bloodshed in the streets. As Cassandra pointed out, the noble families are very mindful of those times and are not eager to see them return. Any clan that came out in open aggression would be swiftly quelled."
Danilo considered this, then nodded his agreement. He had sat through enough meetings of Waterdeep's secret Lords to see the truth in it. The Lords had been chosen from every corner of the city, every strata of society. As a result, very little happened in the city that did not reach the ears of the hidden rulers. Their decisions were enforced by the Watch as well as a small standing army of guardsmen and some of the most powerful wizards in the Northlands. The days when wholesale war could rage within the city walls were over.
"So what, then?"
The half-elf sent him a measuring look. "You play chess, I suppose."
"When I cannot avoid doing so without bloodshed, yes," he said in a dry tone. "Is that what you think this is? A chess game?"
"It is possible. Waterdeep is a large city, with thousands of games played out on every street. Who notices the loss of a single pawn on a single board? Even Oth Eltorchul's death could be explained in that light. He had ties to the caravan. He arranged to have his dream spheres quietly shipped into the city."
"A plan that Gundwynd carried out, against Lady Cassandra's strong objections and despite an agreement the families had made," Danilo concluded. He sighed and cast a sidelong glance at Arilyn. "In that case, what was Belinda's death? A warning?"
"The Gundwynd clan will probably think so."
"I cannot accept your argument," he said quietly. "You imply that the merchant families maintain order with a brutal hand. Why would this be necessary? There are laws enough in Waterdeep, and many and powerful are those who ensure these laws are kept."
Arilyn was silent for several moments. "You've just answered your own question."
He lifted one brow in a supercilious arch. "I did? Perhaps I should start listening more closely to myself."
"Let me put it this way: You've heard the old saying about honor among thieves. I wouldn't go that far, but there is definitely a code. The same could be said of assassins. If someone starts getting too greedy or too careless, the others pull him back or do away with him. They can't afford to have too much attention focused on their activities, you see."
"I do indeed, but how does that signify? We are talking about some of the most respected noble houses in Waterdeep!"
"We are talking about merchants," she said bluntly. "None of them wanted to get behind Oth's dream spheres because they knew the sort of attention these would bring. The wizards would have opposed them even before they found out about the disruption of magic, and they would have ferreted out everything there was to know about the trade.