Scoundrel's Answer Ch. 02

The Count was not one to take visitors in the middle of the night, but Sir Alan Tinsley was a different matter. In their youth, they had formed part of the core of the renowned adventuring group 'Reavers of Aethwin'. Membership had changed over the years, but during that formative decade they had been among the cornerstones of the band. 'Lightning' Alan Tinsley, Vick 'Blackblade' Varonne, Garthur Steelwright, Windhawk, and Miena of the Startower were the ones known throughout the land back in their days of glory, though there had been others. Most other faces joined only for specific quests or perished early, some left due to disagreements with how things were done, but the band had been responsible for some great tales under the watch of those five. They had slain Faryx the frostwyrm, they'd had a hand in the downfall of Jaron Daar, and numerous other exploits that had earned them recognition in the eyes of the realm.

Over the years, the band had drifted apart. There were still some young blood who adventured under the name 'Reavers of Aethwin', but it had fallen from the days of glory. When peace settled over the land, many of the casual members went their separate ways. Garthur was the first of the core members to leave, returning to the subterranean halls of his forefathers to enter the tales of his journeys into the dwarven annals. The heir they had restored to the throne appointed Windhawk as Warden of the Royal Forests, and the elven woman ranged freely through them, keeping to the old traditions of her people. Miena had vanished years ago, her tower left a smoldering ruin, her assistants fled and her libraries burned. It was assumed she died in some dangerous experiment.

This left Alan and Vick to their retirement. Alan had begrudgingly accepted his knighthood, leaving the majority of the fame from the group to Varonne, who was appointed Count of Aethwin and entrusted with the guardianship of the city. On the few occasions that Alan had to observe the work involved with such a task, the old rogue was glad to leave it to Vick.

This wasn't to say that being a Count was all toil and trouble, a point made clear by the very grounds which Alan hurried across. The path to the front doors passed manicured lawns and a grand fountain. Before him, the wings of the manor spread out to either side. The white stone architecture managed to look new, although the place had been built centuries before. Although the exterior looked polished smooth, here and there were still signs of bas relief carvings long weathered away, likely from an even older structure from whence the stone of the building was quarried.

The doors were massive oak, reinforced with iron, and even at this late hour a pair of guards stood watch. Clad in red and black colors over tunics of mail that had seen more time being prepared for pageantry than anything approximating actual combat. Each was armed with a halberd, with tassels of red and black, as well as a more useful wooden truncheon at their sides. They appeared as if they were there for show, but if Alan knew Vick, the Count had likely kept them in peak fighting form through some means or other.

Suspicions were confirmed when the two immediately shifted into a challenging stance, blades swinging down and feet spreading. Alan couldn't blame them, a mysterious cloaked man hustling in haste across the lawn in the middle of the night was the sort of thing that could set a man on edge. He paused out of reach of their halberds, and drew the hood of his cloak back in response to their call of challenge. It was really all he needed to do.

"Sir Tinsley!" They drew their halberds back, "What brings you out at this hour?"

"Grim tidings, friends. I must speak with Count Varonne. It is a matter of utmost urgency."

The guards looked to one another hesitantly, then one finally turned to address Alan, "He's ... entertaining Madame Pryce."

Alan's wince was noted by the guards, but still, the old rogue pressed on, "This is more urgent than Miss Pryce's charms, I assure you. My estate was just attacked." He didn't go into the details, of course. The stoney look on his own features spoke for him. Looking to one another again, the guards seemed to come to some silent decision, and opened the doors for him to pass. Without further hesitation, Alan strode past them and into the quiet halls beyond.

The interior of the manor was as lavish as its environs, with centuries of history of previous Counts displayed prominently on walls and stands. Paintings, tapestries, old sets of armor, everywhere one looked, new sights awaited the curious eye. Alan had seen it all before, and continued his long strides unimpressed. In his wake, there was soon the click of heels and swish of skirts as one of the maids stepped in behind him. The fact she said nothing to him told Alan all he needed of who she was.

"Daphne." It was as close to a greeting as he would offer as he continued on his way.

"Alan," The response came in soft, sultry tones. "You seem troubled."

She was beautiful. That much Alan knew even without looking at her. He could picture Daphne in his mind's eye, just from the rustle of her clothing, the click of those heels. She was fond of towering stilettos despite her already impressive height, and while the suede ankle-boots she usually favored would be inappropriate in her position as Varonne's maid, a pair of strappy leather soled heels would fit right in, likely complimented with lacy stockings. A quick glance down to the woman's legs as she came to stalk beside him confirmed those imaginings. Crisscross black leather straps left the arch of her foot and her toes on display through white lace stockings. Those stockings hugged up along legs that were long and sleek. Her skirt came to just above the knee, a somewhat utilitarian pleated black that still managed to cling to the curve of her ass, the swell of her hip. About her slender waist, an apron of white edged in lace with the same pattern of her stockings was bound.

The blouse itself was of a softer, clingier silk, black like the skirt, but cut low upon her shoulders and laid across the gentle swells of breasts that were just a little larger than a handful. Her smooth, flawless skin was a rich tan, almost golden in the flickering lamplight that lined the hall. Daphne appeared almost some fae creature below the graceful line of her slender neck, but above, her face was devastating. Angular and soft all at once, the elven woman seemed better suited to regal finery than the servant's outfit she admittedly wore so well. Full, pouty lips brushed moist and crimson would be inviting if they weren't set in a severe, flat expression. Her brows were delicately arched, and dark lashes were thick about eyes of startling amethyst, flecked with hints of gold. Long, dark chocolate locks were bound into an updo, pinned atop her head with small ivory combs that might be well above her station in any other household.

The two of them had history, a history Alan didn't want to think about at that point in time. But the old rogue knew he could hide nothing from the elf. "My estate was attacked earlier. They took Lizzy."

It was startling to see the elven maid unsettled by anything, but the look of surprise that crossed her lovely features was clear, however fleeting it might have been. She laid one slender hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Alan. Is she alive?"

"I can only hope. That's why I'm here actually."

"To see Lord Varonne," She completed the thought, "You must be truly concerned about the ones who took her to seek his help."

"The guild turned on me."

"Devron wouldn't do that. You know that, Alan."

Tears threatened in the old thief's eyes as he turned upon Daphne, "Don't you think I want to believe that? But I saw her... I used the old mirror scroll and saw her. She was in the guild house. They were hurting her. They were using her."

"Then they must die." The words came so readily to the elven maid's lips that a lesser man might find them chilling. Her expression had hardened instantly, into a terrible, cold facade. Suddenly she resumed her stride, walking before him with a purpose, leading him onward. In other circumstances, he would certainly have enjoyed the view, and for more than one reason. The swish of that brief skirt as it played about her supple rear and the backs of her thighs, the way her hips ticked back and forth were all very pleasant. But more so, when she was like this, it was just good to know that her anger was directed elsewhere. Behind her just might be the safest place to be.

Daphne marched right up to the grand doors leading to the Count's chambers, and flung them open without so much as a knock. Immediately, the hallway was flooded with the pungent scent of whatever devilish concoction from the east that the Count and his guest were smoking. A massive, circular bed dominated the room beyond, in the same black and red the rest of the house followed, and laid out upon the bed, to either side of a grand, gilded hookah lay the Count and his guest.

Madame Pryce was not the exotic, natural beauty that Daphne was, but she certainly had her good points. Two such points were on display, as she lounged topless on the bed. She was a whore, and seemed proud of it. Her auburn hair fell in loose ringlets about her shoulders, doing nothing to cover the full, pert swells of the fairest breasts magic could conjure. Her figure was obviously augmented, likely the main beneficiary of having the Count as one of her clients. A golden ring pierced her navel, and then her skirt draped over her broad hips, resting down about bared legs. Lazily, she turned her eyes toward the maid, and made no move to cover herself. Instead she just exhaled a stream of bluish smoke.

The Count was a substantially less pleasant sight. In his youth, Vick Varonne had been a large man, with dark hair and dashing looks. A few decades of pampered living, and he was still large. Just not in the same way. His ponderous bulk lay upon the bed without a stitch to cover him. He'd long started to go bald, his bare pate just ringed about with graying hair. The burst open doors left him drawing a pipe from between his own lips and offering a mustache-topped scowl. A thick neck flowed to still broad shoulders, and what had once been a physique suited for barreling through lines of foes was now significantly rounder. Alan's eyes retreated to the relative safety of Daphne's ass to avoid the vision so revealed.

"Damn it woman, haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Varonne snarled as he quickly grabbed a sheet, tugging it about himself. "We could have been indecent in here."

"If this isn't indecent, old friend, then you and I apparently have a very different definition of what is and what is not," Alan quipped, which drew Vick's eyes toward him.

The Count's brow furrowed as he shifted his gaze away from the elven maid and toward Alan. "Alan? What is going on? Do you have any idea what time it is?" And yet whatever outrage was behind his words quickly began to dissipate. Alan Tinsley was not one to pay purely social visits at strange hours.

"Alan's home was attacked. They took Lizzy," Daphne's words were brutally succinct, but then she continued, "It's time to put the toys away, my Lord, there's work to be done." At the word 'toys', those gorgeous amethyst and gold eyes shifted to Madame Pryce, who responded with a scowl.

"Who took her?"

"The guild." The answer came in unison from Daphne and Alan alike, which caused Varonne to stumble to his feet from the bed, dragging the sheets wrapped bout his waist. At the tug of the sheets from beneath her, the whore gave a little squeak of protest, half tumbling aside before she righted herself.

Despite his apparent intoxication, in moments Varonne was all business, albeit in a hazy and unfocused way. "Has Devron gone mad? First Mia Fayne, and now this-"

"Wait," Alan interrupted, "What about Lady Fayne?"

"She disappeared from her home three weeks ago. The Merchant's League put the blame squarely on your former colleagues and demanded that I eliminate them once and for all. They don't understand that having an organization like yours makes it easier and cleaner to deal with things. Instead of dealing with fractious gangs and hordes of freelancers, there's one point of contact, however shady. One group to track and watch for-"

He was rambling, and this time it was Daphne who cut the count off, "Yes yes, but what happened to Mia Fayne?"

Vick Varonne shrugged broadly, "No one knows. I went down with a few fellows to ask Devron a few pointed questions, he denied being involved and we couldn't find any evidence at the time. But you say that you're certain they took Elizabeth?" Those steely eyes of his fixed on Alan.

The master thief nodded, "They did, I confirmed it with something from my vaults. She was there in the guild safe-house. They were abusing her."

"This sounds more like the work of common banditry than the organization you used to head, old friend." Varonne's words were heavy and grim.

Madame Pryce had the keen sense to stay out of the conversation, but she did look on lazily. Alan glanced to her nervously from time to time. Her kind were notorious for spilling sensitive information for the right price. "Can we discuss this elsewhere?" the old rogue suggested.

"Oh, oh right. Let me get dressed-"

"Please do." Once more the count was cut off, this time by Daphne and Alan both.

A scowl crossed Varonne's features, then he chuckled, "and I'll meet you in the war room." He concluded his words, then shooed the two on their way.

Daphne turned on a heel and lead Alan onward. Alan glanced across to her from time to time, but otherwise remained silent. It was easy to let one's worries fall to the wayside with the elven woman so near. Everything about her seemed mesmerizing, even to one who's heart lay with another. Still, there was always the cold truth of what she truly was, such a far cry from a lowly maid in some aging warrior's retinue. The old rogue quickly shook his head of such thoughts. It was time to concentrate on the matter at hand.

The war room itself was a simple set up. An interior room with no windows to minimize spying. The dark woodwork was hung with four plaques that, while depicting decorative designs, were primarily utilitarian. Each was enchanted to provide protection against common forms of far seeing. A broad, rectangular wooden table dominated the room, of solid construction. The surface was utterly smooth, save for nicks here and there where errant dagger thrusts or pounding gauntlets had scarred the surface over the years. On one wall, maps of the kingdom and then the county hung, on another both a map of the city and a detailed map of the estate itself. There were shelves with parchment and charcoal, various markers and tokens to represent potential troop layouts, and other items of interest. In one corner, a stand held several gleaming swords and daggers. There were a few chairs scattered about the room, casually left wherever their last occupants had set them.

While Alan paced back and forth, Daphne moved to the table with swaying hips, then turned and hoisted her luscious ass onto the surface. Alan glanced over to her, pausing in his pacing, just long enough to watch the elven woman deliberately and slowly cross one leg over the other. The silk of her stockings hissed against one another, and the action caused her brief skirt to ride high enough to reveal the flash of smooth, tanned thigh above the frilly garters that supported those stockings. She made no effort to correct the fabric, instead her hands came to rest on the edge of the table, and her delicate, long nailed fingers curled under the edge. As she leaned forward, that blouse fell forward just enough to let one think one could see more of those breasts than the shadows actually allowed. Everything the elven maid did positively oozed sensuality. It had been that way since they had met, all those years ago.

"She must be treating you well, Alan." Her words caused Alan's gaze to snap upward, where he caught the amusement dancing in Daphne's eyes. The elven woman's tongue traced out deliberately, teasing the tip over those soft, moist, red lips. "You still look good enough to eat," she purred the words out, pursing those inviting lips into a semblance of a blown kiss.

The old rogue turned his head away with a frown. He resumed his pacing, his waiting. "Behave," was all that he could muster in answer.

"Oh don't worry, Alan, we'll get her back. I still owe you, after all. Besides, you make such a cute couple."

Alan found little solace in Daphne's words, and indeed became almost angered by them, but any response he was going to make was silenced by the sudden opening of the door.

Varonne waddled in, his ponderous girth clad in red and black finery, a robe casually tossed over tunic and trousers. The thick belt about his waist supported his old sword, a sign he meant business. A frown was offered to Daphne, but he made no attempt to chase the woman from her perch. Instead he drew a chair out and settled into it. The sturdy wood still groaned under his bulk. "Alright Alan, tell me exactly what happened."

Alan began to relate the events he knew, while the two listened raptly. He had gone on an errand, and come back only to find she had been gone on a walk. The attack most likely happened while he was out on an errand, in the middle of the day. He hadn't followed up on it because there had been no clue that anything was amiss until later. When Alan mentioned Henri's injuries, Varonne looked troubled.

"Will he survive?"

"He should, Marcy is taking care of him now, and a healer should be there by now."

"Good. The lad may be simple, but he's loyal and honest. Men like that are hard to find these days. It's just a damned shame he took up with you lot."

Alan smirked faintly "You would have had him marching under your orders, risking his life on the battlefield."

"As if he's done any better under your watch. At least on the field of war he would have earned honor and glory."

"Neither of which he seems particularly interested in, old friend." Alan sighed, it was easy to get back into the old tit for tat with the old warrior. It made him miss the old days. "But he'll be fine now. After getting him settled, I used one of the Jaron's old scrolls."

"Foul sorcerer," Varonne muttered, then waved for Alan to continue.

"It let me use a mirror for far seeing. I was able to confirm they were in the old guild safe-house. There was the portrait of the black rat on one of the walls, and I recognized the room."

"Well it certainly sounds as if your man Devron has gone rogue, excuse the pun. I thought you had hand picked him for his loyalty?" The Count raised one brow as he regarded Alan.

"This is all true," The old thief finally slumped into one of the chairs. Almost immediately, Daphne slipped from the table and walked about behind him, the click of her heels marked her progress. Those cool, skillful hands slipped to Alan's shoulders, cutting off any attempt to shake her off with a firm squeeze. And then, despite himself, Alan's tension began to melt away under the onslaught of her fingers. She seemed to know exactly which muscles to work, which nerves carried the weight of his worry, and exactly how to release that built up tightness.

"Just storming the guild will be problematic," Varonne seemed nonplussed by the massage. His old friend looked like he needed it after all. "Aside from the traps and potential casualties, if I remember right, that safe-house is in a fairly upscale neighborhood. They don't take movement of troops through their streets quietly. If we alert the guild to our intentions, they'll undoubtedly do something nasty. It will be safer to just have a team of elites go in."