shining in through the leaded glass windows in the doors on the opposite side of the room. That was her destination, but she would have to practically feel her way across the open floor, because she literally could not see any chairs or tables that might be standing between her and that portal. She had not come there often enough or recently enough to remember the layout of the furniture with any clarity.
Slowly, her hands in front of herself so she could feel her way clearly, Emriana began to walk toward the far doors. Each step was short and gentle, because one wrong move, any instance of bumping into the furniture, would alert anyone in the chamber underneath her. Her fingers brushed the edge of a chair, and she remembered that it was clear to the right of it, so she sidestepped slowly and advanced again.
The girl was perhaps halfway across when she got the sudden sensation that she was not alone in the room. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck prickled in alarm. She froze, straining to listen for any telltale signs that someone else was with her.
Quietly, as if realizing it had been detected, a shadow separated itself from the surrounding darkness and moved out into the open. Emriana's heart leaped into her throat. The form shifted over to stand in front of her, becoming a silhouette against the backdrop of the windows. Emriana took a step backward and bumped against the chair she had so carefully circumnavigated before.
'I had a feeling you'd come this way tonight,' the form said, 'just a hunch, really, that you might think of sneaking into the study through the atrium.'
It was Evester.
Emriana nearly dropped to the floor, she was shaking so hard, but she sighed in relief.
'Waukeen, Evester!' she hissed, moving toward her oldest brother. 'Do you intentionally make a habit of scaring the life out of me? What are you doing here?'
'Waiting for you,' Evester replied as Emriana closed with him to give him a hug.
Evester returned the embrace-and the girl was flipping over sharply, off balance against her brother's hip. She landed on the floor with a solid thud, her arms pinned behind her. The breath was knocked out of her.
As Emriana gasped and tried to make sense of what had just happened, she felt her brother cinch her arms together with rope. Her heart sank, realizing that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
'Uncle Dregaul should have paid more attention to your antics,' Evester said, finishing his knot work and starting on Emriana's legs. 'He would have realized, like I have, what a clever little rogue you've turned into, sneaking out all the time.'
'Evester,' Emriana said, 'what are you doing? What's happened to you?'
'Oh, plenty,' Evester replied. 'I woke up and realized if I waited around for Grandmother Hetta to die and Uncle Dregaul to finally retire, I'd never gain control of this family and its assets. So I decided to take matters into my own hands.'
'Why?' the girl asked in a small voice, horrified that her older brother was behind all of what was going on. 'What could you have possibly wanted that you couldn't already have?'
'Oh, little Em,' Evester said with a chuckle, 'you are still so innocent. Sixteen tonight and thinking you understand life, but you don't. There's so much more. The real power to be had in this city is there for the taking, if people are just willing to step up and grab it. Denrick and I see that. Someday, maybe you will, too.'
'It was
She struggled to get up, then began kicking to try to break free, but it was too late; her brother had already bound her tightly.
Evester chuckled and said, 'I was just being a good businessman, Em, taking full advantage of the resources at my disposal. Remember what I said the other night about risk and reward, and how none of the Houses in Arrabar would take chances with each other? I had something Denrick wanted, so we struck a deal. It was just business, sister, just business. It's a fearless man's game, running a great House in Arrabar, and I'm just the fearless man to play it. With my two trusted partners, of course.'
'Vambran won't let you get away with it,' Emriana said, trying to sound convincing, for her own sake as much as for her brother's.
Evester laughed again.
'Vambran?' he said. 'Unlikely. Not when the rest of his family is in danger. He's just a little too idealistic for his own good, little sister. He and Dregaul are just alike, more so than either would care to admit. Both of them spent all these years protecting the family, hiding Vambran's dirty little secret from the world, though for very different reasons. He's not about to jeopardize his kin to stop me, sis. He'll sacrifice himself thinking he can save you, just as Aunt Xaphira did for him. Problem solved. It'll be a pleasure to be rid of his brooding, self-righteous presence.'
Emriana could not speak, she was so furious, hurt, and stunned. She would never in a hundred years have imagined that Evester could be so callous. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, saw in her mind's eye her world crashing down around her once again.
'Well, it's time to go downstairs,' Evester said, pulling a magically illuminated rock from some hidden pocket and lighting the room with its pale, pearly glow. 'I'm sure Denrick will be happy to see you've been rounded up once more.'
With that, Evester stooped down and hoisted his sister up over his shoulder. He carried her back out the door of the library.
Vambran blocked a quick stab at his head and backed up a step, then jumped to his left as Denrick slashed low with his sword. The lieutenant planted his feet against the wall and pushed back the other direction, going high, and parrying another rapid slice with his own blade. He landed on the banister of the balcony, then had to swing out over the sitting room a story below, one arm wrapped around the closest column, to escape yet a third slash from Denrick. Vambran came back around to the banister again, with that column between him and his opponent. Denrick's blade smacked sharply against the column as Vambran jumped down to the balcony again.
'I guess all that service with your soldier buddies was good for something,' Denrick scoffed, advancing again. 'You may not fight worth a damn, but at least you're good at the acrobatics.'
Vambran ignored the other man's jibes and concentrated on matching his moves. The lieutenant had to admit that the Pharaboldi whelp was an excellent swordsman. He had already pushed Vambran back three times, and the mercenary officer was beginning to wonder if there was a way inside the man's defenses. Though Vambran's blade was a bit longer, Denrick was very fast with his, and he always seemed have a parry in place when Vambran attacked.
'Come on,' Denrick said, 'the night's not getting any younger. If I'm going to have any time left for your sister's charms, we've got to finish this sometime in the next few hours.'
Vambran knew the man was just trying to rattle him, and he worked hard to tune out the scathing words. But every time Denrick mentioned Emriana, the lieutenant wanted to smash his head against a wall. The first time Denrick had taunted Vambran with his carnal intentions, Vambran had let his emotions get the best of him and jumped in for a fierce series of slashes and cuts, thinking to put the upstart down then and there. But Vambran was rudely awakened when he took a cut across his wrist. It was a glancing blow, and Denrick's blade wasn't turned at precisely the right angle, but it had opened Vambran's eyes to just how cunning and talented his foe really was.
As Denrick closed for a new attack, Vambran dropped down and sliced at the man's feet. Denrick leaped over the swing and used his momentum to turn a back flip back out of the way as Vambran came up suddenly, thrusting into the air where Denrick had been a split-second before.
Vambran's rush carried his center of balance a little too far forward, though, and Denrick came back in with a downward stroke, trying to cleave Vambran's head in half. The lieutenant rolled to one side, grabbing at a pedestal with a bit of ancient Netherese pottery displayed atop it. Vambran pulled the pedestal down and around, clipping Denrick's knee as the scoundrel's blade clanked off the pottery, shattering it. Vambran rolled away and spun around again.
Denrick smiled as he came closer again.
'Arm getting tired?' he asked casually. 'I can cut it off if it is,' he added, smirking.
