Come Endless Darkness

than enough time to lose ourselves in Greyhawk.'

'This all seems to be a lot of shit,' Chert said. 'Why not just take out whoever it is that's laying for us and be done with it?'

'That, my dear fellow,' Timmil replied in a patient manner, 'would give our enemy too precise a measure of our strength.'

'It might just tell us who in the hells is after us!' the barbarian warrior muttered in exasperation. He did not like running away from any fight.

Gord opened the door that led on into the rest of the place. 'If you must chat, do it as you go, please. We need to move quickly,' he said, and then suited his actions to his words by slipping out.

After passing through several abandoned rooms they came to the front of the building, marked by shuttered windows and a barred door. 'This is tricky,' the young thief said in admiration. 'Opens from outside and in as well,' he said, demonstrating the latter by pivoting the brace that held the bar and giving the outer door a shove. It opened noiselessly on greased hinges. 'Just duck under the bar — it's affixed permanently.' Soon all six were outside and away without anyone around to see their escape.

Gord took them through a subterranean route so that they passed out of Old City and into Clerksburg unmolested. After entering a small inn there, Gord exchanged a few words with its owner, handed over a small stack of coins, and that was that. They were now safe and unobserved — for a time, at least — and could get down to the business at hand. Once the group was closed off in a private room on the third story of the place, Gord began the meeting.

'You are here to assist us, gentle priest and worthy mage, I know. But how is it that we were picked up by agents of our foes so quickly? I noticed none until you two joined us….' He let that statement trail off as he stared at both of the men.

Timmil answered without hesitation. 'I fear I am the cause of it all. You see, the agents of Evil here know full well my efforts against them and on behalf of Balance. I did my utmost to avoid any who might follow when I went to meet the good wizard here and then seek you four out at the tavern,' he explained. 'That is why we motioned you out when we arrived there.'

True,' All ton confirmed. 'Both of us sensed something was amiss on our way to the Blue Lantern, and then I noticed we were being followed by hostile folk. But we are now secure, so let us pass on to more pressing matters.'

All of them looked at Gord. He nodded a curt agreement. 'Very well, I suppose that will do. You have our man under surveillance?'

'Yes. Various of our operatives keep watch on his quarters night and day, and he is followed most discreetly wherever he goes. I don't believe that this… Gravestone? Undron Nalvistor?… has noticed any of it, either.'

The substance of that last claim seemed quite unlikely to Gord, but he made no comment. 'You can tell me then, at any given time, just where our object of interest is?'

'Yes, but the appropriate observer will have to be contacted first, of course.'

'And you, wizard Allton — is there anything you can add?'

The man shook his head, looking squarely at Gord with his large, intelligent eyes of deep brown. 'I came to this city only a few days ago at the behest of my lord, Tenser. Until this very night, I have avoided contact with anyone connected to the organization, so as to remain invisible to the foes of Balance. I know who — and what — we seek, and I am happy to be a part of the group who will accomplish the thing,' he stated with pride in his tone. Then he paused for a second and added, 'Glad too that I have strong allies, for this man is not one I would face alone!'

'Yes,' said Gord. 'To counter the malign power of this Gravestone, we have swords, stealth, and spells — I hope in sufficient quantity and of such quality that he and his vile servants will fall as grain before a scythe. If he gets an inkling of what we plan, though, that one will have such a force to greet us that we will be meat in his pot.' Gord looked around at all their faces after saying that. None of them showed fear.

'I will get Brool,' Chert boomed, referring to his great battle axe, 'and we can take the scum before sunrise!'

'That's fine, my old comrade,' Gord said with a smile that showed he meant to take the fight to their foes soon indeed. 'Gellor and I will wait here while you and Curley go to our cache and bring everything there to this inn. You'll draw no attention if you hurry, for it isn't too late for honest folk to be abroad yet in this part of Greyhawk.' They had left the hillman's axe and certain other bulky items in safekeeping with a friend, one who knew both Chert and Gord from the old days when the two had practiced their larcenous trade and roistered in the city. His quarters were but a few blocks distant, and the pair could be there and back inside an hour, even with the precaution of a circuitous route and careful observation for possible followers.

'Now, what about you two?' Gord continued, addressing the wizard and the cleric after Chert and Greenleaf had departed. 'Do you need to go forth to gather up any materials for the expedition?'

'I am already prepared,' All ton said. 'What I do not have will probably be useless anyway.'

The cleric looked resigned. 'I am as ready as I shall ever be for work such as we must face,' he ventured. 'I have a foreboding feeling about this assault, but I am ready to do my utmost to see to its success. I have said my prayers and meditated, equipping myself thus. And I do have my stout mace,' the man concluded, patting the object beneath his robes.

'Do we venture against the demonurgist when the others return?' asked Allton.

'I'll decide that when they come back,' Gord responded. 'Let's wait to find out what Chert and Curley might have run into before we make a plan of action.' Both dweomercraefter and priest agreed that such was sound reasoning, so the four remaining members of the team settled back with their own thoughts to await the return of the big hillman and the half-elven druid and forester.

Not very much later the two came back. Chert lugging a large case and Greenleaf only slightly less burdened. They might well have been travelers laden with the baggage of their sojourning.

'Well?' Gord asked abruptly in greeting.

The thoroughfares are alive with evil ones,' the half-elf said as he let his heavy satchel drop.

'Curley's right, Gord,' the brawny hillman confirmed. 'Every hard-hearted whore and gimlet-eyed cutpurse in Greyhawk is abroad tonight — and not on routine business, either. They're all about cruising to spot something for the thugs lurking in the background. Couldn't be any other reason than us.'

'The word got out fast, then,' Gellor said with a soft whistle. 'Did any of them make you?'

'Pretty unlikely,' Greenleaf said with assurance. 'I had a cap on, so nobody would spot me as part elven, and Chert does a pretty good job of making himself smaller. My guess is that they have been told to look for a group of six, whether moving as a gang or broken into threes or twos and traveling loosely together. I'm sure they noticed us, but when nobody else was near us, they switched their attention elsewhere.'

'Good enough,' said Gord. 'Judging by the looks of it, I'd say you returned with everything you went for.'

'Yes — and then some,' Chert replied with a bit of a scowl, hefting the case he had carried back. 'Good thing I have such a strong back, or that little straw of yours might have broken it.'

'Straw?' Gord was perplexed.

Chert unfastened the straps holding the case shut and pulled forth a weapon the big barbarian had not seen before this evening. 'Are you trying to tell me this isn't yours?' he asked. 'If I had known that-'

'Gods!' Gord gasped in amazement. 'It is my blade! But how…?'

'It was in our gear, that's all I know,' said Chert. 'You must have had it well hidden until now.'

'Better than you could imagine, Chert,' said Gellor with a thin smile.

Gord reached out, took the scabbard, and withdrew the sword it held. The blade was keen, long, and the blackest of black in color. It was the very weapon that had been presumed lost into the hands of Gravestone — the object that had indirectly cost Barrel and Dohojar and the rest of the crew of the Silver Seeker their lives.

'How…?' Gord asked again, this time directing his gaze to Gellor.

'I could surmise,' replied the one-eyed troubador, 'but the how of the matter is of no real import right now. The important thing is that the blade has been wrested from the hands of Gravestone and returned to its rightful purveyor. A good sign for the coming contest, I'd venture.'