Black Sashes 2

There were no clouds in the sky, so he had an unimpeded view of the stars, a vast array of twinkling gems set upon the black velvet of the night sky. It was beautiful and Kedras had to stop a moment to enjoy it. Then he proceeded towards his home.

It was a fairly long distance away but there was no one out and he was a tall, long-legged fellow, so his strides at up the distance at a fair rate. Even at his age, he was in pretty good shape. He did a lesser version of the training he used to do as a field agent and stuck to it religiously, one last stubborn refusal to accept his age, Serena always told him but he did it anyway. It felt good to have a routine, felt good to keep himself active. It took all of his willpower to stay sane behind that desk, pushing that paper and watching all the youngsters get out there and do the things he used to. He finally made it home and stepped up to the door of his house. It was a nice place and he enjoyed not having to share it with anyone in his family, a luxury afforded to him by the large sum of money he was paid by the monarchy to do his job.

The inside was understated, very calm. It was a simple building and decorated to show that. Serena was waiting for him in the living room, a weary smile on her face as she saw him enter.

"Well, at least you were able to make it home for the part of the day." She said.

"I'm sorry, Serena, so much happened today... Did Talantha get my gift?"

Serena smiled, this time happily.

"She's sleeping upstairs." Serena said. Kedras looked at her quizzically.

"Is it that late?" He asked. Serena nodded sadly and Kedras frowned.

"And to think I believed this promotion was a GOOD thing when I first heard about it... It's been nothing but trouble."

"We'll get through it, don't worry."

She smiled at him and the two of them sat down together on the couch and Kedras told her all about the events of the day, including the possibility of him heading off to Gar'jei. They talked long into the night and Kedras didn't mind; it was the end of the week and he had no intention of rising early the next day. The two of them drifted off to bed eventually and fell into a peaceful slumber.

For a while, Kedras was content. As he lay there in the late evening, he felt a calmness he hadn't in a long time and enjoyed it thoroughly. There was something about merely being home and unbothered that was just so relaxing...

Of course, it couldn't last. In the early hours of the morning, Kedras woke to the sound of someone knocking on his door impatiently. With a glower darkening his face, he rose from his bed and put on a robe, then answered the door. In front of him stood Alec, a little out of breath, perhaps from running to Kedras' home from the office.

"What?" Kedras asked impatiently, his eyes like chips of smouldering black coal in his face.

"Sorry to... bother you... at this hour... sir..." Alec said, panting. He hand his hands gripping his pants at the knees and was bent over slightly. "I had to..." He stopped, holding his hand up and taking a few breaths.

He seemed to steady and then began anew.

"I had to come and tell you in person; they caught him!!"

Kedras gave Alec a confused look.

"Caught who-- what are you blithering about, Alec? I'm too old to be playing spy-games at this hour! Come in for a spell and you can tell me about this while we have some tea, like civilized human beings."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

The two of them went back to the kitchen, Kedras put on a pot of water and got some tea leaves out.

"I'll be out in a minute, Alec, I just need to get decent. Make yourself at home."

He vanished into his room and dressed himself in simple slacks and an undershirt, then reappeared just in time to pour the water and make the tea. "OK, tell me what is so important that you had to come wake me in the unholy hours of the morning."

"They caught him, Mr. Valdira, they caught Jarek Edoras!"

Kedras had been reaching for his cup but froze mid-motion at Alec's words.

"And they've confirmed his identity?" He asked, very slowly, eying Alec carefully.

"Yes, sir, it's definitely him. It took a dozen men to bring him in and only two came back, one of 'em missing three fingers on his right hand and his left leg below the knee!"

"Well, that's what happens when you fight a master swordsman. Why weren't they wearing armor?"

"They WERE, sir! He sliced right through it, apparently, like butter. I've seen the suits! It's just a plain steel sword he was using, too, strangest thing."

"Where is he now?"

"He's being held downstairs at the office, sir, under constant guard. They're coming to take him to Gar'jei tomorrow morning... err, this morning, anyway."

"Hmm..." Kedras tugged at his beard thoughtfully. "We're going to go with them, Alec; you, myself and Alicia. Make it work."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, I need to get a little more sleep. What time are they coming?"

"In about four hours, sir, just at dawn."

"Fine, I'll be there."

Alec left and Kedras returned to bed in a vain attempt to sleep for a few more hours. He did not actually fall asleep and eventually gave up the effort, dressed and headed over to his office to wait for the caravan to arrive. Once he was actually at the building, a large converted warehouse in the east end of the city, Kedras decided to go check on the prisoner. Through the door with the two guards, down the stairs into the cellar, through another guarded door and down into the sub-basement he went, past more guards on the landing and at the bottom of the stairs...

'Well, they are certainly treating him as if they believe every word of his reputation...' Kedras thought.

Past the guards at the bottom of the stairs, Kedras found himself in the cellblock. There were eight cells; he'd wondered initially why there were only eight after the builders had gone to such effort to construct a sub-basement for a long time. Mathias explained that it was because the rock was so dense and difficult to excavate. It seemed a ludicrous amount of effort for eight cells at the time but now, with the notorious Jarek Edoras down in those same cells, it did not feel quite as frivolous.

Jarek Edoras, or "the Ghost" as he was more often called, was a figure of Zolasian lore, a legend in his own time for the various crimes he had perpetrated. He was the standard by which cat-burglars had been judged,the most famous thief in the history of the nation. He had perpetrated some of the most audacious robberies anyone could have imagined, getting into and out of places with incredible security. He'd done more by the age of 20 than most in any profession would accomplish in a lifetime. And now he was sitting in a jail cell. It was not the first time he'd been captured; in his earlier days, he had been caught often. Few had thought much of him then until they realized it was nigh-impossible to hold him after he broke out of six different prisons, four of them maximum security facilities in various locales around Zolas. This time, they had it right; they were sending him off to Gar'jei.

At least, they thought they were sending him there; Kedras had other plans. If Alicia and Alec were right, Jarek was a prime candidate for their little project. He had a host of skills that would be immediately useful, all that remained to be seen was if he could be convinced to work for them. Kedras suspected that if he was properly motivated and challenged, Jarek would do just fine. He was a thrill-seeker and the kind of work he would be doing would suit him just fine, if it didn't get him killed. The same could be said, of course, of stealing the burial crown from the head of the deceased King Azrathan, though, so Kedras doubted that the fear of physical harm would be a big problem. He approached the cell and got his first look at Jarek Edoras.

He was a tall young man, covered in wiry muscle but still incredibly slim. He had black hair and eyes that were grey like the steel of a blade, possessed of a deep, penetrating stare that seemed to take in all around him all at once. He was leaning against the back wall, arms crossed over his chest, right leg extended and back leg propped up against the wall with an easy smile on his features as he regarded Kedras. He was wearing the leathers he was caught in, it seemed, well-oiled leather with various straps, sheathes and pouches all over it. Kedras frowned; he hoped the guards had taken away all of his tools with a thorough search.

"So you're the famous Jarek Edoras, the Ghost, eh? Not much more than 20, are you, boy?"

"Come to gloat, old man?" Jarek returned. His voice was jovial and light. When he spoke, it sounded almost as if he were singing softly. "Go ahead, you and yours have earned it; you caught me." His smile widened.

Kedras chuckled.

"No, I've not come to gloat; I had no part in your capture. But it is my duty to inform you that we're packaging you off for Gar'jei in a few hours."

That stole the smile from his face in a flash. His eyes widened and he may have paled a bit but it was hard to tell with his already-pale skin and the lighting. All that lit the room were a rack of flickering torches that cast shifting shadows that danced across his features.

"Gar'jei? They think that much of me, eh?" The smile returned, his confidence back. "You'll never hold me anyway, it doesn't matter."

"Oh, really?" Kedras chuckled. "You're in a cell under guard for 23 hours a day, including your meals. You're let out into an exercise area for an hour each day under heavy guard and only two exits. With your record, you'll be strapped in a black sash."

Jarek paled again, his aplomb lost anew. Zolas used various kinds of magical sashes to control its prisoners depending on how dangerous they were thought to be; the black sash was merely a rumor, he had believed, but if it were true, it restricted a prisoner's movement to a given area with magic and denied them access to any magic or supernatural abilities of their own. It could be used to magically manipulate a prisoner into going or doing whatever the controller pleased. The thought of spending his days confined in such a fashion was not appealing, not at all.

Kedras saw the change in Jarek's face and nodded to the two guards at the door, who stepped back into the stairwell and closed the door behind them. He turned his gaze on Jarek, who was watching the door and the departure of the guards.

"There is another option, Jarek."

The thief narrowed his eyes at Kedras and gave him a tunneling glare. "And what is that?"

Kedras smiled and stepped forward. "I have need of people with certain... talents, skills that you have. You fit the bill. As long as you can take orders, you'll never run out of challenges and you'll have scavenger rights to whatever items you find that we didn't send you out after specifically. Plus we'll give you regular pay and a place to stay, all kinds of training and tools... What do you say?"

Jarek was suddenly right in front of Kedras, standing at the bars of his cell without appearing to have moved.

'Damn, this kid is fast!' Kedras thought, fighting off the urge to whistle.

"So what you're offering me," Jarek said. "Is a job as what? What would I do? You speak vaguely and I want to know what I'm getting into if I accept."

"You want it blunt?" Kedras asked. Jarek nodded. "You'd be a spy, working for the Zolasian government. You'd do recon missions, track down enemy agents, whatever we think is necessary. You'll work alone, in groups of various sizes, all that."

"Assassinations?" Jarek said with a look of dismay on his face.

Kedras let his face go blank. "Sometimes it is necessary to remove key figures, yes, but if you can't handle it, you won't have to. Everything else, though, would be obligatory unless we say it's voluntary."

"Good, I don't kill unless my life is danger."

"Well, that's actually not a bad thing, Jarek. But the question is, can you and will you take orders and work in teams? How can we trust you?"

"Well, the issue of trust is obviously one I cannot resolve now." He said with a smile. "I stand here behind the bars of one of your prisoners, threatened with the mythical 'black sash' treatment spoken of in hushed tones by people in my cirlces, so I do not speak from a position of strength about your trust. I can definitely say the offer is appealing; much moreso than a life-sentence in what amounts to Hell. You offer to pay me, give me a residence, train and equip me and then give me challenging things to do that suit my skills? That's basically what I do already, except I won't be running from the law here, am I right?"

Kedras nodded. "That's the sum of it. Do not mistake me; you will be put into dangerous situations on a regular basis, it will be your routine when you are in the field. If you are caught, you are expected to end your own life rather than let yourself be interrogated; we are not coming to rescue you. This is a dangerous game that has an infinite number of ways to end with your death... or worse. But," Kedras continued, a glimmer entering his eyes. "These days, you'll never forget them. There is nothing quite like having this job, I'll tell you that. Except for being a free-roaming adventurer, this is as exciting as it gets."

"You were a spy too, then?" Jarek asked.

"For about 20 years, yes." He cast his eyes down. "Now I push paper and train all the youngsters to do what I do but yes, I was a field agent for a long time, I know what it's like. I've been there and done that." He locked gazes with Jarek. "It's a great opportunity; if you agree now, you'll be out in the field inside of a week, most likely within two or three days. We have some things to take are of and you are uniquely suited to do this first task. What do you say?"

"I'm in; you had me at 'not in prison,' really, I just wanted to learn more." Jarek chuckled a little and Kedras smiled; at least for the moment, things were beginning to turn around.

"Well alright then, let's get you out of there and we'll talk about this a little more."

"You know," Jarek said, a sly grin crossing his face. "I bet you I could get out of here in under five seconds."

"Oh yeah?" Asked Kedras.

"Yeah."

"Alright, wise-guy, if you can do that, lunch is on me at the Red Feather Inn."

Jarek chuckled. "That's an expensive place. Alright, here goes, watch the master at work."

Kedras stepped back and looked on with an amused grin as Jarek crackled his knuckles, rolled his shoulders, did a few stretches and then walked over to the door.

"Ready?" Kedras nodded.

Jarek put his right hand on the back of the lock and... pushed. The door swung open and Kedras' jaw dropped.

"How..di-- How did you do that?"

Jarek chuckled. "I picked the lock."

"With what lockpicks?"

Jarek snapped his wrist and a small kit filled with lockpicks unfolded from up his left sleeve. Kedras turned an angry eye at the door, glaring at the guards beyond.

"So what you're telling me is we need much, much better security."

"Basically, yes. Now, I believe there was a lunch promised?"

Kedras frowned but his eyes betrayed his mirth; even though he had been upstaged, he was quite pleased that Jarek had been able to fool the guards. His agents had to be smarter than the average guard to get by in their game and this was a promising start.

Kedras opened the door and explained the situation to the guards, who were skeptical but respected his authority and let them pass. Jarek said something Kedras couldn't hear that left the guards in an uproar but refused to let his new boss in on what he had said, merely grinning. They made their way upstairs, where Kedras told Alec to send the caravan away. Kedras had a pipe outside while he waited for Alec and Alicia, Jarek leaning up against the wall of the building and playing with a playing card he had somehow come across.

"Where'd you get that?" Kedras asked, mildly suprised.

"Oh, this? Your guards missed all kinds of goodies. I have a half-dozen throwing knives, a garrote wire, another set of lockpicks, some tindertwigs, a boot knife and some flash powder that they missed. Couple a' smokebombs, too, and some other fun toys."

Kedras groaned.

"Right, the NEXT time you get jailed, we're getting Pomarg from over at the Sy'tel penitentiary to strip-search you."

Jarek paled. "Not the orc? He and I had a... disagreement the last time I escaped from there."

"Yes, the rat droppings you put in his drink left him with horrible runs for a week!!! I still don't know how you did that."

"I talked to the rats."

"What?"

"I talked to the rats, they did it for me, we're friendly that way."

"I... see."

"Haven't you ever seen people talk to animals before?"

"Only wizened old druids. I've seen some woodsmen who thought they could do it, especially the Rangers but that's just animal husbandry and experience, not actually talking to them."

At that moment, Alec and Alicia arrived, both stopping to take a long look at Jarek.

"So you're the famous burglar, Jarek Edoras?" Alec said. Jarek nodded gravely. "But you're so..."

"Dashingly handsome?"

Alicia chuckled.

"So young!" Alec blurted out. "I'd have thought you'd have been much older by now."

"Well," Jarek said with a sly grin. "We all have our secrets, now don't we? Some of us just bloom early." He said, shifting his gaze to Alicia. Her cheeks reddened a little and she looked away.

"Let's go." Kedras grumped irritably, stalking off towards the Red Feather. The others soon followed.

The Red Feather Inn was a quaint relic from the beginning of Zolas; it was the first building constructed in the capital city of Zolas, Parmec. Parmec existed before Zolas as a fishing village on the edge of the Sea of Cirith Mor but had been wiped out by incredibly large waves several decades before. The new village was built several miles farther inland and the Red Feather was the first building put up, to help house and entertain the people while the rest of the city was built. The family that had built it then still owned it in the modern era and the current proprietor could trace his lineage back directly to the original owner. He tended bar these days and didn't have much to do with the rest of the inn anymore because he was getting on his years but he still enjoyed talking to all the people that came through and relating stories from his younger years. Gilarden was a fantastic storyteller and had lived an exciting life while his father tended to the Red Feather. Kedras knew him well; Gilarden, or Gil as most called him, had brought Kedras into the spy game. He was an ear to the world that Kedras and the counter-intelligence organization still made use of from time to time but he was also a good friend, despite being more than twenty years Kedras' senior.

They greeted one another warmly as Kedras entered the inn with the others in tow and Gil immediately rushed Kedras and his associates to a table.

"How're ye doin', lad?" Gil said.

"Just fine, Gil, just fine."

"Ye look tired."

"It's been a long day."

"Wha'? Ye haven't slept yet, have ye?"

"No. Gil, this is Alec, Alicia and..." Kedras paused a moment, not wanting to give Jarek's famous name away. "Jak." Gil narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Jarek, immediately recognizing the pause for what it was.

"Jak is it, then? Alright." He said cheerily. "What'll it be, lads?"

All but Jarek passed on having anything, since it was barely past dawn but Jarek gamely ordered a strong dwarven ale, much to everyone's surprise.

"What?" He asked with an innocent grin. "It's never to early to celebrate the cultural diversity of Zolas, friends." He said.

It was not Gil who returned with the drinks, however; he was sidetracked speaking to another new arrival. Instead, it was a young teenage girl. She was tall and willowy, with brown hair shot through with red highlights. Her skin was darker than that of most around her, almost a mocha color. She was, Kedras reflected, the spitting image of her mother. Talantha was his daughter and he smiled as she approached.

"Happy birthday, Tal. Did you get your present?"

She smiled happily. "Yes I did; thank you, I didn't know there were such things as purple rocks before." She held her hand up to show everyone the ring with the purple crystal clasped ontop. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it." Kedras said.

Talantha set Jarek's ale down in front of him and the two locked gazes for a long moment, just staring at one another. Kedras' face settled into a cold mask. He booted Jarek underneath the table and cleared his throat loudly, sending Jarek a warning glance.

"Talantha, this is Jak and Alicia; I'm sure you remember Alec."

"Of... of course, of course." She said, eyes still lingering on Jarek's smiling face.

"Jak, this is Talantha: my daughter."

It had been meant as a further warning but Jarek's grin merely widened further.

"Well then, a proper greeting must be made." He rose from his seat and took Talantha's hand in his, kneeling and planting a kiss on her knuckles. "It is my greatest pleasure to meet you, Lady Talantha; your father is a most generous and kind-hearted man and I look forward to working with him in the future."

Kedras frowned deeply.

Talantha, however, turned excitedly to Kedras. "Oh, Sir Jak is going to be working with you?" She asked.

"Yes, Tal, Jak will be working for me, though he is no knight."

Jarek chuckled. Someone called out Talantha's name and she turned away a moment. "Oh! I have to go! I'll see you later!" She said, waving her hand at Kedras and favoring Jarek with a smile as she dashed off.

"What was that all about, Jarek?" Kedras asked angrily.

"What? A pretty girl comes by and I'm merely supposed to ignore her? I'm Jarek Edoras, cat-burglar extraodinaire, master swordsman and great lover. I've a reputation to think of."

"Not now you don't and certainly not with MY daughter." Kedras said through grinding teeth. "You stay away from her."

"Ah, but will she stay away from me?" Jarek said, smiling. "I can do nothing about that."

"If you so much as touch her--"

"Mr. Valdira, we have much to discuss." Alec said.

"Yes, yes we do. Alright then." Kedras waived Gil back over. "You wouldn't happen to have a small room we could use for a while Gil, would you?"

"Ah, I see; of course, Master Valdira, come right this way."

He led them further back into the inn and into a small room off the hall. It was a cardroom, filled with decks of cards, playing chips and a table, which suited their purposes well.

"Thanks, Gil."

"No problem." He vanished out the door, leaving Kedras and the others to themselves.

"Alright Jarek, here's how it is: We have come to suspect a location in the mid-south might be the headquarters for a small cell of Zalzabran agents operating in the area, near Sor'thel."

"Ah, Sor'thel; good times." Jarek said.

"Don't interrupt." Kedras said. Jarek quieted but the grin on his face did not fade as he revisted some larcenous memory. Kedras muttered something but the others only caught a portion of it.

"...bibere venenum in auro. Cedo meiori cui bono, Deo volente, exitus acta probat..." He grumbled.


"What was that?" Jarek said.

"Nothing, be quiet. Your task is to go down to Sor'thel and search the city for clues. Anita believes that someone or something is dissuading people from getting close to the Yir'Xava peaks, so it's worth taking a look there. She said there's a valley up in there that might support a small to medium basecamp, so keep an eye out for that."

"So this is it, huh? My first mission. What about the guards in Sor'thel? I wasn't, uh, on good terms with them when I left."

Kedras sighed and wished desperately he had joined Jarek in a drink; that dwarven ale was smelling very tempting. His head throbbed and he tugged on his beard. Would it be like this in every place Jarek went to? "I'll take care of it; you just worry about the mission."

"Right; so what kind of neat equipment do I get? Do you have crossbows that load themselves, crazy camoflaugue suits or something?"

'Is he a chil--- oh, right, he IS a child...' Kedras thought. He was twenty years old and as mature as a seedling... Kedras rubbed at his temples with his right hand.

"No Jarek, not this time. This time, you get a backpack filled with rations and some basic supplies, mostly climbing gear so you can get into the Yir'Xava range. I'll assume since you've broken into all kinds of high places that you are an adequate climber--"

"The best."

"Yes, yes," Kedras said, wavin his hand dismissively; Jarek's ego was beginning to grate. "Your skills are noted; so you'll have that and your suicide pill. You're not supposed to be seen or get caught, so you shouldn't need any weapons. We'll also provide you with a companion."

Jarek frowned at that, apparently uninterested in going with someone.

"She's a trainee but she's going to be very good, so don't get her killed or I'll have your skin for a damned pair of boots. Her name's Alassra and you'll meet her in Sor'thel at the Braying Donkey Inn."

"Sounds like a fine, upscale establishment." Jarek said, managing a straight face and a level voice, even injecting a little interest.

"It's not, it's a horrible dive, filled with all manner of drunken louts. Sor'thel was recently been flooded with refugees from Imiira after that earthquake hit, so they're all homeless now and they've nowhere else to go but to the bar for the moment. Alassra is fantastic at sketching, so find her a place where she can get a good overhead look at the base from a good distance, let her sketch it out, note down some numbers of people and so forth and then head back to Sor'thel. It's a simple reconaissance mission. No fancy stuff. If at anytime you think you're being watched or followed, return to Sor'thel immediately. Do not, under ANY circumstances, enter the basecamp if you find it; all you're there for is to look from afar, got it?"

"Yeah."

Kedras leaned forward on his elbows. "Don't mess this up Jarek; if you screw up, I'm sending you to Gar'jei and I'll let them know that you're not only a thief but a traitor to the crown. They won't even hang you for that, they'll draw and quarter you or give you the hotbox, so do as you're told."

That seemed to quiet Jarek down and stole the grin from his face.

"Right, I got'cha. No hero stuff."

"You're not a hero, Jarek; you're a damned man getting a second chance. There's a difference. Alright, go with Alicia and Alec, they'll get you set up." The three of them left the room and Gil entered to see if Kedras needed anything.

"Yeah, bring me a mug of that ale Jak was drinking... and leave the bottle."

"You sure you're--"

"Just the bottle, Gil, and no questions asked."

"Yes, Master Valdira."