James Davis - Circle of Skulls

Mara stood at the bottom of the steps in the ballroom, looking up as Jinn descended the stairs slowly, one at a time, eyeing the shadows outside. Blood covered Mara's hands, dripping on the once-pristine marble floor, though no stains marred the illusory perfection of her dress. Despite the illusion, it seemed as though her eyes glowed with a quiet hunger.

"Your work?" he asked suspiciously.

"No," she answered with a sly wink. "They finished themselves. However, Quessahn and I did take care of the servants."

"She is here," he stated, his step quickening. "Good. I assume the Watch is ready to claim the bodies?"

"It sounds as though Dregg certainly is," Mara said, falling into step with him. "His men are at the door, but I do not think their hearts are in it."

"Dregg…," he muttered, the name drifting into a low, guttural growl in the back of his throat, an anger within him demanding satisfaction as he peered out the narrow windows flanking the double doors. Watchmen had gathered in a group just outside, no longer attempting to beat down the doors as they conferred with the rorden near the gates. "Can you make a path?"

"I believe so," Mara replied, a quick wring of her hands removing the blood from them. "And it appears I shall have to. Do we want them dead or-?"

"Not dead," Quessahn interrupted weakly from the back of the room. She approached them steadily enough, but Jinn could see the exhaustion in her half-lidded gaze, the pain of her injuries taking their toll, though she seemed determined to put on a brave show. "There's been enough killing for one night, and the Watch isn't our enemy."

"No doubt," Jinn replied, turning back to the window. "But I did not have killing in mind… not exactly."

"We can't go back to the shop," Mara said, taking a place at the other window as she absently tapped the glass, counting the number of officers outside. "They'll come looking for us there, or rather, he will come looking for us there."

"We'll just have to make it safe, then," he replied. "Make ready your magic; leave Dregg untouched." He placed a hand on Quessahn's shoulder carefully, wincing at the brief flash of pain in her eyes and hating himself for what he must ask of her but having little recourse. "Can you send a message for me?"

"Why aren't we inside?" Dregg shouted at the officers, impatiently pacing.

Lamenting the loss of his hired swords and disgusted by the Watchmen he had inherited from Allek Marson, he glared at his men. His gaze fell on the new swordcaptain in particular, an obstinate young man called Lutz.

"Their witch has sealed the doors-," Lutz began, his tone maddeningly calm.

"Then break the windows!" Dregg spit, putting himself nose to nose with the swordcaptain. "Get in there and drag that deva and his witch out into the street, or I will have you mucking the sewers for pickpockets!"

"We have them trapped, sir. We should just wait until more patrols can-"

"Break the damn windows!" Dregg shouted, exasperated.

After a breath, Lutz turned and waved his men after, pointing to either side of the house in as tight a formation as the two patrols could manage. The rorden shook his head, cursing quietly as they put his orders into action.

Despite the night's cold, he'd broken out in a sweat, desperate to get inside and make sure the deed had been done. He continued pacing as Lutz shouted orders, muttering to himself and keeping a fearful eye out for the archmage. He'd met with Tallus one too many times in the past tenday and wanted nothing more than for his business with the wizard to be done. He had his new title and would soon have the riches to be done with the Watch altogether. Smirking at the thought, he looked forward to being alone again with Rilyana-and even more, he looked forward to being alone with all her gold.

A cracking sound caught his attention, but as he turned to witness the shattering of the windows, already gloating over the deva's capture, his smile faded. Stone fractured around the double doors of the mansion, splitting and crumbling as his men drew their weapons and shined their lanterns on the front of the house. The doors buckled, in and out as though the mansion had come alive, breathing out clouds of dust like steam in the winter air.

"What in all of the Hells-?" Dregg muttered, drawing his own sword and backing up a step as a muffled chant rumbled from within the house.

With a final groan of pressure, the doors exploded outward in a shower of splinters. A dust cloud hung for several breaths as his men edged closer to the destruction, closing their ranks. Dregg held back, unwilling to sacrifice himself.

In the haze of dispersing dust, a figure appeared in the house's gaping wound, striding forward smoothly, almost gliding onto the front steps. Tall and gaunt, it wore long and tattered, black and brown robes that fluttered like wings in the wind. Like a splash of shadow, it spread its arms wide, coal red eyes burning in a deep hood, lionlike teeth gleaming in the light of the Watch lanterns as a foul chant escaped its lips.

"Halt!"

The shout rose from among the gathered officers, a weak, impotent command compared to the shrieking scratch of the figure's voice. Long-fingered hands tipped with black claws waved over their heads, silencing the others, turning their attempted shouts into slurred murmurs. Swords thumped into the grass as men stumbled to their knees, overcome by an invisible wave that shuddered through their circle. Hands lifted as though they might lean on one another for support, but one by one they fell, bodies sprawling in the garden until none were left to struggle against the magic.

The rorden cursed as the chanting stopped, leaving him alone as the robed figure slumped over, drawing its dark hands close together and stepping aside. Standing in the dark beyond, gold eyes glittering in the lantern light, the deva stood with sword drawn, his gaze fixed on the human. Dregg hesitated a moment, his instinct telling him to escape, though he wanted nothing more than to see the deva bleeding at the end of his sword. He considered gathering Jinn's finger, a present for the archmage, perhaps enough to see himself and Rilyana well away from Waterdeep long before the next evening. The thought of losing all he'd worked for to the heroics of a nonhuman mutt made him sick, and he spit, curling his lip in fury as Jinn descended the front steps and entered the garden with long strides.

Dregg backed away from the gates with his arms spread in a challenge, turning his sword in slow circles as if impatient for the fight to come. He stood in the light of a street lamp, snowflakes tumbling within its glow as he casually baited the deva to the center of the intersection. He glanced down each empty street, swearing quietly, though he suspected he would not have long to wait for reinforcements; Rorden Marson had seen to that.

Raising his blade with a practiced flourish, a cruel smile stretched across his lips, Dregg reached back and pulled the signal horn from his belt.

NIGHTAL 22, THE YEAR OF DEEP WATER DRIFTING (1480 DR)

Anticipating the human's cowardice, Jinn sprinted through the garden gate with a sudden burst of speed, his eye trained on the false rorden's left arm as it rose, signal horn in hand. Though Dregg's blade was well poised to strike, Jinn ignored the practiced guard and twisted dangerously within its reach, forcing the human to face him. Teeth clenched, he accepted the gash in his side, shoving Dregg's right shoulder and hammering his blade at the signal horn.

Barely touching the rorden's lip, the horn split in two, cracked and useless as it fell from Dregg's hand and skittered across the street. The human stumbled backward, spitting and cursing, red faced and roaring as he struck back, his blade far quicker and more skillful than Jinn had expected. The deva slipped into a graceful defense, keeping Dregg on the move as he ducked and wove with the flashing sword of the human, infuriating his opponent even more.