Steven Schend - Blackstaff Tower

Some of the younger apprentices seemed scared even while leveling wands at Renaer and his friends, but the Naomal-loyalists seemed happy to provoke a confrontation, including Sarkap.

"Put down your weapons and throw yourself on our mercy!" Sarkap said.

Eiruk hated working with these bullies, but his tutors tasked him with cloaking them with illusions to take their targets unawares. Eiruk just wanted answers. He'd only heard about the murder of

Vajra that morning and was still numb. She'd been his friend-and now she could never be more than that.

Renaer held up his hands and said, "As you can see, we can't be guilty of someone's murder-"

"Silence!" Ulik yelled. "Riarlemn!" His wand fired a blue-gray beam, but Renaer leaped forward and down, avoiding it, and it struck the dragon's head fountain to no effect.

Renaer answered the attack with a dagger, stopping his roll forward but letting the dagger fly as he did so. The ornate hilt of Renaer's dagger stuck out of Ulik's arm, his blood staining the sleeve, and the young man howled as if mortally wounded.

Eiruk watched in horror as his companions unleashed spell-missiles on every member of the party, including the wounded woman. Her hood fell back as she grunted in pain from the missiles her bearer failed to shield her from. Eiruk's jaw dropped. It was Vajra-alive!

His head and heart revolted. Eiruk been ordered to capture her murderers, but here the supposed murderers were protecting her.

"Stop!" Eiruk yelled, but few were listening. They were all trained in the Art, but most had never been in a magical fight. Thus, the apprentices panicked or, like the bullies Mauron and Sarkap, took advantage of the situation to abuse others. Luckily, those brutes focused on those who fought back, not the helpless like Vajra.

Eiruk heard Renaer yell for them to stop, but no coolet heads heard him. Laraelra Harsard unleashed a well-aimed blast of colors that knocked out Mauron and blinded two others, but Raman paralyzed her with a bolt from his wand. Renaer's friend Vharem Kuthcutter, who had set Vajra behind the fountain, slashed an angry wound across Ulik's arm, making him drop his wand. The bully of the third-year dormitories fainted at the sight of more of his own blood. The halfling wielded his whip effectively and managed to trip Gharill, bouncing the wizard's head off the cobbles.

Despite surprise and their better numbers, some younger Watchful Order apprentices panicked, running from the fight when challenged with a blade. The few who remained either missed or aimed only at the biggest target-the blond man named Meloon. However, Eiruk saw the blond man step in front of spells and heard him yell, "Protect Vajra!"

That's when Eiruk made his choice. He focused on the remaining three Watchful Order attackers. He wove his spell carefully, and two of his compatriots fell asleep, slumping to the ground, while the third whirled around to face Eiruk in disbelief.

"Traitor!" Sarkap screamed. "Ten-Rings will kill you!" His attention on Eiruk, Sarkap didn't even see the halfling's whip lash out, wrap around his leg, and pull that leg out from under him. All he saw were the cobblestones rushing up'at him to send him to oblivion. Eiruk smiled grimly when he saw two broken teeth fly out of Sarkap's mouth.

Renaer sighed and said, "Thanks, friend," though Vharem, Meloon, and Laraelra all glared at Eiruk with suspicion.

"I did this for Vajra," Eiruk said. "They said you killed her, but I saw-is she all right?"

"She will be, if we can get her to-" Laraelra said

But Vharem interrupted her. "We're not murderers. Why not call off your dogs?"

"I tried, but…" Eiruk noticed that some of the wizards were stirring, so he said, "Let's go. We'll talk on the way!"

Renaer nodded and picked up Vajra while Meloon unhooked a massive axe from his back, its edges glistening with blue energy. The axe reminded Eiruk of something, but he didn't have time to think yet.

Once the others were past him and down the stairs to the next landing, Eiruk lay a spell down to slow pursuit-he savored the irony of using it to help, not hinder, Renaer and his friends. As he turned to follow the others, Eiruk found Vharem sticking close to him, a naked blade in his hand. "Give me one reason, wizard, and I'll hurt you worse than your men hurt my friends."

"All I care about is her safety," Eiruk said, pointing at Vajra. "If that's your goal, we're on the same side."

Yells dtew Vharem and Eiruk's attention behind them on the stairs. Two apprentices had reached the steps where Eiruk's spell lay, and both slipped as if grease coated the steps. Both fell off the stairs and rolled a bit down the slope of the mountain. Vharem smirked slightly and lowered the point of his blade, but Eiruk knew it would take more to gain the man's friendship.

The last wizard on that patrol, a fourth-year named Phalan, lit up the morning sky overhead with green fire. The fireball exploded, and emerald sparks showered down onto Eiruk, Vharem, and the others-but no bystanders on the stairs.

"Stlaern," Eiruk swore. "This spell will draw every patrol right to us — Watchful Order and Watch alike!" He and Vharem reached the next landing, halfway down the slope.

The seven of them, their bodies sharing bright green auras, took refuge behind the only cover they had at this landing. Northspur Rock, like other massive boulders on Mount Waterdeep too latge to move out of the way, jutted out of the landing constructed around it. Eiruk joined the othets behind the massive house-sized rock, shielding them from immediate view. Only then did he realize they were backed into a corner against a sheer cliff of exposed rock with no way out but the stairs.

"Goodleading, Elra." The halfling's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I love being cornered."

The chorus of "Be quiet, Osco!" at least gave Eiruk the half-ling's name.

"I am Ei-" he started to introduce himself, but he gasped as Vajra woke to his voice. Instead of the intense brown eyes he loved, she stared at him with lettuce green eyes that reminded him of Samark.

"Eiruk Weskur," Vajra said. "You may accept Ainla's son, friends. He can be ttusted, now that his path intercepts ours."

Eiruk's stomach felt like it dropped away. Vajra didn't know his mother's name-but her mentot did. "Samark?" he asked.

Vajra nodded. "All of us… we need your help, son."

"Help's what ye need all right," said a gruff voice. The speaker was a squinting, much-scarred man with a patchy scruff of a beard, a rusty chain shirt, and a large number of friends behind him. Only then did Eiruk remember that Northspur Landing was also a mercenaries' gathering place. The leader growled out to his followers, "Boys, I hear there's a price on their heads taller than a tavern. Whatsay we capture these folk before the Watch does it for free? Or before some of them angry wizards yonder steal our bounty?"

Eiruk gulped as they all turned to meet the voice. A score of grizzled sellswords raised weapons.

11 Nightal, Year of the Ageless One (1479 DR)

Sellswords closed in on the party from both sides. Vharem counted at least nine men closing in on them from the far side of the tock, all armed with drawn. swords, cudgels, or maces. Laraelra shouted a spell and blasted them with a silent maelstrom of colors; while many of them howled and grabbed at their eyes, only one fell unconscious. Osco jumped up onto the Northspur Rock and scattered caltrops among the men, the sharp metal barbs slowing their advance.