The party took care of their various and sundry errands about Milborne in the early morning after Gala's ceremony. Those who had left the inn to attend to business around town returned to find the common room in disarray. Only a few of the tables had been cleared from breakfast. Either Barthlew or Andren stood talking quietly with Maisar. Dirkaster was nowhere to be seen. The other twin came crashing into the room, "Barthlew, she's gone! Jelenneth...."
While waiting for the group to decide what to do, deliver the chest or search for Zond, Kaileer was working on his club. He was about to carve more details into the bird's left wing with his knife when the boy burst into the inn.
Barthlew, who was indeed the one talking to Maisar, gave his brother an impatient glare, "Andren, where have you been? None of the help is around this morning and I need you to help...."
"SHE'S GONE!" Andren yelled, "Jelenneth has been kidnapped! She's not in her room!"
Kaileer looked at Pug quizzicaly. "What mean 'kidnapped'?"
"He means thet she was taken by someone." Pug answers while trying to follow the conversation. "You know, I could sew those arrow holes in your clothes closed in a jiffy, if you'd like" he says reaching for his thread.
"Azrun, since we are going to deliver the chest to Tauster anyway, we could offer to check if Jelenneth is with him. How far are we from Thurmaster?" Pug says quietly. "If she isn't perhaps we might find her when we track down Zond."
He looks at the holes and shrugs. "Maybe good idea to fix holes." Then he removes his shirt and hands it to the gnome. "Give Pug cape and breeches when finished. Kaileer think good idea to bring chest to Tauster or he poof all to frogs..."
Maisar nods in agreement and says "that is not such a bad idea, we can check with Tauster about the girl since we are going there away." Maisar then goes to one of the serving maids and asks" do you have any wine, and of so how much might a bottle be?"
"Is she at Haldelar and Parella's? Maybe she got up early and went for a visit," Barthlew had now taken on a patient tone with his near hysterical brother. He motioned for the one servant that was in the common room and quickly sent the lad out on this errand.
In a few minutes, the boy returned with an older gentlemen. The older man had floury side whiskers that showed the same gray that specks his thinning hair. He was a strong looking fellow with ruddy cheeks and a barrel chest. He looked slightly worried but his concern was no match for that of Andren, "Andren, she probably got called back to Tauster earlier than she thought. That's all. I'm sure she's okay."
Kaileer's left eyebrow raises in surprise. "Tauster magic man not can poof chest?"
Andren shook his head, "No, Haldelar, she wouldn't have left without telling me. She must have been taken. I know that...."
Haldelar stopped the young man, "Just because you're courting doesn't entitle you to know every move that she makes. Jelenneth has an independent streak in her, you know," he smiled at Andren as he spoke of the girl they both cared about.
Andren was not content with this answer, but Barthlew noted all the strange eyes on them as they talked. He pulled the two men into the corner to continue their talk.
Arachne sighed, contemplating the scraps of her breakfast, which were still in front of her. "I'd be curious to know when was the last time Jelenneth was seen," she murmured, in her customary soft voice. "Just to satisfy myself that her disappearance had nothing to do with Zond's. But, in the absence of a connection like that --" she glanced at the withdrawn men "-- it would seem that she is not supposed to be our problem. At least, not yet. Unless we offer or they invite us. Meanwhile, we have a delivery to complete and a missing friend to try to find. Does anyone besides me feel that perhaps we'll be obliged to split up? She won't be in Thurmaster, by the way. Not unless this Tauster is a weatherweaver."
Aloysius had seemed so dejected before, it was hard to tell if this sad news affected him or not. "Gone, gone, gone", he said sadly. "Always those who are close be close no more. In the end, we have only ourselves. . . . . ." With that, he stepped inside, sat down at a nearby table, and put his head down on his arms.
Andren scowled as Haldelar and Garyld continued to talk about themissing girl. He noted the others watching and moved over to them, speaking quietly, "Will you look for her when you look for your missing friend?" Apparently, nothing in Milborne took long to get around to everyone. "Jelenneth is Tauster's apprentice. She's beautiful and she alwayswears a dark blue cloak with a nice silver cloak pin. And the ring I gave her," he added, "it's silver with an engraved J on the inside of the band." He fumbled around in his pocket and produced a miniture portrait of an attractive young woman of about 20 with long dark hair and a slim build. "I know something happened to her. She would never have left before Midsummer without at least telling me." Andren looked at them imploringly, with such sadness in his eyes that it seemed his heartwould break as he stood before them.
Azrun had been unusually quiet as the brothers conversed. After a few moments, he replied to Andren, "I am sure nothing has happened to your love, sir. Wizards can be quite whimsical at times. It could be he came for her in the middle of the night and she had no chance to tell you or to even leave a note.
"Oh dear," Arachne muttered to herself. "That _is_ thin."
They said there was no sign of a struggle. Even an apprentice could cause a little ruckus defending herself. We have to deliver a box of items to Tauster. When we get there, I will take it upon myself to ask him about her where abouts. Then on our return trip I can let you know what has happened."
Aloysius lifted his head up for a moment and looked at Azrun. "Whimsical? You think wizards whimsical? By my beard, we be no more whimsical than the tide!" The purple man then placed his head back on the table, let out what sounded like a weak moan, and muttered "tide, tide, tide . . . . .side, side, side. By unknown rules do we abide .
Azrun looked over at the purple haired man and then back to the group, "sorry..... Whimsical and quite strange at times." He took a drink of his water and shook his head.
"Oh, I say, that _is_ good!" Arachne exclaimed, interrupting whatever other speculation she was having. "Less whimsy to us than the tide / By unknown rules do we abide! I like that very much." Without skipping a beat she asked Andren, "Is there a window in Jelenneth's room? And if so, what view does it have?"
"The room she was staying in overlooks the boathouse," he finished, looking down at his feet. He waited to see if they had anything else to say before walking back over to Garyld, Barthlew, and Haldelar.
"Really? May I see?" Arachne asked.
Andren nodded, "Follow me." He stopped and spoke to Garyld as they left the room and the constable limped slowly after them.
The wood elf felt sorry for the manling and stood up, sheathing his knife and laying the club on the table. He took his shirt from Pug (possibly as pug tried to repair it) and approached the young man. "Kaileer look in forest for girl. If girl taken then leave big track for Kaileer to follow. Rest go to Tauster, see if he poof girl to other town... Maybe Kaileer find Zond too!" The young ranger looked determined to prove himself this time and threw his cape over his shoulders, fastened it, gathered his weapons and headed for the edge of town to search the woods.
"Aye," continued Aloysius. "First to the maiden's room, and then to yonder boathouse. Perhaps this blasted rain will cease in the meanwhile." The purple man looked about the room for a second. "Did swift Kaileer venture forth to the woods in the midst of this rain?" Aloysius walked over the where Arachne was. "Strange. The bandit on the road did strike at me with but the flat of his blade, and now this mage-apprentice disappears. Might someone be collecting practitioners of the arcane arts for some reason foul?"
"And an apprentice is good enough?" Arachne responded. "It's a thought -- though it doesn't explain the taking of Zond. And what about Pug? Was he also treated cautiously on the road? I don't remember. They did take their first volley at the front and rear of the group. You wouldn't expect wizards to be there." She sighed. "Yes, there are morsels of fact that support the idea. But what about Zond? If they wanted to take wizards alive, why not simply kill him? Not that I want at all to find his corpse..."
Jelenneth's room was much like the other rooms in the inn. The bedshowed no sign of having been slept in. The view from the window indeed showed a boathouse, a small yard, and the warehouses next to the river. Garyld looked around, "Most of her things are still here." He was beginning to look somewhat worried as well. He pulled a bag from under the mattress of the bed and frowned as he looked into it, "I'll see if I can find someone to search the area. If she's not back by tonight, I'll send word to Shiraz." He looked at Aloysius as he stated his plans to search the boathouse, "If you want to help, perhaps you should go ahead to Thurmaster and speak to Tauster. Maybe you'll find her on the road there." He limped out of the room and then out of the inn.
Azrun looked at the group, "I agree with Garyld. As much as I would like to stay and help, we do have a job to finish. If we go on to Thurmaster, we can accomplish a few things. We finish our job, whick unties our hands to come back here and help. We can look for the young woman on the road there. And we can also alert Tauster that his apprentice is missing." It was quite plain to see that Azrun wanted to leave this place.
Aloysius tried to stop the limping man before he left the room. "Excuse me good sir, but what exactly have you found in yonder bag?"
"It looks like her spell components," Garyld told him without turning around.
Aloysius continued after the limping man. "Some expertise have I on that subject. Mind if I take a look?"
"Go ahead," Garyld told him. He had left the bag lying on the bed.
The purple mage then walked over to the window and looked out. "First, small Arachne leads us to the foot of yon bridge in search of Zond. Next, Andren's betrothed disappears from a room overlooking the same area. Before we continue on in search of Tauster, mayhap a search of the boathouse would be in order. A shame it would be if the lady mage was there and we simply failed to look." Looking back in the bag, the mage continued, "Methinks she left contrary to her own volition. No mage would travel without spell components."
Garyld stopped and turned around. He was clearly very insulted, "I think I can handle looking in the boathouse." He took a deep breath and glared at Aloysius, "The farmer who returned to town yesterday with news of a bandit ambush on the road gave descriptions that fit your group. If it weren't for the Dawnsinger, I would have arrested the lot of you. She doesn't appear to be with you against her will, and she follows Lathander's true faith. Because of her, I will not question what happened on the road or what led farmers to be attacked by strangers to this place. I will insist that I can look for a girl I've known her entire life inside the town that is under my jurisdiction though. I may be old and lame, but that much I can do."
Azrun approached Garyld, "Sir, pardon my friend. He can be somewhat forward at times. He meant you no insult." He pulled back his cloak showing a very recent arrow wound in his shoulder, "As far as the attack yesterday, we were the ones attacked. The farmers were unfortunately caught in the middle when the tried to help us. I even gave Elden and his friend some silvers to compensate them." He looked at the sheriff trying to show he meant what he was saying, "We brought a couple of the bandits we captured into town last night with us. Unfotunately, they disappeared along with one of our companions last night." "We'll do as you ask though and move on to Thurmaster. If we find out anything there from Tauster, we will send word back to you, sir."
After Garyld left, Aloysius spoke up. "Methinks this Garyld be more, or less, than he seems. I like him not."
