CHAPTER 35

:You're pouting.:

Juelian was, and though she had quite a few choice names she wanted to call Kantor at the moment, "horse-breath" being the leading contender, for some reason she always found it difficult to be rude to the companion.

"Yes, because I get the distinct feeling you're babysitting me."

He tossed his mane and snorted in what she took to be a chuckle. Despite herself, she quite liked the beast, as she often referred to him in her mind. It was easier to speak to Kantor most times because she had to physically speak aloud to communicate with him. Any thoughts or feelings she wanted to keep private, she just had to keep to herself, unlike Alberich's annoying ability to read her moods so well because of their lifebond.

Though her annoyance at this whole venture was not a big secret. Alberich had brow-beat her into coming with him and the small squad of heralds and guards on their raid of the fish-packing warehouse. How he had gotten the lead, she wasn't sure and to her grudging admittance she was impressed at how far he had gotten without her help.

In all honesty she knew nothing about the narcotics trade with the warehouses. Owing to the location, though, she supposed this was merely a storehouse and not the main operation of trade. None of this information, she had shared with Alberich however. It was childish, she knew, to still be so uncooperative but the only amusement she had these days were her spite.

He was still smart enough to know not to trust her as far as he could throw her, and she was being kept away from the main raid. She knew she was on Kantor's back so he could "keep an eye on her", so to speak.

Finally after what seemed like several candlemarks, she heard a commotion inside the warehouse. The back door suddenly burst open and she saw a cloaked man try to make his escape. Kantor was already in motion, jumping into a full gallop and using his impressive bulk to block the man's flight.

Things happened very quickly after that. She could hear the familiar sound of steel clashing on steel, and the screams of men fighting. The guards any dealer would have set up in the storehouse were nothing more than hired thugs with clubs, so she knew the fight would be over quickly. To confirm her suspicions, she saw the disguised guards and Alberich emerging with a handful of men, some with ugly bumps on their heads and some unlucky ones with cuts.

Alberich motioned for them to come closer and Kantor strode over. Juelian slid off his back and followed Alberich into the warehouse. She saw that the backroom actually had a trick wall that slid back to reveal the true narcotics operations. Her eyebrows raised at the amount and type of material inside.

"Well?"

Alberich gave her an impatient look, his arms crossed against his chest. She saw a nick on his forehead, still slightly bleeding, but he didn't look any more tired than as if he had gone for a brisk walk.

She glared back at him obstinately. "It's candy."

Alberich rolled his eyes in despair.

"I cannot kill you, devil woman, but I can throw all your undergarments around Companion's Field for the entire collegium to see in the morning."

She merely snorted. "Good. The lot of you white saints could use some excitement in your lives."

He took a step closer to her, forcing her to back into the wall. She could hear the growl rising in the back of his throat, and to her dismay it frightened her as intended, but also excited her. She shoved him away from her to cover up her embarrassment and gave in.

Alberich watched as she examined the wares inside the store house with care. Some bottles she uncorked and sniffed. Some casks of dried plants she merely had to look at. After her examination was done, she shrugged, uncorked one of the bottles and took a sip.

He snatched it out of her hands despite her protests. "I recognize none of things. Start talking or I make good on my threat."

Juelian sighed, perching on the edge of a wooden table. "You wouldn't. This is second and third tier level shipments. I was going to wait at least a year before trading this."

She began to rattle off the names of all the narcotics as she pointed to each of them. The sudden rush of information was overwhelming and Alberich knew she was just doing it to annoy him and he held up a hand.

"Who is it coming from?"

Juelian shrugged. Alberich glared at her but she just shrugged again. "How stupid do you think they'd be? There aren't markings or receipts or bills of sale. Ask the men outside, if they'll talk."

"Who would be able to provide these?"

"Anyone from the Eastern Kingdoms."

Alberich almost threw his hands up in disgust. "Do they have a trade guild for narcotics Outkingdom as we do here with grain?"

Juelian gave him a withering look that spoke volumes as to how stupid she thought he was. He merely scowled and strode outside the warehouse, her following behind.

The guardsmen had gathered up the criminals and had finished binding their hands together. One of the guard looked helplessly at Alberich. "Some of them I recognize, sellswords who'd hire out to any old scum. The others I've never seen before and they refuse to talk."

To Alberich's surprise, Juelian walked up to the men and then bent down to get a closer look at their faces. They glared back at her or morosely looked at the ground and refused to meet her gaze. Finally, Juelian picked one from the lot, a scarred man with tattoos and piercings and grabbed his face. Suddenly, she spit on him and he screamed back at her in a foreign tongue.

Alberich grabbed her arm and jerked her back. "What in Vkandis' name do you think you're doing?"

Juelian was unruffled. "He's their ringleader. And what I was doing was figuring out where he's from. You're in luck, he's from Rethwellan, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone to translate at the collegium."

"You won't?"

Juelian just ignored him as she was wont to do and went back to Kantor. Alberich decided that was the most he could get out of her tonight, and for once she had actually been helpful.

"Rounded up, these men send to Haven gaol."

The guards obeyed him swiftly, shoving the men into the back of a barred wagon. The night's work was far from over.

---

Herald Dirk and Bard Coren emerged from the holding cell that was being used for interrogation, both looking quite worn. Dirk had an easy, lopsided smile on his face though.

"His dialect is very rough, rougher than I've ever been used to."

Bard Coren nodded in agreement. "I'm afraid the Rethwellan we use most commonly is for noble ambassadors and their entourages, where our man here is just one step above a sewer rat, honestly."

Alberich nodded, he had suspected as much. "Still, much you have learned?"

Dirk nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. I invoked second stage Truth Spell on him. He's still an underling so we haven't found the head of the operations yet, but he's also high enough that he knows a lot of the going's on within Haven. The most important thing I think we've managed to get out of him is that they haven't concentrated their efforts outside the capital. A lucky break, wouldn't you think?"

Alberich nodded and Dirk walked alongside him, lowering his voice. "We'll need a couple more hours with him to learn more, but from what I could ascertain Juelian's had nothing to do with this."

From the kind tone of Dirk's voice, Alberich assumed his fellow herald thought this would bring comfort to him. If only he knew the havoc that woman was capable of creating on her own.

"You should try and pick her brains a little more over this. There seems to be a kind of hierarchy amongst them that she could provide some insight to."

Alberich snorted.

"An easier task it would be, to pluck the sun from the sky."