1. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    He kept staring out to sea as the bard squared her shoulders and put on her warface. "I'll do my best," she had said, and he believed her. Now, I'd best play my part, he mused, taking one last deep breath before pushing off after her. The door loomed at the end of the tunnel. A big black slab...
  2. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    'Heroic? Hardly. I simply did not want your father coming after me for leaving you behind,' he said, shrugging off her praise like one might a sodden coat. Slipping from his arms to stand on her own two feet, Anira staggered towards the iron grate as if seeking to pry it apart by willpower...
  3. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    'Revenue, and a proving ground for those who wish to join her. If she really does seek to take over her brother's seat, she won't just hire any good-for-nothing off the street.' The Fourth recalled the way she had looked at him, seeing not a man, but a weapon she could add to her arsenal. He...
  4. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    The mercenary regarded the bard quietly. Time stretched. Anira's voice filled the space betwixt, reminding him of something he had not yet forgotten, wilfully or otherwise. 'Aye, that it does,' he agreed, wondering if he had any virtue left. 'My conscience isn't clean... but at least I still...
  5. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    No reason? The Fourth could think of two, but he could see the woman had already made up her mind. He'd encountered hardened killers who showed more feeling than her. And the remark about the Greatest Fool... She might have placed the contract in his lap but he was the one who chose to pick it...
  6. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    A chill ran through the Fourth as he faced down Abbas, Selani and Vorek. Something shifted, and something new settled in its place. Unwelcome, though not unfamiliar. Gold eyes flicked from door to blade then back again. Runes went dark as Anira intervened, trying to ease the tension in the room...
  7. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    Ask me again when we're out. Strange, the feeling those words evoked within him. For a moment, the mercenary's gaze held steady on the bard, as if weighing her up, the decisions they had made in order to reach this point. Ask me again when we're out, she had said, like she wasn't the reason they...
  8. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    Slim was a tricksy bastard, but none too bright. The Fourth fully expected him to sell them out first chance he got. The odds were already in his favour. He just didn't realise it. 'The more I learn, the less I want to know,' quipped the mercenary, eyeing Anira as one might a motleyed jester...
  9. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    Gods, give me strength! Keeping hold of the thug's shoulder, the Fourth listened to the plan Anira put forth, carefully concealing his feelings on the matter until after she was finished speaking. 'You're enjoying this, aren't you?' He could play pretend, when the situation called for it. Still...
  10. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    Forcing the thug to his knees, the Fourth took a step back as the she-devil appeared, asking questions, her saccharine smile robbing the man of all thought. Smiling to himself, the mercenary watched as the bardess wove her spell. Already he could see the man's balls telling his brain to hurry...
  11. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    Hers was a subtle sort of manipulation. Harmless until it wasn't. 'Exquisitely expensive,' the mercenary agreed, chuckling darkly. The Mahapravin had spared no expense preparing for his sister's wedding. No doubt he had a lot riding on the outcome. The best alliances always came with a cost...
  12. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    Everyone in here's pretending not to stare, thought the Fourth, taking the measure of their new friends, and those around them. 'As much as I'd enjoy sharing a drink with you,' he said, deadpan, 'I think maintaining momentum would serve us better. Improvise, adapt, keep 'em guessing until we've...
  13. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    "The lady's name has been whispered too often of late," said the Inkspider. The Fourth smiled inwardly. Explains the heightened security, he thought, glancing over his shoulder to where two men in plain garb waited in the shadows, armed, and no less dangerous for the small distance between them...
  14. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    'Which one?' It was a rare thing, scaring an Inkspider. Luckily, the Fourth had been given plenty of opportunity to practise over the years, on mercs and marked men aplenty. Folk like Nenne spun their webs, ensnaring the foolish and the unfortunate, but they never expected to be caught...
  15. The Fourth

    Private Heartwood

    House Mandamor had been child's play, truth be told. Stewards and serviles asked few questions of their peers, since most of them were too caught up with keeping up to notice a new addition to the household. Well, except for the likes of Azimidas. Keeper of secrets, the Fourth almost grinned...
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