Signing Up

Syndi begins implementing her plan

43.

Signing Up

 

Syndi heard her parents return to their quarters about two hours later.    She waited until all sounds of movement or speaking ceased from the other room before she quietly rolled out of her bed.   She was fully dressed in ‘plain’ clothes that she had managed to get from a ducal servant.

The Losasidhe girl hurried down the stairs as quietly as she could.   Syndi was worried that it would be too late, but she had to be careful.    The night guards had just begun their shift, so she just acted as if she had been over at the Muddy Boot earlier and was returning.    Thankfully, her parents had not asked them to restrict her from leaving.

The snow was falling heavily, but Syndi was used to living with about six months of winter and was not bothered by it as she ran across the yard of the Ducal Keep, then another short distance, to come through the front door of the Inn.

Though she had not been introduced to anyone, other than General Luca and the Orc Lieutenant, Lysa, she did not want anyone asking too many questions.     So Syndi slipped her cloak’s hood over her head just as she was opening the doors.

There was warmth and a pleasant atmosphere in the Inn, and many people were still there, though much of the Duke and Duchess’ group had called it a night.   

She looked around apprehensively for a moment and then saw Muld seated at a long table speaking to a couple of human men and a Goblin, all of who were eating dinner as they conversed.

Against a wall in the middle of the room sat a large Bugbear focused on playing a lute, while a beautiful Drow girl sat next to him playing a lyre.    Syndi was startled to hear them singing a familiar Faesidhe song in her native language - Nitthum Nui.  

Both of their voices seemed to blend wonderfully well and for a moment Syndi was lost in the tale of the heartache and love.    How a Bugbear could sing so well and play so skillfully perplexed her and she had to fight to not just stand and listen to the unlikely pair performing.

But she had to act quickly and return to the Keep before she was missed.   So she walked slowly (so it didn’t seem as if she was hurrying) over toward the table where Muld and the other three were eating.   

They all looked up at her as she approached and for a moment Muld didn’t recognize her, until she took her hood down.

“Syndi!”   He exclaimed, standing and extending his hand, “Thank goodness you made it!   I was worried that I had scared you off with my tour yesterday.    Let me introduce some of the members of my team:    This is Jevon and Rick - they are coachmen for Duke Eleazar- and at the end of the table is Mutt, who is a servant of the Duke and Duchess’ family.”

“Gentlemen, may I present Syndi.”

The two humans and Goblin stood up and nodded, then sat back down.

“You wouldn’t believe the change in fortune that has occurred since we last met!”  He said to her, gesturing to an empty chair next to him.   Before she could tell him that she had heard the news, he began telling her of his adventure.    She listened politely, but kept watching for anyone that might know her.    Thankfully, there was no-one in the Inn that had met her.

“"So, I’ve spent the entire afternoon interviewing people for my team.   I’ve also got to know Duke and Duchess Dullerm, as well as their children.   Did you know that their second youngest daughter just recently married the new King of the Sylvan Elves?    She’s younger than you are, Syndi and she is now the Queen of the Elves in Tarmard.    And - more incredibly- she’s an albino Drow!    You just missed her and her husband - he’s young too.”

“Uh, Muld…”  She tried to interrupt, but he was still excited about all that happened, and didn’t hear her.

“Another one of the Duke and Duchess’ daughters is that lovely lady over there with the Bugbear.    Her name is Amala and the Bugbear is Carn.   He’s the most amazing Bugbear that I have ever seen.    Apparently he’s a Bard and as you can tell, he can certainly sing!   He’s training Amala in the bardic arts.    Whoever heard of a Bugbear who is a Bard-“

“Muld!”  She touched his arm, desperate to get this meeting over with as soon as possible.

“Huh?   Oh, I’m sorry; I’ve just had an exciting day.   What can I do for you, Syndi?”

“I want to join your team.”   She simply answered, smiling as sweetly as she could while batting her eyes at him.

“Join my team?    Do you mean on the mission to Orc Pass?!   Oh, Syndi, I don’t know - it could be somewhat dangerous, you know.”

She shrugged, holding her chin up, “I live for danger.”

Muld laughed at her false bravado, “Well, I don’t live for danger!   How did you persuade your parents to let you go off with us on such a dangerous mission?    You didn’t tell them, did you?”

Syndi’s face reddened, “I’m almost a grown woman, Muld.”

“But do they believe that?  Syndi, I don’t know if you are really aware of the danger we could face.    Orc Pass is swarming with Imperial legions and Elves are not accepted there.   We’ll have to sneak in and out quickly.    There are also the Orc tribes in the mountains above the pass.    Only the legions keep them from retaking the Pass.   You wouldn’t get pleasant treatment from them, either.”

“I understand the risks, Muld.   I need to begin my adult life someplace other than under my parent’s thumbs.”

“That is an admirable goal, but perhaps we should go and speak to your parents and get their blessings, first.   Aren’t they staying here at the Muddy Boot?”   He started to get up.

“You can’t!”  She said quickly, thinking fast, “They left for home this afternoon!”

“Without you?”   Muld looked at her skeptically.

“Yes - we had an argument and they agreed to let me do what I want.”

“All alone, on your own for the first time, in a strange city on the brink of war?   That seems unlikely to me.”

“Why would I lie about that?”   She asked, hoping to evade scrutiny.

“To escape your parents and be free, of course!”   He could see her uneasy expression and he leaned in closer to her, “Look, Syndi, just be honest with me, alright?   If you want to join this group to escape your parents, tell me.”

He waited, and finally, glancing down at the table, she nodded.

“So you are trying to get away from them?”   He verified, and she nodded.

“And they wouldn’t approve of you going, if they knew?”

She hesitated, but then slowly shook her head and Muld leaned back into his chair with a deep sigh.

“Syndi, I have wanted to start a guild since my master died.    This mission is my chance to get that.    If I let you go with us, and something happens, then I will be to blame.   That is quite a risk you are asking me to take!”

 

The Losasidhe girl sat with her shoulders slumped, realizing defeat was upon her.   She blinked back tears of frustration but didn’t say anything.

Muld looked over at the others sitting at the table with them, but they shrugged in response to his quizzical expression.   For a long time he looked down at the young, redheaded Elven girl.    He knew he had a moral responsibility to keep the girl from danger.    Yet something pulled at him as he watched her sitting there feeling alone and hopeless.

“Oh, I hope I’m not going to regret this… but alright, Syndi, I will take you on as one of our team.”

She looked up, hopeful, “Really?   Do you mean it?”

“Yes; but you’ll have to do whatever I tell you to do, alright?  This is not a sight-seeing trip; we all have to be focused.    Are you willing to follow my orders without any questions or hesitation?”

“Yes,” She answered with appropriate sobriety.  

“Well, then welcome to the team.   We are going to leave at mid-day, after the King’s Reach group and Underdark group leaves.    Those going into the Faesidhe forest will leave about the same time we do.   We are trying to give the impression of just a group of people going on normal business by airship.    We will approach Orc Pass by night, study the mountains, cast our spells, take down the sides of the mountain then reboard the airship and leave.”

“What do I need to bring?”   She hoped the question was not stupid.

“Dark clothing, weapons, any healing or protection devices that you have…you do have some, don’t you?”

“Well… I do have a ring of protection… and a magic dagger.”

“That’s all?” Muld exclaimed, concerned.

“I’ve never gone on an adventure before… sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it - we’ll get you lined out on the way to Orc Pass.   You’ll serve as my assistant - taking notes, running errands, things like that.   This won’t be the time or place to train you to cast spells.”

“Spells?”

“You want to be a Practical Magic Engineer, don’t you?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, you’ll have to learn spells.   But not this time… unless something happens to change that.”

“I understand.”

“Good; we all should get some sleep now.    We’ll leave around noon, so be at the docking platform sometime before then, so we can all be loaded up, alright?”

“Yes, sir.    Muld, thank you for agreeing to take me.”  

“You may not thank me if we run into any trouble, but you are welcome.    Now go get some sleep and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Syndi stood and after bidding all of them a good night, slipped quickly out of the Inn.

“I hope she’s not going to get us into trouble.”   Muld said to the others seated with him, but none responded, as they were too busy watching her go.

Reviews

[Elina]

"We are going to leave in mid-day..." It might sound better if you switch "in" to "at."
"I’ve never went on an adventure..." The "went" should be "gone."