"She seemed like a very nice girl," Elissa said. "and very wise. She calms you down a lot."
"What have you said?"
Elysia looked up at her. She was upset by the last words spoken by Dr. Niccolev, did she know about the wererats? Did these have something to do with it? Although there was another question on Elysia's mind, what was the relationship between Niccolev and Frey?
"I have said that the doctor is very reassuring."
"Much."
The cat girl gave him a sour look. The girl had been singing the praises of Dr. Niccolev all the way to The Stinky Pig, and her hand never strayed far from the herbal pomegranate. Elysia wondered if it was possible that she was jealous. Certainly he agreed with her, but for some reason it was hard for him to admit it. Apparently, Elissa picked up on those feelings of hers, as he turned his eyes to hers and smiled mischievously at her.
"My, Elysia, are you jealous?"
"Why do women have such an extraordinary instinct for these things? And why does my instinct only tell me when something will kill me? she wondered herself, even as she muttered denial.
♦ ♦ ♦
Frey looked down as they entered the tavern. In one hand he held something rolled up into a tube, and he tossed it to Elysia.
"Catch it," he said.
Elysia caught it in the air and recognized what it was. The parchment had the same rough texture as the message they had received the previous time warning them of the ratfolk attack on the Faculty of Alchemy. She hastily unrolled it and was not surprised to see that he was infested with young rabbits and that the newsroom was semi-literate.
Friends…
…your city, may the Great Rat God devour its innards for it. I don't know where or how they plan to do it. I can only tell you to be careful of the Cauldron of the Thousand Plagues.
Your good friend and neighbor.
"They brought it while you were away," Frey explained.
"The same messenger?"
"No, another beggar. He told me that a priest had given it to him."
"And did you believe him?"
"I saw no reason not to believe him. I had him show me the place where he met that priest, and it was near the place where the previous message was delivered."
"Do you think we should investigate the sewers in that area?"
"What are you talking about, Elysia?" Elissa wanted to know.
"Of the ratfolks," Frey replied nonchalantly, and the girl's countenance paled.
"You're not going to talk about those creatures that attacked the inn the other night, are you?"
"Of those same."
"What do they have to do with you and Elysia?"
"I don't know, lass. I wish I know! It sounds like we've been drawn into the issues they're having between the various factions."
"I wish you hadn't told me!"
"I wish you hadn't told him that!" Elysia said.
"Do you think they will attack the Stinky Pig again?" Elissa inquired as she glanced at the doors and windows as if she expected an attack at any moment.
"I doubt it," Frey replied. "And if they do, we'll kill them again."
Elissa sat in a chair near the dark hero, and he cocked his head and smiled at her.
"Don't worry, girl. No one will hurt you."
Frey wasn't usually what Elysia would have classified as a reassuring image, but her words seemed to calm Elissa down.
"Do you think the ratfolks might have something to do with this new plague?" Elysia whispered, hoping no one would overhear.
"Our mousey friend would love us to think so."
"In that case, why hasn't he told us more about it?"
"Maybe he doesn't even know anymore. Because what you say?"
"Your little friend, Niccolev, said something about rats and that we should be careful, does she have something to do with ratfolks?"
"That is an unsubstantiated statement, Niccolev is in town to help."
Elysia noticed that Frey was abnormally defensive, something extremely rare for him. She knew it, there was something more to Niccolev.
♦ ♦ ♦
Dhalthar stared at his scrying crystal. He was of no use. He had no luck locating the Plague priests and the cursed cauldron of his. A Magician with his abilities should have easily detected an artifact of such powers. But he had found no trace of the cauldron or the bearers of it anywhere. To Dhalthar's keen mind, that suggested that the priests were using his magic to cover up the clues. He knew Felbroth was a powerful cleric in his own right, and that he must have cast deflecting charms, further proof of his treacherous intentions, if any were needed!
Of course, the traitor would say that he had used magic to avoid detection by human authorities, but Dhalthar could see through tricks as transparent as these; He was already a few years old! The Plague priests were simply trying to stay hidden from their rightful boss, until they could put the plan into action and claim unwarranted glory.
Dhalthar knew that he had to prevent that from happening at all costs, as well as make them comply with the Council's edict, of course. He just had to find another way to locate his prey. He wondered if the big male and his accompanying female had already taken action. Or were they too stupid to do anything without Dhalthar telling them what?
♦ ♦ ♦
Elysia walked briskly through the darkness, her cloak wrapped around her body. She paused to glance over her shoulder and touched the herbal pomegranate dangling near her throat. The stench of recent excrement that had been thrown from one of her upper windows assaulted her nostrils. She was as afraid of stepping on it as she was of tripping over one of the rotting piles of garbage in the street.
"Why aren't all the houses connected to the sewers?" she wondered herself. Why did people continue to insist on throwing their garbage and excrement on the street? She realized that her long journey through wilderness in the company of Frey had changed her. Before that, she had been a lifelong urbanite and she had never even noticed the trash that littered the city streets. She stopped for a moment to listen.
What was that distant echo of footsteps? Were they following her? She strained her ears for noise, but she heard nothing.
Her silence did not reassure her. She was in the wealthiest section of Bergheim, and the rich didn't leave her house without a whole contingent of personal guards. Thieves and highwaymen were everywhere. What troubled Elysia was not the prospect of a run-of-the-mill robbery like the ones that happened every day. Ever since the night of the ratfolk attack, she had feared another ambush by the wererats. She was sure that she had survived the last round by sheer luck, and she knew full well how quickly she could turn a person's fortune around.
Despite everything, she thought that the potential seriousness of the situation justified risking walking those dark streets. She needed help, and she knew only one source that could provide the kind of help she needed. The door she was looking for was right in front of her.
Niccolev di L'Orme was an expert on disease, and perhaps she could tell him something useful, if it was true that the ratfolks were behind this outbreak of plague. She knew that the woman would most likely think her crazy, but she was willing to take that risk. She found herself on unfamiliar ground, faced with an enemy who could handle noxious epidemics as a man handles a sword. What she needed from her was her knowledge, and Niccolev had given her the impression that she was the woman who could provide it.
She reached out and pulled the knob that operated the doorbell. She realized that she was in the shape of a grinning gargoyle head. Although not unusual in itself, in this place and in the middle of the night and the fog it was unsettling. She heard footsteps inside the building, and with a creak, a peephole opened, letting light spill out into Elysia's eyes.
"Who?" a voice asked, she was probably a hired servant of Dr. Niccolev.
"Elysia. I need to see Dr. L'Orme."
"Is an emergency?"
"Yes!" Elysia replied, after considering the question for a moment.
"Move away from the door. I warn you that I have a duty to defend the doctor."
The cat girl did as she was told. She heard huge latches being pulled back. It was obvious that the doctor was taking no chances as far as her own safety was concerned, and the cat girl didn't hold it against her in the slightest. Such precautions were only sensible in big cities.
"Push your cloak back and stand where I can see you."
Elysia complied, the beam of a flashlight hitting her square in the face. At that moment, the tail of her tensed and her fur stood on end, it seemed that the servant who was watching her was a formidable warrior, because she exuded an aura that only a veteran can have.
Although at first glance it was impossible to know if this was true or simply a trick of her mind, since the maiden was a young girl of perhaps 18 years old, her body was thin, short and delicate, she was dressed in a curious servant uniform that consisted of in a long-sleeved dress with a short black skirt and a white apron, along with black slippers and thigh-high stockings, white silk gloves were on her hands, and a curious lace-patterned cap was on his head.
Elysia knew, if she and the servant had to face each other, maybe she could hopefully win, even though she subconsciously knew that she would most likely lose.
"Sorry for the delay Miss Elysia." the servant apologized. "I must be careful with the safety of the doctor."
"I very much agree" replied the cat girl. "Now please take me to the doctor. I have urgent matters to discuss with her."