Not long after Amberlee left the River Rat's common room, I found myself in one of the back rooms sitting in a metal basin half-filled with water. My legs were stretched nearly in full with only the slightest bend in my knees. Nearby a small fire burned. Its flames lapped at the round pot hanging from metal pegs in the fireplace. Water was boiling inside and steam poured up the chimney flue. A gray-haired woman was laboring nearby. Hoisting water up from the Tarkin River below, the old woman groaned as she pulled the heavy bucket through the trapdoor. Upon seeing the water boiling, she hobbled across the floor, with bucket in tow, and scooped a pitcher-full of water from the pot. "Water cold yet, sir?" she asked as she approached. I nodded my head. I was submerged in several inches of chilled water. "Here you go then." She poured the pitcher into the tub by my feet. Immediately I felt tingling in my legs and the feeling inched its way up my body. My muscles melted in the warmth. It was soothing and scalding. Turning away, the old woman grumbled something to herself as she filled the pitcher again, emptied the bucket into the chimney pot, and then closed the trap door. "I'll leave a full pitcher by the tub, sir, with some linens," she said as she placed the steaming pitcher within my reach. "When you're done leave everything alone. I'll take care of things. No need to thank me with words, sir, coins will do nicely." She closed the door behind her when she left. The shouting and laughter from the adjoining common room was muffled but not silenced. It had been nearly three weeks since I had felt so relaxed and refreshed. The last time was during a short stay in Dumsferry, a small town located on a swampy river flowing through the Southland. Dumsferry straddled the river. The town's two halves were built from thatched houses, flowering gardens, and dirt roads. A wooden bridge spanned the waterway, connecting the town. Dumsferry wasn't marked on any maps. Only a couple barge captains who traveled the river and a handful of travelers knew its location. I was among the few. I stayed in Dumsferry, at the Hogshead Inn, for a few days before entering the Blood Marshes. That was the last time I had slept in a real bed. Since then I had been wading through the moors and sleeping on grassy hammocks, which jutted up like islands in the fetid marshes. My skin was wrinkled and the warmth had faded when I decided it was time to dress. I tossed my old clothes in the fireplace and pulled on some new garments that I had purchased from the innkeeper; the shirt was tight and the faded trousers were torn at the knees. But, they were clean. As I dressed, I heard muffled voices from just beyond the door and I crept forward and put my ear to the wood. "I hope she leaves soon," the man's voice whispered. "I don't like it when she's here." "Me neither." The voice that responded was familiar and I recognized it as one of the barmaids. "Every time she's here she's talking with river-folk and northlanders." "I hear that she's working for the guild." There was a sharp gasp. "So, I've been watching her." "Oh, I'm sure you have," the woman grumbled. "You and every other man in the bar." There was a hint of anger in her voice. "Perhaps it would be better if you kept your eyes to yourself. No telling what she'll do if she thinks you're spying." "Jealous, woman?" "Of her? Rubbish. I'm just worried for your health that's all. Guild thieves have a habit of killing out of spite. At least, that's what I hear." There was a pause. "I better get back to work before Mister Bullwin finds me gossiping with the likes of you." And, with that there was silence. I waited several minutes before I emerged from the backroom. Both the barmaid and her friend were gone. I walked to the front desk and found the innkeeper there, bent over his ledger scribbling notations. "I would like to settle my tab," I said. The fat-man raised a stubby finger as he wrote in his book. When he had finished, he looked up at me with his wide, empty smile and brushed his hair tuft across his balding head. "Excellent," he said. "I see those clothes are a fine fit." There was a noticeable smirk to his words. "I hope everything was in order." "It was. But, there's a change in plans. I'm leaving in the morning." "But Mister Barkorcghasse, I thought you were staying two more nights?" "Yes, well, something came up." I tossed a few coins on the counter. "This should cover everything." "It does indeed." His chubby fingers slid each coin into the pouch as he counted. "Will you be wanting breakfast in the morning?" I threw down another coin and he smiled. "I'll just add that to the book." His quill scratched another mark. "Well, Mister Barkorcghasse, it has been a pleasure to serve you. I do hope you'll return to the River Rat again." "You run a fine place here," I said. "By the way, can you tell me what room Miss Amberlee is staying in?" Amberlee had forgotten to give me her room number. Or, more than likely, she had forgotten on purpose. His eyes scanned the registry. "She's in room 16." I could tell he wanted to say something more but he stopped, smiled, and went back to his work. Amberlee answered the door after I rapped a few times. She was wearing a thin, cotton top that was cut low and a pair of trousers that held tightly to the curves of her legs. A smile broke across her face as she admired my new clothes. "Well, at least you don't smell foul," she laughed. "Come in, Ghasse. I've been waiting for you." I walked in and took a seat on a narrow couch. Her room was larger than mine. Almost double in size. A wide bed sat near a shuttered window. The slats were open to display a star-filled sky glittering over the tops of pines. Beside the bed was a dresser and nightstand. A table sat in the center of the room surrounded with three chairs. Upon it sat candelabra, holding a dozen candles that illuminated the room. Amberlee slid the candlestick to the side and sat on the table. Her long legs swung back and forth. She was leaning forward slightly, giving me a good view. "So, Ghasse, how was your bath?" "Felt good to wash the muck away." I ran a hand through my hair. It was still damp. "But, let's not dally. What did you want to show me?" "That's the Ghasse I know and love. Always getting down to business." She hopped down from the table and walked over to the dresser. I watched her move across the room. The candlelight washed over her body and highlighted her hair with crimson streaks. She bent over and opened the bottom drawer. "This is what I wanted you to see." She looked back at me with a smile. "I've seen that before." She removed something from the drawer. "Well, you haven't seen this." She moved back to the table and put a faded parchment down beside the candles. It was a map of some sort. I moved closer to get a better look and Amberlee stood close beside me. I studied the lines. There were dozens of shapes and symbols, as well as notes scribbled in the margins. After several minutes I realized what I was looking at. "This is a map of Vonner Keep." There was puzzlement in my voice. "And a schematic of its guard rotations." "You always could read a map." "What does this have to do with our business?" She looked at me. Her eyes were only a few inches from mine. They were deep green and sparkled in the candlelight. "Vonner Keep is our business. We're going there to steal something valuable." I stepped back in disbelief. "Don't worry Ghasse, I have everything under control. This is going to be easy." "Does T'liern know what you're planning?" I took a seat on the couch and she sat down beside me. "No. I wanted to tell you first. Why?" "Well, maybe he'll think this is suicidal." I know I did. "Maybe he'll back out. Or, worse yet, tell someone what you're planning." "He won't do that," she said with a smile. "Trust me." "Not good enough." "Well, it has to be." There was an edge in her voice. "Look, we've done worse, Ghasse. If I didn't think we could do it, I wouldn't have taken the job." "I know Vonner Keep, Amberlee. I've been there, remember? I know what it's like. It's a stone vault." I paused for a moment to glance at the map. The detail was quite amazing. "Tell me this. How do you plan to get to the island keep undetected? What's your plan for getting past the mercenary guards? Once we have this valuable object, how do you plan to escape? Vonner Keep isn't overseen by a fat merchant or lazy duke, Amberlee. Castigere is an adroit steward. He'll have every entrance guarded." She waved her hand in a flippant motion. "Look, this isn't impossible." "You think we're going to stroll into the castle and steal this valuable thing without any problems?" "No, I didn't say that," she growled, "but we have a trump card." "We need more than a clever trick. We need a bloody miracle." Her smile reminded me of the cat that just ate the mouse. "How about a wizard?" Back to Table of Contents -- Barkorcghasse Chronicles Back to Barkorcghasse Chronicles List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Basement Games Unlimited, LLC. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com