Emperor Night

"Captain Garth!" Zigarete burst through the opening of the customs tent, fury burning in her eyes. She had heard the reports about the Captain's recent indiscretions. Reports straight from an Inquisition spy she had placed within the Cliffside guard. Zigarete was going to put an end to the guard's corrupt misconduct and punish everyone involved. After all, they may have just let a dangerous criminal loose into the Empire. A criminal who had thoroughly humiliated her and stole her precious Spear of Narcese.

Despite losing her most valuable weapon, Zigarete had not come to confront Captain Garth unarmed. She had retrieved a finely crafted metal spear from the Imperial Armoury. It was nowhere near as powerful as the Spear of Narcese but it was still a masterpiece. The royal blacksmiths who crafted it were the best in the land and Zigarete was more than capable of wielding their creation with deadly force and efficiency and if things didn't go well, in the next few minutes, she might have to.

"Grand Inquistor Silverspear, what a lovely surprise." Captain Garth said in a tone which indicated that it was anything but. "Why have you graced us with your presence today?" The balding captain raised his eyes from the parchment he had been busily working on and stood up from his uncomfortable wooden chair.

"Cut the crap Captain. You know exactly why I am here." Zigarete said coldly. She didn't have time for the game that Captain Garth wanted to play. If she didn't get results soon Zigarete would be screwed and she didn't fancy the idea of ending up as some monstrous brute's plaything.

The Captain raised both of his hands defensively. "Now, now, I have no idea what you are talking about." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Zigarete wasn't sure if this was out of habit or if he was making an ill attempt to threaten her but she wasn't taking any chances; she kept her spear at the ready. The two guards in the back of the room, who had stood by idly observing, moved forward. Everyone was on the edge of a knife and it wasn't going to take much for someone to get cut.

"I know about your recent transgressions Captain. You have been purposefully overlooking the checks I ordered to be done in return for s.e.x.u.a.l favours." Zigarete banged the bottom of her spear against the floor. "And now you may have just let an extremely dangerous Sorcerer escape Cliffside. I suggest you start cooperating quickly and completely, or don't, it's your choice. We just got a new stretcher delivered to the dungeon yesterday which I have been dying to test out." The words chilled the air and zapped the Captain of his guile.

"Ah shit. That little bastard was a Sorcerer?" The Captain exclaimed. He knew Zigarete's threats weren't empty. The last guard to interfere with a Sorcerer investigation died after three days of pain-filled interrogation.

"What little bastard?" Zigarete pressed.

"A young guy and his Ashborn servant came through awhile ago. Claimed he was a merchant from across the Burning Sea. His servant girl said some cren-shit about his religion stopping him from undressing or something. I knew he was hiding something, but I suspected he was just smuggling out some blackmarket gog-root under his cloak." The Captain sat back down at his desk. "It had been a long day and I wasn't keen on filling out all the repossession paperwork, so we decided to have a bit of fun with his servant instead. Freaky girl that one." The Captain scratched his head. "They were the only ones who we let through without a full search recently. Your person on the inside must be good if they picked up on us that quickly."

She was. But Zigarete wasn't about to confirm her existence to the Captain Garth, as forthcoming as he was being, she still didn't trust him in the slightest. Zigarete's disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e was evident on her face. She stared at the three men in front of her with a quiet rage as she determined what her next course of action would be. She couldn't just let that Sorcerer escape.

"How long ago did this happen?" Zigarete asked. If it was only a few hours ago then she would be in a much better position to track him down. If not, she might need a bit of extra help from someone she really didn't want to see again.

"It happened pretty late yesterday afternoon." The Captain replied.

"Well congratulations Captain Garth." Zigarete said after a moment, contempt filling her voice. "You and your men's d.i.c.ks have just volunteered you for an extended expedition outside of Cliffside's borders." Captain Garth began to speak but was interrupted. "Don't worry, in your absence, your oh-so-vital position will be well looked after by one of your subordinates. You got us into this position Captain, and you are going to get us out of it." Captain Garth tried to speak again but Zigarete continued to talk over the top of him. "You have until sundown to gather a dozen men suitable to join us on our noble mission. We will catch them Captain, or else." Zigarete didn't need to explain to Garth what 'or else' meant, he had a pretty good idea.

"Yes Grand Inquisitor." Garth stumbled over his words. The Captain had plenty of objections to raise but none of them were getting him out of this predicament, he was going to have to take his lumps. He looked over to the two other men in the room and started to shout orders. "Go gather first patrol and tell them to gear up, also the two that were on customs with me yesterday, Borris and Sten." If Garth was going to be punished, his two accomplices that had enjoyed the Ashborn yesterday would too.

Without word Zigarete left the customs tent and headed towards the Inquisition headquarters. There was one more person she would need if she had any hope of catching the fleeing Sorcerer. A man that she loathed with every ounce of her being, even more so than traitors and criminals. A man that was so vile that tales of his ruthlessness made the Emperor himself offer him a job in person. She needed her ex-lover. She needed the Tracker.