"Thanks for the food", Rotemdol tells Banjo, "Got to go start working with my new apprentice. Plan to start with juggling and basic balance exercises. What say you? want to tag along?".
"Sure", Banjo replies, "Where are you going to do this? The Temple?"
There is enough space within the temple grounds for this sort of exercise; the priestesses would take a dim view of throwing knives around, but juggling balls are relatively harmless. The practice session goes fairly well; Lulmyra is a quick learner.
As dusk falls and Rotemdol prepares to leave, he spots Kluranyr the Knight, Tanala's paramour entering. From asking a few discreet questions Rotemdol discovers Tanala is to leave the temple tonight, and Kluranyr is going to escort her to the Tower of the Academy of the Mind. She's able to walk, and the most likely route is the direct one up the two flights of steps just before Waterfall Bridge.
After saying good night to Lulmyra and to Banjo Rotemdol makes his way to the narrow street of stone steps leading steeply up from Waterfall Bridge. At the top of the steep stairway stands a somewhat crumbling building, with stone lower part and timber upper floors. It looks to be a residence rather than a business; there's a dim light glowing from an upper floor window.
To get to a good vantage point on the roof without being seen by the occupant of the lighted room, Rotemdol makes his way a few buildings along the upper level street until he finds a substantial stone building that looks dark and deserted. After waiting for the a City Guard patrol to pass out of sight, he climbs to roof level with the aid of a rope. He coils up the rope and makes his way back to original building at the head of the steps. The way back at roof level is awkward, with several loose tiles on one, and a slippery expanse of those black panels made by the Karazthan that soak up sunlight during the day to provide lighting during the night on another. To make matters worse, he has to hide behind a chimney for several nerve-wracking minutes while a Legion patrol passes on the city wall above him.
Eventually he reaches his chosen vantage point; from here he's actually got a panoramic view of much of the city. The one drawback is the proximity to the city wall; but by positioning himself with his back to a brick chimney he's pretty much concealed from view. He's got a clear shot down the steep street up which he expects his target to pass.
All he has to do now is wait.
The wait is so long that Rotemdol begins to think his information is false, or that she might have passed through before he arrived on the scene. But then a group of kandar appear, three men and a woman. He recognises one of the men as the knight Kluranyr, he's leading the woman, who's not too steady on her feet. She wears a hood covering her head and concealing her face in shadow, but it can only be Tanala. The two other men are also armed with swords; they don't look like knights.
One head shot. That's all it will take.
Taking time to aim as she ascends the steps, he lets loose the bolt just as she reaches the top of the first flight of steps. The bolt strikes it's intended target.
Tanala drops to the ground.
The psychic scream knocks Rotemdol back against the chimney as if he'd been struck by a physical force. He struggles to maintain his balance, and somehow manages both to keep hold of the crossbow, and to avoid losing his footing. In the street below Kluranyr kneels over the fallen Tanala, while the other two stagger stunned, holding their heads.
Rotemdol knows he is less sensitive then others. He assumes that if the psychic scream knocked him back then probably the entire city felt it and reinforcement will come soon...
Anyway he keeps to the plan. He takes aim with the second crossbow and shoots at Kluranyr. This should serve two purposes: hopefully they will think two people where at the ambush and look for two people and it will keep this party busy.
The bolt hits home, and the knight goes down, slumped over the body of his dead lover. Joined in death?
Rotemdol then quietly goes back to his rope and down to the street. Before going down Rotemdol hides the crossbows by dropping the bag they are in into a chimney, tying it with a rope. There's no place where he can tie the rope where it will be totally invisible, since the builders had neglected to install a convenient hook or nail on the inside of the chimney. Rotemdol does not have much time to spend on it, so he makes it as inconspicious as he can.
Down at street level, Rotemdol neatly steps into the shadows as he meets a City Guard patrol running towards him down the street; presumably they're heading for the scene of the crime. The run past him, not noticing his presence. With the ropes concealed en-route in a pile of garbage, he eventually makes it back to the Dragon.
There's an air of tension in the Tavern; although it's full of people, there's no buzz of conversation. The troupe of musicians aren't currently playing, but are one the stage. It seems that the psychic scream has reached even here.
Banjo sees Rotemdol enter, and approaches him.
"What the hell was that?", he asks
"No clue", Rotemdol replies, "I heard this scream in my head, sounded like a monster or something and I was ... Well you know how mad I get when them reamers annoy me". Rotemdol smiles bashfully. "I ran around looking to see if anyone is pulling my leg but then I saw other people heard it too. Guard were running toward the Academy of the mind. I guess maybe some experiment gone wrong".
Rotemdol looks at Banjo "any rumors? Do you think I should go check on the kids?"
"Not much", Banjo replies. "Old Arjo says it's like when a wizard dies by violence. It's like their blood being spilled, 'cept it's in mindspace. It's the bit in their minds that makes them wizards spreading out".
"They've summoned another monster", says a white haired old man. "Just like the time a few weeks back. It attacked the machine people, all teeth and tentacles. Poking in things the kandar shouldn't be poking".
"In my trial, five years ago, they said that on Zughrusu in the month of Vaslar in Panark I killed three wizards", Rotemdol tells Banjo quietly, "Turned out I really did kill them, and the bodyguards, but I got out as they were interfering with my mind and more important with Legion business. I don't remember much from that time but I am certain that this would have ringed a bell. Do you remember if something like that happened then?".
"Remember", Banjo whispers, "I wasn't actually there. I didn't see what happened. Nobody did, there were no witnesses. Are you sure you really *did* kill them all yourself? Or did somebody else kill them and try to pin the blame on you? The story I heard told that the forensic wizard found no trace of your aura on the knife".
Rotemdol approaches Ayras Ni, the man responsible for booking acts in the tavern, and asks them if they should not get the band playing again.
"Music is good at a time like this", Rotemdol says.
"They suddenly stopped in the middle of a song", Ayras replies, "And everyone felt as if they'd seen a ghost". He pauses. "You seem worst of the lot; looks like something's really scared you. You could do with a drink, if you ask me. Have one on the house".
Thanks Rotemdol replies smilingly "I think I will".
As Ayras wanders over to the band, Rotemdol picks two drinks and goes back to Banjo
Ayras wanders over to the band, and persuades the singers and musicians, who are still standing around looking dazed, to start up again. They're reluctant at first, but one the singers, a big round woman, starts singing in a high, clear voice. The other singers and the percussionists join in.
The song is eerily haunting, and fits the mood of the evening. It's the story of a brave warrior lamenting the death of his lover, before dying from the wounds he suffered in trying to defend her, and the pair finally reuniting in the next life.
Rotemdol comes back with the drinks and sits down. He sits quietly for a time, appreciating the song and nursing his drink. When the mood changes and people start talking he turns to Banjo.
"You know, I have been thinking about it for a long time. Nobody was completely sure I did it. The fact that there was no trace on the knife was actually held against me as it was established that I do not leave traces. They said it had to do with the shock. What was more in my favour was that even they though it was conceivable I could kill all six of them with my Nirvork".
Rotemdol points at the fancy Nirvork at his side. "My weapon of choice, it was not drawn and a knife was used. Shuranir, my commander, was very eloquent in my defence saying that I do not know how to use a knife well and I certainly would use a Nirvork, he said it is like an extension of my hand and that anyone with my great skill reverts to his most proficient weapon"
Rotemdol halts collecting his thought and then continues. "Since that day I seem to have lost my mastery of the Nirvork, and you were commenting that I am a born knife fighter... Some people in the Legion have been commenting that I am better with the knife then I ever was with the Nirvork, while I know its thanks to you, I am fairly sure they think I was already a master. As for myself, I don't know but the evidence seems to be pointing my way so I guess it is conceivable. I just thought that this night would have reminded me something but maybe it is better this way".
"Or perhaps you're just weird", Banjo says, "Fighting with a sword is quite unlike fighting with a knife. It's when you tell me things like that I realise just how little I really know you".
He takes a sip from his own drink.
"I heard a story once", Banjo says, "About a wizard that could swap minds with other people, or even swap two other people's minds over. Maybe someone did that to you?"
"By the way," Rotemdol adds "They have a different definition of a Master. I have never shown them nearly how good I am. It is as if compared to you they are all amateur's"
"I know how good you are", Banjo says, "But the Legion doesn't really need masters; they want lots of soldiers who know the basics; keep in formation, obey orders, just enough bladework to dispatch a vordral or stab a zughru in the back. The battlefield isn't a place to show off mastery of technique, is it?".
" I am sure you are right" Rotemdol replies. " But you know it is the same with the knights. Anyway, I have become more and more aware lately of how priviliged I am to have you as a teacher. That's why I took an apprentice. I feel that this knowledge should not vanish when we are no longer able to use it"