made the protective mark across his chest at the mention of the evil goddess’s name.
“Why were we unable to detect them?” asked Jonas.
“We have the power to detect evil, Jonas, but there are many different shades of darkness, as there is of goodness. Is a man who steals bread to feed his family evil?”
“Of course not,” Jonas said.
“But it can be a start. That is how Naz-reen slowly molds her followers. She takes ordinary men, men who might be good but grow up in situations of her making, situations that test their resolve. She slowly shapes them into the criminals and assassins that you see before you. We didn’t detect them because they were not truly evil, at least not yet. There is definitely a gray area when it comes to detecting evil, and these men fell into that area. They wore no symbols, which would have given them away to us. I do not know exactly, Jonas, but I have learned over the years to always be prepared, as we are not invincible to our enemies. We would have detected a true follower of Naz-reen, like the one you fought outside of Finarth, because they would have had all that is good hammered out of them, until all that remained was a black corrupt shell. These men were forced to do her bidding, maybe even blackmailed, but they had not yet been fully corrupted. They were her lackeys. It is quite sad really.”
“They were weak men. I would rather have died than to have succumbed to her powers,” said Kiln.
“Still no gray area? Black and white, eh?”
Kiln caught her tone and looked at her briefly, his face showing no emotion, before returning his gaze to Dagmar. It was a rhetorical question and he didn’t bother answering it.
“Captain, we are leaving the city in the morning. Please station several guards here tonight in case we are attacked again,” Kiln ordered.
The captain did not hesitate. “Yes sir. I will place my six best men here.”
Dagmar turned to issue his orders just as Bomm approached them from the counter. He was carrying an old crossbow in his hand and he looked worried. “Cavaliers, General, I am sorry about this attack. I have never had something like this happen in my establishment.” Bomm set the crossbow on the table.
“It is not your fault, Bomm, we have had the misfortune of being hunted for awhile now, and I believe it will continue. I’m sorry that it happened in your fine inn,” Jonas replied sincerely.
“Thank you, sir. Rest assured that I got one of the assassins as he tried to flee.” Bomm smiled, tapping his crossbow.
“You got the third crossbowman?” asked Jonas.
“I did. He tried to run out the door and I shot him from behind the bar.”
They all looked toward the door and, sure enough, several of the night guards were trying to remove a dark cloaked man with a feathered shaft buried in his back.
“Good work, Bomm,” added Kiln.
Bomm smiled, lifting up his crossbow again. “I fought one term in the Annurien Legion many years ago. I guess I didn’t forget everything that I learned. Don’t worry about a thing. Go to your rooms and get some sleep. I will take care of everything down here. I will make sure that you are awakened before sunrise and that you get a good warm meal in the morning. I will also pack you some food for your journey.”
“That is good of you, Bomm. Your generosity is much appreciated,” Taleen said.
“It is you who are appreciated. We need you now more than anything.” Bomm bowed as if royalty stood before him. “Now, I have much work to do to get this cleaned up, so if you will excuse me.” Bomm turned and immediately began issuing orders to his staff. They were standing around dumfounded looking at the guards, the cavaliers, and corpses that littered the blood splattered floor.
Jonas looked at Taleen with concern. “Time to get that bolt out.”
Taleen grimaced, smiling awkwardly. “I was hoping you would forget.”
“What do I do first?” asked Jonas, knowing that she was joking. Jonas had heard that pulling a bolt or arrow from your flesh was extremely painful, and he did not relish performing the task on Taleen anymore than she did.
Taleen sat down on a chair. “First you pull the shaft out. Then you heal me as you did Kiln. And please do it fast.”
“I will pull the shaft as Jonas heals,” Kiln said, moving towards her. “It