The rest of the day Hellrien spent laying around in her tent, blowing pipe-weed smoke towards the roof. She cursed her own stupidity and wished things could have developed differently. She should have been smarter.
Smarter, how?
She swore to herself and allowed the pipe go out. She pondered her options. It was unlikely Tripper would let bygones be bygones. There was a good chance he would send somebody to this camp to finish where the guard in Tham Varan had failed. Hellrien decided to leave the camp before nightfall. Somebody in the camp had connections with the tomb-robbers for sure. She could get protection from the Rangers if she went to their camp and told them that Ranesora had sent her here on his behalf, but she didn't like that option. If she went to the Ranger camp the tomb-robbers would come to the conclusion that the Rangers were on to them, and evacuate Tham Varan. She had to think of another way.
She packed her things and sneaked out of the camp. She wandered around the small grove behind Tinnudir Keep until darkness came. She climbed the steep cliff behind the Keep and found a sheltered hiding place in a corner between the rock and a roof of one of the Keep's wings. Nobody would come looking her from there. Hellrien sat down, leaning her back to a wall of the Keep. She lit her pipe and decided to rest there until the next day. If the residents of Tham Varan sent somebody to the camp, they would very likely come to the conclusion that she had left Tinnudir in a hurry.
Hellrien had to suffer hunger and thirst for the night and the following day. When her bottle of brandy was empty, she cursed, lit her pipe again and sat in her hole staring at the sky through her narrow vantage.
Finally darkness came. She cleaned up her swords and got up. Once she had climbed down the cliff side she immediately slid into the darkness of the grove. She sneaked around like a cat until she got a sight of the stable. With five silver coins she got herself a dark brown stallion with a shapely head and slender feet. She saddled the horse and rode towards east.
She had decided to make a nightly visit in Tham Varan.
She tied her horse up in a shrubbery about half a mile away from a path leading up to the estate looming behind a group of mighty pine trees. The main gate was heavily guarded so she stepped off the path and started circling around the estate, looking for an entrance. She had to go all the way to the east side and then north before she found a spot where the wall had crumbled down to allow passage to the courtyard. Hellrien sneaked inside, worried about guards. It was pitch black between the trees. Some lights from windows shone like stars from among the trees. She began sneaking from between the shrubs and trees. When she got around to the courtyard she noticed the huge pool dominating it. It was at least a hundred yards long.
It was too open by the pool. To her right - by one of the wing structures of the estate - she could see dark shreds. Shrubs. She followed the fringe of the pool until she reached the shrubs and trees bordering the wall. She settled down on her stomach and started crawling. Small stones beneath her made almost no sounds. She remained in the shadows of the trees and shrubberies, trying to dodge small puddles of water. Now she could see lights in numerous windows. She raised her head and cast a glance around her. She was close to a wing building. Part of the building protruded out of the wing. A big pine grew quite close to the corner, sturdy and thick.
She gazed upwards, following the direction of the tree trunk. It reached all the way to the roof and beyond. Then she spotted something gleaming on the left side of the tree. She stared at it until her eyes began smarting. It was an open window!
Hellrien moved a little to the left. She was right. The second-story window next to the tree was open. She glanced at the pine again. Yes - it was possible. Up along the tree trunk, hand on the batten, foot on the ledge and over to the window. And then? Time would tell.
Hellrien crawled over next to the shrubs, right below the window. She upheld herself against the tree and was about to start climbing.
Then she heard voices.
Silently she crouched back to the cover of the shrubs.
”... this side...”
”... alright... dangerous... Tripper says...”
Only fragments of the conversation reached her ears. Probably guards, Hellrien presumed. Making their night shift rounds. She pushed her hands inside the shrub. Could she press herself inside the leafy bush? She inhaled and pressed herself tightly against it. It helped. She stood facing the wall, covered by the bush.
The voices came closer.
”... every hour.”
”One more time around the yards and the pool.”
”This is a waste of time. Grega said she left the camp in a hurry.”
Ah-ha! Hellrien thought.
The guards walked past the corner and stopped. Hellrien had to strugge to be able to stay still without breathing. She felt like gasping for air. Branches were pressing her back.
”Tripper got scared”, somebody said so clearly it startled Hellrien. She realized he had to be standing by the corner - barely six feet from her.
A leaf started itching her nose. She puckered her nose to make it stop.
”I would have too”, the second voice said. ”She killed Rik. And Karl said he never saw she was carrying two swords under her cloak.”
Just how long were those guys going to stand there chatting away, Hellrien wondered. Her nose was itching so badly it brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't help it: she was going to sneeze for sure!
She heard a scratching sound. A match flared up. Pipe-weed smoke floated towards her. As soon as she got the smoke in her nostrils the itch disappeared as if by magic.
It was an enormous relief. She could stand there a whole week now!
That's when the first ant stung her in the neck.
”It will not be easy for Tripper to explain this.”
”You bet. Ernil has never liked loose ends.”
Ernil!
In that instant Hellrien forgot all about the ants squirming under her shirt. She heard footsteps walking away. Finally she could move freely. She shook the ants away. Everything was quiet again.
'Every hour', the guard had said. She had plenty of time. She didn't want to waste it standing around though, so she began climbing the tree. It was fairly difficult as the trunk was wide and had no branches this low. But the second-story window wasn't all that high either.
Finally she was high enough so she could put her feet on the narrow strip below the window. She stretched her left hand towards the batten and pushed with her left foot carefully. The strip was very narrow - only her fingertips could latch onto it. The same with the strip under her feet. The fall would likely not injure her too badly, but it would make quite a thump and certainly alert the guards.
Slowly she started inching towards the window. Her fingers and shoulders ached like hell. Her left foot was grasping for support on the windowsill - and found it. Finally she could rest her trembling muscles. Another foot! Her grip from the strip loosened and she almost fell back, but her grasping hand managed to latch onto the window and she pushed herself inside, sitting on the sill, trying to steady her breath. Leaning her head and shoulders forward into the dark room she suddenly smelled a peculiar scent.
Perfume!
She sat completely still, breathing in the scent of a perfume. Valar - was she in some woman's bedroom? She almost chuckled to herself - until she realized the situation she was in. What if the woman woke up and started screaming? The guards would skewer her. Taking the woman as hostage would only give her a temporary cover. Sooner or later they would get her.
She would have to kill the woman if she came to... no, that would be too awful. She would simply cut her blood-loss to the brain with a choke hold, she would be unconscious in ten seconds. It was a technique they had taught her in the Stronghold.
She slipped into the room. There was a soft rug covering the floor. Thank the Valar, she thought as she dropped down on all fours, listening. She could hear the sleeper breathing. A moment later her eyes started adjusting to the darkness. She could discern a wide bed in front of her. There was a night table next to the bed. Some pieces of clothing had been hung on a chair with a high back. To the right there was a dressing table with mirrors. She could just barely discern the outlines of the cans and bottles on the table. She awaited until her breathing had calmed; then she stood up and listened again.
The woman was breathing steadily, calmly.
Hellrien wondered what she looked like. Curiosity got the better of her. She came up with a good excuse too: she had to see how the woman was positioned in order to take her into a choke hold. She hunched down and went over to the table. She stared at her head and shoulders for a long while. She couldn't see the sleeper's face in the dark, but the curve of the shoulder and upper arm told her it was a relatively young female of the race of men.
She turned away. She could see the contours. She sneaked around the bed and groped for the door handle. She bit her lip and pressed it down. The handle turned soundlessly. She pressed her shoulder carefully against the door. A breath of warm air told her it was open. Quickly she peaked out of the door chink. She saw a darkly lit corridor on both sides. A couple of torches cast flickering shadows onto floor curtains made of striped silk. A line of paintings in heavy frames was hanging on the walls. Stern-looking men in ancient Arnorian heavy armor stared at her, grand and noble. Hellrien sneaked into the corridor and closed the door behind her carefully. She memorized the location of the torches in case she would have to return the same route and started walking quickly along the corridor towards an open hall she could see looming farther ahead. The stairs downstairs had to be there, she reckoned.
She drew her swords. Cold steel reassured her. But her nerves were shaking. It was more than possible she had found Ernil's headquarters.
