Chapter 12: Peril under Parrot Island, Part 3

By the time we reconvened on the evening of the second day of our search, my efforts were fruitless. Even with the help of my magic, I couldn't find anyone who even recognized Vanthus's name. Kala and Liona were equally unsuccessful. Snickers, however, had a lead.

"He seen in Shadowshore," said the kobold. "He meet with human named Penkus. Human Penkus known as smuggler, often binge drink, very angry, not nice man. Penkus not seen much lately, but he seen with brother Vanthus few weeks ago, at boat shop."

"A lead! Excellent!" said Liona, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Snickers already follow up on lead, visit boat shop," he declared proudly. "Snickers bribe boat woman, boat woman say she sell boat to Vanthus and Penkus. Say they seem excited when buying, load lots of lanterns and rope and barrels of lamp oil into boat, leave, head west."

"What would they be doing with barrels of lamp oil?" asked Kala. "I can't imagine they're aspiring lamp oil traders."

"I mean, it has to be arson, right?" Liona offered.

Snickers nodded. "Snickers agree, arson best use for much lots lamp oil. Which remind Snickers, Snickers need to buy more lamp oil. No reason."

"Then let's hope they are aspiring lamp oil traders."

As the others talked, I felt my magic drawing my attention to their mannerisms and body language. Kala was even more uncomfortable in social situations than I usually am, and I could tell by her occasional glances toward the door that she wanted to go outside. Liona was full of a sincere, cheerful optimism that, based on the way she habitually touched her holy symbol when she smiled, had its origins in her faith. And Snickers...I thought I noticed subtle inconsistencies in his speech patterns. He was more fluent in Common than he was letting on, but I couldn't figure out why he would hide it.

"So where do we go next with this information?" said Kala.

Liona started to respond, but trailed off as a dingy-looking half-elf entered the bar and made a beeline for our table.

"Hi," said the man. "You the guys looking for Vanthus Vanderboren?"

Chapter 11: Peril under Parrot Island, Part 2

We agreed to meet up the following sundown at the Ticklish Ogre Tavern in Merchant District. The next morning, I sat down in meditation and considered my options. There were two of them, really. I knew one "spell" to make my words more eloquent, and another one to help me read body language and social cues. I decided the latter was more important. The magic took the form of a pair of blue-lensed goggles, which floated up to my eyes as I finished shaping them, hovering about a half-inch out from my face.

As the lenses settled over my vision, the world changed. My vision wasn't any sharper, but I noticed things. Like...I'm not sure how to describe it. Do you know how in mystery stories, the brilliant detective can take one glance at a person and tell—just by the little details of their appearance and demeanor—where they are from, what they do for a living, and what they had for breakfast that morning? That was sort of low-key how it felt. I think if I were more experienced and had a little more mojo, I could have done an excellent impression of that brilliant detective. For now, the insights I received were slightly...muffled. Muted. I focused on the goggles, letting more power flow into them from my protective bracers, and the impressions became a little clearer in my mind. That seemed like the best I was going to get.

I had a long day ahead of me. First a shift at the library, then an afternoon of asking around and searching for leads. At least it was obvious who to ask first: my grandfather is the head librarian, and my grandmother is the Academy's groundskeeper. It seemed unlikely that they would know anything about Vanthus's whereabouts, but between the two of them, I was sure they could point me to someone who could tell me more.

Chapter 10: Peril under Parrot Island, Part 1

"Indeed, madam, there were several visits to your vault over the past month," said the clerk.

"By whom?" demanded Lavinia, her voice icy and stern.

"Not by any unauthorized personnel, I assure you," the clerk said. "Only your brother, Vanthus."

"What?!" Lavinia gasped. All the ice vanished from her demeanor, replaced with shock. "My brother has been missing for a month! You must be mistaken."

The clerk seemed puzzled. "I am certain it was him. I've dealt with Vanthus enough times in the past to recognize him; he's quite distinctive. And he had the Vanderboren signet ring. I had no idea he was missing or I would have informed you of his presence at once. My deepest apologies, madam."

"You will inform me at once if he returns," said Lavinia shakily.

"Of course. And again, my deepest apologies."

It was clear that Lavinia was still rattled as we climbed back into the coach. Once we were on the road, she sighed, and said, "So. It seems I have another task for you all. My brother must be found."

"Yeah, so, what is the deal with him, anyway?" said Liona. "There's clearly some kind of hang-up between you two."

"We were close growing up," Lavinia said wistfully. "Our parents were rarely around, you know, so we grew to depend on each other. You may find it hard to believe, but we were quite the pair of troublemakers back in the day." She was right. It was hard to reconcile the image of her as a troublemaker with the dignified noble she presented herself as today. "But alas, after a particularly complex prank involving several love potions being emptied into the water tower, our childhoods came to an end. I was sent out to Thelanar Academy, while Vanthus was shipped out to work on a plantation.

"We only returned to the family manor last year, after five years away. We had both changed. Thelanar suited me, and I became the woman you see now. Vanthus...he was bitter, resentful. He had no time for me. He slept all day, and spent the nights with...associates of dubious character. He would go days at a time without even visiting home. Then our parents died. I think that was too much for him. All the easy humor he had as a child left him, replaced with cynicism and bitterness." Her voice grew hollower as she continued. "One day, we had a fight, a big one. By the end of it, he had packed up his things and moved out of the house. I think he ended up living with a lover somewhere in Azure District. I never learned the details. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

It was hard to read her face. "That, uh...that sucks," I said awkwardly.

"Indeed," she responded.

"Squawk!" said Squawk.

"I don't think that's a comment on the story; I think he's just hungry," Kala translated. She pulled a pouch of sunflower seeds from her pocket.

Lavinia smiled (the human face can only withstand so much cuteness before succumbing), but her expression quickly turned serious again. "Vanthus must have fallen in with a bad crowd. Thieves, smugglers, maybe even killers. But even if he is stealing from the family vault, I have to believe it's not too late for him. The brother I loved is still in there. Please, bring him back to my side. I know I can talk some sense into him."

"We'll split up, then," said Liona. "First thing tomorrow, we'll start making the rounds. I'll do a bar crawl, ask around all the taverns in Azure and Merchant. Snickers, you know Shadowshore better than any of us—use your contacts. Annie, you have a foot in the door at the Academy, right? Ask the students, faculty, follow whatever leads you can. And Kala...have you gotten that talk-to-animals trick down yet? Maybe the local wildlife can help us out."

"I'm still practicing, but I can try," said Kala.

I raised my hand. "I'm...not exactly great at talking to people," I said. I tried to imagine spending all day approaching strangers to engage them in conversation. I would probably take it over fighting the rhagodessa again, but wow, it was close.

Liona patted me on the back. "You'll do great. Don't you have any spells that could help?"

Hmm. "I might have one," I said.

Chapter 9: The Vanderboren Vault, Part 4

"So I'm not ruined," said Lavinia. "The cash and IOUs here should be enough to pay off those back taxes and start getting my estate back in order. But it'll be a rough year. Hopefully my aunt and uncle will be able to offer some aid; I have the Jade Ravens traveling to Cauldron to entreat them as we speak."

"We still get paid, yes?" demanded Snickers.

"Yes, of course," Lavinia said. "Your service has once again been excellent. I suppose since we're in the vault already, I can offer each of you 20 platinum pieces right now." Snickers was already digging in a chest counting coins before she finished her sentence.

"But what happened to the rest of the treasure?" I asked. "Did your parents spend it all and not say anything?"

Lavinia shook her head. "That's not like them. I can only think it must have been stolen. But no one else had access to the vault."

"Maybe they used magic to get in," said Kala. "If they were working with a teleportation spell, it would explain why they left some of the treasure—the spell might not have allowed them to carry it all."

"This whole floor is warded against teleportation for exactly that reason," Lavinia responded.

"You said before that your mother lost her signet ring," I said slowly. "What if someone found it?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course," she said, drawing a sharp breath. "They could walk right in!"

"And it explains why there's still some left! If they only took a little at a time, they could come and go without raising suspicion," said Liona.

"But then there should be a record," I continued. "The clerk at the desk wrote our names down when we came in. So if they came in through the front door..."

"...Then their name should be written down, too! Brilliant!" Liona finished. "Let's head up now and ask!"

Chapter 8: The Vanderboren Vault, Part 3

"Of course it responded to the signet ring," said Lavinia. "I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. I'm sorry. Were you injured?"

"No, I'm fine," I replied. The adrenaline was still pounding through my system, putting me on edge, but I put on the most reassuring smile I could. "Not a scratch on me."

"I must confess, it was quite spectacular seeing your abilities firsthand," remarked Lavinia. "I think I made the right choice hiring you."

I felt pride surge in my chest at the praise, but it was tempered by guilt. Intellectually, I knew I had actually done objectively well, and I shouldn't let impostor syndrome trick me into thinking that I didn't deserve to be here, that I was being grossly overpaid, that I was dragging the others down, that I should just go back to the job I was good at. Unfortunately, that didn't stop my brain from thinking those things anyway. Focus, Annabelle! I thought. This is no time for self-recrimination!

My anxiety was interrupted by the aroma of a salty sea breeze as Liona finished casting her divination. Her eyes glowed seafoam-green as she scanned the room. Then she pointed to the northernmost pillar. "There! Secret door. There's a hidden switch at eye level—sorry, my eye level, not yours, you guys are tall—just toggle the switch and the wall should open up."

"I'll do the honors," I volunteered, finding the switch disguised among the carvings on the pillar and clicking it into place. The snake designs on the wall animated and began writhing aside like living creatures, forming a coiling archway into the vault.

The vault was an octagonal room supported by a single large pillar with dozens of deep grooves along its sides. The seven walls each bore fantastically detailed bas-relief carvings of exotic monsters in threatening poses: a tentacled monster glaring eye and a mouth full of teeth, a looming dragon, a fish-like creature with three eyes and four tentacles, a two-headed giant wielding a pair of immense clubs, a spherical creature with four eyestalks and a bulging central eye over a drooling maw, a gorilla-like beast with a fanged maw and six eyes, and finally a towering a towering black spider with seven eyes. Each monster's eyes consisted of glittering red stones. The now-familiar eight-pointed star pattern radiated across the ceiling from the grooved central pillar, but its arms were black, save for the one pointing south toward the entrance, which was red.

"The treasure is supposed to be in here," said Lavinia, looking worried. "Is there another secret door?"

Liona scanned the room. "Not that I can detect," she said. "Sorry."

"The carvings are pretty, though," Kala mused. "Were any of these creatures mentioned in that note? They are all looking in different directions."

Lavinia took the note from her pocket. "The note mentions chimera, cyclops, medusa, and umber hulk. I don't see any of those here," she said.

"The eyes count up," said Snickers, pointing to the carvings. "One, two three, four, five, six, seven." He scuttled into the room and began poking at the walls and floor with a long stick. "And big pillar can spin. See groove? It turn like spinny thing on combination lock."

"Snickers, you're a genius!" said Liona. "I mean, I have no idea what the eyes mean, but can you crack the combination?"

"Watch. Learn." The kobold cracked his knuckles and retrieved a small stethoscope from his pack. "Or don't learn. Snickers fine either way. Just be quiet while Snickers work."

We waited silently for several minutes while he turned the column experimentally. Even Squawk was quiet, although he wasn't moving either, so he may have just been asleep. Then Snickers threw up his hands. "Nope! Nothing Snickers can do. Lock too good. Snickers not even hear clicks."

"Maybe I could help," I offered. "I, uh, read a book once about cracking safes? I think I remember bits."

"Bah! Amateur!" he scoffed. "Okay, Annie can help listen other side. Not break Snickers concentration! Understand?"

I nodded, and took up a position on the other side of the column, ear to the stone, listening carefully for anything that sounded different. Snickers tried again. After another several minutes, he straightened up again. "Nope. No use. Lock too good. Uncrackable. Sorry."

Lavinia laughed bitterly. "I never thought I'd wish my family vault were easier to break into."

"Maybe the column is a red herring," suggested Liona.

"It doesn't look like a fish at all to me," said Kala, frowning.

"No, I mean, maybe we don't even need to touch it. Maybe the answer is in these eyes. Are there any hidden catches or levers in the carvings?"

Snickers began appraising the carvings. "Eye gems sparkly, mostly worthless though. Maybe 2 gold each," he said. "Wait." He crouched down and sniffed at the floor. Then he tapped at the wall. "Hollow space behind carving!" he said.

"The walls to the alcoves must slide open somehow!" I said excitedly.

"Yes, but walls also very thick," said Snickers. "Very hard break through. And if treasure on other side, break through might damage, lower treasure value. Better open lock normal."

"Okay, let's call that Plan C," said Liona. "I guess let's try Plan A again and sit down and see if we can solve this coded message. Did anyone bring snacks? We might be down here a while."

"I think the eyes have something to do with it," I offered. "It can't be a coincidence that they're arranged in numerical order. And the riddle talks about 'looking' in a direction."

"Sunrise would be in the east, and sunset in the west," said Kala.

Snickers pulled out a compass. "East that way, west that way," he confirmed.

"Maybe we have to bring all those creatures into the vault and have them face the way the note says?" said Kala, almost hopefully.

"Certainly not!" said Lavinia. "I know my parents never kept such beasts."

"Medusas, basilisks, and umber hulks all have special abilities related to their eyes, and the cyclops is named after its single eye," I said. "The chimera...I don't know much about chimeras. Is there anything special about their eyes?" I looked hopefully at Kala.

"I don't know much about chimeras either," she said, shrugging. "They have three heads, so I guess they have six eyes, if that helps."

Snickers jumped up. "Numbers! Combination lock has number code!"

My eyes widened as I caught his meaning. "The number of eyes on the monsters?"

"And direction changes for each one, same for most locks like this!" he said, rushing back to the pillar. "Six turns east, one turn west. What next?"

"Medusa," said Lavinia. "That's two eyes, I think."

Snickers turned the pillar again. "Next?"

"Umber hulk looks to sunset," Lavinia read. "I don't know how many eyes an umber hulk has."

"Four," I said, recalling the illustration in Professor Frimpdiggle's Underdark Bestiary. "One pair of compound eyes, and another smaller set of eyes above them."

"And basilisk is two," said Liona, standing on her tiptoes to peer at the note in Lavinia's hand. "They pretty much just look like lizards."

Snickers made the final turn, and there was a rumbling sound as the walls shifted, revealing five alcoves, each filled with treasure chests. Then the little kobold turned back to us and took a bow. Kala, Liona, and I cheered, while Lavinia merely offered an approving smile and a slow clap. Squawk, evidently roused by our cheering, gave an indignant "Squawk!"

There was just one problem. We opened the first chest. It was empty. And the second chest. Empty. And the third chest. Empty. All the chests in the first alcove were completely bare. So were all the chests in the second alcove. And the third. With each chest we opened, Lavinia looked more and more distraught. When the fourth alcove turned up empty too, I thought she might break down in tears right there in front of us.

Thankfully, when we got to the fifth alcove, we got a reprieve. "Oh, thank the gods," said Lavinia, her voice trembling slightly. The chest was full of coins and papers. So were the other remaining ones. It looked like several thousand gold pieces' worth of cash, plus some ledgers and a small iron coffer containing a thick pile of documents.

Chapter 7: The Vanderboren Vault, Part 2

We didn't spend much time in the castle itself, stopping there only to speak to a clerk who verified Lavinia's identity and her signet and escorted us to the vault. After walking down a long spiral staircase, we found ourselves in a large circular chamber under the castle. Over a dozen hallways radiated out from the central vault chamber. The clerk pointed us to the Vanderboren family vault, bade us good day, and returned to their office in the castle above, leaving us to the vault.

The short passageway to the vault ended at a solid-looking iron door emblazoned with a single rune: an eight-pointed star. Above the door, inscribed in flowing script on a polished silver plaque, was the name "Vanderboren." A single handle protruded from the door, just below a circular depression bearing the mark of the Vanderboren signet.

"What's that star symbol?" I asked, curious.

"I'm not quite sure, although it looks familiar," Lavinia admitted.

"Is same symbol as on building in Merchant District," Snickers said offhandedly.

"Huh," said Lavinia. "Well, let's open up this vault." Then, stepping forward, she inserted the signet ring into the depression above the handle. There was a harsh blue light, and the door slowly creaked open, revealing a domed chamber with a floor of polished green marble. Several marble pillars were carved to resemble coiling snakes. Painted on the ceiling was a huge representation of the same eight-pointed star as the door.

Snickers poked his head in. "Where treasure?" he asked.

"It looks like an antechamber," I said. "There must be another door in this room leading to the vault proper."

"I don't see one," said Liona. "But I have a spell for that. You first, though, Annie."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the indestructible one, remember?" Kala said matter-of-factly. "Any guardian that attacks you will probably bounce off harmlessly."

"We'll be right behind you," said Liona, flashing a thumbs-up.

I sighed, readied my shield, and stepped into the vault, holding my breath. Nothing seemed to happen.

I was getting ready to lower my guard when the snake pounced at me from the shadows.

I whirled around to block it with my shield just before its fangs struck my neck. The guardian was constructed from circular iron bands, strung together into a serpentine form with wicked-looking fangs protruding from its metallic jaws. The snake lunged again before I could gather my wits to respond, but my armor deflected the strike. That was everyone's cue to spring into action. Kala threw a flower, and Snickers hurled a sling bolt, but the one missed and the other bounced harmlessly off the snake. I charged up my gloves and delivered an electric jolt, which coursed through its coils, giving off a faint smell of ozone. "Yes! Get 'em!" shouted Liona, who had pulled a wand from her belt and was waving it to cast some kind of spell.

The snake darted at me again, but my shield was ready, and I held it at bay once more, using the opening to touch it again with my gloves—and this time, the lightning visibly scorched its chassis. Kala's aim was true as well; her flower hit the snake in its side, exploding in a burst of green light, knocking it back slightly. But it didn't slow down. Its next strike got under my armor. I flinched, but its teeth were no match for my magic. My skin flashed silvery-blue at the point of impact, and I grinned.

I could hurt it— but it couldn't hurt me. That meant the math was clear. As long as I could keep it focused on me, Kala and I could wear it down without anyone being injured. (Snickers had already given up on his sling and was busy cursing stupid constructs and their resistance to weapons, and Liona appeared to be strategizing with Lavinia.) I just hoped I was right, because there were small venom tanks clearly visible inside its mouth, and I really didn't want to find out what kind of poison was in them.

I reached out to touch it again, but it darted out of my reach and reared back to try for another bite. I dodged to the side, clearing a shot for Kala, whose next flower scored another direct hit, blasting a hole in its back. But it was still moving.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. Lavinia strode into the room, boldly presenting her signet ring to the construct. The snake turned and slithered back into the shadows, coiling around one of the marble pillars and becoming motionless once more.

"I knew it would work," said Liona, beaming. "You're welcome!"

Chapter 6: The Vanderboren Vault, Part 1

"Well, I'm impressed," said Lavinia.

It was the next day, and we were back in Vanderboren Manor. After Liona and I finished our magic preparations for the day (and I re-shaped my water-walking sandals back into the shock gloves), we had all taken a morning outing to the market to sell our loot (which, to my astonishment, fetched exactly the price Snickers named), during which time Kala spent her share on a replenishing food pouch and a shoulder perch for Squawk, Snickers bought an assortment of odds and ends and complained that the fancy sword was too big for him to use, and Liona traded said fancy sword for a fancy dagger that she promised would be useful for a communication ritual. I wasn't sure what to buy, so I decided to save most of my share, although I did purchase a morningstar and a heavy wooden shield, as well as a bottle of what the trader called "liquid sunlight," figuring it could be useful as a light source that wouldn't go out. Then we reported back in to our employer. We explained that Soller Vark had been running an animal smuggling racket and was trying to use the boat as a cheaper alternative to a dockside warehouse; and we showed her the signet ring, along with the note that was folded up and threaded through it, which seemed to contain some kind of riddle:

Chimera looks to sunrise

Cyclops looks to sunset

Medusa looks to sunrise

Umber Hulk looks to sunset

Basilisk looks to sunrise

None of us could figure out what it meant. Lavinia seemed pleased regardless.

"You've more than earned the gold I promised you," she continued. "But I wonder if you might stay on as my retainers. I'm sure I would have more work for you in the coming weeks. In fact, I actually have another job in mind that you've proved yourselves more than capable of."

"What pay like?" demanded Snickers.

"I'm prepared to offer a monthly salary of 100 gp each, plus hazard pay and a bonus for each job you complete," she answered.

"What job in mind?" Snickers said suspiciously.

"Well, now that I have the signet ring, I have to actually get into the vault." Lavinia took a deep breath. "I've never been in the vault before. There's supposed to be a guardian, a construct of some kind. I don't know the passphrase to bypass it. If it isn't programmed to recognize my bloodline automatically, it might attack. I want you all there for protection. Additionally..." She indicated the note from the ring. "I have no idea what this 'sunrise and sunset' business is, but my father must have left it for a reason. Perhaps the vault itself will contain additional context. It would be nice to have some extra brains around to help figure it out."

"So what if nothing attacks you and you manage to solve the puzzle yourself?" I said.

Lavinia smiled. "Then I still pay you, of course. That's how this works."

"What health plan like? Snickers want dental!" said Snickers.

"I'm the health plan, doofus," said Liona. "You don't like my healing, I'll be happy to knock your teeth out."

Lavinia raised one hand. "I actually will cover healing costs for injuries sustained in my service," she said. "Provided Ms. Fairweather doesn't get to them first, of course."

"Ooh, I'm in, then," said Liona.

"Snickers too," said Snickers.

"Sure," I said.

"SQUAWK!" said Squawk. We all stared. "He says we're in, too," Kala translated. "He wants to be paid in sunflower seeds, though. Is that okay?"

Lavinia shrugged. "Sure, I can throw in a bag of sunflower seeds for the bird. Why not?"

"I think that's what he said, anyway. I'm still not very fluent in bird," muttered Kala.

"If it's all right with all of you, I'd like to try and open the vault now," Lavinia said. "Would you all accompany me to Castle Teraknian? There is a coach waiting for us outside."

Of course we all said yes.