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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 8.4, The Great Illusion

Sandoval did not return to sleep after the group encountered the Monkey on the road. Whether the primate's information was genuine or counterfeit mattered little; the swords man knew that there were corrupt elements in the Church... there were corrupt elements everywhere. What it DID confirm however was that there were powerful forces at work and that meant he had to remain vigil... especially so close to Newport. If he was not mistaken (and he rarely was) then the end-game of his long time quest was nearing soon.

The carriages rolled into Newport in the early dawn hours and it didn't take long for everyone to separate into two groups. With Sanmer the white Fox leading the charge toward returning to the Princess it was easy enough for Sandoval to bow out of an altercation with the Church. True, the innocent prisoners were at the mercy of the Mechanists but far more than a handful of lives hung in the balance overall and Sandoval DeLaRocha knew that few men had the knowledge, insight, and drive to accomplish what he knew would have to be done.

So it was with mixed emotions and a heavy heart that Sandoval bid a goodbye to those traveling companions that chose to go oppose the will of the Mechanists by cutting the strings on their churchly puppets. Sandoval, in the meantime, would continue the path that led its way unceasingly toward the mastermind behind it all... the puppet master that controlled all from behind the scenes. No... he was far too experienced in the ways of the Mechanists to think that just one man held all of the power, but he knew for certain that this comedic tragedy did only have one director; he would not be able to take down the theater but it was certainly within him to bring an end to the play.

These thoughts occupied his mind as he sat beside Sanmer on the Princess' carriage as the fox conducted it toward the finer part of the town and what the vulpine driver had assured him was the Princess' demesne. Sandoval was not surprised that the majority of those staying with them elected to remain with Nicole; not only did she have a personality that commanded followers but she was proper nobility and proper nobility tended to attract hangers-on. The swords man smiled to himself as he considered that thought... he knew the truth of it all too well.

Sandoval was eventually forced to part from the company of his thoughts when he picked up the distant sound of sword-on-sword. He hadn't realized he'd been so distracted because his traveling companion Sanmer had also appeared to have heard. He announced what the Fox was likely thinking. "There is a battle ahead."

Despite Sanmer's hesitant reply the swords man realized that the Fox didn't believe his own objection. "The town guards would have stopped anything from becoming a real fight."

Sandoval smirked. "Truly... but unfortunately someone has forgotten to tell that to the men up ahead, eh?"

The full fledged engagement raged before them once they had turned the corner. The fine gateway of a splendid-looking manor home lay broken and bare, torn and sundered by what must have been a large explosion. Here-and-there bodies lay, some smoking, some merely charred, but there were still plenty more where that came from, fighting against armored men wearing the royal colors. It didn't take long for Sandoval to realize whose home it was they were seeing. What caught him as even more out-of-the-ordinary was the fact that the assailants wore Wyranese colors.

Not everyone was so thoughtful in pausing at what they saw. The moment Sanmer brought the carriage to a stop several members of the group crowded their way out of the transport and rushed toward the battle. Wiesen led the way with some kind of rotating musket device (Sandoval never was one for modern weaponry) and he was joined by Inigo and Lady Arnswold. Seeing that Nicole chose to enter the fray the swords man sighed, and leapt to the ground so he could assist.

Other than the insanity of Wyra attacking the Princess in Newport there was one other very important clue that told Sandoval that the men he fought were not real Wyranese soldiers; despite the swords man's vast skill he could not take on three veteran Wyranese soldiers at the same time and emerge without a scratch... which he did in rapid succession twice. No, he reasoned, the men wearing the colors of Wyra were nothing more than a red herring. He was also apparently not the only one to realize this.

Nicole and Inigo fought side-by-side, the former switching between pistol and blade seamlessly while the latter proved to be quite competent with a pair of blades. Sandoval was most put-off by the Bat's use of swords of differing lengths but he had to admit that he could appreciate the fact that, until they were drawn, both weapons hid neatly out of sight; quite unlike Sandoval's two most-obvious rapiers. The swords man had little more time to contemplate the Bat's techniques however as he was required to fall back and assist the carriage, as many of the fake Wyraenese men had chosen to flee and the transport was in their path.

In the end, no damage was inflicted to the carriage or its passengers; the men were more intent on fleeing than causing any further trouble. The Princess' men went from fighting to damage control as they began working to extinguish several fires that had taken hold on the manor's ground floor. The building had a certain architectural beauty to it and Sandoval was sorry to see it damaged in such an unpleasant way. His attention was brought back to the present when he heard Inigo speak up. "They were dressed in Wyra's colors."

Nicole barely even paused, letting out a scornful breath through her nose. "I doubt Wyra would have attacked the Princess' residence... not only is it stupid-- it's just plain bad manners."

A voice behind Sandoval spoke. "This man was from the University."

Weisen moved over to where Roland was, kneeling down beside an unconscious man who had tried to flee past the carriage; the Wolf Dog had opened the door right into his face. Kneeling beside the fake soldier, the Dragon nodded. "None of them looked much the part of soldiers."

Joshew slowly climbed down from the carriage and moved to where Roland was kneeling. He joined the Wolf Dog and reached out to touch the man's face. "I don't think I've met him but he smells familiar... Air Scholar... he worked a lot with the Fire Scholars."

Weisen stood. "Then we will interrogate him when he comes to... but right now we--"

The Dragon didn't have a chance to finish as Joshew let out a wordless exclamation. Perhaps only the blind scholar had heard the sound of the crossbow string loose its bolt or maybe he was just faster in responding to it, but, in a blur both scholars were on the ground, Roland with his back against the street and Joshew on his stomach. Sandoval did not fail to see the long, metal bolt sticking out of the blind scholar's back.

Wiesen reached for his tinker's bag but Roland was faster. Roaring out in rage, the Wolf Dog scholar grabbed a pouch from his fallen compatriot and hurled it through the air with all his might. The satchel made it to the alleyway as the now visible crossbowman tried to reload. A moment later the assailant disappeared amidst an enormous explosion and a gray cloud of smoke. He never did reappear, save as a red mist and a few piece of falling meat.

Sandoval did not know the scholars well, but realized that they must have been good men and likely very valuable to one another's field of study-- Joshew had given his life for Roland and the Wolf Dog administered justice and retribution as quickly as any the swords man had ever seen delivered. There were tears as the living scholar held the dead one in his arms but Sandoval took comfort in knowing that the Human one's life was not given in vain, and that he would have died instantly and without pain. Regardless, the swords man was not inclined to stay and witness the grief.

He took in the immediate area instead, looking and listening in all directions. He watched Wiesen head into the building, shouting out for Kesst. Nicole and Inigo followed after him. Sandoval smiled at the knee-jerk action since he realized the Princess wouldn't likely be anywhere near a besieged manor... and Kesst likely would have followed her.

Back at the scholars the Mouse doctor, Dr. Brownell was trying to calm Roland and working to extricate the Human scholar from his grasp but Sandoval realized there was nothing she would be able to do for Joshew; he had seen enough death in his time to know it immediately, and Joshew's time had come. The third of the trio of scholars stood vigil along with the Coyote Templar; it was just as worthless a gesture, but, perhaps, a little more meaningful.

The swords man kept his senses sharp, lingering on nothing for any great length of time as he sought out some small clue... a hint as to what step he should take. The answer came in no time at all in the form of a finely dressed Bull. He spoke quietly back into the darkness of the alley from which he emerged, suggesting he wasn't alone, and then strode into the open making his way straight toward the group's vulpine guide, Sanmer.

The Fox moved immediately to meet with him and they shared a quick conversation. Now with something to focus on more acutely, Sandoval took a few subtle steps closer and realized what it was they were discussing: the Princess had a meeting place in mind and was planning to leave Newport and travel to Graddin. Suddenly Sandoval's path became that much clearer.

The swords man quickly changed the focus of his attention back toward the scholars when Sanmer's gaze scanned the area, but Sandoval zeroed right back in on the Fox as the discussion ended. With everyone so wrapped up in their own affairs nobody ELSE noticed Sanmer disappear into the shadows... nor did they notice Sandoval do likewise.