Bone Lord 4, стр. 60
“I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, Lord Chauzec.”
When I left the tavern, the storms had subsided a little, although it was still an exercise of strength and endurance to return to the inn. I found my chest full of items and removed the Dragon Gauntlet I already owned. I was hoping the Dragon Cult members would lead me to the other gauntlet, and I figured this one would be a good way to convince the cult to help me.
I headed to Anna-Lucielle’s room, and she recognized my knock on her door right away. She opened the door dressed in nothing but a skimpy silk shift. Her black hair gleamed invitingly in the candlelight. Her long legs were on display, from her ankles to the top edge of her thigh gap. Desire crackled in her eyes, and she slowly licked her ruby-painted lips.
“I was hoping for a visit from you tonight, Vance. Won’t you keep a girl warm on this cold, stormy night, my hero? Oh, that’s an, um, interesting costume you’re wearing. I get it, you have some kinky Yengish roleplay thing in mind? The holy monk gets tempted to break his vow of chastity by the femme fatale? And despite his years of abstinence, he turns out to be a master at the art of lovemaking? Sounds like fun!”
“I’d love to, Anna-Lucielle,” I said, “but unfortunately I have business to take care of, and I’m gonna need your help.”
“Right now, out there in the tempest?” she asked, looking disappointed.
“I’m afraid so. Get your coat on, there’s no time to waste.”
She searched my eyes, but when she saw no change, she sighed and disappeared into her room.
A short while later she and I returned to the inn but we didn’t go inside just yet.
“There’s an old man who cleans tables here,” I said. “I need you to use your Charm magic on him, to get him to reveal the location of the secret meeting spot of the Order of Blind Monks, without getting him suspicious. Would you be able to make him do that and forget that he even said anything at all? I don’t want the old bastard feeling guilty about letting his tongue slip.”
Anna-Lucielle smiled. “Don’t worry, Vance, I’ll take care of it. He won’t feel anything, and he won’t remember a thing when it’s done. He won’t even remember talking to us.”
“Good. Come, let’s head inside. I’ll spill a drink on the table, you take care of the rest.”
Anna-Lucielle and I entered the inn and sat at the table with Zhenwan.
“Zhenwan,” she said, “as soon as you see me touch the old man, start asking him questions about this meeting place. When you’ve received all the information you need, give me a signal, a little kick under the table or something, and I’ll release him from my spell.”
“At your command,” Zhenwan said.
I knocked over a tankard of ale, spilling it all over the polished wooden tabletop and the stone floor. The barkeep noticed and yelled at the servant in question. The elderly man hobbled over, keeping his eyes averted, and started cleaning up the ale with a rag. Anna-Lucielle leaned forward a little and softly placed her hand on one of the old man’s wrists. He looked up in surprise. A soft light glowed in Anna-Lucielle’s eyes, and the old man’s small black eyes grew vacant and his face became completely expressionless. He looked as if he’d fallen into a deep trance.
Zhenwan asked him a few questions in Yengish, and the old man droned his reply, as if he’d just slugged back a few pitchers of sailor’s rum. His words weren’t slurred, though, and aside from a look of blank serenity, he seemed fine.
After some time Zhenwan obtained all the information he needed, and he gave Anna-Lucielle a quick nod. She removed her hand from the old fellow’s fist, and the odd expression quickly faded from his face. He stared at us in confusion, then shook his head, mopped up the spilled ale, and trudged back to his stool behind the bar.
“Got it?” I asked Zhenwan.
He nodded.
“And you’re sure the old guy won’t remember anything?” I asked Anna-Lucielle.
“Not a single thing, I promise. He’d swear on his mother’s grave that he didn’t say a single word to us if you asked him now. You could even torture him, if you were a sadistic asshole of course, and he still wouldn’t confess.”
“I don’t think we need to go that far. Thanks, Anna-Lucielle, you can head back to the inn now. Zhenwan and I have a secret meeting to attend.”
“Can’t I come too?” she asked eagerly.
Zhenwan shook his head. “The Blind Monks are a strictly male-only organization.”
“But they’re blind, how would they even know I was a woman if I didn’t speak? Unless they’re also known as the Groping Monks.”
Zhenwan chuckled and shook his head. “Trust me, they’ll know if a woman is in their presence. In the absence of sight, their other senses have been greatly enhanced. Even Charm magic such as Anna-Lucielle’s won’t hide your gender from them.”
“Sorry, Anna-Lucielle, but it’s best that this is just me and Zhenwan,” I added. “This could be really important for my quest, and I don’t want to take any chances that could fuck it up. I’ll make sure I thank you appropriately later, though,” I added with a suggestive wink.
That was more than enough to turn her frown into a smoldering smile.
“I can’t wait to receive my thanks from you, Vance.” She traced a finger across my chest.
“Hey, hey, I’m supposed to be a monk, remember?” I said with a chuckle. “Let’s not blow my cover now.”
“All right, I’ll see you later,” she said with some disappointment on her face. “Good luck.”
Anna-Lucielle left, and Zhenwan and I huddled together for more privacy. I decided that it would be best for Zhenwan to pretend to be a bandit I’d captured, working as a spy