It didn't take long before Talmar and Iris approached a tall, dark man dressed in black leather. Hearing their footsteps, he looked up at them. "And who is this?""A minstrel, sir," the guard Talmar said as he guided Iris to stand before the man, whom she guessed to be Lord Tolan. "Another of the Outworlders. She played at the masquerade, so we know she's with them. This is her lute."
Tolan took the instrument from the guard. "I see," he said while examining the instrument carefully. He turned it in his hands with great interest, making Iris think he either knew something about it or appreciated the time and effort some unknown craftsperson had put into it. "Well, my dear, I am the bearer of bad news, it seems. As you may have heard, several murders were committed by a friend of yours."
*Oh no! Krys! She must have lost it as the Dungeon Master warned us!* Iris thought. Then she rationalized, *Well, I don't see her just going on a killing spree. Whoever she killed probably deserved it.*
Lord Tolan continued, "We are trying to get to the bottom of this, and in the meantime, I must have all Outworlders placed in custody for your own protection--" he stopped with a slight gasp.
Iris caught it instantly, and noted his sudden interest in the inlaid design and the tuning pegs that matched it. As he checked the runes that decorated the lute, Iris wondered if he could translate them. She thought they were a nice touch, enamelled beautifully in rainbow colors, but had no idea what they meant.
"--but as you are not yet accused prisoners," he continued with admirable smoothness, all things considered (Iris wasn't sure Talmar even noticed the short pause or was paying attention to Lord Tolan's examination of the lute), "I cannot see denying you and your companions the pleasure of a little music to alleviate your boredom. Here you are." He very formally handed the instrument back to Iris, then acknowledged the guard's slight frown by adding, "However, I can only return this to you on the condition that you do not remove the strings and try to garrote your guards with them." To Talmar, he said, "Now put her in a cell, please."
Iris took the returned instrument as graciously as she could under the circumstances. "Thank you, Your Lordship," she responded with a curtsey (she was still in the performing gown she'd worn to entertain Venger and his men). "I give you my word as a bard that I won't harm anyone in any way with my lute."
Talmar led her off down a corridor until they reached an iron-bound oak door with strong hinges and a sturdy lock. There was a small, barred window in the upper half of the door. He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, then pulled it open with some difficulty from the sheer weight of the thing and gestured for Iris to enter.
"Don't be concerned about Baras finding you," he assured her as she cautiously stepped into the cell. "I'll have two of my friends guarding the door." He closed the door and locked it again, then walked away, calling, "Eral! Decort! Where are you?"
Iris looked around the stone cell, sniffing the air and wondering where the scent of rosewater was coming from. The only source of light was a glowing patch in the middle of the ceiling (*Magic, probably a *continual light* spell,* she decided) and there was nothing in it except a thick pile of fresh straw in one corner, covered with a few old blankets, which would serve as a bed. She looked around further, wondering if she'd have to let a guard know when she needed to use the bathroom, and saw a hole in the floor in one corner with a strange rim that looked like gold. Looking at the rim more closely, she noticed it was partly made of some sort of golden resin (amber?) as well, and there was something woven inside the resin.
The image clicked in her mind, and she almost laughed. *Of course! A Moodarvian Ring of Emotion! Who knows how much this place would stink without that as a privy rim!*
She walked to the straw pile, a matter of a few steps, and sat down on it. *Nice and comfortable. This reminds me of Heidi's bed in the hayloft when she lived on the mountain with her grandfather--or was it her great-grandfather? Some much older male relative, that's for sure. Too bad the dungeons are so deep there's no windows in even the outer cells.*
Then she noticed the chill, and wrapped up in the cleanest of the blankets. She yawned before she could stop herself. *Probably dawn by now. I'd better get some sleep.*
Pulling another blanket into place as a protection against sharp bits of straw and covering herself with the third, Iris laid down and quickly fell asleep.
