"That depends on what you use for a weapon," her friend put in good-naturedly. "Help me do something with my hair, would you?"
By the time they'd finished, Nanje's blond locks were flowing long over her shoulders. She slipped out of her full sleeved tunic and covered her torso with a low cut, tightly laced leather bodice. It brought her best assets to bear in an impressive display of creamy smooth flesh. How fortunate for her that I was really very much elsewhere.
"Think he'll notice me?" she asked, turning. Her leather trousers fit her like another skin.
"He'd have to be dead not to," said Kelab.
I wisely kept my superior knowledge about Vychen's true condition to myself. "Just beware of noticing him," I warned. "Strahd said Vychen also has skill with magic, and he'll try to enspell you with it. Whatever you do, do not look him directly in the eyes."
She bit her lip, but it was to bring out the color, not from nervousness.
"Rings?" I asked.
They nodded and everyone but Nanje slipped on the special rings I'd made for them. They had used them on past missions, but Nanje still gave a start. "Are you all right? Talk to me."
"We're still here," Cylla invisibly assured her. "You go on ahead and we'll stay with you the whole time."
"Easy for you to say," Alvi put in. "I can't see my feet."
"Just don't trip over mine," said Kelab wearily. "And if you must, then be quiet about it. That goes for everyone. From this point on, not one word."
Nanje emerged from the trees, close followed by her five unseen companions, and made her way toward the general's tent.
Vychen's vast army sprawled over a wide area with the confident insolence of greater numbers, less than an hour's march from Barovia. Inner security was good, but not outstanding, which accounted for our being able to magically penetrate it. What spell casters the power-jealous Azalin allowed to practice in Darkon weren't capable of putting up the kind of protections needed to keep someone like me out.
The present risk was getting Nanje close enough to Vychen's tent so that she could catch his eye. Whether he chose to take her or not was less important than the few moments of distraction she would provide for the rest of us. His awareness was much greater than that of an ordinary mortal, and he just might be able to see us if he was particularly perceptive. As for hearing and even smelling us, the rings had that added protection incorporated into their magic. They could not hide all sound or scent, but should adequately dampen them enough for us to accomplish our task. We were fairly safe, so long as we remained quiet.
The limits of Darl's frail body caused me to appreciate anew my own enhanced senses, which I could not use here. He seemed wrapped about with a thick muffling fabric that blunted hearing and dimmed sight. A decided disadvantage for us both.
Nanje sauntered within fifty yards of Vychen's tent before a sentry challenged her. During the briefing I had suggested a covering story about presenting a good luck charm on behalf of her unit as a gift for the general. Apparently-and this was confirmed by the fugitive Darkon mercenaries-it was something of a tradition in this land. I had seen this happen more than once in my spyings, a pretty young woman willingly going into Vychen's tent perhaps to give a gift or seek favors in exchange for her own. I hadn't seen what went on inside, since Vychen had some scrying protection about his person, but I could take an educated guess since they never came out again. What he did with the bodies I had been unable to discern. He was careful not to let them rise again.
The sentry and two other fellows came close to question Nanje, who smiled, played with her hair, swayed her hips, and laughed teasingly at their bad jokes. One man was sent back to the tent to make a consultation with his immediate superior about the situation. Within a very few minutes word was passed to let her come closer. The five of us followed, Cylla holding lightly to the back of Darl's sword belt. He bumped once into someone, I think Kelab, but everyone kept quiet. Darl's heartbeat was high, and I made sure he held tight to the pouch to keep the contents from rattling.
The last check was at the entry to the huge tent, when Vychen himself made a brief appearance. He looked out the door flap, inspected Nanje once, and grunted a gruff affirmative before going back in again. Nanje flashed a provocative smile at the sentries and lifted the flap high to enter, then paused for another exchange with them, talking humorous nonsense, and otherwise doing an excellent job of flirting. She gave us all ample time to duck in ahead of her.
Through Darl's eyes, with the help of the disk and its stone, I was finally able to circumvent the scrying protections and see inside Vychen's tent for the first time.
The interior was larger than my castle study, and divided into sections. The front area was meant for work with its traveling desk and litter of papers; the inner portions where he had to sleep were heavily draped with many thick layers of curtains forming a tent within the tent, its object to keep all hint of sunlight from reaching him. Whatever excuse he gave his human servants for being indisposed during the day was probably bolstered by hypnotic control.
He was at his traveling desk with two of his senior staff, paying no attention to Nanje whatsoever. As she was marginally in uniform with the identifying scarf she offered a salute none of them bothered to return. Nanje scowled, her vanity slightly bruised, but she quickly recovered and stood off to one side, quite literally to await the general's pleasure.
This was the main weak point in my plan: how long it would take Vychen to dismiss his people that he might have some privacy. It was the one thing I could trust about his condition: in order to keep his secret he had to feed away from prying eyes. I had a limited amount of time, and if he was busy with business for too much of it the potion would wear off, trapping Darl and the others in the enemy camp without my leadership to get them out. Their safety did not concern me, but the success of this raid did.
Nanje, growing impatient herself, began humming softly. I could barely hear her, but Vychen did. He looked up once with some irritation, and Nanje took the opportunity offer him a smoldering smile and lick her lips. She did make eye contact with him, but at this point all the power of influence was on her side. His irritation vanished, smoothing into quite another expression altogether. I recognized it, having keenly felt it thousands of times myself: hunger.
With that particular beast now fully wakened he would find it hard to concentrate on anything so mundane as battle plans. Within a quarter hour he dismissed his people and offered Nanje a cup of wine. She accepted and expressed great admiration for her surroundings, allowing him the opening to invite her to see the rest of his tent.
While they made small talk and he pointed out this treasure or that, I made Darl head toward the back, Cylla still holding to his belt. There were no candles here, and he could barely see by the faint light seeping in from the front. More by touch than anything else he found the flap opening to Vychen's inner sleeping quarters and we went inside. The flap moved again all by itself, and I knew at least one other of our group was inside with us. It dropped back into place, and Darl stood waiting and holding his breath in pitch darkness.
The feeble mutterings of his consciousness went very still. Perhaps some part of him understood the utter necessity of letting me have complete control at this point. I increased my hold until I almost seemed to be Darl.
Cylla let go of my belt and stood tense next to me. I couldn't tell where the other man had gotten to. I hoped it was Ag'n; his extra strength would be needed.
I knelt and quietly opened the pouch, drawing out a soft felt pad about an inch thick that fit comfortably into the palm of my hand. Next I brought forth a tightly stoppered bottle, followed by a velvet bag. I passed the latter to Cylla and heard the faint chink of metal as she reached inside. My hand froze over hers to keep her still. She got the idea and stopped making noise. I straightened, bottle in my left hand, the pad in my right.