Balfour sat at the table for quite awhile after the young man had left. The caution bells were ringing loudly in his ears. Something about the way he acted and talked had an unsettling effect on Balfour. At that point Balfour reasoned that he would continue to guard his knowledge of the boys until he was certain of what Stephan had planned. There was no reason to mess up his efforts now and especially since those plans were so close to fruition. Balfour continued his comparison of father and son a bit longer and would have continued but Talisman chose this moment to enter the firehall. Picking up his mug, Balfour rose and headed for the bar. "Good day M'Lady, I trust you have fared well in your travels." A small smile crossed his lips as he remembered Stephan's description of what she may be like.
Stephan rode back to Blackhawke Castle at a leisurely pace to allow him time to digest Balfour's comments. "Perhaps it is time for a friend of his to visit Balfour and loosen his tongue a bit." He mumbled as the setting sun made him squint. "Was this a tidbit to get him to slow down and let his guard down?" Better yet, "a way to trap him into being careless and to once and for all remove him from the playing field." Either way, Stephan was resolved to make the stakes for this game very high and at a very high cost. For a second thoughts of Talisman flashed through he mind and his thoughts were of how comely had she become.
Stephan stopped in his tracks as he entered his room at Blackhawke Castle. After his long ride and less than productive day did not want to speak with the cloaked individual with his back to him. "What are you doing here?" Stephan asked with a slight edge to his words. "We agreed to keep these meetings to an absolute minimum lest anyone get wiser about them." The figure nodded his head as he pointed to the empty chair with his crooked finger. "Sit down!"
Stephan did as told but the huff of his breath and the noise of the chair emphasized his irritation. As the figure slid a note across to him, Stephan pulled it from his fingers the last part of the distance. No words were spoken as Stephan read the note. "This will cost you dearly and I must plan it carefully." The figure nodded and held up 5 fingers. Stephan looked at the man's eyes and nodded his acceptance. Stephan then folded the note and tucked it into his pouch. Looking back up the figure was gone as silently as he had sat there. After a bit, Stephan began to undress and prepare for bed half wishing he had stopped by the tavern first for both drink and company.
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