Emmaline had spoken truthfully when she told Neil that the manor had been very effectively cleared out. Even dousing spells did not reveal caches of gold hidden in the walls or under the floorboards. There was a pleasant residual glow in what might once have been the strong room but not a single loose gelt. There were a number of small valuable objects, a carved snuff box, and a writing set inlaid with jade which had gone into her small pack of possessions. Not for the first time she considered the case she had stolen in Nuln and the pieces of warpstone inside. How much might they fetch when they reached Altdorf. The thought made her groan with almost sexual excitement.
 
Fortunately the family had been less successful in removing more fungible supplies. The larder contained several pots of freshly churned honey, dark bread, wheels of cheese, even a ham and a side of bacon. As Neil made his way up from his grisly task she headed down the stairs and into the wine cellar, which was completely stocked. She was no expert on wines so she simply selected several of  the fanciest looking bottles and carried them clinking up to the sitting room where she had laid out her impromptu dinner of ham and cheese. It was more than she was likely to drink, but she intended to be well provisioned when they began the long trek to safety in the morning. The thought of all the walking made her legs ache, but unless they could find a boat by the side of the Reik there wasn’t anything for it. The mansion had a stable but it had been emptied of horses when the family fled to safety in the city.
 
“Still have the top on,” Neil commented in a tone of manufactured disappointment as he emerged from the stairwell, his grisly task complete. It surprised Emmaline that he had bothered to bury the nameless servant, something which had not even occurred to her. She wondered what commentary that was on their respective ethos but as always with questions of morality, the curiosity passed quickly.
 
“The night is young,” she teased, shaking her considerable expanse of bosom to make the purloined necklace clink. Neil grinned and deposited his armful of firewood into the stone fireplace against the wall. He looked around for flint and tinder then jumped back as a spell from Emmaline spontaneously ignited the timber into a merry blaze.
 
“Sigmar’s balls!” Neil gasped then shot her an accusing look which she deigned to ignore. As an afterthought she waved her hand and spoke another jaw breaking syllable, confining the smoke to the chimney so that it wouldn’t advertise their presence. Even so the fire was something of a risk, but it might be long days before they could count on it being safe to light one.