"Perhaps we can use their enmity to our advantage," Corran said. "They won't notice us if they're too busy fighting each other."
A smile broke across Emmeric's features. "I like the way you think. What do you have in mind?"
Corran turned to Jarial. "Was that an invisibility spell you used back there against the naga?" At the mage's nod, he continued. "Can you cast that on any of us, or just yourself?"
"Any creature close enough for me to touch."
"Excellent." The paladin addressed the group. "Here's my plan. Jarial can use his invisibility spell on me. I'll move among the orogs and lizard men, getting close enough that if I speak they will hear me, but staying far enough away to make them think my voice is coming from a rival band. Then I'll utter a few insults to make the two groups turn on each other."
It sounded like a good scheme to Kestrel-it involved no risk on her part, and if it failed, she could spend the rest of this mission reminding Corran that it had been his idea. In moments, an invisible Corran was sneaking toward the nearest group of lizard men to put his plan into action.
"Look, Ugdag! Look at lizard slime." Though Kestrel easily recognized the voice as Corran's, he'd dropped it an octave lower than his natural timbre and covered his blue-blood accent with a guttural rumble. The disguise proved convincing enough to fool the lizard men. Several of the scaly green beasts snapped their heads toward the orogs, webbed hands gripping the hafts of their spears more tightly. Unable to hear Corran's slurs, the orogs continued about their business.
"Lizards weak," Corran went on. "Hai! Too weak to fight orogs. Too weak to serve orogs!"
The reptilian leader of one band hissed. Hatred rimmed his red eyes. "Orogs full of swamp gas!" he cried, drawing himself up to his seven-foot height. His insult drew the attention of every orog in the vicinity. He shook his spear at them. "Orog clods! Shashiki!" The rest of the lizard men raised their spears as well. "Shashiki!"
"Lizard heads water-logged!" one of the orogs shouted in response. He strode forward, clawed toenails clacking on the stone floor, until he stood mere feet away from the lizard leader. Breath issued from his snout in angry bursts. The orog forces lifted their weapons. "Gagh-hai!" he cried, "Grabesh!"
"Graaabesh!" echoed the orogs.
"Shashiki! Kripp-kripp!"
The two races rushed toward one another, each determined to exterminate the other. In the confusion of battle, no one noticed the five visible-and one invisible-adventurers passing through.
With Emmeric to guide them, they moved swiftly toward the entrance to the House of Gems. They slowed, however, as they passed an ice-covered doorway.
"Hey, that's just like the room we saw below." Durwyn ran his hand over the frosty surface. "With the frozen floating ball inside."
"There's a similar sphere in this room," Emmeric said. "We examined three such rooms-one on each level we explored. We never did figure out their significance."
They wound their way through the corridors until Emmeric stopped before a huge seal inscribed on the stone floor. Two small concentric circles lay within a larger one, with two arcs connecting the inner circles to the circumference. "From the description given us by the elven clerics at the tree shelter, we believed this is the Circle of Mythanthor," Emmeric said. "If so, the glyph protects a hidden door to the city surface."
"The one the Ring of Calling will enable us to access?" Corran's disembodied voice made Kestrel jump. Though she knew he was among them and her sensitive ears could hear his sounds of movement as they traveled, the paladin's continued invisibility unnerved her. She preferred to keep her antagonists, and her allies for that matter, where she could see them. Unfortunately, Jarial said the spell would remain in place for twenty-four hours, unless Corran attacked someone first.
"Yes, that door, but we never found the ring's enabling word," Emmeric said. "I don't know how it might be learned."
"What do you mean?" Ghleanna asked. "It wasn't in the Room of Words?"
Emmeric shook his head. "We searched thoroughly, but without success. When the cultists attacked us, we were on our way to visit the elven clerics to see if they could suggest another place we might look. Of course, during my captivity I never revealed that the command couldn't be found in the Room of Words-I wanted the cult sorcerers to waste as much time as possible conducting their own futile search."
Kestrel rolled her eyes. Could this quest become any more hopeless? "So let me get this straight-the cultists have both the Gauntlets of Moander and the Ring of Calling. Even if we can get the ring back we don't have the password. And if by some miracle we do somehow get to the city surface, we still don't know where the new Pool of Radiance is, or what this cult plans to do with it Does that about sum it up?"
Ghleanna and Durwyn exchanged glances but did not speak. Emmeric appeared bewildered, but then he didn't know she'd never wanted to join this fool's errand in the first place.
The silence only provoked Kestrel further. "When are you people going to face reality? We can't beat these odds. If we keep this up, we're going to die trying."
Corran's voice penetrated the stillness. "I'd sooner die an honorable death than a cowardly one." She was glad the paladin remained invisible so she couldn't see the holier-than-thou look on his face. Self-righteousness dripped heavily enough from his voice.
"I'd rather not die at all, thank you."
"You have always been free to leave us, Kestrel."
Free to die alone trying to get back to civilization, he meant. It was not a true choice, and the paladin knew it. She glanced from one companion to the next, seeking a glimmer in just one pair of eyes that would reveal a like mind, a dawning of sense in one of these naive do-gooders. None appeared. Obviously, nothing she said would convince any of them to give up their doomed mission.
"Are you quite finished?" Corran asked.
Oh, how she wished she could see the paladin's face-so she could smack off the smug expression she knew it bore.
Emmeric, still in the lead, rounded a bend and quickly retreated, nearly bumping into Kestrel. "The entrance to the House of Gems is right around this corner," he said. "The cultists have posted guards, though."
"How many?" came Corran's disembodied voice.
"A cult sorcerer and maybe a half-dozen orogs."
Kestrel sucked in her breath. She'd rather face twice as many orogs than the cult sorcerer. Just the thought of that clawed hand-let alone the spells it could hurl-made her cringe.
"We can handle them," Corran declared. "We should focus most of our effort on the mage-he's the most unpredictable, and if the orogs are mercenaries they might flee once their employer is defeated. Durwyn, you and Emmeric fend off the orogs. Ghleanna, Jarial, and I-and Kestrel, if she cares to participate-will concentrate on the cult sorcerer."
Kestrel was sorely tempted to respond to Corran's barb by "declining to participate," but she let it pass for now. Later, when she had leisure for retaliation, she'd put the condescending paladin in his place.
Everyone readied weapons and spells. As one, they charged around the corner.
The cult sorcerer and his minions paused in momentary shock but soon recovered themselves. "Who are you?" the cultist demanded. "Depart from the House of Gems!"
"I'm afraid we can't do that," Ghleanna said as she released a spell. Three bursts of magical energy raced toward the evil wizard, all striking him in the chest. Before the injured spellcaster could utter more than a foul expletive, Jarial sent one of his magical acid-tipped arrows singing through the air. The missile struck its target squarely between the eyes.
"By the hand of Tyr!" Corran's voice rang out in warning. The paladin materialized as his sword impaled the mage. The cultist sunk to the floor, staring sightlessly through his red leather hood.
Kestrel, unused daggers still in hand, looked at the dead sorcerer in amazement "Damn, that was fast."
The orogs, who hadn't even had time to close in, froze at a command from their leader. "Hey, you gubuk," he said to Em
meric and Durwyn.
"Gubuk?" Durwyn repeated.
"You soft-skin people. I parley with you. Stand. Stand and talk!"
The fighters turned for guidance to Corran, who nodded. "All right. Let us speak."
The two sides lowered their weapons and approached each other warily. "Orogs swore to protect ugly mage," the orog leader said. "If ugly mage dead, orog honor say, nothing to protect. No need to kill you gubuks. We go now. No hard feelings."
Kestrel had to smile at the creatures' simple logic. And pragmatic loyalties.
"A few questions first," Corran said. "What can you tell us about your employers?" Kestrel almost wished he hadn't asked-the rank smell of the orog leader's matted, hairy hide made her queasy. Or was that his breath?
The orog shrugged and tossed his head. His stringy, greasy hair didn't move. "Ugly mages full of lies. Make deal with orogs. Orogs walk dungeons, yes, find magic items. Mages promise lots of gold. But ugly mages no pay." He blew air through his snout. The noise seemed meant to signal disgust. Today ugly mages say get small gubuk, put in box, they give big treasure. We take gubuk, put in box. Ugly mages not pay."
Ghleanna frowned. "Who was he-the small gubuk?"
"Garbage man. Lives in wagon-"
"Nottle." Kestrel groaned, shaking her head. Stupid scamp. Hadn't they warned him?
"Nottle, yes. That what ugly mages call gubuk. Oho, garbage man not like box! He talk and talk."
"Where is this box?" Corran asked.
"In old dwarf treasure room," the orog said. "Down in dungeon. Way, way down."
CHAPTER FIVE
"You have got to be kidding!"
Kestrel couldn't believe her ears. Corran and the others wanted to drop everything to go rescue that hare-brained peddler. "We're here! At the House of Gems. We're right-" she gestured wildly at the door-"here!"
"Nottle's in trouble," Corran stated calmly, as one would address a stubborn child. "We must aid him."
"He's an idiot!" she sputtered. "We warned him about the danger. He ignored us. He deserves whatever he gets."
"Then I guess all of us better hope we never need your help."
Her fingers twitched. She wanted nothing more than to sink one of her daggers between the paladin's shoulder blades. How had he managed to make her the villain of the group? All she'd ever tried to do was inject a dose of reality into their starry-eyed plans to save the world all by themselves.
Emmeric cleared his throat. "Actually, I agree with Kestrel." Corran appeared surprised at the dissent, but the fighter continued. "We can't afford to waste time, not with the Ring of Calling so close."
"Thank you," she said. At least someone else in the party was showing some sense.
"But it isn't close," Corran said. "We're just hoping the cult sorcerers will be in the Room of Words when we get there. They might not be there yet. They might have been there and gone already. We don't know. We do know where Nottle is and that he's in danger. As men and women of good conscience-" he shot a pointed look at Kestrel-"we must aid the weak."
"And risk weakening ourselves and the success of our mission in the process?" Emmeric pressed.
"Tyr will look with favor upon us."
Kestrel rolled her eyes. "Tyr can kiss my-"
"Enough." Ghleanna released a heavy sigh. "In the time we have spent debating this, we could have traveled halfway to Nottle's prison. Let us make haste to release him and return here without further delay."
The group headed off. Kestrel, however, tarried. They had not searched the cult sorcerer's body for clues to the cult's activities-or valuables, for that matter-and she, for one, intended to get all she could of both.
Around his neck she found a bronze medallion on a leather strap. Etched into it was a symbol: a ball of flame with sinister eyes hovering above a four-pointed reptilian claw. She removed the medallion and stuffed it in one of her belt pouches, then assessed the rest of his body. The minimal clothing left few places to carry items, but she did find a thin key hanging from a chain on his belt. The end of the key had the image of a circle within an arch engraved on it.
"When I noticed you missing, I knew I'd find you here." Corran's voice did not surprise her. Though she could tell he'd tried to move silently, she'd heard him approach. "Are you nearly finished robbing the dead? The others are waiting."
She did not bother to look up from her task. Her back still to him, she slipped the key into a hidden sheath in her right sleeve. "I happen to be searching for clues to what this cult is all about-something you seem to have forgotten in your haste to save a half-witted halfling from himself."
"Uh-huh."
His tone of sarcastic disbelief pushed her over the edge. She whirled to face him. "What in the Abyss is your problem?"
He regarded her stoically. "My problem?"
She glared at him, her face hot with anger she could no longer hold in check. "You have done nothing but judge and insult me from the moment we met."
"You represent everything I abhor."
"How can I? You don't even know me."
"Are you not a thief? I have yet to encounter one who wasn't a selfish opportunist. Your behavior thus far has done little to change my mind."
Her behavior? She had been selfish to try talking the party out of a quest that amounted to a suicide pact? She had been opportunistic in helping them defeat Preybelish? Sir Sanctimonious would do better to examine his own conduct.
"I have yet to meet a paladin who wasn't judgmental and self-righteous," she snapped. "Seeing only my actions and hearing only my words, you presume to know my motives. Well, you don't know as much as you think you do, Corran D'Arcey."
He raised his brows patronizingly. "No?"
"No. You're a weak leader, a spiritual hypocrite, and a lousy human being." Expecting him to dismiss her reproof as he usually dismissed her, she tried to push her way past him.
He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stay. "It reflects poor breeding, Kestrel, to walk away in the middle of a conversation. On what do you base those criticisms?"
Why did his insults still hold the power to rankle? Their frequency should have rendered her immune by now. "You've appointed yourself the leader of this mission, yet you allow your prejudice to cloud your decisions, ignoring or underusing my skills to the detriment of the party." Despite her ire, her voice held steady. "For someone who professes humility in the service of his god, you have demonstrated precious little of it among your fellow mortals. And for someone who seeks to better understand the ways of the divine, you know very little about the human condition. I doubt very much that the third son of Baron Whoever-the-hell has ever wanted for anything or can comprehend what desperation can drive a person to do."
There-she'd said it all, and her heart hammered in her chest with the rush of having finally confronted him. To her delight he looked as if he'd been slapped. She shook her arm loose, turned her back on him, and went to join the others.
With minimal travel time, the party descended to the dungeon's lowest level and found the old dwarven treasury. The stone door stood ajar, its engraved glyph-a circle within an arch-desecrated. Through the graffiti, however, Kestrel noted that the original symbol matched that on the key she'd taken from the dead cult sorcerer.
A muffled voice, unmistakably Nottle's, came from within, promising riches in exchange for release. "Gems… I got a nice collection o'gems. Or if it's weapons ye want-"
"Oh, stuff a sock in it," responded another voice, this one gruff and just inside the door. A few low chuckles indicated that several men stood guard.
Durwyn nocked an arrow. After the surprisingly easy defeat of the mage upstairs, they'd decided to launch more conventional missiles during their initial volley and hold Jarial and Ghleanna's magic in reserve until they saw how many opponents they faced. Emmeric, armed with Corran's sword, fingered the hilt impatiently, eager to strike back at the cult for slaying his companions.
The paladin gripped his warhammer. He had not spoken to Kestrel since t
heir confrontation. When she'd suggested that she sneak into the room after combat began-in an attempt to disguise their number and attack one of the guards from behind-a shrug had been the only indication that he'd heard her.
At Corran's nod, Durwyn stepped into the doorway and fired, a second shot quickly chasing the first. "One down-five more!" He jumped out of the way to let Corran and Emmeric charge past, then grabbed his axe and followed them into battle. Next, Ghleanna and Jarial entered.
Kestrel withdrew her twin daggers from her boots and waited in the corridor as sounds of combat erupted. She counted to sixty, then slipped inside.
It was a huge room, at least one hundred feet on each side, filled with chests, crates, and emptied sacks. Had Kestrel the time, her thief's mind would have loved to calculate the riches the chamber had held during Myth Drannor's peak. Now a more serious task occupied her attention.
The three warriors had engaged five guards in combat A sixth guard lay on the floor, one of Durwyn's arrows through his heart. At first Kestrel thought their opponents were cult sorcerers, for they all had claws for right hands and wore red leather boots, loincloths, and bracers. These adversaries, however, had no hoods to hide their heads and shoulders, and she gasped at the sight of their deformed features. Their skin, though still flesh-colored, resembled a scaly reptilian hide from the tops of their heads to their upper chests, and their eyes burned red with battlelust. Where the scarred mages had tattoos to broadcast their cult affiliation, the fighters had three razor-sharp blades piercing each thigh. The guards wielded wicked-looking double-bladed halberds with spikes at their heads and hooks at their bases.
Durwyn battled two of the cultists. His second arrow protruded through the shoulder of one. He landed a blow on the arm of his injured foe, then managed to parry the other's strike. Corran also fought two opponents. His warhammer easily deflected the attacks that came his way, but he appeared unable to gain the offensive. Emmeric, though fighting with an unfamiliar weapon, seemed to be holding his own.
Ghleanna gazed balefully at one of Corran's adversaries, her fingers tracing ancient runes in the air. A moment later the sorceress uttered a single command word. The cult fighter shrieked, but Kestrel could discern no physical damage. His blows, however, lost their precision. When Corran's other foe caused the paladin to shift his position, the spellbound cult fighter swung wildly, apparently trying to hit anything within reach of his weapon.
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