In the clear water he could see the hulks of old ships, sunk at their moorings by the fey and their mercenaries more than a hundred years ago. Now, the skiff crunched ashore. They pulled it up the dry sluice and stowed the oars, then climbed up the great stairs to the first of the stone courts, dotted with statues of ancient heroes. The gnome was first, then the Savage, then Lukas and Marikke, then the shifter and the watersoul genasi, his skin glowing with energy and cold blue-green lines of fire. Last came their leader, the only one of them unarmed as befit his rank a solicitor from Alaron, and a distant cousin of the king.
They should be here to greet us. He frowned. Not yet thirty years old, emaciated and weak chinned, Lord Aldon Kendrick clapped his hands. Hello! he cried out. Hello there!
This is stupid, muttered Lukas, his longbow in his hand. He and Marikke had once tried to defend Kendrick to the other members of the crew, out of a sense of racial solidarity that had worn away in time as his decisions became more and more erratic. That morning, aboard the Sphinx, he had spent an hour below deck, curling his moustache and rehearsing a short speech before the glass, inspiring words of liberation and hope.
Suicidal, agreed Marikke, priest and healer to the rest of them. Red-cheeked and yellow-haired, she smiled cheerfully.
Lord Aldon carried a salutation from the king, a message for the Winterglen Claw, a shadowy and secret corps of human runaways and rebels, Ffolk and Northlander, united in their struggle against the fey. He carried a promise of money and weapons at some future date, in return for an oath of loyalty to the king, as Lukas understood. The idea seemed vague and insubstantial to him, not worth the risk, except for the money he d been promised. But still, to sail into the harbor in the bright afternoon, climb up among the empty civic buildings as if knocking on an enemy s front door all that was insane.
You there, said Lord Aldon, addressing the gnome and the elf Suka and the Savage he hadn t learned their names. You ve been here before. What do you suggest?
They stood in the old Court of the Moon, a stone expanse surrounded by crumbling, yellow-brick buildings and a long balustrade above the port. A dry fountain rose from the center of the square, an alabaster statue of Sel ne, goddess of the moon, her face shrouded in an alabaster veil. One of her outstretched arms was gone, broken off at the shoulder.
You know the fey, Aldon continued. I suppose you are the fey, or were, in some cap
He broke off as the Savage turned on him. The golden elf s handsome face was twisted with contempt. You haven t listened to a word I ve said so far, he protested, his voice soft with anger. This is the date and time and place of your meeting with the Claw. I myself am not convinced these people exist, as I have told you. Yet here we are. What do you think? Is it possible we ve walked into a trap?
The Savage made an imposing figure, the sun bright in his yellow hair, gold rings in his nose and lips, gold tattoos on his dark skin, his greatsword on his back. Still, his sarcasm was lost on Aldon Kendrick, who goggled at him briefly then turned to the gnome and asked, What about you?
Suka laughed. I think we re not important enough. I mean, who would bother? She was a small example of a small race, dressed in a leather jerkin. Her hair stood out in clumps, a curious and unnatural shade of pink.
She s right about that, muttered Lukas.
He turned to Marikke, but she was gone. She had ambled over to the statue, and stood by the dust-choked bowl under the goddess s feet. Water, in the old days, had dripped down from her fingers.
Bright Sel ne, murmured the cleric. As if in answer to her prayer, a single drop of water fell from the goddess s finger into the stone bowl.
Lukas looked up in surprise. Ware, said the genasi in his whistling, eerie voice. He drew his scimitar. Cold fire sputtered along its blade.
The sun was halfway down the horizon. The shadow of the statue protruded almost to Lukas s feet. As the ranger watched, arrow on string, the shadow faded, though there wasn t a cloud in the blue sky. Instead, the sunlight itself had changed and weakened as the sky turned color, tending toward a deeper, colder purple, or as if dusk had suddenly come. At the same time, as if to compensate, the empty iron cressets along the balustrade came flickering to life, first tendrils of black smoke, then a gentle radiance.
In a moment the crew had their weapons out, had assumed their postures of defense, while Lukas ran to the balustrade and looked down over the port, where the Sphinx still rode at anchor. Only Lord Aldon stayed where he was, winking vaguely at the sky.
But all was still. Above them, the light had lost its force, and it grew cold. In the center of the square, the fountain overflowed. Lukas could hear a light, sweet laughter, and looked around for Suka it didn t come from her. The gnome crouched beside an overturned stone urn, crossbow raised. But from the Palace of the Moon on the west side of the square, someone stepped out of the shadows of the long colonnade, a single eladrin, empty hands upraised, her long black hair braided down her back, dressed in a diaphanous gown of red and green that moved around her when she moved. In the square the water and the fire followed her, flowing from the goddess s stone hands and rising up from the broken cressets, until the rest of the city and the world beyond the stone balustrade lost substance, faded into shadow in the middle of the afternoon.
The Savage, the golden elf, stood in front of her, his weight on his back foot, his greatsword in his hands. Only he was undiminished by the lady s brightness, her opposite, perhaps, his yellow hair glowing in the torch fire, his black clothes a source of darkness as she seemed a source of light. She stared at him, spoke a few soft words in Elvish, then lapsed into the Common tongue, Please, my cousin, put up your weapon. I mean no harm. I believe you have a secret you might share with us someday, or else share with yourself, but I won t say anything about that. You also, my little cousin, she continued, pointing her slender forefinger at the gnome. You have nothing to fear. I have not come here for revenge, whatever crimes you have committed. You see in me a simple eladrin maiden, here to greet you on behalf of whom? The Fingernails, is that it? No the Talons. Forgive me for my lack of skill in your language no, the Claws, that s it. The Claws of Winterglen. Such a violent name! You must excuse Captain Rurik he could not come himself. He had an engagement that could not be broken. So he sent me.
She shrugged a little, turned in a half circle, then took a few staggering steps. You must forgive me. I had something to drink while I was waiting. And I ve brought something for you. I thought you might be hungry after a tenday of biscuits and dried sausages.
Behind her in the Palace of the Moon, a new light shone among the columns of the portico and from the stone window frames, a row of empty arches save for the greenish glow. None of the crew had for a moment relaxed their vigilance, unless you could count Lord Aldon Kendrick, besotted by the beauty of the girl in front of him. He wiped his lips, wagged his big head back and forth on his long neck.
Yes, he said, making a motion to the others. You may stand down.
They didn t move until Lukas gave the signal, stepping forward as he replaced the arrow in his quiver. They found themselves moving, he imagined, through a trap made of spider silk rather than steel, and it was not with steel that they could free themselves. And though the air was thick with menace, he felt instinctively it was not meant for them, the members of his crew, and that the trap would tighten only if he resisted.
Aldon Kendrick, though, was already caught. The golden elf sheathed his greatsword on his back and stepped aside. Kendrick replaced him, and as the lady stumbled from feigned drunkenness he took her by the elbow. She thanked him with her smile and drew him forward into the portico, where Lukas could see a table had been spread for them, or else for Kendrick alone there was one silver plate, one knife and fork, one silver goblet, one chair. It occurred to him she knew the others were not so stupid as to eat or drink anything she gave to them, which left only Kendrick.
Even two days before he might have intervened to save the man from his own innocence and fool
ishness. But he had brought this danger on himself. Lukas already knew that Kendrick weak when he should have been strong, obstinate when he should have given way would tolerate no opposition to his orders, and he had ordered them to lay their weapons down. Lukas was nothing if not dutiful. He raised his hand, and his crew gathered round.
The lady favored him with a complicit, conspiratorial smile as she drew Kendrick to the carved chair and sat him down and poured a cup of wine for him. So vain he was, Lukas imagined, that it never occurred to him to wonder why there was only one place set. It was the honor due his rank. On board the Sphinx he d never dined with them. He was too proud. Instead he had preferred the single cramped, uncomfortable cabin below decks.
Now he took off his cap and gloves and bowed his head. The lady curtsied and drew up a stool. She had her own cup of wine, but she didn t drink. Instead she made a gesture with her finger, and Lukas could hear, as if at the limit of his hearing, a sound that was like music.
Please, my lord, she said. Am I right in thinking you are Aldon Kendrick, worthy and handsome cousin to King Derid in Callidyrr? Yes, the family resemblance is too strong. You must allow a simple maiden to entertain you, while you wait for Captain Rurik please, whatever you desire
Kendrick sipped his wine.
Oh, that was too easy, smiled the lady. She turned her head toward Lukas and the rest, where they had gathered on the portico. Come sirs, and you also, she continued, indicating the golden elf and the gnome. Cousins, and you, sir, she said to Lukas, let me thank you for not resisting me. Death comes so soon for your kind. So soon, but not today. That would have been a shame. Besides, I have need of you strong soldiers! Brave warriors. And loyal, too! Loyal until death. No, I am teasing. This fellow, how much was he paying you?
Just at the limit of his hearing, a sound that was like music, a violin, perhaps, and then a pipe. Lukas could almost hear it better when he wasn t listening. You knew we were coming, he said. The men who hired us to protect him, I think now they must have wanted us to fail.
The lady laughed. Do you now? Captain, you have a suspicious nature. But let me ask you this: If you don t manage to defend him, despite your best effort, will you forfeit your reward? Or were you prudent enough to take your payment in advance? No matter whatever coin was promised, I will double it.
She had stood up from her stool, and now she stood behind Kendrick s chair, her long hand caressing his cheek as he goggled and drooled, his freckled face empty of understanding, his big head wagging back and forth.
For days Lukas had despised him. Now, seeing him helpless, he could only feel pity. I ll take him back, he said. He s a cousin of the king. He ll require him breathing, at least, though it is obvious this mission was not intended to succeed.
The lady was dark-haired, bright-skinned, with long golden eyes. She smiled, and drew her thumb along Kendrick s shaven jaw, across his throat. Ah yes, his mission, to a nonexistent army of assassins and rebels. The Claw. She mimed the word with her curved fingers. Is this something I should fear? I don t think so. Not when I ve received another message from another Kendrick oh, this king has many cousins. I am envious. Captain, she told him, I believe you ve been misled, as you yourself have guessed. What you see here is the successful end to your endeavor, we can agree. Why would you bring his lordship all this way, just to take him back again? No. This is a job well done.
Lukas looked around at the faces of his crew, gathered around the table. Gaspar-shen, the genasi, stared down at the tabletop, spread with pies and jellies and roasted meats that gave off no smell at all. The energy lines on his bald forehead glowed with a lambent flame.
Kip, the little shifter, catlike and quick, reached his padded hand out for a pear then drew it back. His fingernails retracted.
Now that you mention it, said Lukas, usually we re paid half in advance. This time we had debts against the crown, which were dismissed by the high procurator.
He promised you the rest?
Yes. Lukas made a calculation, doubled it, then doubled it again. Three hundred gold pieces.
Ah, so you see. But let me promise you, Lord Kendrick s safe return was not part of your contract. On the contrary. Cousins of kings, they hate each other, always.
Lord Kendrick s forehead was high and bald, his hair drawn back in a queue, which normally he coiled under his velvet cap. The lady took it in her hand. She pulled back his head to show his throat and his protruding larynx, which convulsed as he swallowed. It doesn t matter, continued the lady. You humans now, tomorrow, what does it matter? You understand she indicated with her golden eyes the gnome and the elf these others, what does it matter? What can they expect, fifty years, sixty years more? But I was already old when Caer Corwell fell, in the Year of Risen Elfkin. From the battlements I watched those other Kendricks dance on the scaffold, King Derid s great-uncle, or great-great-uncle they breed like mice, or weasels. Now here s another one. He lives, he dies, in the blinking of an eye.
She ran her thumbnail down the length of his throat. A thread of blood followed it down. There, it is done, she said. All together, they watched Lord Kendrick s throat swallow and convulse, swallow and convulse, swallow and convulse. Then it was still.
A sad thing, she said, reaching for a napkin from the table. She wiped her hands. But not tragic. Not like the death of one of ours, or even her eyes glittered as she nodded at Suka and the Savage traitors like you. Traitors to the fey.
Suka grinned, stuck out her tongue, and ran her fingers through her pink hair. Like the elf, she had several piercings and tattoos, including a purple dog s head on the surface of her tongue. From its mouth protruded a silver stud in the shape of a bone, which she now exhibited to the company.
Their host stared at them then threw down her napkin, turned, and stalked out through the portico. Outside it was a bright day, the last of the afternoon. The torches were dark, the fountain dry, the shadows long. Leave him, she said, and they followed her to the long stairs.
Come, she said to Lukas, who hurried by her side.
You see you were meant to die here with Lord Kendrick. Three hundred gold pieces the high procurator of Alaron could have promised you six hundred, or a thousand. He never meant to pay. But I have work for you.
In the light she was impossibly lovely, with her straight, dark hair and pearly skin. But now that Lukas knew that she was old, hundreds, perhaps thousands of years old, he could see behind her eyes a hooded shadow. She climbed rapidly downstairs then turned into the cobblestone streets of the old town. The doors gaped open in the empty houses, stone and brick, and dark passageways smelling of bat dung. Flocks of birds rose from the courtyards, and rats scurried among piles of fallen masonry.
She turned under a high gate into the block of an old prison, its windows covered with a mesh of corroded iron bars. Lukas stopped her in the courtyard. We aren t following you here.
His crew moved into position, a ragged semicircle behind him. He raised his hand. Weapons were useless. His own bow was upon his back.
The lady turned around, then came back toward him until she stood uncomfortably close, her eyes almost level with his own. Even at that distance, her body and her clothes gave off no scent. Captain, she said, her thin dark lips a few inches away.
What is your name?
He told her. And me, she said. Do you know who I am?
I have an idea.
Tell me, she said. Her teeth were small and very white. He watched the tip of her tongue move between them. It was dark, and a peculiar shade of lavender.
I believe you are High Lady Ordalf of Sarifal, queen of this land.
A hiss escaped her lips, and Lukas could feel her cool breath.
Is that what you believe? she asked, her long eyes mocking him. Then you must also believe I have the power to destroy you where you stand.
He shrugged.
But I mean you no harm! On the contrary, I mean to reward you. Three hundred gold pieces from the procurator you won t see that gold, I m afraid.
You wouldn t even see it if you dragged Lord Kendrick s worthless carcass back to Alaron. But I will make you rich men.
She blinked, and a tear formed in the long lashes at the corner of her eye. She raised her hand to touch it, pull it away, roll it between her fingers, a jewel now, or something close to it, a sapphire or a piece of crystal. She laughed, flicked it away. And not just men, she continued. Please, introduce me to your company.
The prison walls rose above them, three stories high. In the late afternoon, the flagged courtyard was full of shadows. She stepped away, then moved around the semicircle as Lukas named each member of the crew. What kind of creature do you call yourself? she said to Gaspar-shen. You must forgive me. I do not travel much. This is the farthest I have been from Karador in many years.
The genasi small for his race, blue-skinned, almost naked stood with his legs spread. What kind of creature? repeated the queen. Her gaze flicked briefly down his body to his eel-skin breeches. And you, a human woman, she said, moving to Marikke. Priestess of Chauntea you don t find it difficult, to share your quarters with so many males? She laughed, curtseyed sardonically, drunkenly, and then continued on to Kip, the cat-shifter. Boy, I hate your kind.
She made as if to turn away, but then turned back. Her beautiful face took on a hard, penetrating look. Touch me, she commanded, and Kip, hesitantly, as if against his will, brushed his hand against her outstretched fingers. She gave an exaggerated shudder, then smiled. I hate you, she repeated.
But not as much as I hate traitors. She stared long and hard first at the elf, then the gnome.
Suka yawned, once more showing them the stud in her long tongue.
Thank you, said the queen. That s quite enough. More than enough. Three hundred thalers each, she said, mentioning the Amnian gold coins now current throughout the islands. Three hundred more on your return. When you bring me what I want.
The Rose of Sarifal (forgotten realms:moonshae isles) Page 2