*A house up on the hill. She meets some people there. Last time she stayed half the night.*
“A coven, perhaps,” Vreva mused. “Well, then, I think I need to check out her little circle of friends. But let’s take a roundabout route. And hurry. I’d like to get there before she does.”
Mathias squirmed in her arms, and she dropped him. *Follow me!*
Vreva cast a quick spell to render herself invisible and hurried after her familiar. A cat running up the streets wouldn’t draw attention, but she didn’t need curious eyes following her. She was breathless by the time they stopped, hunkering in the shadows of an alley in an unassuming neighborhood.
*Right there, across the street.*
“That’s it?” The house didn’t look like a witches’ lair. With lacy curtains, a low wrought-iron fence, and white-painted gingerbread moldings, it looked more like someplace a grandmother would bake cookies.
*What did you expect, a spooky mansion with bats flying out the windows?* Mathias’s sarcasm tweaked Vreva’s temper, but he was right. Witches weren’t often the stereotypical hags that most people thought they were. *There she is!*
Still looking like a Chelish sailor, Bushatra approached the house. She pushed through the creaky gate, climbed the steps, and knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened, and Bushatra dispelled her disguise. A tall blond man let her in without a word. Shadows passed the windows in the front of the house as the two figures were backlit by the lamplight.
*There’s another one.*
A man in a merchant’s jerkin strode up the street carrying a satchel. He, too, went to the door, knocked, and was let in by the blond man.
“How many are there?”
*Four, including Bushatra.* Mathias lashed his tail. *The last one’s a woman. Short with spectacles and curly red hair. I don’t see anyone else coming, so maybe she’s already inside.*
“There’s one way to find out. Stay here.” Vreva cast her invisibility spell once again. There were few people out and about, but the street wasn’t deserted. She hopped the low fence to avoid the creaky gate, and slunk up to the window. Through the tiny gap between the drapes she spied a comfortably furnished room. The man who had brought the satchel was pouring wine into glasses and distributing them to two of the three people who sat around a low table. The redheaded woman was there, but she wasn’t the one who caught Vreva’s eye. Vreva got her first close look at Bushatra.
Mathias wasn’t kidding. She’s a piece of work, all right. The woman’s hair was wild, and bone jewelry pierced her nose, ears, eyebrows, and lips. Her deep tan and the livid scars that marred her face and arms confirmed her Kellid ancestry, the flesh bearing the evidence of a hard life. Yet all of that was nothing compared to the closely fitted leathers that Mathias had claimed smelled unmistakably like human skin. Vreva suppressed a shiver of revulsion as she spotted strange tattoos inked here and there upon it. No wonder the woman only left the ship in disguise. She would draw unwelcome attention in Ostenso.
Lips moved among the group inside the house, but Vreva couldn’t hear a word. We can fix that. She whispered a complex spell, and bent her concentration on the room beyond the window. Shortly, their voices sounded in her mind as if she stood among the coven of witches.
“—lovely vintage, Tyfuss.” The blond man lifted his glass and sipped daintily. “Are you sure you won’t try some, Bushatra? I daresay it’s better than the swill they serve aboard Devil’s Trident.”
“I’m not here to sip wine and trade pleasantries, Pothario. I’m here to learn magic from the rest of you, and give you magic in return. Your ridiculous social interactions don’t interest me.”
“Well, I hope you don’t mind the rest of us being ridiculous.” The red-haired woman held out her glass for Tyfuss to top up. She pushed up her thick spectacles with a flick of her wrist, the gold charms on her bracelet jingling with the motion. “What else are we supposed to do while our familiars exchange spells? Remember, you approached us with this offer of collusion. Besides, what’s your hurry?”
“Fate hurries us on, Keah. Robust is due to arrive any day, and I need to learn as much as I can before I have to go.”
“Relax, Bushatra.” Tyfuss picked up the bottle and poured a measure into the empty glass on the table. “Have some wine. We’ve made excellent progress in our spell exchange, and there’s nothing for us to do while we wait for our familiars.”
Bushatra grasped the glass and drained it in a single swallow. “Sour grape juice … You should learn to make archi. It’s better than this.”
“No way am I going to drink fermented yak’s milk.” Keah wrinkled her nose and pushed up her glasses again. “I don’t even like beer.”
“Chelish …” Bushatra made a disgusted face.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m being used?” Tyfuss narrowed his eyes at Bushatra, possibly put off by her opinion of the wine, or his country. “So far, you’ve benefited from this interaction more than we have. Why should we believe that you’ll ever come back to give us what you promised?”
“Because I’ve shown you what you’ll receive. Once I’ve fulfilled my promise to the Chelish and escape the destruction of Augustana, Ronnel will take over as provincial governor and grant me lands and a title, not to mention enough money to make you all rich! Don’t worry; you’ll all get what you were promised!”
A title! So that’s the price of destroying a city. Bile welled up into Vreva’s throat. How can they so blithely consider killing thousands for their own gain?
“Or, you could be filling our heads with delusions of grandeur,” Pothario said.
“I would never betray my coven!” Bushatra glared him down, her dark eyes flaring with spite and her pointed teeth flashing. “Enough blather! I’m here for magic, not talk.” Bushatra flung her glass aside. The crash elicited a hiss and a squeak from a corner of the room hidden from Vreva’s view.
Keah leapt to her feet and glared at Bushatra. “If you hurt my Woobles, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Bushatra bared her filed teeth in a gruesome sneer. “I have more magic than any of you, and I’m offering to make you all rich. All you have to do is help me see far enough into the future to make sure my plans are still intact, and you’ll get your reward, so just shut up and finish your rotten grape juice. I want to cast another vision tonight.”
“You’ve already shown us all our futures.” Tyfuss drank more wine, seemingly unintimidated by the witch’s rant. “Why try again?”
She can see the future? Vreva revised her assessment of Bushatra. She might be revolting, but she wielded some serious magic if she could see farther than a few days into the future. Of course, if she would risk a shouting match with a drowning devil she was either powerful or insane. Maybe she’s both …
“The future’s always changing. Even as the course of a river may change with the rains a hundred miles away, the course of a prophecy may be altered by seemingly unrelated events. I want to make sure all is well with Robust. If something has gone wrong, your futures will change.”
“You said nothing could go wrong,” Pothario protested.
“Once the weapon’s aboard Robust and we’re under way, I’ll be in control of the situation and nothing can go wrong. Until then …” Bushatra shrugged.
Vreva’s mind spun with potential plans of action. Perhaps she could contact Torius by dream spell. If he could waylay Robust before the ship reached Ostenso, it might buy them more time to discover what the weapon was and how to destroy it. Or it might tip off the Chelish Navy and blow Stargazer’s cover. Laying plans against someone who could see the future was a paradox waiting to happen. Am I altering their futures just by listening in on their conversation?
“I don’t get why they can’t use another ship. I mean, the navy’s got dozens, right?” Keah’s petulance drew Bushatra’s glare.
“It has to be a merchant ship, Keah, not a warship. How else can they sneak the weapon into Augustana harbor? A naval ship would never
get past the Gray Corsairs. Besides, it’s the captain of Robust that Ronnel wants more than the ship itself. Apparently, Ronnel holds some dire threat over his family. Caught him cuckolding some count or something. If he doesn’t go through with this, Ronnel will ruin his entire family name. They’re not likely to get any other volunteers.”
“Oh.” Keah sipped her wine and heaved a gusty sigh. “Well, you can read my future again if you want. I never get tired of seeing myself rich and powerful.”
“Good! Finish your spoiled juice and we’ll go down.”
“Let me set the wards first.” Pothario put down his glass and stood. Withdrawing a tiny bell and silver wire from a pocket, he positioned himself carefully and began to chant. The bell chimed as he cast the spell, and the wire glowed and vanished in a shower of silvery sparkles. Quickly, Vreva cast a spell of her own. To her dismay, she discerned a subtle magical aura that centered on Pothario and encompassed most of the room, including the front door and window. Several other items among the coven glowed with brighter auras, the most powerful coming from Bushatra’s tattooed leather corset.
Maybe that’s why my spells failed.
“Pothario, you’re so paranoid!” Keah finished her wine and stood.
“It keeps me alive.” Pothario tucked the little bell away and gestured deeper into the house. “Shall we?”
“Yes.” Bushatra stalked out of Vreva’s view and the others followed, exchanging glances behind her back.
Vreva slipped over the fence and hurried back to Mathias. “Well, that was interesting.”
*What?* He hopped up into her arms.
“Their familiars are exchanging spells, and Bushatra’s using the others to look into the future.”
*Their familiars get spells?* Mathias sounded hurt. *How come I don’t get spells?*
“Because I’m not a witch. I’m more worried about the looking-into-the-future thing. How can we thwart them if they know what we’re going to do?”
*But if you know they’re looking, can’t you plan for that?*
“What do you mean?”
*If Bushatra sees their futures, make them see what you want them to see.* Mathias flicked his tail. *Make it look like—*
The loud slam of a door drew their attention back to the house. Keah hurried through the gate, clutching something close.
The door opened again, and Tyfuss called after her. “Keah! Don’t be ridiculous! I would never—”
“Let her go, Tyfuss.” Pothario grasped his arm to keep him from running after the fleeing woman. “What she saw is between the two of you. Don’t let it interfere with our plans.” Tyfuss pulled him back into the house. The door closed, and Keah hurried up the street without looking back.
*What the hell was that about?*
“I don’t know, love, but I think it just gave me an idea.” Vreva dropped Mathias and prepared a spell. “Stay here, and follow Tyfuss back to wherever he lives. I’m going to follow Keah.”
*You’re not going to kill her, are you?*
“No, but I need to find out what scared her so badly.” She cast her spell and vanished from sight. “It may give me the edge I need to outwit Bushatra.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Excerpt
Dedication
Inner Sea Region Map
Southern Ustalav Map
1. Deserving Victims
2. Transgressions
3. Behind the Throne
4. Procession
5. Unwelcome Guests
6. The Exorcism of Elistair Wintersun
7. Expert Witness
8. Master of Keys
9. Bloodline
10. Death’s Records
11. Family Debt
12. Confession
13. Scars
14. Final Preparations
15. Evil’s Mark
16. Behind the Veil
17. Cold Comforts
18. Not For the Living
19. Bloody-Minded
20. Inquisition
21. Cavity
22. Heresy
23. A Stained Soul
24. The Uninvited
25. Old Lace
26. Condolences
27. Home to Shadows
28. Faded Glories
29. Bloodstains
30. Siege on Bronzewing
31. Poison
32. Buried Alive
33. Reminiscence
34. Death Mask
35. Final Moments
36. Merciful Death
37. Coffinborn
38. Trial of Faith
39. Bloodthirsty
40. Monster Hunter
41. Stage Fright
42. Shadow Puppets
43. Malediction
44. Charming the Devil
45. Revenants
46. Penitence
47. What the Grave Won’t Hold
48. An Enemy’s Enemy
49. Bloodletting
50. Ashes
51. Dust
Acknowledgments
Glossary
The Pathfinder Tales Library
About the Author
Excerpt from Pathfinder Tales: Pirate’s Prophecy
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
PATHFINDER TALES: BLOODBOUND
Copyright © 2015 by Paizo Inc.
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Maps by Crystal Frasier and Robert Lazzaretti
Cover art by Lucas Graciano
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schneider, F. Wesley.
Bloodbound / F. Wesley Schneider.—First edition.
p. cm.—(Pathfinder tales)
“A Tom Doherty Associates Book.”
ISBN 978-0-7653-7546-9 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4668-4733-0 (e-book)
1. Vampires—Fiction. I. Pathfinder (Game) II. Title.
PS3619.C44686B58 2015
813′.6—dc23
2015023321
e-ISBN 978-1-466-84733-0
First Edition: December 2015
Bloodbound Page 42