A Dragon's Ascension - Ed Greenwood [11]
"And the famous and much-feared Tharlorn is dead," Jhavarr said grimly. "I wish I could be sure of that."
Trembling as he worked healing on Hawkril, and the armaragor shuddered beneath his hands, Sarasper looked up sharply. "You've cause to doubt it?"
Jhavarr Bowdragon drew himself up, and said slowly and coldly, "I doubt nothing because as yet I know too little. I can trust in nothing for the same reason. Yet hear this: I shall slay anyone who had any hand in Cathaleira's death. No matter where they hide or how they defend themselves. This I swear"
The mage paced forward between sprawled bowmen, sighed as his gaze fell upon flies crawling on skyward-staring eyeballs, and added in gentler tones, "I know something of the ways of wizards, Sarasper. I seek the Thunder's apprentices, to make sure Tharlorn is truly dead and didn't send someone else into battle in his guise… and to learn if anyone else helped craft the mage-slayer."
Whirling around, he added in a whisper that was almost a sob, "All shall pay-and they'll die in pain and knowing why I take their lives. Darsar is the poorer for the loss of her-but I shall beggar it deep and proper before I'm finished!"
Hawkril winced, wrenched out another bloody arrow, and shook anew.
Sarasper nodded wearily at the wizard as the healing continued. "Usually a vain undertaking," he murmured, "and all too often one that comes to ride the avenger like a slavemaster-but none of that makes your cause less noble. I hope you find what you seek, young Bowdragon… and peace, besides."
They stared into each other's eyes for a long time before Jhavarr replied, in a voice that was calm again, "Thanks for those words, healer, but hear fair warning: if I learn that any of you overdukes, or Regent Blackgult, or anyone else yet living in Aglirta had anything to do with my sister's death, I'll destroy the guilty-as cruelly and painfully as I know how."
Embra swayed into a sitting position, murmuring, "H-hawk? Srass-?"
Bowdragon stared at her, then smiled suddenly, lifted ready hands, and gave them lightning.
It was not a nice smile.
Blinding-bright bolts of purple and white snarled across the road and back, washing over the folk huddled there. Sarasper reeled, Embra fell back among the ferns… and then Bowdragon beckoned, and his lightnings flowed back to him.
Borne within crackling coils of his magic, something came with them, snatched from Embra's breast: a mottled brown-and-gray stone.
Bowdragon took the Dwaer into his hands, trailing the last sparks of his spell, and hefted it. It was lighter than it should be for its size, but it was a Worldstone right enough. Power surged up his arm, and his smile became wide and real.
"This will be useful to me-and less of a danger to Aglirta than it is in your lax keeping, oh-so-mighty overdukes. No Dwaerindim are toys suitable for anyone but a wizard… and a responsible, calm mage at that."
Hawkril struggled to rise, face twisted in pain, using his warsword as a crutch to help him totter to his feet and reach for the wizard standing so near…
Bowdragon smiled and made the Dwaer call up lightnings this time. 'Twould be fun to hurl a man as far as the eye could see while roasting him, now that it cost nothing to call on such power! Over yon hilltop, there…
It took some few moments to feel how to make the Stone do his bidding, and in the process, Jhavarr inadvertently lofted it into the air above his palm, where it spun, spitting eager sparks. Bowdragon raised his other hand casually to slay the staggering armaragor-and something silvery-bright and as cold as ice flashed through his fingers, leaving him gasping in pain as he shook them… and saw blood. Wincing, he glanced hastily whence the silver thing had come.
A slender figure had sprung up from amid the corpses on the road. Another hurled dagger was whirling right at Jhavarr, and a third dagger